Chapter 979: Charles uses it as a handle
That night, William II announced his abdication, and in the early morning of the next day, he fled from the Palace of Forget-Me-Nots with his family, mixed in with the guards.
Amid cheers, the German military and civilians established a provisional government, which then conducted armistice negotiations with the Allied Powers.
…
It was drizzling in Pontissebourg in July.
Maybe because Belgium is close to the sea, the weather changes very quickly. It was sunny just now, but now it suddenly changes.
The news of William II's abdication spread throughout the city of Liege like wildfire, and every soldier and civilian had a look of joy on their faces.
Although the war has not yet ended completely, they have seen hope in it.
Therefore, wherever Charles went, he was surrounded by cordial greetings:
"Greetings, General."
"Thank you very much for bringing us out of the pain of war."
"We are about to win, General, and it's all because of you!"
…
The U.S. Army remained silent, and Pershing sent a telegram to Charles:
"Lieutenant General, the American Expeditionary Force is under your command."
"But I believe that you no longer need the American Expeditionary Force to join you."
"We are willing to stay in Fremen to prepare for the reception of prisoners and post-war recovery."
Charles understood what Pershing meant. He did not want to compete with the French for credit. He thought it was a blasphemy to the French army, to Charles, and even to himself.
Charles agreed to Pershing's request. After all, the American Expeditionary Force was not needed at this time.
This was not the case with the British Army.
After Haig was dismissed, Lieutenant General Plummer, commander of the 2nd Army of the British Expeditionary Force, was appointed commander of the British Expeditionary Force.
The British army followed the French army's footsteps and launched an attack on the German army.
They are trying to gain leverage in the upcoming armistice negotiations.
But the German army did not seem to get what they wanted. They ruthlessly defeated the British attacks time and time again, although many in the German army believed that it was meaningless to continue fighting.
Tijani was puzzled by this, and he asked the German prisoners who surrendered voluntarily: "Why don't you want to surrender to the British? Are you worried that they will kill you?"
"No." The German prisoner replied with a serious face: "It was Charles who defeated us, General, we only surrender to the people and troops who defeated us!"
…
While everyone was preparing for the final battle and negotiations, Charles' attention was on the "Lady in White".
Charles ordered Lucia to use her power to search for one person: Einstein.
At that time, he was a professor at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. If he could be recruited to France to work for the Bernard Group, no one would be able to shake France's position in the next few decades or even hundreds of years.
As he was anxiously waiting for news, the guard came forward and reported: "General, General Winter is outside, he wants to talk to you."
Charles originally didn't want to see him. France and Britain had nothing to talk about anymore. The two countries were now trapped in the so-called "Thucydides Trap": France was a newly rising power and Britain was an existing power.
According to Thucydides' theory, war between the two seems inevitable.
However, there has never been a war between Britain and the United States in history.
Charles believed that this was due to the short-sightedness and stupidity of the Minister of Munitions, so all Charles had to do was protect the Minister of Munitions and ensure that he could become the British Prime Minister in the future.
Even if a war broke out unexpectedly, France had nothing to fear at this time.
But after thinking about it, Charles believed that he should still talk to him. After all, France was different at this time. As the initiator of the "League of Nations", its every word and action was under the eyes of other countries, so it needed to show magnanimity.
"Dear Lieutenant General." When General Winter saw Charles, he gave him an exaggerated hug, like an old friend who had not seen him for a long time.
Although General Winter tried hard to act as if nothing was wrong, Charles could still see something from his expression.
In the past, even when General Winter needed help from Charles or was shocked by Charles's tactics, there was always a hint of superiority in his words and eyes.
It has no concrete expression.
He looks polite on the surface, but sometimes there is a hint of disdain at the corners of his mouth, and sometimes a hint of impatience in his eyes, which makes people clearly feel his psychological superiority.
Now, that feeling is completely gone.
Although the person standing in front of him was still General Winter, he seemed like a different person. His smile was filled with humility, caution, and even fear.
Charles asked: "General, are you here on behalf of yourself or on behalf of Britain?"
General Winter was a little frustrated: "Please, Lieutenant General, I don't think we are so unfamiliar with each other..."
"I agree." Charles interrupted General Winter, "But it's not as familiar as you think."
It is understandable that General Winter had to consider the issue from the British perspective.
But in this case, just put yourself in the right position and stop talking about useless things. Besides, Charles doesn't think he has much personal feelings for General Winter.
"Well," said General Winter, with a hint of resignation, "the first thing you should know is that William II has fled to Holland."
"Really?" Charles answered. "I didn't know about that."
General Winter couldn't help but laugh. With your intelligence network, how could Charles not know about this?
"We hope you can put pressure on the Netherlands," General Winter said, "and ask the Netherlands to hand over William II."
"Hand over William II?" Charles asked in return: "Why?"
General Winter looked at Charles in disbelief: "As you said, he is the culprit of this war and the person directly responsible. Shouldn't we arrest him and interrogate him?"
"And then sent to the guillotine?" Charles smiled and shook his head:
"I hope so, General."
"But the problem is that the Netherlands is a sovereign, independent country and it is even a member of the 'League of Nations'."
"And I, and France, have assured all member states that we will protect their rights and interests rather than put pressure on them."
"So you're just going to let it go?" General Winter spoke faster unconsciously, "Just let a criminal get away with it? Let him live a carefree life in the Netherlands after causing such a huge loss?"
Charles spread his hands and said, "This is not for me to decide. You should ask Queen Wilhelmina."
General Winter didn't believe a word of it.
With Charles' current strength, he only needs to give Queen Wilhelmina a hint, or even say it explicitly, and she will immediately send William II to Charles.
But Charles didn't do that.
Charles then added: "William II can do no harm, General, unless he knows something."
General Winter instantly understood what Charles meant.
William II is evidence that Britain and the United States are secretly making peace with him.
As for whether to reveal it or not, it depends on Charles' mood.
In other words, Charles used it as a handle!
(End of this chapter)
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