Fajin Han immediately issued a series of targeted orders to the frontline.
He handed over the frontline command to Major General Justin, stationed at the Cape Town defense lines. Justin is the commander of the 4th Reserve Army, commanding four divisions and two cavalry regiments in Cape Town.
Fajin Han believed that Major General Justin was more familiar with the nearby terrain and better suited to directly command the overall situation.
At this time, Major General Justin was standing at the entrance of the command post, observing the sky with binoculars as Avro tanks flew over.
His command post was hidden on a high ground five kilometers from the frontline, surrounded by trees and hills. Not far away was a well-camouflaged 105MM howitzer position.
This isn’t Major General Justin sharing hardships with his soldiers; he knew that if he set up his command post in a nearby town, his location would soon be exposed.
After all, this is France. Despite French capitalists always doing foolish things, her civilians never lack courageous individuals.
More importantly, Major General Justin knew that Shire had promoted a "special operations" tactic specifically targeting the deep German Army headquarters for raids.
For the sake of his life, he had to find a safe place close to the frontline to live like a wild man.
When Shire’s planes appeared in the sky, Major General Justin inwardly congratulated himself for being right.
If he had stayed in a house or villa in the town, it might have been subjected to a frenzied plane machine-gun attack!
Major General Justin stared fixedly through the binoculars as the Avro passed overhead until they disappeared. He seemed intent on figuring out how the machine guns were mounted or where, but he was disappointed.
As he put away the binoculars, a communications soldier came forward to report, "General, the General Staff has ordered to reinforce us with four more infantry divisions, along with additional munitions and one artillery regiment!"
Major General Justin was puzzled but didn’t show it. He asked coldly, "So, did they make a mistake? Is Shire still commanding this attack?"
"No, General!" The communications soldier replied: "It’s confirmed that Xia Fei is commanding. However, the General Staff believes Xia Fei might replicate Shire’s tactics at Lafox!"
Major General Justin was stunned but then couldn’t help but laugh sarcastically, saying, "Interesting, Xia Fei would do that?"
Xia Fei didn’t want to do that either.
In a villa northwest of Cape Town, the wealthy owner had fled south due to the war, and it was conveniently used by Xia Fei as his command post.
The command post was as busy as ever, as it was the nerve center of France’s million-strong army. Military intelligence from all directions converged here, processed appropriately before the next instructions were sent out.
Xia Fei was sitting at his desk, staring blankly at a map, beside a table lamp emitting orange light. Occasionally, it flickered, perhaps due to a poor connection.
But Xia Fei didn’t notice at all; his eyes were empty, his thoughts jumping to another dimension.
Xia Fei had been feeling depressed lately. He always tried to ensure his troops fought "orderly." He believed that as long as he was organized and methodical, the panic-stricken would be the enemies, and victory would belong to him.
This was also one reason why he adhered to a strict schedule.
However, Shire’s appearance disrupted all norms. He played by no rules, using almost entirely different tactics since the war began.
The Battle of the Marne saw a frontal breakthrough with tanks, exploiting the enemy’s fear of new equipment;
In Antwerp, deceptive tactics and rocket planes destroyed the enemy’s critical "Big Bertha" and zeppelins;
Ypres brought machine-gun planes controlling the air, perfectly coordinating with artillery for defense;
At Lafox, tanks, infantry, and planes were astonishingly combined for a staggered encirclement!
God, which tactic is correct? Xia Fei felt dizzy.
If he couldn’t understand, just copy it...
No, he couldn’t copy!
If the newspaper headline the next day reads, "French High Command adopts Shire’s identical tactics to achieve victory," wouldn’t he lose face?
So, even if copying, he had to make some changes, so he could confidently say, "No, they only appear similar on the surface; in reality, they are entirely different tactics!"
The citizens don’t understand tactics. They compare and find differences, and they’ll believe Xia Fei’s words.
Xia Fei found himself completely unable to change it, not even a bit!
Exclude planes and ignore air supremacy?
No, if German planes conducted reconnaissance while the staggered troops gathered on the flank, they would be discovered in advance, eliminating the surprise of the staggered attack.
Moreover, the machine-gun planes were needed to blockade and suppress the German artillery.
The first flying team is indispensable!
Direct frontal attack?
No, even though "Saint Chammon" and CA-1 had been improved, they still struggled to cross trenches in tests.
In actual combat, sandbags were still needed to fill the trenches for them to pass, and "sandbag trench-filling" was also Shire’s invention.
So, could the "dual-wing staggered advance" be changed into "single-wing staggered advance"?
The answer was still no!
Dual-wing staggered advance meant each side only needed to cover half the distance, cutting the enemy’s reaction time in half, and halving the tank’s travel.
The latter is crucial, as with the current tank maintenance status, completing the entire route without a track breakdown is basically impossible.
"God!" Xia Fei was deeply troubled: "It’s incredible that a seventeen-year-old came up with this tactic, meticulously interconnected, each step indispensable. How did he think it up?"
In the end, Xia Fei compromised; he decided to copy it exactly without modification.
As long as he achieved victory, the media’s perception could be managed with Schneider’s help.
However, inevitably, as Xia Fei communicated the battle plan, the atmosphere in the command post became odd.
The staff said nothing, but their expressions looked like they had stolen something. They couldn’t help but wonder: if this can win, why is it Xia Fei commanding instead of Shire?
Deputy Commander Kanes understood these expressions. He didn’t know how to explain, so he shouted, breaking the awkwardness: "Stay focused, lads, our goal is to encircle the enemy’s 4th Reserve Army!"
Then Kanes added, "This time, we’re encircling an entire army! It’s completely different from last time at Lafox!"
The staff responded sparsely:
"This time it’s much harder!"
"This could be the largest encirclement battle in history."