At dusk, the setting sun shone through the gaps in the plane tree branches into the second floor of the Sixth Army Command, casting faint shadows over the busy officers and soldiers.
The staff officer received a phone call and walked towards Gallieni with a puzzled expression:
"General, there is a rumor circulating in the city today that we have abandoned Paris, the army is retreating, and that all troops will withdraw from Paris tonight!"
Gallieni was taken aback. The Parisian troops clearly had not retreated, not even one. Why would such a rumor appear?
Were the Germans spreading this? To disrupt our morale?
The next second, Gallieni dismissed this notion. This would only disturb the morale of the Parisian citizens, not the military! At most, it would cause hesitant citizens to leave Paris.
If it wasn't the Germans spreading this rumor, who could it be? And what was their purpose?
As Gallieni was considering various possibilities, another staff officer hurriedly came forward with a report:
"General, we have discovered that the German First Army Group has changed their marching route. They are now circling around to the east of Paris, pursuing our Fifth Army!"
"What?" Gallieni's eyes widened, "Are you sure there is no mistake with this intelligence?"
"Confirmed!" The staff officer replied, "Our pilots saw it very clearly, the Germans have changed their marching direction!"
Gallieni walked briskly to the map, sweeping all the papers, pens, and rulers on it to the floor. He lightly drew a circle on the map with his finger, saying:
"If this is true, the German First Army Group's flank is completely exposed to Paris. They are practically jumping into our encirclement! Why would they do this?"
Major General Monuri of the Sixth Army Command also found it strange. He thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "General, could this be related to the rumor?"
"The rumor?" Gallieni looked up, "You mean the rumor about us withdrawing from Paris?"
Major General Monuri nodded and explained:
"If the Germans knew there was an army in Paris, they definitely wouldn't change their route to pursue the Fifth Army like this. But if..."
Gallieni interjected, "If they thought Paris was an empty city, encirclement would be meaningless. The best choice would be to continue pursuing the Fifth Army!"
"Yes!" Major General Monuri said, "This explanation makes sense! The Germans have been advancing triumphantly, which has made them overconfident and they didn't verify if the rumor was true, simply assuming that Paris was an empty city."
"Moreover," Monuri added, "if we look at it this way, this rumor is very beneficial to us. It successfully lured the Germans into our encirclement..."
A gleam of determination appeared in Gallieni's eyes, "No matter who spread it, one thing is certain: our luck has arrived, Monuri! Immediately have the soldiers ready for battle!"
"General, any of our actions need General Joffre's approval!" Major General Monuri reminded.
Gallieni frowned, "Then ask for his approval, but at the same time, prepare for battle!"
Gallieni cursed silently in his heart, does preparing for battle always require permission?
...
As night fell, Major Brownie and his soldiers were still training behind tractors in the square.
The square was large, about two acres.
This was a testing ground used by the tractor factory, and it had various terrains: highways, muddy roads, uneven fields, and even bog-like areas.
This made it an excellent training ground for the troops, but the open ground outside the factory wasn't as complex; it was an expanse of grassland, with the Marne River a kilometer to the north.
There were more than three hundred soldiers, most of them Major Brownie's subordinates.
At this time, the structure of the French Army had about 268 men in a company and four companies in a battalion. Although Major Brownie was only a battalion commander, he had more than a thousand men under his command.
Unfortunately, only these three hundred or so managed to make it to Davaz Town.
"Major!" Shire heard a soldier shout, "What's the use of following these tractors forward? Will they block bullets for us?"
The tractors on the training ground were the original "Holt 60" models, and they had not yet been outfitted as "tanks".
At this time, the "tank" was not yet completed, and using the "tank" with thick steel plates for training could quickly lead to malfunction.
More importantly, Shire did not intend to reveal the "tank" to the outside world so soon.
When the British invented the tank, in order to catch the enemy off guard and to cause as much psychological shock as possible on the battlefield, they called these "land cruisers" "tanks".
Shire believed that secrecy was necessary.
Major Brownie, the only one in the know apart from Shire, cast a glance at Shire, seemingly to suggest: the time is almost right, the workers have gone home, and it's time to let the soldiers know the truth!
Shire calmly walked forward and said to the soldiers:
"You are right, they can indeed block bullets for you, because when you go onto the battlefield, you will be using tractors equipped with steel plates!"
The soldiers were in an uproar, whispering among themselves:
"Will this work?"
"Are you sure it's not a children's toy?"
"Can it go onto the battlefield?"
...
Of course, there would be doubts, not only because Shire was a young boy but also because the tank was something completely new. The soldiers couldn't help but wonder: if this idea works, why wasn't it used before? Why didn't others think of this?
Shire joked, "These temperamental ladies (referring to the tractors) are willing to block bullets for you, aren't you happy?"
The soldiers smiled knowingly and then came to a realization:
"Better to have them than not!"
"You're right, would you rather charge at the enemy with rifles like before?"
"I think it's better to have the tractors!"
...
"Shire!" Dejoka and Camille appeared behind him, looking anxious.
Seeing that Shire had not returned after dark, they had searched all the way and were surprised to find him with a group of dirty soldiers.
Dejoka quickly pulled Shire behind him, a look of fear in his eyes, and said to the soldiers, "Sorry gentlemen, I'm taking him back now..."
"No, Father!" Shire interrupted Dejoka, "I was about to find you. We are staying here tonight and tomorrow! Trust me, this is the safest place!"
Then Shire turned and ordered the soldiers:
"Continue training, you need to learn to cooperate with each other!"
Major Brownie shouted, "Did you hear Young Master Shire? Get moving, you guys, the Germans won't go easy on you!"
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded loudly and threw themselves into their training.
Dejoka and Camille were stunned by this scene and could not react for a long time.
Shire was actually giving them orders?
These fierce soldiers were actually obeying Shire's commands?
Just a moment ago, they were worried the soldiers might harm Shire!