Chapter 518 Another Quagmire
Dunkirk, British Expeditionary Force Headquarters.
As Secretary of State for War, Kitchener had an office here; after all, this was where the British Army fought, and there was going to be a big battle.
Kitchener was in the habit of writing in his diary after dinner.
He thought it was very meaningful. After retirement, he would take them out and read them, and then he could easily write a memoir as a summary of his life.
After writing a few words hastily, Kitchener suddenly lost interest.
He closed the notebook, put away his pen, walked to the window with his coffee, and looked towards the darkness in the north.
What is important is not writing a diary, but what can be written in that small notebook, such as becoming the British Prime Minister in your lifetime.
(The picture above shows a fountain pen from World War I, invented by an American insurance agent in 1884.)
At this moment, there was a slight knock on the door.
Kitchener put away his thoughts, turned his head and responded: "Come in."
Haig pushed the door open. He was so arrogant in Chantilly just now, but now he was humble like a student in front of Kitchener.
"It is going very well, Marshal," Haig reported. "They have agreed to our plan of attack. The only obstacle is Gallieni, just as we expected, but he is helpless."
Kitchener said "hmm" but said nothing.
Haig asked doubtfully, "You don't seem very satisfied with the current situation?"
Kitchener replied expressionlessly: "The biggest obstacle is not Gallieni, General. Difficulties are still waiting for us ahead. Now is not the time to discuss 'satisfaction'."
Haig was stunned, then he quickly figured out the reason: "You mean, Charles?"
Kitchener nodded slightly: "You have heard about the cooperation between Saint-Etienne and FN, right?"
"I've heard a little about it," Haig replied.
He didn't take it seriously because he always believed that war depends on people rather than equipment.
"I know what you're thinking." Kitchener said helplessly.
This was the only thing he was dissatisfied with Haig. He was so "traditional" and "conservative" that he even went to the point of not believing in any new equipment.
Kitchener said in a critical tone: "Even if you don't believe this, you should still look at the fact that Charles won. He invented the tank in Paris, combined the fighter plane with the Congreve rocket in Antwerp, and the mines in Verdun. Was all this just luck?"
"I don't think it was luck, Marshal," Haig replied. "But the reason these equipment won was largely due to luck and the enemy's lack of preparation. Once they were prepared and took corresponding countermeasures, they would be useless. For example, the Germans built anti-tank trenches that tanks could not cross."
Kitchener did not continue the argument with Haig, which was a waste of time.
Of course there is luck on the battlefield, there is luck in any battle.
But if Charles wins again and again, it can't be explained by luck.
Kitchener's own analysis:
"I have received intelligence that Ciel has been actively training its troops and producing new equipment recently."
"I think he's preparing for the upcoming fight."
“That’s not a good thing for us.”
Haig understood what Kitchener was worried about. If Charles won again, and achieved a great victory with a small force, even if the British army also won, it would be overshadowed by Charles's brilliance.
Haig's mouth curled up with a trace of disdain. "Excuse me, I think your worries are unnecessary, Your Excellency. We have been preparing for this victory for several months. It is estimated that we can mobilize 80 divisions with more than one million people. For an offensive of this scale, Charles's troops can be almost ignored."
(Note: The Battle of the Somme involved 54 British divisions and 32 French divisions, a total of 86 divisions with over a million men.)
Kitchener rolled his eyes. The point was not how many troops could be mobilized, but how much results could be achieved after investing so many people.
Can you, like Charles, infiltrate Antwerp, recapture one-third of Belgium in one go, and capture hundreds of thousands of German troops?
But Kitchener certainly would not say this, as it would be a slap in Haig's face. He knew that Haig was such a person, he was superstitious about the advantage of military strength and believed that military strength could crush all obstacles.
Kitchener changed his tone. "But just in case, we should give Charles a difficult problem and give him a surprise. What do you think?"
Haig's eyes lit up, he had no objection to this!
…
Ciel is dealing with Tijani's entanglement.
"I think it is more suitable for mechanized troops, General." After returning to the headquarters from the training ground, Tijani kept talking: "The armored forces have tanks. They can get close to the enemy and fire in a short time. They don't need this rocket launcher with a range of 8 kilometers."
Charles asked back: "You mean, the armored forces don't need 75mm guns or Saint-Samond?"
"No, of course not." Tijani's excuse was exposed but he remained calm. He answered seriously: "What I mean is that artillery has higher accuracy, which is exactly what tanks need. They can work better with them. Rocket launchers always have accuracy problems. They may pose a threat to our own tanks and cause accidental injuries."
There is some truth to this.
But Charles asked back: "Don't mechanized troops need to cooperate with armored troops? So, you don't need rocket launchers, right?"
Tijani was speechless.
Charles looked at Tijani teasingly and added, "Besides, not long ago someone swore that 'I don't need a rocket launcher'. You won't forget it so quickly, right?"
Tijani tilted his head as if recalling something: "Did I say that? No, you must have remembered it wrongly!"
Charles was speechless. This shameless guy was actually a major general and a division commander!
At this time, the guards brought in a British lieutenant, who saluted Charles and took out a file from his bag and handed it to him: "Top secret document, General, please open it when you are sure it is safe."
Charles hummed and opened it casually.
Charles's headquarters is absolutely safe. Everyone has been strictly tested and even their movements are restricted. No one is allowed to go out or contact other people without permission.
The British second lieutenant saluted and left.
Ciel looked at the document and said "Huh" and frowned.
Tijani's curiosity was instantly aroused, and he came closer to take a look. It was a battle plan.
After flipping through it carefully, he looked at Charles in shock: "They actually ordered us to attack the Namur Fortress?"
Ciel nodded.
This was something he had not expected. He always thought that the Battle of the Somme was about to begin, and dozens of divisions with millions of troops would be transferred there to launch an attack, and he would be no exception.
Now it seems that the British would rather find themselves in another quagmire!
(End of this chapter)
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