Chapter 495 No matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat
Antwerp Airport was as busy as usual. Fighter jets took off and landed on the runway with a rumbling sound. The propellers and wings raised a cloud of dust, which mixed with the smoke released by the engines and drifted in the air, covering the airport with a faint smell of gasoline.
Albert I and Colonel Eden stood with their chests puffed out at the edge of the airport waiting. Behind them were a group of important officials of the new Belgian government and a military band. They were dressed in gorgeous costumes and stood on both sides, holding various musical instruments in their hands, "ready for battle."
Albert I was dressed in a rather exaggerated commander's uniform with a sword hanging from his waist, looking majestic.
Colonel Eden was wearing a new military uniform and still held the rank of colonel. Although he looked quite energetic, it was obvious at a glance that he was just a supporting role to set off Albert I.
Albert I looked up into the sky and saw no sign of a plane, so he turned around and said, "Mr. Boyata, have you thought about what to say to the brigadier general?"
FN Arsenal owner Boyata stepped forward and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I have considered it."
"Very good!" Albert I nodded with satisfaction.
Boyata looked at Browning beside him with a little nervousness, and Browning nodded slightly to indicate that he was ready too.
At this moment the lookout shouted, "Here they come, sire! Charles's plane!"
Four Camels appeared in the sky, two in front and two in the back, protecting an improved Avro in the middle.
The latter was produced by the Eric Aircraft Manufacturing Plant. After slight modifications and the replacement of a more powerful engine, its speed was increased to about 150 kilometers per hour.
This is obviously safer, because many German fighter planes cannot reach this speed and naturally cannot be "intercepted". Another reason is that it can adapt to the "Camel" fighter plane with a speed of 195 kilometers per hour.
Albert I watched the fleet of planes getting lower and lower, and when the time was right, he turned around and ordered those around him: "Get ready!"
The military band conductor immediately raised his hands and waved his baton, and the band members nervously made various poses.
"play music!"
Albert I waved his hand and the "Song of the Brabants" sounded over the airport.
Charles was almost frightened by the scene. He thought there was some kind of event going on at the airport. It was not until the plane stopped steadily in front of the team and Albert I came forward to greet him with a warm smile that he realized this was a welcome ceremony specially prepared for him.
"Brigadier General, my friend." Albert I gave Charles a big hug and said, "Congratulations on your victory again. Your name and achievements have shocked everyone who has been paying attention to the war, especially after you successfully reversed the situation in Verdun in just one day."
This was not true, and what was even more shocking was that Charles defeated Joffre and successfully kicked him out of the position of commander-in-chief.
Albert I, who had been in politics for a long time, knew what this meant.
The fact that Charles was able to kick out an important general and commander-in-chief of France shows that Charles is very important in France.
Colonel Eden's mind was full of directional mines, land mines, anti-tank mines and bouncing mines.
If Belgium had these things and combined them with the Belgian fortress defense system, then, that would be perfect.
Of course there are also reverse slope fortifications.
The politicians rushed forward to shake hands with Charles:
"Congratulations, Commodore."
"What a great battle! Everyone is praising your achievement!"
“It boosted morale and gave us hope of victory!”
…
Reporters swarmed in, nervously looking for angles in all kinds of weird postures, their fingers twitching as they pressed the shutter button to capture every precious shot.
While dealing with this, Ciel cast a puzzled look at Tijani who was standing aside.
Tijani spread his hands and answered helplessly:
"None of my business, Commodore."
"It wasn't me who leaked the news."
"While you were still in the air, the news had spread throughout France that you were leaving Paris for Antwerp."
Charles suddenly realized that it was the work of the Paris gossip reporters. They even arranged people to "squat" outside the Paris Flying Club 24 hours a day, following Charles like a star.
This also gave Charles a warning: he must be more careful when traveling in the future, otherwise the Germans would get the news and send fighter planes to intercept him, and he would die without knowing what happened.
…
The 1st Mechanized Division Headquarters, Albert I, Colonel Eden and Boyata followed all the way in.
"Do you have anything else to do?" Charles asked.
Then, without waiting for Albert I to answer, he said with dissatisfaction: "I don't like and don't need such a welcome, Your Majesty. I am a soldier. You don't need to treat me like a politician."
Politicians care about interpersonal relationships, while professional soldiers care more about life and efficiency.
Charles believed that this kind of formal welcome would only bring him uncertain risks.
"I'm sorry, Brigadier General." Albert I responded with a smile: "This is not to treat politicians, but to treat triumphant heroes, heroes of France, and even more so heroes of Belgium. This is very important to us, it can inspire people to bravely fight the invaders on the battlefield!"
Charles was speechless for a moment.
What Albert I said seemed to be correct. Just as France consciously established and promoted the "hero" Joffre, Albert I chose Charles as the target of his propaganda.
Then Albert I stepped aside and handed the speech to Boyata.
Boyata looked a little nervous. He stepped forward, took off his hat and saluted Charles: "It's nice to see you again, Brigadier General."
Charles almost forgot about Boyata until he saw Browning beside him and suddenly realized: "FN Arsenal?"
"Yes, Brigadier General." Boyata was a little excited that Charles still remembered him.
"We are glad that we can cooperate on the 'Saint-Etienne 2' machine gun," Boyata said. "Its production is very successful. This time we came here hoping to get permission for further cooperation."
"What cooperation?" Charles asked.
"We hope to obtain a license to produce equipment such as directional mines and land mines. You see..."
Then Boyata added: "The profit distribution will be the same as before, 50-50, Brigadier General."
Charles glanced at Albert I and Colonel Eden, and seeing the expectation in their eyes, he seemed to understand that this was another business that Albert I had arranged.
Charles originally thought of deploying mines in Belgium as a "fortress defense system", which would be much more effective than barbed wire trenches.
The most important thing is that there is still an information gap: the enemy does not know where the minefield is, and must be cautious and fearful when taking a step anywhere.
Our own personnel and vehicles can quickly move along known channels.
Coupled with the advantages of simple production and low cost, it is simply tailor-made for a small country like Belgium.
But Charles then thought, since Belgium needed his help, why not get some more benefits at the same time?
No matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat.
What's more, FN Arsenal is not a mosquito, Browning, the master of firearms, also has considerable strength!
(End of this chapter)
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