Chapter 387: Battle Plan

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wesley finally called a war meeting. The generals did not know whether to look forward to it or feel awkward about it, but everyone appeared on time in the command room of the barracks.

Everyone arrived, and Wesley was the last to enter. After he reached the head of the table, Wesley’s lieutenant shouted, “Attention!”

The generals, regardless of their age, all got up. Wesley looked around and saw fifty division commanders and a dozen brigade commanders. “Please sit down!” The people sat down. As soldiers, no matter what their feelings were about Wesley, they had to do what they had to do. This is the discipline of the military. The United States is very strict about the division of ranks within the military. Those who don’t obey orders can be directly court-martialed.

If it was during combat, officers could even shoot soldiers directly at the front line. Wesley had such a right to these generals and could dismiss them and send them back to the country for court martial.

“Everyone, we have been here for more than a month. The British and French are urging us to enter the battle as soon as possible, especially to take over a part of the defense line. What do you think about this?” Wesley asked.

There was silence below. Wesley and the others were not convinced. They were clear about the invention of some equipment and the speech in Congress, but this did not mean that their teammate Wesley’s military talent could show affirmation. Because of the restrictions of military discipline, they took a non-violent attitude and did not speak.

Wesley smiled. He thought this was a good result. ‘If neither of you is going to say anything, then I’ll say something. I’ll make a deal.’

“Okay, if no one wants to talk about it, let me talk about it.” After Wesley said that, the generals were surprised. They thought Wesley would encourage or discuss it, or he would speak by name. After all, there are many very old generals here. They have fought in the Spanish-American War and are experienced commanders.

But Wesley’s next words directly shattered their thoughts. “None of us know much about the current war model. It has changed fundamentally from the past war model. The soldiers don’t have to beat the drums anymore.”

“For the current war model, we are all new recruits, but I still have some experience in this. The equipment we use now is designed by me, and it is aimed at modern warfare.”

“We don’t care if they are righteous or evil in this European war. The United States participated in the war to get benefits. The interests of the United States need to be guaranteed. This is our military mission.”

“We are not here to be cannon fodder, and it is impossible for us to completely listen to British and French decisions. Although they are allies, they must be on guard. They may suddenly stab us in the back at any time. I hope everyone understands this.”

There was a flurry of discussion below. They were not very comfortable with the idea of guarding against allies, but it was understandable after a little thought. Someone asked to speak, and Wesley waved him off.

“Sir Commander, we can understand the need to guard against our allies, but what should we do? And how can we guarantee the interests of the United States?”

Wesley motioned for him to sit down and then said, “Together, we have to stick together. All the troops are together and must not be separated. At the same time, our flank and rear are also what we have to take care of. We must not believe everything Britain and France say. Secondly, we have to guarantee the victory of this European expedition.”

Wesley stood up before anyone below could ask him a question. The adjutant pulled back the curtain on the wall behind him, revealing a map. Wesley took a baton and began pointing at the map. “I am drawing up a plan to take over this part of the defense line. The northernmost part of the Somme River defense line, close to the defense area of the North Sea.”

“Last year, they organized the Somme River Battle. Both sides suffered more than a million casualties and the battle was extremely tragic. Now, it’s a stalemate. Both sides are constantly strengthening their defense lines. Now, there’s no possibility of breaking through both sides. Moreover, their Zeng family used a new weapon like the tank in this battle.”

The men below said nothing. They were waiting for Wesley’s battle plan. They wanted to see what the commander wanted.

“The reason why I chose to defend this place is that I will launch an attack. You didn’t hear wrong. I will launch an attack,” Wesley said.

“Commander, since you said that both sides are fixing the fortifications, our attack will suffer heavy casualties. Isn’t this useless? And our boys will die in large numbers.” Someone questioned.

Wesley’s expression turned serious. His sharp gaze swept over everyone, making them feel cold. “Is that what you all think?” No one spoke down below. The gun was out.

“It seems that you don’t know much about the new equipment and tactics of the troops. Our troops are equipped and trained to break through the defense line. There are new tactical systems in both offense and defense, especially our latest rocket launchers, which are even more powerful weapons to destroy tanks and fortresses. You don’t understand the significance of these things at all.”

“The trenches will lose their concealment against our mortars. Grenades and automatic weapons can easily destroy the enemy in the trenches, and our cooperation is not trained for nothing.” Wesley’s tone is quite harsh.

“Next, I order all troops to be ready for battle. All engineer brigades will start to move and immediately maintain the road from Paris to the Somme River to ensure the speed of the heavy artillery brigade and the transportation speed of our future logistics supplies.”

“Yes.” The generals responded in unison.

Wesley did not say his plan directly because the generals were not very optimistic about the new tactics. Wesley could only change his approach. After the meeting, he went directly to the command headquarters in Paris and asked for the defense of the north bank of the Somme.

Of course, the defensive area Wesley wanted was not very long, because he wanted to attack. At the same time, he contacted the expeditionary fleet and asked them to approach the Somme River area of the North Sea. They would find a port here to prepare and ensure that logistics would reach the front line in time by sea.

The line of defense north of the Somme extended to Belgium, and Wesley’s plan was to attack from there. Once they broke through the enemy lines, if the Germans did not rear, they would simply start to circle around and surround the defensive forces on their western front. If they began to rear, Wesley would have to pursue them along the way.

What Wesley needed now was to race against time, because the February Revolution in Russia had already happened and October was not far away. Once something happened in Russia, the direction of the war would continue to develop according to inertia. Wesley needed to move the entire Western Front before the October Revolution, and at the same time, the American army needed to be sharpened.