In Antwerp, the atmosphere at Albert I's estate was calm and peaceful.
After several days of renovations, the estate had been transford from its previous chaotic and dilapidated state into a warm and tidy place.
It was lunchti, and Albert I, along with Colonel Eden, was eating and discussing matters with great enthusiasm.
The al was simple—so bread, a bit of leafy vegetables, and the only real at being a few pieces of fried chicken.
"I plan to save all the money for the defense system," Albert I said. "That is the most important thing at the mont."
The topic of their conversation was the defense system.
"We've already recaptured two key points," Albert I said, chewing on so hard bread, and he asked Colonel Eden, "What can we do now?"
"Technically, yes, Your Majesty," Colonel Eden replied. "According to Charles' defense philosophy, these key points are mainly used to store fuel and ammunition. Gent, being a major rear base, should be the most important 'ammunition and fuel' warehouse."
Albert I nodded in agreent.
The Liège fortress was too far forward; it would be the first target for the Germans to attack.
But then Albert I had a thought.
"What if it's France?" Albert I asked, looking up at Colonel Eden, lowering his voice.
Though France was an ally, they couldn't let their guard down.
And Gent was on the French side—if they stored fuel and ammunition there, wouldn't they be exposing a weakness to them?
"Your Majesty," Colonel Eden said, raising his eyebrows in a sowhat resigned manner, "France has Charles, and he's only eighteen."
Albert I imdiately understood.
Any defense or preparation would be useless in front of Charles, especially since this defense system was designed by Charles himself.
"Mm," Albert I nodded heavily. "Let's keep it in Gent."
Defending against France seed pointless.
"So, we can strengthen Gent's fortifications and structures," Colonel Eden suggested. "Additionally, we should build several large warehouses, preferably underground, to avoid them being destroyed by enemy aircraft or artillery."
He added, "The army's developnt must keep up as well. Charles' defense system has very high demands on the military."
"Yes," Albert I agreed. "They need to be able to break through the enemy's lines and maneuver quickly, just like Charles' forces. Only then can we link all the key points together as a cohesive whole."
At this point, Albert I felt a slight unease. He always had this urge to connect the key points with trenches, fortifications, or bunkers.
He had asked Colonel Eden about this before.
Colonel Eden had responded:
"That might not be a good idea, Your Majesty."
"We don't have enough troops to defend such a long line."
"The result is that the defense lines we build may be exploited by the enemy, and it would be our armored and chanized forces that would suffer."
Albert I thought about it and agreed. The five key points were connected by eight edges, and the total length was over 500 kiloters.
With Belgium's population, the standing army could only number in the tens of thousands.
A few tens of thousands of troops defending a 500-kiloter-long line would only average a few hundred soldiers per kiloter, barely enough for one or two infantry companies.
If armored and chanized units were included, the numbers would be even more stretched.
Perhaps Charles had thought of this, which was why he suggested a mobile defense with armored and chanized units!
Albert I sighed to himself. Though not very knowledgeable about military affairs, he always felt that placing sothing on the defense line would bring him a sense of security.
Otherwise, with nothing there, enemy tanks could easily break through and wreak havoc, which didn't feel secure at all.
Just as Albert I was lost in thought, a guard stepped forward to report: "Your Majesty, Mr. Boyata is outside."
"Let him in," Albert I ordered.
Colonel Eden looked at Albert I with so nervousness. "The owner of the FN Armory?"
"Yes," Albert I nodded calmly. "I've asked him to co for a discussion."
"Should I step out?" Colonel Eden asked.
There were still things he didn't know.
"No," Albert I shook his head. "There's nothing you shouldn't know."
Soon, an elderly man in his sixties entered the dining room, walking steadily. His face was wrinkled, but his eyes were sharp, indicating he had taken good care of himself.
Albert I stood to greet him and introduced him to Colonel Eden.
The food on the table was quickly cleared away and replaced with coffee. The three of them began to drink and talk.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty," Boyata said with a smile. "We've recaptured a third of the land. With Charles' help, reclaiming the rest of the country is only a matter of ti."
"That's good for you too, Mr. Boyata," Albert I t Boyata's gaze. "This ans your branch in Gent is back under FN, now only the main factory in Liège is left."
Boyata chuckled. "Yes, thanks to Charles. If I get the chance, I'd like to thank him in person!"
"Of course, you will have the chance," Albert I replied, picking up his coffee cup. "He's in Antwerp. If you wish, I can take you to et him now."
Boyata laughed lightly. "Your Majesty didn't bring here just to introduce to Charles, did you?"
At this point, Boyata wasn't sure what his relationship with Charles was.
Originally, FN had almost monopolized Belgian arms production. Though it only produced rifles and pistols so far, it was moving towards developing machine guns.
But when Charles appeared, he began to encroach on FN's market.
Friend or foe?
If they were enemies, FN's main factory was counting on Charles to recapture it.
If they were friends, they were destined to beco fierce competitors in the future!
"I've heard your company is developing a light machine gun," Albert I asked. "How's the progress?"
"It's not really developnt," Boyata admitted. "We've imported the 'Chauchat' machine gun from France and are working on improving it."
Albert I took a sip of coffee, his voice smooth as he spoke. "Are you doing this to compete with Charles' 'Saint-Étienne 2'?"
Boyata's expression changed, and he quickly denied it. "No, no. I'm not thinking like that. I just want to keep up with the developnt of firearms. You know, the light machine gun is a new weapon. It's different from both rifles and heavy machine guns, and we don't want to fall too far behind in this area."
Colonel Eden, who had been silent up to this point, suddenly understood. He looked at Boyata, who was hurriedly explaining, and imdiately realized why Albert I had brought him here.
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