Chapter 424: Only One Day
Although the Molotov cocktail is very primitive and is just a bottle for throwing, its function is no worse than other equipment.
The key is to keep it simple.
Other weapons may require consideration of design, gunpowder, technology, and a host of other things that are not something that ordinary people can do.
A Molotov cocktail is a glass bottle with a little gasoline and a piece of cloth stuck in the mouth of the bottle.
It only took Charles a few minutes to prepare a Molotov cocktail. He lit the cloth and threw it far away. After a crisp sound, flames instantly rose from the point where it landed.
"This is a Molotov cocktail. It will be a great night-fighting device." Charles waved his hand in the direction of the flames. "Infantry can throw it into enemy trenches, and tanks can use it to know the direction of the trenches."
Colonel Estiny and Tijani, who were standing nearby and watching this scene, were stunned.
Such a simple combination can produce an effect similar to or even better than a grenade, but only Charles could think of it.
After a long while, Tijani sighed: "Like I said, this is the charm of war. I have begun to sympathize with the enemies who died under Molotov cocktails!"
…
The tanks rumbled across the flame-filled trenches, still chasing the fleeing German army. It was only a few minutes since the collapse of the last German trench, and they did not stop for even a second.
The artillery in the German fort finally opened fire. They no longer cared about the possibility that the shells would accidentally injure friendly forces. After all, they could not stand by and watch the fortress's defense line being breached.
But then they realized that they had missed the only chance to destroy the enemy tanks.
100 meters was too close. The target tanks' forward speed exceeded the maximum angular velocity of the fortress's turrets, which caused their muzzles to always lag behind by half a beat.
The result of firing reluctantly is not only that you will not be able to hit the target, but the muzzle flash will also attract heavy enemy artillery bombardment.
Although the fortress did not need to worry about the French 75mm guns, the fire and smoke from the exploding shells immediately obscured the already pitiful visibility, leaving them unable to do anything but sit in the fortress in a daze.
Rolf had given up command, realizing that the fall of Antwerp was inevitable and that the German defenses were vulnerable to Charles' troops.
The funny thing is that not long ago he and General Marcus thought they could crush Charles' plan and stop his attack.
Now it seems like a fantasy!
Rolf, feeling hopeless, gave up on escaping. He turned around and quietly looked at the rumbling tanks coming from behind, and remained indifferent despite the guards' anxious shouts.
The tanks are getting closer and closer...
…
The battle ended after more than an hour.
The tanks pushed forward at a speed of almost 6 kilometers per hour, and in one attack they broke through two layers of defense and entered the core city of Antwerp.
This was the most troublesome time. A large number of German troops retreated into the city and tried to organize defense relying on urban buildings.
The German army has reinforcements, and there is a high possibility that there will be a lot of troops, and the number will increase.
Together with the German troops fleeing from the front line, they will cooperate with the remnants of the army trapped in Antwerp to attack Charles' troops from both inside and outside.
However, the German army, without unified command, ultimately failed to achieve anything.
Just as Charles was racking his brains over how to completely recapture Antwerp and organize its defense before the German reinforcements arrived, the German army sent representatives to demand surrender to the French army.
Thus, the Battle of Antwerp ended with cheers.
Charles not only recaptured this sturdy "national fortress", but also took over almost all of its facilities intact, including fortresses, artillery positions, defense lines, and 23 105MM caliber howitzers.
…
In the early morning of the next day, the first thing the people of Paris did after getting up was to discuss with their families at the dinner table where Charles' troops had advanced to.
They believed that "victory" was a foregone conclusion and that Charles would never fail.
The key point is how long it will take Ciel to achieve this victory.
Some guessed half a month, some guessed a month, and some thought it might take half a month.
"After all, they are a country." They said, "The Allies sent hundreds of thousands of troops and a powerful fleet, but they have not been able to advance an inch in the Dardanelles. Charles only has one tank brigade and one infantry regiment, and they are still fighting against the Germans!"
Soon, this statement gradually became a consensus. People believed that they should look at Charles' attack rationally and not deify him, thinking that he would only need a month or even half a month to win.
"This will be a long battle and many soldiers will undoubtedly die!"
"But we are moving forward anyway, which is much better than the previous stalemate between the two armies."
"It was Ciel who changed the stalemate. We can't ask too much of him!"
…
Djokovic and Camille didn't sleep all night.
Camille's eyes were sore and red when she got up to make breakfast. She tossed and turned and sighed countless times last night. The newly bought radio kept making noises at the head of the bed. She got up from time to time to play with it, for fear of missing any information.
Sitting at the dining table, Djokovic could not help but advise: "This is only the first day, we can't go on like this."
"I know." Camille replied expressionlessly, "But I can't control myself."
Djokovic regretted buying the radio. His original intention was to reassure Camille.
"They said this battle might take a long time?" Camille brought bread to Djokovic, but forgot to bring milk and didn't cut the fruit.
Deyoka hummed, "You know, Charles doesn't have many troops, but his enemies are very powerful..."
Djokovic stopped talking in time and saw worry in Camille's eyes.
"They should let Ciel command more troops," Camille complained.
Djokovic was quite surprised by this, as Camille had never mentioned this before.
"I think I understand something." Camille sat weakly opposite Djoka: "Only if this war ends as soon as possible can Charles be safe, don't you think?"
Djokovic nodded in agreement.
In times of war, no country would be willing to let go of a talent like Charles, and wanting to stay out of it was nothing but an unrealistic fantasy.
Just as they were chewing bread with heavy hearts, suddenly a cheer came from outside: "Charles won, he won a decisive victory..."
Camille and Djokovic looked up at each other, dropped their bread and opened the door at the same time:
"Noemi, is this true? Ciel won?"
"Who told you that?"
Noemi replied loudly, his tone full of excitement and excitement: "It's true, Mr. Deyoka! It's the news from the army. It happened an hour ago. Charles occupied Antwerp and surrounded more than 200,000 German troops in just one day. He is amazing!"
(End of this chapter)
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