Chapter 542: The Call of the People
The rapid retreat of the German forces was related to Erwin.
He had seen everything at the front—he had witnessed the terrifying combat capabilities of the French 1st Armored Division and how they used bridge-laying armored vehicles to easily break through the anti-tank trenches.
Erwin hurried back to the river bay headquarters. Covered in mud and smoke, he pointed at the map and analyzed to Nicolas: "The second line of defense also relies on anti-tank trenches. The French can still break through swiftly, and we have no solution."
"We have tanks," Nicolas responded. "Though few, they might prove useful."
His plan was to use the tanks to eliminate the French bridge-laying armored vehicles.
The "Upper Silesian" tanks might not be able to defeat the "Char A1," but they could easily handle unarmed bridge-laying vehicles.
"It won't help," Erwin shook his head. "Their bridge-laying armored vehicles have tank support, and our tanks might not even see the targets."
Nicolas was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized, "Rocket artillery?"
Erwin nodded. "We're not sure how many rockets they have, nor if our tanks can withstand the rocket bombardment. A rash attack could result in the annihilation of our entire army."
This was the frustration of artillery being suppressed, along with the ineffectiveness of the originally planned "tank defense."
General Nicolas was still reluctant: "But we still have the Namur Fortress and the city of Namur. With them, holding for three days should be possible."
"General," Erwin pointed at the map. "Once the French break through the second line of defense, they will bypass the Namur Fortress and the city to cut off our contact with the outside world. After three days, even if reinforcements arrive, what will that change?"
General Nicolas froze.
Defending the city might not be a problem for three days. The real issue was that no matter how many reinforcements came, they would all be destroyed by Charles’ forces. The battles outside the city were ones no one could win against Charles’ armored and mechanized divisions.
Seeing that General Nicolas was still hesitant, Erwin added: "I've just received intelligence—Belgium has dispatched an elite force to Mons. This force may consist of fifty to sixty thousand men."
General Nicolas understood what this meant.
If they stayed, they would be surrounded, and the final outcome would be the same as the German forces in Ghent, who were captured by the French.
"Make a decision, General," Erwin urged. "We need to retreat, and we need to do it immediately. Otherwise, with the speed of Charles’ armored and mechanized divisions, they will quickly strike our flanks, and by then, we won’t even be able to escape!"
General Nicolas stared at the map for a while, then reluctantly nodded and ordered: "Retreat!"
...
This was perhaps one of the advantages of armored and mechanized divisions—enemy forces would always be concerned about their flanks being infiltrated.
If Charles had led infantry with low mechanization, the Germans might have chosen to stay and fight street-by-street. Both sides would then have fallen into a stalemate, with no clear victor.
Charles didn’t actually want the battle to end so quickly. In just two days, it had all happened so fast that even Charles was surprised.
Then, the voice from the parliament would inevitably be heard: "Since Charles has already completed the battle at Namur, shouldn’t he and his forces be sent to the Somme?"
How would Charles respond to that?
...
The Namur Fortress was one of the largest fortresses in Europe. It sat on a small hill over a hundred meters high, surrounded by a river acting as a moat.
Built during the era of cold weapons, such fortresses had little value in modern warfare. Their brick-and-stone walls could not withstand artillery bombardment and could even be considered a "dead zone."
Charles had set up his headquarters here.
Although it was a "dead zone" for warfare, it was well-equipped and suited for confidentiality.
Charles took a bath here, changed into a clean and dry uniform, and after enjoying a pleasant dinner, he stood by the window with a glass of red wine, watching boats sailing up and down the Meuse River in the rain.
It was hard for him to believe that just a short time ago, he had been fighting on the battlefield, facing the enemy.
As usual, Charles did not enter Namur City with great fanfare to accept the cheers of the Belgian people.
It was too risky. A single bullet from the remaining German forces could end it all.
King Albert I was different. He was among the first to enter Namur City, accompanying the French soldiers to begin taking control.
On the other hand, the Belgian First Special Reconnaissance Army had been brought into Namur City to maintain order, constructing a defensive line on the eastern side to guard against a German counterattack.
They did a good job. King Albert I was responsible for stabilizing the people's morale and managing internal affairs, while Brigadier General Eden took charge of organizing defenses and deploying troops.
Charles didn’t have to worry about Namur, which had just been captured.
However, the more things went smoothly, the less excuse Charles had to deal with parliament.
"Major General," Tigani came out of the telecommunication room, smiling as he asked Charles: "Do you know how the people are reacting to this battle?"
Charles gently shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the river outside the window.
He wasn’t particularly interested in this aspect.
At first, he might have been excited about such matters, but as victories piled up, he grew indifferent, even numb.
What Charles didn’t know was that, standing on the difficult battlefield of the Somme, Haig and Nivelle were dreaming of a victory like his to turn the tide.
"Paris is in uproar," Tigani poured himself a glass of red wine and leisurely walked to the window.
Drinking was forbidden during wartime, but this was after the battle.
"The biggest cry from the people is not to praise you," Tigani, holding the wine glass, elegantly leaned against the window, a smile on his face. "They’ve confirmed two things: first, that Nivelle indeed ordered the attack on Namur, and second, that you were able to easily capture the fortress, while Nivelle and Haig paid the cost of hundreds of thousands of men and still made no progress!"
Charles gave a soft "Oh" in response. This was what he found interesting—what he had called the "double strike."
The first point, although Charles had mentioned it in parliament before, was kept secret from the public for the sake of "maintaining the greater good."
The second point was that Charles captured Namur, which was believed to be impregnable, in less than two days—a stark contrast to the dire situation on the Somme.
"And then?" Charles asked.
"The people want you to take over as Commander-in-Chief," Tigani raised his glass towards Charles, gesturing lightly. "They believe that if you lead the French army, the war will end sooner, and many lives will be saved."
After a pause, Tigani added: "Not just the people, but also the lower-ranking officers in the army."
The rank-and-file soldiers liked commanders like Charles because he could "save many lives."
Tigani looked at Charles, his eyes full of expectation: "Why don’t you just go with the flow and accept this proposal? I think what they say makes a lot of sense."
Charles smiled faintly and replied: "Being Commander-in-Chief offers no benefit to me."
That would only make him a target for everyone, becoming a scapegoat and a target for the parliament.
And those decisions were not something the people or the lower-ranking officers could determine!