I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 831: We Will Encircle the Germans

French reinforcements arrived at seven o'clock on the third day.

They were personally led by Major General Monuri, the Vice Commander of the Reserve Army Group, with the vanguard of one corps, followed by two more corps, totaling 150,000 men.

The soldiers, upon hearing they were to reinforce Shire, traveled day and night, arriving 20 hours ahead of schedule without sleep for two consecutive nights.

However, they were still a step too late, as the German Army had already occupied Reims and made defensive preparations.

The three mountains near Reims had become a perfect defensive line for the German Army:

Saint-Thierry Mountain, 10 kilometers to the west, wedged between the Seine River and the Marne River, could perfectly block Monuri's reinforcements when a defensive line was established here.

Mount Montbeh, 15 kilometers to the south, secured the German Army's reinforcements and logistical supply line.

Beihan Mountain, 12 kilometers to the east, blocked attacks coming from the direction of Bicangxi.

To the north was the winding and elongated Seine River, with the German Army focusing on guarding the bridges and deploying mechanized units to prevent enemy crossings.

Once reinforcements arrived, armored units would thrust straight into Mezieres to completely close the encirclement.

...

After deploying his troops, Pershing anxiously returned to Bicangxi to see Shire.

To Pershing's surprise, when he saw Shire, the latter was leisurely enjoying breakfast while reading a newspaper, as if on vacation.

Pershing rubbed his eyes; everyone thought Shire was facing a difficult choice: abandon his troops and flee, or stay here and wait for death.

Yet he seemed as if nothing was wrong.

Was this Shire's composure as a great general? An inexplicable sense of regret arose within him.

Seeing Pershing, Shire put down his newspaper, took a sip of milk, and swallowed the dry bread in his mouth.

"Is there something you need, General?" Shire asked.

Pershing was stunned by the question.

They had suffered a defeat; the US Army had been kicked out of the Le Francois area by the Germans, Reims was occupied, and the supply line was cut—a huge crisis loomed.

Yet Shire was asking, "Is there something you need?"!

Shouldn't he be pounding on the table in anger, pointing at Pershing's nose and yelling:

"You're no better than the British!"

"I've already told you how to fight, provided you with the most advanced equipment and ample ammunition, yet you still suffered a defeat!"

"Do I have to teach you every step by hand?"

...

Pershing wasn't sure if Shire was exhibiting "the calm before the storm," and he replied with a slightly nervous tone:

"Sorry, Vice Admiral, I messed up."

"I didn't consider the German Storm Assault Team; I should have learned from the British failure."

"In fact, I did consider it, but the defensive line was too long, and our deployment was too rushed, so..."

Shire agreed:

"You're right, General. The 'rolling defense' requires constructing multiple lines of defense."

"This determines that each line of defense won't have many troops; each line is merely a simple field fortification and can't stop the penetration of the Storm Assault Team."

"As for the highlands around Reims, your soldiers lacked experience, and they weren't trained for highland combat or night battles. This isn't your fault either."

Pershing shook his head and sighed:

"Thank you for your understanding."

"But the battlefield leaves no room for excuses; a defeat is a defeat."

"I should have strengthened the defense of the highlands to ensure my rear security, but I overlooked this..."

Shire interrupted Pershing:

"You've already done well; I'm speaking the truth."

"You fought for a total of 37 hours, suffering over 5,000 casualties, and then held on for another 8 hours under threat to the supply line."

"If it had been the British Army, they would have collapsed and fled long ago."

This surprised Shire somewhat.

In his memory, the US Army always relied on the advantage of equipment and ammunition in combat, lacking in morale and prone to collapse and retreat.

Yet this time, they exhibited rare resilience on the battlefield, despite being recruits.

Embarrassed by the compliment, Pershing replied, "To be honest, Vice Admiral, it's all thanks to you."

"My credit?" Shire was puzzled.

Pershing nodded, "Yes, my soldiers believe in you. They believe in your equipment, your tactics, and they're confident you will achieve victory. This belief is the main reason they maintained their morale and continued fighting."

Shire smiled slightly, "Then, they must be very disappointed in me."

"No, Vice Admiral." Pershing quickly responded, "They are disappointed in themselves; we almost succeeded. No one anticipated the Germans' infiltrative surprise attack, which is our fault and has nothing to do with your command and tactics."

Pershing spoke sincerely.

Even the American soldiers didn't believe they had such resilience, and the "rolling defense" tactic was executed well on the battlefield; it wasn't hard to foresee the German Army's failure if they continued.

This proved Shire's tactics were effective.

Unfortunately, the US Army failed to promptly detect the Germans' infiltration; they became chaotic and lost command in the night battle, which was the main reason for defeat.

Then Pershing asked, "What should we do now, Vice Admiral?"

Pershing had no experience commanding battles of this scale, nor had he experienced being surrounded by the enemy, so he was at a loss.

"It's simple." Shire gave an answer: "Break through."

"But..." Pershing stepped forward and pointed at the map in front of Shire, "It doesn't seem that easy."

Shire instead asked, "The German reserve troops are on their way to Reims, right?"

"Of course," Pershing nodded.

The German 17th Army Group reserve, which was originally on the East Bank of the Meuse River, was preparing to cross the Meuse River while Shire's troops were diverted away.

But Shire never moved, and unexpectedly, the German 18th Army Group occupied Reims.

This led the German operational plan to adjust, with the 17th Army Group heading to Reims for reinforcement, allowing the 18th Army Group to free up to attack Mezieres.

"Then," Shire said, "I can also free up to attack Reims."

"Attack Reims?" Pershing looked puzzled:

"The terrain in Reims is complex and not very suitable for armored units, Vice Admiral."

"And we don't have much time."

"Once the German 17th Army Group arrives, their forces will increase to over 400,000."

Over 400,000 troops didn't seem like much to the French and the US Army.

With the reinforcements, the French Army had over 500,000, and the total US Army strength was 300,000, still double the German forces.

However, Reims' terrain favored a prolonged battle.

And with the Franco-American Allies, who would have diminishing ammunition due to the cut supply line, they would eventually lose combat effectiveness, leaving surrender as their only option.

But Shire was full of confidence.

"Don't worry, General." Shire said, "The battle will be much faster than you think; we will surround the Germans before the 17th Army Group arrives."

"Surround the Germans?" Pershing couldn't believe what he heard.

That meant Shire planned to take all the highlands around Reims in a short time.

Yet, the Germans had fortified those positions with complete installations and heavy troops, so how was this possible?!