NOVEL NEXT Chapter 464 For the Benefit of the Soldiers
Shire was trying to please Xia Fei.
He knew Xia Fei wouldn't want to abandon the already drawn-up battle plan: all countries counterattacking together, Romania declaring war, and then once and for all crushing the Allies to end the war.
This plan could leave a heavy mark in military history for him, the most glorious and dazzling one, even surpassing Shire.
And to implement this battle plan, having artillery in the fortresses at Verdun would be useless. They needed to be taken out and integrated into the troops for the attack.
So, the moment Xia Fei set his sights on Verdun, he was already considering how to get the artillery out of the fortresses.
All he needed was an excuse.
Kristen presented him with a perfect excuse: "The fortresses are outdated. Artillery in the fortresses would just become targets for 'Big Bertha'. They'd be destroyed one after another before they could even be used."
"Makes sense!" Xia Fei was "greatly pleased" and smoothly ordered the artillery to be redeployed into the field units.
...
The morning at the hospital was tranquil and solemn. The bells of Notre-Dame Cathedral echoed with a steady and powerful tone, heralding a new day.
Gallieni leaned against the headboard, staring at the suspended IV bottle, watching the clear liquid slowly flow through the rubber tube into his wrist. He was curious, seemingly incredulous that this could help his condition.
"Medicine has advanced to such a degree now," Gallieni murmured to himself.
(The above picture shows an IV bottle from WWI, invented by British chemist Henry Dakin, known at the time as the Carrel-Dakin solution, mainly used for disinfection and anti-inflammation)
Shire came in with a bunch of fresh flowers. He glanced at Gallieni and said while replacing the old flowers, "You seem much better today, General."
"An old ailment," Gallieni raised his eyebrows: "A few days' rest and I'll be fine. I know this."
Then Gallieni asked, "When will you be going back? Everyone, including Albert I, will be worried with you not in Belgium, Brigadier."
This was a matter of stabilizing the morale of the troops and the public. While Shire could rush back at any time, the military and civilians would be on edge.
"This afternoon," Shire replied, pulling a chair over to sit by Gallieni's bedside.
"Hmm," Gallieni nodded, then said gravely, "There's something I have to say. I don't want you to make mistakes because of me."
"What?" Shire feigned ignorance.
"You can't fool me, Brigadier," Gallieni stared at Shire, lowering his voice: "I'm not doing this for Xia Fei, but for the French Soldiers. Your actions against Xia Fei might have unintended consequences."
Shire understood what Gallieni meant.
For instance, if he set a trap for Xia Fei at Verdun, causing him to lose the battle, while Xia Fei's reputation would be tarnished, many French Soldiers would also be injured or sacrificed.
But Shire calmly responded, "I don't think so, General. On the contrary, I'm doing this precisely for the soldiers' benefit."
"What?" Gallieni didn't understand what Shire meant.
Shire casually picked up an apple and began peeling it, "Have you considered, if Xia Fei stays longer in the position of Chief Commander, or truly launches the so-called 'encircling operation', how many French Soldiers would die then?"
Gallieni fell silent.
Shire was right; this was a simple mathematical problem. Everyone knew Xia Fei would get more people killed, so he should indeed be removed as soon as possible.
However...
Gallieni gently shook his head and sighed. He decided to give up persuading Shire.
...
That afternoon, Shire took a plane back to Antwerp Airport.
Before leaving, he instructed Major Fernan to strengthen the guard around Gallieni, ensuring Xia Fei and Gallieni never met under any circumstances.
Major Fernan was somewhat troubled upon hearing this order.
"But Xia Fei is the Chief Commander, General," Major Fernan said, "If he wants to see General Gallieni, I have no right to stop him."
"Then make it so he can't meet anyone," Shire's tone was firm: "It's my order, you can put it all on me."
"Yes, General," Major Fernan seemed to understand, standing upright and answering: "I will ensure Xia Fei cannot agitate General Gallieni again."
Although Shire was at the command post, his mind was entirely on Verdun.
"Xia Fei has ordered the artillery to be redeployed from the fortresses, along with the gunners."
"He plans to incorporate the artillery into the 7th Army, which is near Verdun. Though they're being redeployed, they can be replenished into Verdun at any time."
"The 1st Specialized Artillery Division has been equipped with 'Shire A1' tanks and 'Saint Chamond' tanks."
"Xia Fei wants the 1st Specialized Artillery Division to play a decisive role in his plan, just like your troops."
...
These were the telegrams sent by Kristen.
To be precise, they were forwarded by Kristen through the 'Lady in White' to avoid suspicion.
After all, if he contacted Shire too frequently, it wouldn't be long before Xia Fei became suspicious.
After reading the intelligence, Shire nodded secretly. Xia Fei didn't suspect that all of this was tailored for him.
It can be imagined that in the near future, Xia Fei would face another defeat, and a severe one at that.
When the Germans attack, he'll not only be unprepared but will have redeployed his artillery and troops, almost as if cooperating with the German assault, just like he did a year ago when he concentrated his main forces on attacking Alsace and Lorraine, putting Paris in danger.
But Shire knew this wouldn't be enough to bring down Xia Fei completely.
After all, France's defeats under Xia Fei's command weren't the first, and his command errors weren't the first either. Each time he managed to brush them off with some high-sounding excuse.
"Brigadier, Brigadier?" Tijani waved his hand in front of Shire.
Lost in thought, Shire suddenly snapped back: "What?"
Tijani handed a supply list to Shire: "'Saint Etienne' Armory has sent a batch of shotguns and something called submachine guns. They said it's what you requested."
"Oh, yes." Shire glanced at the list, two hundred shotguns and one hundred submachine guns.
"What are we going to do with these things?" Tijani asked.
Especially the shotguns, he couldn't understand why the military would use something typically meant for hunting.
"Training." Shire answered, handing the list back to Tijani: "Distribute these weapons. For now, assign one shotgunner per infantry squad, and the squad leader will use a submachine gun."
"But these guns..."
"Trench warfare, General." Shire explained: "As mentioned before, infantry clearing obstacles."
Tijani "oh"ed in realization. Soon, his puzzled expression turned into one of excitement.
God, they could be weapons for mass killing of enemies at close range, helping the troops to quickly and effectively capture trenches.