(0864) "I can't go on like this!" ”

"The White Coats must not be allowed to come ashore in Marseille!"

"Everything must be done to get Marseille back!"

Seeing that Marseille was about to fall into the control of the White Army, the French certainly felt bad. 【Reading.com】

From a logistical supply point of view, Marseille is much more important than Istanbul. If the Whitecoats take control of Marseille, their troops fighting in Europe will not have to worry about their own logistics. If the whites don't need to worry about logistics, then the nightmare for the Europeans comes. What are they capable of driving out the white-clothed army, which is not short of food and ammunition, out of Europe? Don't talk about getting out, I'm afraid that even the most basic resistance can't be completed.

I had no choice but to fight with the white army. If you don't fight now, I'm afraid that I won't have a chance in the future. The first to react was Cardinal Richelieu. In his capacity as a cardinal, he called on all the faithful to rise up against the White Army. At the same time, he personally led 30,000 Crusaders and Knights Templar to launch a counterattack against the White Coats.

Since Richelieu had acted, Louis XIII would naturally not be watching from the sidelines. The cooperation between him and Richelieu has always been very tacit. Since Richelieu had put all his troops into the battlefield, he also let go. With the order of Louis XIII, all the French [***] teams threw in a counterattack, and the number exceeded 300,000.

At the same time as the French [***] team acted, the armies of other countries also took action. They also all understand the important surname of Marseille. If they can't keep Marseille, they will be sad in the future. With Marseille as a bridgehead, the White Army could attack anywhere in Europe. No one is immune. One after another, about 200,000 troops from other countries were thrown into the counterattack against Marseille.

The European army, which numbered more than half a million and launched an attack on Marseille, was indeed a small test for the white army. In the early days of the war, the heavy artillery of the White Army had not yet arrived, and it could only rely on mortars to fight the enemy's large-caliber artillery, and it was inevitable that there would be certain casualties in the battle. However, after the arrival of howitzers of 105 and 155 mm calibers, the situation turned one-sided.

The first to suffer the destruction was the Knights Templar in Richelieu. Maybe it's because of Xu Xingxia's reminder, maybe it's because their names are too stylish, or because their outfits are the most gorgeous and peculiar, or because the big cross on their armor is too eye-catching...... Anyway, on the battlefield, the Knights Templar became the key target of the White Army's artillery, and the object of priority care.

A large number of murderous artillery fire was directed at the Knights Templar. Pity the Templars, who have endured such brutal shelling. Their bodies, under heavy artillery fire, easily turned into nothing. Their war horses were even overturned into the sky. Their spears, I don't know how many pieces were blown up. As a result, the Knights Templar, who numbered only three thousand men, were quickly wiped out under the bombardment of large-caliber artillery.

The Templars were followed by a 30,000-strong Crusader force. They followed the Knights Templar, and the front-line commanders of the White Coats treated them as if they were Knights Templar. As a result, under the ferocious artillery fire, the Crusaders were also crushed. When they went to the battlefield, there were 30,000 men. But by the time they retreated from the battlefield, there were less than three hundred men. It was a total annihilation.

Also suffering from the unfortunate was Cardinal Richelieu. He was following the Crusaders. The Crusaders were so enveloped in artillery fire that they could not find a way to escape. The cardinal was also completely blinded by heavy artillery fire. His men tried desperately to save him, but unfortunately, they couldn't find a way to escape. Because, all the open spaces around were covered by heavy artillery fire. There was no way, they could only scurry aimlessly like headless flies in the thick smoke of gunpowder.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, Richelieu and his followers all returned to heaven.

Because the artillery fire of the white-clothed army was so fierce, after Richelieu and the others were killed, the bodies were ravaged by more artillery fire, so no one could identify them at all. After the battle, the whites did not find any trace of Richelieu, believing that Richelieu had fled with Louis XIII to Paris.

"Knights Templar...... It's over......"

"The Crusades of the Bishops...... It's over......"

Louis XIII muttered helplessly, not knowing what to do.

Since his accession to the throne, Louis XIII has been very dependent on Richelieu. The Bourbon dynasty led by Louis XIII was inseparable from Catholicism. Basically, the political situation in France was carried out under the leadership of Richelieu. Louis XIII was also happy to listen to Richelieu's advice, and he was too lazy to use his brain. Now, Richelieu died suddenly, and he was like having lost his backbone, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.

Eventually, on the strong advice of his staff, Louis XIII decided to withdraw his troops. Because, the staff officers unanimously agreed that Marseille was too close to the sea and was vulnerable to shelling by the warships of the White Army, and the French army was at a disadvantage in the battle with the White Army in Marseille. If the army retreats to the area around Lyon, it will be able to avoid the artillery fire of the White Coats and navy.

"Well, retreat to Lyon." Louis XIII said weakly.

The French [***] team that counterattacked Marseille had long lost their morale under the heavy artillery bombardment of the white-clothed army. At this time, the order to retreat was received, and it was like an amnesty. They immediately threw away their weapons and equipment, turned around, spread their feet and ran, as fast as they could. The journey from Marseille to Lyon, which was more than 1,500 miles, took them only five days. With such a high speed, even the cavalry of all countries should be ashamed of themselves.

As the French retreated, the armies of other countries also retreated. Marseille was first the Marseille of the French, and then the Europeans. Now, even the French have abandoned Marseille, what are they still staying here for? In this way, in the cities of Marseille and Toulon, the white army gained a firm foothold. The door to the heart of Europe was thus opened.

After breaking through Marseille and Toulon, the Whites continued northward. Their next target was Paris. Paris is the heart of the entire European continent. At that time, Paris was the most prosperous city in Europe, and it was the economic and political center of the whole of Europe. If Paris is conquered, the countries of Europe will be divided and surrounded. With the addition of Gao Jie and Mao's Thirteenth Army from the East, the whole of Europe will be dismembered and torn apart.

Obviously, Paris is more important to European countries than Marseille. In any case, they could not allow the White Army to occupy Paris. For the French in particular, Paris is their capital, a symbol of power. If Paris is conquered by the Whites, France will perish. No matter how incompetent, mediocre, and unwilling to use his brains no matter how incompetent, Louis XIII had to wake up to resist the continued offensive of the White Army.

It was clear that, strategically, the French could not allow the White Army to attack Paris directly. The city defense of Paris was still very weak and could not withstand the heavy artillery bombardment of the white army. The French needed time to fortify the various fortifications of Paris. They needed to set up a defensive line in the south of Paris. This line of defense was finally chosen in the area of Lyon.

If there were no surprises, the White Army would have passed through Lyon when it marched north from Marseille to attack Paris. From Marseille to Lyon and from Lyon to Paris, there are roads of the best quality. This is very important for the white-clothed army, which has a heavy logistical supply task. The White Coats must be very concerned about these roads. As long as they could hold off the offensive of the White Army in Lyon, Paris would have largely been retained. Therefore, it is imperative to keep Lyon.

In order to keep Lyon, Louis XIII mobilized all his troops and used all means. In addition to ordering the mobilization of a large number of infantry to Lyon, he also ordered the mobilization of all the cavalry, trying every means to harass the marching white-clothed army and delay the movement of the white-clothed army. Louis XIII feared that the French would not have enough cavalry of their own, and seconded a large number of cavalry to the Poles. At that time, the number of cavalry in Poland was still relatively large.

The generals under Louis XIII were not entirely stupid, they also knew how to attack the enemy's logistical supply lines, and they also knew how to take any means to slow down and exhaust the white army. On both sides of the road from Marseille to Lyon, they arranged a large number of light cavalry. Their purpose was to use all feasible means to harass the white-clothed army and obstruct its march. It would be even better if some of the white-clothed troops could be eliminated piecemeal.

Under the arrangement of Louis XIII, the cavalry of the Western powers also dispatched one after another.

The first sortie, naturally, was the French's own cuirassiers. In the French [***] team, the cuirassiers have always been very famous. Purely from the outside, they are all handsome and gentlemen. Each knight selected for the cuirassier had to meet certain standards in appearance. If you have a flaw in height or appearance, you will not be selected at all.

At the same time, the cuirassiers were equipped with war horses and weapons and equipment, which were carefully equipped. The horses of the cuirassiers were all big white horses, strong and strong, and vigorous. Their cuirass was also white, and it was carved with elaborate patterns, most of which were angels or the like, representing their devout beliefs. The spears they use, which are also white, look cold and chilling.

(To be continued)