Chapter 199: Reversal of the Battle
Gallieni had obviously guessed this, so when Charles arrived at the headquarters and stood in front of his desk, he pointed to the map and said:
"The attack was launched half an hour ago."
"A special artillery division in the north and south, with a total of more than 200 tanks, broke through the enemy's defense line from Tram and Rodes respectively."
"The progress was surprisingly smooth. The enemy had no artillery or reinforcements, not even a 77MM field gun."
"After our tanks broke through the defense line, they headed towards the enemy's flank and rear. They planned to meet up in the town of Lorca!"
Charles was speechless. He actually copied Lafox's battle plan without changing it at all.
"This is probably a trap." Charles' eyes were filled with fear. "The Germans are planning to encircle the two troops that broke through our defense line!"
"I know!" Gallieni replied, his eyes filled with helplessness and anger. "I have already reminded the commander-in-chief, but do you think he will believe it? He thinks we are jealous of his success, that we want to use lies to prevent his victory and block his way of showing off his achievements to the media!"
Charles was stunned.
If Joffre believed this, no matter how Gallieni warned him, it would be useless, as all his words would naturally be regarded by Joffre as lies with ulterior motives.
After a moment of silence, Charles could only ask quietly, "How many people are there in the two special artillery divisions?"
Gallieni said with a look of regret: "Each division has more than 22,000 people, and the two divisions have a total of more than 45,000 people!"
Then he could not help cursing again: "This is murder, it's a crime! He is completely blinded by fame and fortune and his mind is overwhelmed by victory. He is not worthy of commanding the troops in this position! He..."
Gallieni slammed his fist on the table angrily and did not continue speaking, perhaps realizing that it was meaningless to say anything at this time.
Charles stared at the map for a while and said softly, "I'm afraid it's too late now."
Gallieni took out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and nodded helplessly.
Judging from the distance, it will take about 3 hours for the two wings to meet.
The German army would never allow the two armies to merge into one force. They would block them on their way forward and prevent them from communicating with each other.
Therefore, the German army will launch a counterattack within 3 hours. In other words, Joffre's victory will soon be reversed!
…
At the French General Headquarters, the staff officers burst into cheers, and everyone was celebrating the troops' successful breakthrough of the enemy's defense lines.
Kanais nodded with satisfaction, and said to Joffre, who was sitting at his desk, with a proud look on his face: "The frontal attack on Cape Town caused more than 6,000 casualties. It was their blood that brought us this victory!"
Joffre smiled faintly: "Without real sacrifice, the Germans will not be fooled. Now, it is time for the Germans to pay the price!"
Joffre stood up slowly, held his head high and waved his hand, and ordered: "Order the troops, as long as you don't see your own troops, keep your foot on the accelerator!"
"Yes, General!" Kanais turned around and conveyed the order personally.
At this time, a staff officer handed over a telegram: "General, the Paris Defense Command called and asked you to carefully consider the issue of infiltration. He said this might be an enemy trap!"
Joffre uttered a little contemptuous laugh, took the telegram, crumpled it up, and threw it into the wastebasket. "The outcome is decided, Gallieni and Charles. Nothing can stop me from victory, not even you!"
…
Colonel Christian had been promoted to major general. He commanded the 1st Special Artillery Division to penetrate southward after breaking through the Tram Line.
At this time, he was riding a black warhorse in the rain and walked to the side of the road, holding a telescope and observing the surrounding terrain carefully with doubts.
It was too quiet and too smooth.
Not a single enemy was encountered, and neither the roads nor the bridges were destroyed. The CA-1 tanks raced at top speed on the road the entire time, and the infantry couldn't even catch up with them.
Christine put away the telescope and thought for a while, then gave the order in a deep voice: "Order the First Artillery Regiment to slow down!"
The order was immediately passed down by the staff, and the vanguard gradually slowed down.
However, the chief of staff who was commanding in the front rode over immediately. He pulled the reins in front of Major General Christian, and the horse paced back and forth under him. The chief of staff's voice was anxious: "General, we should not slow down. The commander-in-chief's order is to infiltrate at the fastest speed..."
"This is unusual, Daniel!" Major General Christine interrupted the Chief of Staff coldly: "Don't you find it strange?"
"What?" the chief of staff asked in confusion.
"There's not a single enemy." Major General Christian glanced around the empty space, worry on his face. "Look here, does it look like a German-occupied place to you?"
"This is behind the enemy's defense line, General!" The chief of staff explained, "They have deployed all their forces on the front line. It is normal that there are no enemies in the rear..."
"No, Daniel!" Major General Christian shook his head. "I've read the combat records of the Battle of Dafox, in detail. There were Germans along the way: engineers repairing the road, medical soldiers carrying stretchers to the front line, guards setting up checkpoints on the road, and even logistics troops driving horse-drawn carriages to transport ammunition. They all show one thing: the Germans were unprepared!"
Christine turned her gaze to the chief of staff and asked word by word in a low voice, "We have penetrated ten kilometers into the enemy's hinterland, but we haven't encountered anything. Do you think this is normal?"
The chief of staff was stunned and replied: "This may be related to the fact that there are trains in Cape Town. They can use trains to transport supplies and wounded soldiers, so there is no need to use roads!"
"Are the guards guarding the highway the same as well?" Major General Christian asked back.
"Perhaps they received news of the failure at the front and fled before we arrived!" The chief of staff answered as a matter of course.
Major General Christian shook his head. It had been less than two hours since they broke through the defense line. It was impossible for the guards stationed on the highway to get the news so quickly.
Unless the German commander could find time to call them one by one to inform them to retreat.
Major General Christian ignored the chief of staff, jumped off his horse and gave the staff officer a look.
The staff officer understood and jumped off his horse. He then took out a map from his backpack while holding an umbrella and handed it to Major General Christian.
Major General Christian found his location on the map, and then his expression changed drastically: "Quarry, there is a quarry ahead?"
The Chief of Staff rode over and asked in confusion, "What's the problem, General?"
Major General Christian did not answer, but shouted the order: "All troops, stop advancing, stop advancing!"
But it was too late. The sound of artillery shells whistling suddenly sounded in the air. Several shells exploded near the road, and mud and water even splashed on Major General Christian's face. The warhorse neighed anxiously.
Christine realized that the 1st Special Artillery Division was about to face a tough battle!
Thanks: loloipp for the tip, thank you very much!
(End of this chapter)
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