Chapter 519: Double Strike
"Namur Fortress isn't suitable for an armored force attack," Tigani said anxiously. "In fact, it's not suitable for any of our forces to attack, including the mechanized units."
This had been discussed before, as Namur Fortress was right in front of the Antwerp defensive line.
Charles and Tigani had even simulated the situation on the map more than once.
The terrain here was complex, located at the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre Rivers, where the rivers made a large bend, forming an open area suitable for deploying artillery.
The Germans had cleverly used the terrain to build their defensive line.
To attack here, one would either have to cross the river or bypass the rivers while being bombarded by German artillery, and then travel through a narrow passage formed by the river and forest.
An infantry assault could work because they had the cover of the forest.
But armored units, heavily reliant on roads and terrain, would essentially be suicidal here.
Tigani flipped through the battle plan again, and the more he looked, the deeper his frown became. Finally, he tossed the document onto the table. "No, I must tell the British that this plan has problems."
With that, he turned and headed for the telegraph room.
They must not understand the operational characteristics of armored units, Tigani thought. That must be why they had formulated such a bizarre attack plan.
Charles spoke up to stop him. "Do you think the British don't know?"
"What?" Tigani turned back to look at Charles. After a moment of silence, he replied, "Of course, Major, they don't know. Otherwise, how could they have made such a plan?"
"No, General," Charles said calmly. "They know exactly what they're doing. That's why they made this plan."
"You mean..." Tigani's face lost color as he realized the implication. "They did it on purpose?"
Charles nodded confidently. "We are the bait, General. They are using us as bait."
"Bait?" Tigani didn’t understand.
Charles explained, "Before attacking Verdun, the Germans frequently moved and launched feints at Belfort. They copied that strategy."
Tigani instantly understood. "We can draw German attention and forces to Namur by launching an attack there?"
"Yes," Charles answered. "We previously infiltrated Antwerp successfully, and if we infiltrate from Namur to Liège, we could directly cut off the German supply lines. That's something the Germans don't want."
"Therefore," Tigani continued, picking up on Charles’s words, "the Germans will inevitably take us seriously, and the British can attack elsewhere and win easily!"
This was what Charles had meant to convey.
Both Charles and Tigani had been wrong before.
They had assumed that the British would command Charles's forces to win, then steal the credit.
They hadn't expected the British to care so little about small victories or tricks. Instead, they were happy to throw Charles and his troops into the fire—preferably to have Charles suffer a defeat or even some sort of disaster.
Then the British would win elsewhere, and by comparison, the brilliance of the British army would shine.
Perfect—there was no better way!
"They're targeting me," Charles said, feeling as though he was dragging others into this.
"No, Major," Tigani said seriously, looking at Charles. "It’s not just you they’re after, it’s you and your forces, and France!"
Tigani wasn’t trying to comfort Charles; he genuinely believed this was the case.
"Don’t think this is just about you," Tigani said firmly. "What they want to defeat is not Charles, but the might of Mars of France, the hope of France, and the faith of its citizens!"
Charles fell silent.
Tigani made sense. The British were aiming to outshine the French army. Charles just happened to be the one leading the French forces to victory.
"Now," Tigani said, placing a document in front of Charles, "if we can't refuse, how should we fight this battle?"
Charles didn’t answer. He was wondering who had come up with this brilliant two-bird-one-stone plan.
Nivelle?
Impossible. He was fixated on artillery and thought it could win everything. He didn’t even consider tanks.
Haig?
Also impossible. The man didn’t even trust machine guns, let alone tanks.
These people who didn’t understand tanks would never know where the tank traps were, so they couldn’t set up this kind of trap.
Then Charles thought of someone.
"The Minister of the Navy," he recalled, the man now in charge, bold enough to openly defy the House of Commons resolutions—Field Marshal Kitchener.
It was him.
He had the motive—to make the British Army the center of attention and pave his way to the prime minister’s position with victory.
And he had the ability—unlike Nivelle or Haig, he wasn’t so narrow-minded.
"Major?" Tigani interrupted Charles’s thoughts. "What should we do?"
Charles considered it for a while, then replied absently, "Let the news out."
"What?" Tigani looked confused.
"The news that we’ve been ordered to attack Namur," Charles said. "Let it be known to everyone."
Tigani was even more puzzled, staring at Charles in shock.
"If we do that, the Germans will immediately know that we’re attacking there, Major," he said. "Everyone is keeping this secret, worrying about the enemy knowing our direction, and you want to broadcast it openly? What kind of tactic is this?"
Charles retorted, "Do you think the Germans don’t know?"
Tigani suddenly understood. If this was all part of the British plan, they hoped the Germans would be drawn to Namur by Charles’s attack. The Germans would surely be "warned" through some channel.
Then Tigani seemed to grasp Charles's intent. "If we spread the news and make it public, the Germans will realize it could be a trap. No one reveals their main attack direction."
"Not just that," Charles replied. "The key is the British’s intentions."
Tigani exclaimed, "Ah! Now I see! This is a great idea! The people of France will be furious, Major."
"The British are manipulating the situation with such underhanded tactics, trying to drag the best French units into a quagmire."
"This is clearly a way to kill two birds with one stone—using the Germans to destroy the French army’s best troops, and even Charles!"
"My God, I can't wait to see people in the streets denouncing the British, especially Nivelle!"
Charles snorted coldly inside.
If they think I'm an easy target, they’re wrong. The Charles of today is not the Charles of a year ago.
If they want to take me down, they should first try the wrath of the French people.
And in the end, if I manage to win this battle under these circumstances, while the British suffer a crushing defeat, they will receive a double blow!