CHAPTER 314: CHAPTER 314: INTELLIGENCE

The French had no idea about the dangers at the front; everyone was cheering for Shire’s successful capture of the "A" point defense line.

They naturally assumed that as long as Shire held the line for a few days, the Ottomans at "A" point would collapse and surrender, leading France to a decisive victory.

Mata Hari thought so too.

At this moment, she was enjoying a candlelit dinner with the Minister of the Navy in his villa located in the 16th district.

This was meant to be their private moment, but Hari casually mentioned Shire.

"What an astonishing hero!" Hari smiled, her eyes full of admiration and envy. "Everyone’s talking about him. I even met him once. You know? I was so frightened that I didn’t dare to approach him. I regret it terribly! Imagine, he’s only 18 years old; he’ll surely make a name for himself in the future!"

These words strangely pained the Minister of the Navy.

The Minister of the Navy, already in his sixties, was nearing the end of his life, while the beloved woman before him was admiring another man who was young, promising, and had a bright future ahead of him!

Feeling displeased, the Minister of the Navy silently cut a piece of steak and put it into his mouth.

Unexpectedly, Hari continued talking insensitively:

"For example, in this battle, people say Shire will definitely win."

"He has already surrounded the enemy; it’s just a matter of time, right?"

"Unbelievable! Britain sent so many troops and warships but couldn’t do it, yet he achieved it effortlessly!"

"If given the chance, I really want to meet him. Can you introduce him to me?"

The Minister of the Navy’s jealousy surged, and he couldn’t help but stop his actions and reply coldly, "No, Hari, victory is still uncertain; they just don’t know."

"Oh, really?" Hari was taken aback, looking at the Minister of the Navy with surprise.

Then she suddenly burst into laughter, looking at the Minister of the Navy meaningfully, "I understand now, darling. What were you thinking? To me, he’s just a child!"

The Minister of the Navy was somewhat bewildered, not understanding what Hari was saying.

Until Hari turned her attention to the steak, cutting it while saying, "Sorry, darling, I shouldn’t have brought up Shire, lest you..."

She chuckled as she spoke.

The Minister of the Navy understood Hari’s meaning. She thought he said "victory is still uncertain" because he was jealous of Shire.

"No, it’s the truth," the Minister of the Navy was slightly embarrassed because he indeed felt jealous.

"Alright, I believe you!" Hari replied, but a hint of mockery flashed in her eyes, showing no signs of actually believing.

"There are things they don’t know." The Minister of the Navy couldn’t help but explain, "The Germans have come up with a plan. They’re going to transport a batch of grenades and mortars to capture Shire’s defense line, which will be fatal to Shire’s defense!"

Hari’s face turned pale with fright, "Is that true? God, does that mean we are going to fail?"

"Not necessarily," the Minister of the Navy replied calmly, "That’s why Shire hopes to launch an attack before the enemy’s grenades and mortars arrive, forcing the enemy to surrender. The outcome will be clear by tomorrow morning!"

Given that Hari would be spending the night with him, the Minister of the Navy thought it wouldn’t matter if he revealed this information.

"I see!" Hari breathed a sigh of relief and raised her wine glass, "To victory!"

"To victory!" the Minister of the Navy responded.

Hari watched the Minister of the Navy drink the wine in one gulp, satisfied. She had just slipped a sleeping pill into his wine; he would surely have a good night’s sleep tonight.

...

At dawn, the sky was overcast, with only a hint of light in the east.

An eerie silence engulfed the surroundings; even the howling sea wind had settled down. The air, filled with the stench of corpses, hung heavily over the "A" point battlefield of the Gallipoli Peninsula like an overturned bell.

Neither army slept; they seemed to have a mutual understanding, with soldiers from both sides preparing for battle in their respective trenches.

The French and Australian Army, one by one, strapped grenades to themselves and mounted bayonets on their rifles, readying for the impending attack.

The Ottoman Army, they placed their rifles on the trench edges, machine gunners busily transporting boxes of ammunition to machine gun positions, and some were reinforcing trenches with sandbags, preparing for defense.

The Ottoman Army had received intelligence about the impending attack from the French and Australian Army.

This intelligence took a roundabout route, starting with General Winter discussing the grim situation at the front with the Minister of the Navy.

Then the spy obtained the information from the Minister of the Navy and passed it to Germany.

Germany then relayed the intelligence to Sanders, commanding operations from the Ottoman Empire.

Sanders did not doubt the intelligence at all.

Because it made sense, today was Shire’s last chance; grenades and mortars would arrive tonight, making tomorrow morning the time for the Ottoman Empire’s final offensive.

Standing on the muddy hill in his military boots, Sanders held his binoculars, gazing at the enemy lines through the grey sky.

If Shire planned a surprise attack, it would have to be this morning; otherwise, he would face annihilation.

Proving the truth of Shire’s attack, as shortly afterward, the sound of artillery started to echo.

Those were mortars, firing round after round into the Ottoman Army’s trenches with uncanny accuracy, on both sides alike.

Damn it, Sanders frowned, "They must have calculated the parameters during the day to hit so accurately!"

Mortar suppression, advancing fifty meters and throwing grenades into the trenches, might indeed break through the Ottoman Army’s defense line.

"Send reinforcements immediately!" Sanders ordered the staff officer, pointing at the central defense line under artillery fire, "We must not let them break through the defense line!"

"Yes!" Quinn responded and relayed the order.

Simultaneously, a series of whistles and concentrated machine gun fire echoed from the defense line direction.

The Australian and French Army launched a simultaneous attack on both lines, shouting and leaping out of the trenches, bayonets fixed, advancing in tight formation towards the Ottoman defense line.

Sanders grew tense.

Shire’s troops usually did not fight in such dense formations; was he making a last stand?

"Artillery!" Sanders ordered, "Order the artillery to provide a fire cover!"

"Yes!" The staff officer hurriedly communicated the order.

The bullets stockpiled by the artillery were originally meant for the general offensive, but there was no time to think about that now.

"Boom, boom"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

...

A barrage of artillery fire rained down on the positions, though not accurately due to the close proximity of the defense lines; the artillery could only bombard the depth.

What Sanders did not expect was that everything he was doing was exactly what Shire hoped he would do.