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

Chapter 993 A War Between the Two Nations is Inevitable

No one expected that the battle for Emden would unfold between minesweepers and mine-laying boats.

Major Bernhard rose to fame in one battle.

After his mine-laying boat approached the enemy minesweeper, he loaded all 150 mines he was carrying with ballast and launched them into the sea.

Driven by the wind and current, the mines drifted downstream, sometimes sinking and sometimes floating.

The ten minesweepers that were conducting minesweeping operations in the UK had no idea they were there and continued to sail back and forth on the sea.

……

Mines are usually suspended on the seabed by mine anchors or mine hooks, keeping the mine suspended at a certain depth in the seawater.

This makes the sea appear calm and seemingly unobstructed from the surface, but when a deep-draft warship passes by, it will be struck by a mine and sunk.

Minesweepers have a shallow draft, so they won't detonate mines even if they pass over them.

Therefore, they can confidently carry a "tow blade" to the stern and travel back and forth.

The "tow knife" cuts the mine's cord, causing the mine to surface, where it can then be detonated from a distance by the minesweeper.

The Racecourse-class minesweepers are very good at this job; they have been "battle-hardened" since the start of the war and can be considered veterans.

But this time they capsized in the gutter.

"boom".

A minesweeper was lifted several meters high by a massive explosion and huge waves before crashing back down.

Its bow was blasted open, and less than a minute after falling into the sea, the stern rose high due to severe flooding at the front, before the entire ship plunged straight into the seabed.

In less than 5 minutes, only a string of bubbles and unusual water currents remained on the sea surface. The speed was so fast that the crew did not even have a chance to jump overboard and escape.

"What happened?" Lieutenant Colonel Valentine, commander of the British 7th Mine Clearance Brigade, stared in bewilderment at the spot where the HMS Urho had disappeared.

"Perhaps it's due to the water flow," the staff officer offered an explanation: "Some mines had their cords cut without their notice, and the current carried them off course, causing them to crash into the water."

Lieutenant Colonel Valentine grunted in agreement; that was the only explanation he could offer.

"Order," he said with displeasure, "All units, pay close attention to the sea conditions and detonate any mines found immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Before he could finish speaking, there were two more loud "booms".

The other two minesweepers struck a mine on their bow and on their hull, respectively.

Because they were civilian vessels with poor buoyancy, without exception they sank to the bottom of the sea before any rescue could be carried out. The one that struck a mine even broke in two.

"Is this all because of the water flow?" Lieutenant Colonel Valentine cursed, running like the wind to the bow of the ship and raising his binoculars to observe the sea.

He believed there must be something they hadn't discovered.

Sure enough, in the aperture of his telescope, there were many dark things bobbing up and down in the seawater, one of which was right in front of him.

"Mines!" he shouted anxiously to his staff officer, turning around. "Avoid them!"

However, the mines hidden in the water were not visible to the staff officers and helmsmen, so they had no way to avoid them.

Lieutenant Colonel Valentine could only turn back and watch helplessly as the mine drew ever closer...

The German 29th Mine Sweeper Group achieved a great victory, sinking not only six minesweepers to halt the British minesweeping efforts, but also sinking two destroyers and one cruiser in the main British fleet that was anchored a few nautical miles away.

……

Then the aerial battle began.

The British sent their prized SE5a fighters to Emden, attempting to gain complete control of the port's skies, but were soundly defeated by German Fokker D.VIIs that arrived on the scene.

The British Army did indeed reach Emden, but suddenly two German tank divisions penetrated into the Ruhr region and cut off the British advance.

As a result, the Royal Navy was hampered by minefields and failed to reach the port, while the 30,000 British troops who did manage to reach the port were surrounded by German forces. ...

War House, London, UK.

Telegrams were sent to the Minister of Munitions, who was in charge behind the scenes.

The Quartermaster General, enraged, held up a telegram and loudly questioned General Winter:

"The infiltration of two German tank divisions?"

"Where did they get their fuel? Where did they get their ammunition?"

"This looks like a German army that we've cornered and is on its last legs?"

General Winter replied, "Your Excellency, I have reason to believe that it was Charles who provided the supplies to the Germans."

"Charles?" The Quartermaster Minister was stunned.

“Yes.” General Winter nodded: “The German-French prisoner exchange program has made trains between the two countries travel frequently in Belgium.”

The Minister of War understood instantly.

If these trains stop transporting prisoners of war, they will immediately become supplies destined for Germany.

Fuel and food were shipped from France to Germany, and weapons and ammunition could be delivered to the army from the Ruhr industrial region.

Of course, it's not "gifted" but sold.

The Charles profited handsomely from this, while simultaneously draining Britain's resources.

What's infuriating is that Britain couldn't blame Charles.

The supplies were transferred between Belgium and the Netherlands.

Belgium may be an Allied power, but the Netherlands is a neutral country, and in principle, it is free to sell goods to any country.

Whether it's Belgium or the Netherlands, their trade with Germany is irrelevant to Charles.

The only relevant area is the Ruhr industrial region.

However, Charité cited "maintaining public order in Germany" as the reason, but the supply had already exceeded the demand for "maintaining public order".

"In addition," General Winter said, "one of the reasons for the disastrous defeat our army suffered at Emden was the disruption of our supply lines."

"The supply line is blocked?" The Minister of War looked at General Winter with a puzzled expression. "Isn't our supply line the Ruhr, where the French are stationed?"

The Ruhr, where French troops are stationed, is the safest place because it is now, in principle, a "neutral country."

“Yes, Your Excellency,” General Winter replied. “It is indeed very safe, but we cannot stop the French from building roads there.”

The Minister of Munitions suddenly realized.

Whichever road the French wanted to cut off, it would be "under maintenance," easily blocking British supply convoys for several hours.

The Minister of War anxiously lit a cigar.

He understood Charles's intention:
Char used the Ruhr industrial region to choke Germany, forcing the German army to fight according to his intentions.

The German army was then used to wear down the British army, while France developed rapidly in the process.

With this shift in power, it won't be long before France surpasses Britain to become the world's leading power!

No, it can't be like this!

The Minister of Munitions got up and took a few steps.

If things continue like this, Britain will be finished. Its colonies will collapse like dominoes, Britain will be reduced to a second-rate country, or even become a puppet of France!
And all of this is because of Charles, because of France.

That is the root of the problem; attacking Germany would only be a pointless drain on resources.

To change this outcome, we must attack France and defeat the Charles; only in this way can we deter all other countries!
This was unavoidable!
(End of this chapter)