"Tell me what's going on?" Camille asked Shire nervously in a corner of the square: "Are you going to take these soldiers to fight the Germans?"
"Don't be nervous, Mom!" Shire comforted her: "I'm just teaching them how to fight, I won't go to the battlefield!"
"Teaching them how to fight?" Dejoka and Camille looked at each other in disbelief.
Shire had never left their side, and had never participated in any training. How could he know how to fight and teach others to do so?
Then Dejoka seemed to understand: "You paid them to listen to you, right? You can't squander the funds of the tractor factory , Shire! You're still in the probation period, it's your first day taking over the tractor factory..."
Shire didn't know how to respond. He knew that no matter how he explained, Dejoka and Camille wouldn't believe that he could make these soldiers follow his orders just with his eloquent tongue.
Camille glanced at the murderous-looking soldiers in the square, feeling a chill in her heart: "Alright, let's go home first, we'll talk about it there!"
"No, Mom!" Shire said: "We can't get out!"
"What do you mean?" Camille asked, puzzled.
Shire replied: "For confidentiality, the tractor factory allows entry but no exit after sunset!"
Dejoka became angry: "This is our Bernard family's factory, what right do they have to 'allow entry but no exit'..."
He thought it was the French soldiers who had set this "rule."
"Father!" Shire interrupted Dejoka: "This is my order!"
Dejoka was stunned, finding it hard to believe.
"Your... your order..." Camille repeated Shire's words with difficulty. She vaguely remembered seeing several soldiers with rifles standing guard at the factory gate.
She didn't care about "confidentiality," nor did she care about "allowing entry but no exit."
She just couldn't imagine how her harmless son, always bullied, could suddenly command others, to be precise, raise an army, controlling the entire factory in just one day.
Dejoka looked around, half-believing, and asked: "Does this involve military secrets?"
"I can't say!" Shire repeated his previous words: "I can only say, this is the safest place, we should stay here!"
Dejoka helplessly nodded at Camille, as if to say, this is what I told you this morning: Our child has grown up and is even more astute than Francis!
At the headquarters of the 6th Army Group in Paris, Gallieni slammed his fist on the desk and roared:
"This is ignorance! This is murder! This is a crime!"
Gallieni was furious for one reason only: General Joffre had rejected his suggestion to attack the German flank with the 6th Army Group.
"The situation is clear!" Gallieni's face was livid: "The German First Army is deep into our territory alone, they threw the Second Army 20 kilometers away and now have changed their attack direction into our encirclement. If we don't attack, we might lose this golden opportunity!"
Major General Monuri dared not speak up. Gallieni was right. The German Second Army only needed two days to catch up, and by then the Germans would have enough troops to surround Paris again.
Or the German First Army might suddenly realize their mistake and return to its attack route, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Everyone couldn't understand why Joffre refused to attack.
Gallieni paced anxiously in front of the desk, then angrily questioned the staff officer: "Did he (referring to Joffre) give any explanation?"
The staff officer answered nervously: "General Joffre believes that the Germans are unlikely to show such a big flaw, it is very likely a trap, with the goal of luring the 6th Army Group away from the Paris defenses and then attacking Paris, so we should wait and see..."
Gallieni snorted, interrupting the staff officer, unwilling to listen further.
Gallieni reviewed the entire process in his mind. From a certain perspective, Joffre's judgment made some sense. The biggest doubt was who spread the "rumor."
If the "rumor" was created by the Germans, the purpose was to give the First Army sufficient reason to change its marching route, ultimately making France fall for it and lure the 6th Army Group out of Paris...
No, the Germans didn't need to do that!
Gallieni said: "The Germans just need to follow their normal marching route to surround Paris from the west and cut off the supply line, then wait for the Second Army to arrive to achieve victory, why go to such trouble?"
Major General Monuri nodded in agreement.
But now, without General Joffre's orders, nothing can be done.
Gallieni felt that Joffre's actions had personal grievances involved.
Gallieni and Joffre were like fire and water, often arguing fiercely in public, even slamming tables and cursing.
Today, Gallieni found the German flaw and timely suggested an attack.
If Joffre agreed immediately, wouldn't it mean that Joffre, the commander-in-chief, was following Gallieni's battle plan?
Wouldn't it mean that the hero who defeated the Germans was Gallieni, not Joffre?
Wouldn't it mean admitting that Joffre was not as good as Gallieni?
Gallieni's eyelid twitched, he did not voice this thought aloud, after all, it was just speculation without evidence!
Gallieni gritted his teeth and ordered: "Prepare the cars, we can transport the army to the battlefield in the shortest time if necessary!"
"General!" Major General Monuri replied hesitantly: "Most of our cars have already been sent to the battlefield!"
"Then requisition other vehicles, carts, wagons, taxis!" Gallieni emphasized: "Whatever vehicles we have, we must be ready, this concerns the fate of France!"
"Yes, General!" Major General Monuri responded and stood up straight.
Davaz Tractor Factory, the lights used for illumination had been turned off, and the square fell into darkness.
Shire finally ended the soldiers' training and let them go back to comfortably take a bath. They needed to recharge their energy for tomorrow's battle, not deplete their stamina with a whole night's training.
Brownie took off his mud-covered military cap and sat next to Shire, saying in a low voice:
"They said the Germans are coming in our direction, I thought they wouldn't keep chasing us!"
Shire mumbled in response, thinking that if Brownie knew it was Shire who set the trap and lured the Germans here, would he be angry enough to punch him?
"Those things you came up with..." Brownie gestured towards the tractor in the corner of the square: "Are you sure they'll work?"
If the Germans focused on attacking the machine gun factory, they might send thousands of men, did this kid not know that? Could these things defeat thousands of Germans?
"Don't worry, Major!" Shire glanced at the direction of the dormitory and said: "My family is here, I bet everything on you winning!"
Major Brownie smiled bitterly; he felt he had gone mad, actually believing a teenager and following his instructions to carry out this series of ridiculous actions!
Major Brownie looked up at the sky, gazing at the stars, and sighed:
"This world is beautiful, who knows if I can still sit here and watch the stars tomorrow!"