At the last moment, Fajin Han attempted to force the German 4th Reserve Army to continue encircling the French Army in the Cape Town region, but this was futile.
The French 1st Tank Brigade, along with two specialized artillery divisions, nearly forty thousand soldiers, pushed into the hinterland of Cape Town, which was the core area of the German 4th Reserve Army, especially the Cape Town train station, which was piled with ammunition and supplies transported from the rear.
After the French Army seized it, they replenished a batch of supplies and then set everything, including the train station, ablaze, burning it to ashes.
On the other side, Xia Fei cooperated by launching an attack on the German defensive lines from the front.
Xia Fei had to cooperate; if he dared to play tricks while forty thousand French soldiers were surrounded, it wouldn’t just be a matter of whether he could sit stably as the Supreme Commander of France, but whether he would be sent to a military court for trial.
The German Army in Cape Town was besieged and firefighting everywhere; they chose to disobey Fajin Han’s orders and voluntarily gave up a gap to allow the French Army to break through.
This decision was correct; they only withdrew three kilometers to the second line of defense, and most of Cape Town was still in German hands.
If they had obeyed Fajin Han’s command and continued to hold on, there was a possibility that the entire line would collapse, losing the entire Cape Town.
At the moment when the Paris City Defense Command received the intelligence of the successful breakout, the staff officers cheered and congratulated Shire:
"A brilliant battle, Shire!"
"You’ve fooled the Germans several times in a row, playing them in the palm of your hand."
"I believe that includes Fajin Han!"
The staff officers smiled knowingly.
Kobudo seized the opportunity, snapping photos with his camera and then holding a notebook and pen, started interviewing on the spot:
"Major, I heard you weren’t very confident about this battle before it?"
"Yes!" Shire spoke truthfully: "It was almost impossible to succeed unless the Germans withdrew their troops from Cape Town."
"So... what was the reason you ultimately decided to send the 1st Tank Brigade to reinforce?"
Shire turned his gaze to Gallieni, meaning that this question should be directed at Gallieni.
Gallieni let out an "hm" sound, took a small sip of coffee to moisten his throat, and replied without a hint of blush:
"I know this question. When Shire knew that over forty thousand men were trapped and in imminent danger..."
"He immediately requested to dispatch the 1st Tank Brigade to reinforce!"
Shire was stunned; the truth seemed otherwise.
But Gallieni continued with a solemn face: "I initially refused, I said ’It’s too dangerous, Major, no matter how many troops are sent for reinforcement, they might not return!’"
What a lie, that’s clearly something Shire originally said.
"But Shire insisted, without a moment’s hesitation, and sternly questioned me: ’Those are forty thousand lives, forty thousand families, even if it’s dangerous, even if there’s only a one percent chance, we should give it a try!’"
What a liar, that was clearly your idea!
"I was moved by Shire’s spirit. He was so firm, willing to sacrifice everything for the country, for the military, for the citizens of France. This is who he is, this is Shire!"
Shire found it hard to listen any longer, but he noticed that the surrounding staff were all deeply moved, some had tears in their eyes.
Kobudo was also attentively taking notes.
If it had been someone else, they might not have believed it, even taking it as a joke.
But this was Shire, who had done so much to save the nation and the army; who wouldn’t believe it?
If there were any, it would be an insult to France!
Finally, Gallieni concluded, "I was convinced, and gave him full command of the rescue operation. Facts have proven he was right, he successfully saved our people!"
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted in the office.
The staff officers rushed to shake Shire’s hand:
"Thank you for your dedication to France!"
Shire awkwardly responded, casting a puzzled look at Gallieni, who calmly drank his coffee, acting as though it had nothing to do with him.
At this point, the phone rang; Gallieni picked it up:
Gallieni gestured towards Shire with the receiver, smiling, "Wells, it’s for you!"
Shire took the phone and identified himself, hearing a steady yet slightly trembling voice, trying to suppress his excitement and make it sound official:
"Hello, Major! I’m Wells!"
"It was truly an impressive command, very brilliant."
"I want to say, if you ever need anything in the future, I would be very happy to serve you."
"Thank you, Mr. Wells." Shire answered calmly, "This is what we should do, as soldiers, we must always strive to achieve victory in battle, and everyone should do their best!"
On the other end of the line, Wells agreed repeatedly, "Yes, you are absolutely right, thank you again!"
Without much more, he hung up.
In fact, both sides understood tacitly, this was Wells expressing support for Shire, and Shire politely deflected for discretion.
After hanging up, Butler Deni couldn’t help but ask, "Sir, are we really shifting to support Shire?"
Wells gently nodded, "Have you forgotten that Schneider is also our competitor?"
Hearing this, the butler said no more.
Schneider specialized in the steel and forging industry, its advantage being it could obtain the steel needed to build warships from its own steel mills. Though its experience in producing warships was not as extensive as the Brest Shipyard, it had a price advantage and strong competitiveness.
The enemy of the enemy is a friend; Wells had no problem doing this.
The butler found it strange because Wells had always been unwilling to openly break with Schneider. Why now...?
Wells ignored the butler, walked to the window, and sat in his rocking chair, lightly rocking.
The butler said nothing more, quietly leaving the room and closing the door gently.
This was Wells’ habit when contemplating; the rocking chair made him feel as though the warship was sailing on calm seas, and only then could he think things through.
Wells chose Shire not because he saved Tijani, although that was a favor, it wasn’t enough to warrant full support.
Wells saw Shire’s sharp and accurate battlefield judgments; he could produce tanks that crushed all opponents, including "Saint Chammon," CA-1, and Germany’s new tanks.
They were all no match for Shire.
So, could Shire also see the future direction of naval development?
Just one word or a hint could potentially put the French Navy back on the right track, lifting the Brest Shipyard out of its predicament!