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

The croaking of frogs and the buzzing of cicadas fill the air, wrapping around one's soul.

In a vast open field north of the city of Combray, soldiers of the German Army's 1st Tank Division were busy constructing tank entrenchments in the sunset.

Tank entrenchments are deep pits similar to trenches, but with slopes at both ends for tanks to enter and exit. This way, tanks can "hide" in the pits to avoid enemy artillery fire.

However, the German Army generally didn't worry much about this because their 105-caliber howitzers always dominated over the French artillery.

Why did those foolish French only obsess over the 75 cannons?

These were matters that Major General Nicholas didn't need to worry about. He sat on a half-height rock, staring at his notebook and lost in thought.

He was very pleased with today's results; at the cost of 13 "Upper Silesia" tanks, they destroyed an entire French heavy "Saint Chamond" regiment, estimated to be over a hundred "Saint Chamonds."

However!

Looking at the sketches of French tanks in his notebook, Nicholas realized that his troops were stalled by these small tanks.

These tanks even had wheels?

What were they for?

Was this a new weapon from the French or a new invention by Shire?

Major General Nicholas was perplexed.

This was also one of the reasons why Major General Nicholas didn't order his troops to charge at the enemy during the day; those strange wheels puzzled him.

Major General Nicholas did not realize that he had missed a golden opportunity, a chance to completely defeat the 1st Specialized Artillery Division.

And the consequences were severe; the surviving small tanks would cause irreparable losses.

As it gradually darkened, the sketches faded into the darkness, and Nicholas simply closed his notebook and put it into his backpack.

He thought, if they encountered such an enemy defense line again tomorrow, should they attack or not?

"Erwin," Major General Nicholas shouted, turning his head.

A tank soldier ran up to Nicholas and stood at attention, responding, "General."

"Tomorrow," Major General Nicholas said coldly, "Your tank battalion will lead the way, charging at the enemy defense line at the fastest speed, understood?"

"Yes, General." Erman accepted the task without hesitation.

This was a probe.

If he succeeded, the main force behind him would surge forward and completely crush the enemy.

If he failed, the main force would still have time and space to retreat.

However, Major General Nicholas did not anticipate that the opponent wouldn't give him the chance to "probe tomorrow."

Just as Major General Nicholas was contemplating how to lure the French tanks out of the city the next day, the sound of artillery shells whistling through the air suddenly came from above.

"Artillery attack!" the sentry shouted a warning, and the soldiers instantly dropped to the ground.

However, Major General Nicholas remained motionless.

It wasn't bravery; he knew that the artillery shells wouldn't hit his position.

Before becoming the commander of the tank division, Nicholas was an artilleryman and had numerous experiences commanding the 77mm field guns against the French on the front lines. His battlefield experience allowed him to judge the landing point of artillery shells from their whistling sound - at least 400 meters away.

Sure enough, a few shells exploded 500 meters away.

Then came another volley of shells, still inaccurate.

Major General Nicholas found it strange: the French fired without seeing their camp?

Ten minutes passed, and the shells kept exploding sporadically, mostly random bombardment without any target.

A staff officer ran up to Major General Nicholas and reported, "The artillery can't suppress them; the enemy is conducting mobile bombardment."

Mobile bombardment meant firing and changing positions in this dark night, making it impossible to determine the next location, rendering suppression meaningless.

But at the same time, such firing lacked accuracy since no adjustments were made for each shell.

Major General Nicholas frowned. Why were they wasting artillery shells like this?

He listened intently and suddenly realized something: the gaps in the artillery fire concealed the sound of engines.

"Enemy attack!" Major General Nicholas ordered loudly, "Mobilize the tanks!"

Those were enemy tanks, Nicholas thought; they used the artillery noise to cover the sound of their engines.

If the enemy used tanks to attack, we should counter with our tanks!

However, Major General Nicholas made a tactical error in his command.

The "Upper Silesia" tanks had turrets, and their external perception ability was much worse compared to the "Saint Chamond M21." Once tank crews were inside, they were almost blind and couldn't see anything.

Indeed, the tanks barely rolled out of the entrenchments before they were rendered useless, staring blankly into the dark through their observation slits.

Under such circumstances, they might as well transform into infantry and form a defensive line using rifles and grenades, which might be somewhat effective.

The outcome of battles often hinges on a split-second decision; the response speed and judgment of the commander can often determine the outcome.

Major General Nicholas seemed to have realized this but it was too late to change orders; he could only grit his teeth and command the troops to form a defensive line with the tanks.

Worse, the tall "Upper Silesia" tanks stood like poles on the German defense line, immediately revealing their positions to the French who identified their targets.

The first to open fire was the mortar, shell after shell with piercing whistles smashed around the German tanks, some explosions even among the treetops above the enemy, causing German soldiers to scream in agony.

Intense gunfire followed, the light from shell explosions highlighting the German soldiers' silhouettes, making them easy targets for the French.

The "Saint Chamond M21" kept advancing at speed toward the enemy, machine gunners peeking out to observe ahead, their heavy machine guns rattling, spraying bullets at any shadowy movement.

Armed with 37 cannons, the "Saint Chamond M21" wasn't in a hurry; they steadily closed in on the German tanks, closer and closer.

The German tank machine-gun turrets spewed fire randomly, clearly shooting aimlessly, unaware that their shots were flying toward the sky.

At an almost point-blank range, the "Saint Chamond M21"'s 37 cannons fired.

With a "boom," a German tank erupted in white smoke, soon igniting a blaze.

The fire lit up the German defense line like torches, with several "human torches" fleeing from tank cabins, wildly waving and running in chaos.

The French tanks ignored them, barreling forward regardless, firing at the sight of any soldiers or tanks.

The battle seemed to be the tanks disrupting and destroying the German defense up front, with French soldiers following behind to "clean up" the remnants.

The German Army was routed, scattering like headless flies, unable to find their way in the darkness to escape.

At this moment, the "Saint Chamond M21" indeed demonstrated its might!