CHAPTER 681: CHAPTER 681: A WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE

The German tanks indeed received gasoline and incidentally achieved some victories.

Along the way, the British Army was transporting newly produced tanks and artillery from Dunkirk to Montreuil along the highway.

As a result, there were destroyed tanks everywhere along the route, thanks to the Germans.

The "Whippet" was more of an "infantry tank" in the British definition, used to cover infantry advances and suppress enemy infantry.

This tank was not suitable for tank battles at all. Although it was equipped with four machine guns, none of them could penetrate the enemy’s armor.

That afternoon, after more than five hours of continuous advance, the exhausted Major General Erwin finally led the German First Tank Division to the outskirts of Dunkirk.

Seeing the Gothic architecture of Dunkirk from afar, and the British soldiers urgently constructing defensive works outside the city, the German tank crews cheered loudly.

Victory was just one step away. If they could capture Dunkirk, the demoralized British Expeditionary Force could potentially collapse completely!

...

The media coverage in various countries could be described as "a tale of two extremes."

On one side, Russia achieved a major victory on the Eastern Front, killing and wounding over 100,000 enemies in the first battle, capturing 30,000, and the victories continued to expand.

On the other side, the German Army bypassed Montreuil and reached the gates of Dunkirk.

Dunkirk was the closest port city to Britain, only about 40 kilometers across the Dover Strait to Dover Port in Britain, making it the best port for the British Expeditionary Force to deliver supplies and reinforcements.

If it were captured by the Germans, the British Army’s landing route in France would be cut off. The over a million British Expeditionary Force troops would be trapped north of the River Somme with no escape, and without ammunition and supplies, surrender would be their only option.

This would undoubtedly be a fatal blow to the global prestige of the British Army and even Britain itself.

Therefore, The Times of Britain barely mentioned Russia’s victory, as it had nothing to do with Britain.

It devoted huge sections to the German assault on Dunkirk.

The accompanying picture was a blurry photo: a group of German tanks advancing from a distance towards the British defense lines, with just a few tanks and barrels vaguely visible, and in the foreground were the panicked faces of British soldiers and makeshift field defenses.

"We were not prepared, no one was prepared."

"Because no one expected the Germans to appear behind Dunkirk; people thought they had been stalled at Montreuil."

"But the fact is, the Germans are here, just a few kilometers from Dunkirk."

"This has caused massive panic. Although we have 50,000 troops in Dunkirk, most of them are inexperienced recruits without anti-tank weapons and no knowledge of how to fight tanks."

"Many people are fleeing Dunkirk, and ship tickets are now priceless!"

...

France’s Little Daily:

"We cannot sit by and watch Dunkirk be occupied by the Germans."

"Because it means the collapse of the British Expeditionary Force. If it happens, Britain will not be able to provide reinforcements and supplies to France for a considerable time."

"Maybe never again!"

French politicians feared that Britain might withdraw from the war.

Indeed, Britain’s participation in this war wasn’t for France; it didn’t want a unified powerful empire to emerge on the European continent, whether it was France or Germany.

However, if the price was Britain’s collapse or even the spilling of its last drop of blood, Britain would still choose to look out for itself.

The report of the Little Daily was filled with sarcasm:

"The British always manage to surprise us."

"When Charles wins a victory on the front with minimal cost, the British create single-day casualty records at the River Somme."

"When the Russians start a counteroffensive on the Eastern Front, the British begin to retreat."

"They always flatten our victories."

"I mean no malice, but is this really the army of the world’s number one power?"

...

At the Paris City Hall, urgent phone calls and telegrams kept arriving at Briand’s desk in the Prime Minister’s office.

Briand was overwhelmed until Clemenceau walked into the office while he was still dealing with British pleas for help on the phone.

Briand signaled Clemenceau to sit down with his eyes and respectfully replied:

"I understand, Marshal, we will certainly reinforce Dunkirk. Rest assured!"

"Yes!"

"I understand, this also concerns the fate of France!"

...

After putting down the phone, Briand sighed heavily and walked towards Clemenceau, shaking his head: "It’s unbelievable that the Germans have reached Dunkirk. There are about a million troops in that area, yet the German army is less than half of that!"

Clemenceau uttered a quiet but heavy "Hmm": "This German army is the same one that was surrounded by Charles at Hasselt. After breaking through, they reorganized into the First Tank Division."

Briand was just about to sit down on the sofa opposite when he paused, looked at Clemenceau in surprise, and slowly sat down after a few seconds, carefully, as if sitting on a landmine.

The office fell into silence, with an uneasy atmosphere thickening around them.

Neither spoke, but they both understood what the other was thinking.

Charles could easily surround and defeat the Germans with just 20,000 men, while this German force defeated by Charles could rout a million-strong British army.

Does this mean that Charles is now invincible and no one can stop him?

After a long silence, Clemenceau handed Briand a cigar. Both lit them silently, as if trying to dispel their worries through the smoke.

"This might be our opportunity," Clemenceau broke the silence after a while: "We could order Charles to rescue Dunkirk."

"But Charles’ troops are confronting the Germans at Namur and Liege," Briand frowned: "Gallieni has already discussed this in Parliament. He thinks the Germans have prepared a two-pronged strategy. If we draw Charles to Dunkirk, the Germans at Liege will strike."

Clemenceau said nothing, just quietly looked at Briand.

Briand suddenly understood that this was precisely what Clemenceau wanted.

"Britain is more important than Belgium, Prime Minister," Clemenceau replied calmly: "If we have to choose between the two, we must ensure Britain’s safety first. Don’t you think so?"

Briand pondered for a while, then nodded heavily.

This was a good excuse. It would cause Charles to lose Belgium.

It was said that Charles had laid many plans in Belgium, including defense systems in several cities, the Seren steel plant, the FN armory, and the full support of Albert I.

Thinking of this, a long-lost smile appeared on Briand’s face: "Yes, given the current situation, I believe General Gallieni will also make the right choice!"