Chapter 709 This is Ciel's style
Paris City Hall.
Several people in the Prime Minister's office had no appetite for breakfast. They drank coffee and anxiously waited for news from the front line.
Pétain's situation was just as they thought; he indeed failed to break through the German defense line.
Since Charles led his troops to capture the Douaumont Fort, the core of the Verdun fortress group, the German army built a defense line combining fortresses and trenches based on fortresses such as Ornes, Beaumont and Mocourt.
Perhaps knowing that Pétain would not attack easily, the German army did not lay barbed wire and mines in front of the defense line.
But even so, Pétain, who had always focused on the construction of fortifications, still appeared weak and powerless in the attack. The offensive, which lasted more than an hour, spent half an hour on artillery preparation, and the troops were shot down three times by German artillery fire after the charge.
This made Lieutenant Colonel Dura feel strange:
"It was shot down three times by German artillery fire in more than half an hour?"
"Did they retreat as soon as they were bombarded by German artillery fire? It would take almost half an hour to run back and forth three times!"
Clemenceau said "hmm" without expressing any opinion, with a hint of mockery on his lips, as was always the case with Pétain.
Briand thought it was excusable: "This is not what Pétain is good at. We all know that he emphasizes defense. He believes that attacking is irresponsible to the lives of soldiers and to the battle."
At the same time, I sighed in my heart.
If it weren't for Ciel, his theory might have been correct.
Because the facts seemed to be just as he said, the attack was a meaningless waste of enemy bullets and artillery shells with human lives.
But after Charles fought several beautiful interspersed battles, everyone understood one thing:
An attack does not necessarily have to involve a pile of lives like Foch did, but can also be infiltrated like Charles did, cutting and slicing the enemy's position easily like a scalpel, making the enemy run for their lives.
In contrast, Pétain's defense could neither achieve victory nor reduce the loss of soldiers.
The end result was that people generally believed that Charles was the only one who was right.
This is also the main reason why Charles gradually controlled the military and even had an independent position in France that no one could challenge.
People trusted Charles and believed that his theories and what he said were correct.
Whether they are soldiers, workers, farmers, or even housewives who are busy with housework all day and have no access to information.
This is the most disturbing thing. France may return to the era of dictatorship, and it will be a dictatorship supported and desired by the entire nation!
Just as several people fell into silence, the secretary pushed the door open with a hint of joy on his face: "Mr. Prime Minister, Charles' troops stopped in the town of Truk. It is said that they encountered an enemy ambush there. It was a German tank unit!"
Clemenceau, who was sitting on the sofa, jumped up excitedly, holding his head high with pride:
"I knew the Germans wouldn't be that stupid!"
"Yes, if we can think of Charles going through Verdun, they can certainly think of it."
"Otherwise, the Germans are not worthy of being our opponents, let alone Charles' opponents!"
Lieutenant Colonel Dura stood up and found Truk's location on the map, and analyzed:
"There is a forest here, and the Germans may have ambushed their tanks in the forest."
"At the same time, Truk is the only way to Verdun. Even if Charles knew that the Germans were ambushing there, he couldn't do anything."
"I mean, he can either force his way through or take a detour."
There is actually only one option: "Force your way through".
Because Charles was moving along the Meuse River, one side of the river was obviously impassable, and the other side of the river would add more than 30 kilometers to the journey, which would put Charles' troops in a tight encirclement.
Briand asked hesitantly, "Will Charles take the initiative to attack the enemy? I mean, Charles' armored forces are almost invincible."
Charles has fought the Germans several times and won every time, and this time may be no exception.
But Lieutenant Colonel Dura was full of confidence:
"No, Prime Minister, this time is different."
"Charles's armored corps has been preparing for battle at Mezierères for a whole day, and his troops are exhausted."
"If Ciel takes the initiative to attack, he will probably lose this battle!"
Clemenceau agreed:
"Yes, more than a whole day."
"They were busy attacking Mezières before that, and they had been moving through the Ardennes Mountains for several days before the attack on Mezières."
"Now, when they finally got to the Truk area, the German tanks showed up."
Briand suddenly realized, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. "You are right, Charles has met his match. I heard that the German First Tank Division is considered the only unit that can possibly defeat Charles."
"Yes." Lieutenant Colonel Dura confirmed this: "The commander is Major General Erwin. He has fought with Charles on the battlefield many times, although he was always at a disadvantage."
Briand nodded in satisfaction.
He never imagined that one day he would have to pin his hopes on the Germans.
After relaxing, Brian felt hungry. He touched his stomach and suggested, "Perhaps, we should have some cake. We can enjoy it while waiting for the results."
"Of course." Clemenceau and Lieutenant Colonel Duras agreed readily.
However, before Briand could call the secretary, the secretary suddenly pushed the door open and said in a panic: "Prime Minister, Charles defeated the enemy and won the victory, a complete victory!"
"What?" The three of them looked at the secretary at the same time, shocked.
"How is it possible?" Lieutenant Colonel Dura asked, "In just over half an hour, Charles defeated the enemy? And it was a complete victory?"
"Yes……"
Clemenceau interrupted the secretary and asked: "What are the casualties of Charles's troops?"
If Charles's armored divisions suffered heavy casualties, he would also be unable to continue his advance through Verdun.
"The Armored Division suffered almost no casualties, Your Excellency." The secretary's voice was helpless.
"No, that's impossible." Lieutenant Colonel Dura looked puzzled: "That's the German First Tank Division. How could they be so vulnerable?"
Two or three hundred tanks, even if their performance is not as good as the "Char A1", they can still kill half of them.
But the result now is that "Charles' troops suffered almost no casualties"?
Briand got the point. He asked, "How did Charles do it?"
"Incendiary bombs, Mr. Prime Minister," the secretary replied. "He invented a new bomb that was carried by airplanes and dropped into the forest to start a huge fire. Few German tanks could even get out of the forest..."
Briand half opened his mouth and couldn't say anything for a long time. Is this okay?
Clemenceau held the coffee in his hand, swallowed hard, and turned his eyes to Lieutenant Colonel Dura.
Lieutenant Colonel Dura hesitated for a moment. Although he couldn't believe it and didn't want to believe it, he still nodded slightly.
This is Charles' style. He always comes up with some surprising inventions at critical moments and turns the tide of the battle!
(End of this chapter)
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