Chapter 686: Save the British, or defeat Germany?

In the Chamber of Deputies of the Bourbon Palace, Briand personally convened a parliament.

At the meeting, Briand gave an impassioned speech:

"Gentlemen, this is a war between the Allies and the Central Powers. Our allies are collapsing and they need our help."

"Admittedly, General Gallieni's concerns are justified, and Belgium is also our ally."

"But considering the overall interests of the Allies, we should first ensure the security of Britain rather than Belgium."

"What's more, if we lose Britain as our ally, we will also lose Belgium and even Charles in the near future!"

"So, we must not allow this to happen, even if it costs us some money!"

"At the same time, I believe that these costs are necessary and worthwhile. This is related to our honor, everyone's, and France's!"

Briand even broke his usual gentle and elegant image in the eyes of others, and waved his fists and shouted at the congressmen at the top of his lungs.

As soon as the voice fell, applause broke out in the meeting hall, and the members of parliament echoed Briand's call:

"The UK is our strongest ally, they have millions of troops and we have to keep them safe."

"Dunkirk cannot be handed over to the Germans, that is our bond with Britain."

"If the British are defeated, it's only a matter of time before we are defeated too!"

…

But Wells stood up, walked to the podium, and loudly objected:

"Gentlemen, let us recall what victories the British have had on the battlefield?"

"Was it the Defense of Paris, the Defense of Ypres, or the Battle of the Somme?"

"I'm sorry, but so far I haven't heard of any single victory of the British army alone, but more of disastrous defeats and interference with us."

This statement was immediately opposed by the audience:

"Britain is our ally no matter what."

"They relieved the pressure on our defense lines."

"They also have a share in our victory, otherwise we wouldn't have won!"

…

Steed stood up, his voice was old but powerful:

"Really? You may have forgotten that most of the Shire's victories were won without the participation of British troops."

"If there were British troops involved, it was him helping the British fight in the Dardanelles, it was even Charles who saved them."

"In other places, the British were not only no help but an obstacle. For example, in the Battle of Antwerp, Charles' troops were almost trapped in a desperate situation because of the British blockade!"

Armand stood up slowly, straightened his collar, stepped onto the podium, turned back to face the venue, and naturally placed his hands on the edge of the wall:

"I know nothing about military affairs, gentlemen."

"I just want to ask one question, if we could have defeated the Germans and ended the war ourselves, why did we have to rely on the British to come in and save them?"

"You all know how many times Ciel has won battles. I believe Ciel's decision is correct, and I believe he will lead us to victory."

"And you prefer to believe the British who have not won a single victory, simply because they have more troops?"

Someone shouted from the audience:

"You trust Charles too much. The Germans have attacked Dunkirk from the rear, and they will then attack Belgium."

"Yes, even Ciel can't win in this situation!"

Armand didn't say anything, but turned his gaze to the audience behind the podium. Gallieni stood there listening quietly without saying a word.

Everyone focused their eyes on Gallieni. The noisy conference room suddenly became quiet. People wanted to know one thing: Is it possible for Charles to lead France to victory without the help of Britain?

Gallieni hesitated for a moment, then said:

"I'm not so sure, gentlemen."

"But I know Ciel does have a plan."

"I can't say much. I can only say this: if Charles can capture the Lieri Fortress, are you willing to give up this opportunity to send him and his army back to rescue the British?"

There was an uproar in the conference room.

The Fortress of Liege is not just the Fortress of Liege. Taking it down not only means the safety of the northeast of Belgium, but also means that Charles' troops can invade Germany and even go around the rear of the German Western Front to completely defeat the German army and drive them out of France.

(The above picture is a map of Europe. The Liege Fortress is located in the corner of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, opening a gap to Germany. Once Charles occupied Liege and opened this gap, the armored forces could go south, bypass Luxembourg, attack the German defense line from the rear and completely end the war.)

As he spoke, Gallieni asked his subordinates to distribute maps and possible attack routes.

Armand also took one in his hand and said "Ahaha" in a rather exaggerated way:

"Look, it is possible that we can defeat the Germans without any help from the British."

"The main force of the Germans was attacking the British Expeditionary Force in the Somme River area, and Charles immediately went around to the rear of the Germans after retaking the Liege Fortress."

"Then all the Germans will be surrounded by us, including the Somme."

Then he proudly raised the map in his hand and said to the congressmen: "Now, gentlemen, choose one: save the British or defeat the Germans?"

The meeting place fell silent.

From the perspective of France's own interests, the latter is of course the choice.

Saving the British would do France no good, and in principle would even do it harm.

The best outcome would be that the Germans and the British would both be defeated, and Charles would then take advantage of the situation and lead the French army to end the war once and for all.

However, this was not in the interests of Briand, the parliamentarians, or the French capitalists.

Because this would make Shire's fame soar to uncontrollable heights.

By then, all French citizens will elect Charles as their prime minister, and all members of parliament may be kicked out by citizens through votes and replaced by Charles' supporters. The Bernard Group will naturally develop into a giant in France that no one can surpass.

However, they could not deny the possibility of the plan proposed by Gallieni.

Especially since the operator is the invincible Charles!

After a while, someone asked timidly: "Then what about our supplies? We all know that France's supplies come from loans from Britain!"

Armand flirtatiously shook his shiny long hair, showed a charming smile, leaned over and said to the questioner:

"You are right, Mr. Raphael, we do need supplies."

"But have you ever considered that Charles can also buy supplies from the United States? He even has a fleet escort."

"Besides, if we can defeat Germany in a short time, we won't need too much material support, what do you think?"

The meeting place fell silent again.

Some members of parliament were so frightened that their faces turned pale, as if the end of the world was coming.

(End of this chapter)