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

General Winter called Shire, puzzled, and asked, "What's going on? You teaching them how to fight?"

Shire realized that the British Military Intelligence had already infiltrated the French Army; otherwise, the news of Shire helping the First Specialized Artillery Division win wouldn't have reached General Winter so quickly.

"Yes," Shire gave a sufficient reason: "They are the French Army, General."

General Winter chuckled and reminded, "This has nothing to do with me, Brigadier, but you should know this is not in your interest."

Indeed, it had nothing to do with Britain. From the very beginning, all he wanted was a "notable" victory, whether it was achieved by Xia Fei or Shire.

General Winter simply thought that Shire wasn't mature enough; he still didn't realize that this was a world driven purely by interests. Sympathy, kindness, ethics... these were just measures to deceive the lower-level soldiers and civilians.

Shire replied, "No, this is also in my interest."

This was Shire's probe.

"What?" The voice on the other end was filled with confusion.

Shire was certain this wasn't an act; it indicated that General Winter was still unaware of Kristen's loyalty to Shire.

This must not get out, at least not now.

Then Shire changed his tone and explained with another reason: "Do you think this battle is over? No, General, this is just the beginning!"

...

It was indeed just the beginning; Kristen, organizing the defense on the Kemmel Line, knew this too.

Last night's victory was due to "night combat" and "surprise attack," achieved when the enemy was caught off guard. The situation for the First Specialized Artillery Division was still grim:

The German artillery had always held the upper hand.

The Germans had fifty or so tanks that had escaped back. Even without reinforcements, they could still crush the 118 "Saint Chamond M21s" of the First Specialized Artillery Division.

Although 83 German tanks were seized last night, the French Army couldn't utilize them to form combat power.

These tanks required a five-man crew to operate, who needed time to familiarize themselves with the equipment and train together to a certain degree of coordination.

More seriously, the new German tanks were equipped with 57MM rapid-fire cannons, which the French Army couldn't find suitable shells for, and the captured shells weren't many.

There were indeed Maxim Machine Gun bullets, but no K bullets.

...

After analyzing all the issues, Kristen believed he could rely only on the Kemmel Line.

So, he falsely assured Xia Fei that preparations were being made for the offensive while actively organizing the defense on the line: laying barbed wire, reinforcing trenches, constructing tank shelters, and positioning the "Saint Chamond M21s" on the second line...

Everything was proceeding intensively in the dark. Kristen knew the Germans were also preparing for a counterattack, and the attack time was likely set at dawn.

Gastone seemed to sense the danger. He nervously asked Kristen, "Can we hold off the Germans?"

Kristen looked at his watch and replied, "For one day, Gastone. We only need to hold for one day."

"What?" Gastone didn't understand; what difference would holding for one day make?

Kristen leaned closer and whispered something in Gastone's ear. Gastone turned his head in shock, looking at Kristen as if pricked by a needle.

With a smile, Kristen nodded lightly.

After confirming, Gastone couldn't hide his joy: "Glad to hear this, General. We should have done this long ago!"

One day was the defense time Shire gave to Kristen.

The First Tank Brigade was on its way to the Kemmel Line, needing one day to arrive, thanks to Gallieni's coordination.

Shire's troops originally needed two days to assemble and engage in battle, but since Kristen was now Shire's subordinate, Shire naturally had to hurry to his aid.

...

As dawn broke, the Kemmel Line was shrouded in thick fog, seemingly isolating the bustle of the world and the harshness of war, leaving only a gentle white sight visible.

But it was all just an illusion.

Suddenly, the wailing of shells crossed the sky, and several shells exploded on the Kemmel Line.

One shell directly hit a trench, throwing French soldiers and debris high into the air.

The screams grew denser, quickly merging into an indistinguishable cacophony. One shell after another smashed into the defensive line, raising blasts of rubble and smoke.

The impacts repeated over and over, meticulous as a comb plowing through every inch of land.

The continuous shockwaves collapsed the tunnels repeatedly, burying piles of French soldiers in the earth, snuffing out their lives.

The trenches were bombed beyond recognition, with the earth and body parts mixed and stained red with blood.

Even the tanks hidden in shelters weren't spared, either directly hit by shells and blown to pieces or buried under waves of earth.

The bombardment lasted for over an hour. When the shelling finally ceased, the Kemmel Line was covered with layers of overlapping craters, transforming the world into something completely different.

The principle Shire mentioned, "No prolonged artillery preparation before a tank assault," clearly didn't apply to the Germans.

Because the German Army had the absolute advantage in long-range artillery, they could easily suppress the French Army's 105MM howitzers.

Kristen practically crawled out from a pile of earth; the trench near the command post had taken a direct hit, and the collapses blocked the tunnel entrance, forcing the guards to dig their way out with entrenching tools.

Spitting out the grit in his mouth, Kristen climbed to the edge of the trench, raised his binoculars, and saw the Germans swarming in like storm clouds.

Leading the way were their new tanks, about sixty of them.

Damn, Kristen cursed. This meant the Germans had received reinforcements. Their tanks probably were not just limited to this number.

The German infantry followed closely, bayonets fixed to their rifles, clearly prepared for close combat.

Artillery teams were pushing 77MM cannons ahead with the advancing troops.

This was a common German tactic in assaults. They used 105 howitzers to suppress the French 75s and then employed 77s for close-range shots at the French fortifications and machine gun positions on the battlefield.

If not for Shire's mortars, the French would suffer heavy casualties under such attacks.

"Prepare!" Kristen ordered loudly.

Signalmen conveyed the order via flag signals. French soldiers emerged from mounds of earth, placing their rifles and machine guns on the trench edges, situating grenades within easy reach, and positioning mortars on flat ground serving as a platform.

In the rear, the surviving "Saint Chamond M21s" rolled out of their emplacements, aligning their machine guns and cannons towards the advancing enemy with a roar of engines.

Thus, a great battle was about to unfold!