Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 984 Stunning

In order to ensure the suddenness of the start of the battle, the tank troops have been kept in a state of secrecy since they entered France. When Dieppe landed, the British troops blocked the entire port. Unrelated people were not allowed to approach. When the tanks drove onto the train, they were covered with canvas. , Disguised as a truck, on August [-]nd, half of the tanks were located in Dunkirk, and their attack direction was Bruges, and the other half of the tanks were in Lens, and their attack target was Brussels.

On August 250st, the Air Force Unit of the Expeditionary Force began to bomb targets in Belgium, focusing on barracks, warehouses and railways. Rock had [-] bombers in his hands, and at most [-] sorties were dispatched to bomb Ghent in one day.

Ghent is the transportation center of the German army in Belgium. The materials needed by the German troops stationed in Belgium and the German troops in France must be transshipped from Ghent.

Before launching the ground attack, Roque still has a problem to deal with. The reason why he opened the breakthrough from Belgium is not only to occupy the port city and destroy the base of the German submarine, but also because of the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo. Belgium has not yet recognized the Kingdom of Congo. And the independent status of the Republic of Congo, this is what Rock wants to fight for.

The relationship between Albert I, the current King of Belgium, and Roque is not good. Before the outbreak of the first Battle of Ypres, Foch’s warning to Albert I is still valid. If the whole of Belgium falls, Albert I will not be able to keep his throne. , so the Belgian army is still fighting, although the total strength is only a pitiful 7 people.

When Frenzi and Haig were the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, they also dismissed Albert I. The status of the Belgian army in the Allied Powers was not as good as that of the Indian Army.

Now that Rock is the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, he only needs a telegram to see Albert I, and Albert I will come to Yaming immediately.

"Lord Nyasaland, in order to thank you for your help to Belgium, I sincerely invite you to serve as the Marshal of Belgium and lead the Belgian army to fight side by side with the British Expeditionary Force." Albert I was dressed in military uniform, and he did not call Roque "Commander-in-Chief." Or "Marshal", but talking about the title, obviously reminding Rock.

As for the honor of Marshal, it is really dispensable. Foch will be the Marshal of the Three Kingdoms in the future, and Wellington will be awarded the Marshal of the Seven Nations. If Albert I thinks that the title of Marshal can buy Roque, then Albert I is wrong.

"Thank you for your invitation, Your Majesty. Our most important task now is to defeat the Germans." Rock is not salty, and more than 7 people have the nerve to set up the position of marshal. There are more than 7 people under any lieutenant general in the expeditionary force. .

"Of course, the Germans are our common enemy, and we will unite as one and fight hard—" Albert I made an impassioned statement. Belgium had only such a small force, and of course they had to unite around the British and French coalition forces, or wait to abdicate.

"Your Majesty——" Rock interrupted Albert I very rudely. Kings are different from kings. If it was George V, Rock could only listen obediently. Forget Albert I, Rock No time to chat nonsense with Albert I: "—what do you think of the Kingdom of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo?"

Roque got straight to the point. Everyone was very busy and had no time to waste on boring maneuvers. In order to force Albert I to continue fighting, Foch could threaten Albert I with "abdication", and Roque was not far behind.

This is the tragedy of a small country with few people. Those who think that a small country with few people can also live with dignity are either naive or bad.

Probably bad!

Albert I probably didn't expect Roque to be so British, he was dumbfounded for a while, and finally said bitterly: "My lord, we are still discussing about the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo—"

Rock didn't speak, and glanced at Albert I lightly, and Albert I immediately fell silent.

"Both the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo have sent troops to Europe to assist the coalition forces in their operations. Their independent status should be recognized. There is nothing to discuss." Rock's voice was not loud, and Albert I was in a dilemma.

Obviously, if the independent status of the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo is not recognized, Roque will definitely not let it go. The next expeditionary force will invade Belgium. Whether it will be good or bad for Belgium is entirely up to Roque.

Thieves pass like a comb, and soldiers pass like a grate. Look at the Asia Minor peninsula after the expeditionary army withdrew. Not to mention the ruins everywhere, at least it is already ten rooms and nine empty, and the sky is three feet high is a true portrayal.

Recognizing the independent status of the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo is no less than a catastrophe for Belgium. If the Congo Free State is retained, Belgium can barely maintain it after the war. If the Congo Free State is lost, Belgium will instantly be reduced to a A third-rate country in Europe is not even as good as the Vatican, a country within a country.

Oh no, there was no Vatican at this time, and the Vatican was not recognized until 1929.

Albert I really wanted to cry, but his status prevented him from doing such a thing.

Albert I wanted to curse again, but he dared not.

Rock didn't speak, either the world or hell was in the blink of an eye, let alone heaven. For Belgium, heaven was too far away, while Britain, France and Germany were too close.

"Well, Lord Nyasaland, when the war is over, the Kingdom of Belgium will recognize the independent status of the Republic of Congo and the Kingdom of Congo." Albert I wept bitterly. What should not belong to Belgium will not belong to Belgium after all. .

Rock was finally satisfied that while serving the British Empire, he could not ignore the interests of southern Africa.

Rock is basically satisfied with the current surrounding environment in southern Africa. After the independent status of the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo is confirmed, southern Africa can proceed to the next step. Whether it is direct annexation or manipulating vassalage, it is the same as Belgium. The suzerain has nothing to do with it.

From August 258st to August [-]th, the air force of the Expeditionary Force bombed strategic targets in Belgium. On August [-]rd, Kaiser Wilhelm II sent a telegram to King George V, claiming that The special bombing accidentally bombed a local orphanage in Ghent, killing [-] children.

George V sent a telegram to Roque, asking about the authenticity of the incident.

Rock denied it categorically, thinking that the Air Force of the Expeditionary Force would not bomb civilian targets. Perhaps 258 children died in Ghent, but it was definitely not caused by the Expeditionary Force. It was William II who deliberately poured sewage on the Expeditionary Force.

George V immediately stated in the "Times", asking the German army to ensure the safety of civilians and not to build military facilities in residential areas, condemning Germany's shameless behavior of dragging innocent civilians into the war.

William II also wrote an article in the newspaper, criticizing the expeditionary force for disregarding human life and killing innocent people, claiming that the bombing of the expeditionary force in Belgium turned Belgium into a hell on earth. The devil hired in hell, Roque is the legendary big devil.

Rock didn't care about these childish behaviors. When George V and William II were talking, the artillery units of the Expeditionary Army began to shell the German positions.

In order to prepare for this attack, Rock mobilized nearly 2100 artillery pieces, including 120 heavy artillery pieces with a caliber above 750 mm. The scale is unprecedented in the history of human warfare.

Before the ground troops launched an attack, the artillery shelled for six hours. Together with the bomber force and the Royal Navy fleet, they poured nearly [-] tons of artillery shells on the German positions. Mi was repeatedly ravaged by five hundred kilogram bombs.

Unlike the previous bombardment, the expeditionary force's bombardment mainly focused on the barbed wire and minefields in front of the German positions, and did not conduct concentrated bombardment of the fortifications that the German army focused on strengthening.

After more than two years of combat, the German army has accumulated a lot of experience in fortifications. On key fortifications, the German army has carried out special reinforcements before the war. Unless they are directly hit by large-caliber shells, the German troops in the fortifications will hardly be hurt. .

The German army, who was lucky enough to escape, had no time to rejoice, and the ground attack of the expeditionary force began.

Unlike the previous expeditionary troops who lined up in neat formations to die, this time the first to appear in front of the German army were armored steel monsters. These steel monsters were about two meters high, 2.5 meters wide, and 5.5 meters long. The infantry who participated in the attack hid behind the tracks of the tanks without showing their heads. The German heavy machine guns hit the steel plates of the tanks and reflected sparks, which could not even make a pit.

If there were only one or two tanks, it would be impossible to change the shape of the battlefield, but this time the expeditionary force came out in full force, and all the tanks were put into battle. As far as the eye could see, the entire battlefield was full of steel monsters with teeth and claws.

These tanks can’t just be beaten passively. If they find a German machine gun position, the tank will stop and shell the machine gun position. The German army has no direct-fire guns, no anti-tank rifles, and no anti-tank grenades and anti-tank mines. Watching the tanks of the Expeditionary Force rumble toward them, and then rumble past the trenches, it is almost helpless.

This day's offensive gained a lot. Unlike another tank that didn't play much role in time and space, this time the tank appeared on the battlefield in an amazing way. In just six hours, with the help of the tank, the expeditionary force continued to Conquering the first and second lines of defense of the German army, and breaking through the third line of defense of the German army at one time in some areas, this is a miracle for the Western Front, which has been caught in a tug-of-war for a long time.

At the end of the first day of fighting, the Second Cavalry Division, which made the fastest progress, advanced the front line by [-] kilometers, from Saint-Omer to Abele, and pushed the front line into Belgium. The Second Cavalry Division will be able to achieve its campaign goals in three more days.

(It’s so hot, 36 degrees, the fish head turns into dried fish——)

(End of this chapter)