In the expeditionary force station, not very far from Paris, more than a dozen generals and colonels were looking at a group of soldiers training in the distance. Those soldiers are training in white-knuckle warfare in the already set up field, and the soldiers wearing protective tools are training with wooden rifles and bayonets under the leadership of their respective officers, training in an atmosphere close to actual combat...

"Very good..."Looking at the training ground, from time to time wounded soldiers would be carried out of the field, Liu Guangyuan, who was standing in the middle of many officers, bowed slightly. Training is to be close to actual combat, and we don't know how many battles we have to fight in the future, and if we want them to get used to the atmosphere of actual combat quickly, the best way is to train new recruits in this way. ”

After speaking, Liu Guangyuan turned his head and looked at his subordinates. "Sweat more in peacetime, shed less blood in wartime, this is a phrase that the president often hangs on his lips, and now this kind of training may seem cruel to many people, but you must know that we are doing this for the good of the soldiers."

"Yes, Xia Guan understands..."Wu Li, the head of this regiment, stood up and said, but Wu Li said with some distress later. It's just that some soldiers still complain more or less about this training..."

Glancing at the one that had just been carried down on the field, the protective gear on his stomach had been poked out of a pit, and now the soldiers who were still moaning on the stretcher, even a few senior officers who came with Liu Guangyuan understood that there would be soldiers complaining...

Or it is normal to complain, after all, if it were not for the armor on which these soldiers wore protective gear and carried wooden rifles and bayonets in their hands. I'm afraid that the white-knuckle combat they are practicing right now is not much different from the actual combat, and the trouble is a bit more serious, and there may even be deaths...

However, I listened to Wu Li's words. Liu Guangyuan shook his head and said. "There are still complaints in the war, shouldn't they be given as well, and you can't just let the soldiers go because they have complaints, right? Isn't that the same as those French? ”

Speaking of this, Liu Guangyuan pursed his lips with some disdain.

And in the eyes of the senior generals behind Liu Guangyuan, they also showed disdain.

When Liu Guangyuan talked about the French, the reason why they showed such an expression was entirely because of an incident that came out of Verdun some time ago.

After the withdrawal of the expeditionary force from Verdun, by order of the French government. Pétain and Leonard, who commanded all the troops in the Verdun area, commanded the troops to launch an attack on the Germans who occupied several defensive lines on the perimeter of the fortress, hoping to regain the lost ground.

In fact, this was also deliberately arranged by the French government. Although for many reasons, the French handed over the glory of holding Verdun to Cai Yi, but in fact there were many complaints about this, both in the French government and within the army.

After all, the Battle of Verdun. Even if not to save the fate of France. At least the enlistment of occasional Paris is still counted. Because of this, the honor of saving Verdun has become what every French soldier desires, and now this ease has not fallen on the head of the French, but on the head of a Chinese general, which makes these proud French people how can they be happy.

Although because of China's relations and Cai Yi's exploits, it is difficult for the French to do some things to cross the river and tear down the bridge, but in this matter, they must get some back.

So in the French, they felt that Cai Ye had earned enough honors. When he should be able to get out of the house with peace of mind, he transferred Cai Ye and his expeditionary force out of Verdun. Transferred to Paris, he rested and prepared for the next Battle of the Somme.

Of course, this is only one thing, and the second is that since the honor of saving Verdun was taken away by the Chinese, then they only need to give the honor of recovering Verdun's lost territory to the French?

Therefore, it was only after Cai Ye left that the French would give Petain the order to regain the lost territory. As long as he can take back a few lines of defense that were lost in the hands of the Germans with his own ability, and destroy some German troops by the way, this glory will definitely not be inferior to Cai Yi's exploits, which is enough for the French government to bring out a new hero of Verdun...

The people have always been forgetful, not to mention that the former Verdun hero is not a native of the country, as long as they can bring out a new hero, the predecessor will naturally be forgotten by the people, so that the purpose of the French government is achieved, and the lost face is recovered...

If it weren't for this purpose, the French would have left some expeditionary forces there even if they had called Cai back from Verdun. After all, there is a shortage of troops everywhere on the Western Front, especially in the case of a tragic war, and France has lost a lot of young people. If it weren't for the fact that the French wanted to prove to the world that they had taken Verdun on their own, how could they not have taken advantage of the expeditionary force?

Who would have thought...

Although the French launched a fierce offensive, the Germans did not give it in vain, and as a result, the battle between the two sides at several lines of defense on the outskirts of Verdun quickly turned into a tug-of-war.

Because Petain insisted that the troops on the battlefield must be rotated regularly, 70% of the French army was involved in the battle, while only 20% of the German army participated, and as a result, after more than a month of fighting, the brutal fighting had a serious psychological impact on the French army, almost leading to a French mutiny, and because of the promise that the soldiers would never participate in the harsh battles against the German army in the future, the mutiny did not really happen.

Later, the French soldiers refused to engage in offensive battles, but only defended themselves in the trenches.

Although this matter was secretly concealed by the French government and Petain and others, it finally reached the ears of the expeditionary force more than a week ago. Although Liu Guangyuan and others were also well aware of the tragedy of Verdun's place, the fact that the French refused to participate in the attack because of the fierceness of the battle still made Liu Guangyuan and them feel speechless for a while, and they also had some contempt for the French.

If it weren't for the fact that they had fought with Petain and others when they were in Verdun, I'm afraid that even more ugly things would have been said.

Recently, there has been some news from the Paris government that the Paris government intends to replace Petain with the more offensive General Neville, and it is said that it is because the Paris government is dissatisfied with Petain's unauthorized agreement to the officers and soldiers at the front.

But even if the French did, it probably wouldn't be of much use. Liu Guangyuan is very sure of this.

Of course, at this time, Liu Guangyuan and they didn't know about it, and similar things had happened in Verdun in history. It's just that it's a little later in time, and the reason why this time it's a little earlier than in history is purely because of the pressure brought by the expeditionary force, and the idea that some French generals want to compete with the expeditionary force...

And the price paid for this idea is the number of casualties as high as nearly 100,000...

Naturally, the Germans suffered a lot of casualties, but compared to the French, they were much less.

And at this time Pétain was also regretting. Knowing that Lu Dao was like this, he should have let Cai Yi leave some troops behind. When the war reached this point, the soldiers of both the Entente and the Central Powers were almost replaced. The so-called veterans have just fought a few more battles, and although there are still some soldiers who have undergone many years of training, the number is much less than before the war, and most of them have either died on the battlefield. Either they had to leave the battlefield due to injuries. Only a few are still tormenting on the battlefield.

Because of this, even ordinary reserve soldiers, after only a few battles on the battlefield, may not be much worse than veterans.

Although Cai's expeditionary force was mostly recruits, after a long period of bloody battles, it had become an elite army. And they are very obedient to orders, even some soldiers who are not strong-willed, it is impossible to be too cruel because of the war. Just say something bastard who doesn't want to go on the offset...

Such soldiers are much more reliable than the French army in Verdun now.

If only Petain had left one in his hand. Maybe this battle can be fought more smoothly. It's just that there is no way, who told the French that they were bent on recovering Verdun with completely French troops, proving their ability to the world, and by the way, bringing out a new hero, so they can only endure this bitter fruit now...

As for the expeditionary force ...

After all, no one can bear the glory that originally belonged to them being snatched away by people from other countries for a long time, but unfortunately, the ordinary soldiers and ordinary officers and generals below can't understand, they only know that after paying great sacrifices for the French, they were played by the French to cross the river and tear down the bridge...

So after the news of this incident broke out, the ridicule of the French had almost become a compulsory course for them.

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Although what he said just now was very tough, after thinking about it for a while, Liu Guangyuan still said to Wu Li. "That's the case, but also explain it to the soldiers so that they understand that we're doing this for their good, understand?"

After speaking, seeing Wu Li and the other officers nodding, Liu Guangyuan continued to ask after thinking about it. "By the way, did you encounter any other problems during the training?"

"There will be some..."After thinking about it, Wu Li spoke. Although this kind of training can make the soldiers grow up quickly, but there are too many cases of accidental injuries, many soldiers are unable to train because of external injuries, and the wear and tear of armor and wooden guns is too great, although the current number can also be trained, but after a while, I am afraid that it will be..."

Hearing Wu Li say this, Liu Guangyuan nodded and said. "It's easy, I'll go to the French later and ask them to send another batch, but the training must not stop..."

Wu Li did not know, but as the commander and deputy commander of the First Army of the Expeditionary Force, Liu Guangyuan knew very well that soon the Entente would launch a major campaign in the direction of the Somme.

After the Battle of Verdun, although the expeditionary force won a complete victory, in fact, the morale of the expeditionary force also fell sharply, but unlike the French, they actually made a reluctance to attack.

In addition, there are still many troops that need to be replenished with new soldiers, and after experiencing Verdun, Liu Guangyuan has completely understood how big the war losses will be at this level, and what is the probability that the recruits will survive...

What's more, this time it was an offensive operation, and it was impossible to use machine guns to make up for the lack of training and actual combat as usual, and if a group of recruits were allowed to charge, it was really difficult to say how many people would survive under the defense of the Germans...

Of course, there are many people who think that white-knuckle warfare is actually unnecessary, but in fact, in the First World War, white-knuckle warfare still occurs from time to time, especially on the Eastern Front.

After all, the soldiers were not equipped with semi-automatic rifles or automatic rifles, but manual bolt rifles. When it comes to getting close, the bayonet is still relatively reliable.

As for the sapper shovel ...

This thing does work well in white-knuckle combat, but only in the trenches.

There is little space inside the trench. Compared with excessively long rifles and bayonets, sapper shovels are naturally very easy to use. But if it's outside the trench, the space is large, and naturally it's easier to use things like bayonets.

Isn't there such a saying, one inch is long and one inch is strong, one inch is short and one inch is dangerous...

The bayonet is still very suitable for new recruits, but the sapper shovel. Unless it's in a trench, it's still more suitable for veterans. Even if it's a veteran, if it's not a special environment like the inside of the trench. I'm afraid I won't abandon the bayonet and choose the sapper shovel.

Coupled with the fact that the Battle of the Somme was about to begin, there was not enough time left, so they naturally had to choose one to train, and the bayonet was undoubtedly the simplest one...

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In order to be able to make the soldiers grow quickly. The expeditionary force chose a large number of training methods that were close to actual combat. Among them is this kind of training that borders on barbarism and cruelty. Many of the French generals who came to visit were deeply inspired by this type of training and couldn't help but say 'barbarians' in their hearts...

Yes, this approach is a bit too barbaric to the French and British, but it still works well, which is one of the other reasons why they will be deeply affected...

And at this moment, Cai Ye was listening to the report that Liu Guangyuan had just visited...

“…………… From what I have seen and heard, although the soldiers below have many complaints, the speed and results of the training are also very obvious. If we continue to use this method, I believe that it will not take too much time for the troops to grow thoroughly. ”

"Of course. The toll will certainly be significant, but it will be worth it in my opinion..."

"As long as it's worth it..."Hearing Liu Guangyuan say this, Cai Yi nodded.

God knows how much pressure Cai Ye has been under in recent times, especially the Battle of the Somme, in order to save more soldiers in this battle, Cai Ye has tried his best...

Immediately afterwards, Liu Guangyuan and Cai Ye talked about many things, such as expanding the scale of the expeditionary force to 800,000, which Liu Guangyuan has always felt a little puzzled.

But as the chief of the army's general staff, Cai Ye still knows some inside stories more or less, especially when Yan Shaowei wanted Iraq at the beginning...

To be honest, at the beginning, Cai Yi also couldn't figure it out, why Yan Shao would be willing to increase his troops, and the goal was only such a small area. After experiencing the Battle of Verdun, Cai Ye is no longer very willing to continue to participate in this war, after all, the expeditionary force has already suffered casualties in Verdun, I don't know how many people have been killed and wounded...

In his opinion, there was really no need to make such a big sacrifice for the Entente, anyway, Britain and France had already promised to give them Iraq and Kuwait, and a symbolic effort would be enough.

But he soon reacted that the coast of the East Persian Gulf that Yan Shao wanted happened to border Iraq and Kuwait, and if there was also a large amount of oil there, then Yan Shao's actions would be understandable.

And then the news that Yan Shao was ready to send an expeditionary force to Iraq to participate in the war seemed to confirm Cai's idea...

It's just that although Cai Yi knows the way, Liu Guangyuan can't.

Although Liu Guangyuan is also a lieutenant general of the army, and even the deputy commander of the expeditionary force, the matter of oil in the Middle East is only known at the ministerial level, and he is a little worse...

Cai Ye is also not easy to tell Liu Guangyuan the truth, so he can only be vague. "Who knows, maybe the president has his own considerations..."But then again, Cai Ye is still a little unaccustomed to this way of sacrificing soldiers in exchange for oil, although he also knows that if it is really the same as Yan Shao's description, then they will definitely make a lot of money...

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Just when Cai Ye and Liu Guangyuan were talking, an officer suddenly walked in outside, and seeing that Cai Ye and Liu Guangyuan were there, the officer hurriedly walked up. "Commander, deputy commander, news has just come from Suez that the Third, Fourth and Fifth Armies are already on land..."

"Oh? Is it almost there? Hearing such news, Cai Ye and Liu Guangyuan said with some surprise.

"yes!" The officer nodded, then continued. "In addition, there is also a telegram from the country, in addition to a notification, I also hope to convey it, saying that this time I came with the troops, and it seems that there is a batch of 'tank', this seems to be a special reminder..."

Speaking of this, the officer suddenly frowned. “tank……… What do you do when you send some water tanks in China? ”

Unlike that officer, hearing such news, Cai Ye and Liu Guangyuan's faces showed expressions of surprise. Because they know very well that the 'tank' tanks are actually the external names made by the armored forces for camouflage...

For those who don't know the inside story, these are some of the water tanks...

But Cai Ye and Liu Guangyuan knew very well that this was just a disguise, and the purpose was to surprise the Entente, the Allies, and those people and countries who still despised them in the Battle of the Somme.

With these equipment, they can also create legendary records with minimal casualties...

It's just that whether it's Yan Shao, Cai Yi or Liu Guangyuan, they don't know, when the tanks are put into the battlefield, no one will call the original armored combat vehicle at all, but the camouflage word tank has become the main name since then... (To be continued......)