Chapter 831 We plan to stay here for a while

Marne River, Le Francois region.

From left to right, the area is divided into two parts by the Marne River, the Seine River, and the Meuse River.

If the German army decided to bypass Verdun, its main force would inevitably enter the Le François area and head straight for Reims.

(The three red lines in the above picture are the Marne River, the Seine River and the Meuse River. The Verdun Line is stuck between the Meuse River and the Seine River and has many fortresses that are easy to defend but difficult to attack, making it difficult for the German army to break through. Bypassing the Verdun Line will lead to the more open Le Francois area, while the target Reims is stuck between the Seine River and the Marne River, making it a battleground for military strategists)

…

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the wheels of the vehicle always stirred up a cloud of muddy water when driving on the road, making the armored vehicle look more like a boat sailing in a river.

The 7th Infantry Company of the 1st Armored Division of the United States was the first to arrive at the designated area.

As soon as the armored vehicle stopped, the company commander, Captain Williams, jumped out of the vehicle and slapped the armored vehicle hard, making it make a "bang bang" sound.

"Hurry, hurry up!"

"We don't have time to build fortifications. The enemy could appear at any time."

"Take up your shovels and dig a hole big enough to at least bury your heads!"

…

One by one, American soldiers jumped off the armored vehicles, skillfully took out their engineering shovels, and climbed up the hill to build fortifications.

Behind them, cars and tricycles appeared in the rain, and soldiers jumped out one after another before the cars stopped.

They must hurry up, actual combat is no joke, it involves real guns and swords, as well as overwhelming artillery shells.

Captain Williams was a little nervous. As he dug the trench, he couldn't help but think of the scene at the Nancy front:

Bullets, shells, and poison gas.

They have no regular patterns and always appear in unexpected places. Every time they appear, they take away the lives of a bunch of soldiers. Life is worthless in front of them.

Are we finally going to face this scene?

Captain Williams breathed heavily. He felt like he was out of breath, not sure if it was because of the rain or because he had to exert too much effort to swing the shovel.

"Captain!" Machine gunner Hanks shouted to Williams from a few meters away, "I heard that the Germans are all veterans, and they are elite."

The voice was filled with fear.

What he meant was: "We are new recruits and have only been trained for more than a month. How can we beat them?"

Williams tried to remain calm and pretended not to care: "Yeah, so what?"

The soldiers were infected by Williams' calmness, chuckled a few times and continued to work.

But at this moment, an inappropriate voice said: "We are going to die here, right?"

Williams turned around and saw that it was Ryan, a college student at Boston University. He didn't need to go to the battlefield, but he signed up in a fit of madness.

Ryan must have regretted it, Williams confirmed it from the look in his eyes.

The others unconsciously slowed down their movements, and Ryan spoke out what was in their hearts.

Williams dug his shovel into the ground and replied, "Maybe, Ryan. But believe me, the German casualties will be much heavier than ours. Do you know why?"

Ryan shook his head: "I'm not sure."

The Germans were veterans and they knew how to fight, but we had only just learned how to shoot and build fortifications and did not have a clear concept of war.

Williams answered confidently and firmly, "Because we are a force trained by the Shire, and we use the Shire's equipment. Also, we use the Shire's tactics!"

The soldiers were stunned, and then responded in unison:

"Yes, Ciel has never lost a battle, and it's the same now."

"His equipment is the best. We will definitely be able to defeat the Germans."

"His troops are just across the Seine. If we are in danger, he will definitely come to reinforce us!"

…

Looking at the soldiers whose morale and confidence had been restored, Williams nodded with satisfaction.

I cursed in my heart, damn it, I knew Charles was useful!

Suddenly someone shouted: "Enemy, they are coming!"

The soldiers were startled and quickly dropped their shovels, lay on the ground, and frantically raised their rifles.

Williams took out his pistol. He could clearly feel his hands shaking. The muzzle of the gun was shaking. He tried to control it but couldn't do it.

Several blurry figures appeared in the rain, becoming more and more numerous and denser.

Major Locke yelled, "Attention, prepare..."

Williams suddenly felt something was wrong. The people opposite him looked very embarrassed and relaxed, and they didn't even have guns in their hands.

He wiped the rain off his face and took a closer look, then quickly spoke up to stop them: "Major, they might be our own people. Those are British hats!"

Major Locke took a closer look and shouted, "Don't shoot, don't shoot!"

It turned out to be the British army. They were chased by the German army all the way and fled here. Behind them were groups of tanks, cars and cannons, which stretched as far as the eye could see.

Williams ran to the side of the road and shouted to the passing British soldiers: "Hey, man, what's going on ahead?"

No one answered, as if they were unwilling to face their failure and were too ashamed to speak up.

After a while, a major came up to Williams and said in a heavy tone:

"It's a bad situation, Captain."

"The main German force is coming this way. They have many tanks, much larger than ours."

"Besides, their artillery has a longer range. I think it's best for you to retreat. You can't stop them. There's no point."

At that moment, Captain Williams understood why the British soldiers were unwilling to answer his questions.

It's not that they were ashamed to face it, but they didn't believe that the US military could stop the Germans. They thought that even if they shared valuable intelligence, it would be meaningless and the US military would eventually flee like them.

Captain Williams, feeling insulted, puffed out his chest and said, "Retreat? Damn retreat, we just got here, Major, I plan to stay here for a while!"

Having said that, he turned and went back to his team.

The subordinates cheered for Captain Williams.

Then, the words "We plan to stay here a while" spread quickly throughout the army with the ease and arrogance of western cowboys.

The American soldiers built fortifications while swearing, occasionally making a few vulgar jokes, and quietly waited for the arrival of the German army.

Finally, with a rumbling sound of engines, several tanks appeared at the end of the road.

The Germans seemed to have discovered the American defense line. They gathered their troops under the cover of rain and prepared for an attack.

Occasionally, there were the shouts of officers and the creaking of tank tracks.

Then, everything became quiet, as if everyone had disappeared, leaving only the sound of raindrops and the trembling of leaves under the raindrops.

The air became heavier and heavier, as if an invisible giant hand was pressing down on the land from top to bottom, trying to smash everything into pieces.

(End of this chapter)