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

Chapter 991 Driving Away Wolves and Fighting Tigers
Liège Fortress, Pontisay Castle.

Charles was at his desk, deploying the Ruhr defenses using a map.

Although France had reached a ceasefire agreement with Germany at this time, it was still necessary to be cautious and build a defensive line before the situation became clear. This was a necessary means to ensure that France could profit from the war while maintaining a "state of peace".

Charles positioned the main force of the 6th Army in the Ruhr industrial region, while the 1st Panzer Corps and part of Foch's Northern Army were placed in the Giessen region. Together with the Liège fortress, they formed a triangle, creating a space that was both offensive and defensive.

Next, Charles built a military airfield in Ruhr and Giessen respectively, and stockpiled enough spare parts and fuel, and was almost ready.

This is Charles's defensive style. Whenever he conquers a place, the first thing he does is to open up an airfield, unlike others who would immediately build trenches to surround themselves.

Just as Charles was considering whether to build another airport in the center of the triangle for transit purposes, the staff officer handed Charles a telegram.

The telegram was from Christine: "Lieutenant General, the British army wants to attack the German forces to the north through the Ruhr region. What should we do?"

Charles was taken aback. The British actually wanted to go through the Ruhr, which was defended by the French?
His gaze moved upwards along the Ruhr region, and when he saw the port of Emden, he understood that the British were looking for a way out, an outlet that would allow them to force the Germans to accept their surrender terms without relying on France.

A bright smile spread across Charles's face; the real show was about to begin.

He called Christine back: "Delay it for a day, and say it's a procedural or other problem."

"Yes, Lieutenant General."

Then Charles immediately called Etzberger: "Sir, there seems to be a problem with the prisoner exchange. I need you to come over!"

Etzberger was recently in Liège.

Due to the large number of prisoners of war, both logistics and transportation posed significant challenges.

Etzberger, as chairman of the "Ceasement Committee," established a "Prisoner of War Exchange Command Post" there and personally directed its operation.

“Yes, Lieutenant General,” Etzberger replied crisply. “I’m coming right away!”

Less than half an hour later, Etzberger appeared at Charles's desk, looking travel-worn and covered in sweat.

He calmed his breathing, bowed to Charles, and asked cautiously, "Lieutenant General, is there a shortage of transport capacity? We can provide your country with trains free of charge, and they don't need to be returned."

Etzberger worried that things might change if he waited too long.

At that time, what Germany lacked most were soldiers, soldiers with combat experience.

The more than one million prisoners of war released by Charles were such soldiers. They only needed to rest for a period of time and be issued a rifle, and they could immediately rebuild an army with a combat effectiveness that might even surpass most of the armies currently fighting.

“No, sir.” Charles casually handed the telegram to Etzberger: “You should take a look at this!”

Etzberger took the telegram and glanced at it. His face changed drastically. He said to Charles in a panic, "Lieutenant General, we can't let the British do this. We are completely unprepared near the Ruhr..."

Germany believed that it had reached an armistice agreement with France, so its defenses along the border between German and French forces were very lax, and Britain planned to take advantage of this to launch a surprise attack.

"You think that's all they're after?" Charles asked.

Etzberger looked at the map. Although he was a politician with a legal background, the wars of the past few years had given him some military insight.

But a moment later he exclaimed in surprise: "Lieutenant General, you mean their target is Emden Port?"

Charles replied, “I didn’t say anything, Mr. Etzberger; it’s just your guess.”

Etzberger paused for a moment, then understood what Charles meant: "Yes, of course, you didn't say anything."

The next second, Etzberger panicked: "I... I must report this to them immediately..."

“Of course,” Charles nodded. However, when Etzberger reported the matter to Prime Minister Albert via coded telegram, Prime Minister Albert burst into a tirade: “Idiot, what you should be doing is not reporting to me, but discussing with Charles how to deal with it, understand?”

Etzberger was taken aback, then quickly realized what was happening.

Yes, only Ciel can decide everything; it has always been Ciel.

What's the point of telling Prime Minister Abbott?

Even telling Hindenburg was useless.

Charles's forces have seized control of the Ruhr industrial region, putting Germany in a difficult position; only his approval can save Germany.

So Etzberger scurried over to Charles again.

At this point, Etzberger seemed to have calmed down a bit. He carefully observed Charles and asked, "Lieutenant General, I think the prisoner exchange should be suspended. What do you think?"

Finally, Charles realized that although France had made peace with Germany, it was still a member of the Allied Powers and could not openly help Germany, otherwise it would cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.

“This is a German matter, and I have no right to interfere,” Charles replied.

Seeing that Charles's expression remained unchanged, Etzberger secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued:
"Recently, the large number of prisoners received has greatly increased the pressure on domestic security in Germany."

"Therefore, after careful consideration, we believe that we should prioritize replenishing our weapons and ammunition at this stage."

"What the lieutenant general means is..."

Etzberger smiled ingratiatingly, his gaze fixed on Charles.

“Is that so?” Charles nodded. “If that’s the case, go and buy from General Christine. We can’t rush into exchanging prisoners.”

“Yes, of course.” Etzberger was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly and expressing his gratitude before turning and leaving the command post.

It seems ironic that an empire that once dominated the European continent, single-handedly opening up several fronts and fighting against several countries at the same time, now faces its life or death at the mere word of Charles.

Charles was very satisfied with this.

It wasn't that he enjoyed the feeling of having power, although it was certainly pleasurable.

More importantly, this was the only way to continuously deplete the British Empire's national strength.

After Etzberger left, Charles turned his gaze to the map.

The British underestimated Germany.

There's a reason why the German Fokker D.VII was considered the most advanced fighter plane of World War I.

Although its top speed is only 200 km/h, less than the 220 km/h of the British SE5a, the Fokker D.VII has better maneuverability and is very stable.

However, the SE5a suffered from various malfunctions due to its hasty deployment, and its combat performance was inferior to that of the Fokker D.VII.

Furthermore, with the German navy intact and its armored forces still strong, Britain would not gain any advantage in the attack on Emden.

Of course, all of this was based on the British assessment that the German army was undersupplied.

Charles felt he should find a good excuse to sell arms to Germany sooner rather than later.

(End of this chapter)