CHAPTER 426: AFTER MODIFICATION: CHAPTER 426 EXCHANGE OF INTERESTS

Charles admitted that he had underestimated Albert I.

Before this, Charles only knew about the guerrilla forces. He contacted and formulated plans with the guerrilla forces via the "Lady in White" and was also aware that some guerrilla forces were cooperating with the French Army to maintain order or even directly participating in battles.

But he didn’t know how many guerrilla forces there were, nor where they were located, making it impossible for him to command them in battle once combat started.

After Albert I arrived, he immediately organized the scattered guerrilla forces and unified their command.

...

Early the next morning, Charles was in the fortress command center discussing fuel allocation with Tijani, trying to figure out how to keep the tanks patrolling within the city while saving some as reserves.

Charles had an impulse to ask Albert I to organize the guerrilla forces to transport fuel from the local people, not just in Antwerp but also in the surrounding areas, gathering all the civilian gasoline in a radius of dozens of miles, which might alleviate the urgent need of the armored units.

But this wasn’t a good idea.

This would clearly tell the German Army that Charles’s troops were short on fuel, and they would then feel safe escaping from the breach line.

Therefore, Charles had to reject this idea.

At that moment, Albert I came in, holding a briefcase. His face was a bit pale due to exhaustion, but still shone with excitement.

Following behind Albert I was an officer in Belgian army uniform.

As Charles wondered, Albert I introduced him: "This is Colonel Eden. I decided to let him take charge of the guerrilla forces in Antwerp. You can give your orders directly to him."

Charles scrutinized Colonel Eden, a soldier in his forties with a mustache. Oddly, his rank insignia displayed that of a major.

Then Charles understood. He was promoted to colonel in the field, and there wasn’t enough time, or conditions, to change his uniform.

Colonel Eden clearly lacked a strong presence; he timidly approached Charles to salute, unsure whether to shake hands, so Charles took the initiative.

"Hello, Colonel."

"Hello, General," Colonel Eden quickly responded. "I am honored to be under your command. We are ready and awaiting your orders. What do you need us to do?"

"Continue what you’re doing," Charles replied, "maintaining order and searching for remnant enemies."

"Yes, General," Colonel Eden straightened up enthusiastically, his gaze full of respect for Charles.

He was the general who had marched from Combray to Antwerp in a single day; he looked so young yet had such a brilliant record.

Albert I took a document from his briefcase and handed it to Charles: "This is about the guerrilla forces in Antwerp. We temporarily designate it as the 21st Division, with Colonel Eden as the division commander."

Charles, puzzled, accepted the document.

Another strange point: shouldn’t the division commander have the rank of a general?

Later, Charles understood that since his rank was brigadier general, naturally, Eden, as his subordinate, should be a colonel.

Opening the document, Charles was surprised: "Antwerp actually managed to organize over ten thousand people?"

Charles had distributed only about six thousand rifles, which were all that had been captured in Antwerp, including some faulty ones.

Albert I nodded: "Some are female soldiers. They strongly requested to join the troops, and I believe their enthusiasm should not be discouraged."

Charles replied with an "Oh."

Female soldiers were a rare presence at this time, only seen in Tsarist Russia, but they were quite common in modern-day armies.

So Charles didn’t find it surprising or unacceptable.

Everything was developing in a positive direction, Charles thought. With the guerrilla forces standing guard here, once the British transport ships arrived, the armored units could immediately turn back to fill the gap in Tibet.

No, the mechanized division should lead the way; it moves faster.

Just then, a communications officer handed Charles a telegram: "General, a message from General Winter. He says the fuel transport ships have been delayed by German submarines. Additionally, he asks if you can provide reinforcements to the Dardanelles Strait."

Charles was taken aback; hadn’t he explicitly refused?

The next moment, Charles understood.

"Fuel transport ships delayed due to German submarines" was just an excuse. General Winter mentioned this along with "reinforcements to the Dardanelles Strait" for a reason.

This was clearly a hint.

...

This wasn’t General Winter’s desire but the Minister of the Navy’s intent.

The Minister of the Navy initially was unaware of Charles’s fuel shortage.

General Winter kept this military secret tight-lipped, knowing that any leak would directly impact the Belgian operations.

However, General Winter made a grave mistake by citing "supplies for the Dardanelles Strait" as the reason for the fuel requisition.

The Minister of the Navy, having been ousted from the center of power, now served as a commissioner in the Dardanelles Strait Commission.

He found it strange that General Winter was requisitioning gasoline from Britain during Germany’s submarine blockade, as Britain itself needed to import oil from the Middle East. Why transport it all the way from Britain?

Upon inquiry, General Winter had no choice but to tell the truth.

The Minister of the Navy was overjoyed and sent a telegram to General Winter: "This is an opportunity, Winter, an opportunity to trade interests with Charles."

General Winter didn’t understand what "interest exchange" there could be until the Minister of the Navy alluded to Charles cleaning up the mess in Gelibolu not long ago.

He was astonished and replied: "Are you suggesting sending Charles to Gelibolu? This isn’t an interest exchange; Charles’s victory would also benefit Britain. We need this victory!"

"I know," the Minister of the Navy replied, "but everything has its priorities. In this matter, Charles is obviously more pressed than we are."

He meant that if Charles didn’t get the fuel, he could be counter-encircled by the German Army, which would be a dire situation for him.

General Winter was appalled by the Minister of the Navy’s shamelessness, almost unable to believe it was real.

Yet General Winter knew this was exactly what the Minister of the Navy was capable of, just like he personally commanded the suppression of workers’ strikes three years ago by calling in artillery.

(Note: This refers to the Sidney Street siege of 1911, where the Minister of the Navy arrived to command personally.)

Despite wanting to argue, General Winter knew it would be futile and subtly conveyed the situation in a telegram to Charles.

...

After understanding the telegram, Charles couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

The Dardanelles Strait campaign was initially launched because the direct attack couldn’t penetrate the front, so a new battlefront was opened from the side.

Now, Charles had already achieved victory at the front, yet they were hampering progress for personal political gain!