I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France

In the afternoon, Combray Station was chaotic and noisy, with the distant sound of artillery growing louder every moment. Wounded soldiers and troops withdrawn from the battlefield anxiously waited on both sides of the tracks.

Several trains slowly pulled in amidst the steam.

Some carried fully armed soldiers, some loaded with equipment and ammunition, and two trains towed gear covered with canvas that anyone with sharp eyes could identify as "Saint Chammon" tanks.

Even before the train had come to a complete stop, Major General Kristen impatiently jumped off, glanced around, and ordered the guards trailing behind him, "Find some people who've seen German tanks, bring them to me, now."

"Yes, General," the guards responded, splitting up to search under a lieutenant's command.

Kristen casually lit a cigarette, his brow furrowed.

The task assigned to him was to block the German tank forces in the Combray area; however, he knew nothing about the enemy's new tanks or their new aircraft.

Kristen looked up at the sky, but it was empty.

It was said that both sides' air forces were exercising enough caution—they knew each other had new aircraft and were wary of exposing their own first.

Only under Shire's command could such a situation occur, Kristen thought. The sky was a battleground for masters, a psychological contest of who could remain calm the longest.

But how was he supposed to fight on the ground?

Kristen turned his gaze to the "Saint Chammon" and "Saint Chammon M21" tanks being unloaded from the train behind him.

Rely on them?

Kristen shook his head slightly. He had no confidence at all.

The heavy "Saint Chammon" had already been proven unsuitable for the battlefield, and the "Saint Chammon M21" was an untested light tank.

Most importantly, they did not have rotating turrets.

Kristen had seen the "Shire A1"; he believed all tanks should be like it.

Now, Kristen could only hope that the Germans' new tanks also lacked rotating turrets!

However, the facts disappointed Kristen.

Not long after, several wounded soldiers bandaged and bloodied in different places were brought before Kristen.

The guard reported, "General, they have all seen the enemy tanks."

Kristen acknowledged with a terse "Hmm," staring at the bearded, left-arm-hanging wounded soldier in front of him, his questions brief and to the point: "Describe its appearance!"

"Its appearance?" The bearded soldier was a bit dazed, "Tracks, cannons, and machine guns..."

He had no concept of the key points of the tank and could only describe it this way.

Kristen interrupted the bearded soldier, "Turrets, does it have turrets?"

"Of course," the bearded soldier nodded affirmatively, "Not just one turret, but three."

"Three?" Kristen was shocked.

The other wounded soldiers also nodded:

"Yes, there are three."

"It should be one cannon turret and two machine gun turrets."

"The machine gun turrets are in front and behind, slightly shorter than the cannon turret."

...

The image above shows a three-view diagram of the "Upper Silesia" tank, clearly illustrating the positions of one cannon turret and two machine gun turrets. It is worth noting that its drive wheel is neither in the front nor the rear but in the middle.

"Can they rotate?" Kristen asked nervously, "Can their turrets rotate?"

All turrets could rotate, but Kristen was eagerly hoping for a negative answer.

However.

The bearded soldier nodded affirmatively, and the other wounded soldiers consecutively added:

"I saw it rotating, with a cannon on it."

"They flanked our trenches and attacked, putting us in a pincer situation."

"Yes, their infantry was in front of us, but the tanks flanked us from behind. We didn't know what to do!"

...

Kristen's face grew darker, and the remaining glimmer of hope in his eyes vanished.

After being dazed for a while, Kristen weakly asked, "Their speed, armor thickness, do you know anything else?"

The wounded soldiers shook their heads blankly:

"Sorry, General, we didn't capture any enemy tanks, so we don't know."

"The speed is probable at 10 kilometers per hour; I saw them charging."

"Maybe you should capture some German prisoners to learn more."

...

Kristen wearily waved his hand, indicating they could leave.

But before the wounded soldiers had taken a few steps, Kristen had a sudden inspiration, quickly caught up with them, and asked, "Did you just say they attacked you from behind the trenches?"

"Yes."

"They advanced along the trenches and then fired machine guns."

Kristen hurriedly pulled out a notebook and pen from his pocket and handed them to the soldiers, "Can you draw their attack trajectory?"

The wounded soldiers looked at each other but did not take the pen:

"It's pretty clear, General, no need to draw."

"Yes, they moved along the trench direction, just like that."

"Their goal was to kill us hiding in the trenches, so they naturally moved along the trench edge."

...

Kristen thought about it and agreed, then nodded and let them go.

After pondering for a while, hope reignited in Kristen's eyes. He turned and ordered the signalman, "Set up the radio, now!"

Through the radio, Kristen contacted the headquarters.

"I have an idea, General," Kristen reported to Xia Fei, "I learned that the enemy tanks would flank and attack along the trenches after breaking through our lines, exposing their side armor to us. If we hide our tanks behind the defense line, the enemy tanks will be like targets standing in front of us!"

This could circumvent the "Saint Chammon" tank's lack of a turret, as facing frontal targets would not make turret presence crucial.

However, he soon received a reply from Xia Fei.

"No, Kristen, I want an attack."

"The enemy doesn't know we have new tanks. They will be caught off guard, allowing us to achieve victory quickly."

"If we hide and fire from cover, we can only repel them, and they'll soon figure out what's going on!"

...

Xia Fei was a firm supporter of the "offensive theory" and wanted a "noteworthy" victory, not a mere defense.

"But our tanks have significant flaws, General," Kristen was still reluctant, "Defense would be more advantageous for us..."

This time, Xia Fei didn't even bother to explain anything, simply replying, "Follow orders!".

Kristen held the telegram silently, sighed deeply, and gave up on his idea.

He dared not disobey orders, or he would be court-martialed.

He still had to lead his men bravely forward, no matter the cost or casualties.

Otherwise, they might face the "death order"!