I was a tycoon in World War I: Starting to save France

Chapter 974 Changing the Battlefield Single-handedly

Only then did the paratroopers slowly descend to the ground.

Major General Friedrich was surprised to find that some paratroopers were actually pulling on the parachute lines to control their parachutes and change their trajectory to fly towards "Lonsingborg".

"General, we should go back now!" the staff officer reminded him.

Major General Friedrich was unwilling to give up; he knew that returning to the fortress under these circumstances would almost certainly mean certain death.

He even considered pulling the soldiers out of the fortress to organize the defense.

However, he knew it wouldn't work.

Most of the soldiers in the fortress were technical soldiers; they were responsible for operating the artillery, carrying shells, and learning how to fire the cannons more accurately.

Apart from the machine gunners, they had barely even touched a rifle. Taking them out of the fortress to defend against the elite French paratroopers was practically tantamount to suicide.

In the end, Major General Friedrich followed his staff back into the fortress and closed the thick iron gate.

The only hope now is to hold the fortress and buy time, waiting for reinforcements from Liege to arrive.

But the truly terrifying things have only just begun.

When the fortress is attacked at close range by the enemy, it's like a tiger having its claws bound.

German soldiers could only aim their guns and cannons at the paratroopers landing on the plains, but often after firing a few shots, a grenade would suddenly be thrown in through the firing port.

Or the cannon explodes without warning.

That wasn't actually a barrel explosion; it was paratroopers outside the castle throwing grenades into the cannon barrel.

If the cannon is not loaded with shells, it's fine. But if it is loaded with shells and ready to be fired, it will cause a violent internal explosion. The gunner will be thrown dozens of meters away with the exploding cannon body, and it may even detonate the ammunition piled up behind it, causing the whole interior to buzz.

The explosion startled Friedrich, who shouted, "Stop firing! Everyone, cease firing! Remove the shells!"

But it was too late.

Just as the artillerymen were busy moving the shells away, a column of fire suddenly surged in from outside the firing port. It was like the poisonous fire spewed by an evil dragon, instantly turning the artillerymen into burning figures.

Then, amid the soldiers' screams and cries of terror, more shells were detonated.

Shrapnel and cement debris flew everywhere, and the entire fortress shook as if it were in an earthquake.

Major General Friedrich was thrown several meters away by the shockwave. After catching his breath, he struggled to his feet and found that he could not hear anything except a buzzing sound. He felt as if liquid was flowing down his cheeks.

Upon touching it, I discovered that the blood was seeping from my ear canal.

It's not over yet.

When Major General Friedrich regained his senses, he discovered that the iron gate of the fortress had exploded again; it had been blown open from the outside by the enemy using explosives.

Immediately afterwards, grenades, trailing wisps of smoke, were thrown into the fortress.

Major General Friedrich sighed inwardly. Rather than end it like this, he should have taken the soldiers out to fight earlier. At least they could have put up a fight and died with more dignity.

……

The telegram reached the General Staff in Berlin.

Hindenburg took the book and was stunned. After a long while, he turned his blank gaze to Wilhelm II: "The Liege fortress has been breached, Your Majesty."

The command post fell silent instantly. The ringing of telephones and the beeping of telegrams stopped, and even the staff officer delivering documents stood there staring blankly in this direction.

Wilhelm II, who was mobilizing his troops to organize the First and Second Tank Divisions to intercept the French army, looked up in surprise, paused for a moment, and then suddenly laughed: "This is impossible, Marshal, don't joke around."

Hindenburg shook his head and handed over the telegram: "This is no joke, Your Majesty."

Wilhelm II took the telegram, glanced at it, and his smile instantly froze on his face, his eyes filled with shock: "Parachutes? And bombers? Bombers that can penetrate 3 meters of concrete?"

He slowly sat back down in his chair, muttering to himself:
"God, how stupid of me to think I could defeat Ciel!"

"No one can beat him, no one!" "That's wrong, I shouldn't have believed them..."

Hindenburg suddenly looked up at Wilhelm II.

He had heard rumors that Wilhelm II was bypassing France and reaching some kind of agreement with Britain and the United States.

Is this true?

Was the "they" that Wilhelm II referred to referring to Britain and the United States?
Ludendorff, oblivious to anything amiss, stepped forward and suggested, "We still have a chance. The First and Second Tank Divisions haven't even engaged the enemy yet. We just need to transfer them back to the Ruhr region..."

Hindenburg shook his head: "It's too late. The French First Panzer Corps has already made contact with them. Even without fighting, they won't be able to withdraw from their positions smoothly!"

Ludendorff understood that the First Panzer Corps of the Charlemagne would pursue the First and Second Tank Divisions, and by the time they retreated to the Ruhr region, they would likely have lost half their forces and be unable to fight any longer.

……

Liege Fortress.

"Lonsingburg" was the first breach made by the French army, followed by forts No. 12 and No. 2 on either side of it.

The German troops fought bravely, and the remaining fortresses, knowing they were doomed, continued to resist.

But Charles didn't care about any of that.

He directed bombers to bombard Fort Lautysey, and then airdropped a group of paratroopers to Fort Liers, easily capturing both locations.

With this, the Liege fortress was breached, and the city of Liege was occupied by the influx of French troops.

Whether the other seven fortresses surrendered or not had no impact on the French army. The 7nd Panzer Corps, belonging to the 6th Army, had been continuously crossing this supposedly most fortified fortress and entering German territory.

……

Albert I, accompanied by General Eden and the Belgian army, marched triumphantly into Liège to the cheers of the people.

He shouted excitedly to the citizens:
"Today is a memorable day. We have recovered all of Belgium's territory."

"But gentlemen, our battle is not over yet, far from over!"

"Because we cannot be satisfied with the liberation of Belgium, we must follow in Charles's footsteps and fight alongside him for world peace and for the freedom of mankind!"

The citizens excitedly raised their hands and cheered.

……

Paris, France.

People had only just heard that Charles had launched an attack on the Liège fortress, and their discussions were still:
"How many days do you think it will take Charles to conquer Leyden?"

"It won't be just a few days, I think it will take at least several weeks, and it will likely result in heavy casualties."

"Yes, Liege is unlike any other fortress; without heavy artillery, it will be helpless."

……

However, before the speculation could subside, news arrived that Charles had successfully breached the Liège fortress and advanced into Germany.

No one could believe it was true:
"But it's only been a little over three hours since the Charles launched their attack. That's the world's most fortified fortress."

"This can't be true! How could Charles destroy those fortresses in just over three hours!"

"This must be a joke, right? It's April Fool's Day! You can't just say things like that!"

……

Gallieri grinned foolishly in his minister's office, holding the victory telegram: "What a terrible fellow! He single-handedly changed the entire battlefield. The era of fortresses is over!"

(End of this chapter)