Matthew originally didn't need to go to the battlefield.
Shire's plan didn't include him; Shire had already chosen a dozen tractor drivers, which wasn't a difficult task for the tractor factory.
However, when these drivers heard that they were going to drive tractors to the battlefield and be the first to take the bullets, they all turned pale with fright:
"We are just drivers, Young Master Shire, not soldiers!"
"We still have families to support!"
"We only earn 28 francs a month, barely enough to make ends meet!"
...
The implication was that it wasn't worth risking their lives for a salary of 28 francs.
Shire felt the urge to raise their pay but ultimately held back.
Earning more money would open a can of worms in the future.
French Soldiers were also risking their lives on the battlefield; they too had families to support, and their pay was even lower than the workers. Shouldn't they get a raise?
A fully staffed army group was about 300,000 people. Assembling at Davaz had no less than tens of thousands, could Shire afford to raise everyone's pay?
So, the drivers had to volunteer; no pay raise!
Just when Shire was in a dilemma, Matthew stood up:
"Let me go!"
Shire refused without even thinking:
"You work in the assembly workshop, we need experienced drivers! This is a battlefield, not a game!"
Shire's tone emphasized the latter part, especially the word "battlefield."
A hint of confusion flashed in Matthew's eyes, and in the next second, he understood. He focused on Shire with a smirk and replied word by word:
"I've been driving tractors as toys since I was a child, no one in this factory is more skilled than me!"
Matthew raised his eyebrows with intent, as if to say, you know this perfectly well.
Shire indeed knew; he just didn't want Matthew to take this risk.
But at this point, Shire could no longer refuse, or no one would be willing to take the risk.
Seeing Shire's silent consent, Matthew turned to the others and casually raised his hand:
"Gentlemen, think about it! We might defeat the Germans; isn't that protecting our families?"
"Have you already made up your minds to kneel before the Germans begging them not to kill your families and steal your belongings?"
"Stand up, gentlemen, I do not want to live like that!"
Matthew's words were persuasive.
The drivers were silent for a while, then one after another raised their hands:
"Count me in!"
"I plan to take my chances, maybe I'll come back alive and be lucky enough to defeat the German Army!"
"I'm joining! I have no family, it doesn't matter if I don't return!"
...
So, these ordinary yet great people headed to the battlefield.
They hadn't undergone any military training, driving unverified, arguably crudely made "iron cans," heading to the battlefield facing dozens of ferocious Germans and the dark muzzles of their guns.
...
Perhaps it was due to the "tank's" poor external perception abilities; the two "iron cans" consecutively drove into the trenches and got stuck, unable to move.
Joseph suddenly became nervous, could it be the "iron can" driven by Matthew?
Shire cursed quietly; he had warned them about the trenches. These early "tanks" had no trench-crossing ability, their tracks barely managed the muddy pits and ridges of a farm!
The German soldiers also noticed this; they seemed to find a glimmer of hope or a final desperate struggle. Some hid in the trenches attempting to reorganize their defense.
This showed the quality of the German Army; even in such circumstances, some of them hadn't given up.
However, reality was harsh. Their efforts soon turned into bubbles.
"Iron cans" halted one by one in front of the trench; they stopped moving forward but instead aimed their machine guns at the German soldiers inside the trench at close range.
The French Soldiers following behind used the "iron cans" for cover to snipe the German soldiers. They formed two teams cooperating with each other: one team shot and retreated while the other stepped out to shoot immediately.
This was an asymmetrical battle; the trenches occupied by the German Army were constructed by French Soldiers, facing the other side and unfinished. The German soldiers had to crouch to barely hide inside.
The French Soldiers, however, had several large shields in front, with one "iron can" after another leaving only a passage a few feet wide. The positions of the German soldiers would be blocked from shooting angles if slightly deviated from the passage.
In the end, the Germans could only accept the result with casualties: one soldier after another, full of regret and unwillingness, fell in the trench, most of the resistors became corpses.
Major Brownie shouted behind the "iron cans":
"Hold steady, maintain the line! Maintain the line!"
This was an incredible tactic, Major Brownie thought.
Before this, the French Army's tactic had always been "attack, attack, and attack again!"
Whether an officer graduated from military school didn't matter, as everyone knew how to command and fight… French tactics were too monotonous, every command summed up with one word: "Advance!"
When the enemy holds the line, we advance!
When the enemy retreats, we advance!
When the enemy attacks, we still advance!
...
It didn't matter who commanded.
This caused the French Army to pay a terrible price from the start of the war. Although Major Brownie didn't know the exact casualty numbers, what he saw, heard, and felt, the numbers were definitely not small.
(Note: In August and September 1914, French death, missing, and captured rate reached 164,500 monthly, rapidly lowering the conscription age limit to 18. By 1915, 80% of men aged 18 to 46 had been conscripted.)
But now, they seemed to be attacking yet continuously defending.
To be precise, they were attacking within defense, always hiding behind the "iron cans," slowly advancing under its cover!
Then the enemy collapsed; a force of thousands of elite Germans shattered under the attack of three hundred French Soldiers!
This was unimaginable before; French needed at least tens of thousands to defeat this elite German force, yet they had only three hundred men and a dozen tractors! Major Brownie roughly estimated about twenty casualties or injured.
"This is amazing!" Major Brownie exclaimed while commanding, "What the hell! What were we doing before? They were simply wasting soldiers' lives, future battles should all be fought this way!"
The soldiers were also greatly encouraged. They fired at the enemy, thinking: future battles will become easier, France will undoubtedly win!
Thus, the small-sized but highly spirited troops fought more courageously.
The terrified German soldiers retreated constantly to the bridge. Meanwhile, the main force of the German Army north of the Marne River charged along the bridge under orders. The two forces collided like surging tides, squeezing together tightly, many got injured by falling helmets, and some screamed as they were pushed off the bridge into the river.
"Drive them onto the bridge!" Major Brownie shouted, "Machine gunners aim at the enemies on the bridge!"
The machine guns quickly roared to life; they didn't need precise aim, the overwhelming bullets shot randomly at the Marne Bridge but easily hit the mark.
French 8mm rifle bullets were quite powerful; if not stopped by bones, they could penetrate three bodies and kill the fourth person.
In the dense gunfire, the Marne Bridge turned into a scene of bloody carnage.
The entire bridge turned red, with sticky blood flowing like streams along the bridge edges and gaps, hanging onto the bridge and dripping into the Marne River. The river water turned shocking red.
Finally, the Germans realized the Marne Bridge was impassable. They turned to head under the bridge towards the Marne River.
However, this was not a good choice either!