"The Germans have advanced to Tur. Their Fifth Army was wedged into the interior of our front, directly threatening the security of Nancy, and General de Castelno's retreat was in danger of being closed. We must take steps to stop them from moving forward. The tragedy of the main forces of the Third Army being encircled in the border battle must not be repeated in Alsace! "In the headquarters of the French army in Charillon, Deputy Chief of Staff Berthelow shouted after receiving a report from the front.

"But we now don't have enough strength to launch a counterattack against this German army, which is deep into our front." Chief of Staff Beran looked at the battle map on the wall and said with concern, "We only have two army groups in the center, and we are currently under heavy attack from the German army in front of us. If they drew up more than two corps to launch a counterattack, the frontal front was in danger of being broken by the other two German forces. We had lost too many troops in the previous border battles. ”

The obese Berthelow had a firm face and said, "No matter what, we must launch a counterattack on the flank of this breakthrough German army in order to delay their advance south along the Maas River valley." If they were allowed to advance, then this German army would not only be able to cut off the retreat path of our troops on the Alsace front, but also choose to go around to the rear of our Third and Fourth Armies, and the entire front would be in danger of collapsing due to the advance of this German army! ”

"With only three or four divisions, it is certain that one of the German armies will not be able to stop by counterattack." Belan glanced at Xia Fei, who was sitting on the main seat, and said softly, "Therefore, it is best to use the strategy. It was time for the 1st and 2nd armies to retreat immediately. Before the Germans could go too far, they withdrew to the west of the Maas, or even the upper Marne. So as to ensure the safety of this force. In addition, the possible outflanking of our left flank by the Germans will be defused, and the retreating army will establish a new line of defense. ”

"Immediately send a telegram to Dibay and de Castelno, ordering them to gather their troops overnight and retreat at full speed to the southwest." Xia Fei suddenly stood up from his seat and said to Berthelow in his thick voice, which was always calm and calm, "Tell the two army commanders that they must take advantage of the cover of tonight's night to retreat more than 15 kilometers back. Distance yourself from the German forces that are currently confronting them. Otherwise, once Rupresit's six and a half armies followed, their retreat would turn into a catastrophic rout. ”

Betelo froze in place, as if he didn't expect Xia Fei to give the order for the entire army to retreat so decisively. This meant that France would lose eight cities and a large part of the country, including Nancy, Sharm, Erbinar, and Belfort, and millions of people would be reduced to slavery and be ravaged by the Germans, and the losses would be incalculable. Looking at the commander-in-chief's calm face, looking at the deep blue eyes of the ancient well, and looking at the firmness and determination contained in them, Berthelow was shocked in his heart, and finally understood Xia Fei's will. He nodded slowly and said, "I'll immediately go and convey the order to the two army commanders. ”

Under the orders of Xia Fei. The French troops, located on the Alsatian front, began to move quickly. The soldiers digging the trenches lowered their shovels and began to rush towards their respective assembly areas; The horses neighed discontentedly. Because flatbed carts loaded with various ammunition and baggage have been strapped in front of them. The rollers of the 75mm cannon ran over the rugged, gravelly ground, and the weapons that the French relied on to survive in the field began to flee from their shelters; The crisp sound of horses' hooves sounded, and the cavalry, as an outpost, was clearing the way for the retreat of the main force, and reconnoitred from a distance.

Under the boundless starlight, the red trousers with no edge in sight were rapidly retreating westward in South Alsace, and it was none other than the French First Army under the command of General Dibay. As the absolute main force in the capture of Alsace in Plan No. 17, the division once had as many as eight and a half legions, a little more than the starting line of Crook; However, after continuous casualties and continuous redeployment, this army group now has only two integrated armies left, and its strength ranks at the bottom of the French army group.

Sitting in an open-top command car, watching his army retreat quietly like rats in the middle of the night, General Dibayi was already extremely aggrieved in his heart. Although his army was not as good as it used to be, and even had been pressed and beaten by the weakest German Seventh Army for several days, his army was still firmly resistant to the German invaders on French soil with its fortifications and familiarity with the terrain. However, Xia Fei's sudden order was to make his troops retreat to the Maas River Valley, seventy or eighty kilometers away, and hand over a large area of land to the group of bloody devils who crawled out of hell! Although Xia Fei had already explained the reason for doing so in the telegram, such a big contrast between the front and back still made Dibayi's heart full of unwillingness and hatred. By this time he had already experienced the anguish of the Alsatian parliamentarians in 1871 when they learned that the Provisional Government had declared a total acceptance of the terms of the Prussian armistice. The steep green hills, the rustling forests, the babbling streams, the vast fertile fields...... The land that is now run over by his own wheels will no longer belong to France from tomorrow!

The moon is bright and the stars are shining. Sitting in the command car, Di Bayi was full of grief and indignation, and Xia Fei's retreat order undoubtedly saved the fate of the only remaining troops in his hands. The German Fifth Army, having advanced to Turkey on the evening of 7 June, did not waste a single moment on the French city, but sent a regiment lightly on the road, bypassing the city overnight and hurrying south. With the French Third Army's defensive line breached, the Germans were no longer able to stop their strength, and the speed of their advance day and night could almost be described as terrifying. If Xia Fei's order had been issued a day and a half later, Dibayi's army might even be encircled!

However, Decastelno's department was not so lucky. Since they were stationed in the North Alsace region, they were only a day's way away from the German Fifth Army, which had completed the breakthrough; When they reorganized their troops and began to retreat, they ran into the German Fifth Army, which was marching day and night. De Castelno was shocked to find that all his retreat roads were already heavily guarded by German troops with barbed wire fences and machine guns; Before the French troops could react, they were swept down in front of the German Maxim!

Shocked by the rapid advance of the German army, DeCastelno had no choice but to immediately order his troops to launch a fierce attack on the German blockade forces. The French army urgently needed to open the way for retreat, and if it were to stay in this area for too long, his army would undoubtedly be in danger of being destroyed if Ruprecht's forces followed in front of him. Thus, even though it was night, de Castelno drove his troops and launched a desperate attack on the German troops that had suddenly appeared in front of him.

The roar of the machine gun and the red light produced by the explosion were particularly clear in the dark night. One flare after another rose into the air, illuminating the battlefield as bright as day for a short time. On the German line of machine guns, rifles and mortars, the French advance was rather slow, and groups of French officers and soldiers were swept down like leeks, but their breakthrough situation was not optimistic. A large number of red pants launched a life-and-death attack on the Germans, and the deadly roar of the machine guns made every French officer and soldier feel terrified.

Although the machine guns were far more powerful than their bodies, it was clear that the Germans' rapid long-distance attacks had taken a toll on their physical strength; After several hours of fierce fighting, the French still paid heavy casualties and fought a bloody escape in front of some of the intersections guarded by the Germans. From time to time, bullets are fired into the flesh, making a unique and unforgettable "poof" sound; Mortar shells with tail fins fell leisurely, setting off a storm of blood in the retreating crowd of French troops. Although it did not take long for the French army to fully understand these evil German troops that had come from a long distance and were hidden in the darkness, Decastelno, who was afraid that Ruprecht would lead the army to cover up, still did not give the order to clear it, but only let the troops pass through this area quickly. The horses neighed and began to run around the road, and the French soldiers had to pull the reins with all their might to get on top of it. An ammunition truck was hit by a mortar shell, and in a thunderous roar, the people and horses turned into brilliant fireworks in an instant.

The morning dawned and shone brightly, and the fierce exchange of fire between the German and French armies continued until the red sun rose in the east. But I saw that on both sides of the crossings, there were already corpses lying on both sides, most of which were French officers and soldiers in dazzling red trousers. Several Gotha bombers painted with Iron Crosses buzzed in from the sky, and the sound of violent explosions seemed to see off the retreating French troops. When the news of the battle on the front line reached Verdun, dozens of kilometers away, Qingying couldn't help but be greatly shocked; The French retreat was so swift and decisive that there was no drag in the slightest for abandoning their own land. Originally, he also wanted to encircle the French 1st and 2nd armies, and once again he outflanked and encircled them in the style of a border campaign; However, judging from the current situation, let alone the First Army further south, it is difficult to completely encircle even the French Second Army, which is close at hand! All he could do now was to keep as many French troops as possible. (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you for the monthly ticket support of the book friend diving Zihuo and the reward of zhouyu1976~~~ Anyway, yesterday's subscription fell below the average again, and the author's update lacked motivation