Chapter 287

Failed love is like a plague that spreads at breakneck speed. Although the French government had already moved to Bordeaux at the time of the First Battle of the Marne, when Paris was lost, it was a huge blow to the confidence of the entire French population.

Petain in the carriage was as pale as iron at this moment, and the defeated soldiers on the road drooped their heads one by one, and Petain, who had just received the order to take up the post of commander-in-chief of the French army, did not rush to take up his post, but first rushed to the headquarters of the Chinese expeditionary force.

The Chinese are the only bright spot in this battle. It was precisely because of the resolute resistance of the Chinese at Ravov that the French First, Second and Fifth Armies were basically able to withdraw. What is even more admirable is that in the process of retreating all the way, the Chinese Expeditionary Force fortified layer by layer and blocked repeatedly, which made the Entente ** team in the entire eastern battlefield not have a major collapse.

Petain gets daily news from the withdrawn troops, almost all of which carry the phrase, "The Chinese are blocking." "Yes, the Chinese blocked at Ravouf, the Chinese blocked at Champagne Beach, the Chinese blocked at Baledique, the Chinese blocked at Saint-Dizier, the Chinese blocked at Somersu, the Chinese blocked on the north bank of the Aube River.

Blocking alone is not enough to explain the great contribution of the Chinese. The French troops who withdrew along the way, along the way, could feel the Taoist Chinese maintaining order on the road and ensuring the smooth flow of the road. To put it bluntly, without the outstanding contribution of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in the eastern battlefield, the French army in the entire eastern part of the country, nearly 700,000 men, would have suffered heavy losses.

The car stopped and there was a roadblock ahead. Petain was somewhat surprised by this, and had not encountered any roadblocks set up by the French army to intercept him along the way, because there was no such thing as a roadblock. The entire French army in this area. It's all a mess.

Adjutant Jean, Phil and the interpreter got out of the car and quickly returned: "General, the road card set up by the Chinese, if you want to get through Guò here, you must have a pass issued by their headquarters. ”

Pétain opened his mouth in surprise, opened the car door, got out, and walked over to the roadcar. The soldiers standing guard saw clearly that it was a big man who came, and immediately saluted: "Hello general, please forgive me for performing official duties." No one can pass guò without a pass. ”

The translator quickly translated into French, and Petain said expressionlessly: "I am the new commander-in-chief of the French army, and I have important military affairs to meet with such a commander, please tell your superiors on my behalf." ”

The soldiers saluted and entered a sentry box. Picking up the phone and reporting quickly, there were still a few soldiers, who were solidifying Petain and others, and the muzzle of the machine gun did not mean to change direction. Prior to this, Petain did not take the Chinese's fighting power out of Epernay too seriously. I feel that there is still a big gap from the French army, but this time. Pétain was impressed by the fighting power of the squadron. When anyone said that the Chinese could not fight and were not trustworthy, Petain could smack him in the face.

Soon a captain appeared, with about a squad of soldiers, and the officer came and saluted: "Report to General Petain." Commander-in-Chief Cai ordered me to escort you to the headquarters. Petain nodded, "Good work." As he spoke, he walked forward, without any intention of continuing the ride.

Since Petain was on foot, the others had to follow, all the way in. The ancient well on Petain's face quietly changed. It is a small town called Sha and Mon Subibis. The Chinese did not base their headquarters in Troyes. Instead, it was set up in a small town less than 20 kilometers from the final blocking position.

The courage of the Chinese is really admirable, especially under the premise of a big rout. Along the way, many Chinese soldiers were resting, and they were sitting on the side of the road, with no intention of entering the houses at all. The courtyards of many houses were empty, and the Chinese sat quietly on the side of the road, they seemed very orderly, and even maintained a company-level column when resting. Pétain also saw more than a dozen 210-caliber heavy guns, which the Chinese soldiers were wiping down very carefully, as if they were wiping treasures.

The headquarters of the Chinese expeditionary force was located in a church, which was already on the edge of the town. While Petain was pondering how to communicate with the Chinese generals, he saw three Chinese generals approaching.

"Hello General Pétain, we have received a telegram that you are now the commander-in-chief of the French army." Cai Yi opened his mouth to salute, but this face was not very good-looking. Petain understood well that the Chinese had enough reason to question the command of the French army.

"Now the whole east is in chaos, and your army is the only one that does not have a chaotic image. As the new commander-in-chief, I would like to know where your army is currently located. Petain did not mean to be polite, but opened his mouth very directly to express his intentions.

Although the faces of the three Chinese generals were not good-looking, none of them took concrete actions to resist. Cai Ye even turned around, asked the adjutant to take out the map, spread it directly on the ground, raised his hand and pointed to the location on the map, and said: "Here, the three infantry divisions of our army's First Army are blocking it. Nojean-sur-Obe, where our 3rd Army had established a defensive position, had so far encountered no pursuing Germans. Here, Obtel, my Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Armies are doing a short rest. Here, Saint-Dizier, the Second Army was fighting the German pursuing forces, which, according to battlefield reconnaissance, were about four infantry divisions in pursuit, carrying very little heavy artillery, and had tried to attack three times this morning, all of which were repulsed by our troops. The Seventh Army was in Stanville, where there were no Germans at the moment, and the commander of the Blue Sky called for a counterattack against the Germans at Saint-Dizier, the problem was that the ammunition was insufficient, especially the large-caliber shells, which were almost completely exhausted. From Champagne Beach to Baledik, the special operations forces of our army, in the form of small detachments, are engaged in effective harassment. The supply of the German army was also difficult, and judging from the current situation, the four infantry divisions of the German army at Saint-Dizier were too far ahead. And, here. Alsi on the Orb River, according to aerial reconnaissance, about two German divisions opened a distance of more than 30 kilometers from the main German army. After repeated deductions by the General Staff of our army, it was judged that it was an opportunity to counterattack. ”

Petain understood that these were the two pursuing arrows of the German army, and the Chinese actually wanted to counterattack on both sides. How much courage does it take? "The problem is, in the process of blocking layers of attacks, your army has consumed a lot of money, right? And the ability to fight back? ”

Petain certainly wanted to see a counterattack, and whether it was won or lost, it would certainly be good for stabilizing the front.

"Shells, we need enough shells. If there are allies to cooperate, it is even better. Even if there are no allies, we can add some heavy artillery regiments to the equipment. Zhang Xiaohuai, who had never expressed his opinion, suddenly spoke at this moment. He was a very firm counterattacker, and it was really uncomfortable to be chased and beaten by the Germans, although he had made sufficient preparations before, the losses along the way were not very large, and the casualties of the entire Chinese expeditionary force were only 5,000.

Cai Yi does not advocate counterattacks, and relying only on the counterattack of the squadron will not help the entire battle situation, and will bring heavy casualties. But a telegram in China reversed Cai's attitude. Fang Jianxiong said in the telegram: "After repeated research, I believe that one or two partial counterattacks at this stage can play a heavy political role." It is also useful for some of the ongoing negotiations on technology transfer between Chinese and French companies. There are relatively few conflicts of interest between China and France, and technical support in the next two decades cannot be relied on only by the United States. You have the right to make decisions on the spot, and you can decide on your own basis according to the actual situation. ”

Fang Jianxiong's meaning is very clear, China needs French technology and equipment, and it cannot hang itself from such a tree as the United States. Although the United States had already entered the war, it would take at least ten months from mobilization to the arrival of troops in France. The loss of Paris, strategically speaking, was extremely disadvantageous to the Entente. But from the Chinese government's point of view, that's a good thing. Because it has created favorable conditions for technology transfer negotiations between China and France. Under this premise, if the expeditionary force can make some moves, it will bring great benefits to the country.

There are many ongoing negotiations on technology transfer between China and France, involving more than 40 projects in the fields of metallurgy, machinery, and chemical industry. Among them, Fang Jianxiong attaches the most importance to engine technology and basic material technology. These two technologies can be said to be the key points in the future development of the Air Force. To give a very simple example, a certain engine in parallel time and space, several years after the acceptance of the Tongguò state, has not been reflected in the mass production of fighters? Why? Nobody knows. The most reliable inference is two. One is that the material problem cannot be solved, and the other is that the process required for mass production cannot be solved. It is simply too difficult to make a sample, and frankly speaking, it is too difficult to make the power of the whole country, and under the official-based system, this kind of thing is not uncommon. Set up a project, get a sample out, and get the official's achievements in hand. As for whether the problem of mass production can be solved, and whether these technologies can be commercialized for civilian use in the future to obtain huge commercial benefits, these are not within the scope of officials' consideration.

Material technology is not up to standard, processing technology is not up to standard, these are the critical nodes that high-tech products cannot achieve mass production. Basic materials are the foundation of a high-precision technology, and on this issue, how others don't know, Fang Jianxiong can't pay too much attention to it. At present, the Wuhan Flight Engine Research Institute is developing a new type of engine, which is stuck in the material. The Americans have technology, but they don't give it to you, and you have to import raw materials to produce them in large quantities. This feeling of being stuck in the neck is really uncomfortable. That's why Fang Jianxiong sent a telegram to the expeditionary force at this time, asking them to blow the horn of counterattack when the entire Entente was in a situation where all the Entente countries were in unison.

Pétain was rather shocked by the plan to fight back. The Chinese actually thought of counterattacking at this time? When the Anglo-French forces were in full retreat, they were planning a counterattack. What kind of fighting spirit is this?