Chapter 126 Who can hold on to the end?

After a quiet night, Ypres ushered in another cold morning.

The sun only showed its face for a moment before it was tightly surrounded by gray clouds. It seemed that they wanted to completely strangle the sunlight and return the world to darkness.

The sky was filled with silver threads that looked like neither rain nor fog, but they still made the Belgian soldiers holding their positions in the trenches and bunkers shiver with cold.

The soldiers' uniforms were soaked, but they did not dare to make a fire to warm themselves and could only hold on for fear of exposing their position and attracting enemy fire.

Some people were so cold that their faces turned pale, some were coughing uncontrollably, and some even had a fever.

The soldiers couldn't help but complain:

"When will the reinforcements arrive? Shouldn't they have arrived last night?"

"Many of us can't even hold our guns!"

"Wait a little longer, it won't take too long. They said that Charles is commanding the reinforcements!"

…

In this cold and lifeless trench, Charles always allows people to see a glimmer of hope and a little warmth. After all, he is almost a symbol of victory for the Belgians.

However, Albert I in the headquarters looked pale, and even his aristocratic reserve could not conceal the disappointment in his eyes.

"Flash flood? The reinforcements were blocked by the flash flood?" Albert I asked in disbelief.

"Yes!" General Charles replied helplessly: "You know, it has rained heavily in the past two days, and the floods have washed away the bridges and the river water has surged, so the reinforcements have to take a long detour!"

"How long will it take?" asked Albert I.

"7 to 8 hours!" General Charles handed over a telegram: "General Gallieni said he was not sure, but fortunately the artillery regiment has arrived. There are four artillery regiments in total, and they are deployed about 5 kilometers behind our defense line!"

"5 kilometers later?" There was a hint of doubt in Albert I's eyes.

Although he knew little about military affairs, he knew that the French had always deployed artillery 1 kilometer behind the defense line. They believed that only in this way could they use artillery fire to fully provide cover for the infantry and take advantage of the 75MM artillery's firing rate to break through the enemy's defense line!

(Note: Since the French army emphasizes offense, artillery providing cover for infantry is also an offensive concept rather than a defensive one, that is, using artillery to bombard the enemy's defense line to cover the infantry's attack and advance with the infantry)

However, Albert I had no hope for these artillery pieces, not only because of the embarrassing supply situation caused by the traffic in Ypres, but also because he knew that the enemy's artillery had a much longer range than the French field guns.

The German 105MM howitzer had a range of 12 kilometers, while the French 75 gun had a range of only 8 kilometers. The 4-kilometer range difference was enough for the German army to knock out the French artillery regiments one by one out of range, just like the bombing of Antwerp!

General Charles seemed to see Albert I's worry, and he added at the right time: "Your Majesty, this is Charles' plan. General Gallieni asks you to trust Charles and the French army. In addition, if you need to open the sluice gates as a last resort, please be sure to contact him!"

Albert I relaxed a little after hearing this: "Then let's continue to wait for reinforcements!"

"Soldiers..." General Charles asked, "Should we tell them the truth?"

"No!" Albert I shook his head helplessly: "Tell them that the reinforcements have arrived and are with the artillery regiment. The reinforcements need time to adapt to the battlefield and make some preparations!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" General Charles responded helplessly. This lie could be easily exposed unless the French artillery spoke with one caliber and said nothing.

…

Soon, German General Cross received intelligence about the Belgian army, and it was true intelligence.

General Cross was quite surprised: "The enemy only has one British infantry division and four French artillery regiments?"

"Yes, General!" The staff officer replied, "The French reinforcements were blocked by mountain torrents. Only four artillery regiments arrived in time. It is said that they did not bring many shells, so the artillery was deployed five kilometers behind the defense line!"

General Cross was overjoyed. He had thought he would lose hope of capturing Ypres forever, but now God had given him a perfect opportunity:

The enemy reinforcements did not arrive, but the German army unexpectedly received a Bavarian army with a strength of 36,000.

(Note: Among these 36,000 people, there was an art student who failed the entrance exam. His organization was the 1st Infantry Battalion of the 16th Bavarian Infantry Regiment)

Although most of the soldiers in this army are students and young men who have never fought in a war, the important thing is that they have high morale and are not afraid of life and death. Such troops are very suitable for charging at the front and consuming the enemy's already scarce ammunition!

"Get ready for battle!" General Cross could not hide his joy and ordered: "Tell the soldiers not to retreat under any circumstances, but to move forward, forward! Do you understand? As long as we move forward, we will win!"

General Cross was worried that his offensive would be repelled by enemy aircraft again like last time.

As long as we take Ypres, we can take a step forward and control Dunkirk, an important port connecting Britain to France. By then, the British reinforcements to the French front will be seriously affected in both quantity and speed!

What General Cross didn't know was that everything he knew was what Charles wanted him to know, but he just let him know it through the Belgian army.

"We can't let anyone know the truth!" This was a secret conversation between Charles and Gallieni in the lounge: "Once the Germans suspect that this is a trap set by us, they will attack in another way instead of charging in groups, and our artillery fire may not achieve the desired effect!"

Gallieni nodded in agreement: "So, even Albert I cannot be told!"

"Of course!" Charles nodded affirmatively.

"But what if this affects the morale of the Belgian army and causes them to collapse?" Gallieni hesitated for a moment, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes: "They are on the verge of collapse, their only hope is reinforcements, but we tell them that the reinforcements are blocked by mountain torrents!"

"Then it depends on who can hold out to the end!" Charles replied calmly: "There is no battle that can be won 100%. No one knows the outcome until the end!"

Gallieni smiled. This was not something a seventeen-year-old would say.

But what he said was indeed true, at least it was more reliable than Joffre always winning!

After a moment's silence, Gallieni reminded: "The last attack has exposed that our planes are equipped with machine guns. The Germans may be prepared. Our planes are not indestructible!"

"I know!" Charles said confidently, "So I am prepared too!"

(The above picture shows the deployment of the First Battle of Ypres. The failed art student was in the middle of the 2nd Bavarian Army, but he was in the 1st Bavarian Army. Soon after 36,000 men went into battle, they were reduced to only 6,000 men and withdrew.)

(End of this chapter)