Shire stayed in Jangbulu for a day and transferred the affairs of the Sixth Army to Kristen.

Although the Sixth Army is large with over 200,000 troops, its command is not complicated.

Because most of its units are infantry, specializing in trench warfare and defensive lines.

However, the Sixth Army under Shire's command has more advanced tactics; he deployed the First Specialized Artillery Division behind the defensive line for flexible defense.

"We place the First Specialized Artillery Division on the third line or even further back." Shire pointed to the map and said to Kristen, "Deploy them by regiment."

Kristen did not understand this approach and answered with a frown, "General, doing this means the front line won't receive reinforcements from the armored units, and the defensive line may be breached by the German Army."

"I know." Shire replied, "Our defensive line is not set up to 'hold the line,' it's meant to be 'breached by the enemy.'"

Kristen was baffled. Did he hear correctly? The defensive line is not for "holding the line," but for "being breached by the enemy"?

Shire continued, "At the same time, we should reduce the density of troops on the first line and the second line as well, increasing gradually toward the third line and the rear."

"But…" Kristen shook his head in difficulty, "How do we face the Germans' attack?"

The first line already lacks reinforcements from the armored units, and now the troop density is to be reduced? Kristen had never seen such a defensive tactic.

Shire's response was concise: "Let them in, but consciously draw them into the plains where tanks can operate."

Kristen suddenly understood: "Then use the armored units to drive them back?"

Shire nodded, using the mobility of the armored units to engage in maneuver warfare with the enemy. This is the core of flexible defense.

Kristen stared blankly at the map, seemingly simulating the offense and defense of both sides. After a moment, he took a deep breath and looked at Shire with awe: "I understand, General, I will immediately deploy troops based on this tactic!"

An extremely clever tactic, it abandons the rigidity of trench warfare and perfectly combines the infantry's defensive line and the mobility of tanks to form a dynamic defensive belt.

If used well, the German Army on the opposite side will face a dilemma:

If they don't breach the line, the defensive line will not advance at all.

If they do breach, numerous infantry will enter the enemy's defensive line and be slaughtered by the French Army's armored units, resulting in significant losses of manpower, and the defensive line will eventually be restored.

My God, this tactic allows the same defensive line to be held with much fewer troops while also practicing infantry-tank coordination. Strategically it's defensive, but tactically it's offensive.

Only Shire could think of this, right?

Kristen was mistaken; this tactic was not invented by Shire, but rather a clever strategy used by Erwin during the Africa campaign in World War II due to severe manpower shortages.

Wonder what Erwin's reaction would be if he encountered this now!

...

After arranging the Sixth Army, the next day Shire hurried back to the First Mechanized Division's command center in Namur Castle with Tijani.

Shire believed that mechanized units and armored units were the key; they always execute deep penetration tactics behind enemy lines for a decisive victory, requiring more command than the Sixth Army, and this was where his presence was needed.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving at Namur Castle, they found Wells waiting in the office.

Tijani was stunned upon seeing his father, quickly stepping forward to ask in confusion, "Father, why are you here?"

He glanced back at Shire, thinking Wells might be there for Shire, perhaps about the upcoming submarine warfare.

Shire was initially puzzled too, but upon stepping forward to shake hands and seeing Wells' strange expression, he guessed his purpose.

"No, General." Shire said to Tijani, "Mr. Wells is here for you."

Wells did not deny, just laughed awkwardly.

Tijani was stunned, then realized that his father had come to prevent him from "saving" Shire.

He laughed silently and sarcastically said:

"It seems you are late, Father."

"Also, you guessed wrong. Shire doesn't need my 'saving.'"

"Moreover, Shire is the winning side according to your principles, you should support my actions, right?"

Saying this, Tijani ignored Wells and walked to his desk, sitting down and flipping through documents.

Shire shook his head in silence, father and son with different ideologies were at odds again.

Wells couldn't deal with this son; though his face turned pale with anger, he still pretended not to care and raised his eyebrows at Shire: "I've raised a good son!"

"Let's talk over here, Mr. Wells." Shire invited Wells into the meeting room.

As they sat down, Wells spoke first: "Tijani was right, I didn't expect you to win against the parliament this time, so…"

"You don't need to say apologies, Mr. Wells." Shire handed Wells a cup of coffee: "It's normal, you have a lot of considerations, you have to stand on the winning side, I understand."

Shire wasn't naive; capitalists band together for their interests, including the Saint-Étienne Arms Factory and FN, and Wells was no exception.

Only Tijani, who yearned for the "Art of War" and was ignorant of politics, rushed to Jangbulu with his troops for friendship and justice.

"Actually, I also think Tijani shouldn't have gone to Jangbulu." Shire said, "Because without any orders, the parliament likely considers him one of my men."

Wells nodded slowly but unconsciously sighed.

He should, naturally, calmly accept this, and brush it off with a laugh like Shire. But for some reason, he felt a trace of guilt and frustration.

After hesitating for a moment, Wells changed the subject: "Our destroyers are ready, according to intelligence, the German submarines might make a big move soon, I think it's time for us to strike."

"No." Shire replied, "It's not the right time yet."

"Not the right time?" Wells looked at Shire in confusion, unable to read this young general: "Do you intend to let the German submarines sink a batch of merchant ships?"

Shire nodded lightly.

"But why?" Wells didn't understand: "If you're aiming to seize control of the supplies, isn't it better to act sooner?"

Adding, he said: "I think I should remind you, some of these supplies transported by the merchant ships are for the French Army, specifically the Lebel rifle cartridges and 75mm shells."

"I know." Shire nodded, "Just wait a bit longer, you will understand the reason later."

This madman, Wells thought, no matter what he planned to do, it was undoubtedly playing with fire.