I was a tycoon in World War I: Starting to save France - Chapter 618

Charles was taking advantage of Albert I’s appeal, or the power of the masses.

This is due to two considerations:

First, a large number of German rifles were among the materials seized from the German army. More than 40,000 were seized when they broke through the German defense lines. German supply convoys were captured along the way and warehouses would be occupied in the future. It is foreseeable that more guns and rifles will be seized. ammunition.

The French army has no use for these arms. The Belgian 1st Special Reconnaissance Corps may be able to use ammunition but not rifles, and there is no shortage of bullets.

Then why not arm the people along the way?

Forty thousand rifles can arm 40,000 militiamen, regardless of gender, as long as they are taught how to shoot.

Second, until the war started, the quality of the German army was not very good.

In particular, elite troops have been transferred to Antwerp for the main offensive mission, and most of the troops remaining in the rear and hinterland are new recruits.

The quality of these recruits is not much different from that of the Belgian militia. The Belgian militia has the courage to “defend the homeland” and may be better able to fight than the German recruits. In the end, it is likely that the role they can play will be much greater than imagined.

The truth is exactly what Ciel thought.

After knowing his mission, Albert I immediately organized troops to garrison and build supply lines along the rear of the French army. At the same time, he distributed excess rifles to civilian militias in villages and towns along the way.

More importantly, he also organized a cavalry to take a shortcut to get ahead of the army, passing news along the way to the towns leading to Hasselt, so that people could prepare to welcome the Charr army.

One of the reasons why the advance of the First Armored Corps was slow was the snow on the roads.

The heavy snow for days has covered the road with a thick layer of snow, and it is common for the wheels of cars to get stuck in it and slip, and soon after being pushed out of one pit, they fall into another pit. They are said to be armored troops and mechanized troops, but in fact they are better than people walking on foot. Not much faster.

Tanks with tracks may be better, but the chassis of the “Shire A1” is very low, and the steel plate in the front is like a bulldozer pushing against the snow and more and more, and soldiers need to keep clearing it in front.

These problems almost disappeared after 2 p.m.

Belgian citizens knew that Charles’s troops were going to pass through their villages and towns, and they organized spontaneously to clear the snow.

Along the way, you can see citizens in cotton-padded clothes shoveling snow, men, women and children, all of them busy and panting hotly.

When the French troops passed by, they waved enthusiastically and shouted greetings in French:

“Hello, salute to you!”

“Thank you, friends from France.”

“You are heroes, say hello to General Charles for me!”

…

Sometimes Charles was among them, hiding in an armored reconnaissance vehicle so they didn’t recognize him.

Ciel didn’t want them to recognize him because it would cause unnecessary trouble or even danger.

…

Leuven, temporary headquarters of the German 21st Army.

Nicholas and Erwin were silent looking at the map. They were surrounded by staff officers who were busy going back and forth. They tried their best to understand the movements of the Shire troops through telephones and telegraphs.

After a long time, Nicholas asked: “Can Hasselt hold on?”

Colonel Erwin replied simply: “No, General, this is impossible.”

Hasselt only has two infantry regiments, and they are reserve forces to maintain public security and protect railway stations and supplies. However, their opponent is Charles’s First Armored Corps.

Nicholas’ mouth twitched, he stood up and pointed at the map and said:

“We may still have a chance, we can move the fighter jets to Hasselt.”

“Just like before, our fighters have a numerical advantage and may gain air superiority.”

“Once we gain air superiority with Hasselt as our base, we can hold it until reinforcements arrive!”

Erwin lowered his head like a defeated rooster and said in a helpless tone:

“It’s too late, General.”

“Char’s aircraft will take off from Brussels and Namur as bases to intercept.”

“At the same time, his ground troops will arrive at Hasselt in about ten hours. By then, our aircraft will not only have to face Camels, but also Shire A1 tanks!”

Nicholas added: “We can reinforce Hasselt, from two directions!”

The two directions refer to the fortresses of Leuven and Liège, especially the latter, where two infantry divisions were deployed.

“General.” Colonel Erwin shook his head: “Liège Fortress cannot reinforce Hasselt, and you know the reason.”

Nicholas sighed and nodded slightly.

Most of the troops in Liege Fortress were fortress soldiers, who were trained to surround the fortress to block the attack of the Charles.

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Sending them to fight in Hasselt is undoubtedly a huge waste.

More importantly, who can guarantee that Charles will not change his goal and attack the Liege Fortress?

Erwin gritted his teeth: “Order the withdrawal, General. If it’s too late, we will probably be like Lieutenant General Baird.”

Lieutenant General Baird was the top German general who was surrounded in Ghent and surrendered to the Shire. He has become a negative example for the German army.

Erwin never thought that one day he would end up in a similar situation.

“Retreat?” Nicholas looked at Erwin in disbelief: “Do you know how many of our troops are on the way to attack? They have penetrated deep into the heart of Belgium, and it is impossible to return and jump out of the encirclement within ten hours.”

“I know.” Erwin replied with difficulty: “But we can break out from other directions while the main force of Charles attacks Hasselt. There is no other way.”

Nicholas sat back heavily in his chair.

This means that all the tanks will not be able to drive back, and half of the fighters may have to be left behind, because Charles’s fighters are waiting for them on the retreat.

The German army had been keeping a low profile for so long and had finally accumulated this equipment, but now it was burned down.

“General.” Seeing that Lieutenant General Nicholas was still unwilling to give in, Erwin emphasized in a more serious tone: “What we have to consider now is not whether we can hold Hasselt, but whether our army can break through and how far it can protrude.”

Lieutenant General Nicholas nodded. He believed in Erwin’s judgment. Although this failure was because of Erwin, there is no blame for the fact that the battle was fought like this.

The reason why he was still in trouble in the end was because his opponent was Ciel.

No one can defeat Ciel, and it is not a shame to lose at his hands. Erwin is still the only one who has almost defeated Ciel.

After a while, Lieutenant General Nicholas turned his eyes to the border line of the Netherlands on the map, and said slowly: “Perhaps, we can have more people stand out and surround them.”

Erwin understood what Lieutenant General Nicholas meant, and he nodded: “This may be a way.”

After all, the Netherlands is surrounded by Germany. In this era when force determines everything, if the Netherlands, a neutral country, does not make a “fair” choice, it may face a German attack.