Chapter 688: Mézières
King Albert I was initially overjoyed, but then his expression darkened: "But if you leave the 6th Army here, how will you reinforce Dunkirk?"
The next moment, King Albert I seemed to understand: "You plan to take the First Armored Division and the Belgian First Special Reconnaissance Division, don't you?"
"Excellent choice, General."
"Trust me, the First Special Reconnaissance Division was built to complement the First Armored Division, and they can accomplish every task you assign to them."
Charles remained silent; he didn't agree with that assessment.
The Belgian First Special Reconnaissance Division was pure infantry; they could only "follow" and "fill gaps," not truly "complement" the armored division.
But that didn't matter.
"I want you to meet someone, Your Majesty," Charles said, motioning toward Tigani.
Tigani understood and turned to give an order to the staff.
Soon, a young colonel walked into the office, stood before Charles, and gave a formal salute. He even had a bandage on his forehead, stained with a hint of fresh red.
King Albert I examined the colonel for a moment before looking at Charles with a puzzled expression: "I don't think I know him, General."
"You don't," Charles said, gesturing toward the young colonel. "Let me introduce him. This is Colonel Tassini, recently promoted to commander of the First Artillery Division. He led the destruction of German deserters in the Ardennes!"
King Albert I's eyes widened. He had heard of that battle.
Tassini stepped forward and saluted King Albert I: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."
King Albert I shook his hand: "It's my honor, Colonel. That was a perfect command – two thousand men defeating five thousand enemies!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Tassini smiled, his excitement fueled by Charles' approval.
"But…" King Albert I asked with confusion, "I heard you and your troops are still searching for remaining enemies in the Ardennes…"
"No," Tassini shrugged. "As you can see, we're in Namur."
"We?" King Albert I asked, "You mean…"
"Yes, we," Tassini nodded. "My troops, the First Special Artillery Division."
This only added to King Albert I's confusion: "You mean the First Special Artillery Division is in Namur?"
Tigani laughed: "Did you think the tanks and 'Saint-Chamon' you saw were the First Armored Division? No, Your Majesty, that was the First Special Artillery Division!"
This was a trick Charles had played on the Germans.
Charles, Tigani, and a large number of tanks were in Namur, and the Germans had naturally assumed it was the First Armored Division.
But that was not the case.
The First Armored Division had swapped positions with the First Artillery Division on a night when the Germans hadn't noticed. The First Armored Division had moved to the Ardennes while the First Artillery Division had taken their place in Namur.
King Albert I still didn't understand: "If the First Special Artillery Division is here, where is the First Armored Division? Did they go to reinforce Dunkirk?"
"No," Charles shook his head. "The First Armored Division is in the Ardennes."
King Albert I exclaimed in surprise: "The Ardennes?"
"Yes!" Charles replied calmly, "They'll take two to three days to cross the Ardennes and then attack Mézières!"
King Albert I paused, then looked down at the map on the desk.
When he found the location of Mézières, his eyes widened, and he looked up at Charles in disbelief: "My God, you're going to surround the main German forces! Is this… even possible? Can it succeed? I mean, armored units crossing the Ardennes…"
…
Mézières is located at the junction of the Paris Basin and the Ardennes Mountains. It is a transportation hub in northeastern France, with several railroads and roads passing through the city, as well as the Meuse River for water transport. Nearby are iron ore and coal mines, making it an important center for France's northeastern metal smelting industry.
(The map above shows the location of Mézières, with the red line representing the route of the First Armored Division's maneuver. The area marked "Charleville-Mézières" was two neighboring fortress-like cities during World War I. After the expansion of the city, they merged into one city during World War II.)
German 21st Army Commander General Nikolaus had set up his headquarters here.
This was not his choice; Mézières was over a hundred kilometers from the Somme defensive line, deep in the rear of German territory.
General Nikolaus, a former superior to Major General Erwin, and the former commander of the First Tank Division, would have preferred to personally lead his troops in their tanks into the enemy trenches.
However, Fagginhan's orders had extinguished his hopes.
Fagginhan had put it gently:
"You've been wounded, General. For your health, and as a strategic commander, I think it's better if you ensure the safety of the rear supply lines."
"Mézières is a great place for that. It is a key area for our rear support!"
"It's very important, and I don't trust anyone else but you with it."
Yes, Mézières was indeed important.
Almost all supplies heading north passed through Mézières, and it was near the German-lacking coal and iron ore mines. It was also an industrial city with excellent production capacity.
However…
"I can't see any danger here!" General Nikolaus grumbled to his staff, looking at the map in frustration. "The Meuse River forms a 'C' shape here, blocking the way. The rear is the Ardennes; it's hard to spot any enemy here unless they're spies!"
The staff could only respond patiently: "We are the strongest support for the front lines, General."
In truth, the staff understood that Fagginhan had made this arrangement to hand over the military power to Major General Erwin. He believed that if anyone could defeat Charles, it would be Erwin, without anyone interfering with him.
As it turned out, Fagginhan was correct. Major General Erwin had achieved unprecedented victories on the Somme front.
Meanwhile, Charles had not dared to move a single step from Namur.
"General!" a communications officer reported: "The First Tank Division has reached Dunkirk, and Major General Erwin is leading them in an attack on the British defensive lines!"
The command center erupted in cheers as the staff and communication officers congratulated each other:
"Fantastic, we're about to defeat the British!"
"No one can save them, not even Charles."
"Because France only has one Charles, and he can't be in two places at once!"
…
General Nikolaus stared at the telegram in his hand, his expression complex.
He shouldn't be jealous of Erwin's success. He should be happy about the victory, proud even.
But he couldn't lie to himself; he felt bitter inside.
"I should have been there!" General Nikolaus muttered to himself.
The staff understood the meaning of his words. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he didn't.
War is harsh, and General Nikolaus should accept that Major General Erwin was simply more capable than him.
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