April 22, 1915, cloudy? Clear? Rain?

On the battlefields of central England, there were people who were triumphant and people who were disappointed. Those who lie on the ground no longer have the concept of victory and defeat, they have fought and tried, and victory and defeat belong only to those who are still fighting fiercely. But no matter who they are or what they are, no one has received God's gift this morning—the sun of holiness has not come down on the earth, and the sins of the people are still heavy.

Standing in front of your own window, Ian? Hamilton and Paul? Feng? Hindenburg had very different moods and intentions. The British, intending to restore the front to its pre-battle state before dawn, broke his promise, and by dawn his troops were still far from this goal, and could even be said to be hopeless. The British 17th and 22nd armies that broke through the German front looked like they had become the end of their crossbows, and after storming the German positions again and again without success, everyone from the generals to the soldiers began to feel hopeless, and the troops drawn from the German 8th and 1st armies worked together to recapture the lost positions of the 3rd Army of the Herringen Army after hard fighting, and the British troops who had been engaged in the counterattack had fallen into the heavy encirclement of the German army.

The Germans, who intended to use their superiority in land, sea and air to defeat the British in one fell swoop after daybreak, were troubled by the weather, but they clearly could not blame entirely on the meteorologists who were responsible for forecasting the weather—although before the campaign had speculated that it was likely to be a sunny day, the land was now shrouded in thick fog. Although this kind of weather could not prevent German airships and planes from sorting, it really protected the poor heads of British officers and soldiers. In the morning, the Germans dispatched a number of aircraft, but the effect of reconnaissance and attack was minimal, and in this weather aircraft take-off and landing were prone to accidents, the German commanders had to temporarily put aside their air power.

On such a morning, the heavens gave the British a consolation in their frustration and a reminder to the Germans not to be overly arrogant, but the weather was not the decisive factor at the moment, and the Germans were victorious on all fronts. And the British army can no longer draw a soldier from other places to supplement the front line, although the British still have more than three million second-line irregular troops in the rear, but to let these poorly equipped militia to the front line is only to consume German bullets, you must know that the Germans have prepared a staggering amount of ammunition for this battle, and the charge of massacre will be left to the Germans, but the eternal pain will be tasted by the British and their descendants.

"A large number of German troops landed in Grimsby and cut off our retreat!"

"We are surrounded by the Germans!"

After daybreak, similar news spread widely among the front-line units of the British army, which was not a complete fact, nor was it entirely due to German spies and agents. The Germans, who landed from Grimsby, launched a limited offensive under the command of General Mackensen. The force actually advanced less than 10 miles inland, but crippled the main British force there, thanks in large part to a detachment of German tanks that raided the British headquarters. A few German tanks and a small but very brave infantry rushed to a British divisional headquarters based on information elicited from the captives, unbeknownst that it was also the temporary headquarters of the British defenders at Grimsby. The battle soon ended with the victory of the Germans, who were paralyzed by the fact that there were many British guards but had no weapons against the tanks, and the German tanks were as if they were in a no-man's land, and their mighty momentum in front of the British headquarters forced the two British major generals and the first colonel to raise their hands and surrender, and the command center of the British defenders was thus dramatically paralyzed. When General Mackensen launched an offensive in order to expand the landing area and the depth of the defense, the British forces were crushed by the fear of the German armored forces and the loss of command.

In this battle, the British lost a lot of soldiers and equipment, but the news that the rear road was cut off by the Germans spread like a plague rapidly. The officers and men on the front line were all in fear. The request to retreat made the staff officers of the General Command of the British Army almost go crazy.

"Retreat?"

General Hamilton smiled coldly, a laugh that was both a helpless one of defeat and a mockery of the ignorant. The British Isles are just that big. Supporting millions of men was already barely enough, and if the main forces of the British coalition were to be compressed into northern Scotland, the Germans would have achieved victory without a single soldier and only a few months of blockade.

Perseverance is also a choice with no future.

After a night of fierce fighting, the German tactic of concentrating superior forces on both flanks proved effective, the British right flank nearly collapsed in the face of the steel torrent of the German 8th Army, and the British left flank in the face of the German 5th Army was in equally bad condition, and if either of these two flanks collapsed, the Germans were able to detour the British back with heavy forces. At this moment. General Hamilton wasn't in the mood for breakfast, but he didn't want to wait for his doomsday verdict.

"Send a telegram to General Bita telling his troops to break through the German ground lines and advance south, no matter what!" With that, the general repeated the direction of the order, "To the south!" ”

It was in the direction of the depth of the German army.

Outside the Settlement Forest, the fog made the Germans miss the opportunity to annihilate the Walter Division, and many British soldiers took advantage of the fog to flee the battlefield, in fact, these people had no intention of fighting from the beginning of the battle, after all, they were afraid of the German Army in their hearts, not to mention that the Germans had several powerful weapons. In this battle, which lasted less than 1 hour. Many German officers and soldiers, including Manstein, saw the power of their new weapons. Tank No. 3, also known as the "Monster 1", did not belong to the category of light tanks like their predecessors, they had thick armor, so they did not need to worry about British grenades and light shells like their predecessors, and once a British soldier bravely approached a No. 3 tank with a bundle of grenades - that was the most common anti-tank method used by British soldiers, and the bundle of grenades exploded almost immediately next to the tank. The British soldier who was then killed was dead and blind, because the No. 3 tank did not even stop, but continued to shoot other British soldiers with its own 50mm tank gun and machine gun. If the "Stone 1" or "Stone 2" is replaced, then the tank will be towed back for overhaul if it is not scrapped on the spot.

In addition to the No. 3 tank, the most praised by the officers and soldiers was the "Stone 2C" tank with two 20mm machine guns. A German tank captain wrote in his report: "I have seen it pierce several rows of British soldiers with a single bullet, and it is so refreshing that it is easier to deal with infantry than to cut butter!" It is highly recommended that all vehicles be equipped with this cannon! ”

In this not too fierce battle, the Empire's latest land weapons were well tested, but there were some minor drawbacks - before the battle was over, one No. 3 tank lost power due to mechanical failure, but fortunately there were no accidents thanks to timely support from the infantry. This malfunction is also a major criticism of German armored weapons at present. Despite these factors, the monster's debut was a great success, and after applying to the general command, Manstein advanced with his armored battalion and the infantry, and then caught up with more than a dozen battles, including the siege and annihilation of the 1st Army of the British 17th Army near the village of Rant, until April 25, when the battalion withdrew from the battlefield due to malfunctions, supplies, and safety concerns.

These new tanks, although limited in number, did not play a decisive role in the battle. But after returning home, Major Manstein compiled a 120-page combat report based on these experiences, and then worked with tank experts from the General Staff to compile a new tank combat manual, which laid a solid foundation for the later German tank combat thinking. As for the No. 3 assault tank, it began to be mass-produced after a slight improvement by technical experts, and in 1915 the annual production reached 300 units, and the improved version of the No. 3 tank, the "Monster 1B", was ordered to be produced the following year. Fewer than 100 of the well-received Tank 2 improvements were produced, but the No. 2 tanks in service in the front-line units were modified one after another, so that more than 800 of the three improved tanks were in service with the German Army by the end of 1915.

On the same day, it was drizzling in the morning in Berlin.

After washing, Chen Tian enjoyed the rain outside the window while sipping coffee. In spring, the Royal Garden is full of flowers and life. Raindrops ripple on the turquoise water. Everything is so quiet, full of life.

"Are Sasha and Andres up?" Before asking about state affairs, Chen Tian always likes to ask about the situation of the two little guys. Life in the Kaiser is not as comfortable as people think, or busy and toiling all day long, it is just another life for another kind of person.

"Yes! Her Royal Highness the Princess and Her Royal Highness the Prince are up! Chentian's internal affairs officer, that is, the previous butler Xiao Zack, replied very respectfully. Since Chentian's birth, the Zach family has been his most loyal and reliable servants, and after the elder Zach retired due to age and health reasons, the younger Zach inherited his business well, and proved his loyalty in a series of subsequent events. When Chen Tian entered the Berlin Imperial Palace, he also entered the court together. Although the affairs of the chief house officer are complicated. From the current point of view, Zach Jr. is still competent.

"Then let them come over for breakfast!"

As she spoke, the queen moved her gaze from the window to the dining table, where there was a bouquet of flowers in the center, and the faint fragrance made people feel happy. The emperor had a cup of coffee, a loaf of bread, a fried egg and a polenta, and the empress had a glass of milk in front of him.

"Yes!" Little Zach bowed and left.

"Gigi, the Empress of Russia has invited us to St. Petersburg! The queen said that the spring there was beautiful and not cold at all! Lisa's smile was sweet, and she looked eager to accept the invitation.

"St. Petersburg?" Chen Tian looked at Lisa, he was not surprised by this, it was not strange that the royal family invited each other. Not long ago, they were invited by the Turkish president and his wife to visit Constantinople, and although it was not the first time they had been to Turkey, they were feasted on the Ottoman-style scenery. As for Russia, Chen Tian had been there, but he was fighting at that time and did not go deep into the Russian hinterland.

"Any questions?" Seeing that Chen Tian was a little hesitant, Lisa asked curiously.

"Oh! It's nothing! I'm thinking that I probably won't have time lately, and you know, we're still at war with the British! Chen Tian took a sip of the coffee cup, and this reason may not even be able to convince him. He now had a strange feeling about Russia, a feeling that was indescribable but had to be mentioned.

"That's right...... Then I'll write back to Linda and tell her to come back when we're free! Lisa is very open to understanding, she now has the words and manners of the mother of the country, but she is still a layman in politics. Of course, this is not necessarily a bad thing for a country.

"Hmm!"

Chen Tian didn't say anything anymore, but his mind was thinking about the recent puzzling relationship between Vienna and St. Petersburg, these two countries were once mortal enemies, but now they are very close, maybe they have some common interests at this time and are seeking cooperation! Thinking of this, Chen Tian felt more and more that there were many intricate factors in the Gibraltar incident, and the crown prince of Austria-Hungary may not be the only one who led this incident.

Fortunately, the arrival of the little princess and the little prince filled Chentian's side with a cheerful atmosphere, and the two children are growing up healthily and happily day by day, which is also the original intention of Chentian to take the risk of seizing power, from this point of view, Chentian should feel satisfied at this time.

After breakfast, General Ludendorff, who had returned from Madrid, brought the good news that perhaps he had been unfairly treated in his bargaining with Austria-Hungary, and the King of Spain finally turned his hopes for naval reconstruction to the German government, which offered a contract for the construction of two dreadnought battleships, two battle cruisers, four seaplane carriers, and a number of light ships over a period of 10 years, with a total value of 27 million marks, which was also desired by the German shipyards. After all, in the later stages of the war, the German government would not have invested a lot of gold marks in the construction of the fleet, as it had done before the war. In the supplementary terms of the contract, the German side also promised to donate four old armored battleships to the Spanish government in the near future, on the condition that the German side would lease the Spanish port of Cadiz for the use of the German Navy. The port, not far from the western end of the Strait of Gibraltar, was bigger and better than the Austro-Hungarian lease, and the fort guarding the port was to be handed over to the German army.

"Weak Spain still succumbed!"

Chen Tian was very satisfied with such a good deal, although one more Austria-Hungary intervened, but Germany's power in the Mediterranean region had gradually prevailed.

After hearing the report, Tatsu announced in public that General Ludendorff would be appointed First Quartermaster of the Army General Staff - a year before he had held this position in history. This appointment also means that General Ludendorff will temporarily take over the affairs of the General Staff until Rupresit leaves his post and the new Chief of the General Staff has not yet taken over. As for the new chief of the General Staff, he has actually been appointed as a von? Paul? General Hindenburg, for such a pair of historical partners to repeat here, Chen Tian has no obvious tendency to support or oppose, this is mainly from within the army. As for the distant future, the Emperor was optimistic about his good friend and close comrade-in-arms, Ollie Karn, who had a clear advantage in ability and age.

Near noon, Chen Tian received good news from the British, and General Hindenburg said in a telegram, "The British are gone, and the war will be over in two weeks!" ”