“If,” came a voice from below, and Hal recognized it as that of Count Von Moltke, “if we can draw the British to this point, we can cut them off from their French support and annihilate them. And——”
“And,” came the voice of the Kaiser himself, “we can, then, by a quick turning move, take the French by surprise and our victory will be complete.”
“Exactly, sire,” came Count Von Moltke’s voice again.
“But, sire,” said a third voice, “what have we to warrant that the English will accept our bait?”
The Emperor did not reply immediately, and Count Von Moltke broke in again.
“We will make a strong showing on the eastern shore of the Marne,” he said, “and will retire slowly before the British. As they come on, flushed with apparent victory, Von Kluck will take them on the left flank. We shall cut them to pieces.”
“The plan sounds well to me,” came the voice of the Kaiser again. “General Von Kluck, how soon can you be in readiness to execute this coup?”
“Not before day after to-morrow, sire,” was the reply. “It will take me that long to bring my men to the designated point, at the same time keeping the British unaware of their withdrawal.”
“And how many men will you be able to bring?” asked the Kaiser.
“Half a million, sire.”