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

Chapter 462 Battle of Verdun



Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, time entering the afternoon.

Gallieni's condition finally stabilized. Perhaps due to fatigue and medication, he fell into a drowsy sleep on the hospital bed.

Shire took this time to find Gallieni's attending physician, Artir, who was nearing sixty and was the best surgeon in the hospital.

"The situation is not good," Artir pointed at the X-ray photograph and said, "There are still some small shrapnels in the abdomen that haven't been removed, some of which are difficult to see with the naked eye, requiring surgery, but..."

Shire interjected, "His physical condition might not withstand the surgery?"

"Yes, General." Dr. Artir's eyes showed regret. "It was because of this reason that it has been delayed until now."

"So we can continue to delay?" Shire asked again.

"Indeed." Dr. Artir nodded helplessly. "Unless it's absolutely necessary, surgery is not recommended. Be careful of any large emotional fluctuations in daily life!"

Shire expressed his thanks and walked alone in the hospital corridor, silently lighting a cigarette.

From time to time, wounded soldiers saluted Shire, and beautiful nurses frequently cast charming glances, whispering softly and purposefully passing by Shire.

But Shire remained unresponsive, as if isolated from the world, walking by himself.

Historically, Gallieni was infuriated to death by Xia Fei—Gallieni had just completed surgery when Xia Fei was kicked out of his position as commander by the parliament.

The parliament originally decided to directly dismiss Xia Fei because his performance on the battlefield was too poor, almost always leading the French Army into the Germans' traps.

However, Gallieni still thought that Xia Fei had a "decorative" role and suggested a nominal promotion, recommending Xia Fei to be appointed as a government military advisor and promoted to Marshal of France.

But Xia Fei assumed that all of this was Gallieni's "conspiracy" and angrily sought accountability.

Gallieni died in May 1916.

Shire walked slowly to the end of the corridor, watching the sycamore trees outside the window sway gently in the breeze, silently resolving that he would not let such a thing happen again.

At this moment, a communication soldier stood beside Shire, reporting, "General, the command post received a call; the Germans seem to be preparing for an attack, they are gathering troops near Verdun."

Shire was stunned and took the telegram to see, indeed it was Verdun.

Is the famous grinding battle coming?

It seems to have been brought forward!

(Note: Historically, the Battle of Verdun broke out in February 1916, six months from now.)

Soon, Shire seemed to think of the reason:

The Germans believe they cannot compete with Shire's troops in mobile warfare and armored units, so they plan to change the combat approach by attacking a strategically crucial point that must be defended by the French Army.

Verdun is this "must-defend place," located only 210 kilometers from Paris, it is a strong fortress composed of more than twenty fortresses, equivalent to the gate to Paris.

If Verdun is not conquered, the German Army would have to attack Paris by bypassing the northern or southern lines, which would inevitably be met with layer upon layer of resistance.

But if Verdun is conquered, there will be almost no defenses left, and the German armored units might be able to infiltrate to Paris in a few days just like Shire's troops.

By then, Paris would be in constant danger.

Shire nodded, threw the unfinished cigarette to the ground, and stomped it out forcefully—the opportunity to set a trap for Xia Fei had come.

To deal with someone like Xia Fei, who is keen on fame and fortune, the most brutal blow is to ruin his reputation, turning him from a "decorative vase" to a spittoon scorned by everyone.

Shire turned to instruct the guard standing in front of Gallieni's ward, then walked briskly towards the hospital entrance.

...

The hospital was not far from the City Defense Headquarters, and within twenty minutes, Shire appeared under the dim lights of the officers' club.

At this time, the officers' club had just opened, and it was empty without a single officer inside.

Only upon entering did Shire suddenly remember that Lucia might still be in Belgium with her family.

But when he looked up, he was shocked to find Lucia busy behind the bar.

"You're back already?" Shire asked.

Lucia, who was cleaning, was startled, and her eyes flashed with surprise when she saw Shire, the fatigue on her face instantly disappearing: "Yes, General. I only took two days off and switched shifts with Garell to get enough time to rush back."

Then she asked Shire: "Why are you also..."

Before finishing her sentence, Lucia exclaimed "Oh": "It's because of General Gallieni?"

This incident should have been confidential, but it happened suddenly, and many people witnessed it on the way, spreading before any measures could be taken.

"Yes." Shire nodded lightly and said, "A cup of coffee."

Without waiting for Lucia to respond, he turned and walked to his usual seat.

Watching Shire's back, Lucia inexplicably felt a bit scared—the person in front of her seemed different from the Shire she knew.

Soon, a cup of coffee was handed to Shire, and Lucia herself held a cup, sitting opposite Shire.

"I'm very sorry," Lucia said concernedly. "I just heard about this, how is General Gallieni now?"

"He's fine," Shire responded expressionlessly.

"He will be alright," Lucia comforted, "Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital has the world's best doctors..."

"Lucia," Shire interrupted her. He leaned forward and ordered in a low voice, "Pass a message to the British intelligence: the Germans' target is not Verdun, but Belfort."

Belfort is another important city on the Western Front, located farther from Paris at 400 kilometers, but its defenses are much weaker compared to Verdun, which has more than twenty fortresses and hundreds of large and small caliber fortress guns.

Lucia's heart sank.

Yes, he doesn't need my comfort; he came to give orders. His mind is filled with war and General Gallieni.

"Yes, General." Lucia nodded reluctantly.

Shire did not notice Lucia's change in mood and added, "Make sure they don't discover your identities. This information should appear as if the British found it themselves and analyzed it independently."

"Yes, General," Lucia replied. "Rest assured, the 'Lady in White' are ordinary people; they have their jobs and are busy every day. The British won't find anything."

Shire nodded satisfactorily.

This was exactly what he wanted—the advantage of the 'Lady in White' lies in their concealment, while the British intelligence personnel are in the open.

As long as the 'Lady in White' slightly embellish the intelligence and trim the edges, making the British intelligence personnel obtain the information and analyze the conclusions themselves, they would firmly believe it.

If the British intelligence personnel firmly believe it, Xia Fei would fall into this trap!


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