Chapter 442: The Belgian Fork
Charles found the land that Albert I mentioned on the map.
It is located in the north of Antwerp, 2 kilometers from the port, 1.5 kilometers from the train station, and a highway 100 meters away. It is said that there is also a covered factory building, and several dormitory buildings and office buildings that can be put into use immediately.
Albert I said that it was originally a bicycle factory invested by the British. Before the war, it closed down because of fear of being affected.
Charles roughly calculated that the area of more than 2,000 square meters is 3 million francs, the unit price is less than 1,500 francs, and it also comes with various complete facilities. It is simply a free gift.
Although land prices were cheap during the war, they were not that cheap. Moreover, with the victory brought by the Shire, land prices in Antwerp had soared, especially near the port. Many capitals hoped to "buy the bottom in time" but could not find a way, but Albert I sent this good land to Charles.
More importantly, this area is still safe: it is close to the sea and within the range of naval guns. It is Antwerp's retreat. If there is another enemy attack in the future, it will be the last area for Antwerp to fall.
But Ciel didn't appreciate it.
In Charles's headquarters, he brought Albert I and Colonel Eden to the lounge for discussion.
After all, it was a business matter, and it was a bit inappropriate to bargain openly in the office in front of the staff and communications soldiers.
Perhaps to save electricity, the lights in the dormitory were a little dim, and the air was mixed with a musty and sour smell.
The beds were on the upper and lower floors, and a small room of several square meters could accommodate four soldiers. It seemed a bit crowded for Charles and the other three to stand in it.
The only furnishing is a small single table at the end.
Charles spread out the map on the table and circled the land that Albert I mentioned with a pencil.
"I admit that this is a very good deal, Your Majesty." Charles said with regret: "It's just that I haven't thought of doing any business here yet. As you know, I am mainly engaged in the production of arms and equipment. These things do not require Frequent import and export.”
Arms equipment is different from other products. It requires more technologies and patents. As long as these two things are solved, other countries can basically produce it on their own without setting up a factory in Antwerp to sell it, especially the United Kingdom.
But this is Ciel taking a step back, and he is carefully conducting some kind of test.
Albert I was stunned, he had not considered this.
But he immediately replied excitedly: "That's great, we have a big need for arms, Brigadier General. I am considering rebuilding the Belgian army and updating its equipment, not just firearms, but also artillery and even tanks."
This is big business, Charles thought, but he remained silent. He must hold his nerve at this time.
Albert I turned his attention to Colonel Eden.
Colonel Eden seemed to be thinking about other things. He was stunned for a while before he realized what he was doing. He said in surprise: "Can we get these equipment? That, that's great."
Colonel Eden turned his gaze to Charles and asked cautiously: "I hope to build the Belgian army like your army, General. If possible, I also hope that you can train them."
His voice was trembling with excitement, and his eyes were full of unconfidence. He was worried that these were the secrets of Ciel. After all, this was equipment and tactics that could dominate the battlefield.
"It's not difficult." Charles replied calmly: "You just need to import from France, France is right next to you. As for training, since I sold you the equipment, of course I have to teach you how to use it."
"Really?" Colonel Eden's eyes lit up instantly: "That's great, Brigadier! Thank you very much, I can't wait to see that day."
This was an unexpected surprise for Colonel Eden.
More than once he considered the way out for the Belgian army.
It is not easy to recruit hundreds of thousands of troops with a population of less than 7 million, but hundreds of thousands of troops are not even enough to fill the gap between the major powers.
This is also the main reason why Belgium has always been keen on building fortresses and invested huge sums of money.
But now it seems that the fortress cannot guarantee Belgium's security.
So……
Then Colonel Eden thought of Shire's troops.
Charles's troops only had more than 20,000 people, but they were able to defeat the powerful German army and surrounded more than 100,000 people without any effort.
What would happen if hundreds of thousands of people in Belgium could be made to look like the Shire army?
Yes, this is what Belgium needs!
Albert I was somewhat hesitant in this regard. He was not opposed to Charles, but he did not agree with Colonel Eden's views.
"I am thinking about a question, Brigadier General." Albert I said: "I would like to take this opportunity to ask you for advice. The fortress obviously played its role in this war. They allowed our weak troops to defeat the powerful German army. The attack lasted for more than two months."
(Note: Albert I refers to the surrender of Antwerp. If Ypres is included, Belgium persisted throughout the First World War, but most of the soldiers fighting in Ypres were not Belgian troops)
"So now." Albert I raised his hand towards the surroundings: "Are we going to give up on this development direction that has been proven to be the right one?"
"Your Majesty." Colonel Eden objected: "It has not been proven correct. I think the opposite is true. It cannot withstand the German artillery. We have no choice but to die."
"But what if there are Charles bombers?" Albert I asked back: "The bombers can blow up the cannons, can we withstand everyone's attack?"
Colonel Eden was speechless, because things seemed to be exactly as Albert I said.
Charles seemed to understand after hearing the argument between the two that Belgium was at a crossroads in terms of development direction:
whether to develop armored and mechanized forces like Charles, or to continue the previous tradition of building better and more excellent fortresses.
This did not conflict with Charles' interests.
Because no matter which choice Belgium made, Charles would be the one who benefited:
In the former case, the equipment of the armored and mechanized forces would all be provided by Charles.
In the latter case, the fortress would most likely be built by Charles, a military expert, after all, Charles knew how to defend and defend.
Charles did not say much, he just looked at Albert I and said: "Your Majesty, you only need to recall how I broke through Antwerp."
Albert I was stunned, and then he half opened his mouth and could not speak.
Colonel Eden suddenly woke up, and he found the most powerful evidence: "Yes, the Brigadier General's armored forces easily broke through the Antwerp defense line at night, and it was the Antwerp defense line guarded by the Germans. These fortresses are almost useless at night. They can't see the enemy and of course they don't know where to fire!"
