Chapter 501: A Show of Strength (One more chapter, thanks to leader Roderich Edelstein)

In Dunkirk, the First Army of the British Expeditionary Force lined up in the square.

Tall horses, fully armed cavalrymen rode with their heads held high, lined up in rows that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The infantry stood behind the cavalry, quietly waiting for the commander-in-chief to give a speech. The cold wind blew the fallen leaves flying in the air, and there was a sense of desolation that the warriors would never return.

Haig walked up to the commander, Lieutenant General Avis, and after saluting each other, Haig stood in front of the army and shouted:

"Warriors, you are going to the front line."

"Do you know which unit you are cooperating with?"

"I know, it's the group of girls who like to hide behind tanks!"

The soldiers laughed, full of ridicule and disdain.

Haig waited until the laughter subsided a little, and continued:

"They did win, but we know that it was not because they were so strong, but because their opponents were vulnerable."

"Now, our chance has come."

"You are the most elite troops, the pride of the expeditionary force, and the warriors of the British Empire."

"Let those girls hiding behind the tanks witness your courage and determination!"

"Let them see what real war is!"

The soldiers cheered with their rifles raised high.

With Haig's order, the army was divided into several parts and marched along the highway to the Antwerp defense line.

(Note: Haig's combat philosophy was to refuse to accept new equipment. He believed that "tanks and machine guns are redundant, and victory on the battlefield depends on morale and courage", and he was very stubborn and refused to change, so there were heavy casualties in the Battle of the Somme.)

Lieutenant General Avis was Haig's favorite general and a loyal supporter of Haig's tactical theory. He always believed that as a soldier, he should ignore the enemy's bullets and charge towards the muzzle of the gun like a knight.

If you are knocked down by the enemy, you should lie down peacefully on the ground, looking at the sunshine in the sky, and quietly wait for your life to pass away.

Lieutenant General Avis spent several days rushing to the defense line, and then took over the defense from the French 9th Army, and then rushed from Brussels to Antwerp without stopping.

Lieutenant General Avis heard that Charles was a commander who was difficult to control. He always did things on his own. Lieutenant General Avis felt that he should be given a warning, otherwise the French army would not be able to obey his command.

…

Antwerp Airport, the sky was dim.

A team of British cavalry marched along the street with noisy hooves, led by a lieutenant general.

The guards at the airport gate looked at the troops with strange eyes. They looked at each other, as if to say, is there still such an army now? Can they really fight?

The cavalry team stopped at the airport gate, and a colonel rode up and shouted to the guards in French in an imperative tone: "Tell your commander that General Avis is here to inspect!"

But the guards did not move.

The colonel shouted again, with anger and confusion in his eyes. Are they deaf?

"Sorry, colonel." The guard showed his uniform and answered in Dutch: "We are Belgians. We don't understand what you are saying."

The colonel then noticed that the two guards in front of the airport were wearing Belgian uniforms.

"Fuck you." The colonel cursed: "Why are Belgians used as guards here?"

The Belgian guard twitched his mouth, but soon pretended not to understand and stood at attention with a straight face and chest, holding a rifle in his hand.

Lieutenant General Avis was quite helpless in the face of this situation. If the other party was a French guard, in principle they could break in directly.

But the Belgian guards were standing in front of them. They were the masters of this land. If they broke into the Belgian guard area by force, it would not stand up either in law or in public opinion.

"Does anyone know Dutch?" Lieutenant General Avis turned his head and asked helplessly.

A cavalry lieutenant stepped out: "I know a little, General."

Lieutenant General Ivis nodded: "Ask about the situation and let them report."

"Yes, General." The cavalry lieutenant stepped forward and communicated with the guard in awkward Dutch. The other party finally understood, but still failed and still refused to let him in.

The cavalry lieutenant came back dejectedly and reported to Lieutenant General Ivis: "General, they said they are only responsible for guarding and not for reporting, because the French also don't understand Dutch."

"Then how should we get in?" Lieutenant General Ivis asked.

"They said..." The cavalry lieutenant said embarrassedly: "You need the king's pass."

Lieutenant General Ivis looked at the lieutenant in disbelief. You actually need the king's pass to enter the airport?

The cavalry lieutenant understood Lieutenant General Ivis's doubts and replied: "Yes, General, they said this is a military stronghold and not everyone can enter and exit."

It seems to make sense, Lieutenant General Ivis thought, I heard that the French deployed the most advanced fighter jets here, and they are worried about leaking secrets.

"Cowardly Frenchmen!" Lieutenant General Ivis complained, and turned around and ordered: "Art, go to the king's manor!"

"Yes, General." A major stepped out and rode his horse towards the king's manor with two guards.

Suddenly, a fighter plane flew over the cavalry's head at a low altitude with a "boom", startling the horses and even throwing Lieutenant General Ivis off his horse.

He got up from the ground in a panic, looking across the gate into the airport, hoping to see a few French soldiers for them to report.

But he was disappointed. There were only a few figures in the distance in the direction of the hangar, and the others might not have gotten up yet.

"Everyone listen." Lieutenant General Ivis gritted his teeth and ordered: "Get off the horse and rest on the spot!"

The cavalrymen got off the horse with a "swish" and then spread out on both sides of the street to tie up the horses to prevent them from being frightened again.

Soon, Major Art came back.

Lieutenant General Ivis, who was eating dry bread with cold water, thought that the problem was solved, and hurriedly handed the food to the orderly and stood up.

However, Major Art told him a piece of news that made him angry: "General, they said that His Majesty the King is in the airport. Last night, His Majesty the King and Colonel Eden were discussing the issue of mine laying with Charles at the airport."

Lieutenant General Ivis' eyes darkened, and he stared at the guards at the door angrily: "These guys, they knew that the king was in the airport, but they didn't say anything!"

The cavalry lieutenant who acted as an interpreter hurried forward to question, and the reply he got was: "General, they said we didn't ask."

Lieutenant General Ivis almost spit out a mouthful of blood seven feet high, his chest heaved violently, and he told himself again and again in his heart: Pay attention to your manners, we are knights and gentlemen!

It took a while for Lieutenant General Ivis to calm down, but his face was a little pale.

He raised his chin to the cavalry lieutenant: "Tell them to inform His Majesty the King that we are outside the door!"

This time, the guards finally moved!