CHAPTER 538: AFTER THE MODIFICATION: CHAPTER 538 THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

The German Army’s swift retreat had something to do with Erwin.

He saw everything on the front lines, witnessing the horrifying combat prowess of the French Army’s First Armored Division and how they effortlessly used bridge tanks to breach the anti-tank trenches.

Erwin rushed back to the River Bay District command as quickly as possible, disregarding the mud and smoke covering him. Pointing at the map, he analyzed to Nicholas, "The second line of defense also relies on anti-tank trenches. The French Army can still break through quickly, and we have no way to stop them."

"We have tanks, not many, but they might make a difference," Nicholas responded.

His idea was to use tanks to eliminate the French Army’s bridge tanks.

The "Upper Silesia" tanks might not be able to take on the "Char A1," but they were more than capable of dealing with unarmed bridge tanks.

"They won’t work." Erwin shook his head. "Their bridge tanks have tank cover, besides, our tanks probably can’t even see their targets."

Nicholas was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly realized, "Rocket launchers?"

Erwin nodded. "We’re not sure how many rockets they have, nor if our tanks can withstand the bombardment. A reckless attack could end in complete annihilation."

The frustration of the artillery being suppressed rendered the original "tank defense" plan useless.

Admiral Nicholas was still somewhat unwilling, "But we still have the Namur Fortress and Namur City. Holding out for three days shouldn’t be an issue."

"General." Erwin pointed at the map, "Once the French Army breaks through the second line of defense, they’ll bypass the Namur Fortress and Namur City, cutting us off from the outside. What good will reinforcements be in three days?"

Admiral Nicholas was stunned.

Holding the city for three days might not be a problem. The issue was that any reinforcements would be wiped out by Shire’s troops. No one could win a battle against Shire’s armored and mechanized divisions outside the city.

Seeing Admiral Nicholas still hesitating, Erwin added, "I’ve just received intelligence that Belgium has dispatched an elite unit to Mons, possibly numbering fifty to sixty thousand."

Admiral Nicholas understood what this meant.

If they didn’t leave, they’d be surrounded and ultimately meet the same fate as the hundreds of thousands of German troops in Ghent.

"Make a decision, General." Erwin urged, "We need to retreat, and we need to do it immediately. Otherwise, with the speed of Shire’s armored and mechanized divisions, they’ll quickly outflank us, and we won’t be able to escape!"

Admiral Nicholas stared at the map, deliberated for a while, and reluctantly nodded, ordering, "Retreat!"

...

Perhaps one advantage of armored and mechanized divisions is that their opponents are constantly worried about being outflanked.

If Shire had been leading less mechanized infantry today, the German Army might have chosen to stay and fight in the streets. The two armies would then fall into a stalemate, with no side gaining victory.

Shire actually didn’t want the battle to end so quickly; it had only been two days, and even Shire was somewhat surprised by the speed.

Then the parliament would voice their opinion again, "Since Shire’s battle in Namur has ended, can he and his troops be transferred to the River Somme?"

How would Shire respond at that time?

...

Namur Castle is one of the largest castles in Europe, situated on a hill over a hundred meters high, surrounded by rivers acting as moats.

(The image shows Namur Castle.)

This kind of castle, established during the cold weapon era, holds little significance in modern warfare. Its brick and stone walls can’t withstand artillery shelling and can be considered a "death trap."

Shire set up his command post here.

Though it’s a "death trap" for warfare, it is fully equipped and very suitable for secrecy.

Shire took a bath, changed into a clean, dry new uniform, enjoyed a delicious dinner, and then stood at the window with a glass of red wine, watching the boats on the rainy Meuse River.

He could hardly believe that not long ago, he was fighting on the battlefield.

As usual, Shire didn’t enter Namur City noisily to receive the cheers of the Belgians.

This approach was too dangerous; being shot by a remaining German soldier wouldn’t be worth it.

Albert I was different. He was one of the first to enter Namur City, taking control with the French soldiers.

Meanwhile, the Belgian Special First Reconnaissance Army was also deployed to Namur City to maintain order and set up defenses in the east to guard against German counterattacks.

They performed excellently; Albert I was responsible for stabilizing and managing internal affairs, while Brigadier General Eden was in charge of deploying troops and organizing defense.

Shire hardly needed to worry about the recently captured Namur.

However, the less Shire had to worry, the harder it was for him to find an excuse to deal with the parliament.

"Major General," Tijani came out of the telegraph room, smiling as he asked Shire, "Do you know how people are reacting to this battle?"

Shire gently shook his head, still staring at the river outside the window.

He wasn’t very interested in this aspect.

Initially, he might have been excited by it, but with more and more victories, he became indifferent and even numb to it.

Shire didn’t know, but while he was standing there smugly, Haig and Nivelle, who were struggling to command the battle at the River Somme, were desperately hoping for a victory to turn the tide.

"Paris is in an uproar," Tijani poured himself a glass of red wine and strolled to the window.

Drinking was prohibited during wartime; this was a rare post-war leisure.

"The biggest call isn’t to praise you," Tijani leaned casually and elegantly against the window frame, with a smile on his face, holding the glass. "They’ve confirmed two points: first, Nivelle did give the order to attack Namur; second, you easily captured Namur, the fortress that has never fallen, while Nivelle and Haig haven’t advanced an inch despite their massive losses!"

Shire muttered an "Oh." This did interest him; it was what he had previously referred to as a "double blow."

The first point, although Shire had mentioned it in parliament before, they had chosen to keep it a secret for the "greater good," not revealing it widely to the public.

The second point was that Shire had taken Namur, deemed impregnable, in less than two days, starkly contrasting with the grim situation at the River Somme.

"Then what?" Shire asked.

"The public wants you to be the overall commander," Tijani raised his glass to Shire, "They believe that if you led the French Army, the war would end sooner and with fewer casualties."

Stopping to add, "It’s not just the public, but also the rank-and-file soldiers."

Lower-ranking soldiers liked commanders like Shire because it meant "fewer deaths."

Then Tijani asked, his eyes full of expectation, "Why don’t you go along with this suggestion? I think they have a point."

Shire smiled softly and replied, "Being the overall commander wouldn’t benefit me."

It would only make him a target, an outcast, and a scapegoat for the parliament’s ire.

And these were not decisions the public and rank-and-file soldiers could influence!