I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 827: We’re Planning to Stay Here a While Longer

Marne River, Le François region.

From left to right, the area is divided by the Marne River, Seine River, and Meuse River, broadly dividing the battlefield into two sections.

If the German Army decides to bypass Verdun, its main force will inevitably enter the Le François region, pointing directly at Reims.

(In the top image, the three red lines represent the Marne River, Seine River, and Meuse River. The Verdun Defense Line is trapped between the Meuse River and Seine River, with numerous fortresses that are easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it hard for the German Army to break through. Bypassing Verdun Defense Line leads to the more open Le François area, with Reims being an essential strategic point between the Seine and Marne Rivers.)

...

The rain was getting heavier, and the wheels on the road always stirred up muddy water, making the armored vehicle seem more like a boat navigating a river.

The US First Armored Division's Seventh Infantry Company was the first to reach the assigned area.

As soon as the armored vehicle stopped, Captain Williams flipped himself off the vehicle and slapped it hard, making it go "bang bang."

"Quick, get moving!"

"Build fortifications, we don't have time, the enemy could appear at any moment."

"Grab your spades and dig a pit deep enough to bury your heads!"

...

The US soldiers jumped off the armored vehicles one by one, adeptly grabbing their spades and charging up the hill to build fortifications.

Behind them, cars and motorcycles appeared one after another in the curtain of rain, with soldiers jumping down even before the vehicles had stopped steady.

They must seize time swiftly; real combat is not a game—it's real guns, real bullets, and an overwhelming downpour of artillery shells.

Captain Williams felt somewhat nervous as images from the Nancy frontline flashed through his mind while digging trenches:

Bullets, artillery shells, and poison gas.

They appear without any pattern, always showing up in unexpected places, each time claiming the lives of many soldiers, making life worth nothing before them.

Was it finally time to face this scene?

Captain Williams breathed heavily, feeling short of breath, unsure whether it was the rain or the excessive exertion of swinging the shovel.

"Captain!" machine gunner Hank shouted to Williams from a few meters away: "I heard the Germans are all veterans, and they are elite."

The voice was tinged with fear.

His underlying meaning was: "We are novices, trained for just over a month, can we really fight them?"

Williams tried to remain calm, putting on an indifferent expression: "Yes, so what?"

The soldiers were infected by Williams's composure, uttering a few light laughs and continuing their work.

But then, an untimely voice emerged: "Are we going to die here?"

Williams turned his head to look—it was Ryan, this guy was a student from Boston University, originally not meant for the battlefield but hot-headedly signed up.

Ryan must be regretting it, Williams confirmed from his eyes.

The others subconsciously slowed their activities; Ryan voiced their inner concerns.

Williams thrust the spade into the ground, replying: "Maybe, Ryan. But believe me, the Germans will suffer even heavier casualties than us. Do you know why?"

Ryan shook his head: "I'm not sure."

The Germans are veterans; they know how to fight a war, while we have just learned to shoot and build fortifications, still lacking a clear concept of war.

Williams answered, sounding confident and firm: "Because we are trained by Shire. We use Shire's equipment. Moreover, we utilize Shire's tactics!"

The soldiers were momentarily stunned, then responded excitedly:

"Yes, Shire has never lost a battle, and this time will be no exception."

"His equipment is the best, we will surely suppress the Germans."

"His troops are just across the Seine River; if we are in danger, he will undoubtedly come to our aid!"

...

Watching the revived morale and confidence of the soldiers, Williams nodded in satisfaction.

Curse silently, damn it, I knew Shire would work!

Suddenly someone shouted: "Enemy, they're coming!"

The soldiers were startled, hastily dropping their spades to flatten on the ground, clumsily raising their rifles.

Williams drew his pistol, clearly feeling his hand trembling, the gun muzzle shaking uncontrollably; he tried to steady it, but couldn't quite manage.

In the rain's veil emerged several vague silhouettes, growing more and more numerous and dense.

Major Locke shouted: "Attention, prepare..."

Williams suddenly felt something amiss; the people opposite seemed quite disheveled and relaxed, not even holding guns.

He wiped away the rain to take a closer look, hurriedly calling out to stop: "Major, they might be on our side, those are the British Army's Tommy helmets!"

Major Locke squinted his eyes and quickly yelled: "Don't shoot, don't shoot!"

Sure enough, it was the British Army being chased and fled here all the way by the Germans, tanks, cars, and artillery trailing behind in a seemingly endless stream.

Williams ran to the roadside, shouting at the passing British soldiers: "Hey, mate, what's happening up ahead?"

No one answered; they seemed unwilling to face their defeat, too embarrassed to speak.

After a while, a major finally approached Williams, speaking heavily:

"It's not looking good, Captain."

"The Germans' main force is coming this way, they have many tanks, larger than ours."

"Moreover, their artillery has a longer range. I suggest you retreat, you can't stop them, there's no point."

At that moment, Captain Williams understood why the British Army soldiers were reluctant to answer him.

They weren't ashamed to face it; rather, they didn't believe the US Army could hold off the Germans. They felt that even conveying valuable intelligence was pointless, as ultimately the US Army would end up retreating like they did.

Feeling the insult, Captain Williams straightened his back: "Retreat? Damn retreat, we've just arrived here, Major, I plan to stick around a bit longer!"

With that, he turned back to his troops.

The subordinates cheered for Captain Williams.

Then, "We plan to stick around a bit longer"—this relaxed yet defiantly West Cowboy-like statement quickly spread throughout the army.

The US soldiers cursed crudely while building fortifications, occasionally cracking vulgar jokes, quietly waiting for the German Army's arrival.

Finally, amid the "rumble" of engines, several tanks appeared at the end of the road.

The Germans seemed to have discovered the US Army's defense line; they were gathering forces under the cover of rain and preparing for an assault.

Occasionally, there came shouted orders from officers and the "clank clank" sound of tank tracks.

Then everything fell silent, as though everyone had disappeared, leaving only the "rush rush" of rain and the trembling of leaves under the raindrops.

The air grew heavier, like an invisible giant hand pressing down from above, attempting to crush everything.