I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 764 Yani Town

The rain poured down harder, with lightning breaking through the sky, illuminating the cold outlines of the tanks amidst the rolling thunder.

The large raindrops hit the tank's armor, making a "pat-pat" sound, as if counting down to the enemy's doom.

After crossing the river, the 1st Armored Division directly headed toward Metz, followed closely by the 1st Mechanized Division.

The newly formed two motorized divisions advanced in two different directions along the Meuse River.

They would outflank the German Army's Meuse River defense line from the rear, allowing Petain and Fuxu's forces to cross the river smoothly and launch a full-scale attack on the enemy.

At this moment, Petain and Fuxu were unaware of the situation, as Shire had not revealed his battle plan to them. They thought this standoff would last for several months, if not longer.

...

Petain was still at Bicangxi, commanding his troops to construct defensive fortifications with great care, meticulously assigning firepower to each bridge:

The bridgehead was surrounded by semicircular trenches, with anti-tank ditches dug in front and barbed wire laid down.

The second line of fire consisted of several Maxim Machine Guns, using crossfire to blockade the bridge surface.

The third line was mortars, the fourth line 75 cannons, and the fifth line howitzers...

As a "defensive specialist," Petain wished he could fill the bridge with bullets and shells.

Every bridge was fortified in the same way, with some even reinforced with bunkers.

He was very proud of his "masterpiece," thinking that even if Shire attacked this defensive line, it would be a narrow escape at best.

At this moment, a staff officer rushed to him after answering a phone call: "General, the 1st Armored Army has just informed us that Shire's troops have broken through the Meuse River defense line. The 72nd Motorized Division is attacking the enemy's defenses on the other side and wants us to prepare for an offensive!"

Petain was stunned for a while before asking, "What did you say? Shire broke through the Meuse River defense line? How did he do it?"

...

Fuxu, unlike Petain, was always planning attacks while stationed in Mezieres.

He envisioned expanding the war gains from the base at Mezieres.

The advantage of Mezieres was its location on the east bank of the Meuse River, eliminating the difficulties of crossing the water.

However, Sedan blocked the advance; it was a fortress city filled with ancient castles and fortifications that were easy to defend but hard to attack.

(The image above shows the ancient castle of Sedan, preserved to this day)

Moreover, Sedan was wedged in a narrow passage between the Arden Forest and the Meuse River, blocking the exit like a huge stone.

Fuxu considered many attack plans:

Circling around Sedan through the Arden Forest, like Shire did.

But after the last battle, the Germans were prepared, and their defenses had penetrated deep into the forest with fortifications built there.

Pincer attack from the Meuse River?

That seemed impossible too, as the German Army had deployed two howitzer regiments in Sedan, their firepower sufficient to lock down the river.

As Fuxu frowned in worry, a messenger excitedly reported, "General, Shire successfully crossed the Meuse River! His forces are advancing south along the river, attacking the German riverside defense troops, and they want us to be ready to support them!"

Fuxu thought he had misheard: "Shire's forces have already crossed the river? How did he do it?"

...

Yani Town was the must-pass route from Verdun to Metz.

Manstein brought his mobile brigade there ahead of time, planning to give Shire a "surprise."

Upon arriving, he immediately ordered the expulsion of the town's residents.

He believed that positioning anti-tank guns inside the town would have advantages, with houses, streets, and buildings providing perfect cover for the guns.

Manstein knew that leaving the residents would be more beneficial for the German Army.

The residents were French, and Shire's troops would hold back, making them hesitant to fight full-force.

But as an aristocrat, Manstein scorned to do such things.

"I want an honorable victory," Manstein told his subordinates, "I want to defeat Shire in a way that convinces him and shows everyone that Shire can be defeated. Victory always belongs to us, to Germany!"

Perhaps inspired by Manstein's bold words, the morale of the mobile brigade was high, and they actively prepared for battle.

While the troops were busy, Manstein asked his staff, "Do you know how Shire crossed the river?"

Throughout the journey, he had been puzzled by this; how could Shire break through the defense line and infiltrate the hinterland of the Meuse River in just half an hour?

"No, Colonel," the staff officer answered, "We haven't received any intelligence."

The time was too short, and the scattered German units hadn't had time to report to their superiors, so of course, the information could not be passed down.

Because of this, Manstein knew nothing about Shire's new tanks and was still imagining the anti-tank guns toppling "Shire A1" tanks one after another.

Several aircraft flew low overhead, without strafing or bombing.

Due to the rain curtain, they could only conduct a rough reconnaissance, which was one of the reasons Manstein's troops could arrive safely and on time.

Manstein looked up in the direction the planes left, then turned and ordered, "Command, prepare for battle. The enemy is coming."

Those planes were scouting ahead for Shire's troops.

However, they probably didn't find anything.

This meant that Shire might very well fall straight into this ambush.

...

But Manstein was wrong.

The scout planes did not find the German soldiers lying in ambush in the town, but they did see the groups of residents being expelled from the town and reported this to Shire in time.

Shire immediately guessed that the German Army had laid an ambush in Yani Town.

"What should we do?" Tijani asked with a frown, "Yani Town is a must-pass route, bypassing it is possible but would add at least three hours' travel time."

Three hours was a conservative estimate; the actual time would be much longer.

Because the longer the delay, the more German troops would gather to block the advance.

Shire did not hesitate, ordering coldly, "Attack it, as fast as possible!"

...

Manstein had set up his command in the church at the center of the town, standing in the bell tower where he could easily observe the advancing French Army with binoculars.

The road passed by the right side of the church; if Shire's troops could fight their way here, there was a chance Manstein would meet him face to face.

But Manstein believed Shire could not achieve that.

The streets could only allow three tanks to pass side-by-side; if two tanks were knocked out, Shire's advance would be blocked.

This was a battle with no suspense, Manstein thought; the myth of Shire's invincibility would surely be shattered here!

Suddenly, the "rumble" of tank engines came from the other end of the road.

They're here!

Manstein immediately turned his binoculars toward the direction of the sound.

Through the rain curtain, the faint shadows of tanks could be seen, getting closer and clearer.

Finally, two tanks traveling side by side came into the binoculars' field of view.

As Manstein got a clear look at the tanks, his eyes widened in shock.

Dammit, those are not "Shire A1" tanks; they are new tanks! They look much larger and more robust than "Shire A1"!