I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 207

Chapter 207: The Silent Riddle

Falkenhayn knew Charles very well, but also did not know Charles.

Falkenhayn had studied every battle Charles had fought, and he was familiar with every piece of equipment Charles had invented, especially the "Mark I" tank.

He had even boldly analyzed, estimated, and speculated on what kind of tactics Charles would develop around tanks in the future.

But unfortunately, Falkenhayn once again found himself trailing behind, unable to keep up with Charles's pace.

...

When Charles was analyzing the battle plan on the train, he emphasized: “When breaking through in the direction of Rhodes, be sure to use the 'Mark I' model. The new type of tank must not be exposed!”

Colonel Browning and Colonel Estigny both gave a simultaneous "Hmm," thinking that Charles was treating the new tank as a secret weapon, hoping that the Germans would be caught off guard when facing the tanks on the Samock Road.

What they failed to consider, however, was that Charles had another purpose: the "Mark I" tank’s critical flaw was that it needed to replace its tracks every thirty kilometers.

But sometimes, this flaw could turn into a weapon.

...

In the Paris City Defense Headquarters, Gallieni had finally shaken off the nauseating presence of the parliamentarians and returned to the headquarters.

When he received the intelligence from the reconnaissance plane, he looked bewildered. “We’re launching a strong attack on Cape Town, and two surrounded units are also trying to break out toward Cape Town. Why, then, are the Germans shifting forces from Cape Town to both flanks? And why so urgently?”

Charles kept his eyes fixed on the map hanging on the wall, his tone lazy, as if answering an unimportant question: “Because of the 'Mark I' tank!”

“And what does the 'Mark I' tank have to do with this?” Gallieni looked at Charles in confusion.

“The 'Mark I' tank needs to change its tracks every thirty kilometers!” Charles replied nonchalantly.

“Hmm, and then?” Gallieni asked.

Just as the words left his mouth, he understood. The straight-line distance from Trame to Rhodes was 25 kilometers—exactly the distance that the "Mark I" could potentially return or break out from, at least that’s what the Germans thought.

(Note: In reality, the "Mark I" could not return unless it was always on a road and there was no combat along the way, but the Germans didn’t know this.)

Thus, it could be concluded that the "Mark I" tank, after departing from Rhodes, would reach the town of Lorca in central Spain to rescue two trapped units. Afterward, it would either turn back to Rhodes or continue forward to break out from Trame.

Any other direction of escape would be impossible, because the distance was too far and the "Mark I" would need to replace its tracks.

“So!” Gallieni laughed, “You set a trap for the Germans?”

“No, General!” Charles said lightly, his tone calm. “I merely gave the Germans a riddle. If they’re clever enough, they’ll solve the riddle, but they’ll end up with the wrong answer.”

Gallieni interjected, “And if the Germans get the riddle wrong, or if they don’t notice it at all…”

Charles answered, “Then I’ll have no choice but to break out from either Trame or Rhodes, and the result is likely to be a failed breakout. Because, whichever option we choose, our flanks will be exposed to the 4th Reserve Army in Cape Town.”

Gallieni nodded. “At that point, the 4th Reserve Army could assemble four divisions to launch a fierce attack on our breakout forces. Even if we manage to break out in the end, we will still suffer heavy casualties!”

Charles calmly nodded.

Gallieni laughed silently. “We’re lucky. The Germans aren’t stupid, but they’re not that clever either. They’re just clever enough to fall into the trap you hoped for!”

He then stared at the map for a moment and asked, “I’m curious, Major, how do you plan to deal with the German tank units? I’ve heard that the enemy has deployed tanks on the Samock Road, and their tanks are designed specifically to counter the 'Mark I'…”

“My tanks have cannons, too!” Charles answered calmly. “Also, my tanks are designed to counter the Germans.”

Gallieni uttered an “Oh,” nodding slightly. This young fellow had thought of everything.

...

The Samock Road was named after the small town of Samock.

The road was as straight as a flagpole, with a series of hills and highlands stretching for more than ten kilometers on both sides. Although not very high in elevation, they formed a canyon-like terrain with only a few exits.

The French Second Special Artillery Division was trapped there.

General Brigadier Tigani had lost all hope when he realized that the Germans, with the support of tanks, had already established a defensive line at the rear.

The exit to the rear was only a kilometer and a half wide, and the Germans had dug a curved trench there, facing deep into the road.

“Set up the artillery!” Brigadier General Tigani ordered loudly. “Use artillery to support the infantry for the breakout!”

However…

The Germans had 105mm howitzers, at least twenty of them.

As soon as the French troops set up their artillery, German shells came screaming through the air.

In an instant, artillery, gunners, and shells were blown into the sky amidst a blaze of fire.

Brigadier General Tigani glanced at the highlands on either side and understood. The Germans must have deployed artillery observers there, and with nothing but binoculars, they could precisely calculate the position of the French 75mm guns, then use telephones to direct the 105mm artillery to bombard.

A sense of powerlessness welled up in Tigani’s heart.

This was a dead zone, an impossible place to break out of. Why had they so easily walked into this trap?

Because of the road. “Saint-Samon” and the CA-1 had to use the road.

In addition, General Joffre had ordered, “Get to Lorca Town as quickly as possible,” and this straight road was the shortest path.

The Germans had anticipated this, setting up a web of traps to wait for them.

“Where are the reinforcements? Where are our reinforcements?” Tigani asked weakly.

“General!” the signalman answered, “They’ve ordered Charles to take over command. Charles’s troops have already broken through Rhodes, and the reinforcements are behind us!”

Tigani’s eyes lit up. Charles’s troops?

But then he shook his head slightly and muttered, “But Charles’s troops are of no use. His tanks only have machine guns. They could never be a match for the enemy!”

Tigani had seen the German tanks through binoculars, and they were like moving fortresses, with cannons and dense machine guns. They could pierce through any direction of the "Mark I."

At that moment, a plane roared overhead, dropping a bottle.

That was how pilots communicated with ground infantry: the pilot would drop a bottle containing information to be read by the soldiers on the ground.

The sky still belonged to France, and that was the only thing Tigani could be thankful for.

Soon after, the signalman brought in the message, excitedly reporting, “General, Charles’s troops will arrive here in twenty minutes, and Charles hopes we can break out to the north!”

“The north?” Tigani asked in confusion. That was another exit blocked by German artillery, not the direction from which reinforcements would come.

Could this intelligence be wrong?

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>