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Text Chapter 425 Fighting on the Western Front!  (six)

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    In the conference hall of the French Provisional Government in Bordeaux, Wang Zhengting had a sullen face and said nothing. French Prime Minister Briand and military representative Foch, who were sitting opposite, both had squinting eyes. Naturally, they were not looking at Wang Zhengting, but specifically from Chantilly.  The French Army General Headquarters rushed back to attack Commander-in-Chief Nivelle.

    This old guy has completely lost his former demeanor due to the unfavorable situation on the front line. He nitpicked everything that happened after the arrival of the expeditionary force. He also made the "huge cost" of British and French supplies of military supplies the center of the attack. In the end, he never forgot  He spat and shouted arrogantly: "Your Excellency Ambassador! You must understand that if this battle fails because of your troops, then all the responsibilities will be borne by your government! Britain and France are doing their best, and our soldiers are bleeding on the front line.  ! We don¡¯t need an army that is holding us back! If Commander Yue cannot be relieved of his duties immediately, then we will stop all supplies to your army! I need to remind you that if we fail, your country will also not gain the enemy.  Forgiveness!"

    The spittle almost hit Wang Zhengting¡¯s face. Even though he was naturally good-tempered, he couldn¡¯t bear it!  He stood up and retorted: "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief! According to the "Plum Blossom Agreement", our expeditionary force has exclusive command of the group army, and can choose the time and place to invest on its own! What's more, you also issued an order before the war started, and our army has the right to improvise.  Arbitrary right!" He threw a combat plan sent back from the front line on the table and continued coldly: "The task of our army is to assume the reserve and protect the Fourth Army. Currently, the Fourth Army has stopped all military operations.  action, then their mission is over. Why did they suddenly transfer our army to Soissons? Is it our fault that Lieutenant General Mangran's three armies were unable to open up the situation? It is our fault that more than 100,000 soldiers died in vain  Is it? General Yue Peng has reminded your army before that this kind of attack must be stopped immediately. Why is your army so reluctant to accept it?!

    As for your question about our army's inability to contribute, I would like to ask you, why have we not received a detailed battle report from our army's 100-day offensive?  In that battle, the casualty ratio between our army and the enemy was 1:2.  On the Western Front, which unit can achieve this casualty ratio?  But why is there no commendation or explanation!  Furthermore, you said that you provided all military supplies, but as far as I know, 48 tanks and 72 heavy guns that were originally supposed to be provided to our army were misappropriated for no reason.  Only half of the 1,500 trucks and supporting gasoline have been distributed!  The ammunition shortage is as high as 50%. How do you explain this?  His Excellency Prime Minister Parrian, General Foch.  We have no regrets about joining the Entente. In order to win the war, our Vice President risked his life and went to St. Petersburg to persuade the Russian Provisional Government to continue the war!  We have done our best. As for the military issues that General Nivele said, I am sorry Although the equipment and ammunition are not in place, our expeditionary force has not flinched. I hope you two will learn about Lance and  What happened in Soissons before making a choice!  "

    This last sentence obviously hit Niweiler¡¯s tail.  By now he had understood that the hope of breaking through the Siegfried Line was getting slimmer.  But the problem is that he must not stop now. If he stops, it will be equivalent to announcing that his political and military career will end, and he may even become a sinner of France!  That's why he and Mang Ran gritted their teeth and ordered the front line to continue attacking regardless of casualties. As for the Chinese Expeditionary Force that was his intended scapegoat.  But now Wang Zhengting lifted the lid, which made him furious: "Your Excellency, Ambassador! Please pay attention to your words. You have no right to interfere with my command and combat plan!"

    Both Balian and Foch have bad expressions. Although Niweiler still refuses to hand over the detailed battle report of the April offensive on the grounds that the battle is not over yet, it does not mean that they do not know the situation!  Hundreds of thousands died.  Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were injured!  No comparison with the terrible Verdun!  But this is an internal matter of the French army after all, not to mention it is not the Chinese's turn to make the decision here, so Foch thought about it and said seriously: "Your Excellency, Ambassador. Although you have no right to interfere with General Yue's actions, as an ally  I still need to remind you that although your ** team has obtained command rights, since you are fighting in France, you must abide by our norms! This is not a war for France, but a war for the entire Entente. Any attempt to take advantage of the situation will be punished.  You will not be forgiven!"

    Although his attitude was better than that of Niweiler, the meaning behind his words was very serious.  Wang Zhengting actually understood that after all, we were all allies and it was definitely not okay to hide nearby while watching others beat them to death.  What's more, the Vice President also confessed that he needed a big victory to completely establish China's position within the Entente.  Let Britain and France understand the importance of China's power.  So he couldn't rush to Lance immediately and ask Yue Peng and Cai E what they were thinking.  Facing the aggressive Niweiler and Bailian, Wang Zhengting felt the pressure. He understood that if he could not give an answer, if he could not win a victory, I am afraid that the status Yang Qiu wanted would not only be unrecognized.  On the contrary, it will seriously damage Sino-French and even Sino-British relations!

    Just when he was about to collapse, the military secretary of the French Prime Minister's Office walked in to relieve him.Siege: "Prime Minister, General! A telegram from Colonel Grandmaison, he said The Chinese Communist Party is scheduled to launch an attack from Prong tomorrow morning! This is the preliminary battle plan he sent, and they requested the first  The artillery of the Fourth Army Group fully cooperates!¡±

    The Chinese Expeditionary Force is about to attack?  !  Several generals including the 60-year-old Nivelle and Foch jumped up immediately. The former even grabbed the battle plan and rushed to the military map. When he carefully compared the battle plan with the map, he was stunned!  Foch also quickly looked closer, but his brows became tighter as he looked.

    Balian didn't understand military affairs, but the expressions of the generals could not be concealed from him, a professional politician. He also became nervous and asked: "What's wrong?" But strangely, the officers seemed not to hear the Prime Minister's inquiry at all.  , Foch even turned to look at Wang Zhengting with a strange look: "Your Excellency Ambassador, he, heis he crazy?! You want to separate two German groups with 5 light infantry divisions? You also need to encircle and annihilate another one?  ?!" Unable to wait for any answer, he rushed out of the conference room: "Contact Lieutenant General Freeman and order his Fourth Army to fully cooperate with the squadron! Prepare the car and call the train station. I need to rush immediately.  Towards Reims.¡±

    *******

    Colonel Grandmaison, the French liaison officer of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, did not know how much commotion his telegram caused, but even if he knew, he could not think at all.  In front of him, 76 Renault FT17 tanks began to refuel. French mechanics and their Chinese soldier apprentices performed final inspections on these steel monsters.  Behind them is a larger steel cluster, and a total of 218 armored vehicles called T2 type armored vehicles shipped from China are also preparing.  If it were just tanks, he wouldn't be surprised if there were more.  What really surprised him were the infantrymen who had just arrived across the ocean with the tanks!

    7.62mm version of the Enfest short rifle, light machine gun, submachine gun, American-made m1912 shotgun, Chinese-made Yuan-style 9mm automatic pistolcowhide boots, standard steel helmet.  There is also a vest that has never been seen before, and it seems that the sound of steel touching can be heard during the collision!

    "Remember! Get off the vehicle as soon as you enter the war zone! Use squads as units, two columns Do not leave the bullet shelter area at the rear of the tank. Immediately set up an obstacle bridge after arriving at the trench After the tank is damaged  Find bunkers to avoid explosions and flames" Hundreds of non-commissioned officers from the armored training class shouted in unison to explain the essentials of combat again.  Du Zishan was also sitting on the armored vehicle holding his beloved shotgun. Since the number of armored infantrymen who came this time was insufficient, he and hundreds of veterans received 12 days of training and were enriched into the 88th Armored Brigade of the 101st Division.

    "Hurry uphang one over here too."

    When Du Zishan and the others were warned by the sergeant, the Chinese workers accompanying the army also rushed over pushing carts of specially made small sandbags.  These small sandbags can only hold 2 kilograms of yellow sand each. Hanging on the front of the tank is as ugly as a beggar's bag shirt, but Xue Yue and the tank soldiers paid special attention to this step.  Since the last time he learned that the German army was equipped with rifles specially designed to fight tanks, he and everyone have been thinking of ways to deal with it. Finally, they found that as long as such a sandbag is hung in front of the tank where it is most vulnerable to bullets, it can effectively prevent bullets from penetrating the steel plate.  , at least it is impossible to penetrate the 25mm homogeneous steel plate on the front of the T2 armored vehicle.

    Colonel Grandmaison did not understand these strange preparations at all, and was about to ask the translator to ask.  The air around suddenly exploded!

    "Attack!"

    "It's our artillery"

    "Hit, hit hard!"

    ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? On April 21, 1917, the sky over Poulon, ten kilometers east of Reims, suddenly burst into flames.  The expeditionary force's five heavy artillery brigades (one pieced together by Yan Youbing), the French Fourth Army's five heavy artillery brigades, and 26 field artillery and mountain artillery regiments totaling 2,000 cannons all roared without warning.  With so many cannons roaring at the same time, not to mention the small Pulong, the entire ten-kilometer-long Hindenburg defense line from Reims to here was quickly mobilized.  Groups of German soldiers rushed into the trenches and hid in bunkers under the orders of their officers. The cannons quickly opened their camouflage handles and pointed forward. Faced with the sudden attack, the well-trained German troops still responded quickly, but this time they  Miscalculated again!  Because all the shells fell on the west side of Alawi Mountain east of Pulong, on a short two-kilometer defense line.  Based on an average of 3 shells per minute, 2,000 cannons can fire 360,000 shells of various types in one hour!

    This intensity is far stronger than the 11 million artillery shells dropped by Mang Ran on the nearly 100 kilometers of defense line!  And because the density is more concentrated.  It was enough to pin down German soldiers in trenches and bunkers without being able to show their heads!  Almost all the machine gun forts, mountain artillery positions, bunkers, railways, and buildings were subjected to devastating shelling.  Boom boom The German long-range artillery positions in the distance began to counterattack, and German fighter planes appeared from the horizon. Before they could get close to them, 37 Haidong Qing, 36 French Newports, and 17 British Camel fighter jets also followed suit.  He rushed forward like a sharp sword to provide counter-reconnaissance, interception and cover for the artillery.

    "Cannonballs"

    In the frontline bunker, each door weighs 15.The 254mm low-pressure heavy gun modified from a naval gun took off its camouflage of hay and branches, and the short barrel slowly raised.  A 180-kilogram shell requires the cooperation of five people at the same time to stuff it into the barrel.  After a thickened piece of propellant was inserted, the cannon suddenly let out an earth-shattering roar. Before the infantrymen in the attack position nearby could shout, a mushroom cloud nearly 100 meters high suddenly rose over the German trenches 4,000 meters away. Dust was beneath the mushroom cloud.  And smoke spreads outward like a hurricane.

    Low-pressure trench-breaking gun!

    A 45 kilogram 155mm grenade can kill all exposed creatures within a 30-meter radius of the explosion point. Even if you hide in a trench, you will be injured or even killed by the shock wave. So how powerful is the 180 kilogram shell?  Within a radius of 100 meters there is no possibility of survival!  The trenches near the impact point 50 meters will be completely buried and destroyed. Even if you are a cockroach, you will be instantly crushed by the displaced soil and stones due to the extrusion of the shock wave.

    ? 4 low-pressure trench-breaking guns and 2 captured German 240mm howitzers form the most powerful trench "can opener"!  Facing the German defense line full of "mushrooms", Xue Yue jumped onto the tank excitedly, raised his right arm high and rotated his index finger vigorously. Later, this action and his words became the eternal offensive slogan of the Chinese armored forces.

    "Let's go, we're on the road!".

    (To be continued

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