Chapter 552: Chapter 552

After Shire finished dealing with Major General Leimeng, he immediately turned the luxurious command center into a field hospital center.

The reason for calling it a "center" was because more than 200 square meters were not enough for the critically injured to use.

He could only order tents to be set up around the luxurious command center, which served as the operating room and high-risk ward, while also providing food, clean drinking water, and bandage cleaning services for the wounded.

The supplies stored in the basement were turned into field hospital supplies without being moved.

No one would have any objections to Shire’s arrangement. Treating the injured well is a virtue expected of a commander. Only those who only cared about fame and military achievements would disregard the lives of their wounded soldiers.

Moreover, the soldiers would consider: one day, they too might become wounded and lie in a field hospital awaiting rescue. Opposing this today might backfire on oneself tomorrow.

After finishing these tasks, Shire returned to the First Specialized Artillery Division’s command center with Kristen.

Kristen’s command center was much more ordinary: damp and dark tunnels, kerosene lamps emitting unpleasant odors, cramped spaces crowded with more than a dozen people, telegraph operators shouting just nearby, with the only places to sit being the beds, and desks made by stacking ammunition boxes, with papers scattered everywhere.

"The situation is improving." Due to the low tunnels, Kristen had to hunch over to report, "Some soldiers are willing to obey orders now. Those who had fled the front lines are gradually returning, with an initial count of about 100,000."

Shire responded with a grunt.

A force of 210,000 troops could only account for 100,000, and even these 100,000 might not all be obedient, so the situation was still dire.

"We need to speed up." Shire frowned slightly.

He had never felt a crisis so close to him as now, even when the German Army was at the gates of Paris at the outbreak of the war.

When the German Army was at the gates of Paris, the French Army was still strong and had room to maneuver.

Now, however, the French Army was facing the German Army on the front lines, in a state of disorganization without command. A single counterattack from the German Army could wipe out the main French forces.

Kristen frowned, "But we’ve done everything we can, now it’s just a matter of time."

Negotiating with soldiers, dealing with arrogant officers, replenishing supplies to improve food and environment, along with Shire’s reputation and credibility, only stabilized and slightly improved the situation in a short time.

Now, it seemed the only thing left was to wait.

But Shire shook his head, "No, there’s still something we can do."

"What?" Kristen looked confused, unable to think of what else could be done.

Shire looked up at Kristen and said word by word, "Fight a battle!"

Kristen’s eyes widened in shock:

"General, they mutinied because they were afraid of fighting."

"Many are worried about being sent back to the battlefield to die, and you want to fight a battle at this time?"

"This might not be appropriate..."

Shire interrupted Kristen:

"They are not afraid of fighting, nor did they mutiny because of it."

"They are afraid of dying meaninglessly!"

Some may use this as an excuse to flee the battlefield, but for those people, it wouldn’t make much sense to drag them back.

Kristen nodded thoughtfully.

However, he still thought fighting a battle was too risky, as one mistake could destroy the hard-won stability.

Kristen didn’t realize that Shire was worried about more than just the mutiny itself.

Shire looked at the map on the table, his gaze turning to the British zone on the northern shore of the River Somme.

Sometimes, the most terrifying threats aren’t from the enemies but from your own allies!

The sky gradually darkened, and across the river from the French Army, the British Army’s offensive on the northern shore of the River Somme also temporarily halted.

Without the synchronous offensive from the Southern Shore French Army, it would make the Germans suspicious.

The British Army was also in a dire situation, losing nearly 200,000 men in just over ten days of attacks.

The British had not suffered such heavy casualties in a hundred years. The Boer War lasted three years with only over 40,000 casualties, including those who died of disease or went missing.

However, despite the grim situation, Haig still looked excited.

"The French Army mutinied, they refuse to fight," reported the telegraph operator.

This was not good news. After all, the French Army was an ally. If they collapsed completely, the British Army couldn’t hold on alone, and the entire Alliance could collapse.

"Nivelle has been dismissed, and Shire has been appointed commander of the 6th Army Group to oversee the situation at the River Somme. Parliament is urgently electing the next Supreme Commander."

This was also not good news. In fact, it was bad news since it strengthened Shire’s position.

Shire’s troop command was originally limited to the two divisions under him. No one dared give him more troops, even after he was promoted.

The bastard used just over 20,000 men from two divisions to encircle Antwerp and capture more than 100,000 German soldiers. Giving him more troops would make all of France bow to his will!

This was something the parliament did not want to see. Content orıginally comes from N()velFire.net

But to stabilize the situation, they had to appoint Shire as the 6th Army Group commander since no one else could stabilize the army’s morale better than him.

The result was that Shire’s troop command instantly increased more than tenfold!

However, when Haig thought it through, combining the two pieces of information, they became excellent news.

With Shire overseeing the River Somme and the French Army in disarray, all it took was to inform the Germans at the right time...

Nothing could be more perfect!

He could simultaneously weaken Shire and the French Army with the Germans’ help. God had given him a great opportunity.

As long as he managed the balance and provided timely support to the French Army, Shire and the French Army would forever rely on the British forces, placing them under his control!

Thinking of this, a slight smile appeared at the corner of Haig’s mouth.

"Blaise!" Haig turned his head and called out.

"Yes, General." The staff officer organizing documents responded and quickly ran over, standing straight before Haig.

"It’s time to put some pressure on Shire." Haig’s face was expressionless, his voice cold, "Provide the newspapers and parliament with some information, telling them that Shire cannot control the situation at the River Somme."

After the staff officer left, Haig snorted coldly.

The British Army had invested hundreds of thousands of troops into the Somme. If Shire managed to create turmoil with 200,000 mutinous soldiers, the British Army would lose face, and Haig, as the commander, could even provoke colonial chain reactions shaking the foundation of the Sun Never Sets Empire!

Haig made up his mind; he must ensure none of this would happen.

Whether on the battlefield, in public opinion, or in politics!