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

Chapter 626: Marshal of France

Shire walked out of the officer’s club with his guards, ready to leave, when he suddenly felt someone approaching from behind.

"General, General!" The person’s voice was deep.

Shire stopped and turned back, the guards already alert, had taken the rifles off their shoulders and held them in their hands.

Shire focused his gaze, it was the young major who had analyzed his tactics.

"Can I talk to you, General?" The young major’s face was eager: "It won’t take up too much of your time!"

Shire nodded, signaling the guards to let him through.

The young major sighed in relief, stepped forward and stated his purpose: "I hope to be transferred to your troops to fight, General. Specifically, I hope to join your armored or mechanized units, even as a soldier."

"Why?" Shire asked back.

A major wanting to be a soldier? That required considerable courage, especially on a battlefield with such high mortality rates.

"Because through regular channels, it’s almost impossible for me to enter the armored units." The young major answered.

Shire understood the reason.

Shire’s armored and mechanized units required soldiers who understood their roles and tactics.

But at this time, the tactical thinking of France was too outdated, too rigid, and too inflexible.

Thus, the commanders of the armored and mechanized units were mostly promoted internally and not open to outsiders.

Shire asked again: "Why do you so urgently wish to join the armored units?"

The young major replied: "Because you said ’attack outweighs defense’. I believe you didn’t fully explain it earlier, right?"

"Oh?" Shire responded with interest: "Then, what do you think the ’full’ explanation is?"

The young major answered confidently:

"To successfully implement this tactic, it must be your armored and mechanized units."

"Because only they can rapidly exploit weaknesses in the enemy’s defenses and expand the gains in a short time, ultimately ending the battle before the enemy can react."

This was the young major’s own thought:

The Western Front was over 700 kilometers long and had been fought on for more than a year with countless flaws and errors appearing.

But no one had ever managed to break through successfully like Shire.

What was the reason?

It was a force capable of fighting strong and moving fast, which was the unit Shire had built.

So, only by joining Shire’s unit could this tactic be fully realized!

Shire was a bit surprised, This major was smarter than he had imagined.

"What’s your name?" Shire asked.

The major stood straight and saluted, answering with full strength: "Regimental Commander of the 156th Infantry Regiment, 39th Infantry Division, Ratier de Tassin, General!"

"Oh, Major Ratier de Tassin." Shire nodded, then was suddenly shocked, Tassin? Marshal of France?

(The above picture shows Marshal of France, Tassin, at the age of 25 in the book’s timeline. During World War I, he was a junior officer and participated in several battles, being wounded twice)

After considering for a while, Shire hesitated slightly: "I might assign you to the armored units of the 6th Army Group, Major. What do you think..."

"Yes, General!" Tassin responded with delight: "Thank you very much, General."

As long as he could join Shire’s armored unit and undergo the baptism of new tactics, he wouldn’t demand much.

"Very well." Shire nodded.

The 39th Division was part of Gallieni’s Reserve Army Group. Transferring a major was a minor issue.

On the other hand, Kristen had already been promoted to commander of the 6th Army Group. The current commander of the First Specialized Artillery Division wasn’t performing well, which troubled Kristen greatly. He had mentioned several times to Shire hoping to transfer someone from the First Armored Division.

(The First Specialized Artillery Division had only recently been under Shire’s command. Its tactics were still the old ones, including Kristen’s understanding of tactics which wasn’t very thorough)

Shire thought that perhaps Tassin could be competent, and he could be put in as a staff officer to try.

He took out his pocket watch to check the time; it was past 8 PM, a time when Gallieni would not yet be resting.

Then Shire suddenly thought that he hadn’t visited Gallieni for some time.

...

City Defense Headquarters, Gallieni’s command headquarters.

Although Gallieni had been promoted to Minister of the Army, he was still in the habit of returning to the City Defense Headquarters to handle some affairs of the Reserve Army Group before resting.

Under the desk lamp, Gallieni handed a signed document to Major Fernan: "Seems like there aren’t many issues?"

"Yes, General." Major Fernan answered: "The battles in all directions have basically stabilized, the tight situation of frontline troops has eased, and fewer demands are made from us."

Gallieni responded with a "Hmm".

The main role of the Reserve Army Group was to provide troop reinforcements to the frontline army groups.

With the frontline stabilized, the Reserve Army Group could also relax.

Gallieni’s face showed a hint of a contented smile.

This was the work of that little fellow, Shire.

He had held the line in Verdun with a decisive victory, provided a large number of mines to stop the Germans’ offensive momentum, and then advanced 5 kilometers along the River Somme causing significant damage to the German Army.

Not long ago, he had captured over two hundred thousand German soldiers in Belgium.

One could say that the stability of the frontlines and the safety of France depended on Shire, yet the parliament members still treated Shire as an opponent or even an enemy.

Gallieni furrowed his brows and sighed, he only regretted that he was alone and could not provide more help to Shire.

At this moment, familiar footsteps echoed in the corridor, Gallieni thought he was mistaken.

Until Shire’s figure appeared under the light, he suddenly rose with joy and surprise.

But then he muttered an "Hmm" sound to return to normal, slowly sat back, and coldly asked: "Vice Admiral, why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Hasselt?"

"I have some matters to discuss with you, General." Shire said.

"Of course." Gallieni responded impassively: "You wouldn’t be here otherwise."

Shire felt a bit helpless, the old fellow was upset for not visiting him for so long and hence showing such passive aggressiveness.

Really getting older and more like a child.

"General." Shire handed a can of coffee beans to Gallieni: "I brought this specially for you from Belgium."

Actually, Shire had just bought it from the club, but who would know?

However, Major Fernan knew the truth. He was surprised and gave Shire a puzzled look.

Shire quickly signaled him with his eyes.

Major Fernan understood, pretended not to see, and continued sorting through the documents.

Gallieni’s expression softened: "Speak, what is it about?"

"First, I need a person." Shire said: "A major regimental commander from the 39th Division named Tassin."

Gallieni bluntly agreed: "Major Fernan will handle it. What else?"

"Business talks." Shire said.

"Business?" Gallieni looked at Shire puzzled.

With the current stabilized situation, it seemed there wasn’t a significant need for procurement.

Could Shire have new equipment again?