Despite the inevitability of defeat, the US Army held off the German Army on the front line for over 8 hours.
Pershing sent a telegram to Charles almost every half hour:
"We can't hold them, Vice Admiral, our supply lines are under attack, and we're running dangerously low on ammunition."
"Mount Montbeh has been occupied by the Germans; we couldn't reclaim it in several assaults, and the Germans have cut off our retreat to Reims."
"Please dispatch reinforcements immediately, or the fall of Reims is inevitable."
...
Indeed, Shire dispatched reinforcements, as the act must be convincing, or the Germans would become suspicious.
The reinforcements were the 27th Army under Fuxu, ordered to support Reims but encountered barriers in the form of the river and Beihan Mountain.
The Seine River stood between the Bicangxi war zone and the Reims war zone, requiring the troops to cross a bridge and then pass through Beihan Mountain.
Even a modest German force could easily obstruct them.
