Chapter 521 Reverse Bait

Everything looks like a "random event" that happens by chance, but there is actually an invisible hand behind it.

Charles was in control of it all, and he knew how to guide and even control public sentiment.

News and questions were not issued through the "Little Daily" and "The Meritorious Service", but through certain well-known "military commentators" who contributed articles to other newspapers, and the "lady in white" who led the way among the people.

The more people think about it, the more they are right, and the "rumors" become more and more reasonable, eventually forming a complete "evidence chain" that echoes each other.

Soon, the relationship between Commander-in-Chief Nivele and the British was also revealed.

After all, it is not a secret that Nivelle became the commander-in-chief of the French army through the British. He needed to use materials to persuade many parliamentarians to support him.

Then, the French people suddenly realized:

"God, this is basically a British conspiracy against us. They took control of Nivelle, and then used Nivelle to formulate an unreasonable battle plan for the Shire."

"That's not 'unreasonable', it's simply a trap, a trap that pushes Charles and his troops into a pit of fire."

"It's unbelievable! Charles was fighting for France. He saved France and everyone. But now, he is being sent to the enemy's gunpoint because of the betrayal of his allies. This is so shameless!"

"We can't let the British succeed, otherwise we will become their accomplices!"

"We are the only ones who can protect Ciel!"

…

This time, people no longer went on strike, marched, and shouted slogans. Angry people rushed into the Paris City Hall and even surrounded the Bourbon Palace, demanding a reasonable explanation from the government and parliament.

The news reached the army, and the soldiers protested. They raised their guns and shouted:

“Are we fighting the Germans or the British?”

"We were winning, led by Charles. But the British were trying to steal our victory, taking control of the Commander-in-Chief and trying to defeat the French through him killing our fighting heroes."

"If this continues, why are we fighting the enemy desperately on the battlefield? We should fight the British first to let them understand that we are not easy to bully!"

…

The French Parliament and the government were in chaos.

They were innocent. They were unaware of this battle plan. Some people heard some rumors but did not realize that this was a trap set against Ciel:

"They were crazy. They wanted to use the Germans to kill Charles."

"Perhaps we should not have compromised with the British. We should have known what would happen if Nivelle became commander-in-chief."

"The British supplies are not given in vain. Their ultimate goal is not only to defeat the Germans, but also us!"

…

Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, Nivelle hurriedly came forward to explain. He published it in newspapers, accepted parliamentary inquiries, and gave a speech in public:

"Things are not what you think."

"We do have an attack plan, but it cannot be made public because it involves military secrets."

"This is a rumor spread by the Germans with the purpose of dividing Britain and France and causing internal conflicts in the Allied Powers."

"Please believe that the UK is our staunch ally and they will not engage in such shameful behavior!"

…

At the same time, Nivele sent another order to Charles: "The offensive mission is cancelled, everything must be kept secret!"

…

Ciel smiled lightly when he saw this order, knowing that he had succeeded.

Nivele's status has been questioned, not only by the public, but also by the government and parliament, who all doubt whether Nivele is qualified for the position of commander-in-chief.

The British were in disgrace, and even British soldiers were deeply despised by this practice.

Many British officers and soldiers are fans of Shire, and they will firmly choose to side with Shire in terms of public opinion.

Even if they are not Charr fans, reasonable people believe that they should not plot to harm their allies before achieving final victory. This will only make those who love them happy and those who hate them happy.

More importantly, the Germans generally believed that it was impossible for Charles's troops to attack Namur.

"That's great." Tijani cheered when he saw the telegram: "They finally canceled this goddam plan."

Ciel said "Hmm" and tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table without answering.

Tijani noticed something strange, and he looked at Charles suspiciously: "You seem to be still not satisfied, Major General?"

"No, I'm very satisfied." Ciel replied: "But you seem to have forgotten the original intention of us doing this."

After being reminded by Ciel, Tijani seemed to understand what Ciel meant: "You mean, attack Namur?"

With that said, Tijani raised the telegram in his hand, meaning that you have received the order to "cancel the mission". Now as long as you pretend not to know, there will be no problem with Namur.

Charles only replied: "Namur will always be beaten, General!"

Tijani was stunned, is this guy serious?

How to fight Namur?

Even if we want to fight, it’s not us!

Then Charles added: "But not now."

He's waiting for the bait to appear!

…

Dunkirk, British Expeditionary Force Headquarters.

It seemed like it was the same as usual here. The staff officers and communications soldiers started their day's work step by step in the early morning.

However, at some random moment, there were always people whispering to each other in low voices, and from time to time they would cast strange glances in the direction of Kitchener's office.

In the office, Kitchener had a pile of telegrams and newspapers scattered on his desk. He also held a copy of The Times in his hand. A striking headline on the front page read: "In the final stage of victory, Is creating division a wise choice? 》

He could ignore the public opinion in France, but the doubts from Britain were equally overwhelming.

British citizens also hope to win, to end this war, and to end this blocked life. They do not want their relatives and children to continue to be sent to France, and eventually fall in a foreign country forever without even finding their bodies.

However, Kitchener, the Secretary of War, acted contrary to their hopes.

This is dangerous and unpopular.

Kitchener frowned and sighed, put down the newspaper, picked up the coffee at hand and took a few sips.

What went wrong?

It was obviously a perfect plan, why did it turn into this?

Now he seems to be getting further and further away from his goal!

Is it Ciel?

Maybe, if you think about it from the perspective of the beneficiary, he is the ultimate beneficiary and the only beneficiary.

Damn it, it's him, it must be him, everything is Ciel's fault!

Only then did Kitchener realize that he had underestimated the enemy, thinking that an easy order would make Charles submit.

Unexpectedly, his counterattack was so fierce that everyone was put on the fire and unable to get off the stage. There was even some leverage in Ciel's hands:

Now that the attack plan has been cancelled, it is no longer a military secret. As soon as Ciel announces the plan, everyone's guilt will be confirmed!

In the future, if you want to give orders to Ciel through Nivel, you must fully consider its rationality.

Now, Kitchener thought, it was time for a fight to divert the public attention!