Chapter 991: Driving Out Wolves and Fighting Tigers

Fortress of Liège, Fort Pontisse.

Charles was at his desk, looking at a map and deploying the Ruhr Line.

Although France had reached a ceasefire agreement with Germany at this time, it was still necessary to be on guard against others and build a line of defense before the situation became clear. This was a necessary means to ensure that France was in a "peaceful state" and make war profits.

Charles placed the main force of the 6th Army in the Ruhr industrial area, and the 1st Panzer Army and part of Foch's Northern Army in the Giesen area. They formed a triangle with the Liege fortress, enclosing a space that could be used for attack or defense.

Then Charles built a military airport in Ruhr and Giessen respectively, and stockpiled enough spare parts and fuel, and everything was almost ready.

This was Charles' defensive style. Whenever he conquered a place, the first thing he would do was to open up the airport, unlike others who would build trenches to surround themselves first.

Just as Charles was considering whether to build another airport in the center of the triangle for turnover, the staff officer handed Charles a telegram.

The telegram was from Christine: "Lieutenant General, the British army hopes to attack the German army in the north through the Ruhr area. What should we do?"

Charles was stunned. The British actually wanted to pass through the Ruhr which was defended by the French?

As he moved his eyes up the Ruhr area and saw the port of Emden, he realized that the British were trying to find a way out for themselves, an exit that would not rely on France to force the German army to accept its surrender terms.

A bright smile appeared on Charles' face, and the fun was about to begin.

He called Christine back: "If you delay it for a day, they will say it's a formality or other problem."

"Yes, Lieutenant General."

Then Charles immediately called Erzberger: "Sir, there seems to be something wrong with the prisoner exchange, I need you to come over!"

Erzberger was recently in Liège.

Due to the large number of prisoners of war, both logistics and transportation were big problems.

As the chairman of the "Armistice Commission", Erzberger set up a "Prisoner Exchange Command Post" here and personally directed the dispatch.

"Okay, Lieutenant General." Erzberger replied simply: "I'll be right there!"

In less than half an hour, Erzberger appeared in front of Charles' desk, dusty and sweaty.

He calmed down his breath, bowed to Charles, and asked carefully: "Lieutenant General, is there a shortage of transportation capacity? We can provide trains to your country for free, and you don't have to return them."

Erzberger was worried that the night might be too long.

What Germany lacked most at this time was soldiers, soldiers with combat experience.

The more than one million prisoners of war released by Charles are such soldiers. They only need to rest for a period of time and be issued a rifle, and they can immediately reorganize an army. Their combat effectiveness may even exceed that of most of the armies currently fighting.

"No, sir." Charles handed the telegram to Erzberger: "You should see this!"

Erzberger took the telegram and looked at it. His face changed drastically. He said to Charles in panic: "Lieutenant General, we can't let the British do this. We are defenseless near the Ruhr area..."

Germany believed that it had reached an armistice negotiation with France, so the defense at the border between the German and French armies was very lax. Britain planned to take advantage of this opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

"Do you think this is their only goal?" Charles asked.

Erzberger looked at the map. Although he was a politician who was a lawyer, the wars in recent years had given him some military vision.

But after a moment he exclaimed: "Lieutenant General, do you mean that their target is Emden Port?"

Charles replied: "I said nothing, Mr. Erzberger, it's just your guess."

Erzberger was startled, then he understood what Charles meant: "Yes, of course, you didn't say anything."

The next second, Erzberger panicked: "I, I must report this to them immediately..."

"Of course." Charles nodded.

However, when Erzberger reported the matter to Prime Minister Albert via a secret telegram, Prime Minister Albert cursed: "Fool, what you should do is not to report to me, but to discuss with Charles how to deal with it, understand?"

Erzberger was stunned, then he immediately reacted.

Yes, only Ciel can decide everything, it is always Ciel from beginning to end.

What's the point of telling Prime Minister Abbott?

There was no point even telling Hindenburg.

Charles' troops occupied the Ruhr industrial area and strangled Germany. Only his nod could save Germany.

So Erzberger ran to Charles again happily.

At this time, Erzberger seemed to calm down a little. He observed Charles's expression and asked cautiously: "Lieutenant General, I think the prisoner exchange should be suspended. What do you think?"

Finally it dawned on Charles. Although France had signed a truce with Germany, it was still a member of the Allied Powers. It could not help Germany openly, otherwise it would cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.

"It is a German affair, and I have no right to interfere," replied Charles.

Seeing that Charles looked normal, Erzberger breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

"Recently, because too many prisoners have been taken, the pressure on Germany's domestic security has increased greatly."

"So, after careful consideration, we believe that we should first replenish arms and ammunition at this stage."

"What the lieutenant general means is..."

Erzberger smiled apologetically, his eyes still fixed on Charles.

"Really?" Charles nodded. "If that's the case, go find General Christian and buy it. We can't rush the exchange of prisoners."

"Yes, of course." Erzberger nodded repeatedly and thanked him profusely as if he had been pardoned, then turned and left the command center.

This seems to be an irony. The empire that once dominated the European continent and opened up several fronts on its own to fight several countries at the same time, now has its life and death just a matter of Charles' words.

Charles was pleased with this.

It wasn't that he enjoyed the feeling of being in power, although it was certainly pleasant.

More importantly, this is the only way to drive out wolves and fight tigers and continue to consume the national strength of the British Empire.

After Erzberger left, Ciel turned his attention to the map.

The British underestimated Germany.

There is a reason why the German "Fokker D.VII" was called the most advanced fighter in World War I.

Although its maximum speed is only 200 kilometers per hour, less than the 220 kilometers per hour of the British "SE5a", the "Fokker D.VII" has better maneuverability and very stable performance.

However, due to its hasty installation, the "SE5a" suffered from frequent malfunctions and its actual combat performance was not as good as the "Fokker D.VII".

In addition, the German navy was intact and the army's armored forces were still strong, so Britain would not gain any advantage from the attack on Emden.

Of course, all this was based on the British judgment that the German army was undersupplied.

Charles felt that he should have found a good excuse for selling arms to Germany earlier.

(End of this chapter)