I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France

Chapter 606: The Power of the Masses

Shire is utilizing Albert I’s appeal, or rather the power of the masses.

This is based on two considerations:

First, among the supplies captured from the German Army were a large number of German-style rifles. More than forty thousand were captured during the breakthrough of the German defenses, and more would likely be seized along the way as they capture supply convoys and occupy warehouses.

The French Army has no use for these arms, and while Belgium’s First Special Reconnaissance Corps might use the ammunition, they don’t need the rifles, and there are more bullets than they can use.

So why not arm the civilians along the way?

Forty thousand rifles can arm forty thousand militia, male or female, as long as they are taught how to shoot.

Second, at this point, the quality of the German Army is not impressive.

Especially since the elite units have been sent to Antwerp to undertake the main offensive task, most of the troops remaining at the rear and in the hinterland are new recruits.

The quality of these new recruits is not much different from the Belgian militia, and the Belgian militia has the courage of "defending their homeland," perhaps they can fight better than the German recruits, and the final impact could be much greater than expected.

Things are indeed as Shire predicted.

Upon knowing his mission, Albert I immediately organized troops to follow the French Army, stationing along the way to set up supply lines and distributing surplus rifles to civilian militias in the surrounding villages and towns.

More importantly, he organized a cavalry to take shortcuts ahead of the troops and deliver messages to towns on the way to Hasselt, ensuring people were ready to welcome the Shire Army.

The reason the advance of the First Armored Army was slow was partly due to the snowy roads.

Days of heavy snow had covered the roads with a thick layer of snow, causing vehicle wheels to slip and often get stuck in one pit only to soon fall into another. Despite being an armored and mechanized unit, they were hardly faster than on foot.

Tanks with tracks might fare better, but the low chassis of the "Shire A1" meant the steel plate at the front was like a bulldozer, pushing through the snow and accumulating more, requiring soldiers to continuously clear the way.

After 2 PM, these issues were almost non-existent.

Belgian citizens, knowing Shire’s troops would pass through their villages and towns, spontaneously organized to clear the snow.

The troops saw civilians in cotton clothes shoveling snow, with both men and women, young and old, working hard and steaming from the effort.

As the French Army passed, they enthusiastically waved and greeted in French:

"Hello, we salute you!"

"Thank you, friends from France."

"You are heroes, please give my regards to General Shire!"

...

Sometimes Shire was among them, but he hid inside an armored reconnaissance vehicle to avoid being recognized.

Shire didn’t want to be recognized as that could bring unnecessary trouble or even danger.

...

Leuven, temporary command post of the 21st German Army.

Nicholas and Erwin stood silent, staring at the map, surrounded by bustling staff officers who were using phones and telegraphs to learn Shire’s movements.

Finally, Nicholas asked, "Can Hasselt be defended?"

Colonel Erwin answered bluntly, "No, General, that’s impossible."

Hasselt only has two infantry regiments, and they are reserve units for maintaining law and order and protecting the train station and supplies, while the opponent is Shire’s First Armored Army.

Nicholas’s mouth twitched, and he stood up, pointing at the map:

"We might still have a chance; we can deploy fighters to Hasselt."

"As we did before, our warplanes outnumber theirs, potentially giving us air superiority."

"Once we gain air superiority with Hasselt as our base, we can hold it until reinforcements arrive!"

Erwin, looking defeated, lowered his head like a beaten rooster and said helplessly:

"There’s not enough time, General."

"Shire’s planes will intercept from Brussels and Namur."

"Moreover, his ground troops will reach Hasselt in about ten hours, and by then, our planes will face not only ’Camel’ fighters but also ’Shire A1’ tanks!"

Nicholas suggested, "We can reinforce Hasselt from two directions!"

He meant from Leuven and the Liege Fortress, especially the latter, which has two infantry divisions.

"General." Colonel Erwin shook his head, "The Liege Fortress cannot reinforce Hasselt, you know the reason."

Nicholas sighed and nodded slightly.

The troops at Liege Fortress are primarily fortress soldiers trained to defend against Shire’s attacks around the fortifications.

Deploying them to Hasselt would be a huge waste.

More importantly, who can guarantee Shire won’t change targets and attack the Liege Fortress?

Erwin gritted his teeth, "Order a retreat, General. If we delay, we might end up like Admiral Byrd."

Admiral Byrd was the highest-ranking German officer captured at Ghent and has since become a negative example for the German Army.

Erwin never thought he might one day face a similar fate.

"Retreat?" Nicholas looked at Erwin in disbelief, "Do you know how many troops we have on the offensive? They’ve penetrated deep into Belgium, and it’s impossible to return and break out within ten hours."

"I know." Erwin answered painfully, "But we might break through from other directions while Shire’s main force attacks Hasselt, there’s no other way."

Nicholas fell heavily back into his chair.

It meant all tanks would be left behind, and half the warplanes might stay because Shire’s planes were waiting on the retreat route.

The German Army had hidden its strength for so long, and now it seemed the equipment would go up in flames.

"General." Erwin, seeing Nicholas’s reluctance, emphasized, "The point now is not if we can hold Hasselt, but how many of our troops can break out."

Nicholas nodded, trusting Erwin’s judgment. Although this defeat was due to Erwin, the battle had been fought well.

Their plummet into difficulty was solely because the opponent was Shire.

No one can defeat Shire, losing to him isn’t disgraceful. Erwin remains the only one who almost defeated Shire.

After a moment, Nicholas’s gaze turned to the map and the Holland border, speaking softly, "Perhaps, we can get more troops out."

Erwin understood Nicholas’s meaning and nodded, "It might be worth a try."

Holland, surrounded by Germany, in this era where force dictates all, if Holland doesn’t make the "right" choices, it might face a German invasion.