8 August, Republic 2756 (1915), Orleans.

According to international practice, when two countries or groups of countries go to war, other neutral countries can send observer missions to the front lines of the war to watch.

The First World War was no exception at this time, and on the battlefield on the front line, in addition to the armies of the Entente and the Central Powers, there were also observation groups composed of neutral countries, acting as onlookers.

Of course, this kind of onlookers is not something that a cat or a dog can do, even if you want to run to watch, you have to weigh whether your own weight is enough, if it is a weak country, even if you sincerely request, others will ignore it. Then there's the relationship with the belligerents, and if the relationship between the two sides is too bad, then don't think about it.

However, for China, neither of these aspects is a problem. China is now recognized as a first-class power, and needless to say, its strength is certainly qualified to send people to the scene to watch. Needless to say, whether it is the Entente or the Central Powers, they are now asking for China, and naturally they will not refuse such a small request. As a result, China has sent observer missions to both sides.

Speaking of which, among all the observation missions, the Chinese Observation Mission was the largest, dispatching not only observation missions on the eastern, western, and southern fronts, but also sub-missions on all major battlefields, and the number of them was also large. Even the United States, Italy, and Japan have only sent a few hundred people, while China has sent nearly 5,000 people in one go, even if they are scattered in dozens of places, this number is still very exaggerated.

The fiercest place in Europe is on the Western Front, and the fiercest place on the Western Front is Orleans. Therefore, it is also a key observation site for observer groups from various countries, and more than 500 Chinese observer groups have been sent here.

Orleans is a historic city in France, historically, the Loire Valley, where Orleans is located, was the birthplace of French royalty, and it is home to a large number of castles and other historical monuments.

Moreover, it is also a city of heroes. During the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 15th century. Orleans was surrounded by the British ** team, and the shape was very critical, known as the "Siege of Orleans" in history. If Orleans falls, then with the "help" of John, Duke of Burgundy, the then British puppet, most of southern France will fall into the hands of the British army, and the English king will become the master of France.

But we all know that the French are led by a short, a foreigner or a woman. Combat effectiveness is leveraged. At that time, there happened to be one person who met two of the three conditions, and that was Joan of Arc, a 17-year-old girl who was both a woman and a short man. Under Joan of Arc, the French exploded, and the British knelt. In the battle, the French army defeated the British army. Orleans was finally liberated on May 8, 1429. From the encirclement to the defeat of the British army, it lasted only 9 days. The liberation of Orleans became a major turning point in the Hundred Years' War and changed the course of European history, and Joan of Arc became a national hero in France.

I don't know if it's a coincidence, at this time, the French also blocked the German attack in Orleans, but the enemy at that time, Britain, became an indispensable ally at this time. Because there is an allusion to Joan of Arc. At this time, the French government was also vigorously promoting the "spirit of Orleans", trying to make it a turning point in the European war. Of course, it is good to have such thoughts, but they seem to have forgotten the iron law that "the French can only exert their fighting power under the leadership of a short man, a foreigner or a woman", and the three conditions are not met in France today.

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At this time, the front of the two armies was filled with gunsmoke and gunfire. They are engaged in a "daily" battle on the scale of thousands of men. Yes, the war has been fought so far, and this kind of combat can only be regarded as "daily".

I saw a regiment of British troops, under the cover of artillery fire, attacking the German positions opposite. About half an hour later, the group of British troops was hit back by heavy fire. Now the war has reached a stalemate, and the entire front is a daily battle of this battalion and regimental scale, not you to fight me. It's me who hits you

On a hillside a few kilometers away, a group of foreign officers were observing the battle with binoculars. The camp behind them stood the flags of several countries and the Red Cross flag, signifying the neutral nature of the place. Behind the German positions, there were also the same observer camps. You can see it here as well.

"Hey, it's failed again, this British regiment has lost at least a quarter of its ......"

"The Germans were really combat-ready, and their firepower was reasonable......"

"The British are still too conservative in their offensive tactics, they should ......"

"The Germans were no better, and they could not break through the positions of the Anglo-French......"

The observers watched, recorded, and communicated in various languages. Among these people, Chinese account for about half.

"It seems that the decline of the cavalry has been irretrievable, no wonder the Military Commission is unwilling to form a large cavalry unit......" Yang Ning sighed and said with some gloom.

Yang Ning used to be a "Bi Ma Wen" at the People's Liberation Army Animal School, uh, training military horses. He was not satisfied with this kind of work, and applied until the front line, and after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, he finally got his wish. He served as a battalion commander in the 3rd Cavalry Brigade for a period of time, and he also made some achievements during the war, but compared to other units, the cavalry was completely inconspicuous. Basically, they are doing some tasks such as chasing and defeating the fleeing enemy army, interspersing, reconnaissance, patrolling, etc., and it is not their turn to attack at all.

The cavalry, the former "king of the battlefield", has now been reduced to a miscellaneous army. As a cavalry officer, it must be uncomfortable to face such a situation, but no matter how uncomfortable Yang Ning is, there is no way. Because the decline of cavalry is the tide of history, and it is not subject to human will. With the advancement of technology, the infantry and artillery regained their honor, and the cavalry had to hide in the corners and draw circles.

After the end of the Sino-Japanese War, Yang Ning was promoted to colonel, and at this time the above gave him three choices. One was to go to the newly formed armored unit as a regiment commander, one was to stay in the cavalry brigade as a deputy brigade commander, and the last one was to go back to the animal school as a deputy principal. For Yang Ning, the last choice is forgotten, and he is tired of "Bi Ma Wen".

For the first two options, he hesitated for a long time. From the point of view of profession and hobbies, it is of course the most suitable to go to the cavalry brigade as a deputy brigade commander, but from the point of view of personal prospects and historical developments, of course, it is better to be armored troops. More in line with historical trends. Although the armored forces at this time did not show any domineering and cool majestic, on the contrary, they also showed a lot of foreign appearances on the battlefield, and there were not too many things to drop the chain on the battlefield. But even so, they still show an advantage that no other class can match.

Yang Ning is not a stubborn middle two, he chose armored soldiers without thinking about it for a few days, and he is not obsessed with cavalry. After the outbreak of World War I. Yang Ning, who was still studying armored troops at the Military University, was elected as a representative by his superiors, joined the China Affairs Observation Group, and was sent to Europe to be an onlooker.

On the battlefields of Europe, he saw with his own eyes the end of the cavalry era. At that time, a French cavalry division launched an attack on a German infantry regiment leaving the trenches, and it was the majestic French cavalry division that failed. In front of the dense machine-gun positions of the Germans, the French cavalry was like wheat harvested. Knocked down piece by piece. Afterwards, less than 3,000 of the 15,000-strong French cavalry division fled back in despair, while their opponents, the Germans, suffered minimal losses.

Moreover, this kind of thing has not been staged once, in more than a year of positional warfare. The cavalry on both sides tried to attack their opponents, but without exception they all rushed into the streets. If it is just the cavalry on one side hitting the street, it can be said that the soldiers are too low, the officers are too frustrated, etc., but now no matter the cavalry over there, it is the same ending, then it can only be said that this is the problem of the cavalry itself.

"Daning, don't be depressed. Hahaha......"

At this time, Yang Ning heard a bold voice coming from behind him.

"Oh, it's Big Mao. Yang Ning looked back, but it was Colonel Yi Damao, a companion of the observation group. Yi Damao is now the commander of the 2nd Regiment of the 3rd Division, and he is not in the same unit, but he is a classmate in the military university, before being sent as an observer. He also took advanced command courses at military schools.

Yi Damao said with a smile: "I'll tell you the truth, don't be unhappy, this cavalry has developed so far, and that's it." Look at me. In the past, he was also a combat engineer, but now he has also switched to mechanized infantry? Besides, the cavalry still has a brigade-level establishment. However, our combat engineers are the largest regiment-level establishment, and they are still troops directly under the Military Commission. ”

The two are also very familiar with each other in the military academy, and Yi Damao also knows that Yang Ning is a cavalry controller, and even a heavy cavalry controller. This guy also once told his classmates that one of his ideas is a new type of armored cavalry built with modern technology, I don't know what others think, anyway, Comrade Yi Damao was already drunk after reading the renderings drawn by Yang Ning.

"I said Da Mao, how can the combat engineer be compared with the cavalry? The combat engineer is an auxiliary branch, and of course it is impossible to have a large establishment. The expression on Yang Ning's face was more ugly than crying, is there such a comparison with you? He sighed and said: "I also know that the inherent defects of cavalry must not be avoided, compared with infantry, its target is too large, it is easy to attack, it is inconvenient to conceal, and it cannot carry heavy weapons." Compared with the combat vehicle, its defense, speed, and firepower are all at a disadvantage, and it is indeed outdated. This is something that can't be helped, although I know it intellectually, but emotionally I still can't accept it for a while. ”

"Hahahaha, it's almost the same anyway...... Yi Damao laughed a few times and said: "The armored troops you are engaged in now are much more promising, in fact, you can also use armored combat vehicles as cavalry......

"Well, I know. Yang Ning nodded, in fact, he was only emotional, and he was not a second-year teenager, how could he not let go.

At this time, he suddenly saw a slender figure walking towards them, and said with a smile: "Da Mao, that Sophie is coming to you again......

Yi Damao turned his head to look, his face suddenly changed, and he said embarrassedly: "Why is she here again?"

"Alright, I won't bother you. Yang Ning laughed a few times, leaving Yi Damao, who was at a loss, flashed.

"Big hair, big hair...... You've been here, I've been looking for you for a long time......" a delicate voice came. A beautiful blonde girl ran over to Yi Damao excitedly. The French girl wore a Chinese camouflage suit and wore an identification badge around her neck that read her title: "China Observer Group." Chinese translation ......" (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Biquge www.biquge.info to vote for recommendations and monthly passes, your support is my biggest motivation. For mobile phone users, please go to M. to read. )