Trenches, Guns, and Magic

"Morin, what I just told you, that's still not the end of our trouble…"

General Mackensen's gaze shifted to the other side of the map, to the Rouen area on the flank of the First Army Group.

"The Britannia Expeditionary Force entrenched in Rouen is like a starving wolf eyeing our rear flank."

"According to the latest intelligence, their second batch of reinforcements has arrived at Rouen Port, and their total troop strength now exceeds 170,000. This means they are capable of launching a campaign-level offensive against our vulnerable flank at any time."

"If our flank is breached and the supply line is severed, our hundreds of thousands of troops deep inside enemy territory will become an isolated force, and the consequences would be unimaginable."

As Mackensen described the situation, Morin gained a deeper understanding of the challenges facing the First Army Group.

To counter the threat from the Britannia Expeditionary Force, Mackensen was forced to carve out a full 50,000 troops from his already strained manpower, deploying them along the long flank defense line stretching from Amiens to Creil.

After further subtracting the troops needing rest and rotation, as well as the units maintaining the security of the supply line, the actual force the First Army Group could commit to the frontal attack at Creil was less than 140,000.

A significant portion of this force consisted of newly replenished reserve soldiers.

Originally, the Second Army Group and the Third Army Group provided support on Mackensen's left wing.

However, with the situation in the border battles turning problematic, the General Staff issued an order transferring the Third Army Group towards Verdun to prepare an encirclement of the deep-advancing Gaulish forces there.

Meanwhile, General Bülow's Second Army Group, besides assisting the First Army Group in the attack on Paris, also had to allocate forces to protect the massive gap that had opened up between the First and Third Army Groups, preventing the Gauls from cutting through and splitting them.

Morin listened quietly, a clear strategic picture forming in his mind.

The First Army Group was currently like an overstretched rubber band.

Though seemingly long, it was on the verge of snapping.

In fact, Morin had already sensed this top-down fatigue of the First Army Group on his way to the front with the Instruction Assault Battalion.

The marching soldiers were extremely exhausted. When officers ordered them to rest, many would fall asleep while still standing.

He had repeatedly seen the marching soldiers of the First Army Group, covered in dust, with vacant eyes, shuffling along like a group of unconscious zombies.

Perhaps the only thing keeping them from collapsing was the officers' constantly repeated phrase: "Paris is right ahead."

In summary, the First Army Group currently faced problems of limited time, heavy tasks, scarce manpower, and fatigued morale.

"Therefore, General," Morin's tone became even firmer after hearing the assessment.

"The attack on the front must not be executed as it is now. This is no longer a tactical issue; it's betting soldiers' lives on a slim hope! Even if we win the bet, we will have lost the capital to continue the offensive toward Paris!"

To be honest, before today, General Mackensen might have dismissed these words as the grumbling of a young officer.

But now, it was different.

From his impressive performance in the Aragon Civil War to the repeated extraordinary achievements leading the Instruction Assault Battalion after the outbreak of the World War, Morin had earned the old general's trust and respect through one concrete action after another.

General Mackensen looked at the young man before him, his weathered eyes showing a rare hint of inquiry and expectation.

"Captain Morin, since you speak this way, have you already formed an idea?"

The veteran, who had commanded on countless battlefields, was for the first time actively soliciting tactical advice from a company-grade officer.

Hearing General Mackensen ask directly, Morin did not hesitate for a moment and stated plainly:

"General, my idea is simple. Since we don't have enough time and manpower to slowly wear them down, we must stop the wave-after-wave attrition tactics. Instead, we should clench all the strength we can use into a single fist and smash it hard against one point in the shortest possible time!"

"Punch right through the Gauls' defenses, giving them no time to react and no opportunity to reorganize their defense and retake the positions!"

Morin's tone was decisive and full of powerful confidence.

Mackensen and Leonia were both affected by his momentum, their eyes involuntarily focusing on him.

"Elaborate," Mackensen prompted.

Morin no longer concealed his ideas. After asking General Mackensen's permission, he picked up a red and blue pencil directly from the field table.

He leaned down and began working on the large military map spread out before them.

"General, Your Excellency Grand Master, please look."

Morin used the red pencil tip to draw a rectangular box, roughly two kilometers wide, on the battle line of the Creil defenses, which spanned over ten kilometers, along with many other symbols.

"My suggestion is that we abandon a comprehensive offensive along the entire line and instead choose such a narrow breakthrough point."

"Then, we concentrate the majority of the artillery power of the Army Group—and even that which can be mobilized from the Second Army Group, especially the 105-millimeter howitzers—and aim it at this two-kilometer front to conduct an unprecedented artillery preparation."

"Our goal is not merely suppression, but to destroy as many exposed fire points and personnel as possible within the Gauls' three trench lines in this area!"

"The infantry charge should no longer foolishly wait for the shelling to completely stop…"

Morin shifted his argument, proposing an idea that would seem extremely audacious to the current Saxon Army.

"As our artillery fire begins to extend deeper into the enemy positions, just as it lands on their first line of defense, our Assault Troops must immediately launch the charge!"

Morin naturally knew that the Saxon Army's current infantry-artillery coordination ability was virtually nil.

In previous battles, there had even been low-level errors where the artillery mistakenly struck friendly forces.

In such a situation, attempting the 'Creeping Barrage' tactic, where the infantry advances fifty meters behind the curtain of fire, was pure fantasy. The artillery would be a blessing if they didn't shell their own men.

Even in the other world, countries like Britain and the French were only able to execute the Creeping Barrage after learning through a great deal of bloody experience.

Therefore, Morin proposed a relatively compromising, but still significantly faster, approach compared to the current status quo, which would drastically reduce the time infantry were exposed during a charge.

"In this way, when our soldiers rush to the Gauls' first trench, they will face enemies who are just recovering from the shock of the shelling, still dazed and terrified."

"Meanwhile, the Gauls' reserve forces will be suppressed by the artillery fire, unable to advance in time to offer support."

"To ensure the success of this tactic, I propose dispersing my Instruction Assault Battalion in company and platoon units along this two-kilometer offensive front. We will serve as the spearhead and guide for the attack."

"The other forces involved in the main attack only need to select their most elite soldiers to form larger Assault Groups and follow closely behind us."

"The Instruction Assault Battalion's mission is to tear open the Gauls' defense line, and their mission is to consolidate the positions we capture and repel the Gauls' counterattacks!"

"Concurrently, all participating forces must commit enough follow-up troops into this breach at the fastest possible speed, like an unstoppable flood, completely crushing the Gauls' entire deep defense system!"

Morin grew more excited as he spoke, the pencil in his hand moving rapidly across the map, drawing arrows representing the directions of attack.

"At the same time, our Armored Airships must also be on standby at the closest safe distance!"

"As soon as we launch our attack on the large Anti-air Magic Device arrays behind the Gauls' positions, the Armored Airships must immediately commit to the battle at maximum speed, suppressing their reserves and artillery positions from the air!"

He straightened up, looking at Mackensen and Leonia, who were stunned into silence by his conception, and concluded with a resounding statement.

"General, Your Excellency Grand Master, I name this tactic the 'Assault Group Tactics'."

"Its essence is to amplify the penetration and breakthrough tactics validated by our Instruction Assault Battalion in small-scale combat to the campaign level of the Army Group!"

Inside the tent, there was a deathly silence.

General Mackensen and Grand Master Leonia just stared blankly at Morin, looking at the tactical symbols he had drawn on the map, full of impact and imaginative power.

If they had initially thought that Morin merely possessed some unique tactical insights…

They now had to admit that this young man's understanding of warfare far surpassed their imagination.

This was no longer simple tactics; it was an entire, brand new methodology!

General Mackensen felt his heart pounding in his chest. He felt as though he was reacquainting himself with this 'famous Dresden playboy' whom he had personally sent to military school.

He had originally thought that Morin would only achieve merit in company or battalion-level combat, yet he never imagined that he could propose such a grand yet precise campaign conception.

As a seasoned veteran of many wars, Mackensen's military intuition was extremely sharp.

He realized almost instantly the core value and terrifying power of Morin's 'Assault Group Tactics'.

Concentrating superior forces, executing a decisive breakthrough on a narrow front, and then rapidly developing the attack into the depth to paralyze the enemy's entire defensive system…

Was this not the perfect embodiment of the offensive tactics that successive Saxon military strategists had dreamed of?

Morin had simply repackaged and reinterpreted it in a completely new way, adapted to modern warfare.

"Feasible! This set of tactics definitely possesses extremely high operational viability!" This thought flashed through General Mackensen's mind.

Furthermore, it perfectly addressed the First Army Group's current predicament of insufficient manpower and limited time!

A fire was reignited in General Mackensen's eyes—the gleam that only bursts forth from an excellent commander upon discovering the path to victory.

He pondered for a moment, absorbing every detail of the tactic, and rapidly ran simulations in his mind.

The more he simulated, the more astonished he became… and the more astonished, the more excited he got!

Finally, he suddenly raised his head, turned without any hesitation, and shouted to the guards at the tent entrance:

"Transmit my order! Immediately summon General Seeckt, and all senior staff officers from the Operations Department, to an emergency meeting here at once!"

"Tell them this is a top-level, emergency military conference!"