Chapter 616: Intensifying the Contradictions
The battle of Hasselt caused a global sensation, with media around the world devoting extensive front-page coverage to this astonishing victory.
The British Times reported:
"It still took only one day—one single day. Although the German army officially surrendered five days after the battle began, Charles' First Armored Corps took decisive control of Hasselt within just one day of their offensive starting."
"Once again, Charles has created his own legend. Defeating his enemies takes him only one day."
"Even more extraordinary is the minimal cost of this tremendous victory—Charles' forces lost only slightly more than a thousand soldiers, with the Belgian forces suffering about eight thousand casualties combined."
"In stark contrast, our battle on the Somme drags on. Here too, one day is sufficient for our army to equal Charles—in casualties, not in victories."
…
America's Stars and Stripes wrote:
"Many previously doubted Charles' revolutionary tactics, dismissing his victory at Antwerp as mere luck—a non-repeatable fluke. They claimed Germany would never again fall victim to such rapid defeat if properly prepared."
"Others questioned the usefulness of tanks, calling them nothing more than 'expensive toys.'"
"However, Charles has now conclusively disproven these assertions."
"In spite of the German preparations, Charles rapidly advanced to Hasselt employing identical tactics and the same unit, once again creating an unbelievable miracle."
…
Even the Russian Saint Petersburg News dedicated an entire page to the battle, emphasizing:
"The Allies are achieving stunning victories on the Western Front."
"From the encirclement at Antwerp to the breakthrough at Hasselt, Charles continues capturing tens, even hundreds of thousands of German troops."
"We have every reason to believe that, as long as Charles' troops remain on the battlefield, similar victories will continue."
"Once Germany's western front collapses, their offensives in the east will collapse as well. Victory is within our grasp!"
…
Russia desperately needed this kind of propaganda. It was essential to motivate the Russian people to continue supporting the war rather than revolting or descending into chaos.
(Note: Saint Petersburg News, commonly known as Novosti, was an official Russian newspaper founded in 1702 by order of the Tsar, ceasing publication in 1917 after the fall of the Russian Empire.)
French and Belgian media provided even more detailed coverage, describing every aspect of the battle meticulously. They analyzed every unit's performance, with even small skirmishes and individual casualties becoming topics of intense public interest.
…
In Hasselt, Charles' command center had been set up in an abandoned brewery on the outskirts of town.
The brewery had been closed for some time, its equipment covered with spider webs and thick layers of dust. During wartime, particularly in times of material shortages, neither Germany nor the Allies could sustain luxury industries such as brewing.
People's first priority was food, not drink. With the drastic drop in demand, breweries quickly closed one after another. The Limburg Brewery was one such establishment.
Charles' command post was established in a spacious brewing hall, rather than the manager's office, as he considered it more practical in wartime conditions. Here, various departments would not be isolated in separate offices, thus facilitating better communication.
Charles sat casually at his desk, leisurely reading newspapers. By this stage, the fighting required little direct oversight from him. Belgian forces handled prisoners and seized equipment. Charles now merely oversaw steadily increasing supplies and captured weaponry.
At that moment, Tijani approached, holding a telegram.
"One could call this good news, General. Parliament has nominated you as commander-in-chief."
Hearing this, officers and staff in the command center turned their heads toward Charles in surprise, quickly breaking into enthusiastic cheers:
"It's about time!"
"Nobody deserves that position more than the General!"
"Yes! With Charles commanding the entire army, this war will quickly end, and victory will be ours!"
…
Charles remained unmoved. His eyes stayed calmly fixed on the newspaper. Breakfast in front of him remained simple as ever—mashed potatoes and pungent Limburg cheese.
If anything had changed, it was only that today's portion of cheese was significantly larger—more than double the usual amount.
When Charles asked why, an aide replied, "General, Hasselt is the capital of Limburg Province; there's plenty of Limburg cheese available here."
Charles discreetly moved the odorous cheese further away, eating thin mashed potatoes with a spoon and casually asked Tijani:
"Why did you say it 'could be called good news'?"
Tijani pulled a chair close, sitting down across from Charles.
"I doubt Parliament will easily allow you to become commander-in-chief. They've been avoiding precisely this scenario."
Charles nodded approvingly. Tijani's political understanding was improving—certainly better than most aides around them.
"You're right," Charles agreed, wiping his mouth with a napkin and ending his merely functional breakfast. "They're trying to intensify the contradictions between myself and others."
"Intensify contradictions?" Tijani momentarily seemed confused, then quickly realized: "You mean Foch, and Pétain, and any army group commanders hoping to become commander-in-chief?"
"And the British," Charles added.
"Yes, of course, the British," Tijani acknowledged.
The British hoped to exert control over French forces through the commander-in-chief position. Clearly, Charles would never allow British influence to dominate him. Therefore, all these forces—both within France and Britain—would inevitably regard Charles as their enemy. British intelligence operatives might even attempt smear campaigns or conspiracies against him.
Yet the cunning old men in Parliament would need to do almost nothing—they merely had to publicly "nominate" Charles. Even if they never truly intended to approve him, this symbolic action alone would expose him to attacks from multiple factions.
"So," Tijani asked anxiously, "what do you plan to do?"
He trusted Charles' military genius implicitly, yet political infighting—with so many hidden enemies—was another matter entirely.
Charles smiled lightly:
"I'll deal with whatever comes my way."
The situation wasn't as dire as Tijani feared. Charles believed the French military elite were unlikely to fall into Parliament's trap. Would Foch or Pétain suddenly turn hostile simply because of Parliament's feigned nomination?
Those two veterans knew Parliament's tricks too well. They'd understand perfectly that Parliament would never genuinely allow Charles—a figure who combined military prowess, political influence, and economic power—to become commander-in-chief.
If they believed otherwise, they wouldn't deserve to be Charles' opponents.
At worst, only a few fools would take the bait and directly oppose him. Parliament's maneuver would thus have limited effectiveness.
More crucially, Charles now indirectly controlled crucial supply lines through his revolutionary "echo detector." It didn't matter who had paid for goods or secured loans to buy them from America. Anyone offending Charles risked losing shipments to German submarines. Even influential British capitalists found themselves in a vulnerable position, unable to confront him directly. Rather, they now depended on him.
Given this solid foundation, what real trouble could they cause?
(End of Chapter 616)
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