I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 891: This Is What Happens When You Don’t Listen to Shire
In response to the catastrophic defeat of the Anglo-American Allies at Salbruecken, the United States reacted most strongly.
The New York Times, known for its serious, neutral, and detailed war news coverage, this time exclaimed in fierce language:
(Note: "Neutral" refers to reporting without bias between opposing or supporting the war.)
"Yesterday, the American Expeditionary Force suffered the greatest casualty in its history, with more than 30,000 officers and soldiers forever remaining on that land."
"We can’t even retrieve their bodies, and some we don’t even know if they have perished."
"Indeed, casualties are inevitable in war. But note, this was the first failure for the American Expeditionary Force and also the biggest!"
"Moreover, one very clear point: without Shire dispatching aerial support, our losses would have been even greater!"
"Here I express my heartfelt thanks to Shire; he is indeed a military figure embodying the spirit of France, so perfect that one can hardly believe his existence."
...
The Los Angeles Times, representing the voice of the West Coast of the United States, consistently adhered to its anti-war principles and at this time unabashedly posed soul-searching questions:
"We all know Shire has continuously been victorious; he has undoubtedly become the dominant force in this war."
"Now, once again, facts prove he is correct, as he has warned us more than once that Salbruecken could very well be a trap."
"If we had to participate in the war, then what led the American Expeditionary Force to leave Shire’s command system?"
"What led to our current failure?"
"What caused us to lose more than 30,000 soldiers, bravely fighting far from home in France?"
... 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
Even the Washington Post, which had always supported the war and President Wilson, had to admit:
"This is a tragedy, an outcome no one wished for."
"Had we heeded Shire’s advice earlier, perhaps it could have been avoided."
"We can only hope that among these more than 30,000 soldiers, many are captured rather than dead!"
...
The President’s office in the White House.
The Washington Post’s bland report infuriated President Wilson, especially since it was under the control of the Public Intelligence Committee, yet it stood opposed to the President.
He summoned the committee’s head, Kriel, and slapped the pile of newspapers stacked like a small mountain in front of him:
"Look at this, it’s almost entirely negative news."
"They even relate this failure to my reelection, saying I only feigned collaboration with Shire to deceive voters, immediately afterwards going against public opinion to the embrace of England."
"Can’t you do something? Shouldn’t you do something?"
Kriel answered: "We are working on it, Mr. President..."
"But I don’t see anything." President Wilson interrupted him, shaking the newspaper: "Tell me where, where are your efforts?"
"We..." Kriel replied nervously: "We must proceed slowly; now is a time of public rage. We can only go with the flow of public opinion; otherwise, we’d be abandoned by the people."
Wilson fell silent.
Having been President for so many years, he knew Kriel was right; this matter could not be rushed. It had to be "guided" gradually.
"Besides," Kriel gathered the courage to ask, "there’s one thing I don’t quite understand, Mr. President. Why aren’t our troops continuing to stay alongside Shire when it benefits us, doesn’t it?"
President Wilson sighed deeply, shaking his head gently.
Kriel, being a journalist, knew little about military matters. He only knew that winning battles was beneficial, making his job of "media control" easier, but didn’t know that this was a political necessity.
...
British media discussions focused less on the defeat itself, as it had become a common occurrence for them. More infuriating than losing a battle was Haig:
"Why is Haig still in the position of expeditionary force commander? Are there no other generals in England besides him?"
"He keeps failing. If such a general can be considered a ’military genius,’ then who isn’t?"
"All I see is incompetence and a disregard for life; he fights using his rigidity, stubbornness, and soldiers’ blood."
(Note: The British Minister of Military Supplies commented on Haig, saying he "fights with a general’s mind, but with soldiers’ blood," which denies Haig having the mind of a general.)
...
In Strasbourg, Haig sat silently in his office, not knowing how to handle this mess in front of him.
What angered him even more was that Colonial Army soldiers were even celebrating; he could clearly see the African Legion’s soldiers dancing in the rain, shouting strange sounds as they danced.
Haig’s negative emotions uncontrollably surged within him like a tide.
Frustration, disappointment, inferiority, self-denial... he began to feel he was unfit to be a general.
How ridiculous.
He initially thought it was just a simple victory, so he sent the home army to seize the fruits of victory, only to find it was a trap.
The Colonial Army, by sheer luck, escaped this calamity because of the commander’s foolishness.
The home army suffered heavy casualties because of the commander’s foolishness!
"General." The voice of the staff officer broke Haig’s train of thought.
"What?" Haig looked up.
"Parliament hopes you can provide a detailed report on the Salbruecken battle." The staff officer handed over a telegram.
"A detailed report?" Haig snorted, his tone scornful: "Can they even understand it?"
"They..." The staff officer hesitated for a moment: "They want this report not to understand but to decide whether to dismiss you."
"Dismiss me?" Haig squinted his eyes.
"Yes." The staff officer swallowed, answering softly: "Parliament believes, considering Shire and Pershing had given multiple warnings, you still made no preparations. It shows this isn’t an army issue, but a command issue."
Haig gritted his teeth and suddenly stood up with a "thud," angrily ripping the telegram into pieces and throwing it into the air: "Report, this is my report."
These foolish people, they understand nothing, yet they think I wasn’t prepared?
Can’t they see that the Germans managed to win by learning Shire’s tactics and equipment!
...
France had the calmest reaction to this battle.
The streets of Paris seemed as though nothing happened; people continued with their lives, occasionally chatting with acquaintances:
"Have you heard? The Anglo-American Allies suffered a devastating defeat at Salbruecken, with over 200,000 casualties."
"Yes, I heard they lost most of their mechanized equipment."
"Not most, nearly all. I heard only about thirty tanks returned safely."
"This is hardly news, considering Shire had warned them multiple times; they just wouldn’t believe it."
...
People laughed with pride, their laughter filled with ridicule, as if to say, those who refuse to heed Shire’s words meet such an end.
