CHAPTER 422: AFTER THE MODIFICATION: CHAPTER 422 GENERATION GAP

The Dewoka household was packed with people at the door, neighbors scrambling to tell Dewoka and Camille everything they knew:

"I heard that Shire made it to Brussels yesterday afternoon, but the military has kept it a secret and hasn’t announced it publicly."

"That’s the capital of Belgium. I also heard the news yesterday, but I thought it was a prank."

"Don’t worry, Madam Bernard, Shire will be fine. It’s his enemies who should be concerned."

...

Camille was mumbling, unfamiliar with military terms like "encirclement," "cutting off supplies," and "geographical advantage."

No matter what others said, she remained clueless. She couldn’t understand why a small unit led by Shire could surround more than 200,000 Germans with no chance for them to fight back.

She only knew one thing: Shire led fewer than 20,000 troops against over 200,000 Germans. That was a force more than ten times larger. Did this mean that each one of Shire’s soldiers, including Shire himself, would have to take out more than ten times of their enemies?

Thus, she remained worried, half-believing the neighbors’ explanations as she asked, "Is it really like that? The war is about to end?"

Neighbors knowledgeable about the military explained:

"No, Madam Bernard, the war is not over yet. The Germans have not surrendered."

"But it’s close; it won’t be long. They have no choice but to surrender."

"Shire is simply a genius strategist, Madam Bernard. He was practically born to achieve victory. You don’t need to worry. No one can defeat him!"

...

The war indeed was not over, and Shire was organizing the defense in Antwerp.

The encirclement was still fragile at this moment.

The reason was that Shire’s troops advanced too quickly, so fast that Fuxu’s infantry couldn’t keep up in time.

The true reason was not this, but that after breaking through the German Army’s encirclement, the infantry didn’t believe the battle could be so smooth. They didn’t dare to follow up by train or car.

The representative in this situation was Vice Admiral Savinien of the Ninth Army, assigned by Fuxu to cooperate with Shire’s attack.

"This is too crazy," Vice Admiral Savinien reported to Fuxu. "I refuse to do this. The enemy needs only one bomb to easily derail the train, and advancing by car is equally dangerous. Cars have no protection and are easily ambushed by the enemy, causing heavy casualties."

Therefore, Vice Admiral Savinien insisted on marching on foot.

Although Wei Gang did not give a clear suggestion, he partially agreed with Vice Admiral Savinien.

"Shire’s troops have armored vehicles, General," Wei Gang said, opening a file to show photos of the armored vehicles to Fuxu. "Advancing in these armored vehicles is reasonable. They can at least block bullets from both sides, but we don’t have any."

Seeing Fuxu hesitate, Wei Gang added, "Moreover, how fast can Shire’s troops be? They will be met with enemy resistance layer by layer, while the rear infantry may not need to engage in combat—it should not be a big problem to catch up with Shire’s troops."

After thinking for a while, Fuxu finally agreed to this seemingly less risky approach.

They didn’t understand two things:

Shire’s troops were equipped with armored vehicles because they were at the front and possibly engaging the enemy, whereas the rear troops didn’t need them as much.

On the other hand, the German defense was like an egg. The outer shell was hard but after breaking through, the inside was empty. If follow-up forces advanced by train or car behind the armored and mechanized divisions, it was unlikely they would face enemy resistance, nor would they fall into enemy traps.

Instead, their cautious approach, advancing at 5 kilometers per hour on foot, posed the real problem.

The facts indeed showed this.

The main force of the retreating German Army gradually surpassed the Ninth Army that was following from behind, eventually creating the situation they feared—"being blocked layer by layer by the enemy and unable to break through quickly."

This also led to the fuel shortage for Shire’s troops when they reached Mechelen, as the logistical supply line was cut off.

If not for the support of the Belgians, this operation could have failed, and Shire’s troops would have been surrounded, facing the need to break out instead of achieving victory.

...

In Antwerp, Shire established the First Mechanized Division’s command post inside a fort within the inner defensive circle.

It was not comfortable, with the small space crammed with all kinds of shells, dark and damp, and the air filled with a suffocating stench.

However, it was the safest place at the moment.

Tijani, pampered and unaccustomed, couldn’t tolerate such an environment. He sat weakly, slumped against the back of a chair, gasping like a dying fish.

"We really have to stay here?" Tijani asked, looking around with a face of despair.

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Shire retorted.

Tijani fell silent.

He knew the current situation.

Although the main forces of the Germans in Antwerp had surrendered, there were still many scattered German soldiers in the city who were unwilling to surrender. Some were hiding in the woods, others in abandoned barns, and some even in cesspits.

These scattered soldiers couldn’t be cleared out in a day or two. No one could guarantee when a bullet might suddenly be fired...

Tijani sighed helplessly and reassured himself that this was the battlefield. He had stayed in worse places, and it was better than dying under enemy fire.

But a voice inside him said: I’d rather die under enemy fire. I can’t breathe here!

Tijani pulled out his pocket watch weakly, checking the time, and started complaining about the Ninth Army not following the plan: "They said they would join us at dawn, but they haven’t even reached Mons yet. If we hadn’t left a regiment behind in Brussels to garrison, the enemy would have easily broken out."

Shire said nothing.

He could understand the mistake made by Fuxu’s group.

This was the era of trench warfare. Everyone thought the war would continue this way. They couldn’t imagine the concept of advancing over a hundred kilometers in a day—there was a generational gap.

In fact, never mind a hundred kilometers; in the real Battle of Cambrai, the British tanks advancing 8 kilometers surprised everyone.

Because they hadn’t mentally prepared, the British follow-up forces were weak and couldn’t hold onto the hard-won gains.

And that battle, this 8-kilometer advance, happened two years later.

At this moment, a telegram was handed to Shire, sent by General Winter: "Congratulations, Brigadier General, you’ve once again proven your abilities with your victory. However, I would like to know if you can return to the Dardanelles battlefield to command? We are in a dire situation here!"

Shire smiled and promptly replied to General Winter: "General, do you think I can leave France at this time? Besides, the Dardanelles Strait doesn’t need me as much as it needs a cure for the plague!"