Chapter 118 Deliberate Misunderstanding

Ypres, Belgium.

The heavy rain was beating the ground, and the dense water network covered the earth like a waterfall. There were streams and quagmires everywhere, and the whole world was under the mist.

Between the enemy and our defense lines was a dark gray death zone several kilometers wide. The scattered craters and not dense corpses seemed to indicate that the battle here had just begun.

A dozen kilometers to the west of it, behind an inconspicuous hill, there was a civil engineering work of more than ten square meters, which was the headquarters of the Belgian army.

Major General Charles, commander of the First Belgian Army, suggested to King Albert I in the rain:

"Your Majesty, I think we should retreat!"

"Ypres forms a salient on the entire defense line, and the west is flat and the east is hilly, which gives the Germans an advantage over us."

"And we are still surrounded by the Germans, it is difficult for us to defend!"

Albert I was silent for a while, and calmly asked: "General, where can we retreat to?"

"As long as we retreat about 20 kilometers to the rear, we can flatten the entire defense line!" Major General Charles said to the map: "This will be much easier!"

Albert I asked again: "Where, is it Ypres? Is it Belgium?"

Charles was silent, and 20 kilometers behind had crossed the border into France.

Albert I said earnestly:

"Ypres is the last piece of land in Belgium, General!"

"Losing it means the destruction of the country, means failure, and means that Belgium has withdrawn from this war!"

"It also means that the Belgian military and civilians will lose confidence and give up resistance!"

So, Ypres cannot be abandoned in any case, even if there are no fortresses or fortifications here, and the defenders have only 6 Belgian divisions with weak combat power and two British and French divisions with insufficient staff, while the German army may have 11 divisions on the front.

The reason why it is said "maybe" is that Belgium at this time can't even figure out the enemy's situation.

Charles was silent for a while, then pointed to a point on the map and said: "Then, we have to open the Nieuwpoort Gate, and the seawater will flow back into Ypres to buy us time. Only in this way can we wait for reinforcements to arrive!"

This time it was Albert I's turn to be silent. He was unwilling to do so until the last moment. Although it could temporarily block the German attack and cause trouble for them, the people of Ypres would also suffer greatly.

"Where are the reinforcements?" Albert I asked in a muffled voice.

"France has only one cavalry division!" Charles replied: "The British have only one infantry division, and they are stationed in the north of the Boregon Forest!"

This is far from enough. On this flat terrain, one German division can match two Allied divisions.

Albert I asked again: "Where is Charles, is there any response?"

In Albert I's view, Charles is more useful than all the reinforcements. As long as he stands here, all the depressed soldiers and civilians will be as high-spirited as if they had received a shot of cardiac stimulant.

"No!" Major General Charles looked a little embarrassed: "General Gallieni believes that we have not solved the internal problems yet, so it is not appropriate to send Charles to command!"

Albert I said "um" and said nothing.

This is indeed a problem. Even he dare not guarantee that if Charles appears here, will someone try to secretly hand Charles over to the Germans like General Guise did.

After all, the war seems hopeless now. Most people think that Belgium is heading for failure, and as long as Charles is handed over to the Germans, everything will end easily!

Albert I walked slowly to the gate of the fortification. The rain outside had gradually subsided, and even some sunshine could be seen.

The weather at the seaside is like this, the rain comes quickly and goes quickly.

But this is not a good thing, the Germans often launch attacks at this time.

Sure enough, a few gunshots were heard from the front line soon, and then a messenger covered in mud crawled in almost on all fours.

He stumbled to his feet, saluted Albert I weakly, and reported: "Your Majesty, the Germans have launched another attack, and this time the offensive is more fierce than the last time!"

Albert I did not respond. He stared at the map in front of him, and finally said to Major General Charles helplessly: "Prepare to open the sluice gates!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Major General Charles immediately told his staff to pass the order.

However...

The signalman standing in front of the radio station suddenly stood up and reported: "Your Majesty, General Gallieni called and said that France will send artillery and aircraft to reinforce Ypres. The aircraft will be ready in two hours, and the artillery will arrive tonight! Your Majesty, please hold on until tomorrow!"

Albert I smiled, and the muddy ground outside the fortifications appeared in his mind.

The artillery should not come, Albert I thought, even if they came, it would be meaningless, they would always be stuck in the mud and unable to move, and the shells could not be transported.

As for the planes, is there a place to land?

Or to provide reinforcements for Ypres after landing?

Just thinking about it, the signalman added: "General Gallieni said that these troops are commanded by Charles!"

"Charles?" Albert I turned around suddenly and stared at the signalman.

The others were also stunned, and their eyes stared at the signalman.

Charles will come again? Did I hear it right?

Albert I stepped forward quickly and grabbed the telegram. He looked at it for a while under the dim light, and excitedly raised the telegram in the air, his voice trembling with excitement: "This is true, Charles is coming to reinforce us!"

The headquarters instantly burst into cheers, and some people excitedly rushed out of the door, crawled in the mud and ran for a while, regardless of the mud all over their bodies, shouting to the soldiers hiding in the trenches and bunkers: "Charles is coming to reinforce us, Charles is coming!"

Cheers immediately rang out on the battlefield, and the soldiers passed on this good news one by one, and cheers and thunders rose one after another.

Major General Charles took the telegram from Albert I in confusion and looked at it, looking up at Albert I with a questioning look in his eyes.

Literally speaking, this does not mean that Charles is going to reinforce Ypres, but that Charles will command these troops to reinforce Ypres.

Albert I smiled and shook his head slightly, and Major General Charles immediately understood that Albert I actually knew this and he deliberately misunderstood the meaning of the telegram.

Major General Charles acquiesced to this approach and asked, "Your Majesty, do we still need to open the sluice gates?"

"No!" Albert I's tone became relaxed: "We have Charles, of course we don't need seawater, let the Germans come!"

Major General Charles nodded. With the current morale of the Belgian army, it should not be a problem to hold on and wait for help.

Charles actually has such magic that the soldiers who are about to collapse have become fearless warriors just by hearing that he is coming!

(The picture above is the real scene of Ypres after the rain)

Thanks to the Duke of Oak for the reward! Thank you very much!