Chapter 996 The End of the Art of War is Profit

There are frequent showers in Belgium in August, with an average of one short to medium-length shower every other day.

However, what made Charles feel comfortable was that although this should have been a hot summer season, the temperature in Belgium remained at around 20 degrees Celsius. Occasionally it would reach 28 degrees Celsius, which was considered high temperature. At night, the temperature dropped to a cool and pleasant 10 degrees Celsius.

Therefore, even if Charles stayed in the fortress for a long time, he did not feel stuffy at all.

Of course, this is related to the fact that the Liege Fortress is equipped with a complete ventilation system.

That evening, after dinner, Charles took a walk on the path outside the fortress.

Perhaps because of the nutrients in the shells and the abundant water, the hilltop that was originally bare due to the bombing was now covered with various unknown weeds, some of which had even grown to half a person's height, and swayed gracefully in the sunset when the breeze blew.

Insects grow wildly in it, and miraculously, an ecological chain is formed again.

They are carefree, Charles thought, and they can grow anywhere and cannot be eliminated. The human world is much crueler than them.

Just as Charles was recalling the scene, two armored vehicles drove up along the winding road and finally stopped in front of the fortress.

A familiar figure jumped down from the armored vehicle, and Charles recognized it as Tijani at a glance.

But suddenly it felt strange again.

Tijani at this time is completely different from the naive and sunny rich second generation before. Now he is basically no different from other soldiers. His movements are skillful and his steps are firm, and he has the confidence and pride unique to the French army.

Tijani had headed straight for the fort, but when he saw Ciel outside he hurried over.

"Lieutenant General." He shouted from a distance without any respect for seniority, "You don't seem to be worried at all about what's happening outside."

There was a hint of blame and a hint of teaching in his tone.

"Really?" Charles asked back, "What happened outside that's worth your personal trip?"

In fact, Charles had already guessed it.

It is usually assumed within the military that information will not be leaked, and even military secrets can still be communicated via radio.

Tijani did not choose to send a telegram but went there in person, which of course contained some sensitive information that was not very convenient.

Tijani came forward and hurriedly saluted Charles, but it was just for show, and this was not a big deal between him and Charles.

"Don't you find it strange?" He handed Charles a cigarette. "I mean the British have been doing this lately."

Ciel took the cigarette and lit it up: "You mean the British are withdrawing? They are just admitting their defeat."

"Do you really think so?" Tijani stared at Charles for a while, then frowned in disappointment:

"I knew you were good at land battles but not at sea battles."

"You may not have even seen the sea many times."

"Oh, yes, you went to the Dardanelles. I remember you nearly vomited your intestines on the boat..."

Charles glared at Tijani fiercely, which made the guy shut up.

“The British will not give up so easily, Lieutenant General,” Tijani said. “I know them.”

Charles asked, "So, what do you think the British will do?"

"It's very simple," Tijani replied:

"It's like what you often call 'asymmetric warfare', and this is the tactic the British are using now."

"On land they were no match for the French, and they couldn't even defeat the Germans, even though the Germans were about to surrender."

"But they have a powerful navy. They have more ships than we and the Germans combined."

Ciel said calmly, "And then?"

“And isn’t it obvious?” Tijani replied:

"Just like what they are doing now, completely abandoning the land and only maintaining a presence with one infantry regiment in the Ruhr area."

"Then there's the blockade of supplies at sea, and now even French merchant ships are not spared."

"They also organized a third fleet consisting of 10 battleships to enter the Mediterranean. This is a deterrent against us. Against us, Vice Admiral!"

Seeing that Charles showed no sign of reaction, he added:

"This kills two birds with one stone, Lieutenant General."

"By doing this, we can use our powerful navy to prove to the world that we still have the final say on the seas, and thus deter the colonies from acting rashly."

"Another reason is to put pressure on France and limit our development. They don't want us to surpass them."

Charles replied: "In fact, the British want to get the German reparations, 13 billion US dollars, they are determined to get it."

Tijani was stunned: "What does this have to do with compensation?"

"We can defeat the Germans on land, Major General," Charles replied, "and now the British are telling us that they can blockade and defeat us at sea."

Tijani said "Oh" and answered thoughtfully: "Then they can use this as a bargaining chip?"

"Yes." Charles nodded.

"I believe it won't be long before there's an Englishman sitting in front of me."

"He would act like a winner and speak to me with a haughty attitude."

"Hey, Lieutenant General, let's cooperate like before. Let's negotiate with the Germans together. You can raise the compensation to 10 billion US dollars, and ours will remain unchanged. What do you think?"

Tijani hummed and said, "It sounds like a good suggestion. I'll consider it."

"You think so?" Charles was a little surprised.

The old Tijani was not like this. He would angrily reply: "This is a naked threat. No one can make us do something we don't want to do."

Now Tijani nodded seriously:

"why not?"

"We can get more compensation without having to fight the British navy."

"That's no good for us, is it?"

Ciel stared at Tijani for a moment. "You seem to have a real understanding of war, Major General."

"Yes." Tijani smiled self-deprecatingly:

"That's about right."

"I discovered that the end of the art of war is actually profit."

"Everything is run around profit, and we are no exception, don't you think?"

Ciel admitted it graciously.

Tijani was the only one besides Gallieni who knew that Charles was exploiting the "French spirit".

Not even Lucia knew.

It’s not that Lucia is not smart, but that she is caught up in blind worship of Charles, or she is in love or something.

Like Djokovic and Camille, she fully believed that Charles was a noble man, that he was realizing great ideals, and that he wanted to end the war and fight for peace for mankind.

Many people think so.

French soldiers and civilians, colonial countries represented by Algeria, countries colonized by Britain represented by Egypt, and neutral countries such as Greece and the Netherlands...

They all believed in the ideals of the Shire and saw the Shire as the hope for world peace.

(End of this chapter)