I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France
Chapter 195: After Modification - 195 Turning the Tide of Battle

Chapter 195: After Modification: Chapter 195 Turning the Tide of Battle

Gallieni apparently guessed this too, so when Shire arrived at the command post and stood in front of his desk, he immediately pointed at the map and said:

"The attack was launched half an hour ago."

"Two specialized artillery divisions, a total of over two hundred tanks, broke through the enemy lines from Tram and Rhodes respectively."

"The progress was surprisingly smooth. The enemy had no artillery or reinforcements, not even a 77MM field gun."

"After breaking through the lines, our tanks advanced toward the enemy’s rear, planning to meet at Lorca Town!"

Shire was speechless, they had copied Lafox’s battle plan without any modification.

"This is most likely a trap." Shire’s eyes revealed shock, "The Germans plan to surround our two breakthrough divisions!"

"I know!" Gallieni replied with a look of helplessness and anger in his eyes, "I have already warned the Commander-in-Chief, but do you think he would believe it? He thinks we are jealous of his success, that we hope to use lies to block his path to triumph, to stop him from flaunting his achievements to the media!"

Shire was stunned.

If Xia Fei believed that, no matter how Gallieni warned, it would be futile. All words would be considered deliberately deceptive lies by Xia Fei.

After a moment of silence, Shire could only ask softly, "Two specialized artillery divisions, how many people in total?"

Gallieni looked regretful, "Each division has over twenty-two thousand men, a total of over forty-five thousand men for the two divisions!"

He couldn’t help but curse, "This is murder, a crime! He’s completely blinded by fame and victory, he’s not fit to command the troops in this position! He..."

Gallieni angrily slammed his fist on the desk; he didn’t continue, perhaps realizing it was pointless to say more now.

Shire stared at the map for awhile, then said softly, "Now it’s probably already too late."

Gallieni took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, nodded helplessly.

Judging by the distance, it would take about 3 hours for the wings to converge.

However, the German Army would never allow the two armies to join forces, they would block their paths, preventing them from connecting.

Thus, the German Army would launch a counterattack within 3 hours. In other words, Xia Fei’s victory would soon turn into defeat!

...

At the French Headquarters, the staff erupted in cheers, everyone was celebrating the successful breakthrough of the enemy lines.

Kanes nodded appreciatively, proudly saying to Xia Fei, who was sitting at the desk, "More than six thousand casualties in the frontal attack at Cape Town, it’s their blood that brought this victory!"

Xia Fei smiled faintly, "Without real sacrifice, the Germans wouldn’t fall for it. Now, it’s time for the Germans to pay the price!"

Xia Fei slowly stood up, raised his head and chest, and waved to give orders, "Order the troops, as long as they don’t see our own forces, keep their foot on the gas!"

"Yes, General!" Kanes turned to deliver the orders personally.

At this moment, a staff officer handed over a telegram, "General, the Paris City Defense Command sent a message, they hope you consider the breakthrough carefully, they say this might be a trap of the enemy!"

Xia Fei let out a slight sneer, took the telegram, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the wastebasket, "The situation is settled, Gallieni, and Shire. Nothing can stop me from achieving victory, not even you!"

...

Colonel Kristin had been promoted to Major General; he was commanding the 1st Specialized Artillery Division in breaking through the Tram line and heading south.

He was riding a black war horse in the rain by the side of the road, holding a telescope and observing the terrain with suspicion.

Too quiet, and too smooth.

Not a single enemy encountered, the roads and bridges were all intact, the CA-1 tanks sped on the roads at full speed, even the infantry couldn’t keep up.

Kristin put away the telescope, pondered for a moment, then ordered in a deep voice, "Order the 1st Artillery Regiment to slow down!"

The order was immediately conveyed by the staff, and the vanguard gradually slowed down.

However, the Chief of Staff commanding ahead immediately rode over, reining his horse in front of Major General Kristin, the horse pacing nervously in the rainwater, "General, we shouldn’t slow down, the Commander-in-Chief’s orders are to advance as fast as possible..."

"This is unusual, Daniel!" Major General Kristin interrupted coldly, "Don’t you find it strange?"

"What?" the Chief of Staff asked in confusion.

"Not a single enemy." Major General Kristin scanned the empty surroundings with worry, "Look at this place, do you think it looks like an area occupied by the Germans?"

"This is behind the enemy lines, General!" the Chief of Staff explained, "They have concentrated all their forces at the front, it’s normal to have no enemies in the rear..."

"No, Daniel!" Major General Kristin shook his head, "I have studied the battle records of Dafuox in detail. During their insertion, they encountered Germans everywhere: engineers repairing roads, medics carrying stretchers to the front, guards setting up checkpoints on the roads, even logistical units transporting ammunition by horse carts. They all indicated one thing: the Germans were unprepared!"

Turning his gaze to the Chief of Staff, Major General Kristin asked in a low voice, "But we have penetrated ten kilometers into enemy lines without encountering anything. Do you think this is normal?"

The Chief of Staff was stunned and replied, "Maybe it’s because Cape Town has trains, they can transport supplies and the wounded by train, so there’s no need to use the roads!"

"And the guards on the roads too?" Major General Kristin questioned.

"Perhaps they heard of the front line’s defeat and fled before we arrived!" the Chief of Staff answered matter-of-factly.

Major General Kristin shook his head, from the breakthrough of the frontlines until now less than two hours had passed, the guards on the roads couldn’t have received the news that quickly.

Unless the German commander could leisurely make phone calls one by one to notify them to retreat.

Ignoring the Chief of Staff, Major General Kristin dismounted and gave a meaningful glance to the staff officer.

The staff officer understood, dismounted, opened his umbrella and took out a map from his backpack, handing it to Major General Kristin.

Spotting their position on the map, Major General Kristin’s expression changed dramatically, "The quarry, there’s a quarry ahead?"

The Chief of Staff rode over and asked in confusion, "Any problem, General?"

Major General Kristin didn’t answer, he just shouted orders immediately, "All units, halt, halt!"

But it was too late. Suddenly, the sound of shells whistling through the air came, several shells exploded near the road, mud splattering onto Major General Kristin’s face, the war horse neighing uneasily.

Major General Kristin realized that the 1st Specialized Artillery Division was about to be embroiled in a fierce battle!

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