In a war, the military command headquarters is like the brain of the entire military machine. It determines the course of the entire war, whether it is offensive or defensive, the use of troops, the equipment of firearms, all of which are issued by it. It is just like a person's brain. Like all nerve endings in the human body, the brain of the military command directly affects every tunnel and skirmisher bunker. And there is no doubt that for an army, the most important institution is the military command.

Now, when the whole of France is in a boil due to the start of the Battle of Verdun, in Orleans, in the Chinese Expeditionary Force camp on the riverside, the simple building made of wooden boards is the headquarters of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. , like the Chinese Expeditionary Force military camp, this headquarters is also very simple.

The cold wind in late February rushed across the river, sweeping across Orleans and the plains on both sides of the river. The grass and trees on the plains were orange, and some ice and snow that had not completely melted only gave the place a vast winter look.

The headquarters built with two finger-thick wooden boards and iron nails is not as warm as outsiders imagine. It is not even much better than the thin tents outside. The gaps in the wooden board walls are not sealed, and there are even holes left in some places. There are finger-wide gaps, and the cold wind blows into these dozen wooden houses along the gaps, so that even if the stoves are lit in the wooden rooms, the officers in the rooms still need to wear coats, or even barely wear them. This is only the case in northern China. The kind of lamb fur coat that you can wear, but for the generals and officers of the Chinese Expeditionary Force Headquarters who have arrived in Europe for more than a month, they have long been used to this relatively harsh and simple environment and have even adapted to it. .

Wearing a lamb fur coat sent from China, Cai E frowned slightly and stared at the huge combat maps hanging on the wall. Under the careful arrangement of the attendants. Most of those walls were obscured by military maps, which somewhat made this room The house will not be as cold as other floors. For Cai E, whose laryngitis has worsened recently, this will always make him feel more or less comfortable. Although a variety of special medicines have been sent from China, and even some medicines were sent by the ambassador The hospital came forward and hired a number of French doctors to treat his throat disease. However, any treatment was far inferior to the relatively warm weather. However, for Cai E, there was no trace of reality in the relatively warm southern soldiers. Perhaps, this was true in China in the past, and it is also true in France now.

As the commander of the expeditionary force, he shoulders too many responsibilities. With the arrival of the second batch of troops, everything about the 180,000-strong army is tied to him. It can be said that Cai E has no leisure time at all for him to go. The body of the southern soldier is just like now. Almost since the "Battle of Verdun" started, he began to pay attention to this battle. As a soldier, Cai E has never been so eager for war as now. In the past more than a month During this time, everyone in the expeditionary force, from the general to the soldiers, was holding a breath in their hearts. Everyone was looking forward to the opportunity to let out this breath. Now, the opportunity has finally arrived. However, those French people who originally cried and begged China to send troops unexpectedly It seems that this army has been forgotten.

The French can "forget" this expeditionary force, but this expeditionary force will not forget its responsibilities. As the commander, Cai E has been obtaining various news from "Verdun" through all channels to keep it in mind. Make inferences below.

On the map, the various red and blue arrows and other marks marked by the combat staff clearly show the situation distribution of the German and French troops in "Verdun" and the Meuse River area.

Raising his head and looking at Han Wu sitting in the office, Cai E smiled. He admired Han Wu very much now, not only because in the past month, he served as the Liaison Office of the Expeditionary Force Headquarters.

The elder Han Wu tried his best to collude with the French side to obtain various supplies for the expeditionary force and improve the situation of the expeditionary force as much as possible. More importantly, in Han Wu, he saw to some extent the style of the "state affairs faction" and devoted himself to the expedition.

Serving the public and never being selfish. After all, he was an officer from the "State Service". After sighing in his heart, he asked Han Wu.

"Tianren, you just came from Paris, is there any new news?"

"Commander! Chief of Staff!"

When he responded, Han Wu had already stood up and walked to the map, pointing at the situation on the map and introducing it.

"According to the enemy report, Pétain received combat instructions from Casterno on the morning of the 26th. He continued to direct the battle while controlling the local situation. Because he did not pay attention to the fortress positions and permanent defenses that he had to defend to the death, he was now given

The French forces left a cruel legacy. In front of the permanent fort, there was neither a continuous line of trenches nor an effective system of powerful fire points. Telephone systems and communication trenches were minimal or non-existent. The fort itself was empty and its equipment had been dismantled.

; Even its machine guns and its top turret were dismantled, and the turrets located on the sides were gone. All these defects must now be repaired in intense battles and under heavy artillery fire. In addition to directing the battle, deploying troops and rapidly increasing

In addition to artillery, Pétain also made a series of important decisions. Four consecutive lines of defense were immediately tightly defended. In full agreement with the views of General Coutanceau, who had been criticized many times, Pétain ordered that all forts be immediately reoccupied and rearmed; for each bunker he

Deploy a garrison, prepare enough food and drinking water for 14 days, and solemnly order never to surrender. The value of some underground tunnels in bunkers is that an entire battalion of troops can live in absolute safety in the tunnels until the moment of counterattack...

…”

"Peitain's plan was good, but he didn't consider the German super cannon!"

With a cold snort, Xu Shuzheng mentioned the German giant cannon. Although this place was far away from the battlefield, he had heard about the power of the super giant cannon. But in his opinion, the power of the earth-shattering giant gun was very likely.

It was exaggerated by the French, who used this exaggeration to cover up their cowardice.

"The German super cannon is certainly powerful, but as of now, the super cannon uses firepower maneuvers. Although its range is amazing, its range of use is still limited. But in general, the French army is now on the battlefield.

Generally speaking, they are still at a disadvantage. Once the Germans invest troops on both wings of Verdun, then..."

"The Germans haven't used their wings yet?"

Cai E and Xu Shuzheng were stunned at the same time. Cai E looked at Xu Shuzheng almost out of habit.

"It seems that the Prime Minister guessed it right!"

When Xu Shu was speaking, Cai E saw Xu Shu's rasp from the corner of his eye, but in his heart he couldn't help but want to thank the French. It was the French's discrimination against them that allowed the entire expeditionary force to unite. Even this opponent

Xu Shuzheng, who was prejudiced against him, has now put aside his personal opinions. After all, everyone understands that for the expeditionary force, if they want to gain a foothold in France, they must unite as one and fight a beautiful victory. Only by winning can they gain a foothold here.

.

When the expeditionary force united for this victory, the country also paid attention to them, just like the Prime Minister had sent many secret messages. Although he rarely intervened in military affairs, most of those secret messages were to express condolences and tell them about the expedition.

Meaning, after the Battle of Verdun started, the Prime Minister asked them to "join the battle at the appropriate time", and the Prime Minister's point of view was very simple - the Germans were not interested in grabbing territory, but in attrition. Therefore, the expeditionary force became famous

The battle should be "before the German offensive is contained", thus: "terminating the German offensive with a hard nail."

"Yes. Until now, Falkenhayn has only invested in the three armies in the center. As for the three armies on the two wings, they have not been used yet. In the eyes of the French, this is extremely dangerous. Within the army headquarters in Paris

, everyone understands that if the entire German attack force is invested at once, the already precarious French position will be difficult to hold from the beginning. This is almost beyond doubt, and now it seems that the German army is ready to invest at the right time.

All the troops in order to give the French army the most fatal blow. General Galilei even believed that in order to avoid a large-scale collapse on the Verdun front, we should start to consider the defense of Paris. In general, now including Prime Minister Briand

French senior officials, including the French leaders, believe that once Verdun falls, Paris will once again face the danger of 1914!"

After a simple report, Han Wu changed the content of the report to the situation on the front line.

“Since there was only one railway on the Verdun front as a logistical end, Pétain immediately set out to establish a motor vehicle transportation system between Verdun and Mount Bardique after taking office as commander, and at the same time requisitioned a large number of trucks.

Ensure that there are no less than 3,000 vehicles traveling back and forth on this transportation line every 24 hours. Roads are now the most important logistics method..."

When Han Wu mentioned the highway, Xu Shuzheng smiled and said.

"It seems that Pétain is imitating General Gallieni!"

Before the Battle of the Marne, faced with the danger that Paris was in and the logistical work required by the French army during the Battle of the Marne, Gallieni, who was the commander of the Paris garrison at the time, requisitioned all motor vehicles in Paris, including taxis.

, formed the first motorized unit in the history of world wars, and this unit played an important role in the victory of the Battle of the Marne, so much so that many people believed that Gallieni was the biggest contributor to that battle, and

Not the "sluggish" and "heartless" Xiafei.

"It doesn't matter whether you follow Gallieni's example, what's important is that road transportation is very efficient!"

After whispering, Cai E then looked at the map carefully, and finally mentioned the issue he was most concerned about.

"The French...have you thought of us?"

"Even if I scoop up Napoleon, I can't do anything!"

After returning from Verdun, de Castelneau, the chief of staff of the French Army General Headquarters, the de facto deputy commander and potential successor of General Joffre, continued to think after returning to Paris from Verdun.

Instructions were issued to take remedial measures for various omissions on the front line. More than one engineering corps rushed to the front line to supply the necessary materials to strengthen the fortifications and strengthen each fortress. The traffic conditions leading to the front line were improved and used in Versailles.

All work on boarding defense is in full swing.

But even so, whenever news about the unfavorable battle situation came from the front line, he would see a key word in those battle reports - "Alfred". Perhaps for the purpose of saving body and life, now "Alfred"

The "Red Cannon" is not used much in Germany, sometimes only firing two or three shells a day, but even so, it is enough to make every frontline soldier give up the will to resist when they hear "Alfred's Roar".

Because of this, in his opinion, Verdun has reached a very dangerous situation.

"The only thing Verdun needs is will and flesh and blood!"

In the battle map room, facing Marshal Joffre, Major General Castelnault solemnly reported everything he needed for the defense of Verdun.

"The will of the soldiers is the only weapon that can counteract the German cannons, and while the soldiers are exerting their will, what is more needed is flesh and blood, a steady stream of flesh and blood. It seems now that Verdun is becoming a large-scale war effort."

"Meat grinder". Whoever wants to win must invest more flesh and blood. Only when this meat grinder is saturated, and only when one party can no longer invest flesh and blood, can the other party win!"

Regarding Castelno's report, Joffre was silent for a moment. Just a few days ago, he had issued an order that no troops should surrender or retreat. He also drew two lines on the map, one with the

Verdun is the center of the defense line, one of which is the death line. Once any troops or individuals arbitrarily withdraw from this line, officers will be tried by a military court, and soldiers will be sentenced to death on the battlefield. He has used cruelty to

The order established "Verdun's will," but it was only "Verdun's will."

"In the eyes of outsiders, there will be an impression of the Verdun battlefield. They will think that the losses of the German army as the attacker will be greater, while the losses of the French army on the defensive line will be lighter. However, this impression is

Wrong. According to the intelligence we currently have, our losses are much greater than those of the Germans. Because we face greater defensive pressure, we are not only forced to defend every position, but also have to continuously counterattack under ruthless artillery fire.

With the current development of the situation, before the battle is over and one side withdraws from the war, every inch of Verdun will be soaked in blood!"

Xiafei frowned slightly, but he still remained silent, knowing that Castelno was telling the truth. Just before the conversation between the two, he had ordered the front line to regain the positions lost yesterday. Although the German troops on the front line now said

He was at an advantage, but for Xiafei, what he saw was that the loss of any position would be extremely detrimental to the development of the war situation. Therefore, the front line must hold on to every position. The position can be lost, but it must be recaptured!

"... Meat grinder, once France has no fresh flesh and blood to put into this meat grinder, then failure will undoubtedly be natural. What is even certain is that the Germans are now waiting for this opportunity, and this may even happen

Maybe it’s their strategic consideration!”

When his voice trailed off, Castelneau cast an inquiring look at Marshal Xiafei, seemingly asking him what should be done now? Should France continue to pour flesh and blood into this meat grinder, or...

…

"Verdun must be defended!"

Xiafei once again emphasized his point, and then he added.

"Perhaps France's human resources are inferior to Germany's, but we have a vast colony to supplement it. Verdun is related to the honor of France, and it must not be occupied by the German army!"

Although he knew that Verdun was now developing into a "death of flesh and blood", for a slow man like Xiafei, it was impossible to change something once he was sure about it. Therefore, for his answer,

Castelno was not surprised. After receiving the commander's answer, Castelno spoke.

"Then, we must consider the issue of the reserve team!"

"France still has millions of reserves that can be mobilized!"

Obviously, for the commander-in-chief, he has already considered the issue of reserves. In fact, this will be a battlefield to compete for reserves and population resources. He is almost realizing that Verdun will become a battlefield.

After entering the land of flesh and blood, Xiafei had ordered the mobilization of more than a dozen divisions from the south to go north as a reserve force for the Verdun theater. He even ordered each colony to form new infantry regiments to serve as logistics troops to supplement the French troops on the front line.

**group.

"Commander-in-Chief, but even so, France still cannot avoid facing a problem - France will lose all its blood faster than Germany! By then, once France has lost all its blood..."

After a pause, Castelno issued a warning.

"Facing a France that has lost all its blood, can the British still rely on it? No, they will withdraw across the English Channel! Rely on the Channel to resist the Germans, but what about France? If all this happens, the Prime Minister's Office may have no choice but to accept the

Even if France has an honorable ending to the peace proposed by the three parties, France will still be the loser in this war,"

Casterno's warning only made Xiafei frown. After thinking for a moment, he raised his head and looked at Casterno and said.

"My Chief of Staff, do you have any better ideas?"

The sense of crisis in the warning only made French Marshal Xiafei, who didn't really believe in the British, suddenly realize the possibility of being abandoned by the British. The reason why the British participated in this war was to use France to prevent German expansion.

, Of course, more importantly, this way the battlefield can be far away from Britain. Britain is fighting for itself, not for France. A France that has lost all its blood, Britain will not have any interest in protecting him! Even then, France will

It may also become a bargaining chip for peace talks between Britain and Germany. France may lose more than in the last war. This must not happen.

"We still have an Allied army of 180,000 men in Orleans!"

Castelno's words only made Xiafei stunned for a moment, but then he smiled with great contempt.

"Do you think the Chinese dare to stand under the fire of Verdun?" (To be continued., (shuhaige.) Vote for recommendation, monthly vote,,.
Chapter completed!