Chapter 435: Can't You Just Let the Germans Go?
The battle for Mons had dragged into its fifth day. The German forces, after enduring heavy losses and over ten thousand casualties, had finally gained the upper hand and now controlled most of the area.
Falkenhayn saw these sacrifices as justified—they had opened a breach in Charles's encirclement, allowing the remaining 110,000 soldiers a chance to retreat.
At the same time, he made sure that his forces were well-prepared for Charles's imminent counterattack.
German soldiers had blocked every street and alley in Mons with barricades. In the city, creating such obstacles was easy—just piling stones and debris between buildings and laying barbed wire could allow a single infantry company to hold an entire street, making any enemy advance nearly impossible.
Even the streets left open for German passage were rigged with explosives. Falkenhayn had ordered troops to plant charges in the surrounding buildings so that, with a single detonation, they could bury the streets in rubble and halt Charles's tanks in their tracks.
Falkenhayn was certain he had found a way to counter tanks; cities were, after all, tank graveyards. This was also why Charles had constantly tried to draw the main German force onto open ground.
He gave full credit to Colonel Moritz for the preparations. "Well done, Colonel. If anyone can defeat Charles, it's you."
"Thank you, General," Moritz replied, his exhaustion tempered by a trace of excitement. "But we mustn't underestimate Charles. He remains our toughest adversary, and the fight is far from over."
"Yes," Falkenhayn agreed, leaning back and glancing casually at Mons on the map. "But at least now we can breathe a little easier."
Moritz nodded in agreement. The battle had reached a point where even Charles would be hard-pressed to stop the German breakout.
He felt a surge of pride—after all, he was facing Charles, the so-called "French Mars," and was managing to hold his ground. After this battle, Moritz thought, his name would be known worldwide, much like Charles's.
Lost in his thoughts, Moritz was jolted back to reality when a radio operator burst in, nervously announcing, "General, Colonel, Charles's armored forces have been sighted—near the village of Preuilly."
"Preuilly?" Moritz and Falkenhayn bent over the map, searching for the village's location.
When their fingers landed on it, their faces paled simultaneously. They looked up, locking eyes, both seeing the same shock mirrored in each other's expressions.
"It's… outside Mons," Moritz muttered, his voice tinged with fear.
"Charles has created a new encirclement," Falkenhayn said, his eyes blank with disbelief. "We're surrounded again."
…
It wasn't only Falkenhayn and Moritz who were caught off guard—Tijani, who'd been at Charles's side throughout, hadn't anticipated it either.
As fuel supplies became more plentiful, the tension in Tijani's nerves finally started to ease. Tossing aside a telegram, he glared at Charles. "Come on, you schemer. Tell me the truth—just how many deceptions have you pulled off?"
"Excuse me?" Charles blinked, taken aback by Tijani's sudden outburst.
"It's obvious. You're a master con artist," Tijani said, feigning seriousness. "The Germans are still lost in your web of lies, even after the British tried to set them straight."
Pointing an accusing finger in the air at Charles, Tijani continued, as if seeing right through him, "So, I have reason to believe you've deceived us too."
"We're just as clueless as the Germans are right now!"
Charles rolled his eyes. With a half-sincere, half-joking tone, he replied, "Fine. I admit it. I've deceived everyone's hearts—yours included!"
Tijani laughed heartily. "Now that's far worse than tricking the Germans!"
Charles considered Tijani's words, then asked, "You seem certain that the First Lord actually tipped off the Germans?"
This was news to Charles—even "Lady in White" hadn't uncovered this.
Tijani nodded with a hint of pride. "Did you forget my father? When it comes to naval matters, nothing escapes his notice."
Charles nodded in understanding. Wells, who had extensive connections within the navy, likely had ties to the French Minister of the Navy, allowing him to gather critical information.
"Lady in White" was still a fledgling network, mostly comprising lower-level citizens, far removed from the upper echelons of power. Compared to Wells's reach, they were outmatched.
Relishing his role as a bearer of inside knowledge, Tijani continued, "Although the First Lord said nothing directly, a double agent mysteriously vanished a few days ago. We knew because we were the ones who found this agent and alerted the British. The Second Bureau has been watching him closely."
Charles nodded; he suspected the double agent had become another casualty of this "shadow war."
There were two likely possibilities:
The First Lord may have arranged for him to disappear to prevent him from leaking any more secrets.
Or, the Germans had discovered his dual allegiance and taken matters into their own hands.
Charles believed the latter was more likely, as the Germans' continued focus on Mons indicated they didn't believe the First Lord's "truth."
"Want to hear what my father said about you?" Tijani asked.
"Wells?" Charles chuckled. "He doesn't seem like the kind of man who hands out compliments."
"Not rarely—never," Tijani replied. "Imagine growing up under that kind of pressure. Maybe that's why I rebel against him so much."
With a hint of envy in his voice, Tijani added, "But he complimented you. He said that if you turned your mind to business or politics, you'd be unstoppable—France itself would be yours."
Charles nodded solemnly. "He's absolutely right, General. He has a keen eye."
Tijani scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Shameless!"
Then, looking at the map with feigned annoyance, he continued, "Either way, you did succeed. We have enough fuel now. So, when do you plan to attack Mons?"
"Attack Mons?" Charles shook his head. "I never said I was attacking Mons."
"Then we're…" Tijani glanced at the map, "only aiming to reach Thuin?"
Answering his own question, Tijani continued, "Maybe you're right—Mons isn't suited for armored combat. That's Foch's problem to handle."
"No, General," Charles corrected him. "We're aiming for Preuilly, a small village with fewer than a hundred households."
Tijani found Preuilly on the map, then looked up in disbelief. "Good lord, can't you just let the Germans go? They've only just escaped one encirclement!"
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