I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 876: This Has Nothing to Do with France

The command post of the First Armored Corps was established at the Metz Grand Theater.

It had served as the command post for both the Allies and the German Army several times and frequently changed hands without being destroyed, which was considered a miracle.

This might be related to Metz's unique terrain.

The defense of Metz mainly relied on the network of waterways and the fortifications along the riverbanks. Once they were breached, the garrison within Metz City would be isolated by the river, making resistance futile.

Shire only felt safe here. Previously, while with the British Expeditionary Force and the Eastern Army Group, he constantly felt a chill on his back.

If not for the long-term interests of France, along with the fact that dismantling the colonies was something others couldn't do, Shire would never be foolish enough to risk himself.

As Shire sat leisurely by the window sipping coffee and watching the drizzle outside, Tijani, clad in a raincoat, burst in energetically from the door.

"I don't understand, Vice Admiral," Tijani said. "You know we have the ability to break through the Hindenburg Line."

"No, we don't have that capability," Shire immediately denied this assertion.

Tijani looked puzzled.

Shire was not speaking from the heart; the First Armored Corps did have that capability.

The German Army's Hindenburg Line wasn't fully completed, and many parts had vulnerabilities.

And the First Armored Corps had armored bridge-laying vehicles.

Even though the Germans had extended the length of the anti-tank ditches, as long as they were bombarded into collapse or filled with sandbags, the bridge-laying vehicles could erect bridge after bridge, allowing tanks to pass as the situation dictated.

Tijani continued to persuade:

"This is an opportunity, Vice Admiral. We should press the advantage and advance into Germany."

"Otherwise, when the Germans replenish their heavy equipment and perfect their defenses, breaking through this line will be much harder than now."

"By then, if we still wish to break through, we will suffer heavy casualties, and might not even succeed."

From a military standpoint, Tijani was correct.

But considering political and strategic directions...

"Even if we had that ability, what's the point?" Shire turned around and asked.

"To make the Germans lose their last line of defense," Tijani replied without hesitation. "To make them realize they cannot win, forcing them into unconditional surrender, and then the war would end."

Shire calmly countered, "What if the Germans are already willing to consider a ceasefire now?"

This caught Tijani off guard, leaving him speechless.

"We should have been at the negotiating table long ago, Major General," Shire said. "You know why."

Tijani understood what Shire meant.

The Germans had always intended to negotiate, but American capital was the stumbling block.

However, Tijani thought again, "But if we haven't thoroughly defeated the Germans, they won't surrender unconditionally."

If the Germans were only engaging in "ceasefire negotiations" rather than "surrender," there wouldn't be massive war reparations, and American loans to England would become "bad debts."

This is something the United States would never allow.

Shire simply nodded, remaining silent.

Tijani suddenly realized, this was none of France's concern.

The United States feared bad debts, and England was burdened with enormous debts it couldn't repay; that was an issue between America and England.

Why should France's army fight a bitter battle with Germany to solve their problem?

Upon understanding this, Tijani suddenly relaxed. He thought for a moment, took off his raincoat and handed it to the guard, and sat opposite Shire with a smile on his lips: "So, our strategy is the 'Super Line'?"

"Of course." Shire raised an eyebrow, asking meaningfully, "Now, do you still think we have the ability to break through the Hindenburg Line?"

"Obviously not." Tijani replied earnestly, "The Germans have prepared thoroughly, targeting our armored forces. This is an extremely difficult line to break."

Just then, Pershing came in quickly from outside, holding a telegram, which seemed to be the ceasefire order sent by Shire.

"Vice Admiral," he spoke before even reaching them, raising the telegram, "we can't stop now. This is giving the Germans a chance to breathe. We should continue the attack to defeat them completely."

Shire pretended to study the map, turning to ask Tijani, "Have you found a suitable breach point?"

Tijani cooperatively shook his head, "No, Vice Admiral, at least not so far. The line's fortitude exceeded my expectations, and I think we should exercise caution."

Shire then turned his gaze to Pershing, "Have you found a suitable breach point?"

"Of course." Pershing replied, stepping forward to point at the map, "I believe we can break through in the Freeman area, where the German fortifications haven't been completed yet..."

"Brigadier," Tijani interrupted Pershing, "You seem to forget there are two high grounds near Freeman, forming a valley-like passage. Our armored troops could easily be blocked by enemy artillery in the passage."

"But we have the upper hand in artillery, and we have air superiority," Pershing said, "We can use these to suppress the enemy artillery and create a breach."

"And then?" Shire asked, "This might be a deliberate flaw made by the Germans, Brigadier."

"Indeed," Tijani agreed, "Not to mention the potential heavy casualties, after breaking the breach, we'd face German encirclement."

"And once our armored army penetrates enemy territory, the supply issue comes immediately into consideration."

"We all know the Germans lack fuel, so we can't even capture theirs."

Pershing was stunned. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Shouldn't these be considered based on the situation after fighting?

Right now, the most important task was to create a breach in the line; otherwise, they might miss this opportunity.

However, Pershing ultimately trusted Shire's judgment, as Shire was the undefeated general on the battlefield, while he himself lacked real combat experience.

What Pershing didn't know was that there was already a divergence of "national interests" in strategic direction between the US Army and the French Army.

...

At the White House, President Wilson frowned when he heard that the Allied forces were halted before the Hindenburg Line.

"What happened?" Wilson asked, "Why did they stop?"

"I'm not sure, Mr. President," the assistant answered, "I heard the Hindenburg Line constructed numerous anti-tank fortifications, leaving Shire with no options."

Wilson's first reaction was that this wasn't true.

How could Shire, who had always been invincible, suddenly be "out of options" now?

They only needed to take one step forward, just one small step, and Shire would be the one to enter German territory, and the United States could demand Germany's "unconditional surrender."

But now, the gears of fate seemed stuck, neither progressing nor regressing.

Could it really end with "ceasefire negotiations"?

No, this outcome was unacceptable to anyone.

After pondering for a while, Wilson said, "I don't care about these; I just want to know when we can completely defeat the Germans. Even without Shire and the French Army, we still have the British and the American Expeditionary Force!"