Chapter 614 Absolute Neutrality

Queen Wilhelmina listened to the French ambassador's words. Not only was she not angry, but her tense nerves relaxed.

Perhaps out of caution, she did not reply directly to the German ambassador, but went back to the office to find Lieutenant General Thomas.

At this time, Lieutenant General Thomas was restless.

Although he knew that the one he most dared not offend was France, or to be precise the First Armored Corps of the Charles, the Netherlands had a long border with the German army to the east, and it was not something a small country like the Netherlands could bear to offend Germany. .

Queen Wilhelmina walked in confidently. She spread the map in front of Lieutenant General Thomas and asked: "Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, you just said that the Charles's First Armored Army can attack quickly and can attack in a few days." To Amsterdam?”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Lieutenant General Thomas bowed slightly.

"So." Queen Wilhelmina asked again: "What if the target of the First Armored Army is not Amsterdam, but Germany?"

Lieutenant General Thomas was stunned and stared at the map for a while: "Maybe, it only takes two days to reach Germany."

"Is it possible for the Germans to resist?" Queen Wilhelmina asked again: "I mean, the First Armored Corps of the Shire."

"No, it's almost impossible." Lieutenant General Thomas shook his head:

"The German troops are distributed on the western and eastern fronts. They are very empty internally. There are only a few troops on the Dutch-German border, and their training and equipment are seriously insufficient."

"And Charles's First Armored Corps cannot be stopped even by the elite German troops."

"This is evidenced by the fact that the Germans were repeatedly surrounded by the Shire."

Thomas was confused. Why did your Majesty ask this?

Is it to drive away the wolf and let the Shire fight the Germans?

But this is not easy. None of them are fools, especially Charles. He is not so easy to be used by Holland.

Queen Wilhelmina nodded with satisfaction, she had gotten the answer she wanted.

…

In the German ambassador's reception room, Stephen and Mark were waiting impatiently.

They knew that the British and French armies were approaching the border to deter the Netherlands, which might influence Queen Wilhelmina's decision-making.

"Do you think the Queen will choose to side with the Allies?" Stephen asked Mark.

Mark hesitated and replied: "I think the Queen is still hesitant. After all, Germany and the Netherlands have a border of more than 500 kilometers long. She has to consider this."

(Note: The German-Dutch border is 577 kilometers long)

Stephen nodded slightly.

His idea was that the British fleet would eventually return and they could not stay in the North Sea forever.

The Shire's First Armored Corps only had more than 20,000 troops and lacked deterrence.

The German-Dutch border is more than 500 kilometers long, and any point may become a breakthrough for the German army. This is what the Netherlands really needs to worry about.

Finally, Queen Wilhelmina came back, smiling, walking briskly, and holding her head high and full of confidence.

Stephen thought that Queen Wilhelmina was determined to side with Germany, and he proudly stepped forward to greet the queen.

"Your Majesty." Stephen bowed and saluted, his voice full of joy: "I am honored that you made the right choice."

"Of course, Stephen." The Queen sat on the sofa and motioned for the two of them to sit down.

"So, where do we start?" Stephen asked: "Please forgive me for being so impatient, Your Majesty, more than 200,000 people are no small matter to us."

"I know." The Queen smiled and nodded: "But it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the Netherlands."

Stephen's face darkened: "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

"I mean, we have always maintained neutrality." The Queen maintained her manner: "Absolute neutrality, just like we have always stated."

Seeing that Stephen still didn't understand, the Queen added: "Do you remember that your army entered Belgium to attack Antwerp two years ago?"

Stephen said "Yes": "Of course, Your Majesty."

"At that time, many Belgian refugees entered the Netherlands for refuge through the Dutch-Belgian border." The Queen said sternly: "But you asked us to take a neutral position and refuse these refugees from entering the Netherlands, so we closed the border."

Stephen understood, and his face sank, with a hint of anger in his voice: "You mean, the Netherlands will close the border?"

"Yes." The Queen puffed out her chest and spoke in a calm tone: "Those are the real refugees, Stephen. If the real refugees can't pass, how can we let the 'refugees' who put down their weapons and take off their military uniforms pass? I and "My ministers have discussed this and they all agree that this goes against the neutrality of the Netherlands."

Stephen's eyes flashed coldly, and his voice sounded a bit threatening: "Then, I hope you have thought about it, Your Majesty."

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"We have thought about it." The Queen met Stephen's gaze: "This is our final decision."

Mark stood up: "I don't think you can bear the price of this decision, Your Majesty."

"I think so too." The Queen raised her head and met Mark's condescending gaze: "I don't think you can bear the cost of this decision."

"What do you mean?" Mark didn't understand.

"Do you need me to remind you?" The Queen leisurely picked up the coffee cup from the table. Although it was cold, the Queen found it sweet and delicious.

The Queen put down her coffee cup and continued with a smile: "Think about it, if you make any decision, the Netherlands may open a passage for Charles' armored division to pass through. I remember that the Dutch-German border is more than 500 kilometers long."

Stephen and Mark were stunned for a moment.

The Queen's two sentences seemed irrelevant, but in fact they were telling them that Charles' First Armored Army might break through from any point on the Dutch-German border.

They always thought that the more than 500 kilometers of the Dutch-German border was Germany's advantage, and the Netherlands would have to succumb because of this.

Now, they suddenly realized that this was not only not Germany's advantage, but Germany's disadvantage.

Because Charles' First Armored Army could break into Germany from any point.

Stephen turned his head and looked at Mark, as if asking Mark if Charles could stop the German army if he crossed the Netherlands to attack the German mainland.

Mark looked ashen and shook his head gently.

This was impossible. If Charles' troops crossed the Netherlands, the heavily guarded Liege Fortress of the German army would be bypassed, and the border of more than 500 kilometers would require at least 500,000 troops to be stationed, and it might not be able to be defended.

(Note: The entire Western Front is only 700 kilometers long, and the Dutch-German border is almost like adding another Western Front)

"I understand, Your Majesty." Stephen stood up and shook hands with the Queen, his attitude much more humble.

He did understand that they had no capital to threaten the Netherlands, and Germany must ensure that the Netherlands remained a neutral country, absolutely neutral.