The sky gradually darkened, and the artillery of Verdun, which had been silent for a rare moment, seemed to be preparing for the coming "night state."
The commander-in-chief of the German Fifth Army Group, who was also Crown Prince William of Germany, stood proudly on the high ground in full uniform, holding binoculars and observing the direction of the French Army.
Although he could only see a bit of floating smoke under the hazy moonlight, he pretended to say, "The bombing effect looks very good, the French have been bombed out of sight."
(In the picture, the first figure from the left is Crown Prince William, the full name is omitted for brevity. The one in the middle is German Emperor William II.)
Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Ernst replied, "We may despise the French bureaucrats, Your Highness, but never underestimate the fighting will of the French soldiers; they are much tougher than we imagine."
Crown Prince William laughed, "All I see is death, escape, and collapse. Is it my illusion?"
Vice Admiral Ernst did not reply.
It was because the German Army held too much advantage, he thought; as a Crown Prince, you have not seen real war!
Vice Admiral Ernst harbored some dissatisfaction with Crown Prince William.
The actual organizer and commander of this battle were indeed him, and Crown Prince William was just nominally brushing up his merit.
Even if it was just for this, Vice Admiral Ernst accepted it, as it was needed for the succession of the empire. However, Crown Prince William, who knew little about military affairs, liked to interfere with his command.
Crown Prince William did not notice the dissatisfaction of Vice Admiral Ernst at all; he still thought that Vice Admiral Ernst had agreed with his statement.
He turned and walked down the mountain path, complaining, "I don’t understand, General, why are we not attacking with full force? Why do we have to wait for them?"
Crown Prince William disliked the conservative approach of the German Army, who had always adopted a defensive stance, attacking only when the enemy did not.
Ernst answered, "Because we don’t want to fail, Your Highness."
"What?" Crown Prince William stopped and looked back at Ernst in confusion, "Do you mean that leaving Verdun would mean failure for us?"
Before Ernst could answer, Crown Prince William spread his hands around, "Look at the fortifications here, General. There are countless forts and trenches. If we can win here easily, nothing can stop us."
Ernst replied calmly:
"On the contrary, Your Highness."
"We have gathered a large number of artillery and supplies here, surrounding Verdun’s protrusion on three sides."
"We destroyed all the railways and roads leading to Verdun as soon as the battle started."
"The only connection to Verdun is a secondary road that can barely allow two cars to pass side by side."
Crown Prince William continued to walk forward, impatiently interrupting Ernst’s words, "This does not conflict with what I said; we can resolve this place and continue to advance, then create such conditions again."
Ernst lightly shook his head and followed Crown Prince William:
"The key is Shire’s troops, Your Highness."
"Shire’s armored and mechanized troops cannot enter this area to fight."
"It’s not just the terrain that is unsuitable, nor just because it is surrounded by our artillery, but also because the secondary road of the French Army can’t support both the troops’ supplies and the tanks’ fuel."
Crown Prince William responded with an "Oh" and fell into silence.
After a while, he asked thoughtfully, "Is Shire really as powerful as people say?"
Ernst’s lips showed a trace of helplessness.
He knew what Crown Prince William meant; he hoped to confront Shire one day.
The ignorant people, the more they do not take Shire seriously, thinking they can defeat him casually.
"You better not have such thoughts, Your Highness." Ernst replied coldly, "Many people hope not to encounter Shire on the battlefield, and that is correct."
It is not just about saving life but also about respecting war and the opponent!
Crown Prince William raised his eyebrows indifferently, glancing at the direction of the French Army again, hoping Shire would be on the opposite side.
Because as long as he defeated Shire, the entire Germany would cheer for his victory, and no one would doubt his ability to lead the country!
The German command was set up in the Beaumont Fortress, a fortress occupied two days ago, far away from the front line, surrounded by flat land, with even bloodstains not yet cleaned inside.
Crown Prince William, as usual, had dinner, read the newspaper for a while, and then prepared to go to bed.
The frontline battle had little to do with him; all he had to do was stay here and wait for the news of victory.
However, this evening was exceptionally quiet, even at nine o’clock, the sound of the French Army’s gunfire and artillery had not been heard.
Not sleeping, Crown Prince William seemed to think of something. He suddenly sat up in bed, stared blankly for a moment, then got up quickly, dressed in military uniform, and headed to Ernst’s command post.
Ernst was reading telegraphs in the command post. Seeing Crown Prince William coming in, he handed over a telegram, "There might be something that can meet your wishes, Your Highness. There is news that the French intend to send Shire, but only for one day."
"Really?" Crown Prince William’s eyes lit up.
"We are verifying it," Ernst replied, "but it should be true."
Then Ernst nodded toward the direction of the French Army, "They haven’t attacked until now, perhaps they are waiting for Shire."
"Hmm." Crown Prince William acknowledged, then he asked indifferently, "Since the enemy is not attacking, should we attack?" ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novęlfire.net
"Let me give the order." Crown Prince William eagerly said, "Is it Major General Bennett’s Seventh Army?"
Ernst thought Crown Prince William just wanted to enjoy the thrill of issuing orders, so he did not pay attention.
He did not notice Crown Prince William’s face showing a smug smile as soon as he turned.
In a field fort built of logs and trenches, Crown Prince William found the commander of the Seventh Army, Major General Bennett.
Crown Prince William fixed Major General’s military collar and ordered, "Tonight’s battle is different from usual, Major General. You must keep attacking until you can’t move anymore, understand?"
Major General Bennett instantly got excited by these words. They never understood why Vice Admiral Ernst ordered "limited attacks," thinking it wasted soldiers’ lives.
Now, this day had finally arrived!
"Understood, Your Highness." Major General Bennett stood up straight and repeated Crown Prince William’s words, "Keep attacking until you can’t move anymore!"
(Note: Fajin Han’s strategic intention to treat Verdun as a flesh mill was only known to high-ranking officers because he thought grassroots soldiers were unwilling to consume lives with the French Army, worrying that the soldiers’ morale would be affected if they knew.)