February 8, 1917. "We will tell the world with practical actions that the German Army's offensive is unstoppable, we will take Brussels, we will take Paris, and even London! The whole of Europe will be prostrate at the feet of the German Empire, and the whole world will have to operate according to the will of our emperor! Moltke said confidently at the last high-level meeting of officers.

Although Wilhelm II and the German top brass thought that they were now full of good cards, and although they believed that victory was beckoning to them, Wilhelm II was still a little hesitant in the final decision, whether to take Tirpitz's suggestion and let the High Seas Fleet fight the Grand Fleet directly to force the British to withdraw from the war, or to directly kill France through a land offensive? As China and Germany diverged over Russia, Germany's supplies from China plummeted. This has to be said to be a big blow to Germany! After all, Germany could not be self-sufficient in resources, and could only survive on stocks and what was looted from Russia. This made Wilhelm II tend to choose either the navy or the army to attack, so that the cost is relatively small.

The two sides were at loggerheads, but Wilhelm II was still inclined to the army, on the one hand, he was more confident in the army's combat effectiveness. After the first two years of fighting, the German Army blocked Britain and France with its left hand, and pushed Russia down with its right hand. On the other hand, although the navy won more and lost less, but on the whole it still tended to be inferior, although Tirpitz repeatedly asked for war and said that the navy was sure to defeat the Grand Fleet, but out of the cherishing of the golden warships. Wilhelm II was still very hesitant. At this time, the fact that China was preparing to attack Russia added some bargaining chips to the army.

"We must let the world know the strength of the moral will of the army, and we must defeat the British and French in a clean battle to intimidate other potential adversaries. Now our military power on the Western Front is at its peak. And Britain and France have been consumed for more than 2 years, and in this case, I think we can and must solve France in one fell swoop. The Eastern Front is not over, and the probability of China using force against Russia is increasing, and it is well known that if we want Russia to become a strong bulwark to us in the east, we must contain the pace of China's expansion. ”

"If we really help the Russians against China, it will be too costly for us. The Chinese Army is definitely not comparable to the Russians, and even the British and French are not necessarily comparable to the Chinese Army at this time. The troops trained by the Russians in China have always caused us all kinds of problems, and now they still insist on fighting. Add to this the supplies needed to fight in Russia and the tragic road situation. The logistical pressure and material consumption caused by the large corps fighting deep into the Russian hinterland are too great, so in order to avoid this from happening, I think it is necessary for us to tell China through a campaign that it is wrong to be hostile to us! Moreover, with the sharp decline in China's exports to Germany, our army could not maintain such combat effectiveness for a long time. So we had to attack while the saber was still sharp. Moltke admonished.

I have to say that Moltke's exhortation really touched the Kaiser a lot. It is no joke to fight with Huaxia again in Russia. The Germans could rely on elite infantry. Excellent armor and good equipment were a devastating blow to France, which lacked depth, but such an attack was nothing to China, after all, the depth of the Western Front was extremely small. Paris was basically within the strike range of the German armored forces. Relying on the convenient transportation network in Europe, the German Army could quickly maneuver and quickly occupy key areas of France, but what about China? In the vast expanse of Eurasia, the distance between cities was measured in 100 kilometers, which was far beyond the depth of the attack of the current German armor force, and was dragged down by the miserable traffic. It was difficult for Germany to even guarantee the supply of the large army, let alone fight offensive after offensive!

Even more terrifying. At this time, China had already demonstrated the potential of a superpower, with a population of hundreds of millions, relatively developed industry and agriculture, and almost the largest land area in the world, plus a firm and efficient government, a first-class army in terms of size and quality, and an absolutely decisive and wise leader. Wilhelm II really didn't want a large-scale conflict with China, and if he could deter China by destroying France's military might in one go, I am afraid that he could really achieve the goal of surrendering without a fight, which the navy could not do. After all, the two sides are competing in Russia by the army, not the navy.

Wilhelm II agreed to the request of the German War Office and decided to launch an unprecedented offensive on the Western Front. And decided to concentrate all the armor forces to launch a surprise attack on France, but then this proposal was opposed by the War Department, on the one hand, Peng Yi and the Germans conducted a deduction that year left too deep an impression on the German Army. Coupled with the hilly terrain of the north-east of France and the pressure of logistical transportation, the Germans felt that they would not be able to make the most of the advantages of these forces even if they were fully committed. So the Germans took out about 9 panzer divisions to prepare for this spearhead, and the rest of the troops were used as reinforcements and reserves.

In terms of infantry and artillery, the Germans concentrated nearly 1.5 million troops on the front line of operations, including a full 5 army groups and units directly under the army. How to spread such a large force in a narrow area and provide it with adequate supplies is a difficult problem. Britain and France were not stupid either, and before the Germans attacked, they had already withdrawn from vulnerable places. In addition, a series of defense systems and fortified areas were built on the Dutch-Belgian border. and damage to areas that may be lost, such as transportation hubs or basic livelihood facilities, as well as fortified walls. And this is undoubtedly quite unfortunate news for Germany. This meant that after breaking away from the domestic railway lines, the Germans had to use their own legs or the wheels of their trucks to complete the rest of the journey. This was undoubtedly a great challenge for capacity, but the Germans had no choice but to fight the battle.

When Moltke confidently gave orders to his subordinates, he was full of confidence, and in fact the German Army was indeed the elite of a hundred battles, and on February 10, 1917, the entire German Army on the Western Front would attack, and their target was Paris, the capital of France! For this reason, Kaiser Wilhelm II personally named the battle the Emperor's Offensive! The expectation and confidence in it speak for themselves.

Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976 for the tip~~~. The second is more presented, ask for support and subscribe ~~~. (To be continued......)