The night breeze blows, bringing with it a refreshing scent of ferns and moist earth.

In a brightly lit room, an old man in his sixties was standing quietly in front of a wide map, frowning slightly, and muttering. He was tall and fat, with two thick gray-white mustaches fluttering in the wind on the corners of his lips, and his whole face was as gentle and dignified as that of an old man next door. However, in those light blue eyes, there was a solemn and firm aura without anger and self-authority, so that everyone who saw him would be inexplicably awe-inspired, and completely forgot his charitable and kind face.

Joseph? Born in the French Pyrenees in 1852, Xia Fei was promoted to lieutenant at the age of 19 in the Franco-Prussian War, becoming one of the few top rookies in the entire French army. In the following years, Xia Fei participated in many battles overseas, including the Sino-French War, and after the war, he also prospered in the French army. In 1911, after General Michel was deprived of the position of commander-in-chief that should have belonged to him due to his proposed defense plan that was considered taboo, the French Minister of War Messimi put Xia Fei, then the director of the engineering corps, into the supreme throne of this soldier.

For Xia Fei, taking charge of the three armies not only means that his military career has reached the pinnacle, but also means that the safety of the whole of France has been put in his hands. In order to allow France to defeat the enemy in the next war against Germany and restore the glory of Napoleon's dominance of the continent in the past, Xia Fei formulated Plan No. 17 for launching an all-out attack on the German-French border, intending to humiliate the sad land of the disastrous defeat of that year. If it is placed thirty years later, this desperate attack plan should be excellent. It's a pity......

"Commander-in-Chief. The commander of the First Army, General Dibay, sent an urgent telegram! "The pace of running is from far to near. Immediately, a loud announcement interrupted Xia Fei's thoughts. He didn't speak, just stretched out a hand diagonally; A telegram was respectfully delivered to him. Smelling the smell of the ink stains of oil, Xia Fei took the telegram to his eyes and read it quietly, but after a while, the expression on his face quietly changed: shock, hesitation, anger, pain...... All kinds of expressions came together, and finally condensed into a strange face that was almost distorted.

"Let Betelo come to me immediately." Xia Fei paused and said to the adjutant in a voice that suddenly became hoarse.

Not long after, Assistant Chief of Staff Betlow, who had been summoned by Xia Fei, hurriedly walked into Xia Fei's command post. And to his great surprise. Xia Fei's face actually revealed a little pain and anger, and this was the first time he had seen it on the face of this "dull general"! He frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice: "What's the matter, Commander-in-Chief, has something happened that is extremely unfavorable to us?" ”

Before the words fell, only a loud "pop" sound was heard, but it was Xia Fei who directly slapped the telegram in his hand on the command table in front of him. He pushed his right hand forward, and his words were filled with irrepressible anger: "The news has just arrived from Alsace that Dibay's army has suffered a heavy defeat in the battle against Salbul; In just one day, I set a world record of 34,000 dead and wounded! ”

"What?" Startled, Bertlow grabbed the message on the table and looked at it; It's not too late. The same look of horror appeared on his face as Xia Fei.

"Dilbay commanded the most powerful army group in all of France, numbering more than 300,000 men; And the goal he wants to attack this time. Just a German unit less than a tenth of his strength! However, after a day, not only did he not occupy half a meter of land of the Germans, but his own casualties reached the number of two integrated divisions, which is absolutely unforgivable! Even if you find a pig to command, you can't be like this! Xia Fei roared in a low voice, and the majestic anger exuded by the whole person was already as powerful as a bull.

Betlow stared at the shocking number in the message, unable to utter a word for a moment. In recent days, with the fierce offensive of the French army in Alsace and Lorraine, and the regaining of a large number of lost territories, the whole army has been in an atmosphere of blind optimism in which the Germans are vulnerable, completely forgetting the objective fact that there is no main German garrison in these towns. And this time, in the face of the Germans' really tightly fortified core defense, the French army suffered unbelievably huge losses when they landed!

"This must have been due to the large number of machine guns used by the despicable Prussians." Betlow's voice was bitter, the hatred in his eyes already gushing out, "Five years ago, these cowards began to be heavily equipped with this shameful defensive weapon, intending to entrench themselves forever in the lands of Alsace and Lorraine, France. It is also possible that this kind of weapon, capable of firing a large number of bullets, can inflict such a bloody killing on Dibayi's troops, who lack the will to attack. ”

Xia Fei nodded slowly and said, "Although the viciousness and despicability of the Germans were the main factors that led to the failure of our attack on Salbul, the incompetence and cowardice of Dibay and his front-line commanding officers should also be held accountable for this!" The purpose of my visit to you this time is to get you on a trip to the Alsace front, to urge this group of weak-willed idiots to launch the most determined attack. We have entered Alsace and are sure to regain all the land lost in 1870, which is an honorable duty that our generation of French people must shoulder. As idealistic Frenchmen, we must not back down in the face of any setbacks! ”

Betelo flew a military salute to Xia and said solemnly: "I will definitely live up to the trust of the commander-in-chief." ”

After the initial horror and anger, Xia Fei finally gradually regained his original unsmiling and solemn expression. He patted the shoulder of the person in front of him and said, "In addition to letting Dibayi launch the most resolute attack, you must also learn from the failed experience of this attack based on the front-line battlefield data, and reform the offensive tactics." how the artillery can effectively support the infantry and knock out the opponent's machine gun fire points as much as possible; How can the infantry avoid enemy bullets and be more effective in protecting themselves from killing and wounding the enemy...... And so on, that's what you're going to focus on. The French soldiers must not only have the will to attack to the death, but also have the correct tactics as a supplement, and we have all focused only on the former and forgotten about the latter. I hope that soon the tricolor of France will fly over the main city of Salbul! "Betelo should claim to be.

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"By the way, what about the British expeditionary force, how long will it take for them to arrive on the European continent to fight with us?" Xia Fei suddenly thought of this, and couldn't help but ask Bertlow.

"Commander-in-Chief, the British Expeditionary Force has now assembled in Southampton and Portsmouth. They numbered 80,000 men, armed with 30,000 horses, 350 cannons, and 125 machine guns. Commanded by Sir French and expected to arrive in the Rouen region on 10 May. Without thinking, Betlowo immediately told Xia Fei this top-secret information that was strictly blocked by the high-level leaders of the Entente countries.

Xia Fei was stunned and said, "Didn't the British promise to send seven divisions to support us, why did they have two divisions of troops missing?" With such a small number of people, even the consumption of a battle cannot be sustained! ”

"According to information from Paris, the British said that their navy could not effectively suppress Germany, and could not rule out the possibility of a German landing in England, so they could not devote all their native troops to the French battlefield for the time being. When the new forces are formed, they will be able to transfer the remaining two native divisions to reinforce our operations. Betlowe glanced at Xia Fei and said cautiously, "In addition, Mr. Messimi also asks the commander-in-chief to be mentally prepared, the British who come to France will most likely not be under your command." Because Sir Kitchener, the British War Secretary, had clearly told the commander of the expeditionary force, French, that this force was the most valuable asset of the British Army, and that it must have the most complete command independence in battle. ”

Xia Fei's face froze when he heard this, and then a sudden anger burned in his heart again. The act of the British dropping the chain at a critical moment is undoubtedly extremely irresponsible self-interest; It is just a shortage of aid troops, and the command still retains complete absolute independence! As a result, not only would France be forced to confront the entire main force of the Germans, but Belgium would also collapse rapidly from lack of aid – the fortress of Liège, which was generally regarded as impregnable and would hold out for at least half a month, fell so suddenly that the entire Belgian army was now in an extremely disadvantageous position of continuous retreat. Without strong reinforcements, they won't be able to survive the next two weeks. Although its own Fifth Army is strong, it is still a considerable distance away from the Derby theater; What's more, it is also the absolute main force responsible for the attack in the middle of the French army's No. 17 plan, and it must not be used as another way!

"You shall immediately send a telegram to London in my name, hoping that the British side, proceeding from the overall situation of the alliance, will quickly send an expeditionary force to Belgium, and fight in concert with the Belgian army, to resist the advance of the German army on the northern flank. As long as the British side still wants to win this war, it must not delay any longer! Xia Fei said coldly, "In addition, order the Third and Fourth Armies to launch an attack from the center as soon as possible." The Germans have let the Crown Prince, who has no military experience, lead the middle lane, and this is the best chance God has given us to smash its revolving door! ”

"Yes, I'll do it right away." Betlowe nodded in reply. (To be continued......)

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