Chapter 504 Inspection

At Antwerp Airport, Charles received Albert I and Colonel Eden in the conference room.

Charles had no objection to their idea of ​​forming an elite force to cooperate with the French army. Although the Belgian army cooperated with the French army and had the same problem of inconsistent equipment and ammunition, it was still better than the British army.

But Charles had doubts about the "airport security force" mentioned by Albert I: "This seems unnecessary, Your Majesty, we have our own security force, and the airport is very safe."

"No, General." Albert I replied: "There are many people who still don't know that Antwerp Airport has been converted into a military airport. They encountered language barriers when they were stopped by guards. I heard that this caused you Big trouble."

Charles was stunned, as if this was indeed the case.

In Belgium, Dutch is used more in the Antwerp area, so unnecessary misunderstandings often occur.

Then Albert I added:

"With Belgian guards these problems would not exist."

"I can choose soldiers who can speak both French and Dutch to protect the airport. They can communicate with French and Belgian people without any barriers. More importantly, they will have an advantage in searching for spies."

"You can also rest assured in terms of safety, ensuring that there will be no oversights."

Fighters are a powerful tool for defending Belgium and regaining the country's territory. What's more, Charles's headquarters is located at the airport. How could Albert I let it go wrong?

Charles felt that it made sense, especially when searching for spies. In principle, the French army did not have the right to search, and due to the language barrier, searching would be inconvenient.

"Okay!" Charles nodded helplessly: "I will do as you say, Your Majesty."

At this time, Charles was completely unaware that Albert I actually had other intentions in setting up this "guard force".

…

Albert I moved quickly. After getting Charles's consent, he turned around and issued a special recruitment order to the country, including more than half a million guerrillas:

"Warriors, France has to send its troops back home to fight as the war in Verdun has become intense."

"This leaves the Shire's armored and mechanized forces lacking infantry coordination."

"Based on this, we plan to urgently form the First Special Reconnaissance Army, with a total of three divisions of about 60,000 people."

"If you want to regain your land and home, if you want to drive the invaders out of the country, if you want to become a hero who will go down in history!"

"Now is the time, join us and follow the Charr to victory!"

(Note: The Belgian "Special Reconnaissance Unit" was established in 1955. It was the prototype of the special forces and was equivalent to the "scouts" of our army in the early years)

Once the recruitment order was issued, Belgium instantly became a sensation. Young people of suitable age signed up one after another. The number exceeded 100,000 on the first day, and the number continued to increase. There were even a steady stream of people coming back from abroad to join.

The biggest temptation is to "follow Ciel to victory."

Charles successfully crossed Antwerp in one day, and reversed the situation in Verdun in another day. These mythical victories are still popular around the world, and people all hope that they can be one of them and share the supreme glory.

Suddenly the opportunity is right in front of you.

So we rushed to the registration point, which was so full that there were not enough people to register and we needed emergency reinforcements.

…

Lieutenant General Ives knew nothing about this. He thought this was just an ordinary formation of the Belgian army to better cope with future battles.

He rushed to the airport unprepared and planned to take advantage of Charles to gain power. Unexpectedly, he was frustrated by twists and turns at the airport gate.

Until this time, Lieutenant General Ives thought that this was caused by poor communication with the Belgian guards due to the language barrier, so he could only admit that he was unlucky.

After a while, Albert I came out with Eden.

At this time, Eden had changed into a brigadier general's uniform. The two stars on his collar were sparkling, his eyes were bright, and his chest was straighter than usual.

"Your Majesty." Lieutenant General Ives stood up and gave a military salute: "We are planning to inspect this place..."

Albert I poked his head out and laughed: "Are you going to take them to inspect the airport? On horseback?"

Lieutenant General Ives was stunned. Is there any problem?

Brigadier General Eden stepped forward and explained: "Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, you may not know much about fighter jets. Horses can easily get frightened and lose control at the airport. Their running around will cause great safety hazards for fighter jets to take off and land."

Albert I raised his eyebrows with a hint of sarcasm on his lips: "You don't seem to understand the place you want to inspect, Lieutenant General."

This is a more polite way of saying it. What he was thinking in his mind was: "Do you understand? If you don't understand, you are just inspecting it!"

Lieutenant General Ives was embarrassed:

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I really don't know much."

"So, that's why I want to know what are the things that need to be paid attention to."

This is not to blame Lieutenant General Ives. During World War I, when aircraft first entered the battlefield, few army generals knew these precautions.

Then Lieutenant General Ives looked behind him, turned around and said, "I only bring two staff officers, Your Majesty, and all the horses will be left outside."

As he spoke, he sighed in his heart. The reason why he brought the cavalry was because he heard that Ciel couldn't ride a horse. He planned to ride a horse and show off in front of Ciel to show him what a real soldier was.

As a result, he died before he left the army!

Albert I nodded: "You'd better do this, Lieutenant General, those fighter jets and pilots are not something you can afford to pay."

This is true, especially for pilots, who often cannot buy them even if they have money during wartime.

Lieutenant General Ives shrugged, looking disapproving.

Albert I smiled contemptuously. Of course, these British armies who refused to accept new equipment would not think so.

Albert I did not explain much, turned around and walked into the airport. Lieutenant General Ives quickly followed with two staff officers.

Walking into the gate, Lieutenant General Ives noticed that the direction seemed wrong, so he asked doubtfully: "Your Majesty, shouldn't the headquarters be here..."

"No, Lieutenant General." Albert I didn't look back: "Major General Charles is very busy. I don't think he should waste time on such a trivial matter as an inspection. Brigadier General Eden and I are willing to do it for you. Is there any problem?"

The implication is: I want to see Charles, but you are not qualified!

Lieutenant General Ives said "hmm". Although he was unhappy, he didn't dare to say anything. He quickly followed in the footsteps of Albert I: "No, of course it's no problem. It's a great honor, Your Majesty."

After all, he is the king of Belgium, and the Allies are still fighting on Belgian soil. Offending him will not do any good.

Lieutenant General Ives had a bad premonition: Today's "inspection" may not achieve the expected "effect".