Preparing for battle

"What word from headquarters?"

At the Allied command post on the Liège Fortress front, officers from England and France stood on either side, all looking toward the commanders at the head of the room.

The army's supreme commanders, General Herbert and Lieutenant General Jean Degoutte, were setting a document on the table.

"According to intelligence from supreme headquarters, the German army is urgently sending reinforcements and supplies to Liège Fortress."

"Supreme headquarters has ordered us to take Liège Fortress before sunset."

After General Herbert calmly outlined their current orders, Lieutenant General Degoutte spoke immediately after him. "According to the intelligence, only a few thousand German soldiers are currently stationed at Liège Fortress."

"Make preparations. We attack in three hours."

"Yes, sir!"

Hearing the two generals' orders, all the officers present saluted together, then began preparing their battle plans.

"I believe we can use the Belgian troops to make the first probing attack, identifying the Germans' firing positions and artillery deployments."

"The second attack will concentrate on eliminating those firing positions, after which armored cars and infantry will work together to take Liège Fortress."

"I believe we still cannot afford to let our guard down. Even before the enemy captured it, Liège Fortress was as impregnable as a rampart of iron and a moat of boiling water. Now the Germans have reinforced it again. We still need to bring in more heavy artillery..."

In the trenches, British and French troops sat sharing out their rations, struggling to swallow the rather dry food.

The soldiers there squatted or sat, boasting to one another. One had killed several Germans a while back; another had destroyed a German armored car. As they talked-

"Click."

The soft click of a kerosene lighter caught the soldiers' attention.

"Son of a bitch, I knew you had the good stuff. Hand it over." A cigarette caught the flame of the kerosene lighter, and the distinctive smell of tobacco spread through the trench.

Several soldiers who knew him hurried over, their eyes holding a hint of longing and reproach at their good buddy for hiding cigarettes.

Seeing his comrades' looks, the soldier smiled and took the crumpled cigarette pack from inside his coat.

He shook it gently twice, and two cigarettes fell into his hand. Before he could offer them, the soldiers beside him crowded around to share the two cigarettes.

"How long have you been in this hellhole?"

A veteran took a drag of his cigarette with relish, then offered it to the young man beside him. The young man hurriedly waved it away.

"Sorry, I don't smoke. I've only just enlisted. This is my first battle."

The young soldier's face was full of anticipation as he spoke. Looking at him, the veteran merely took back the cigarette and drew another deep drag.

White smoke drifted from his mouth. "If my son were still alive, he'd be about your age."

"The battlefield is no place to be. Stay behind me later. When I tell you to get down, get down right away. Understood?"

"Understood."

Just then, a lilting French country tune rose, and a rare moment of peace before battle spread through the trenches.

"Eat while you can, drink while you can. In three hours, we'll be heading onto that damned battlefield again. Jones, you've made it this far. Don't you go dying now."

Inside Liège Fortress, a German officer paced back and forth.

He watched the soldiers hurriedly building firing positions and setting up artillery.

The German officer wore a grave expression.

"Reporting, sir. According to the count, there are currently 8,726 troops defending Liège Fortress."

"We have no heavy artillery, but our ammunition reserves are plentiful. Enough for us to fire freely for three days."

The officer's staff officer came forward to report.

As the German officer listened to his staff officer's report, his brow relaxed a little. This could count as the best news he had heard in some time.

"Have every soldier prepare for battle. Field Marshal Hindenburg said the earliest reinforcements will arrive within five days."

"In other words, our men here have to hold off the thirty divisions outside for five days."

As the staff officer listened, determination flashed in his eyes. "This is an arduous task, but I believe we can accomplish it."

"Yes, we can accomplish it. This is His Majesty the Kaiser's test for us. Now let us see it through."

The officer gave the staff officer's rather worn uniform an approving pat, brushed off the dust on it, then turned and shouted to the soldiers.

"Soldiers, get moving!"

"His Majesty the Kaiser is waiting for news of our victory! For His Majesty the Kaiser!"

"Whooo-"

Steam whistles rang across the empty countryside as train after train raced toward Liège Fortress at top speed.

Eitel stood before the window, his gaze fixed outside. His deep gaze seemed to reach across ten thousand miles to Liège Fortress and the trains speeding toward it.

"Your Majesty, are you worried?"

Rommel opened his mouth and finally asked.

Hearing Rommel's words, Eitel took a deep breath. "My orders still came too late. Eight thousand against thirty divisions."

"Let's hope they can hold out until the reinforcements arrive."

Rommel wanted to say something, but closed his mouth again. Although he would be called the Fox of the Empire in the future, he was still only an inexperienced young officer now.

Without enough experience to draw upon, he had no particularly good solution either.

Manstein knocked and entered, giving Eitel an imperial military salute. "Reporting, Your Majesty. Field Marshal Hindenburg and Governor Falkenhausen have urgently dispatched three infantry divisions to reinforce Liège Fortress."

"The supplies have also been sent. Everything is ready."

Eitel nodded at Manstein's words. Seeing His Majesty Eitel's gesture, Manstein saluted again and prepared to withdraw.

But as he reached the door, Eitel's words reached his ears. "Manstein, do you think they can hold out for five days?"

"Well, Your Majesty, forgive my frankness, but there is an enormous disparity between our forces and the Allied troops, both in equipment and in numbers."

"Even though we reinforced Liège Fortress after capturing it, the chances of holding it for five days are vanishingly small."

Hearing Manstein's words, Eitel let out a long sigh.

Only now did he realize that even though he knew most of the course history would take, facing all the situations that could arise at any moment still left him feeling utterly drained in heart and mind.

"It's still too slow."

"If only the trains could go a little faster."

At that moment, Eitel missed the high-speed rail of the future immensely. With that kind of speed, their soldiers could appear wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted.

Then this sort of situation would not arise.

"Speed?"

Hearing Eitel's words, Rommel and Manstein simultaneously seized on the key point in His Majesty's remarks.

"If we could move a little faster?"