On August 17, 4615 (17), the Chinese Expeditionary Force had been able to withstand the German attack at Dulang for six days. In six days, the number of dead and seriously wounded soldiers of the expeditionary force was tens of thousands.

Of course, the corpses left by the Germans in front of the positions of the Chinese Expeditionary Force were more than 10,000, and the total casualties were several times that of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. Although, after six days of fierce fighting, the Chinese expeditionary force lost part of its position. However, the small city of Dulang, as well as most of the surrounding positions, were still under the control of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. If the Germans wanted to annihilate the Imperial Expeditionary Force, it would not be very difficult.

Yanjing, the capital of the empire, Emperor Wu Haoxuan has been paying attention to the battle on the front line. The life and death of tens of thousands of people in the Chinese expeditionary force made him very worried. In any case, this is the first time that the empire has sent troops to the battlefield in this world war, and it is absolutely impossible to be completely annihilated. Otherwise, it will be a great blow to the Empire.

"How's the Durang front? Where did the coalition fight? Wu Haoxuan asked. Only when the Allied forces break through the German blockade and reach Dulang can they rescue the besieged Chinese expeditionary force.

"Your Majesty, although the attack of the allied forces is fierce, the Germans are also very strong. During the three-day offensive, the coalition forces suffered heavy losses, but they were not able to achieve much effect. Marshal Shi Tianhan, Chief of the General Staff, said with a gloomy face.

"Continue to test the pressure on Britain and France, and if they can't rescue the Imperial Expeditionary Force, then the Empire will declare its secession from the Entente and declare war on them!" Wu Haoxuan said categorically.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Marshal Shi Tianhan nodded. He knew that Wu Haoxuan was because the reason why the Chinese expeditionary force was surrounded by the German army was entirely because of the early retreat of the Australian army. Therefore, the coalition forces must be held accountable for this.

"How's the South Sea Fleet doing?" Wu Haoxuan continued to ask. Before. He had ordered the South Seas Fleet to cruise in the waters off Australia as a way to deter the Allies. If the Chinese Expeditionary Force is wiped out, then the Empire will probably go to war against Australia as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, the South Sea Fleet has entered the Coral Sea and will soon arrive in Sydney and other places. Australia is at its highest level of readiness. They were clearly afraid of a sudden attack on them by the Empire. Marshal Shi Tianhan said. The Imperial Navy's Nanyang Fleet went to the waters near Australia to show off its might, which made him feel very relieved. This is undoubtedly a show off of imperial force while intimidating Australians.

"Well, the Foreign Secretary's side receives requests for an audience from the British Minister to China every day. The British have repeatedly stated that they will do everything in their power to rescue the expeditionary force, and that we will exercise restraint and refrain from using force against Australia. It seems that the British are also in a hurry! Wu Haoxuan said.

"Yes, Your Majesty. What is now the British Empire. It's no longer the world hegemon of the past. Even if the Entente finally won the world war, they would no longer have the strength to intimidate the world as before. Marshal Shi Tianhan said.

Wu Haoxuan nodded, the heritage accumulated by the British for hundreds of years was consumed in this world war. Their world colonial system is even more crumbling and on the verge of collapse. In the event of another world war, the British Empire would inevitably collapse. When the time comes, it will be time for other countries to compete for the new world hegemon. This time. China will no longer be a bullied country, but a serious contender for future world hegemony.

Europe. The British and French governments are also worried. The Anglo-French forces again organized a large army to attack the German army, intending to rescue the encircled Chinese expeditionary force. However, after three days, they have already suffered tens of thousands of casualties, but they have not been able to achieve the desired results. Heavy casualties, and China's constant pressure tests. The two governments are anxious.

British Prime Minister Asquith and French President Raymond Poincaré even began to intervene in the command of the front. Although, many generals of the British and French coalition believed that the tens of thousands of people who saved the Chinese expeditionary force at a huge cost were too worthwhile. However, Prime Minister Asquith and President Poincaré ordered Field Marshal Douglas Haig and General Petain to do so. Even if you try your best, you have to rescue the Chinese Expeditionary Force.

Although the huge casualties also made the two of them very distressed, if they could not save the Chinese expeditionary force, then they would be even more troublesome. So, they could only grit their teeth and hold on.

Field Marshal Douglas Haig and Admiral Pétain were also in a hurry. The two continued to put their elite troops into the attack on the German army, but the road to Duran was like a huge mouth, easily swallowing the British and French forces, and they couldn't see it at all, it was a bottomless pit. Although the two are soldiers, they also know how serious the consequences will be once the Chinese expeditionary force is completely annihilated. The two of them even wanted to strangle the Australians to death, if it weren't for them, there wouldn't be so much going on.

The Anglo-French forces were lamenting the heavy casualties, and the Germans were also worried. In order to resist the counterattack of the British and French forces, the German army also invested a large number of elite troops. Although, with the help of a strong defensive line, they inflicted great casualties on the coalition forces. However, they themselves have come at a considerable cost. In particular, the besieged Durang, preparing to destroy the troops of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, paid a very large price. So far, three infantry divisions have been crippled and withdrawn for repairs. Of the other three infantry divisions that had just been replaced, two had heavy losses and were on the verge of collapse. This made the German commander, Admiral François, also very headache.

The armies of European countries, if the casualties are too great, can easily collapse. Unlike the armies of the Eastern countries, even if they are killed or wounded, they will choose to continue fighting. If it were the armies of European countries and the casualties had reached half, it would have collapsed long ago.

Kaiser Wilhelm II sent several telegrams almost every day asking about the situation at the front. This put great pressure on Admiral François. Without the interference of Wilhelm II, Admiral François would probably have the heart to give up the attack. After all, in order to eliminate tens of thousands of Chinese expeditionary forces, it would be too cost-effective to lose tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people.

It's a pity that these soldiers must obey the orders of politicians. They can't help themselves, they can only continue to fight.

On the Dulang front, the bloody battle between the Chinese Expeditionary Force and the German army continued. The German attack was so fierce that it barely gave the Chinese expeditionary force any time to breathe. The Germans had a large number of troops, and if one infantry division was disabled, it could be withdrawn immediately and replaced with another infantry division. The Chinese Expeditionary Force, on the other hand, had only three infantry divisions in total, plus a heavy artillery brigade and military headquarters, and was only more than 65,000 people. As a result, the combat effectiveness of the Chinese Expeditionary Force has also been greatly affected as the casualties increase.

Dulang promised that an underground bunker became the headquarters of the expeditionary force. Admiral Shi Tianchuan, Major General Jiang Baili, Major General Cai Songpo and Major General Zhang Yunnong all gathered here. The four of them frowned, obviously aware of how critical the situation had become.

"Those coalition forces are too useless, aren't they? We've been here for six days now. They have also been attacking frantically for three days. However, it was still not possible to break through the German defenses. Major General Zhang Yunnong said.

"The Germans have invested a lot of money this time, and they are obviously not ready to leave us alive. The overall quality of the coalition forces was originally inferior to that of the German army. Now it has collided with the elite units of the German army, and the result is understandable. Major General Jiang Baili said.

"What are the casualties of the divisions now? How long will we be able to hold out? Admiral Shi Tianchuan asked.

"General, the first division lost more than five thousand people, and it should be no problem to hold out for another five or six days." Major General Jiang Baili said.

"The second division lost more than 4,000 people, and it can continue to hold on." Major General Cai Songpo said.

"The 3rd Division suffered the least losses, losing only more than 3,000 people." Major General Zhang Yunnong said.

In other words, the Imperial Expeditionary Force has lost more than 13,000 people in this battle. And, this refers to the seriously wounded and killed. The lightly wounded officers and men, after simple medical treatment, continued to fight on the front line.

"I'll send a telegram to the coalition command. We were able to hold out for up to five days. If they can't break through the German encirclement in five days, then prepare to collect our bodies. Admiral Shi Tianchuan said.

The telegram sent by the Chinese Expeditionary Force to the Allied Command undoubtedly made the Allied Command even more nervous. However, Marshal Douglas Haig and Admiral Pétain were also amazed that the expeditionary force had been able to hold out for so many days under siege by nearly three times the enemy. You know, the opponent of the Chinese Expeditionary Force is the German army! The German army has always been known as the best in the world. The fact that the Chinese Expeditionary Force was able to resist the German attack to the death shows how strong the Chinese Expeditionary Force is?

Since the Chinese Expeditionary Force was able to hold out for five days, it also gave confidence to the coalition forces. At the insistence of Field Marshal Douglas Haig and Admiral Pétain, the Anglo-French forces once again committed elite troops to attack the Germans.

After three days of hard fighting, they finally broke through the German defenses.

On August 20, 4615 (17), the Anglo-French army reached Dulang, and the encirclement of the Chinese expeditionary force was broken. After nearly ten days of hard fighting, the Chinese Expeditionary Force was finally saved. Of course, the losses of the Chinese expeditionary force in these 10 days of bitter fighting were not small, and the number of dead and seriously wounded alone reached nearly 20,000. (To be continued.) )

PS: The third update is here, asking for monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thank you for the tips from book friends, Futu, Sky Blue 1213, Yang Zhuo 0626, and Yu Yu Gaowu! Thank you book friends for the monthly pass of the night with the sound of spring!