Chapter 485 You Continue, I Am Listening!
Major Jules thought this was a "suicide" attack, but it was not.
They put on German uniforms and helmets, which were easy to obtain. There were wounded soldiers knocked down by directional mines everywhere in front of the defense line. The disadvantage was that there were holes in the uniforms from bullets or bayonets.
But who would look at these in the dark? It was sticky and uncomfortable to wear them with blood stains.
Then, they set off in several groups carrying the "wounded".
No one stopped them or checked them along the way. Everyone was running for the sharply increasing number of wounded.
The German army was in chaos, or it could be said to be afraid. They were worried that the next order would be to let them charge, and then they would become one of the wounded.
Major Jules, who knew German, even heard the Germans whispering:
"They said Charles is coming, just opposite, is this true?"
"Otherwise, who do you think this weapon came from?"
"Unbelievable, I have never heard of such a thing, it can knock down a large area in an instant, more terrifying than a machine gun!"
...
Major Jules' eyes flashed with pride, he wanted to laugh, but finally held back.
If the Germans found out the flaw because of this, it would be too worthless!
The "wounded" were successfully sent to Fort Douaumont, and some "seriously wounded" were sent into the fortress, and then the guns rang...
Most of the Germans in this area were wounded and medical soldiers. Even if there were infantry and artillery, they usually had no guns in their hands. They were helping, and the guns were either placed aside or carried on their backs.
So the battle became a one-sided massacre.
The German soldiers were shot one after another before they had time to grab their rifles.
The military doctors raised their hands and surrendered. They knew they could not match these ferocious French soldiers, but they did not realize that it was dangerous to do so in the darkness and chaos.
Bullets flew everywhere in the air, and no one knew who killed the military doctors.
During the run, countless wounded were trampled to death by people who were eager to escape.
Soldiers carrying stretchers simply abandoned the wounded and chose to escape.
The surviving wounded crawled on the ground with difficulty. They seemed to want to hide themselves, but suddenly a bayonet stabbed into their backs...
In just over ten minutes, Douaumont Fortress turned from a hospital into purgatory. The ground was pitch black and full of corpses. There was almost no place to stand. The blood gathered along the low ground and flowed into the trenches, making a clear sound of running water.
The battle in the fortress continued, but only a small number of people were fighting stubbornly.
The nearby German troops rushed to reinforce as soon as they heard the gunshots, but they were frightened by the steel balls covering the ground and lay on the ground and dared not move.
Then, the gunfire from Fort Douaumont sounded.
The 150MM shells exploded in the German trenches, blowing the Germans gathered there into the sky, and the 77MM guns fired at the backs of the Germans, and many Germans were torn to pieces before they understood what was happening.
At the same time, the French army, which had been on the defensive, finally launched a counterattack.
…
The sky gradually brightened, and the staff of the Lagden General Headquarters were still busy. Joffre lay on the desk like a dead pig, snoring evenly, with a stream of saliva flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Joffre finally fell asleep.
He couldn't sleep at first because he didn't know the situation on the front line.
Charles had cut off the connection between the two front-line armies and the rear since he took over the command of Verdun. His explanation was: "Avoid leaking military secrets."
"This bastard." Joffre cursed: "He regards us as enemies!"
The staff had a strange expression on his face when he heard this. Aren't we the ones who have always regarded Charles as an enemy?
The information that Joffre could obtain was very limited. It was a report from the intelligence personnel he temporarily sent to Verdun:
"The Germans are attacking and the artillery fire is very fierce."
"The Germans seem to have failed to advance. Our army has blocked their offensive."
"Our artillery is firing and the battle is very fierce."
...
Joffre was very anxious at first. He was worried that Charles would change the situation in just one day.
But then he thought:
If Charles was just defending, even if he could block the enemy's attack or even kill many enemies, what would that mean? Can it be called "changing the situation"?
Before Charles took over Verdun, the French army was still attacking the Germans.
After he took over, the French army hid in the trenches and passively defended without the ability to attack.
Yes, this can indeed be said to be "changing the situation", but it is developing in a bad direction!
Thinking of this, Joffre was relieved.
He sat back in his chair and wanted to drink a few sips of coffee to relieve his fatigue, but the sleepiness came like a tide, and he soon fell asleep on the table.
...
"General, General?" The staff officer pushed Joffre carefully.
Joffre suddenly woke up, looked up at the staff officer in a daze, and looked around, as if he didn't understand why he was here.
Then he reacted with an "Oh" and asked: "What's the situation? I mean Verdun."
The staff officer replied: "We don't know the situation in Verdun, General, but Charles has boarded the plane back to Paris."
From the Verdun front to the airport, you need to pass through the city of Verdun, so the headquarters knew this.
Joffre took out his pocket watch and looked at it, and his face was instantly happy: "Yes, he must have given up, this arrogant guy!"
Now there are still six hours before the appointment, and Charles can only go back early because he is powerless.
Joffre instantly perked up. He stood up and straightened his uniform with a smile on his face: "Tell this news to General Canais. He knows what to say in the parliament."
"Yes, General."
...
Canais, who was at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, was overjoyed when he received a call from the headquarters. He immediately ordered his subordinates:
"Pack up and go to the House of Representatives immediately."
"I will announce this "good news" to them as soon as possible!"
"And everyone, all French citizens!"
...
At nine o'clock, the parliamentarians gathered in the audience of the House of Representatives in the Bourbon Palace on time.
General Canais stood on the podium in a neat military uniform with a smug smile on his face.
The parliamentarians sat down with doubts. They heard that Charles had rushed to the Verdun front yesterday. Did Charles lose?
Galieni found a seat and sat down with a cold snort expressionlessly. What can be done in one day? The little guy is too anxious!
Only Steed looked confident. He knew what Charles brought to Verdun.
"Gentlemen!" Before the parliamentarians sat down, Kanais couldn't wait to say: "Like I said, Charles couldn't change anything. It was a battle with a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and us." "Not only the troops and equipment, but also the supplies." "Charles thought he could, but unfortunately he has seen the facts clearly and is now on his way back..." Suddenly, Charles pushed the door open and brought Major Jules with him. The two were covered in dust, their faces were white and black with fatigue, and Major Jules still had a lot of blood on his body, but his eyes were full of pride and excitement. Gallieni's eyes lit up, and his upper body unconsciously leaned forward. He came from the battlefield and knew what Major Jules' eyes meant. Could it be that this little guy has already done what he said? Impossible! It's not even a day yet! Charles walked slowly to the first row, and someone immediately made room for him in the seat facing Kanais. Charles nodded to express his gratitude, sat down leisurely, breathed a sigh of relief, looked up at Kanais on the stage and said, "Please continue, General! I'm listening!"