CHAPTER 540: CHAPTER 540 EVERYTHING IS AN ILLUSION

Namur Castle, Shire was enjoying breakfast in the spacious, bright command post.

Outside the window, the continuous drizzle made the day cold and bleak, but inside, the room was warm as spring with the fire burning.

Breakfast consisted of bread, milk, jam, and a fragrant lemon-baked trout.

(The picture above shows lemon-baked trout, a specialty of southern Belgium.)

The food in Belgium was obviously much better than in France, many French armies couldn’t even get enough bread, let alone a succulent lemon-scented baked fish.

However, this food seemed exclusive to Shire’s troops; neither the British nor even Belgium’s own troops had such treats.

Shire didn’t focus on this, though. He casually picked at his food with a fork while reading the newspaper.

On Tijani’s desk was a copy too, but this rich man was not accustomed to such breakfast, he hadn’t touched the baked fish and only ate boneless tuna.

Nevertheless, to fill his stomach, he had to settle for bread with milk, his face showing displeasure.

"The media seems very dissatisfied with Nivelle." Tijani nodded towards Shire; he had read the newspaper before breakfast: "Criticisms of him are everywhere."

"What reason does the media have to be dissatisfied with Nivelle?" Shire asked in return.

"How should I know." Tijani shrugged indifferently: "I only know that Nivelle is about to be replaced, and that’s one reason people are clamoring for you to be the commander-in-chief."

Shire smiled lightly without speaking.

Tijani hoped Shire would become the commander-in-chief; he believed only Shire was suitable for the position and had been trying to persuade him.

Shire put down the newspaper to focus on his food; the baked fish tasted good, especially with a hint of lemon, resembling sweet and sour fish.

This intrigued Tijani; he looked at Shire with curiosity: "Have you figured something out?"

"It’s not the media’s fault, General." Shire replied: "It’s the British. They plan to abandon Nivelle and sever ties."

Tijani was startled, his eyes scanning the newspaper on the corner of the table: "But these are French newspapers..."

He paused mid-sentence, then exclaimed: "It’s about resources. The British have control of the resources."

Shire nodded while eating.

Whoever holds the resources holds the power.

Things like ink for printing, equipment, printing paper, food – these items seem readily available in peacetime but can strangle a newspaper’s operations in such times.

Tijani hesitated slightly: "Is it that the British control the media and are using Nivelle to extricate themselves from blame?"

Shire responded: "Replacing a commander-in-chief costs the British nothing, as long as he remains under British control. However, Nivelle, having been revealed for his many ’ills,’ is now heavily criticized, and the British have no need to protect him."

This is often the fate of a puppet – abandoned once its utility is exhausted, ending with nothing.

Tijani looked at Shire thoughtfully, understanding why Shire had said "being commander-in-chief doesn’t benefit me."

To become commander-in-chief, one must deal with the British, and Shire didn’t want to be their puppet.

"You’re right." Tijani nodded in admiration: "What will you do now?"

Shire didn’t answer.

He couldn’t answer.

He couldn’t say that the best strategy would be to support Fuxu as the commander-in-chief, then play good cop, bad cop to deceive the British and the parliament.

If word got out, the plan would fail before it even started, leaving Shire in an even more precarious situation.

Tijani didn’t press further, he simply smiled and said: "I know, it’s a secret!"

Focused on "military art," he had no interest in these matters, only knowing few could outmaneuver Shire.

The last person who tried, Xia Fei, was now in a semi-crazed state.

At this moment, a signaler approached, handing Shire a telegram: "General, a statement from General Fuxu."

Tijani was close, he took the telegram and glanced at it, surprised: "I thought we had a good relationship with that old man Fuxu!"

"What?" Shire asked.

"See for yourself!" Tijani handed the telegram to Shire, his expression showing frustration and anger.

Shire put down his knife and fork to take the telegram, which read:

"The Military Research Center deems Shire’s unauthorized attack on Namur unacceptable."

"Although he won, it sets a bad precedent that others might emulate, leading to a chaotic army without command."

"Moreover, Shire’s attack on Namur leveraged the advantages created by the River Somme offensive."

"The Germans had redirected a large number of troops, including artillery, to the River Somme, enabling Shire’s victory at Namur."

...

Shire looked at the signaler in disbelief: "Did General Fuxu really say this?"

"Yes," the signaler confirmed: "This statement has been issued to the entire army, all forces have received it."

Tijani snorted: "Just one ’unauthorized attack’ to negate our achievements, it’s clear his stance is driven by interests."

"Interests?" Shire feigned ignorance.

"Of course." Tijani responded:

"Haven’t you figured it out, Major General?"

"Previously, he had no conflict of interest with you, even sharing common interests; we win, he gains honor too.

"But now, you’re the ideal commander-in-chief candidate, and Fuxu surely has ambitions for the position. He sees you as a competitor now."

Shire "Oh"ed: "You’re right, General."

Sighing, he furrowed his brow: "So, we’ve gained another enemy!"

In truth, Shire was secretly pleased.

Fuxu’s criticism was timely, fair, and just, without causing Shire much negative impact.

Everyone knew how to counter:

Nivelle had pushed Shire into the fire pit and wouldn’t allow him selective obedience to orders?

Facts proved Shire right, didn’t they?

Shire won, yet got criticized, while Nivelle lost, killing many, with no words from them. Such blatant double standards!

"What should we do now, Major General?" Tijani asked.

Shire finished his meal, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and calmly replied: "It’s time to send a telegram to Petain!"

"Petain?" Tijani was stunned, then understanding, he gave Shire a thumbs up: "Great idea, he should have ambitions for the commander-in-chief position as well."

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, cooperation with Petain would better confront Fuxu.

What Tijani didn’t realize was, everything he saw was a façade.

Shire was actually working with Fuxu against Petain!