Chapter 143 Press Conference
Xiafei had lunch at 11:30 on time. His lunch consisted of a steak, two fried eggs, some broccoli and purple radish. He believed that a combination of meat and vegetables was a dietary habit that must be maintained.
After lunch he spent some time drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, which was his way of relaxing, and he always did this whenever something important happened, even if the newspapers were sometimes ones he had read.
Soon the clock on the wall rang, and the time came to 1:30 in the afternoon. At this moment, Kanais pushed the door open and reported: "General, all the tanks are in place!"
Xia Fei was a little surprised: "It's earlier than expected!"
"Yes!" Kanais replied, "Miraculously the train was not late!"
"This may be a good sign, Kanais!" Joffre smiled. "Have all the reporters arrived?"
"Yes, they are all in the reception room!" Kanais bent down and asked, "Do you need to go talk to them first?"
"No!" Xia Fei shook his head: "Let them wait a little longer!"
Xiafei understood that during the time when reporters were waiting, they would spread their "speculation" through various channels, which would gain more expectations and attention from the public.
…
Colonel Christian was standing in the rain with his men, wearing raincoats and fully armed. They watched the tanks drive past them and finally stop in front of the military camp under the command of the ground crew.
With thick armor, huge body, black muzzle and gun barrel, they look like steel monsters.
The soldiers' eyes were shining with excitement and excitement. Although they were standing in line, they couldn't help but glance at the majestic tanks.
Christine felt something was wrong, and the soldiers seemed to have the illusion that this was an easy victory.
Christine cleared her throat, stepped forward to the front of the team, puffed out her chest and warned in a low voice:
"Be careful, don't be fooled by what you see. Wars are fought with people, not equipment!"
"You must never let your guard down. The battlefield is a battlefield. It will always teach those who defy it a hard lesson!"
The soldiers responded in unison: "Yes, sir!"
Christine glanced at the soldiers and found that although they responded with their mouths, they still looked indifferent.
Christine was helpless and could only sigh in her heart: I hope this battle will be as easy as they say!
After the soldiers were disbanded, they swarmed towards the tank group. They looked here and there curiously. Some soldiers even tried to get close to the tank soldiers and took the opportunity to "watch" from inside the tanks.
Christine walked slowly in the rain to the tanks. They were all olive green. This was not the dark gray paint of battlefield equipment, but a paint commonly used for factory machinery.
Christine reached out and touched it gently, and found that the paint was not completely dry and was a little sticky.
It is not difficult to imagine that this batch of tanks was rushed into production in a short period of time.
Christine's worries increased. Is this really okay?
…
“It will be no problem!”
In the reception room, Xiafei stood in the flashlight of reporters in a straight military uniform, looking energetic. He was calm but confident:
"Gentlemen, imagine this for a moment."
"When we fought in the Battle of the Marne, the tanks we used were steel plates with machine guns. Note that there was only one machine gun, and it was a Hotchkiss."
"But these tanks defeated the German army, which was dozens of times larger than them, and scared them into fleeing in all directions!"
"Now, the two tanks we have developed are both equipped with artillery and have increased the number of machine guns. Its firepower is unmatched by previous tanks!"
At this time, there was a fierce burst of artillery fire outside the house, and the reporters exclaimed and looked out the window.
Joffre said calmly, "This is just artillery preparation, gentlemen! In a few minutes, our First Special Artillery Regiment will launch an attack. Everything is going according to plan!"
…
“Boom boom!”
“Boom boom boom!”
…
The artillery fire blasted out trails of smoke and dust in the misty rain. The moisture turned into steam the instant the heat from the gunpowder was released, making them look much more violent than usual. Huge balls of cotton-like smoke rolled in front and behind the enemy's defense line, making the already chaotic vision even more blurred.
According to the plan, the artillery fire will be ready for ten minutes.
But eight minutes into the game, Colonel Christian blew the whistle to attack.
It was not that Colonel Christian was eager to capture the city, but he knew that this could buy the troops two minutes of advance time.
Colonel Christian thought that it would be more advantageous if they could push these bulky gadgets to the front of the enemy's defense line, as their firepower could suppress the enemy face to face.
The whistles sounded one after another, echoing in the rain. The tanks started to move with a rumble. The soldiers followed the tanks, crouching with their rifles in hand.
Christine immediately spotted the problem: some of the infantrymen hadn’t noticed that they were blocking the tank’s machine gun.
"Stay away from the tanks!" Colonel Christian shouted.
But it was of no avail. As soon as the infantryman was pulled away, another one would replace him. Some even stood in front of the tank tracks!
…
"We will break through the enemy's defenses in an orderly manner!" Joffre took the baton from the table, and his assistant quickly turned on the slide projector and inserted the slide. A black and white image of a CA-1 tank appeared on the background cloth behind Joffre.
"Gentlemen!" Xia Fei walked forward leisurely. The black and white light and shadow cast on him looked a little strange:
"Allow me to introduce our pioneer tank, the CA-1!"
"It was designed by one of our artillery colonels. Note the head!"
Joffre pointed his baton in front of the tank:
"These pointed noses and baffles will cut through the enemy's barbed wire like a sharp blade, and the enemy's first obstacle will be wiped out under its charge!"
…
On the battlefield, Christine was surprised to see that several of the CA-1 tanks in the front group were stuck in shell holes and unable to move. One of the CA-1 tanks was emitting smoke, as if its engine had overloaded and burned out.
Suddenly, the sound of artillery shells whistling was heard in the sky, and Christine immediately realized that it was the enemy's artillery suppression.
"Get down!" Christine shouted, and rushed into the bomb crater full of dirty water in front of her.
The lower the location, the greater the survival rate, and no one cares what's in there.
“Boom boom!”
…
After a burst of artillery fire, Colonel Christine was stunned by what he saw when he stuck his head out again. The CA-1 tanks had been blown into a mess. Some were on fire, some were completely overturned, and some were blown into pieces with debris all over the ground.
Most of the surface seemed fine, but its armor had been riddled with small holes from shrapnel.
There is no doubt that the tank soldiers inside must be a bloody mess.
"What can it stop for us?" Colonel Christian shouted in disbelief, "Is this what they call an easy victory?"
(The picture above shows a slide projector, which was invented in 1654. It initially used candles as a light source, and later developed into electric lights)
(End of this chapter)
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