I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 79

Chapter 79: The Important Lieutenant

"You don’t know Charles?" General Winter looked at General Gillis, his expression tinged with surprise.

General Winter quickly realized why this was the case. Ever since the German army broke through Belgium, General Winter and everyone here had been trapped within the German encirclement. Telephone lines were cut, and communication relied solely on telegraphs. Not having heard of Charles seemed understandable.

"Then you must have at least heard of tanks!" General Winter asked again. Even German prisoners couldn’t help but mention this innovation.

General Gillis nodded. "I’ve heard about them. Are they real?"

General Gillis had always thought they were just rumors or German prisoners spreading lies for some purpose.

"Of course, they’re real!" General Winter replied. "Charles is the one who invented the tank!"

General Gillis uttered a soft "Oh," but he still seemed skeptical.

General Winter laughed. "Without tanks, Paris might have already fallen to the Germans. But now France is chasing the Germans instead! It’s said that even Germany’s defeat was a trap set by Charles. If that’s true, then Charles is nothing short of extraordinary!"

General Gillis began to believe it. After all, General Winter, outside the encirclement, had access to more information and spoke with confidence. Moreover, his reasoning seemed sound.

However, General Winter then turned his attention back to the letter in his hand, his expression filled with confusion. "But… what does this have to do with us? Why are they asking me to hand over Charles?"

Just then, another message arrived, delivered by a staff officer. It was another letter from Beseler.

If not for confirming Beseler’s handwriting, General Gillis might have thought it was some sort of joke!

Who would send two letters in such a short span of time?

This was a battlefield. Sending letters to an enemy commander wasn’t an easy task, and someone might die in the process!

Why didn’t Beseler just write everything in one letter and send it at once?

As General Gillis opened the second letter, he couldn’t help but wonder if Beseler had been in such a hurry when writing these that he had no time to think clearly.

This time, General Gillis read the contents of the letter aloud:

"Spare the lives of the people, Victor! Stop putting the entire Belgian population of the city through the fires of war. This is pointless and utterly foolish. I am not asking you to surrender. We will recognize Belgium’s neutrality. We only hope that you will hand Charles over to us, nothing more!"

General Gillis was already in a state of utter shock before he even finished reading.

Since Belgium refused Germany's request for "harmless passage," Germany had not recognized Belgium’s neutrality. This refusal was also Germany’s excuse for invading Belgium, claiming that Belgium sided with their enemies and therefore couldn’t be considered neutral.

And now, they were willing to recognize Belgium’s neutrality because of Charles!

"Is Charles really that important? Enough to make a German general abandon their principles and grovel like this?" General Gillis wondered. Was this a trap set by the Germans? Or just another pretext?

General Winter, however, nodded confidently. "He’s probably far more important than you can imagine, General! I don’t know how to explain it because most of what I know is hearsay. The ones who truly understand Charles’ importance must be France and Germany."

Then he added, "The German army was once defeated by Charles. And now it seems..."

General Gillis understood. The Germans’ obsession with Charles spoke volumes.

Just then, a signalman rushed in to report. "General, the Germans have launched an attack! From the direction of the Scheldt River!"

General Gillis’ expression darkened as he located the Scheldt River on the map. "It’s west of the fortress. If the Germans capture this position, our only retreat route will be cut off!"

After a brief pause, General Gillis straightened up and frowned. "They’ve never done this before. They’ve always tried to pressure us into abandoning Antwerp!"

This was the "three sides surrounded, one side left open" tactic. By leaving one side open, the enemy would panic and think of escape. If the enemy was completely surrounded, it would instead force them to fight to the death.

But now, why would the Germans violate this principle just as they were on the verge of victory?

And choosing to attack at night, despite their superior artillery, was clearly unwise!

General Winter knew the reason. "Because of Charles. They don’t want Charles to escape!"

General Gillis was speechless. Was this real? Were they willing to abandon their strategic and tactical advantages for one man? Had Beseler gone mad?

"General!" Another signalman rushed in. "The Dutch have informed us that due to German threats, they have to stop accepting refugees!"

General Gillis looked incredulous.

Since the war began, the neutral Netherlands had been receiving Belgian refugees, and Germany had never objected. Now, they were threatening the Netherlands into closing its borders!

This time, General Winter didn’t need to explain. General Gillis understood. "It’s also because of Charles!"

General Winter nodded in agreement.

If the Netherlands continued accepting refugees, who could guarantee that Charles wouldn’t slip away with them into the neutral country?

General Gillis couldn’t sit still anymore. He got up and paced anxiously in front of his desk. If the fighting continued, it wouldn’t just be the army and soldiers suffering casualties—innocent civilians would also be affected. They wouldn’t even have the chance to escape!

"But where is Charles?" General Gillis lost his patience. "Why are they asking me to hand him over when I’ve never even seen him?"

As he spoke, his staff officer walked in.

Before the officer could speak, General Gillis barked, "Is this about Charles again?"

The staff officer paused, then replied, "No, General! A telegram from General Gallieni of France. He says he made a mistake by sending a very important lieutenant staff officer to Antwerp. He hopes you can immediately arrange for a plane to send him back to Paris. He will be extremely grateful and will fully support our forces. He even emphasized that you may make any request, and he will do his utmost to fulfill it, including sending reinforcements!"

General Gillis smiled bitterly. "Everyone is here to ask for someone. Charles is important. Even a lowly lieutenant staff officer is important. Is there anyone who isn’t important..."

As he trailed off, General Gillis suddenly realized something. General Winter understood too. The two men exchanged a glance, each seeing shock in the other’s eyes.

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