I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 155

Chapter 155: This is All Part of Charles' Scheme

In the small town of Ferwo, the rain suddenly intensified, but this still couldn't extinguish the journalists' enthusiasm. The three of them, in pairs or groups, were discussing the current situation:

"This place is over a hundred kilometers from Paris. The train should be about three hours away, right?"

"Not necessarily. It's wartime, and there are many trains on the track. They might be delayed!"

"Even so, they should still be able to make it by noon!"

...

However, noon passed, and there was still no sign of Charles' troops, let alone any tanks.

Soon, bad news arrived: "Charles' train is stuck on the tracks due to a landslide. Workers are currently repairing the damage!"

If Foch had heard this, he might have had a bad feeling: this was a familiar story!

But the journalists didn't suspect anything. After all, it was the rainy season, and landslides on the tracks were not uncommon.

In the command post, Gallieni also received the news. He smiled lightly, a touch of satisfaction on his face, and said, "By the time they arrive, it will be nearly dark. This means they’ve lost the opportunity to attack today!"

"Yes!" Vice Commander Carnes agreed.

As everyone knew, tanks had no night fighting capability. They couldn't see anything in the dark and could easily be destroyed by German artillery or pierced by K-shells from the side.

It seemed Charles was off to a bad start—his campaign had barely begun, and he had already missed the chance to strike.

...

On the other side of the line, the German army had nearly the same thoughts.

Since they first learned that Charles' troops were on the move, they had prepared themselves for battle, assuming the French would send small units to harass them and wear them down or deplete their ammunition.

However, nothing happened. The war seemed to be paused, with no gunfire, just a few enemy fighter planes and reconnaissance aircraft flying in the sky.

Khalil paced back and forth in the command post, impatient. He hated waiting; his patience and energy were drained by it.

If this was meant to be the battle, he thought, then let it come quickly. He couldn't wait to see Charles' tanks blown to bits!

Just then, a messenger handed Khalil a telegram. Khalil took it and read it under the light: "Charles' train is stuck due to a landslide on the tracks."

Khalil froze, then burst into laughter. He read the telegram aloud to the others: "Well, it looks like today is a wasted effort. At least Charles succeeded in one thing—he's made us waste our time!"

The staff officers laughed along.

"Stand down!" Khalil ordered.

"Stand down!"

"Stand down!"

...

The orders were passed down, and the tense soldiers, who had been crouched at the edge of the trench with their rifles ready, relaxed. They wearily retreated into the trench, collapsing into the mud and water like puddles of clay.

The artillerymen, who had been standing by in the rear, also breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to cover the cannons with their tarpaulins at the command.

...

The journalists in Ferwo scattered. They hoped to find somewhere to sit down, have a meal, and sleep, before continuing to wait the next day.

Gallieni's command post had also lost interest. Their task was to observe every detail of Charles' army's movements and quickly analyze them, but clearly, they would have to wait until tomorrow.

However...

"Boom, boom!" The sound of artillery fire erupted. The battle had begun.

The journalists, stunned by the noise, looked in the direction of the sound and saw it was coming from the flanks of the Lafox area, about ten kilometers away from where they were.

With uncertain tones, the journalists asked each other:

"Is another unit firing artillery?"

"It must be! They're probably just firing randomly!"

"There's nothing else worth attacking besides Lafox, and no battle plans have been made!"

...

However, someone saw a reporter from Le Petit Journal rushing toward a telephone booth. The other journalists immediately grew tense.

Le Petit Journal had long been bribing people in the army, and they always had access to firsthand information.

Suddenly, the military journalist had a realization: "Oh my God, that's Charles' army! Charles has fooled all of us! His troops weren't blocked; they took advantage of the time and deployed to the flanks of Lafox and launched an attack!"

The journalists' expressions changed drastically.

...

Gallieni did not hear the sound of artillery. He was alone in the rest room, reclining in his soft chair, listening to a beautiful piano piece from the phonograph. He gently stirred his hot coffee in his hand.

Just then, Vice Commander Carnes hurriedly pushed open the door, his voice urgent: "General, Charles has launched an attack!"

Gallieni was startled, spilling his coffee on himself. The warmth and stickiness made him frown.

He wiped it with a handkerchief while casting an annoyed glance at Carnes: "What are you talking about, Carnes? Can Charles' army fly over here?"

"General!" Carnes, pale-faced but with a glint of respect in his eyes, said, "Charles' troops weren’t blocked at all. They switched trains along the way and fabricated the landslide story. His forces split into two groups and have reached the flanks of Lafox. They are now launching an attack on the German defenses!"

Gallieni’s hand froze mid-wipe. He looked up at Carnes, a look of disbelief on his face: "Are you saying... he fooled all of us?"

"Yes!" Carnes nodded.

Gallieni suddenly threw down his handkerchief and rushed toward the command post, angrily shouting, "Where are they? How many troops are involved?"

His anxious demeanor made it seem like Charles wasn't attacking the Germans but was actually attacking his own command post!

...

At the German defense line, Khalil was lying fully dressed on a wooden cot, trying to nap.

Though everything around was damp and uncomfortable, Khalil forced himself to sleep. Otherwise, he would have collapsed before the enemy even arrived.

When the sound of artillery fire erupted, Khalil was instantly awakened, as if by a reflex.

The next moment, his face drained of color. He realized he had fallen for Charles' trap. Lafox was about to fall.

Sure enough, a messenger rushed up with a nervous report: "Colonel, the Andalousi and Tamon areas are under attack. It’s likely Charles' troops!"

"Why?" Khalil demanded, his voice full of anger.

"Because they've seen tanks!" The messenger answered tremulously. "Charles' tanks!"

The entire command post fell into a heavy, oppressive silence.

The Andalousi and Tamon areas were key points in the Lafox salient, each originally having a battalion of artillery.

But at Khalil's request, these two artillery battalions had been moved to Lafox.

Lafox now concentrated over a hundred cannons and thousands of shells, all aimed at specific areas ahead, waiting for Charles' tanks to arrive.

But Charles' tanks appeared in the Andalousi and Tamon areas, more than ten kilometers away.

This... was all part of Charles' scheme!

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