I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 122: Who Can Last Until the End

After a silent night, Ypres once again welcomed a cold morning.

The sun briefly showed its face before being tightly surrounded by gray clouds, seemingly wanting to completely strangle the sunlight and plunge the world back into darkness.

Silver threads floating in the sky, neither rain nor mist, still made the Belgian soldiers huddled in the trenches and shelters shiver with cold.

The soldiers’ uniforms were soaked, but they dared not light a fire to dry them out for fear of exposing their position and attracting enemy artillery fire.

Some had faces turned pale from the cold, some coughed uncontrollably, and some were even suffering from fevers.

The soldiers couldn’t help but complain:

"When will the reinforcements arrive? Weren’t they supposed to be here last night?"

"Many of us can’t even hold our guns steadily!"

"Just wait a little longer, it won’t take long. They say Charles is commanding the reinforcements!"

...

In this cold, lifeless trench, Charles always managed to give people a glimmer of hope and a bit of warmth, as he was nearly a symbol of victory for the Belgians.

However, Albert I, in the command post, looked pale, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes despite his noble composure. freёnovelkiss.com

"Floods? The reinforcements are blocked by floods?" Albert I asked incredulously.

"Yes!" General Charles answered helplessly, "You know, there have been several heavy rains in the past days, the floods have washed away bridges and rivers are swelling, forcing the reinforcements to take a longer detour!"

"How long will it take?" asked Albert I.

"7 to 8 hours!" General Charles handed over a telegram, "General Gallieni said it’s not certain, but luckily the artillery brigade has already arrived, a total of four artillery brigades, positioned about 5 kilometers behind our defense line!"

"5 kilometers behind?" Albert I’s eyes showed a hint of doubt.

Although he was not knowledgeable about military affairs, he knew that the French usually positioned their artillery 1 kilometer behind the defense line, believing only then could the artillery fully cover the infantry and play to the advantage of their 75MM artillery’s rate of fire to break through enemy lines!

(Note: Because the French Army emphasizes offense, the concept of artillery covering infantry is offensive rather than defensive, using artillery to bombard enemy lines to cover the infantry attack and advance together with the infantry)

But Albert I had little hope for these artillery, not only because Ypres’ logistical challenges were deplorable, but also because he knew the enemy’s artillery had much longer ranges than the French field artillery.

The Germans’ 105MM howitzers had a range of 12 kilometers, whereas the French 75s only had a range of 8 kilometers, a 4-kilometer difference was enough for the German Army to knock out the French artillery brigades from beyond their range, just like the bombardment of Antwerp!

General Charles seemed to see Albert I’s concern and chimed in timely, "Your Majesty, this is Charles’ plan, General Gallieni asks you to trust Charles and trust the French Army. Additionally, if absolutely necessary, should you open the sluice gates, please contact him first!"

Hearing this, Albert I’s expression relaxed a bit, "Well, then let’s continue to wait for the reinforcements!"

"The soldiers though..." General Charles asked, "Should we tell them the truth?"

"No!" Albert I shook his head helplessly, "Tell them the reinforcements have arrived, they are with the artillery brigade, the reinforcements need time to adapt to the battlefield and make some preparations!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" General Charles responded helplessly. This lie could easily be exposed unless the French artillery uniformly remained silent.

...

Soon, General Kross of the German Army received intelligence about the Belgian Army, and it was accurate.

General Kross was quite surprised, "Only a British infantry division and four French artillery brigades arrived for the enemy?"

"Yes, General!" the staff officer replied, "The French reinforcements were blocked by floods, only four artillery brigades arrived in time, reportedly with few shells, so they are positioned 5 kilometers behind the defense line!"

General Kross was overjoyed. He originally thought he would forever lose hope of capturing Ypres, but now God was creating a perfect opportunity for him:

The enemy reinforcements hadn’t arrived, but the German Army unexpectedly had Bavarian troops arriving, totaling 36,000 soldiers.

(Note: Among these 36,000 soldiers was a failed art student, part of the 1st Infantry Battalion of the Bavarian 16th Infantry Regiment)

Although most of these troops were inexperienced students and young lads, the important thing was their high morale and fearlessness, making them well-suited to charge forward and exhaust the enemy’s already scarce ammunition!

"Prepare for battle!" General Kross couldn’t conceal his joy as he ordered, "Tell the soldiers, under any circumstances, do not retreat, always advance, advance! Understand? As long as we advance, we will achieve victory!"

General Kross was worried that his offensive would again be thwarted by the enemy planes scaring off his troops as it did before.

Capturing Ypres, one step forward could enable control of Dunkirk, a crucial port between Britain and France. By then, Britain’s reinforcements to the French front would be severely affected in both quantity and speed!

What General Kross didn’t know was that everything he knew was what Charles wanted him to know, information fed to him through the Belgian Army.

"We can’t let anyone know the truth!" This was the private conversation between Charles and Gallieni in the lounge, "Once the Germans suspect this is a trap we set, they’ll attack differently, not with clustered charges, and our artillery will not achieve the expected results!"

Gallieni nodded in agreement, "So even Albert I can’t be informed!"

"Of course!" Charles nodded firmly.

"But if this affects the Belgian Army’s morale and causes them to collapse?" Gallieni hesitated for a moment, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, "They are on the brink of collapse, their only hope is the reinforcements, yet we tell them the reinforcements are blocked by floods!"

"Then let’s see who can hold out until the end!" Charles replied calmly, "There’s no war that can be won 100%, no one knows the result until the end!"

Gallieni smiled, this was not something a seventeen-year-old could say.

But this statement was indeed correct, at least more reliable than Xia Fei’s consistent insistence on victory!

After a moment of consideration, Gallieni reminded, "Our previous attack exposed that our planes are equipped with machine guns, the Germans may be prepared, our planes are not invincible!"

"I know!" Charles said confidently, "So I am also prepared!"

(The above image is the deployment map of the First Battle of Ypres. The failed art student was located in the position of the 2nd Bavarian Army in the middle, but he was part of the 1st Bavarian Army. Out of 36,000 soldiers, they were quickly reduced to only 6,000 and withdrew.)