Chapter 688 Mezieres

Albert I looked pleasantly surprised, but then his expression dimmed immediately: "But if you leave the Sixth Army here, how will you reinforce Dunkirk?"

The next second, Albert I seemed to understand:

"You are going to take the 1st Armored Corps and the 1st Belgian Special Reconnaissance Corps, are you?"

"An excellent choice, General."

"Believe me, the First Special Reconnaissance Army was built to cooperate with the First Armored Army. They can complete all the tasks you assign to them."

Charles said nothing, he didn't agree with this.

The Belgian 1st Special Reconnaissance Corps is a pure infantry unit that can only "follow up" and "fill the line" but not "coordinate".

But that doesn't matter.

"There is someone I want you to see, Your Majesty," Charles said, nodding at Tijani.

Tijani understood and turned to give an order to the staff officer.

After a while, a young colonel walked into the office, stood in front of Charles and saluted upright. He even had a wound on his forehead, which was bandaged with a little bright red.

Albert I looked the colonel over and gave Charles a questioning look: "I don't think I know him, General."

"You don't know him." Charles raised his hand towards the young colonel: "Let me introduce him. This is Colonel Tassini, who has just been promoted to the commander of the First Artillery Division because he annihilated the German deserters in the Ardennes Mountains!"

Albert I suddenly realized that he had heard of that battle.

Tassigny stepped forward and saluted Albert I: "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."

Albert I shook hands with Tassigny and said, "It is my honor, Colonel. It was a perfect command. Two thousand men defeated five thousand enemies!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Tasini kept a smile on his face. The only thing that could excite him was Charles' recognition.

"But," Albert I asked doubtfully, "I heard that you and your troops are searching for remaining enemies in the Ardennes Mountains..."

"No." Tashini spread his hands. "As you can see, we are in Namur."

"We?" asked Albert I. "You mean..."

"Yes, us." Tasini nodded. "Me and my unit, the 1st Special Artillery Division."

This puzzled Albert I even more: "You mean, the First Special Artillery Division is in Namur?"

Tijani laughed. "You thought the tanks and 'Saint-Samon' you saw were the 1st Armored Division? No, Your Majesty, they were the 1st Special Artillery Division!"

This was a magic trick Charles gave to the Germans.

Charles, Tijani, and a large number of tanks were in Namur, and they took it for granted that the 1st Armored Division was there.

But that's not the case.

The 1st Armored Division had exchanged positions with the 1st Artillery Division in Charleroi at night without the Germans noticing.

Albert I still didn't understand: "If the 1st Special Artillery Division is here, then where is the 1st Armored Division? Did they go to reinforce Dunkirk?"

"No." Charles shook his head: "The 1st Armored Division is in the Ardennes Mountains."

Albert I exclaimed: "The Ardennes?"

"Yes," replied Charles, in a calm tone. "They will take two or three days to cross the Ardennes and attack Mezières!"

Albert I was stunned for a moment, then turned his gaze to the map on the table.

When he found the position of Mezieres, his eyes widened instantly, then he looked up at Charles with an incredible look on his face: "God, you are going to surround the main force of the German army! Is this possible? Can it succeed? I mean the armored forces passed through the Ardennes Mountains..."

…

Mezieres is located at the junction of the Paris Basin and the Ardennes Mountains. It is a transportation hub in northeastern France. There are many railways and highways passing through the city, and there is also water transportation on the Meuse River. There are also iron and coal mines nearby, making it an important metal smelting industrial center in northeastern France.

(The above picture shows the location of Mezières, and the red line is the route of the First Armored Corps of Charles. The place name in the picture is "Charleville-Mezières". During World War I, Charleville and Mezières were two adjacent fortress-type cities. After World War II, as the city expanded, the two cities merged into one.)

Lieutenant General Nicolas, commander of the German 21st Army, set up his headquarters here.

This was not what he wanted. Mezieres was more than 100 kilometers away from the Somme River defense line and was a veritable rear area.

Lieutenant General Nicholas, as Major General Erwin's old boss and former commander of the 1st Tank Division, would rather lead his subordinates in person and drive tanks towards the enemy's trenches.

However, Falkenhayn's order dashed his hopes.

Falkenhayn put it mildly:

"You have been injured, Lieutenant General. This is for your health, and also as a commander at a strategic level."

"I think you are more suitable to ensure the safety of the rear supplies. Mezieres is a good place. It is an important place in the rear of our army!"

"It's very important. I don't feel comfortable handing it over to anyone else except you."

Yes, Mézières is important.

Almost all supplies to the north from here must pass through Mézières. At the same time, there are coal and iron mines that are in short supply in Germany near Mézières, and it itself is also an industrial city with excellent production capacity.

However……

"I can't think of any danger here!" Lieutenant General Nicolas complained to his staff angrily while looking at the map. "The Meuse River forms a 'C' shape in front of us, and behind us is the Ardennes Mountains. It's difficult for us to see an enemy here, unless they are spies!"

The staff officer could only answer patiently: "We are the strongest support for the front line, General."

In fact, the staff officer knew clearly that Falkenhayn made such arrangements in order to hand over the military power to Major General Erwin. He believed that if anyone could defeat Charles, it must be Erwin, and no one could interfere with Erwin.

Falkenhayn was proven right, and Major General Elwin achieved an unprecedented victory on the Somme front.

As for Charles, he didn't even dare to move a step away from Namur.

"General!" a signalman reported, "The First Tank Division has reached Dunkirk, and Major General Erwin is commanding them to attack the British defense line!"

There was a cheer in the headquarters, and the staff and signalmen congratulated each other:

"Great, we're about to beat the British."

"No one can save them, not even Ciel."

"Because there is only one Charles in France, he can't handle us both!"

…

Lieutenant General Nicholas looked at the telegram in his hand with a complicated expression.

He should not be jealous of Erwin's achievements, he should be happy for this victory and feel honored.

However, he couldn't lie to himself, and he felt only bitterness in his heart.

"I should be there!" Lieutenant General Nicolas muttered to himself.

The staff officer understood what this meant. He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say it.

War is a reality, and Lieutenant General Nicolas should accept the fact that Major General Erwin is better than him!

(End of this chapter)