Chapter 155: All of This Is Xiaerbu’s Plan
In the small town of Fairvoor, the rain suddenly started to rain heavily, but it still could not extinguish the enthusiasm of the reporters. They discussed the current situation in groups of three and two:
"This place is more than a hundred kilometers away from Paris. It takes more than three hours to arrive by train, right?"
"Not necessarily. It's wartime and there are many trains coming and going. They might be stuck on the road!"
"Even so, we should be able to arrive by noon!"
…
However, after 12 noon, there was still no sight of Charles's troops, let alone any tanks.
Soon, bad news came: "Shire's train was blocked on the railway. It is said that the railway collapsed, and workers are doing emergency maintenance!"
If Foch heard this, he might have felt a thump in his heart: What a familiar joke!
But the reporters had no doubts at all. After all, this 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 softly and said with a hint of pride: "It will be almost dark by the time they arrive, right? This means that the opportunity to attack has been lost today!"
"Yes!" Deputy Commander Kanais agreed.
It is well known that tanks have no night fighting capabilities. They cannot see anything at night and can easily be blown up by the Germans or penetrated with K-bombs from the side.
It can be said that Charles got off to a bad start and missed the opportunity before the battle even started.
…
On the other side of the defense line, the German army had almost the same idea.
From the moment they learned about Charles's troops, the Germans prepared themselves for battle as if they were facing a major enemy. They were worried that the French would first harass them with small units to tire them out or consume their ammunition.
However, nothing happened. It was as if the pause button had been pressed on the war. Even the sound of gunfire could not be heard. Only a few enemy fighter jets and reconnaissance planes were flying in the sky.
Khalil walked anxiously around the headquarters. He hated waiting. It drained his patience and energy.
If this is a destined battle, then let it happen faster, Khalil thought, he couldn't wait to see the scene of Charles' tanks being blasted into the sky!
At this time, the signal soldier handed Khalil a telegram, and Khalil took it and read it under the light: "The train in Shire was trapped due to a railway collapse."
Khalil was stunned for a moment, then laughed. He read the contents of the telegram to the others and said: "Today's work was in vain. At least Charles was successful in one thing. He made us waste our efforts!"
The staff members laughed in unison.
"Disarm the war!" Khalil ordered.
"Disarm the war!"
"Disarm the war!"
…
The orders were passed down one after another, and the nervous soldiers lying on the edge of the trench with their guns relaxed one by one. They retreated into the trench tiredly and fell into the muddy water like a pile of mud.
The artillerymen who were already standing at the gun position in the rear also breathed a sigh of relief, and under the command of the commander, they scrambled to pull up the gun coat for the artillery.
…
The reporters in the small town of Fairwall dispersed. They hoped to find a place to stay, have a good meal and sleep, and continue waiting tomorrow.
Xiafei's headquarters also showed little interest. Their mission was to observe every detail of the Shire troops' operations and make a quick analysis, but that obviously had to wait until tomorrow.
However……
"Boom!" The cannon sounded, and the battle began.
When they heard the sound of cannons, the reporters were surprised. They looked in the direction of the cannons and found that they were the two wings of the La Forks area, about ten kilometers away from their location.
The reporters asked each other in uncertain tones:
"Are other troops firing?"
"It must be! They might just be firing randomly!"
"Besides La Fox, there is no place worth attacking, and there is no battle plan!"
…
However, someone saw the reporter from the "Little Daily" rushing to the phone booth, and other reporters immediately became nervous.
The "Little Daily" has been recruiting people in the army, who always have first-hand information.
The military reporter suddenly realized: "God, those are Charles' troops. Charles fooled all of us! His troops were not stuck, but took advantage of this time to deploy on the flank of La Fox and launch an attack!" "
The reporters' expressions changed.
…
Xiafei didn't hear the sound of the cannon. He was alone in the lounge, leaning on his soft chair, listening to the beautiful piano music coming from the gramophone, and gently stirring the hot coffee in his hand.
The deputy commander suddenly opened the door and came in, his voice urgent: "General, Charles has launched an attack!"
Xiafei was so startled that the coffee splashed on him. It was warm and viscous, making Xiafei frown.
He took out a handkerchief and wiped it while looking at the deputy commander dissatisfied: "What nonsense are you talking about, Kanais? Can Charles's troops fly over?"
"General!" Kanais' face was pale, but there was a hint of admiration in his eyes: "Char's troops were not blocked at all. They changed vehicles on the way, artificially creating the illusion of a landslide, and his troops were divided into two directions. Arriving at both sides of La Forks, they are now attacking the German defense line!"
Xiafei's wiping movement suddenly stopped. He raised his head and looked at Kanais in disbelief: "You mean, he lied to all of us?"
"Yes!" Kanais nodded.
Xiafei suddenly dropped 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 Germans, but his headquarters!
…
At the German defense line, Khalil was taking a nap on a wooden bed fully clothed.
Although the wetness everywhere made it difficult to sleep, Khalil had to force himself to sleep, otherwise he would collapse before the enemy came up.
Khalil was suddenly awakened by the sound of gunfire, like a reflex.
The next second, his face suddenly lost all color. He realized that he had been deceived by Ciel, and Lafox might be doomed.
Sure enough, the signalman stepped forward nervously and reported: "Colonel, the Andrusi and Tamon areas were attacked by enemies, possibly Charles's troops!"
"Why?" Khalil asked, his tone full of anger.
"Because they saw the tank!" the signal soldier replied tremblingly: "Char's tank!"
The entire command center instantly fell into silence, deathly silence.
The Andrusi and Tamon areas, where the La Forks salient turned, originally had an artillery regiment each.
However, at Khalil's request, the artillery regiments from these two areas were all transferred to La Forks.
Lafox concentrated hundreds of artillery pieces and thousands of shells, and the muzzles of the guns marked areas ahead, waiting for Charles's tanks to come up.
But Charles's tanks appeared in Andrusi and Tamon, more than ten kilometers away.
All of this... is Xiaerbu's fault!
(The picture above shows the phonograph, invented in 1877)