Chapter 155: All of this is Xiaerbu’s plan
In the small town of Fairway, the rain suddenly got heavier, but this still couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the reporters. They discussed the current situation in groups of three or two:
"This place is more than 100 kilometers away from Paris. It will take about three hours by train, right?"
"Not necessarily. It's wartime now, there are a lot of trains coming and going, and they might be stuck on the road!"
"Even so, we should be able to arrive by noon!"
…
However, after noon, there was still no sign of Charles' troops, let alone any tanks.
Soon, a piece of bad news came: "Shire's train is stuck on the railway. It is said that the railway has collapsed and the workers are carrying out emergency maintenance!"
If Foch heard this, he might have felt a little shocked: What a familiar joke!
But the reporters had no doubts at all. After all, it was the rainy season and it was common for roadbeds to be washed away.
Xiafei, who was in the headquarters, also received the news. He smiled and said with a hint of pride: "It will be almost dark by the time they arrive, right? This means that we have lost the opportunity to attack today!"
"Yes!" Deputy Commander Kanais agreed.
It is well known that tanks have no night combat capability. They cannot see anything at night and can be easily blown up by the Germans or penetrated from the side with K bullets.
It can be said that Charles had a bad start, as he missed the opportunity before the battle even began.
…
On the other side of the line, the Germans had much the same idea.
As soon as the Germans learned that Charles' troops were about to set out, they took up their battle positions and prepared themselves as if they were facing a great enemy. They were worried that the French would first harass them with small troops to tire them out, or consume their ammunition.
However, nothing happened. The war seemed to have been paused. Not even the sound of gunfire could be heard. Only a few enemy fighter planes and reconnaissance planes were flying in the sky.
Khalil paced anxiously in the command center. He hated waiting. It would drain his patience and energy.
If this is a battle that is destined to happen, then let it come quickly, Khalil thought. He couldn't wait to see Charles' tanks being blown into the sky!
At this time, the signalman handed Khalil a telegram. Khalil took it and looked at it under the light: "Charles' train was trapped due to a railway collapse."
Khalil was stunned for a moment, then he started laughing. He read the contents of the telegram to the others and said, "We have worked in vain today. Charles was successful in at least one thing. He made us waste our efforts!"
The staff officers laughed in unison.
"Disarm!" Khalil ordered.
"Disarm the enemy!"
"Disarm the enemy!"
…
The orders were passed down one after another, and the soldiers who were nervously lying on the edge of the trench with their guns raised relaxed one by one. They shrank back into the trench tiredly and fell into the mud like a pile of mud.
The artillerymen who were already standing at the gun positions in the rear also breathed a sigh of relief, and at the command of their superiors, they hurriedly put on the gun covers for the artillery.
…
The reporters in the town of Fairworth dispersed, hoping to find a place to stay, have a good meal and sleep, and continue waiting tomorrow.
The Joffre headquarters also showed little interest. Their mission was to observe every detail of the Charles troops' operations and make a quick analysis, but that obviously had to wait until tomorrow.
However……
"Boom boom!" The sound of cannons rang out and the battle began.
The reporters were shocked to hear the artillery fire. They looked in the direction of the sound and found that it was coming from the two wings of the La Fox area, about ten kilometers away from where they were.
The reporters asked each other with uncertainty:
"Are the other troops firing?"
"It must be! They're probably just firing randomly!"
"There's nowhere worth attacking except La Fox, and there's no battle plan!"
…
However, someone saw the reporter from the Little Daily rushing towards the phone booth, and other reporters immediately became nervous.
The Little Journal has been buying off people in the military, and they always have first-hand information.
The military reporter suddenly realized: "God, that's Charles's army. Charles has deceived all of us! His army was not stuck, but took advantage of this time to deploy on the flank of Lafox and launched an attack!"
The reporters were all shocked.
…
Joffre did not hear the gunfire. He was alone in the lounge, leaning back in his soft chair, listening to the beautiful piano music coming from the phonograph and gently stirring the hot coffee in his hand.
The deputy commander suddenly pushed the door open and said in a hurried voice: "General, Charles has launched an attack!"
Joffre was so startled that the coffee splashed all over his body. The warmth and stickiness of the coffee made Joffre frown.
He took out a handkerchief to wipe it while looking at the deputy commander in dissatisfaction: "What nonsense are you talking about, Kanais? Can Charles' troops fly over here?"
"General!" Kanais's face was pale, but there was a trace of admiration in his eyes. "Charles' troops were not blocked at all. They changed cars on the way and artificially created the illusion of a landslide. His troops have been divided into two directions and arrived on both sides of Lafox. They are now attacking the German defense line!"
Xia Fei suddenly stopped wiping. He raised his head and looked at Kanais in disbelief: "You mean, he lied to all of us?"
"Yes!" Kanais nodded.
Joffre threw down his handkerchief and rushed to the headquarters, asking angrily, "Where are they? How many troops do they have?"
He looked anxious, as if Charles was not attacking the German army, but his headquarters!
…
At the German defense line, Khalil was taking a nap on a wooden bed with his clothes on.
Although it was wet everywhere and made it impossible to sleep, Khalil had to force himself to fall asleep, otherwise he would collapse before the enemy could reach him.
Khalil was suddenly awakened by the sound of the cannon, like a conditioned reflex.
The next second, his face lost all color as he realized that he had been tricked by Charles and that Lafox might be doomed.
Sure enough, the signalman came forward nervously and reported: "Colonel, Andrusi and Tamon areas are under attack by the enemy, it may be Charles's troops!"
"Why?" Khalil asked, his tone filled with anger.
"Because they saw a tank!" the signalman replied tremblingly: "Charles' tank!"
The entire command center fell into silence in an instant, a deathly silence.
The Andrusie and Tamon areas, the turning point of the La Fux salient, originally had one artillery regiment each.
But at Khalil's request, all the artillery regiments in these two areas were transferred to La Forks.
Lafox concentrated thousands of shells from hundreds of artillery pieces, and marked the areas ahead with their muzzles, waiting for Charles' tanks to arrive.
But Charles' tanks appeared in Andrusi and Tamon, more than ten kilometers away.
All of this... was Xiaerbu's plan!
(The picture above shows the phonograph, invented in 1877)
(End of this chapter)
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