When the thunderous cannon sound sounded in the distance, Xia Fei seemed to have been hit by a thunderbolt from the sky.

Could it be that the Germans had been prepared for a long time?

No way! Fly was convinced that the Germans would not see through their plans.

In order to formulate this plan, Xia Fei can be described as painstaking, he chose the morning as the time to attack, because the opponent had just spent a night of vigilance; He asked Petain's troops to divert the German 8th Army, which had recently been in the limelight and had the strongest combat effectiveness and deterrence, and selected the German 5th Army, which was large in numbers and well-equipped but with a large number of new recruits, as the target of attack, in order to take the opponent by surprise.

Xia Fei had been waiting for the German 8th Army to discover Petain's department, and so he set up a suspicious formation to make the Germans think that their main force was going to ambush the 8th Army around the Boer River, so that the entire German army turned to the Boer River in the center. A small night raid by French fighters sent the crew of the German airship down from the sky, and then the German armored reconnaissance team that came to the rescue finally allowed Petain's 50,000 troops to successfully play the role of "the main force of the French army". If he succeeds in inflicting heavy damage on the real target, the 5th Army under the command of Hindenburg, Xia Fei also intends to eat the reinforcements sent by the other two German armies, and even repelled the German army in the middle of the road.

Xia Fei counted Falkenhain and Gigi. Wilhelm and Heilingen, but little did he know much about the new veteran of the 5th Army, Hindenburg, and this was the only uncertainty in his plans. In fact, before taking over the 5th Army, Hindenburg did not have much fame and did not have any outstanding performance, and many French people did not even hear his name. In the eyes of most Frenchmen, the 67-year-old veteran was little more than a temporary steward sent by the Kaiser to look after the troops for the crown prince. They were wrong, Hindenburg is Hindenburg, a seemingly ordinary but not simple German general.

Despite his incredulous face, Xia Fei had to admit that this kind of intensive and orderly large-scale shelling was by no means something that could be organized temporarily. His hands holding binoculars were trembling, and the unsheltered French soldiers were falling in pieces, and the raining cannonballs were mercilessly harvesting weed-like lives.

But now that the arrow is out, there's no chance to take it back!

At this time, in the area of the Boer River, Guderian commanded his troops to line up in a "hammer" assault formation, and the front row of tanks advanced steadily, each row of tanks stopped alternately to shoot at the French army, like a hammer to unstoppably smash the French position, while the armored vehicles and trucks loaded with infantry supported the tank troops in front like hammer handles, and their fire and mortar support made this attack firm and thorough.

"General, we can't resist the tanks of the Germans at all!"

An officer who didn't know where the hat had fallen reported to Petain in panic that the French soldiers had retreated to their temporary positions and woods at the edge of the woods, and the shelling of dozens of rapid-fire guns seemed to be weak, and the 200 anti-tank rifles produced by the French arsenal were helpless against the armored troops charging in groups, and most of the French soldiers could only watch the German tanks run over their trenches and even their own bodies.

"It doesn't matter! Our mission is accomplished! It would take at least 3 hours for the Germans to rush from here to support their 5th Army, and by that time the marshal should have achieved a perfect victory! ”

Petain, who didn't know anything about Xia Fei's side, was still full of ambition at this time, and he had the courage that I would not go to hell and who would enter the region.

"General......" The officer was still a little confused.

"We're just bait, and when the fish takes the bait, our mission is accomplished! Let the soldiers retreat into the woods! Seeing his infantry almost using their flesh and blood against Guderian's armored forces, Petain was a little sad, and every second there were a large number of French soldiers killed and wounded, all French people of the same skin color and language as himself.

"The fire has sealed our retreat, you know that!"

"We are not trying to evacuate here, but to withdraw into the woods to delay the German troops outside as much as possible, no matter how powerful their armored vehicles are, there is no way to enter the woods!" Although he was well aware of the might of the German armored forces, it was painful for Petain to see it again. Without the armor of the French, even if Xia Fei could win this battle, it would be difficult to save the fate of France's defeat, and the despair of defeat came to the heart of the French commander more than thirty years in advance.

Lontilis, Tobias, and their soldiers were all relieved that the French who had crossed the river were retreating in panic, the center of gravity of the battlefield had moved away from their positions, and they had suddenly changed from stubborn defenders to spectators.

"We've won!" Looking at the situation on the other side of the river, Rontilis knew that the French army there was gone.

"They don't look like the main force of the French army!" Tobias said with some annoyance.

"I'm afraid so!" Thinking of this, Longiris was also disappointed, but these problems were not for small soldiers like them to consider, all they had to do was to report truthfully based on what they saw with their own eyes.

"By the way, the crews of those airships should still be in the hands of the French!"

Lontires looked at Tobias in a daze, this was the original purpose of his armored reconnaissance team here, but looking at his tired and exhausted soldiers, Lontilis could only entrust this task to the Guderi armored troops opposite, and by the way, send his blessings to those crew and pilots who were uncertain about their fate and death.

"Ahem...... Ahem......"

Dirk and the others covered their faces with their clothes, still choking on the smoke that came from time to time. In autumn the trees were dry, and it seemed that the fires in the woods were getting closer and closer to their "prisoner of war camps", and if it had not been for the upwind, these poor Germans would have turned into roast pigs. Despite the fierce fighting outside the woods, the French soldiers who guarded them remained at their posts.

Soon after, groups of French soldiers retreated into the woods, many of them disheveled and even covered in blood, and then Petain appeared silently near the "prisoner of war camp".

"Hey, Frenchman! Taste the power of our German army! Marcus shouted with a fist at Petain.

Petain stopped beside the fence and said, "Where's the translation?" ”

But there was a crowd of people all over the place, and it took a while for the interpreter to appear in front of Petain in disarray.

"General!"

"Tell me what this German pig is talking about!"

Petain said coldly that his mood was not affected by the low morale of the soldiers, and that he was convinced that Xia Fei could achieve victory.

"Yes, General!" The interpreter then asked Marcus what he had to convey to General Petain.

"The fists of our German army taste good!" Marcus looked mocking.

Petain did not show weakness, "I think the German roast pig should taste better!" ”

Without waiting for Marcus to say anything more, another German crew member shouted: "You have lost!" If you don't want to die, let us go back! ”

"Let them pray that the army outside them will not return bombs and Molotov cocktails here!"

Petain said this and walked away coldly.

The group should have rejoiced, because the battle here was no longer in suspense, and by this time all the German planes had been sent to support the 5th Army.

Compared to Petain's composure, Xia Fei's mood was simply terrible. The main French army was still attacking, but their bravery looked more like a moth to a fire. Most of the troops of the Hindenburg 5th Army were concentrated in the front of the French army, with ample firepower and improvised fortifications, 300,000 well-equipped quasi-German guards were effortless against 400,000 French troops mainly with rifles and bayonets.

Badisa lay on the ground tightly, the German shells were falling in piles and piles, the ground was shaking violently, and he felt that his internal organs were going to be shattered. The flames of the explosion flickered in the smoke of gunpowder, countless tongues of fire erupted from the German positions opposite, and one by one the French soldiers were shot and fell, their mouths wide open and they let out a final cry, but Badissa could not hear anything.

Poor Badisa looked around, there were French corpses or a part of his body everywhere, and many of his companions had also fallen, and when they were hit by shells or bullets, their zha medicine bags would explode more violently than German shells, and Badissa's eardrums were punctured by a self-detonation of a companion not far away. The brave Algerian was still thinking about his mission, but he had nothing to look for in sight except for the countless German pointed helmets and airships overhead on the German lines.

Badissa staggered to his feet, he was going to find his target, to complete the task given to him by the commander, but several bullets quickly pierced his body. He fell to his knees on the ground, his eyes staring blankly ahead, and he felt the feeling of dying in his heart. The bullet didn't detonate the ZHA medicine bag on his back, but he didn't feel the slightest sense of rejoicing, he didn't see the fire support that the commander promised them, and he suddenly realized that his death was almost meaningless.

For the French, Badissa was just another failed cannon fodder.

In the command of the 5th Army, a colonel's staff officer said in an incredible tone:

"The main force of the French army is still attacking, and according to our estimates, the casualties of the French army have reached thirty percent!"

At the beginning of Hindenburg's arrival, their staff officers, who had been with Prince for a long time, were unimpressed with the veteran. The battle had only just begun, and their reverence for Hindenburg was like a surging river. As staff officers, they knew very well that the information in Hindenburg's hands was obtained from them, but Hindenburg made accurate judgments that they did not even think of breaking their heads.

"Having come to this point, Xia Fei has no way back! Retreat back into the woods, and his army will be pursued even more mercilessly by our air force and armored forces. Even if they were able to retreat into the woods, they would not be able to hide invisibly like before, after all, it was hundreds of thousands of troops! At the rear of the battlefield, Hindenburg said calmly, a calm tone related to age, but more about the control of the battle situation.

"Order our Panzer Corps to attack and outflank from the right flank of the French army, leaving the left flank of the French army to the 8th Army of the Prince of East Prussia!"

As Hindenburg had predicted, in addition to Guderian and François, who were attacking the Boer River, the rest of the troops were reared and the front were rushed back as fast as possible, and compared with the road ahead, the way back was basically unimpeded, and the East Prussian Corps had a high degree of mechanization, and it only took an hour to run 50 kilometers to the left flank of the French army, and Hindenburg's Panzer Corps had just launched an attack.

"It's unbelievable!"

Looking at the scene ahead, Chen Tian and his generals were a little unconvinced of their eyes, the main force of the French army they were looking for was here. Instead of being raided, Hindenburg's army made a beautiful ambush, with dense artillery fire, flying planes and airships, orderly advancing infantry, and rapid and circuitous armored troops, Chen Tian felt that this was the most wonderful battlefield he had ever seen, and although the number of participants was not as good as the Lodz-Poland campaign, the level of fluency was far inferior to that battle.

"He, how did he do it?"

Chen Tian finally experienced the truth of the saying that there are mountains outside the mountains and people outside the people. The plan of the Frenchman was now fully presented to him, and it did have its brilliant features, but it was unexpectedly crushed by Hindenburg. The suspense of victory and defeat has been lost here, and Chen Tian only wants to know how Hindenburg judged that the French are targeting him.

"France lost!"

Xia Fei sat on his war horse in despair, and in his heart, the last glimmer of hope had been shattered the moment the German artillery fire rang out.

"Marshal, retreat!" A French general persuaded them that around them, countless French soldiers had already routed themselves.

"General, we have done our last bit to save France, and we can have a clear conscience!"

Xia Fei lamented, and then retreated aimlessly south surrounded by the guards. As Chief of the General Staff of France, his war was over.

"Colonel, I am Major General Pétain, the supreme commander of the French army here, and I want to talk to your supreme commander here!"

Pétain straightened his uniform and went to Guderian, accompanied by an interpreter and a group of German soldiers. It had been a long time since he had received a telegram from Xia Fei's side, and there was no response to the telegram sent by him, the fire in the woods had not allowed his troops to stay in it longer, and the Germans had not ventured to send infantry into the woods, so Petain decided to come out and surrender, but in his opinion, as long as Xia Fei's main force was victorious, this surrender would only be temporary.

"Before General François arrived, I was the Supreme Commander here!" Guderian also straightened his chest and squinted at the down-and-out French general.

"Isn't your commander the Prince of German East Prussia?"

"Our Royal Highness the Prince has led the main force of the legion to encircle and annihilate your main force! You've already lost! Guderian looked at the defeated general in front of him, and his previous arrogance disappeared without a trace with these words.

"Lost?"

Petain looked incredulous.

"Yes! You can choose to continue the fight, or surrender to us! Guderian said coldly.

All the words that Petain had thought of before had turned into rubbish, and he silently pondered the words of the other party, if the main forces of the German 8th Army had not come, then the situation would probably have been the same as the German colonel had said.

"We surrender!"

Petain's righteous and awe-inspiring surrender turned into a cowardly plea for mercy, and his soldiers eventually laid down their arms and walked out of the woods under the watchful eyes of the German soldiers. Dirk and others, who were captured by the French army, were freed, and their extraordinary experience became a legend.