On May 23, the French army began to retreat from near the Franco-German and Franco-Belgian borders. In the southern regions of Alsace and Lorraine, where the French army was dominant, a large number of troops were also rapidly moving inland. In stark contrast to the high-spirited posture of more than half a month ago, there is no smile on the faces of the French officers and soldiers at this moment; Nervous and anxious, or depressed, they retreated sharply to the rear in a heavy atmosphere.

From the time the first shot was fired in Alsace on 6 May, the French had been engaged in a two-and-a-half-week battle with their old rivals, the Germans. In the course of 17 days, the total number of casualties and prisoners of the French army, with 1,250,000 men in 70 divisions, reached 350,000, more than four times the total strength of the entire British Expeditionary Force. As the victors, the German army on the Western Front has suffered less than 70,000 losses since the beginning of the war, including casualties suffered in the previous fierce battles with the Belgian army.

The disparity in the proportion of losses was due to the excellent equipment of the German army, on the one hand, and the coordination of aviation, artillery, infantry, and armor, and on the other hand, the French themselves. This factor comes from many aspects, including the army's tactics, fire support, command decisions, and even military uniforms.

In terms of army tactics, the French officers and men were deeply affected by the "Field Regulations" they formulated in 1912: so much so that the only word in their minds about combat, from the lieutenant general to the private, was "desperate attack" and they were obsessed with it. As for logistical supply, camouflage and concealment, soldier safety, and defensive tactics, these are all things that are not mentioned at all in the field regulations. then throw it aside entirely. Neither understands nor cares. In the face of well-equipped and well-trained German units. The final fate of the French army facing the French army in this posture can be imagined. The French would have suffered much greater casualties than the Germans in defensive battles, not to mention that they had more than once used their flesh and blood to force the German machine-gun barbed wire line!

As for fire support, the French, who did not even have a few 105-mm howitzers, had a very different artillery than the Germans; In addition, the German artillery also used reconnaissance planes to conduct calibration, and the gap between its battlefield support capabilities and that of the French army was even more like mud. Countless French officers and soldiers were blown up under the thunderous fire of the German army, which is also an important reason why its casualty figures are far superior to the German army.

And in terms of command decisions, the French army headquarters was carried away by the desperate attack and the thirst for revenge. Plan No. 17 was drawn up, which was no different from suicide, and the entire French army was pushed into the deep pit of fire. The self-righteous Xia Fei was domineering and stubborn, stubbornly pursuing his battle plan that proved to be foolish, and suffered the most painful defeat. In addition to the Supreme Commander, the front-line commanders of the French army were also flawed to a considerable extent. At the Battle of Charleroi, Langlezak had to urgently order a general of the artillery unit to replace the commander of the Third Army, who could not be found anywhere during the most intense phase of the battle. And on the battlefield of Lorraine in the north where Qingying and Luff fought, a French division commander actually shot himself. The chief of staff, who temporarily took the place of division commander, had no experience in commanding an army alone, and his command orders were full of loopholes, so that the German assault group broke through the defense line where the division was located without much effort.

Besides. The French suffered casualties far greater than those of the Germans, and their uniforms also contributed to this. Presently. All the French infantry were still dressed in 1830: blue jackets, red hats, and Red Army trousers. In 1830 the rifle had a range of only 200 paces, and the armies were engaged at close range, so there was no need for concealment, so the French had no problem dressing it this way; However, the effective range of rifles is now more than 800 meters, and the French still wear such conspicuous clothing, isn't that looking for death?

In the Boer War, British soldiers in splendid uniforms like peacock feathers were beaten by the elusive Boers, who were the best targets of the Boers wherever they were. Therefore, in the later stages of the war, the British, who had experienced the pain of the skin, changed their military uniforms to yellow khaki uniforms that blended in with the soil, and the effect was immediate, and the casualties dropped dramatically. German observers reported the situation home, and the German uniform changed from a bright Prussian sea blue to an inconspicuous earthy gray. The French Minister of War, Messimi, had been to the front during the Balkan Wars and had seen the Bulgarians benefit greatly from the dull color of their uniforms, and was determined to make the French soldiers less conspicuous.

After returning home, Messimi proposed a plan to change the French military uniform to blue-gray or blue-gray, but this immediately provoked a tsunami of protests. The honor of the Army was at stake, and the French did not budge an inch in the matter of changing the trousers of the Red Army, just as they were asking them to use defensive weapons such as heavy artillery and machine guns. Once again, the prestige of the Army looks at stake. The defenders of the army declared that by changing the French army into uniforms of "the color of inglorious mud", the Dreyfus and Freemasons would have fulfilled their long-cherished wishes. The "Les Echos de Paris" also wrote an article to refute this, saying that the abolition of "all bright colors, all conditions that make the soldiers' appearance vibrant, is contrary to the French concept of beauty and the functions of the army." A former Army Minister named Edion was even louder at the parliamentary hearing: "Abolish the red pants? That's absolutely not going to work, red pants are France! ”

In the unwavering wave of unwavering opposition from the whole country in France, Messimi, who was alone, had to be forced to put on the shelf the plan to change his military uniform. And this naturally suffered extremely tragic consequences. French officers and soldiers, dressed in one of the most conspicuous of all colors, had an almost negative concealment coefficient; As long as the Germans saw a shaky red or blue in the distance, they would be absolutely right to aim and fire! Countless French soldiers did not even see where the German soldiers were, so they went to God in a daze because of their "vigorous appearance".

Under the influence of the concept of "impulse", the French army's infantry tactics, weapons and equipment, combat command, and humanistic concepts have all been deformed. And when all these factors are combined, it is a completely tragic situation that has never been seen before. Had it not been for the fact that Langlezak had turned to the defensive and ordered a retreat two days later, the Second Battle of Sedan would have been staged. However, the French still lost a large army group in half a month of fighting, and retreated hastily to the rear.

On 24 May, the German Sixth and Seventh Armies, located in the far south, also launched a full-scale counteroffensive as the French began to transfer large numbers of troops originally stationed in Alsace and Lorraine to the center and north flanks to fill the gaps in their previous losses. In the previous battles, the German army, which consisted of about 200,000 men in four armies, had been on the defensive, and the overall losses were the smallest among the German armies; Faced with a severely weakened enemy, Rupprecht's offensive was like lightning and thunder, and the French army was in a hurry again on the frontal battlefield in Alsace. With the support of heavy artillery, the Germans began to gradually regain the territories previously captured by the French, and the price they paid was very different from the heavy casualties that the French had previously paid to seize these lands.

Liège and the manufacturing industry, the coal reserves of Borinage, the massive iron ore mines of Brière, the factories and enterprises of Lille, the mountains and rivers, the railways, agriculture...... During the three-week war, the Germans used their swords to plow and reap untold fortunes. Kaiser Wilhelm, located in the palace in Koblenz, is now infinitely confident. The Germans were nothing more than a remnant of the army, but Schlieffen's talent had been most perfectly confirmed, and his empire was assured of victory. It won't be long before Germany's red, white and black iron cross flag will fly over the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and he Wilhelm will become the peerless emperor of Kecheng's grandfather's unfinished business!

And in the face of this situation, Xia Fei, who should be fully responsible for this disaster, was incredibly calm and unashamed. In his mind, the No. 17 plan he had drawn up was still extremely correct, but it was only because of the unforgivable mistake committed by the executors of the plan that the battle was defeated. Although some French commanders were indeed responsible for the rout of the border battle, the domineering and majestic Xia Fei could not tolerate a grain of sand in his eyes, and still ruthlessly expanded the list of officers who were demoted and dismissed.

Luff, who had lost most of his troops in the Ardennes forest, was dismissed from his post and ordered to retire from his post by Xia Fei, and he never returned to the army after that. Langlezak, who had retreated from southern Belgium without authorization, was also dismissed from his post as commander of the Fifth Army and held an idle post in the rear until Foch succeeded Chauffeur as commander-in-chief of the French army. A large number of generals and colonel-level officers who had not shown enough stoic and resolute courage in previous battles were also implicated. Xia Fei, who put all his responsibilities on others, has unbelievably restored his flawless confidence in himself and France like white jade.

In Xia Fei's view, although he was temporarily frustrated, he did not lose the opportunity to defeat Germany. The troops in the rear were constantly mobilizing and massing, and a large number of cannon fodder troops from the colonies were arriving at Toulon or Marseille via the Mediterranean route. Crucially, France also has a behemoth in the East as an ally, and this is the source of confidence that the whole country dares to reject Germany's ultimatum. According to a telegram from St. Petersburg, the Russian steamrollers had launched their most fierce attack on East Prussia at this time. (To be continued......)