As dusk approached, Brownie and his men returned to camp to the cheers of the 5th Army’s troops.
This was already the fifth harassment operation he had led, and although there hadn’t been any significant results, the focus was on safety.
Brownie liked this tactic, not just because it was suggested by Shire, but also because it was safe.
"Who doesn’t like safety?" Brownie joked with his men while carrying out the mission, "If anyone doesn’t, let them sign up here, and I’ll make sure they get what they want!"
The troops laughed; they thought Brownie was speaking the truth.
Nevertheless, up to this point in the battle, Brownie’s sidecars had lost more than thirty vehicles.
Some broke down, and others were involved in traffic accidents on mountain roads. Sidecars were hard to control, especially on mountain roads.
But most were lost because the drivers were shot by the Germans, resulting in tragedy.
Before every mission, Brownie would repeatedly emphasize:
"Our goal is to harass the enemy and make them uneasy, so there’s no need to get too close. As long as the bullets can barely reach, that’s enough!"
"You should know, when you can see the enemy clearly enough to aim, they can also aim at you, and probably see you even clearer!"
"So, getting close to the enemy is not wise. It will make you retire early and report to God!"
This should have been easy to follow. The Maxim Machine Gun’s firepower could cover an area, threatening enemy squads from a kilometer away, while the enemy could almost only see them through binoculars.
However, there were always those who wanted to see the enemy clearly and kill them. Whether they wanted to become heroes or out of habit, or simply wanted to test the Germans’ marksmanship.
The result was that nearly twenty sidecars were left on the battlefield forever!
Brownie rode his sidecar to his tent. He wearily stepped down from the driver’s seat, his legs stiff and numb.
Although harassment warfare was safer, it required constant movement, which forced even a commander like Brownie to learn to ride and rotate driving.
After days of this, some even joked that they’d rather lay on a bed spreading their legs like a prostitute than ride these things again!
What Brownie wanted most now was a bath and a good night’s sleep; everything else could wait!
However, General Gade stopped him: "Were there any issues, Colonel?"
"All went well, General!" Brownie replied.
Brownie had been promoted to colonel, but to him, the only difference was the two gold stripes added to his cuffs.
He still rode the sidecar, still commanded the same troops.
Oh, but yes, his sidecar squad had grown significantly, from its original size of 100 to 350 vehicles, and two-wheeled motorcycles had also been added. Brownie perhaps commanded 2,000 men.
Yet many of his troops were scattered, executing harassment operations, some of whom he had never even met and were already dispersed far away.
"Come to my command post!" Major General Gade said.
"Yes, General!" Brownie replied, wincing as he walked to the command post, his legs feeling like they were being nibbled by countless ants.
Once inside the tent, standing before Major General Gade, Brownie straightened up and gave a standard salute.
Major General Gade rummaged through a pile of documents, finally pulling one out and handing it to Brownie, saying:
"This is your new task, Colonel!"
Colonel Brownie opened the document, glanced at it, and immediately frowned, beginning to complain:
"Reconnaissance information? And we have to find the enemy’s ammunition depot and command post too!"
"We are soldiers, not spies, General! I don’t think this is appropriate..."
This wasn’t insubordination. Since leading 200 men in a charge against 20,000 German soldiers, killing and wounding thousands, destroying dozens of cannons, and only losing 23 of their own, he had been named the 5th Army staff advisor.
One of his responsibilities was to give suggestions to Major General Gade, including tactical recommendations!
"Is that so?" Major General Gade looked somewhat puzzled, "But this is an order from General Gallieni!"
"It doesn’t matter whose order it is, General!" Brownie shook his head, "It’s too dangerous. We’ve never received this kind of training..."
"But it’s Shire’s tactic!" Major General Gade said.
"Sha... Shire’s tactic?" Colonel Brownie looked at Major General Gade in surprise.
"Yes!" Major General Gade nodded, "Shire is now serving as a staff officer with General Gallieni. I hear he’s a lieutenant! Though General Gallieni hasn’t officially announced this in any document, he’s communicated it verbally over the phone to boost confidence in the tactic!"
This was Gallieni’s brilliance: verbal orders left no evidence, making it easy to deny them later if necessary.
But there seemed to be little reason to hide it, as Shire’s military talent was impossible to conceal, especially since he was already in the army.
"Let me look again, General!" Brownie turned his gaze back to the document. After pondering for a moment, his tone shifted, smooth and natural without a hint of awkwardness: "It’s a very interesting plan, surprising and bold in its innovation!"
Major General Gade raised an eyebrow, his face taking on a hint of humor: "Do you think the plan is feasible?"
"Of course!" Colonel Brownie nodded heavily, "Of course it’s feasible, General! It’s well thought out. It has us passing through enemy lines, hiding our motorcycles in the mountains, and then blending into the crowd dressed as civilians. Nobody will recognize us. Remember, the Germans are on French soil, and the occupied zones are full of French civilians. We can easily get their help!"
"And the attack phase?" Major General Gade prompted.
"The attack phase is even more brilliant!" Colonel Brownie’s eyes filled with admiration, his tone almost worshipful:
"He even thought of the fact that the Germans also produce sidecars. It’s true; the Germans have tried using sidecars to counter our harassment tactics. Though not many, we have noticed this!"
"Shire immediately capitalized on that. He has us disguise as Germans, driving the sidecars towards the enemy’s command post and ammunition depot..."
"We’ll be using German Maxim Machine Guns and rifles too!"
"Was all this a mere coincidence? Or had Shire foreseen it! Unbelievable!"
Major General Gade’s last question was: "So, do you accept this plan?"
"Of course, General!" Colonel Brownie responded firmly: "Why not? It will create a new miracle; it could be an opportunity for us!"
Major General Gade smiled. It seemed Shire was much easier to work with than General Gallieni!