Since the occupation of Paris the day before, the whole of Germany has been immersed in indescribable ecstasy, with the bells of every church ringing incessantly and every German cheering hysterically. On the watchtower in the woods behind the German lines, the impulsive Wilhelm II almost fell off the tower in excitement, and after saving his life in time, he could not wait to stay at the Elysee Palace on the Champs-Élysées that night, despite the opposition of the remaining enemies in Paris and all the ministers and generals. Here, the French tricolor had been thrown to the ground, tarnished by the rain and the mud from the soles of the soldiers' feet, and the German flag began to waive in the rain, proudly defying all that it had to do.

Victory, unprecedented victory! Brilliant, unparalleled brilliance!

At the moment when the leather boots were about to step on the red carpet of the Elysée Palace, the emperor wanted to cry with excitement, and even his left hand, which had not been able to move for decades, could not help but tremble at this time. As the German emperor, he was once again as ...... as his grandfather, no! , even greater than his grandfather, whose army besieged the city for months before forcing the French to surrender, and himself captured it directly, while annihilating the defenders at the same time......

The Emperor was so dizzy as he stepped up the steps of the Élysée Palace that some of his thoughts came to him in such a state of great confusion that it was not until he was prompted by Field Marshal Hindenburg that he returned to his normal state and walked with his entourage into the former presidential palace with his head held high.

Victory was as youthful and fanciful as an aphrodisiac, and when the Kaiser slept peacefully in his 'spring dream', from early in the morning he heard the news not as good as his dreams, and the monarchs and leaders of the Entente countries unanimously pledged to persist in the battle. And firmly believed that the final victory belonged to the Entente. However, the emperor did not care about this. He thinks it's just a relapse of the lying nature of politicians, because it won't be a few days away. Their envoy to peace will kneel before him.

The ambition of the emperor made Ludendorff, the de facto controller of the German high command, shake his head. The Entente could only be defeated, or they could not bear the casualties and could not see any hope of victory. But either way, the Germans had to attack continuously. The next day, after the Panzers drove the French troops out of Edamp and into Orleans, Ludendorff immediately gave the order to suspend the offensive; He then ordered the main German forces to assemble on the right flank of Crown Prince Wilhelm, with a view to launching a decisive offensive against the British Expeditionary Force;

At the same time, 400 of the 600 light tanks captured and completed from the Renault factory were also transferred in this direction, but when he ordered the Panzer Corps under the command of Leo to drive to the west side of Paris, the two men disagreed on the strategic planning of the German army.

In Leo's opinion: to take advantage of the defeat of the French army and continue to attack - for those French cowards who will retreat in embarrassment at the slightest sound of the engine. Perhaps the pursuit of the Loire would have led to a complete rout of the French army, when all the Germans really had to do was to collect the prisoners; As for the U.S. Army, they don't know how to fight at all, although their morale is higher than that of the French army, but their fighting spirit is not much higher in the midst of the defeated army, and when the fear of seeing the steel crushing the flesh and blood is aroused, their large size that is twice that of the European army will have an unexpected effect in the rout.

The French were already frightened birds, and the pull of the bowstring without the need to shoot the bow and arrow could lead to the final victory of the German army. The only thing to worry about was the speed of the infantry follow-up and the speed at which the vehicles could be replenished - more than half of the vehicles were damaged on the first day of the detour to Paris, and the other half were lost the next day. Although the German industry was stronger than that of China, the untested mechanical reliability of the armored forces had become a fatal wound for the armored forces.

In his telegram, Leo emphasized these facts. But in Ludendorff's opinion, continuing the offensive south would lead to nothing. Orleans is on the north bank of the Loire River, and it is the apex of the river's bend. Once the river, which was suspended on the surface because it was full of sediment and had taken hundreds of years to tame, burst its banks, the Germans captured only an ocean.

Genius staff officers always have judgments that are different from ordinary people. Ludendorff, affectionately known as the 'magic expert', has undoubtedly captured the essence of the matter. In the fifth month of the Jesus calendar, it was the season of rain, and the of the Loire were not strong. As soon as the hysterical French had nothing to do, they would blow up the river embankment in order to retreat calmly – the same was true when the Russians retreated, so the German bayonets could only turn to the west, and if they could drive the more than half a million British out into the sea, then Germany would be invincible.

In terms of the strength of the German and British armies, Ludendorff was completely right. The two million German troops removed the 400,000 people who defended the Baath Army on the Eastern Front, and the 600,000 people who stabilized the southern front and suppressed the Franco-American coalition forces, and the remaining 1 million troops against the more than 500,000 British troops could be completely defeated in one drum. But just as the Germans were mobilizing their troops and were about to launch an offensive, a blow suddenly came from behind them.

"The target of their attack is Verdun!" Reading the telegram sent by the general officer, Ludendorff looked at the Chief of Operations in disbelief. Lieutenant Colonel Wetzel and Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Baron Lorraine Hofen.

"Yes, General." The baron's face was also incredulous, "They gave up on Metz, but it could just as well be a feint, as the armored forces have traditionally only attacked in the morning, in the mist, without any artillery fire." This time, the Chinese chose to attack at noon, and the fanfare attack was probably just a cover or a ploy. ”

"Cover-up, stratagem?" Lieutenant Colonel Witzel, the chief of operations, questioned in a low voice, and when he saw Ludendorff looking at him, he said: "I believe that this is a real attack, the soldiers on the front line have eliminated more than fifty Chinese tanks, but there is still a steady stream of tanks behind them, and after an hour and a half of attack, all the anti-tank fortifications on the front line have been eliminated, this should be an armored regiment, no, I think it should be an armored brigade attacking." This is the main armored division of the Chinese, who have gathered and attacked from our most unexpected places.

We thought that at most one armored battalion would be attacked there, but the Chinese unexpectedly dispatched an armored brigade. And according to the report of General Quaster of the Sixth Army, the Chinese tanks were like ants, completely ignoring casualties and drowning the cement fortifications he had painstakingly arranged. The commander of the front said that the Chinese are crazy! ”

Verdun or Metz, this is a crucial question! But no matter what. The Baledik line has already been broken through by the Chinese armored divisions, regardless of whether the attack on Verdun is real or not. The Germans had to immediately mobilize their forces to quickly stop the Chinese advance. However, just as the French could not resist the German armored attack, the breakthrough Sixth Army could not withstand the armored assault of the Chinese.

"What if the Chinese take Verdun?" Ludendorff pondered for a moment and suddenly asked. It can be seen that he had the idea of driving the British out of the sea even if Verdun was lost.

"No, General, we can't do that." Lieutenant Colonel Wetzel said with a bitter face. "Verdun was not as important as Metz, but by capturing it, the Chinese would cut off the two railroads to the north. Even further north is the attack on Luxembourg, which is only 60 kilometers from the Longvi iron ore mine and is easily accessible. ”

"But Chinese only about 300,000 men, and even if they capture Verdun, we can surround them after dealing with the British, and the army's supplies for the war can be transported from the direction ......of Belgium," stressed Lorraine Hofen, deputy chief of staff. In contrast to Metz, he believes that Verdun can be given up for the time being.

"No, no. The French are mobilizing. Lieutenant Colonel Weitzer interrupted. Although we surrounded the defenders of Paris and forced Persanne's defenders to retreat, the French forces on the line of more than 180 kilometers east of Paris as far as Vitryy did not retreat. They could at any time send hundreds of thousands of troops to follow the Chinese, and they were doing so, moving towards Saint-Dizier.

Another thing that worries me is. If the Chinese occupy Verdun, then the low morale of the French army will rise again. As long as we remain entangled with the British, it is likely that the French and American armies in Orleans will reinvigorate themselves and launch a diversionary attack on us. ”

Just as Falkingham historically took advantage of Verdun's peculiarity in the hearts of the French to lure the French army to their deaths. Lieutenant Colonel Wetzel also pointed out the impact of the Chinese occupation of Versailles on the French army and even France as a whole, and this victory was likely to fundamentally motivate the French to continue fighting. As things stand, the French army will at least be able to secure the line and eventually launch a counteroffensive after the arrival of the Chinese and Americans.

"If you want to hold Verdun, how many divisions will you need?" Constantly combining the pros and cons, Ludendorff found himself trapped in a dead circle: if the Germans wanted to win, they had to completely defeat the British Expeditionary Force, and when attacking the British Expeditionary Force, the Chinese and the French stabbed themselves in the weak spot in the back. It was a choice whether to let the back bleed or to drive the British out to sea first. Since it's a choice, there are pros and cons no matter how you choose, but, can you not choose?

"General, I think you should ask how many divisions are needed to retake Verdun." Lieutenant Colonel Wetzel reminded. "With the Chinese of the Panzer Division, and ......" the lieutenant colonel glanced at the baron, with an unspeakable complaint - it was the Baron who thought that the 77 anti-tank artillery fortifications and anti-tank trenches all over the front line could stop the Chinese armored assault, but the fact was that Chinese with astonishing determination and sufficient numbers to flood those fortifications like a tide, and now, the Chinese known to break through the defense line can advance in great stride." …… The Chinese attach great importance to the combination between motorized infantry and armored divisions, and wherever their combat vehicles go, the infantry follows. Verdun has always been our military depot and supply base because it is a transportation hub, but this time in order to gather forces to attack Paris, the troops that can be drawn are ......"

The lieutenant colonel's reminder finally woke up Ludendorff, who wanted to avoid the choice, and he interrupted Wetzel and said a little roughly: "Tell me! How many troops does Verdun have now? ”

"I think ......" the lieutenant colonel's face stiffened and his tongue bitter, "I think there are only two reserve divisions there." Seeing Ludendorff's eyes widen, the expression on his face immediately changed to the struggle of a drowning man, but in the end he said, "And these two divisions are not compiled." General, we had always thought that Chinese would attack Metz or Alsace, because that was the deadliest threat to us, and Verdun was only abandoned by the French at the beginning of the war......"

"Enough!" Ludendorff's substantial gaze swept over the faces of Baron Lorrainhoven and Wetzel. When formulating the Paris Offensive, they assured that the Chinese armored forces would not be able to break through the steel fortresses of the front line, and the other believed that the Chinese would attack Metz to the north or Alsace to the east. The judgment of the two men made Ludendorff give up his vigilance against Verdun. After all, in peacetime, even if the Chinese occupy this place, this salient will be flattened by the German army.

But now it's different. Although the French were surrounded and annihilated many troops, there were still more than 700,000 French troops on the east side of Paris. Together with the Chinese expeditionary force, there were 1.1 million people, more than one million German troops east of Paris, and the most fatal thing was that the Chinese had opened a gap, and if the Chinese led the French to make trouble on the Lorraine plateau, the German army lacking stamina would be difficult to continue.

What's more, the British expeditionary force is far more durable than the French army, and if you want to drive these 500,000 people into the sea, not to mention that you will never be able to do it in a short time, even if you do, if you want to annihilate the British army, which has been wary of armored assaults, you will lose a lot of elite troops. In the case of one-to-many. Each break is the best choice, but this side has just knocked out the French, and the Chinese have risen up again, which is really the sorrow of being outnumbered.

"Immediately order His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Ruprecht to send no less than six army groups to Verdun to support, and to recapture and hold the fortress of Verdun in the shortest possible time; Metz's Sixth Army was also to draw all available forces to support Verdun. Ludendorff ordered. Preparations for the offensive against the British on the Western Front were not to be interrupted, and as soon as the fortress of Verdun was consolidated, the offensive would begin immediately. ”

"Yes, General!" Lieutenant Colonel Wetzel saluted. Ludendorff finally made a decision and sent the elite troops that were supposed to be assembled on the Western Front to Verdun to support. His plan was to send heavy troops to recapture Verdun while the Chinese were still unstable, and then start attacking the western front. While the sudden redeployment of troops preparing to the west to the east would lead to intolerable chaos, it was the only solution to the current difficulties.

The decision of the German High Command can not be described as unpleasant, but with the current situation on the battlefield. Even the defenders of Metz, only 70 kilometers from Verdun, had to get reinforcements at night - the German aircraft group was all transferred to Paris, and the Chinese air force, which had absolute air supremacy, could completely sweep away the trains or cars that had been reinforced. The threat of aircraft was only one of them, after the breakthrough of Baledik. Saint-Mielle was again taken by the 2nd Panzer Division, which attacked in advance, and the Chinese expeditionary force rushing towards Verdun from here only had to occupy the towns of Manal and Ae, which were holding the Maas Hills on the east side of Verdun. Then the month given to the Sixth Army may not be able to break through the defensive line of the Chinese.

Resist steel with steel, fight tough with tough. This is the most essential characteristic of the Prussians, who practiced militarism and built their state on iron and blood. But it is precisely this kind of thinking that makes it extremely miserable in the process of transformation from modern to modern. This kind of thinking, which is rooted in Prussian culture, makes it like a hard-shelled egg, which is impossible to resist once it is chiseled.

Song Desheng, the commander of the 2nd Panzer Battalion, did not understand the characteristics of the Germans, and he was leading his remaining Panzer Battalion to Verdun at sunset. In the thrilling battle that took place two hours earlier, the second battalion lost more than two-thirds of its vehicles, but in the end, under the cover of the follow-up tanks, the tanks and motorized infantry battalion soldiers who rushed to the vicinity of the German fortifications flattened the anti-tank artillery fortifications one by one, and black smoke billowed from every concrete fortification.

In order to arrive and capture Verdun before dark, he could no longer care about the chariots that were being dragged out one after another in the anti-tank trenches, and he could not say that he could not rest, so he only kept moving towards Verdun.

The Panzer Division ran faster than the Germans were routing, no one paid attention to the German troops standing on the side of the road with their hands or rifles held high, and the tanks and trucks of the motorized infantry battalion were dismissive of them, and only when they blocked the road would the soldiers disperse them with machine guns. Capture you? Hmph, I'm not available!

With this in mind, the 1st Panzer Division quickly left these men behind, and after a few kilometers of marching, there were no more routs on the road, only the scattered German defenders who were stationed on the road but fled when they heard the news, and the French peasants who looked at the convoy but could not recognize the Dragon Banner and the Baath Army flag.

Division commander Li Yinpei didn't care that the Germans knew that they were coming, he just wanted to know that the Germans themselves came, and he was carrying a big horn in a warrior four-wheel drive off-road vehicle driving in the front, and the French observer accompanying the army hissed into the microphone: "Dear citizens, the Chinese army from the great East has defeated the brutal Germans, and you are free!" Dear citizens, the Chinese army from the Great East defeated the brutal Germans, and you are already free! Rejoice, dear compatriots!! ”

The loudspeaker went all the way to the north, and as long as there were houses on both sides of the road, many people would come out to watch, and when it was confirmed that it was really an eastern army, the girls and children soon came out to offer flowers and kisses; When some young Frenchmen were about to stop the big radio car, the romantic Frenchman shouted again: "Compatriots, we can't stop here!" We... We're going to attack Germany, we're going to bring the war to the Rhine! Fellow citizens and girls, rejoice! Victory will always belong to France!! ”

The soldiers of the 1st Panzer Division couldn't understand what the French were shouting, but their eyes suddenly straightened when they saw the cheering French, especially the excited French girls. Usually locked up in the barracks, you can only see Japanese comfort women, and the Yanma has long wanted to ride it, but because of military discipline and the strict security of the barracks, there is not much chance to kiss Fangze. I suddenly saw so many French girls, still waiting in line for you to pick, the whistles and laughter continued, and some military supplies were thrown down without hesitation, and I didn't know how many girls these canned beef could be exchanged for.

Li Yinpei, who was sitting in the warrior command car, heard the chaos behind him, and immediately knew that it was the people of the armored division who made trouble, and the new motorized infantry brigade was all rookies, and some of them were still a little afraid when they saw the blond and blue-eyed foreign hair.

"This group of rabbit cubs is really a tyrannical thing!" Li Yinpei scolded, but there was no blame in his smile. I really don't know if he pities the canned food or the girls.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, but the marriage between the soldier and the French woman must be arrested immediately." Xu Xiucong, the political commissar of the division, was sitting in a car with him, and when he saw those French girls, he suddenly remembered his official duties. "My court, the bill prohibiting concubines is only for Chinese, not foreigners, but foreigners are monogamous, and if something really goes wrong, then it will be ......"

"What are you afraid of, although the French have only one wife, they have countless lovers." Li Yinpei has been in France for a long time, but he also understands the situation in France. "I don't think it's as good as us, the woman has become a concubine, at least she has a name and a share, and the children she gives birth to also have a household registration, which is like those illegitimate children in France, who can only hide and hide."

Li Yinpei said and turned his eyes to the French military observer in front of him who kept shouting the horn, and at this time the French not only rested, but also took advantage of the uphill shift to pull a French girl into the car. "Look, if we don't fight today, this girl from a good family will be ruined by the eight lambs again, and the child born at that time will be called a father? I don't think it's as good as being a lover of a Frenchman, as well as a concubine of Chinese......"

Before Li Yinpei finished speaking, a terrible whistling sounded in the air, and the adjutant who was driving the car immediately shouted: "Shelling, concealment!" With that, he turned the car to the side of the road and tried to drive off the road.

'......Boom' a cannonball smashed in the front, and then another shell in the flank. This is the standard artillery pinch method test firing, after two shells, the next adjustment of the Zhuyuan enemy artillery will be concentrated fire.

"Damn! What are the reconnaissance battalions doing in front of you! Li Yinpei did not panic at all. By this time, the convoy had moved off the road, the tanks had accelerated and formed battle formations, and the soldiers of the Motorized Infantry Brigade were following the iron guys, ready to fight together.

"Commander, I'm afraid I've arrived at the place!" The adjutant looked at the odometer in the driver's seat and said, "After walking forty kilometers, I should be on the outskirts of Verdun." ”

"That's right!" Li Yinpei's anger subsided for a while, and at the same time, he heard the guns in front of him, and his hanging heart finally relaxed. He had seen the tactics of artillery shelling at the same time, and if the armored division on the march was really going to be summoned by the Germans with countless cannons, he would cry for his father and mother.

"What about the French observer? Brought him over. The adjutant drove the car to the back of the hill, and Li Yinpei, who got out of the car, opened the map of Versailles' periphery and prepared to direct the attack. When he didn't want the French to come to the staff officer, the person who went to find someone said: "Report to the division commander, the Frenchman is dead." ”

"Ahh How did he die? Li Yinpei was greatly surprised, he remembered that there was a cannonball in front of him.

"The Frenchman didn't know how to take off the steel helmet, and the shrapnel flew over and killed him." Soldier Road. (To be continued......)