CHAPTER 279: CHAPTER 279 ANOTHER "WESTERN FRONT

Tijani could hardly believe that Shire was serious; he thought Shire was joking, but Shire was earnest.

The landing operation required the Marine Corps.

However, at this time, there was no concept of a "Marine Corps." Even the British Navy, which had been using warships to seize colonies around the world, did not have such a concept.

The Royal Navy had the "Royal Navy Division," and the 29th Division, currently fighting in the Dardanelles Strait, was one of them.

But the "Royal Navy Division" was not an independent branch, nor was it an independent unit. It was an army attached to the navy. The navy would use naval guns to subdue the enemy, and the "Royal Navy Division" would then row ashore to occupy the targets.

They would "go ashore" rather than "land."

The British believed that as long as the enemy had armed forces on the coast, they could solve it with naval guns.

Against natives with muskets, cannons, or wooden clubs and bows, this was indeed the case. The sound of naval guns scared them so much that the "Royal Navy Division" could row ashore without any resistance.

But facing a country with guns and cannons, especially one supported by Germany, the outcome was entirely different.

Tijani came from a naval background, had studied and trained at the army academy, and even participated in actual combat, making him the perfect candidate to form a marine corps.

But Tijani became nervous: "Colonel, although I am willing, I am worried..."

"Worried that you won’t be up to the task?" Shire asked.

"Yes," Tijani nodded hesitantly. "My training is in land warfare, and my only combat experience is the Cape Town campaign."

Tijani felt a bit embarrassed, as this only combat experience was a disgrace.

Then, Tijani raised his concern: "If I were to be a regimental commander, I wouldn’t even know where to start, having no idea at all..."

"It’s very simple," Shire replied. "You just need to think about one question: teach the troops how to use the boats you produced, just like writing a manual—what to be aware of, when to use them, and so on."

Tijani’s mouth was half-open: "Is that all?"

"That’s all," Shire nodded. "Next is the land warfare you have learned."

Seeing that Tijani still had doubts, Shire added, "I’ve heard that you view war equipment from an artistic perspective, is that right?"

"Yes," Tijani responded. "Many don’t believe it, but I indeed think that way."

Then Tijani hastened to explain, "But this won’t affect my command, I guarantee! I can separate it from warfare, knowing these are two different things; I should distinguish between private and public matters..."

"No, General," Shire interrupted Tijani. "I precisely don’t want you to ’separate private and public matters’.

Tijani looked at Shire with a puzzled expression, thinking Shire might be joking again.

Shire explained, "War itself is art. If you can truly view equipment and warfare from this perspective, you will be an excellent commander, General!"

Tijani was stunned.

Shire’s view was novel; no one had ever said that.

At the military academy, they always talked about the brutality of war, about executing orders and achieving objectives unwaveringly, which was different from the free expression of art.

But Tijani felt Shire was correct. If one thinks about war as a higher form of art, one wouldn’t be limited by rules and regulations, at least not tangled in theories about "offense" or "defense".

Then Tijani understood.

This was how Shire commanded, with his command being a form of art, unrestricted by any theories.

Perhaps war should be this way. It should respond to specific situations rather than following the textbooks. If it’s written in textbooks, the enemy can anticipate it, and that wouldn’t be war!

Suddenly, Tijani gained confidence. He straightened up and said, "I understand, Colonel. Then, the troops I will command..."

Shire turned his gaze to Gallieni.

Gallieni responded with an "um," opened the drawer, and took out a prepared document, handing it to Tijani: "I have transferred the 105th regiment from the 6th Group. They are veterans of the Battle of the Marne, experienced in combat."

Over the past few days, Gallieni had restructured this unit, transferring out the weaker and poorly performing troops. More importantly, they had screened and removed officers who did not support Shire.

Gallieni believed the latter was more important, though they were few.

This wasn’t just a matter of command difficulty; these officers could be bribed by capitalists against Shire.

Tijani eagerly flipped through the files, looking at Gallieni impatiently: "General, when can I see my troops?"

"Anytime," Gallieni replied. "They are already resting at the police training base in Paris!"

"Great!" Tijani waved the documents, excitedly like a child: "I’ll go immediately."

Just as Tijani left, Major Fernan hurriedly stepped forward and handed over a telegram: "General, another battleship has been sunk, it’s ’Triumph’!"

Gallieni was stunned.

The last battleship was sunk at night, which could be attributed to an Ottoman "Thunder Strike Ship" sneak attack. This time, it was daylight.

Taking the telegram, Gallieni’s expression gradually became serious. He handed the telegram to Shire: "Confirmed submarine, German submarine reached the Dardanelles Strait, sunk ’Triumph’ with a torpedo."

The telegram was very detailed.

Since the sinking of the "Goliath," British battleships were cautious even while bombarding during the day.

At that time, "Triumph" was under strict alert: two destroyers were covering it, an anti-torpedo net was set around the hull, and watertight compartments were completely closed.

But the German torpedo was equipped with a net-cutter, easily slicing through the anti-torpedo net and hitting "Triumph".

Although "Triumph" spotted the submarine and fired in panic, it missed and hit a British supply ship, causing a large fire.

Soon, Gallieni received another telegram.

Nearing helplessness, Gallieni said: "They’ve withdrawn all battleships to the anchorage, weakening naval support for landings, do you still have confidence in the landing?"

Shire replied: "It depends on the landing operation’s objective."

"What do you mean?" Gallieni looked at Shire in confusion.

Isn’t the purpose of the landing operation to defeat or force the Ottoman Empire into surrender?

And in the broader sense, to open a new front behind the Western Front to break the stalemate.

Shire calmly replied, "If we had landed unexpectedly in the Dardanelles Strait, there might have been a chance to break the stalemate. But now it’s been over a month..."

Gallieni nodded thoughtfully: "The Ottomans have prepared, they just need to dig trenches, and it would be another Western Front!"

So, the strategic goal of "breaking the stalemate" was doomed to fail.

If achievable, the well-supplied Western Front would suffice; why move troops, supplies, and ammunition to fight in the Ottoman Empire?