"The Chinese Expeditionary Force has already begun to train in Marseille for adaptation and is expected to be able to get them on the battlefield in early July. It's just that the First Army of the Expeditionary Force they sent was only more than 60,000 people. Admiral Petain said with a bitter face.

On the battlefields of Europe, more than 60,000 people are nothing at all. Often, a large battle kills more than that. In other words, the troops sent by the Chinese Expeditionary Force were not enough to fight even the casualties of a major battle.

Beginning in April of this year, the French launched a spring offensive with the Germans between Reims and Soissons, which lasted a month, and the French suffered 100,000 casualties without any gains. The crushing military defeat caused a commotion among the French soldiers. Their war-weariness has almost reached its peak. As a result, the Anglo-French forces had to withdraw the main forces of the French Army from the front line and put the British* army on top. It can be said that the current front line is mainly supported by the British Expeditionary Force.

Of course, even so, the French hoped for an early end to the war. The casualties they paid in this war were so great that almost everyone could have imagined. If they had known that they would pay such heavy casualties, then they would definitely not have started the battle lightly.

"Although the Chinese promised to send no less than half a million expeditionary forces. However, their first army was only more than 60,000 men. It's really hard to do anything with such a small army. However, it's better than nothing. I plan to launch a new round of fortifications in the future, with the British Expeditionary Force as the main force, as well as the Australian and Canadian armies. As for the Chinese, let them play the defense of the flanks. Although the combat strength of the Chinese is not high, there should be no problem in acting as a defensive force in trench warfare. Marshal Douglas Haig said.

Admiral Petain nodded in agreement. In trench warfare. The attacking side is at a loss. Their offensive was even more difficult not only to brave the enemy's bullets, but also to break through barbed wire, trenches, pillboxes, and machine-gun fire points. It was precisely because of the trench warfare that both the Entente and the Central Powers paid a huge price of casualties.

At the end of June 4615 (17) of the Yellow Emperor Era, the First Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force completed its acclimatization training in Marseille. Head north. At the same time, the Second Army, which was followed by the expeditionary force, also arrived in Marseille. The establishment was the same as that of the First Army, with three infantry divisions and a heavy artillery brigade, with more than 65,000 men. Like the First Army, this army will also go to the battlefield after a one-month period of adaptive training in advanced behavior.

At the same time, the commander of the First Army of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, Admiral Ishikawa, went to the headquarters of the Allied Forces in Paris for a meeting. This meeting was an operational meeting convened by the Coalition Command. After months of preparation. The British Expeditionary Force was already planning a new offensive.

When Admiral Shi Tianchuan arrived at the Allied Command, he found that in addition to Field Marshal Douglas Haig and Admiral Petain, there were also commanders of the Canadian army and commanders of the Australian army. He was the last to arrive.

"General Shi, you're finally here, please take a seat." Marshal Douglas Haig smiled. Although, from the bottom of his heart, he looked down on the Chinese Expeditionary Force and despised the combat strength of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. But. The superficial work still needs to be done well. Otherwise, it offends the Chinese. The situation will only be more unfavorable for them.

"Your Excellency, the First Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force reports to you." Admiral Shi Tianchuan said.

"Alright, the meeting is officially underway." Admiral Pétain said.

Admiral Shi Tianchuan's position was at the end of the long table. Not only behind the British and French, but even the Australians and Canadians were ahead of him. This made Admiral Shi Tianchuan a little dissatisfied in his heart. But. He didn't show it. Now, the Chinese Expeditionary Force has just arrived on the battlefield, and it has not yet achieved an inch, so naturally it cannot convince these people.

After Admiral Shi Tianchuan sat down with a blank face, the military meeting officially began.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Although, in the previous battles, the coalition forces suffered heavy losses. However, I would say that it is not only we who have lost a lot. At the same time, the Germans suffered equally heavy losses. Even, their losses are not smaller than ours. Moreover, the ranks of the coalition forces are growing stronger, and the armies of the Chinese allies have already rushed to the battlefield. Soon, the armies of the US allies will also rush to the battlefield. We won the war, there is no doubt about it. Marshal Douglas Haig said.

Admiral Shi Tianchuan clearly felt the contemptuous gaze of the commander of the Canadian forces sitting next to him. However, he didn't care at all.

In the recent Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Canadians became famous. Vimy Ridge is a mountain ridge near the town of Vimy, north of Arras, France. This place was the best that Germany guarded on the entire Western Front. Because Vimy Ridge is a high ground, both sides consider it a place of military strategic importance. Both the English and the French attacked Vimy Ridge in 4613 (15) A.D., but both ended in disastrous defeats. On the French side alone, 150,000 soldiers were killed.

In the year 4615 (17) of the Yellow Emperor's era, the allied forces decided to attack Vimi Ridge again. The offensive mission was carried out by the Canadian Army. Until the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Canadian Army played a modest role in World War I. In order to win this battle, the Canadian army unified its four divisions to participate in the Battle of Vimy Ridge and formulated a good battle plan. The Canadians began shelling the German front with artillery on April 2, 4615 (17). The Canadian army used more than a million shells to bombard Vimy Ridge, which lasted a week and was unprecedented before this campaign. On 9 April, the Canadians began an offensive against the German lines. The Canadian Army committed about 30,000 soldiers and took about two hours to reach its original destination. By 12 April, Canada had taken control of Vimy Ridge at the cost of 3,598 killed and 7,104 wounded. On the German side, about 20,000 soldiers were killed and more than 4,000 were taken prisoner.

Because the British and Austrians failed to achieve their objectives to the south of the Vimei Mountains, the territory recaptured by the Canadians was not of much military strategic importance. But in terms of morale, the importance of victory in this battle was very great, especially in Canada. This campaign was the first time that the Canadian Army had participated in a campaign independently. Moreover, Canadian soldiers from all nine Canadian provinces (Newfoundland only joined the Canadian Commonwealth in 1949) participated in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. There are many Canadians who say that the Battle of Vimy Ridge was "the day of Canada's growth."

It was precisely because of this war that the Canadian army became the strongest force in the coalition. Although, the combat power of the Chinese Army is also famous all over the world. However, that was before the outbreak of the First World War. In the midst of the world war, all kinds of new weapons and equipment and new tactics began to be used, and many people believed that the strength of the Chinese army, which did not participate in the war, was just like that, and there was nothing to be afraid of at all. This is also the reason why the Canadian Army looks down on the Chinese Expeditionary Force.

Field Marshal Douglas Haig then stated the objectives of the campaign. In this battle, the British Expeditionary Force, the Australian Army and the Canadian Army will attack north with all their might, take Arras, which is controlled by the German army, and recapture this important town in northern France in one fell swoop. If Arras can be recaptured, they will be able to advance the front to the northern border of France in the next step. Of course, it will be very difficult to achieve this strategic goal. Although the Germans lost the initiative on the battlefield, their strength remained. Especially throughout the northern part of France, the trenches were everywhere. To accomplish this, the coalition forces are prepared to suffer hundreds of thousands of casualties.

The main attacking forces were the British Expeditionary Force and the Canadian Army, which had just made great achievements. As for the French, Australian and Chinese expeditionary forces, they were tasked with pinning down the Germans and protecting the flanks. Among them, the Chinese expeditionary force was required to be sent to Dulang, about twenty kilometers southwest of Alas, to defend and protect the left flank of the coalition forces. Of course, with only a Chinese expeditionary force of more than 60,000 people, this is clearly not enough. In addition to the Chinese Expeditionary Force, Australia also sent four divisions and more than 50,000 men to build a defensive line south of Dulang.

Obviously, these guys simply couldn't trust the combat strength of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, so they let the Australian army defend in the rear to avoid the Chinese Expeditionary Force's defense line being breached.

After the operational meeting, the coalition forces began to adjust their deployments, and the armies began to rush to the predetermined battlefield positions. The Chinese Expeditionary Force did not refute the arrangements of the Allied Forces Command in the slightest, but complied with their demands. More than 60,000 men of the First Army of the Expeditionary Force arrived in Dulang in mid-July and took over the fifteen-kilometer stretch of defense. Then, according to the Chinese Army's own combat methods, began to strengthen the offensive here.

The British Expeditionary Force and the Canadian Army are also making preparations. They will put in the main force for this attack. Among them, the British Expeditionary Force will send twenty infantry divisions, more than twenty-five people. The Canadian Army will deploy four infantry divisions with more than 50,000 men. In total, more than 300,000 troops attacked. The French Army would also send ten infantry divisions to protect the coalition's right flank and ensure that the situation would not deteriorate if Arras could not be captured.

In total, the coalition forces invested more than half a million men in the entire campaign. And the German troops defending in the Arras direction were not weak, more than 400,000 people. It can be said that this is still a large-scale battle. If the Coalition can win, it may be able to drive the Germans out of France by the end of the year. If it fails, then the subsequent war will have to be reconsidered. (To be continued.) )

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