I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France

Chapter 602 This is Another Schlieffen Plan

Kitchener and Admiral Avis believed that Shire would launch a counteroffensive from Brussels, and they were prepared to collaborate with him in encircling the German Army.

Albert I, Major General Eden, and Fuxu also believed that Shire would attack from Brussels.

Albert I arrived in Brussels ahead of time, personally commanding the militia to gather intelligence and scout the German defenses for firepower and troop deployments.

In addition to holding Antwerp firmly, Major General Eden was responsible for organizing guerrilla units to harass and disrupt the German supply lines.

Fuxu, meanwhile, commanded French Army units at the River Somme and Verdun to launch counterattacks against the German Army, increasing the pressure so that they couldn’t aid Belgium.

The Germans likewise believed that Shire would counterattack from Brussels.

Colonel Erwin was busy near the breakthrough point in the defensive line, trying to link the new German defenses with Leuven.

Admiral Nicholas lacked confidence in this maneuver, reminding Erwin, "We’re up against Shire’s forces. No one dares take risks in front of him, Colonel. Be it tanks or airplanes, we’re no match for Shire."

"I know, General," Colonel Erwin insisted, "but we still have a chance at victory because of supplies. Shire’s forces lack supplies..."

"How do you plan to deal with Shire’s fighter planes?" Admiral Nicholas interrupted Erwin.

The "Camel" fighter was 50 kilometers per hour faster than the "Fokker E2," making the German Air Force avoid engagement as combat almost meant certain death.

"Attack is the best defense, General," Colonel Erwin replied, pointing at the map. "There is only one airport in Brussels. Our planes have the numerical advantage and can be divided into several batches to attack around the enemy’s airport in rotation."

Admiral Nicholas seemed to understand Colonel Erwin’s intention, "You mean to attack the enemy’s airport?"

Colonel Erwin nodded:

"Yes, General."

"Our aviation units will avoid direct air battles as much as possible. I plan to employ guerrilla tactics, mainly to consume the enemy’s fuel."

"The enemy planes will eventually need to land. At that time, our forces will attack the enemy’s airport from several directions, destroying those aircraft parked on the ground!"

Admiral Nicholas nodded thoughtfully.

If they couldn’t shoot them down in the air, they would destroy them while they were on the ground at the airport.

After hesitating for a moment, Admiral Nicholas asked again, "What about the tanks? Our tanks are also no match for the ’Shire A1’."

Colonel Erwin answered straightforwardly, "Anti-tank trenches."

"But they have bridging vehicles, Colonel," Admiral Nicholas reminded him, "Did you forget the battle of Namur?"

"Of course I haven’t forgotten, General," Colonel Erwin replied,

"But I have 77mm guns hidden in underground shelters at the front lines, ready to be brought out to destroy the bridging vehicles as soon as they appear."

"Moreover, I have set up multiple layers of barbed wire and planted mines in front of the anti-tank trenches."

"And 105mm artillery is targeted behind the anti-tank trenches."

Admiral Nicholas felt somewhat reassured—it seemed capable of stopping Shire’s bridging vehicles.

"The important thing," Erwin concluded, "is that Shire’s forces lack supplies. As long as we hold out for a few days, Shire’s forces will completely lose their combat effectiveness."

Admiral Nicholas nodded with satisfaction, feeling that this might be Shire’s first defeat since he started his military career.

This was neither an issue of the First Armored Army’s quality, nor their equipment, nor Shire’s command.

But rather, the British and the French Parliament had foolishly cut Shire’s supplies.

Now, even transporting supplies to Shire non-stop day and night would not be sufficient to meet the combat consumption.

This turned out to be Shire’s fatal weakness.

The more Nicholas thought about it, the more he was convinced, patting Erwin on the shoulder with approval: "You should be the commander, Colonel. Well done!"

...

Prime Minister’s Office in Paris.

Upon learning that the German main forces had quickly maneuvered towards Ghent, threatening the French supply lines, Briand and Clemenceau were both alarmed.

"My God, this is another Schlieffen Plan," Clemenceau swallowed hard while looking at the map, "Just like last time, the Germans are launching a surprise attack from the north. Paris could once again fall into danger."

"Could it?" Briand looked up at Clemenceau, fear in his eyes. As a lawyer, he knew nothing about military matters: "But the Germans are still in Belgium; they seem far from us."

Although Clemenceau had not served in the military, he had been an army doctor during the Franco-Prussian War, making him more experienced in military matters than Briand. He began to analyze the situation for Briand:

"It’s different now, Prime Minister."

"At the onset of the war, France still had ample supplies. Back then, our troops did not rely on external aid. Even if the Germans reached Paris, we had the capacity to counterattack."

"But now, we are facing severe material shortages. Forty percent of our ammunition comes from the United States, transported by sea. The Germans could cut off our external supply lines by advancing along the coastline—this is fatal!"

Briand’s face turned pale; he had not realized the severity of the situation.

His only aim was to weaken Shire, not to endanger the whole of France.

If France collapsed in this battle, his position as Prime Minister would undoubtedly be lost, and it would even become a significant stain on his career, preventing any future political progress.

Thinking of this, Briand stood up nervously: "We should immediately send supplies to Shire, concentrating all our resources and transportation capacity, even if it means drawing supplies from the River Somme and Verdun."

"It’s too late, Prime Minister," Clemenceau shook his head: "The battle is about to begin, and the German fighter planes have already started blockading the railways and highways."

Pausing for a moment, Clemenceau added, "Simply put, we have supplies at the rear but no Shire, whereas the front line has Shire but no supplies."

Briand slumped back into his chair, sighing heavily.

He regretted underestimating the war at this critical juncture; he thought the Allies had already secured victory and prematurely started to weaken Shire before a decisive victory was achieved.

After a long time, Briand weakly asked, "Can Shire win this, right?"

Clemenceau did not respond. He didn’t believe that Shire could secure a victory under these circumstances, unless a miracle occurred.

Suddenly, the secretary hurried in with a telegram: "Prime Minister, Shire’s forces have launched an attack on Hasselt."

"Hasselt?"

Briand and Clemenceau exchanged looks, having no idea where this place was.

Why did Shire attack there?

Shouldn’t he be attacking Antwerp?