In 1917, not long after the tragic Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Verdun, when the generals of the Allied and Central Powers, who had finally survived the winter, planned to completely defeat their opponents at the dawn of spring, the news suddenly came from St. Petersburg, but the whole world was shaken.

Even the battles that the two sides had been preparing for some time were temporarily halted because of this incident.

Because after a revolution that no one expected, the Romanov dynasty, which had lasted for hundreds of years, came to an end...

Although what happened in St. Petersburg may seem a little far away from other countries, at this moment, whether it is Britain or Germany, or even Japan, which was once hostile to Russia, there is a feeling of sadness in the bottom of their hearts.

There is no other reason than that they are just as monarchical as Tsarist Russia.

Now that Tsarist Russia, which is also a monarchy, has been completely overthrown under the resistance of the people, it is naturally impossible for Britain and Germany, which are monarchies, not to feel it.

After all, in this era, constitutional monarchy is the mainstream, and systems like France, the United States, and China are heretical.

On the other hand, while they were shocked by what happened in Russia, Britain, France, and other countries were also considering the impact of this incident on the situation in the world.

Don't look at Russia's repeated defeats against Germany some time ago, it was just because Germany was too strong, think about Russia's victory rate against Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Turkey, you can see that the Russians actually have some strength.

Not to mention the fact that it is a country that straddles Europe and Asia, and is also the country with the largest contiguous territory in this era. Even after the fall of Tsarist Russia, the power that originally belonged to Russia was still very strong—————— and the titles of "European Gendarme" and "Steam Roller" of the Russians were not for nothing.

Although the strength cannot be compared with Germany, but considering that Russia has countless gray cattle. Faced with a crowd of countless gray animals, anyone can feel a lot of pressure.

All they lacked was a good commander, nothing more...

Isn't there such a saying, there are no soldiers who do not enter the stream, only commanders who do not enter the stream, and it is really difficult to say how many ranks the existing army in Russia is. But at least the commander-in-chief of Russia is definitely not in the stream, and may even be the second among the commanders of the great powers of the same period—————— only including Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, the United States, and other major powers.

As for countries like Italy, Turkey and Austria-Hungary, or...

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The repercussions of the fall of the Russian Empire were far-reaching. It can even be said that it can affect the situation of the entire battle situation.

For the Entente, if the nascent Russia had chosen to join Germany, they would have to face the Central Powers on the Western Front alone, and the situation would have become very difficult.

Because there was a Russian containment at the beginning. In the case of Germany fighting on two fronts. Britain, France and other countries on the Western Front were only a draw with Germany. Now, if the Germans lose Russia's restraint on the Eastern Front and instead devote most of their forces on the Eastern Front to the Western Front, it will definitely be a nightmare for Britain, France and other countries on the Western Front...

Therefore, on the one hand, Britain and France contacted the new Russian Provisional Government, hoping that they would inherit the responsibilities of the Tsarist government, continue to engage in war with the Central Powers and contain the actions of the Central Powers on the Eastern Front. On the one hand, it demanded that China send the more than 100,000 troops to Europe as soon as possible, and at the same time hoped to raise the original figure of 800,000 a lot, and Britain and France were even willing to bear all the costs of this part of the expeditionary force—————— and if Russia really fornicated with the Allies, then Germany would be able to draw more than one million troops from the Eastern Front. That's why Britain and France are willing to commit so much, because they really lack people...

However, at this time, the situation on the Russian side was chaotic. Obviously, there is no way to reply to Britain and France, and as for the Chinese side ...

"I'm sorry..."Looking at Fu Xi and Haig standing in front of him, Cai Yi said with a wry smile, his face full of helpless expressions. Although I would like to make such a promise, in fact you are well aware that with the changes in Russia, our policy in this regard will inevitably be adjusted, so even if I make a proposal to the president, I am afraid that he may not necessarily send more troops to Europe, or even..."

Glancing at Fuxi and Haig, he pursed his lips, and Cai Yi said openly and honestly. "I can't even guarantee whether the follow-up more than 100,000 people will arrive..."

"What!" Hearing Cai Ye say this, after glancing at each other, Fu Xi said in surprise, and even Heige, whose expression had always been a little rigid, also showed a surprised expression on his face. "Cai, this is not a joke, you must know that your country has signed a contract with us..."

"Of course I know this..."Shaking his head, Cai Yi looked at the two of them with a serious face. However, this time is different from the past, and I believe that the two of you are also very aware of the impact of today's changes on the world and even the surrounding areas of China, of course, I am not saying that the follow-up troops will not be able to come, but ......... It's just possible..."Speaking of this, Cai Yi's face smiled slightly bitterly.

In fact, it's not just possible, it's just that...

Although it has not yet been officially made public, the telegram sent from China not long ago has been read by Cai Yi, which has been clearly written, that is, the Nationalist Government has decided to reduce the intensity of increasing troops in Europe, and instead use this part of the troops in more useful places, hoping that the expeditionary force can give full play to its fine traditions and create more brilliant achievements in the situation of being in a disadvantaged situation...

From this point alone, Cai Ye already knew that China really did not plan to continue to send troops.

However, he understood this very well, after all, he knew very well that after the fall of the Russian Empire, there was probably a greater need for more troops in the country today.

It's just that...

Although they often play some cautious tricks with each other, in fact, Cai Ye has always felt that he has always felt that he has a very pleasant relationship with Fuxi and Haig, and now the two of them have come together, hoping that they can exert some influence to persuade Yan Shao to send more troops, but now...

Although for Cai Yi. There is no need to choose which is more important, national interests or personal friendship, but Cai Ye always has a sense of guilt in his heart...

"At the moment, because of the demise of Russia, this matter will have a great impact on our country. No one knows exactly what will happen, so ......... Of course, as mentioned earlier, this is just my personal judgment, but it is likely that our country will suspend or slow down the delivery of expeditionary forces and deploy more troops in the country. to cope with possible changes......... Of course, I am also aware of the agreements that my country has signed, but I am more than heart-to-heart. I would like to ask, if the United Kingdom and France were in a similar situation, what would they choose? ”

"This..."Looking at Cai Yi's sincere face, Fu Xi and Haig didn't know what to say. If it were a change for them, something like this would happen. It will definitely choose to do the same as China. So if they just blame China like this, they will still feel more or less lacking in confidence, but...

If China is allowed to suspend the agreement in this way, it will be equivalent to losing at least 100,000 reinforcements.

The current situation is complicated, and if Russia really chooses to cooperate with the Allies, the consequences...

Disastrous...

Considering that the Allies are likely to send millions of troops to the Western Front, the pressure on the Coalition forces can be imagined, even in the face of the Allies' millions of troops. I'm afraid that the more than 100,000 people of the expeditionary force may not be enough to see, but...

Anyway. It's better than nothing...

For a while, the two didn't know what to say, and the atmosphere in the room was a little awkward...

Seeing this scene, Cai Ye coughed dryly, wanting to say something to ease the atmosphere, who would have thought that before he could speak, Liu Guangyuan had already walked in from outside, still holding a telegram in his hand.

It is good to say that Liu Guangyuan is also the commander of the First Army, with the rank of lieutenant general, and is an important figure in the expeditionary force in Europe, and he has been on the Western Front for a long time, even if he has recently been robbed of a lot of limelight by the newcomer Wu Peifu, but Fuxi and Haig often meet with him, so they will not feel strange to Liu Guangyuan.

Seeing him walk in at this time, both of them immediately looked over to see what was going on.

Of course, it's not just the two of them, even Cai Ye himself.

Although the door of the room was not closed when the three of them were talking just now, the people around knew about it, if there was nothing important, I am afraid that Liu Guangyuan might not come in to interrupt the conversation of the three of them—————————— this is like the company in the future, etc., the leader is talking inside, unless you really have something important, otherwise no matter what you think, you can only wait outside first, and you can only go in after the conversation is finished, otherwise...

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Seeing that the three people were focusing on their bodies, Liu Guangyuan couldn't help but smile bitterly, first saluted the three of them, and then handed the telegram in his hand to Cai Yi.

"Commander, a telegram just arrived in China, saying that you and Ziyu want them to return to China..."

"What?" Hearing Liu Guangyuan's words, whether it was Cai Yi or Fu Xi, their faces changed.

"Transfer me back to China?" Muttered, Cai Ye looked through the telegram in his hand, and sure enough, he saw everything Liu Guangyuan had just said, and it was clearly written on the telegram that Cai Ye wanted Cai Ye to leave for China immediately, of course, he was not the only one who went back, there was often a list of officers who went back with him, there were almost more than 100 people, among which the lowest rank was also a major, or a relatively special position, and in addition to Cai Ye, the commander of the expeditionary force, the rest of the generals such as Wu Peifu and other more eye-catching generals who had already performed in Europe, Also in this list...

"This..."Looking at the telegram in his hand, Cai Ye fell silent.

At the same time, Fu Xi and Haig glanced at each other, and they both felt that something was wrong.

Although Cai Yi's telegram is Chinese, they can't understand the words on it at all, and they don't have to worry about leaking secrets—————— which is why Liu Guangyuan dares to face Cai Yi, on the one hand, because they don't understand Chinese characters at all, so naturally they don't have to worry about anything, on the other hand, because the things on this telegram will be announced soon, there is no value in secrecy at all, rather than making Fuxi and them clear first, and then making it clear to Cai Yi, it is better to be generous, This will also avoid some estrangement and mistrust between each other...

Although they couldn't read the Chinese characters, Liu Guangyuan's words just now. They still heard it clearly.

Cai Ye aside, the title of 'Hero of Verdun' can almost be said to be thunderous in Europe, and Cai Yi's command ability. Even Fu Xi and Haig can't help but say a word of admiration, plus during this time, Cai Ye has been trained in Europe for a long time, in this land of Europe, if you want to select some famous generals, Cai Ye can definitely be included in it...

There is also Wu Peifu who Liu Guangyuan just talked about, although Wu Peifu has just arrived in Europe. Unlike Liu Guangyuan, they have been here for more than a year, but in this short period of time, with their own ability and the strength of the Fifth Army. Wu Peifu's performance was very eye-catching, and even suppressed most of the generals on the Western Front, and it can be said that he was in the limelight for a while...

Both of these men were representative figures in the expeditionary force and very good generals of the coalition forces on the Western Front. And even if you don't know kanji. Just glanced at it. I've seen some of them, and I know very well that the row above is probably all names, and the number is shocking...

The most important thing is that these are all officers with actual combat experience, not to mention what Yan Shao transferred them back to China for, if all these officers leave, I am afraid that the strength of the entire expeditionary force will be lowered by a notch. This was undoubtedly very bad news after the Allies were fearing a large-scale German attack...

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Although it is not unclear in my heart what these two people think. But at this moment, Cai Ye couldn't manage so much, after hearing that he and Wu Peifu and others were all going back to China, and looked at the names on the list, Cai Ye was silent for a long time, and then asked.

"Has it been said in China who will succeed us?"

I am afraid that the domestic order has not been refused, so compared with resisting the order, Cai Ye is more concerned about who will take his place. His position is very critical, the expeditionary force has finally won a great reputation on the Western Front, if you choose a commander who is not in the stream, I am afraid that it will be embarrassing, and the reputation of the expeditionary force in exchange for hundreds of thousands of casualties will be lost in one day, not to mention...

If the ability of the person who came was too poor, I am afraid that the casualties of the expeditionary force would be very large, which was obviously unacceptable to Cai Yi, who already had feelings for the expeditionary force.

"Yes," Liu Guangyuan nodded, and then continued. It was decided that General Jiang Baili would take over your position, and some other generals were also sent to take Ziyu's place, while Xinyuan and I stayed in Europe, responsible for introducing the environment to the people who came later, and at the same time had some other auxiliary work..."

Hearing that it was Jiang Baili who replaced him, Cai Yi's heart suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

He is still very relieved about Jiang Baili's ability, although after experiencing the war in Europe, Jiang Baili is better than Cai Yi in terms of ability and actual combat experience, but it cannot be denied that Jiang Baili is indeed very capable, even if there is a gap, this gap will never be very big.

On the other hand, Jiang Baili can be said to be poor in actual combat experience, and it is precisely because of this that Jiang Baili will be famous as a military scientist in later generations, rather than as an excellent commander.

Now that Jiang Baili has been brought to Europe, he can undoubtedly take this opportunity to make up for Jiang Baili's shortcomings in actual combat experience and make China have one more famous marshal to use.

Of course, there are also some things to worry about, that is, Jiang Baili and others who came to Europe for the first time, are not familiar with the place, and do not understand the war situation in Europe, will there be any trouble because of this, and suffer at the hands of the Germans, and then...

Cai Ye knows the situation in Europe very well, and even the Germans are not easy to deal with, and if he is not careful, he may suffer a big loss. However, Yan Shao obviously also took this into account, so while dropping them back into the country, he did not move Liu Guangyuan and the others, but left them to assist Jiang Baili, in order to use their experience to help Jiang Baili grow faster...

In a way, at least in this matter, Cai Ye doesn't seem to need to worry about anything anymore.

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Looking at Cai Yi's appearance, Liu Guangyuan couldn't help but smile secretly.

In fact, it was not just him, even Liu Guangyuan himself was very worried at the beginning, for fear that a bad guy would be sent from the country, and then they would be finished. So after getting the telegram from China, Liu Guangyuan did not immediately run to Cai Yi's side, but sent a telegram to China first. I asked about the candidate for replacement, and I was relieved after learning that it was Jiang Baili—————— he had fought under the command of Jiang Baili, and he still admired this old boss very much.

In his opinion. Even if Jiang Baili is more or less inferior to Cai Ye because of actual combat experience, I'm afraid this gap will definitely not be far away...

It's just that...

Although Cai Yi and Liu Guangyuan were relieved, Fu Xi and Haige on the other side didn't know Jiang Baili at all, and the importance of the expeditionary force at the moment was ......... The faces of the two suddenly showed worried looks.

Seeing the two of them like this, Cai Ye and Liu Guangyuan couldn't help but laugh, and then spoke directly. "Don't worry. There is no problem, the new General Jiang Baili is my best friend, and I am even capable of him. Seriously, his abilities are only above me, not below me, and all he lacks is the opportunity to prove himself, nothing more..."

Jiang Baili is coming. As his friend, Cai Ye always has to pave the way for him. After all, the war situation on the Western Front is very dangerous, and it is not clear when the German army will pounce—————— although there is no indication that Russia will be in conflict with Germany, Cai still likes to look at things from the worst point of view...

It is precisely because of this that the tacit understanding and trust of the coalition forces themselves have become inevitable.

Fu Xi was the commander of the French army, Haig was the commander of the British army, and Jiang Baili would be the commander of the future expeditionary force, if there was a conflict between the three of them, considering the strength of the Germans. I'm afraid that the coalition forces will suffer several defeats, so no matter which way you look at it. Cai Ye needs to get a good foundation for Jiang Baili first.

Hearing Cai Ye say this, of course Fu Xi and Haig couldn't believe it, after all, as the commander of the first army, no matter how he thought, he couldn't easily believe the words of others, wouldn't that be to be deceived by the enemy on the battlefield.

But to be honest, after hearing Cai Yi's words, Fu Xi and Haig's mood was indeed stronger than before, at least their expressions were better.

"Perhaps......... I'll just look forward to it...", lazily said Fuxi.

Haig, on the other hand, just snorted.

Seeing the two of them like this, Cai Yi smiled bitterly, but in the process of smiling bitterly, it seemed that he had thought of something, and Cai Yi looked up at the two of them. "Actually, I have an idea that may solve the current dilemma..."

"What's the idea?" Hearing that Cai Ye seemed to have an idea, the two of them were suddenly shocked.

After working with Cai Ye for so long, the two of them still trust Cai Ye's ability, and naturally believe in Cai Ye's methods.

"Is this?" he groaned for a moment, and Cai Ye spoke. At this stage, I believe that both of them have already understood that Russia has changed, and it is difficult for our country to send more troops to Europe on a large scale than before, so at this stage we can only rely on ourselves on the Western Front, especially our expeditionary force, and we want to get reinforcements from the country in Europe......... It's not impossible, but I'm afraid it's going to be much more difficult than before..."

"In this case, we need more reinforcements..."

"The problem is that there are not many countries that can help us defeat at this stage, the United States is counted as one, Japan is also counted as one, but Japan's ......... I heard that the Japanese government rejected the request to send troops at the previous time, and still sat by and watched the excitement, since this is the case, we naturally have only one choice left, the United States..."

Facing Cai Yi, Fu Xi and Haig have been listening quietly, sometimes nodding, sometimes showing annoyed looks, this look is naturally aimed at Japan.

In fact, in the course of World War I, Britain and France never terminated their invitation to Japan, that is, to send troops, but Japan repeatedly refused, only selling arms on a large scale, and had no intention of sending troops at all.

Not long ago, the Russian Empire fell, considering the problems that might arise, Britain and France invited Japan again, who would have thought that Japan actually refused again, so Britain and France were naturally annoyed, just because there was nothing to do for the time being, so they didn't take Japan well, but in fact, the two countries were already very disgusted with Japan in their hearts...

But...

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After a deep groan, Fu Xi looked at Cai Yi. "It's not like we haven't thought about what you just said, but now the United States just wants to give away his war money, that's all, even if we invite them, we will refuse..."

From the side, Haig nodded in agreement.

In fact, although China has played a huge role in Europe, the real need and hope of Britain and France has always been the United States. From the outbreak of the war to the present. Britain and France have always wanted the United States to join the real —————— of their side, and of course Germany is no different.

It's just that just like Japan, the United States also has the meaning of sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight. I don't plan to play it myself...

So, to be honest, Britain and France don't have much confidence in inviting the United States.

Looking at the appearance of the two people, Cai Ye couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry, if it didn't work out the previous time, this invitation will definitely be successful..."

said. Cai Ye had a confident expression on his face, and seeing that Fu Xi and Haig didn't understand, Cai Ye explained. "The reason why the United States did not enter the war in the past. It's because we're evenly matched with Germany, and only by being evenly matched can we keep fighting with Germany, you think. If we keep fighting with Germany. Whose benefits will be the greatest......... It will inevitably be the United States, after all, we have shed blood and sacrificed with Germany, and doing so will only lose our strength, and the United States, just like Japan, will sell us materials to earn profits, and at the same time will not lose anything without participating in the war, which can be said to be extremely clever..."

Hear Cai Yi's words. Fu Xi and the two nodded in agreement, but at the same time, they didn't understand that since Cai Yi knew it. For what would you think that you can attack.

At the same time, Cai Ye continued. "The problem is that at the beginning we were evenly matched with Germany, but now, regardless of whether Russia will cooperate with Germany or not, now that the new provisional government has just been formed, Russia will inevitably face a chaotic situation, even if it does not cooperate with Germany, I am afraid that there will not be much strength to be drawn up, so that Germany can send troops to the Western Front as it pleases, and form an advantage over us on the Western Front..."

"If the two sides are evenly matched, the United States can sit on the hill and watch the tiger fight, and by the way, sell arms on a large scale and earn high profits, but if the balance of power is broken, it will be impossible for the United States to continue to maintain this excellent environment, and it will ............... According to what I have learned, the two countries have received a lot of money from the United States for this war, and some things have even come on credit, and this money is so large that if the two countries are unable to pay it back, I am afraid that the whole United States will be unlucky..."

"In this way, if Germany defeats us, then the United States will not lose all its money, so forget about the past, but now the United States will inevitably choose to stand on our side, so if you invite us this time, I am at least ninety percent sure that the United States will agree..."

Hearing Cai Yi's most abrupt conclusion, Fu Xi and Haig couldn't help but nod.

Although they also thought of similar ideas, after all, they were only relatively simple ideas, and now after listening to Cai Yi's words, they suddenly had a lot of confidence in their hearts.

"In that case...", Fu Xi looked at Cai Yi and said. Then we'll go back first, anyway, we have to try it......... If the United States can really enter the war, our chances of winning this war will be much higher..."

"I hope the Russians can hold out for a while longer, although they can no longer play a role, but even if they put on a show, they can more or less contain the Germans' two or three hundred thousand troops, which is not bad for us..."

Speaking of the most reluctant, Haig couldn't help but smile bitterly...

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Soon, Britain and France again sent diplomats to liaise with the Russian Provisional Government and put pressure on the new government to fulfill its obligation to entangle Germany on the Eastern Front.

The question is, both the British and the French could think of the importance of Russia, and how could the Germans not think of it.

So while Britain and France sent diplomats to exert pressure, Germany also sent people over.

And their aim, of course, was to fornicate with Russia—————— to be precise, to sign a treaty in favor of Germany, and then turn around and settle Russia after they had settled Britain and France first...

Sandwiched between Britain and France and Germany, the nascent Russian government can be said to be in a dilemma, not knowing what to do...

It can be said that neither the British nor the German ideas were ultimately achieved.

However, Britain and France did not really get nothing, at least this time after Britain and France sent an invitation to the United States, the Americans finally chose to agree after some thinking...

Of course, ostensibly the United States would do so solely because of Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare and the telegram sent by the Germans to Mexico.

But in fact, the United States, as Cai Yi expected, was completely worried that if the Entente was defeated, their money would not be returned, and they would need to go bankrupt or something.

So even if it was for their own interests, the Americans must help the Entente win this war.

Not long after the end of the February Revolution, the U.S. government officially declared war on Germany...

With the declaration of war, there are also a large number of small partners of the United States in South America, of course, there is only one United States that is useful, and all the others are incidental, and it is okay to play a role of one percent, but in any case, with so many small partners helping, more or less momentum is enough.

However, these things have nothing to do with Yan Shao, because at this moment, there is nothing more problematic for Yan Shao than a child...

Even if it is those official affairs, Yan Shao just handles them casually, and the rest of the things are all used to accompany his wife...

Although the people in the government are helpless about this, there is nothing they can do, after all, Yan Shao is already in his thirties, and he finally has a child, and it is relatively normal to be excited.

As for Yan Shao? The question is even simpler...

Yes, Europe's problems are serious, but so what? Can that little thing be more important than his wife's unborn child? Let alone...

Yan Shao is confident that no matter what happens, he has the ability to settle down...

Because in terms of strength, Yan Shao may not be able to compete with the United States, Britain and Germany in terms of industry and other aspects, but he can still deal with a Russian army...

For China now, Russia, which is in a state of chaos, is completely vulnerable...

However, out of prudence, in the end, Yan Shao recruited his best generals back from Europe to ensure that nothing would go wrong with the whole plan... (To be continued......)