I was a tycoon in World War I: Starting to save France

Chapter 954

Germans are grateful, but they can also hold grudges.

To be precise, nations should focus on "interests" rather than "gratitude" or "holding grudges," which seems naive.

However, the situation is different when considering specific circumstances.

Charles knew that the German emperor and his regime would be overthrown and a democratically elected government would be established.

One of the characteristics of a democratically elected regime is that those in power must take into account the emotions and thoughts of citizens as much as possible.

If the German public generally believes that the British and American governments supported the German Emperor during World War I, persecuted Germany, dragged Germany into the war for the sake of loans, and ultimately burdened Germany with huge reparations that caused immense suffering for its citizens.

At that time, the German people would regard Britain and the United States as enemies, and as the instigators who put shackles on Germany and forced it to sign unequal treaties.

France and the Charles, on the other hand, are a beacon of light in the hearts of the German people.

Charles was always a supporter of the German people and the last person who wanted war; he only did good deeds for Germany.

Although Charles defeated the German army, he was defending the country, and anyone would have done the same.

Moreover, it was Germany that started the war.

Charles did not hold the German people accountable; he repaid evil with kindness only against Kaiser Wilhelm II, and even helped the German people overthrow the autocratic regime and liberate them from the Kaiser's enslavement.

The German people have no reason to resent France or Charles; on the contrary, Charles is Germany's benefactor.

Given this public opinion, the German authorities had no reason to attack France and breach the Maginot Line as they had done in history, at the outset of the war.

Even if those in power wanted to do so, they would face skepticism from both the military and the public:
Why should we attack France, which has always helped us?

"France has Charles, who possesses the most powerful army. Would it be wise to attack France?"

"What grounds can we use to attack France? If we repay kindness with enmity, who in the international community will help Germany in the future?"

……

Of course, Charles knew very well that none of this was reliable, and his motto was "Never hand over the decision-making power to someone else."

Therefore, what Ciel needs to do is to transform the seemingly useless "super defense" into a useful one.

The defensive line is insurmountable in the middle of the Franco-German border, and even the gap in the Ardennes region has been filled.

Then, behind this line of defense, Charles continued to develop the French army, navy, and air force, transforming it into a major military power.

In addition, Charles, known as "the Mars of France," was also in charge.

France to the west of Germany is an impregnable fortress, and unless the German authorities are foolish, they are unlikely to stubbornly head in that direction.

Therefore, the German army could only advance eastward on land, and could only attack Britain by sea and air.

France, on the other hand, can remain neutral and "sit back and watch the tigers fight."

(Note: Historically, the construction of the Maginot Line by Britain and France also had this intention: to build an impregnable defensive line on the Franco-German border to prevent Germany from attacking, and with Britain across the Channel, to further appease Germany and loosen its grip on it, so Germany could only attack the eastern front where the ideology was different. Unexpectedly, Germany attacked France first.)
……

Charles continued to modify the "Super Defense Line" design.

The biggest weakness of this defensive line is that it is "too passive". All the defenses, firepower, transportation, and ammunition reserves are underground and cannot be moved, just waiting for the enemy to attack.

To change this, it should be made both offensive and defensive.

Breaking through the defenses will not be easy; the Germans will eventually transform the Hindenburg Line into the "Siegfried Line" to stand in opposition to the "Super Line."

Mobile and armored forces are unlikely to advance into combat, which would result in heavy casualties. Therefore, offensive operations can only be deployed to the second line.

Charles plans to establish several military bases behind the "super-defense line" to deploy mechanized troops and further strengthen road and rail infrastructure.

If the "super line" is in danger or breached by the enemy, the military base behind it will immediately launch a counterattack against the enemy that has broken through the line.

At this moment, a guard stepped forward and reported, "General, Queen Mary has arrived and wishes to speak with you!"

"Queen Mary?" Charles almost forgot the name, and it took him a while to remember that she was the Queen of Romania.

"Let her in!"

Charles knew what Queen Mary wanted.

After the French army occupied Saarbrücken, the German army halted its offensive in Italy and withdrew completely, but continued its offensive in Romania.

Charles muttered to himself, "Sending the representative to Paris would suffice; why does the Queen need to fly in from Romania in person?"

While air travel was indeed safe during World War I, it still involved flying over the airspace of hostile nations.

Soon after, the alluring Queen Marie Antoinette appeared before Charles.

"Long time no see, Lieutenant General." She glanced around, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "I thought you would choose another place to meet."

Charles glanced at the British and American command posts on both sides. Although there were many people around, it didn't matter. There was nothing he couldn't let others know.

Charles leaned back in his chair and got straight to the point: "I know about the situation in Romania; the Germans haven't withdrawn their troops."

"Yes." Queen Marie breathed a sigh of relief and glanced gratefully at Charles, which showed that Charles was always concerned about the safety of Romania.

She took the briefcase from her attendant and handed the documents to Charles as she sat down in the chair:

"These are the German army unit numbers and troop strength in Romania. We have conducted as detailed a reconnaissance as possible."

“I was thinking, could your troops continue eastward from Saarbrücken, making it appear as if you were attacking Austria-Hungary?”

"At the same time, we continued to warn Germany through the League of Nations, so as to force the German army to stop its offensive."

(The image above shows the direction of attack that Queen Marie Antoinette hoped Charles would take, so that it could be pinned down by Austria-Hungary and forced to cease hostilities.)
Charles replied, "I'm afraid it's not as simple as you think, Your Majesty. We are attacking the Hindenburg Line, and the Germans are still resisting."

This is both the truth and the truth.

Allied forces were indeed attacking the Hindenburg Line, but it was the British and American forces that were fighting; the French forces stopped at Saarbrücken and did not advance any further.

Why would the French army fight for you if there were no benefits to them?

Queen Mary smiled gently, then took out a document from her briefcase and handed it to Charles with a languid air: "Don't worry, Lieutenant General, we have what you need."

Charles took a look and saw that it was a share in the Campina oil field, Romania's second largest oil field.

Queen Mary reminded her:
"I must remind you, Lieutenant General."

"Once these oil fields are occupied by the Germans, even if they are later taken back."

"Their shares will also be redistributed, do you understand what I mean?"

Charles did not object and nodded in agreement.

This means the Shire must protect them!

(End of this chapter)