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March 25, 1917, French Western Front Command.

The windows and doors were closed, and the thick black curtain cut off the large conference room from the outside world, and the roaring fire could not dispel the cold from the north. The seats in the conference room were deliberately divided into two circles, the inner circle was for the generals from the British, French, Belgian and other countries that directly sent troops, and the outer circle was for the representatives of the countries that had announced their participation in the war but did not send their armies. Everyone talked quietly, and all the topics were focused on Russia, which was deeply entrenched in the "revolution" and the precarious eastern front, when a country with a population of more than 100 million and more than 160 divisions of Germany and Austria was on the verge of collapse and shaking, no amount of words could dispel the generals' worries.

Even "quitting" has become a taboo word here.

Nagata Tetsuyama sat in the outer circle, and the beginning of Chapter 418 of the Entente's internal surface was not so good, saying that all member states were treated equally, but only sitting here could you feel the inequality and humiliation from the heart. He arrived on the Western Front as one of Japan's first army observers in October last year, when China had already begun to send troops to France. From his point of view, the most concerned at today's meeting was undoubtedly the group of Chinese officials led by Yue Peng and the US military observer group led by US Lieutenant General Pershing who sat in front of him. Needless to say, it was not a day or two for Britain and France to draw the United States into the war, and the world's largest and most industrially capable country could change the entire war situation with just a slight tilt, so although they had not yet made up their minds, Britain and France still needed to provide them with the best seats.

As for the central ** official group.

Looking at Yue Peng's upright back, Nagata Tieshan couldn't control his squeeze of the saber. This country, which was despised by the Japanese six years ago, is now recognized for sending hundreds of thousands of troops to the most fierce Western Front, and in one fell swoop it has successfully squeezed into the inner circle and sat down. And looking at the eyes of the Entente generals around them from time to time, you can know how big the impact of the Republic of China government's decision to continue to increase troops to Russia a few days ago is, that is, the not-so-good start of Chapter 418 has made the "China" expeditionary force have not fought a decent war so far, but being able to come here and sit in the inner circle itself says a lot.

As one of the first Japanese officers to oppose the sending of troops to Europe, Nagata Tetsuyama suddenly realized that he had done something wrong. While considering too much protection of one's own country, one ignores the changing world environment. Although he still feels that neither China nor Japan can afford such a large-scale war of attrition, let alone go to the distant and cold Eastern Front. But the political and economic factors have been forgotten, on the other hand, at this moment, the high-spirited officials of the "China" country sitting in the inner circle, his heart is sinking. The 5 billion yuan low-interest loan will take eight years to be fully deposited according to the current "Japan's greatly shrinking fiscal revenue," and the increase to 1.5 billion yuan in annual military expenditure is enough for the "Japan" to complete the construction of all two 88 fleets. There are also free gifts of equipment for a total of 37 army divisions, direct industrial and military aid worth at least a billion, free logistical help and loot! Maybe there's one last thing left. But in the end, Nagata Tieshan is not optimistic that China can get it, after all, land is a symbol of colonization and expansion, and Britain and France would rather give money than open this door so easily.

After a burst of muffled footsteps, the current commander-in-chief of the French army, who is in his 60s, walked into the conference room with Mangran, which was also the first time Yue Peng and Zhang Xiaozhun met the hottest officer on the European continent. There is also Mang Ran, who is known as the first fierce general in France, but his bright dress can't help but remind people of Zhao Hao who talks on paper.

Zhang Xiaozhun quietly bumped into Yue Peng: "I heard that this offensive plan was made by that Mangran, and he is going to use the strong Hindenburg defense line to hum!" I just don't understand, why don't these French guys understand? Heavy artillery alone could not tear up the German trenches with many depths. Even if the first lane is blown up and the infantry is sent up, what about the second? The third course is tactically completely lacking in maneuverability and flexibility. "After 100 days of hard work, the expeditionary force has a clear and intuitive understanding of the German army. Speaking from the heart, except for the first time when I was unexpected, I didn't take much advantage in the next few times, especially the fierce opponents were mostly reserve divisions. If it is replaced by a group army-level position and elite veterans, I am afraid that the casualty figure will be even greater.

Yue Peng also looked carefully at Mang Ran, who was sitting beside Nivel, with a serious expression on his bronzed face. His thick black hair stood on end, his eyes were blazing, and his whole body exuded the aura of Jin Rui. It is said that he was quick-witted but violent and capricious, and that he was very extravagant in his private life, and that he had slept with more than a hundred women since the beginning of the war. What's worse is that this guy is ruthless to everyone, even to himself. In such an important battle of Verdun, he actually broke away from the command several times and charged the enemy with a rifle and soldiers! Iron blood is iron blood and can also inspire the enthusiasm of soldiers, and it is definitely a heroic image that meets the needs of the newspaper and the people the most, but the problem is that he is the chief of staff of the group army! The chief of staff of a large army group with almost 300,000 soldiers! Not for how to reduce casualties. How to defeat the enemy thinks more, but rushes out like a soldier to steal the limelight and make an image, it is simply a joke with the life of a soldier!

"Dear generals, our Russian friends are in some minor trouble." Able to overtake Petain, Foch and Castelno in one fell swoop to become the leader of millions of French troops, the 60-year-old sideburns Whiteness is quite eloquent, he glanced at Yue Peng and Zhang Xiaozhun. Although he was extremely disgusted in his heart, he smiled without moving: "China~~-Update the first launch~~ Your Excellency the Vice President has gone to St. Petersburg to mediate, and I have just received news that our friends in China have officially started the third batch of mobilization, ready to send 15 infantry divisions to the Eastern Front again. ”

This last sentence instantly ignited the entire conference room! Before, everyone thought that sending troops to Russia again was just a deliberate bluff by the government of the Republic of China to ask for benefits, but they didn't expect that people would really mobilize! This means that from recruitment, training to the delivery of all equipment, it will only take half a year for the first troops to set foot on Russian soil. Nagata Tieshan frowned even more, he didn't expect that Yang Qiu would really make up his mind to continue to transport troops to the Russian Eastern Front through the long Trans-Siberian Railway. Doesn't he think about the consequences?! Once Russia really collapses, the German army will inevitably aim directly at the squadron, and the hundreds of thousands of troops who can't even ensure supplies will melt faster than the snow! But this is powerful for the "Japan", and he still hates that the "China" expeditionary force will all die in Europe, but the question is whether Yang Qiu will be so stupid?

The British generals such as Haig and Allenby had obviously already gotten the news, so they silently looked at Yue Peng and nodded slightly, which was already very rare for the arrogant Haig and the British! Only Pershing, who was short and shiny his leather boots and horsewhips at all times, seemed to be unhappy. Probably worried about whether he should send a report back and suggest that he send troops immediately.

Probably finding that too much attention was taken away, Nivelle suddenly regretted saying the news too early, nodded to Mangran and said, "Everyone, it is unknown whether the Eastern Front can be restored. In order to avoid the worst, we should launch a large-scale campaign against the Germans! After he finished speaking, he made a gesture to Mangran. This kind of strength did not allow the generals of other countries to speak, which made Haig and other commanders of the British army a little dissatisfied, and only after exchanging a few words did their eyes turn to open the map.

These subtle actions were all included in Yue Peng's eyes, and it has long been rumored that Britain and France are not so perfect, but now it seems that this is really the case.

Standing in front of the map, Mang Ran looked excitedly at the red lines, dotted lines, and arrows he had hand-marked, a plan he had taken two months to make. He picked up the whip and began to explain in detail: "Germany has retreated, their resources and manpower have reached the limit. So I think you should choose the strongest part of the enemy to deliver a critical blow! I propose that our 5th and 6th armies launch a strong attack on the German 3rd and 7th armies from Reims to Sultan Vasson 40 kilometers wide! After the breakthrough, the attack quickly continued in the direction of Ilsun, in depth. Our allies, the British 1st, 3rd, and 5th armies, launched an auxiliary attack from Arras to Valenciennes, pinning down the German 2nd and 6th armies and freezing them from coming to support. Our 3rd Army provided protection on the left flank and launched an attack on Ilsun from Saint-Quentin, and on the right flank our 4th Army attacked Ilsun by the surprise advance of our 4th Army from Ponfarvere-Meronvilière, forming an unshakable iron pincer to attack Ilsun, and our 10th Army and the Chinese Expeditionary Force were the general reserves. ”

Following Mangran's whip and words, a battle line of hundreds of kilometers stretching from the sea to Saint-Michael, Lorraine, was clearly defined, and the dense arrows and numbers represented one army after another. In terms of numbers, the total number of five ** teams on the Western Front reached 180 at present, including Britain, France, Belgium, China and Russia (in 1916, Russia sent 2 brigades to fight in France). The total number of people is 4.5 million. On the opposite side, the German army had two major armies, namely the German Crown Prince Army and the Bavarian Crown Prince Army, with 12 army groups totaling 2 million men. What a picture of what a war! Being able to dive into it and think about it makes people excited. But when the words "General Reserve" popped out coldly and ruthlessly in the end, the central ** official corps seemed to have been poured buckets of ice water on their heads.

After preparing for so long, more than 10,000 brothers were killed and wounded in more than 100 days, and finally the troops were put together, and they were exchanged for a reserve? Unwilling! So when the translator finished translating quickly, Zhang Xiaozhun almost suspected that there was something wrong with his ears. In the 100-day battle, the expeditionary force had a 1:2 advantage over the Germans in the offensive! What's more, whether it is tactics or morale, at present, his side is far stronger than the exhausted main force of the French army, and in this case, he actually let the expeditionary force, which already has 22 divisions and more than 400,000 people, act as a reserve for the French 4th Army in Reims, this guy is obviously underbeaten!

However, Nivelle didn't seem to see the restless lieutenant regiment, because at this moment he had more than 100 divisions in his hands that could mobilize to participate in the attack. The total number of troops is more than 2.3 million! It has 11,000 artillery pieces, about 500 tanks, and nearly 1,500 aircraft! Even if there are no 400,000 poor cannon fodder, there is enough to be sure of a single Siegfried line, not to mention that this time it is still a surprise attack, so it must be victorious, and any suspicion should be eliminated. He has even begun to dream of becoming the greatest French hero! So I completely ignored the angry eyes of Zhang Xiaozhun and the central ** officials.

In fact, when Mang Ran was making the plan at that time, he was really ready to put the [Chinese] Expeditionary Force in the position of the 4th Army, but he was lightly hooked by Niweller, because he did not believe in the ability of the expeditionary force at all. In fact, his worries are also somewhat justified, because although the 4th Army is auxiliary. But on the opposite side was the very strong 1st Army of the German Crown Prince's Army, which had withdrawn from Verdun. With 5 infantry divisions and 2 Kaiser Guards divisions, more than 160,000 people with 1,000 cannons and 2,000 machine guns, it is a very difficult force, so even if the cannon fodder in his heart is originally a consumable, he still does not dare to use the [Chinese] Expeditionary Force, which has only fought some small battles, to deal with such a main force.

In everyone's astonishment, Yue Peng slowly got up and saluted: "Your Excellency General." I wonder, as a reserve, do I have the right to enter the battlefield at my own discretion without reporting at critical moments? ”…… (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point () to vote for recommendation, monthly pass, your support, is my biggest motivation. )！！！