I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 829: Did Shire Not Expect This?

Pershing launched a counterattack when the German Army began creeping barrages.

This was the most crucial phase for the German artillery to provide fire cover for the tanks, as halting their fire could easily lead to substantial tank losses and failure to breach the American defense line.

Therefore, the German artillery endured the American counter-barrage for two minutes.

But during those two minutes, three 105mm artillery regiments of the German Army were obliterated, and two more suffered over half casualties, severely crippling their artillery power.

The price paid by the US Army was: the first line of defense suffered heavy casualties under the assault of German tanks, with over 2,000 casualties from an infantry regiment of more than 6,000 and the loss of several armored vehicles, cars, and tanks.

However, Pershing's decision was correct, exchanging infantry casualties for enemy artillery, which would result in significantly fewer casualties in the future.

Albert thought the battle had already reached a foregone conclusion, believing the US Army would quickly collapse like the British Army.

But he overestimated.

The American lines were one after another; although each could not hold for long, the German Army found each engagement increasingly challenging and suffered growing casualties.

...

Telegrams kept arriving at the hands of Vice Admiral Hutier, commander of the 18th Army Group.

At that time, his armored car was changing a tire by the roadside.

The EV4 was a wheeled armored vehicle that could be halted by a single barb of a wire fence.

Hutier did not disembark; he sat silently in his seat, looking at the map in his hand.

After smashing through the first American defense line, Hutier thought Shire should have some reaction by then, but there was none.

What the hell?

Shire didn't seem worried about Reims falling to the Germans, despite it being the transportation hub of the Meuse River defense line!

Had the French Army stockpiled enough ammunition and supplies?

Could this be a trap set by Shire?

As he furrowed his brows in deep contemplation, a raincoat-clad aide bent over to report through the car window: "General, our artillery has suffered heavy losses, and the tank troops continue to incur losses during the assault. The frontline urgently needs reinforcements and equipment supplies."

"Heavy losses?" Hutier raised a brow: "Are we not attacking the US Army?"

His tone carried blame and dissatisfaction—how could fighting these new recruits result in such severe losses?

"General," the aide carefully handed over a few telegrams:

"That should be Shire's new tactic; he has divided the US Army's firepower into three layers."

"The trenches held by front-line infantry, followed by tank guns, truck-mounted guns, and then long-range howitzers."

"They fight and retreat simultaneously, maintaining a distance from our advancing units, while our tank troops are constantly subjected to enemy bombardments."

Hutier acknowledged with a brief "Oh."

He flipped through the telegrams, a slight smile forming at his lips: "Interesting, he has conducted specialized training for the American soldiers."

Then he couldn't help but praise, "This tactic is indeed very suitable for new recruits—it's about exchanging space to protect our effective forces."

The aide added:

"The biggest problem is the truck-mounted guns."

"They continuously change positions, have a longer range and greater power than our tanks."

"Furthermore, they can destroy our tanks from the front or cause malfunctions, and they're also effective against infantry, causing significant casualties to our army."

Hutier nodded slightly, his doubts now gone.

This was the reason Shire didn't reinforce Reims; he relied on the US Army, precisely on this tactic.

If this continued, the German Army would be exhausted by the time they reached Reims, while the French reinforcements would have nearly arrived.

Hutier chuckled lightly.

Shire was indeed formidable, but he overlooked one key point—the German Army had the Storm Assault Team.

"Order," Hutier looked at the sky and moved the map to the car window in front of the aide:

"Prepare the Storm Assault Team for penetration."

"Once it darkens, immediately penetrate towards Reims and occupy the surrounding high ground."

"Especially Mount Montbeh, it must be captured and held!"

The aide replied, "Yes, General."

Hutier exhaled a deep breath.

Fighting while retreating?

What would happen if the US Army suddenly found that the high ground behind them was occupied by the German Army, leaving them no retreat, and even logistics couldn't be guaranteed?

...

Bicangxi Training Base.

The apparent "constant retreat" of the US Army terrified everyone.

The phones at the command center rang incessantly.

Fuxu called nervously asking, "What's the situation at the front, Vice Admiral, the enemy is advancing towards Reims, we cannot let them occupy it."

Shire replied, "Gallieni is organizing reinforcements, General, all we can do is wait."

Soon, Petain called: "They've bypassed Verdun, it's obvious they are trying to capture Reims to encircle us, can the US Army hold them off?"

Shire's voice was full of helplessness: "We can only choose to trust them; as long as they hold for three more days, everything will turn around when the reinforcements arrive."

No sooner had the call ended when Clemenceau's call came in: "We will surely win, won't we? Just as you've done before, you've never disappointed the citizens of France!"

Shire remained silent for a while before responding, his tone heavy: "Though I don't want to say this, this time is different, Prime Minister. No one anticipated that the 600,000-strong British Expeditionary Force would collapse so quickly, exposing our weakness to the Germans, leaving us with no time to react."

Clemenceau felt a wave of bitterness; he'd just sided with Shire, and now Shire was set to fail.

Damn British, how could they be so incompetent?

60,000 troops, 60,000!

And in just one day, they collapsed, providing the Germans with countless arms, supplies, and gasoline!

Yet, Clemenceau was powerless to change the situation as things had already become irrevocable, and blaming the British Expeditionary Force wasn't going to alter anything.

He could only convene an emergency meeting, calling upon parliament and the media for an urgent mobilization:

"The most dangerous moment has arrived, catching us off guard. Although it is the responsibility of the British, we still have to face this issue head-on."

"I'm not sure what the future holds, but I know we cannot let Shire's troops be surrounded on the Meuse River."

"He is our hope, the hope of France!"

...

Shire was very pleased with Clemenceau's performance, as his urgent mobilization prompted asset prices to plummet.

Shire signaled to Dejoka: "It's time to buy."

Dejoka was uneasy: "Are you sure the Meuse River defense line will hold?"

He worried that Shire was playing with fire, and that one mistake could lead to his own downfall.

Shire responded: "Don't worry, Father, I'll handle it."

...

Dejoka had confidence in Shire, believing that if Shire said he could do it, he surely would succeed.

However.

Early the next day, news reached Paris that the German Storm Assault Team had seized three high grounds surrounding Reims under the cover of darkness the previous night.

Dejoka was instantly flustered—had Shire not foreseen this?

East, west, and south high grounds were occupied, with the Seine River to the north.

Reims had effectively been surrounded by the German Army, and the US Army hadn't even had time to retreat back to Reims!