Chapter 596: Resources Determine Everything
Antwerp’s morning was cloaked in silver. Snowflakes drifted gently from the gray skies, landing softly on the rooftops, streets, and trees of this ancient city.
This was a fortress city, hailed by Belgium as the "Nation's Bastion" and its last refuge.
To endure any potential long-term assaults from the enemy, the fort’s designers had excavated an extensive underground facility to withstand artillery bombardments.
At present, Lieutenant General Avis had converted this space into a warehouse.
Standing in the snow, Lieutenant General Avis observed the constant stream of vehicles moving along the road. Like ants relocating their nest, they transported supplies from the port to the underground warehouse.
At this stage, supplies were paramount—they meant everything.
Lieutenant General Avis understood that leaving supplies piled at the port was unsafe. The warehouses there were open-air, and a significant portion of the supplies consisted of munitions. If a German air raid occurred, the entire cache could go up in flames.
The best solution was to transfer them to the underground warehouse.
Watching the convoys laden with supplies, Lieutenant General Avis couldn’t help but smile.
**“France, how long can you hold out? Charles cannot provide you with bread or ammunition. He isn’t Moses, capable of conjuring resources with the wave of a staff.
If you don’t wish to run out of food and ammunition, you should bow your noble heads and surrender to us, especially that Charles!”**
Whenever Lieutenant General Avis thought of Charles, his eyes burned with deep hatred.
“General.” At that moment, an aide whispered a reminder in Lieutenant General Avis’ ear. “It’s General Eden.”
Following the aide’s gaze, Lieutenant General Avis saw Major General Eden approaching through the falling snow with a few guards. Snow had already gathered on his cap and shoulders, suggesting he’d been outdoors for some time.
“Good morning, General.” Major General Eden greeted him in fluent English, extending a handshake.
“Good morning, Major General,” Lieutenant General Avis responded.
He was a bit surprised. Belgian generals often held animosity toward the British and found ways to make things difficult. Eden’s unusually cordial demeanor seemed out of character.
In the next moment, Lieutenant General Avis understood—it must be because of the supplies. They had realized who the real masters were! With this thought, Lieutenant General Avis puffed out his chest and adopted a lofty tone. “It’s been a while, Major General. Weren’t you stationed at Namur? Why are you here?”
Major General Eden gestured toward the fortress defenses a kilometer away. “I’m here on inspection. I heard the Germans might be planning something big—a major operation.”
“A major operation?” Lieutenant General Avis raised an eyebrow. “You mean an attack on Antwerp?”
Major General Eden nodded slightly, responding, “Haven’t you heard?”
“No.” Lieutenant General Avis dismissed the idea with a shake of his head. “That’s impossible, Major General. Unless the Germans have gone mad.”
The defensive line was fortified with over 300,000 British troops, well-supplied and battle-hardened. There was no way the Germans would attack here.
If they intended to launch an offensive, it would be against Charles’ Sixth Army, Lieutenant General Avis thought, as the Sixth Army had just recovered from mutiny and was now short on supplies and ammunition.
Major General Eden seemed to see through Lieutenant General Avis’ thoughts and smiled faintly. “Perhaps the Germans are already afraid of Charles, General.”
This remark darkened Lieutenant General Avis’ expression. However, he chose not to argue, instead replying coldly, “Is that so?”
“Let’s wait and see. Only fools would choose the harder target.”
This was part of Kitchener’s plan. He hoped to use the German Army to pressure Charles into submission.
Kitchener’s exact words were: “If Charles refuses to yield, a thrashing by the Germans will bring him to heel. Charles has only two options: suffer defeat at the hands of the Germans or seek ‘cooperation’ with us.”
Everyone believed Charles would choose "cooperation," assuming he wasn’t foolish.
Major General Eden pulled a cigarette from his pocket, offering it to Lieutenant General Avis as he replied confidently, “Yes, General. I think they will attack Antwerp.”
After lighting the cigarette for Lieutenant General Avis, Major General Eden added, “Because, as everyone knows, they always target the enemy’s weakest point.”
It took a moment for Lieutenant General Avis to grasp the implication of Major General Eden’s words: the British-held line was the weakest point.
Just then, Lieutenant General Avis happened to take a puff, only to choke violently, coughing until his eyes teared up.
Once he recovered, Lieutenant General Avis glanced at Major General Eden and sighed. “You’ll see, Major General.”
Lieutenant General Avis didn’t lose his temper. After all, the Belgians, including King Albert I, were allies they sought to win over.
However, before Lieutenant General Avis could finish speaking, the sound of concentrated artillery fire echoed from afar.
Looking toward the direction of the sound, Lieutenant General Avis raised his binoculars but saw nothing through the falling snow.
“General.” A breathless messenger stumbled through the snow, his words misting in the cold air. “Our forward positions are under German artillery bombardment! The shelling is intense—it looks like the Germans might launch a full-scale assault!”
Lieutenant General Avis was stunned. The Germans were really attacking Antwerp?
Major General Eden chose this moment to ask with a faint smile, “What do you hope I’ll see, General?”
A trace of embarrassment flickered across Lieutenant General Avis’ face, but he maintained his defiance. “This might just be a small-scale attack.”
Yet, soon after, reports came flooding in:
“General, the Germans have launched an offensive! Hundreds of tanks, at least five divisions strong!”
“The enemy’s attack is well-coordinated and organized. Their submarines have also joined the operation.”
“We’ve lost more than ten merchant ships to German attacks, and it’s still ongoing!”
...
Lieutenant General Avis’ expression shifted.
If the Germans were launching simultaneous assaults from both land and sea, this was no “small-scale attack.” It was a coordinated pincer strike on Antwerp, the harbor city.
...
In the Atlantic Ocean, just 70 nautical miles from Antwerp, a convoy of over 50 merchant ships was ambushed by a group of German submarines.
The Germans, demonstrating remarkable cunning, had gathered 38 submarines to launch a coordinated attack. Within moments, they sank half of the 12 escort destroyers. The remaining destroyers scrambled to counterattack but quickly succumbed, leaving only two to retreat in haste, abandoning the merchant ships.
The merchant fleet was left defenseless, prey to the German submarines’ predatory strikes. The sea was soon filled with burning flames and capsized vessels. Some ships listed heavily, exposing their propellers, while others erupted into bursts of fiery explosions.
The water was littered with wreckage and sailors, shivering in the icy sea as they clung to debris, their eyes filled with despair.