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

Chapter 999 "In the Tiger's Den"

The Quartermaster General's face darkened, and he menacingly threatened Charles:
"Do you know what this means?"

"War, Lieutenant General, war."

"You'll regret this decision!"

Charles remained calm, as if discussing a trivial matter: "My view is exactly the opposite of yours, Your Excellency. I would regret it if I agreed to your terms."

The Minister of War snorted coldly, tapping his fingers heavily on the table:

"Do you think France is capable of fighting the British fleet at sea?"

"On what grounds? Torpedo planes?"

"No, don't dream about it. We will regain control of Malta and use it as a base to control the airspace over the Mediterranean!"

Without Malta, there was no air superiority, and French torpedo planes could not threaten British warships.

This guy doesn't know what's good for him. The Minister of War thought that if he were smart, he should surrender to Britain. It's not too late.

“Malta?” Charles seemed to have just remembered the name:

"Oh yes."

"Britain has only just granted it independence."

"But your influence remains deeply entrenched in Malta, and you even control the parliament, is that right?"

The Minister of Munitions responded with a cold laugh, as if to say: You know that much better!

Charles turned to General Winter: "You should contact Malta and see what's going on!"

The Minister of Munitions and General Winter were taken aback. Did this mean that Charles was prepared?

……

Malta.

As the Secretary of State for Munitions had predicted, a majority in Parliament were indeed clamoring for Prime Minister Joseph to side with Britain.

"We have no choice; France cannot protect us."

"Britain has a powerful fleet. If we don't choose Britain, the British fleet will bomb us into the sky tomorrow."

"The only thing we can do is drive the French out of here, that's the reality!"

……

"Gentlemen," Joseph said, standing on the podium, trying to calm the members of parliament.

"The British have no reason to do this."

"We are a neutral country, and we do not support any party, including France."

"But if we compromise too easily, it means we will return to the state of being colonized. That will definitely be the outcome."

……

But no one supported Joseph's claim.

The majority of members of parliament are still pro-British, as they have interests in Britain, and some members are afraid to disobey Britain because of the strength of the British fleet.

Maltese civilians are also divided into two factions: one believes they should follow France and maintain independence, while the other believes they should protect themselves and submit to Britain.

Malta is too small; their army consists of only a Royal Maltese Artillery of over 300 men, formed during the colonial period, and a Royal Infantry Regiment of over 2800 men.

There was also a “Royal Navy,” but it could not even be called a “navy” because the vast majority of its personnel were logistics staff and shipbuilders, responsible for the maintenance and resupply of British warships.

Malta is completely defenseless against threats from powerful nations.

Just as the situation in Parliament was becoming one-sided, the secretary hurriedly stepped forward and handed Joseph a telegram.

Joseph's face showed surprise after reading the telegram, followed by a mixture of emotions, as if he couldn't tell whether it was good news or bad news.

After a while, he said to the members of parliament with a helpless tone: "Gentlemen, just now, France transported more than two thousand soldiers to Malta Airport by transport plane."

He then added, "Fully armed, and many transport planes have brought in ammunition." The conference room fell silent instantly.

They never expected that a private airport could play such a role, transporting more than two thousand soldiers in one go.

Moreover, those were French infantry, French infantry that could defeat German infantry and outperform British and American infantry.

The Maltese infantry were only responsible for the island's defense and had no combat experience. They were also poorly trained and outdated in equipment. How could they fight against the French army?

Moreover, this was only the first batch of infantry brought in by the French army; more French infantry would continue to arrive via transport planes.

This will be a battle that ends before it even begins.

After thinking for a long time, Joseph nervously gave a conclusion: "The only thing we can do is remain neutral."

The lawmakers nodded in agreement.
"this is a good idea."

"Malta loves peace and we do not want to be involved in any war."

"We are willing to open our airports and ports and evacuate civilians; the fighting there has nothing to do with Malta!"

……

Even those who were pro-British had no choice but to agree to the plan.

Otherwise, he would be telling everyone: I hope Malta is held at gunpoint by the French army.

……

The message was quickly relayed to the Minister of Munitions via telegram.

The Minister of Munitions, instead of being angry, laughed: "You think you can control Malta like this? You're too naive!"

The Quartermaster Minister pulled a cigar from his pocket, lit it with the help of General Winter, and arrogantly exhaled a cloud of smoke at Charles.

It was disdain, provocation, and mockery.

"You've forgotten one thing." The Quartermaster General stared intently at Charles, speaking each word carefully:
"Malta Airport is only 5 kilometers from the coastline."

"But the Royal Navy's 15-inch guns have a range of 21 kilometers."

"Our battleships will blow your fighters and airfields to smithereens, leaving nothing behind!"

This was one of the reasons why Britain was willing to grant Malta independence; they believed that air power posed a very limited threat to warships.

"Is that so?" Charles's voice was soft, but his words carried weight:

"In that case, Your Excellency."

"I must inform you that none of your warships are allowed to approach within 150 kilometers of Malta."

"Otherwise, we will sink them, including the battleships."

The Minister of War chuckled, thinking that Charles was just making empty threats.

But seeing Ciel's serious expression, his smile gradually faded.

General Winter never smiled. He knew that Charles was a man of his word; if he said he could sink it, he definitely could.

Charles added:
"Furthermore, I must tell you this as well."

"Trade with Algeria and other countries is France's freedom, and you have no right to inspect or detain French merchant ships."

"If a similar situation occurs again, we will consider it an act of war and sink your warships."

The Minister of Munitions let out a sneer: "Are you serious?"

Even General Winter could tell that the Minister of Munitions spoke without any real conviction.

Charles gave them the order to leave: "You've got guts! Aren't you worried at all that I'll use this opportunity to detain you?"

The Minister of Munitions and General Winter looked terrified.

They thought the Royal Navy could keep the Charles under control and make him wary, which is why they dared to "venture into the lion's den" for negotiations.

But if the Charles are confident of defeating the Royal Navy, it means they are now truly in the lion's den!
(End of this chapter)