Chapter 444: After modification: Chapter 444 Newspaper on the Motorcycle
When Albert I found Shire, Shire was nonchalantly signing documents.
Albert I approached cautiously and asked, "Brigadier, have you heard? They are preparing to have Xia Fei accept the surrender."
"Yes, I have heard." Shire calmly nodded.
"What do you think?" Albert I asked again.
Without waiting for Shire’s answer, Albert I angrily exclaimed, "It’s outrageous, everyone knows this is your credit, we absolutely cannot tolerate this. Besides, have they not considered Belgium? Isn’t it us who truly have the say?"
Albert I’s words were not wrong.
Although the battle was fought by the British and French Allies, the battlefield was in Belgium, and from the perspective of respecting national territorial sovereignty, Albert I’s opinion should be sought no matter what.
Albert I then assured Shire, "Don’t worry, Brigadier. I will immediately go to Paris to express Belgium’s stance."
"It won’t work, Your Majesty." Shire continued to sign documents, "They are not afraid of you."
Albert I nodded dejectedly, at this moment he had almost no say, which had been proven before.
"This doesn’t count for much, Your Majesty." Shire put down his pen and looked up at Albert I and Colonel Edison, speaking lightly, "I’m just worried that Xia Fei might use this as an opportunity to remove my troops. You know, they are unlikely to just leave after the surrender or let us continue to guard this land; this would give others leverage."
Albert I’s heart skipped several beats.
He had always worried about Shire being upset, but now it seemed the problem was with Xia Fei.
After some thought, Albert I felt Shire was right, if Xia Fei was to accept the surrender, it was logical that Xia Fei should lead the troops to occupy the besieged area and disarm the surrounded German Army.
Then, it wouldn’t be right to take Shire’s victory and still have Shire’s troops stationed in Antwerp to protect it, right?
Selling someone and then making them count the money for you?
The media’s backlash and people’s anger would drown Xia Fei!
Albert I looked at Colonel Edison.
Colonel Edison nodded lightly, with a trace of fear in his eyes.
Colonel Edison also hadn’t considered this point, it seemed the matter was far more serious than they had imagined. This was not something that could be resolved by persuasion or exchanging benefits with Shire.
"But please rest assured." Shire said with a confident smile, "There will be no problem with Belgium. One day, when Xia Fei’s troops can’t hold on any longer, they will still call me and my troops back, just like the Dardanelles Strait, they now always hope to call me back."
Not mentioning the Dardanelles Strait was fine, but once mentioned, Albert I gulped hard.
Anyone with eyes could see the Dardanelles Strait was beyond saving, yet Shire insisted on not going back.
Would Shire one day refuse to return to Belgium due to other battlefields?
Shire seemed to see through Albert I’s thoughts:
"No, no, I will come back, I promise."
"You and your people are my friends, I won’t forget that."
"In this battle, I saw the strength of Belgian citizens united together. Without your support, we couldn’t have achieved this victory."
"To be honest, I believe the guerrilla forces and the Belgian people should also be part of the surrendering party, but unfortunately, they don’t think so."
Albert I nodded repeatedly, moved.
...
After coming out of Shire’s command post, Colonel Edison remained silent throughout.
He knew the current situation in Belgium, although the guerrilla forces were quite large, with the total strength reaching over two hundred thousand.
But they were essentially militias, and quite a few of them were there for Shire.
This was Shire’s cohesion; they were Shire’s supporters; they believed in Shire’s leadership and believed in achieving victory under Shire’s command.
If Xia Fei were to replace Shire, the guerrilla forces might very well disintegrate, and the favorable situation could instantly vanish or even worsen.
"We can’t let this happen," Colonel Edison said, "Absolutely not!"
"I know what to do," Albert I replied.
"What?" Colonel Edison looked at Albert I in confusion.
"We can mobilize everyone to oppose Xia Fei," Albert I answered, "Also, there are newspapers, and there are Belgians in France and Britain, who can distribute flyers or give speeches, or denounce the issue in their newspapers."
Albert I had just thought of this.
In the carriage, he repeatedly mulled over Shire’s words:
"They are not afraid of you."
Then what are they afraid of?
It is public opinion, people’s opposition, and the condemnation of the media!
Moreover, Shire was right, the victory in this battle was also significantly contributed by the Belgian people, if Xia Fei were to take away the fruits of victory, it would be a huge blow to the morale of the Belgian people!
Therefore, all Belgians should be mobilized to resist this unjust act.
Colonel Edison thought for a while and nodded, "This sounds like a good plan, Your Majesty, indeed we should do this, not only to fight for Shire’s rights but also to help ourselves!"
...
Thus, Belgians were quickly organized.
The Belgian "Patriot Newspaper" published an article on the front page the next day, titled "We Defeated the Enemy, But Are About to Be Defeated By Our Own Allies."
The article used sharp words:
"The Allied Forces indeed made sacrifices, but war is never about the greater the sacrifice, the greater the merit, but about who defeated the enemy so that the troops and people need not continue to sacrifice."
"From this perspective, Shire is the savior of the Allies, the savior of France and Belgium, the savior of the people, but some people think his contributions are not enough to accept the Germans’ surrender."
"They think the ones who should accept the surrender are those who were rescued from the pain of war by Shire!"
"Was it Shire who rescued them, or they who rescued Shire?"
"What’s more perplexing is, what does the sacrifice and effort of the front-line soldiers have to do with Xia Fei?"
"Does blindly sending soldiers charging on the battlefield and causing great casualties count as a merit?"
...
The "Patriot Newspaper," founded in 1884 and published in Brussels, did not choose to withdraw from Belgium after the outbreak of World War I when most of Belgium was occupied, but turned into an underground paper to continue calling on people to rise up and fight against the German occupying forces.
To cope with the Germans’ searches and clean-ups, they always used motorcycles to move around, hence they were called the "Motorcycle Newspaper."
At this time, it was definitely an authority in Belgium, and the article immediately sparked a strong reaction upon publication.
Coupled with the guidance of Albert I and Colonel Edison, a wave soon swept across the entire European continent.