Chapter 613: Maintaining the Status Quo
After capturing Hasselt, Charles quickly handed over the city's defense to the Belgian First Special Reconnaissance Army.
In some ways, the Belgian forces were indeed better suited to defend Hasselt. It was a Belgian city, after all. King Albert I could effortlessly rally local citizens into militias, uniting both regular troops and civilians under his command to mount a fervent resistance against any external invasion. Under his leadership, their fighting capacity could easily multiply several times.
Freed from this duty, Charles's First Armored Army moved onward swiftly, and within a matter of hours reached the Belgian-Dutch border.
Seeing French troops massing on their border, the Dutch reacted as if facing imminent invasion. They hastily dispatched infantry to man trenches, clutching rifles and nervously preparing for the worst.
General Tijani and several French officers found themselves nearly laughing out loud at the sight before them. The Dutch defenses consisted merely of rudimentary barbed wire, shallow trenches, and no anti-tank ditches or fortified bunkers. In fact, after half an hour of waiting, the Dutch had only managed to muster a single infantry regiment.
Facing them was France's elite armored division—tanks, armored cars, self-propelled artillery, and even occasional fighter aircraft soaring overhead for reconnaissance.
Tijani could easily imagine the desperation gripping those Dutch soldiers. They were undoubtedly clutching crosses around their necks, shivering with fear, and praying fervently that they wouldn't become France's next enemy.
If they did, France's steel juggernaut would crush them effortlessly, as easily as squashing a bug beneath one's boot.
Tijani lowered his binoculars, turning back toward Charles, who sat sheltered in an armored reconnaissance vehicle, gnawing on a frozen piece of bread.
"They think one infantry regiment can stop an entire armored army," Tijani scoffed with undisguised disdain.
Charles chewed laboriously on his frozen bread, replying slowly:
"You should understand their situation, General. The Dutch might claim to be ready to defend their homeland, but their preparations are woefully outdated. Moreover, their borders are extensive; it's impossible for them to deploy sufficient troops everywhere."
Tijani nodded thoughtfully. Having grown accustomed to facing the German army, the sight of such feeble defenses felt bizarre to him.
"Prepare defensive positions," Charles commanded suddenly.
"Prepare defenses," Tijani repeated, passing along the orders.
Setting up defenses in such freezing weather was a tedious task. Sometimes, soldiers had to ignite fires just to thaw the frozen ground before digging trenches. But Charles was patient. His real intent wasn't to defend this position against a serious assault; rather, he aimed to demonstrate to the Dutch queen his army's formidable presence and readiness.
...
Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, Queen Wilhelmina paced anxiously around her office, caught in a dilemma. She had deliberately kept ambassadors from Germany, Britain, and France waiting while struggling to reach a decision.
She urgently summoned General Thomas, a trusted military leader who had extensive experience from colonial wars. She believed Thomas was the most qualified person to evaluate the situation.
Not long afterward, General Thomas hurried into the queen's office. Before he could even salute properly, the queen approached him, anxiety evident in her voice.
"You're aware of the current situation, General. Tell me, what should we do?"
Thomas replied bluntly, without hesitation:
"Your Majesty, you must understand this clearly. Charles's First Armored Army previously covered dozens of kilometers in a single day, capturing Antwerp and forcing the surrender of over a hundred thousand German troops. Now, in just one more day, he's reached Hasselt, encircling over two hundred thousand German soldiers. Yet his forces number barely twenty thousand, even now."
Wilhelmina, who lacked military expertise, stared in disbelief at General Thomas.
"Are you saying just twenty thousand men have surrounded two hundred thousand Germans? How is that even possible?"
"Tanks, Your Majesty," Thomas explained helplessly. "These new weapons destroy every defensive structure they encounter—trenches, bunkers, nothing can stop them."
He paused, swallowing nervously, then continued:
"Perhaps we can dismiss the German threat temporarily. They're already fighting on multiple fronts, and it's unlikely they'd invade us unless absolutely desperate. And the British threat might also be negligible. Their fleet is formidable, yes, but occupying territory requires infantry. British ground forces are currently bogged down at the Somme and severely weakened."
He hesitated, then added solemnly:
"But Charles's First Armored Army... Your Majesty, to crush the Netherlands, that force would find it as easy as playing a simple game. They could do it swiftly, without significant casualties, within just a few days."
The queen turned pale, nodding slightly to acknowledge the grim reality.
Yet even knowing this, Wilhelmina still hesitated. She feared that aligning with Britain and France would provoke Germany into invading her country, desperate to rescue their trapped forces.
...
On the Belgian-Dutch border, within an incomplete trench line, soldiers labored, digging furiously with their shovels. Tijani and Charles sat by a small campfire, seeking warmth in the freezing cold.
"Do you think the queen will side with us?" Tijani asked as he carefully rotated a skewer holding a piece of bread above the fire, attempting to warm it slightly.
"She will," Charles said quietly, his eyes fixated hungrily on the bread now turning a delicate golden brown.
"Why are you so sure?" Tijani asked cautiously. "I mean, what makes you certain?"
"Want to know?" Charles asked with a faint smile.
"Of course."
"Then trade something for it."
Tijani blinked, momentarily confused, until he noticed Charles's hungry gaze locked on the bread.
He laughed, surrendering gracefully. "Alright, General. It's yours."
Tijani handed over the toasted bread to Charles, who eagerly peeled away the slightly burned crust, releasing an enticing aroma. Charles eagerly bit into it, the warmth filling him with satisfaction and comfort.
Chewing, Charles spoke cryptically, his voice slightly muffled by the bread:
"Because I gave the queen a way out—a solution that allows her to maintain neutrality."
"What?" Tijani exclaimed, surprised.
He had assumed the Netherlands faced only two stark choices—align with either the Allies or the Central Powers. But Charles had apparently found a way for the Netherlands to maintain their current neutral stance.
...
At that very moment in Amsterdam, the French ambassador made a cunning suggestion to Queen Wilhelmina.
"Your Majesty," he said diplomatically, "if Germany dares violate Dutch neutrality, then naturally, allowing British and French forces passage through your territory would be entirely justified. No one could accuse you of wrongdoing."
Wilhelmina's eyes lit up immediately. Of course—by agreeing to this logic, Charles's forces could bypass the heavily fortified Liège fortress, instead striking directly into German territory through the Netherlands!
(End of Chapter 613)
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