Verdun, located on the Meuse River, is a small city in northeastern France. It is 225 kilometers west of Paris and 58 kilometers east of Metz. It is known as the Key to Paris and was called the Gallic Castle in ancient times. In 843, three grandsons of Charlemagne stayed here.

The Treaty of Verdun was concluded to carve up Charlemagne's empire. The Kingdom of East, Central and West Frank was established, forming the prototype of the three kingdoms of Germany, Italy and France. Later, the ownership of Verdun changed. In 1648, it belonged to France. After that, a series of buildings were built in the surrounding strategic locations.

It then became a Prussian fort and then became a fortress. In 1792, it was the site of a battle between Austria and France. During the Franco-Prussian war, it was occupied by the Prussian army again until 1873.

Verdun in 1916 was just an unnoticed fortress support point on the long Western Front. However, the dramatic beginning of this fortress may have begun in June 1915 when a delegation of the French Parliament’s Military Committee inspected it.

Those representatives who visited the fortress there heard some rumors on the front line. Some junior officers and soldiers in Verdun were worried because of the insecurity because the army of the German Crown Prince was in front.

Receiving the delegation were General Dubai, who commanded Army Group Eastern, and General Coutançeau, the governor of Verdun. General Dubai explained to the delegates that after experiencing the battles of Liège and Namur, he would never

The practical value of the fortresses no longer existed. They could certainly be destroyed by heavy howitzers and were therefore merely a means of attracting artillery shells for the local garrison. Verdun's only effective defense was a field army holding a line of defense extending from the ring fortress.

According to this well-founded idea, the equipment of the fortress has been dismantled and the reserves of guns, garrisons and warehouse supplies have been dispersed to various troops. The local governor, General Kutangsuo, is a man of reckless nature. Almost immediately after his superiors expressed this opinion

He expressed his dissent. He believed that the fortress was still of great value and should play an important role together with the defense of the position. General Dubai was furious with his subordinate for such an interruption and rebuked him so severely that the delegation returned to Paris.

It was then deemed necessary to appeal to the Secretary of War to protect this outspoken officer from punishment and humiliation.

However, in fact, a few weeks later, the outspoken General Coutanteau was still transferred from the post of governor of Verdun and was replaced by General Eyre to take command of the army, including the Verdun garrison, at the end of January 1916.

The transfer of authority from General Dubaye to the Central Army Group under the command of General Drangladkari therefore neglected the responsibility for the comprehensive expansion of defense in the region, which was not centralized and therefore difficult to hold accountable.

In a purely military sense, Verdun was of no special importance to either the French or the German armies. The firepower equipment of the Verdun fortress had been dismantled. Verdun had no real ammunition depot; it had no protective effect on any meaningful strategic point.

It is 220 kilometers away from Paris. Even if the German army captured it, it would not have any significant impact on the security of the capital or the entire defense line.

Because of this, the French command has never paid attention to this place. The French have never considered that the Germans would launch an attack from here, but they don't know whether it is Falkenhayn or Ludendorff.

But here is a dangerous exit, endangering the main German railway lines less than 20 kilometers away.

However, on the other hand, there are only two crappy railway lines in Verdun on the French side. The German occupied area on this front has been supplied by no less than 15 railways. Therefore, it should be easy for the German army to prevent Verdun from attacking.

At best, the capture of Verdun would be a military convenience to the Germans and only a minor inconvenience to the French.

For the French, Verdun has no military significance, but for the French nation, there is an attachment to Verdun. Because of this, before the French were aware of all this,

The Germans took the initiative to choose this place

It is the great fortress that stands proudly facing Metz. Its name has haunted the minds of Germans for many centuries. It is the most progressive castle in France and the main fortress on France's eastern frontier. Its fall will have repercussions throughout Europe.

Repercussions Once we capture this, the victories on the Marne and the Ise will forever be eclipsed….

Falkenhayn, who rushed from Berlin to the front line in the headquarters of the Fifth Army with Crown Prince Wilhelm's Army, watched Crown Prince Wilhelm, whose reputation had soared after the victory in the Ardennes, once again explain his offensive ideas to him. At this time, he

This argument was the ideological basis for Falkenhayn's decision to attack Verdun.

Our attack on Verdun would not be a breakthrough attack. The attackers would not be trapped in a pocket surrounded by fire. They would be firing relentlessly at the French positions that pride dictated.

The 18 divisions and large amounts of artillery belonging to the 5th Army commanded by His Highness will exhaust the French troops and make France bleed like a river.

Falkenhayn seemed to be in high spirits as he explained his ideas. In his opinion, this place will eventually attract the attention of the whole of France as he planned. At that time, this place will become a mill, a mill that devours the French.

River of blood

Crown Prince William looked at the French defense line in the Verdun area on the map and looked at Falkenhayn with some confusion. At the same time, his brows furrowed. Although he was only a colonel, as the crown prince, he often treated him as his son.

He was summoned by his father, but he was uneasy about the attack on Verdun. In fact, he had already obtained this strategic idea from his father after Falkenhayn proposed this strategic idea to his father William II last year.

The news differed from Falkenhayn's strategic views. He was more inclined to the views of the vast majority of military staff on the staff. He also believed that it would be wiser to first end Russia in the east because defeating Russia would allow Germany to attack on both fronts.

At the same time, Germany can use the resources of Russia and even Asia to help Germany win this war. Falkenhayn's choice now seems to him to be a risk. But on the other hand, because he has been suppressed for a long time, his

Opposition would not play a decisive role. Although he was the future owner of Germany, Falkenhayn, as always, repeatedly declared that the French army would shed blood at Verdun. This made him deeply uneasy because he did not believe in bloodshed.

All the blood only happens to the French army. The bleeding is corresponding. When France sheds a drop of blood, Germany also bleeds.

Once the battle begins, Verdun, the proud place of the French, will become an anvil. The French will be hammered to death on the anvil by German artillery. The French army may hold a fixed position with patriotic passion and be beaten there.

The artillery fire was so bloody that as long as one German soldier was killed for every two Frenchmen killed, then we would have won the war. The ultimate goal of this battle was to drain the blood of France at Verdun.

The extremely cold words still made Crown Prince William glance at him when he was slightly cheating. This was really... too risky. Did he never consider that the blood of Germany is rarer compared to France? The blood of Germany is easier.

Drain dry?

What if the French decided to abandon Verdun?

Looking at the map, from Crown Prince William's point of view, Verdun is a matter of honor, but in military terms, it really has no value worth holding on to. If he were Joffre, faced with this situation, he would definitely withdraw from here and then...

Of course, if the French army is unwilling to make tragic sacrifices, and if they think that they do not need to make huge sacrifices to defend the hills of Verdun with empty fortresses, then this plan to make the French bleed out will inevitably fail. I don’t want to

Take this argument too far

Falkenhayn said it with great confidence.

Whether it is for France or Germany, Verdun will be a monument to victory. The proud French will definitely use all their manpower and material resources to deal with the challenges coming from us...

Falkenhayn, who correctly measured the psychology of the French nation, suddenly raised his head to look at Crown Prince William, and then said forcefully

Therefore, we are going to launch an attack from here to make the Gallic roosters pay for their arrogance, and ultimately let the entire France bleed dry...

As he spoke, he raised his chin slightly and looked at Crown Prince William and said mysteriously.

And in this battle we will use an unprecedentedly powerful weapon. The use of this weapon will ensure that we can capture the French positions at a very small cost. It can be said that this weapon will completely change the war on the Western Front.

state

Falkenhayn's pride made Crown Prince William curious. He looked at Falkenhayn, who looked somewhat mysterious. He had never doubted his confidence, but it was the first time he saw his mystery, so he was not without doubts.

asked

General, can you tell me what weapon you are talking about?

Faced with Crown Prince William's curiosity, Falkenhayn smiled slightly and then said

Your Highness will be able to see him next week after the railway is completed. When the battle begins, the whole of France, and not then the whole world, will witness the power of Alfred's shocking power.

The moment he finished speaking, Falkenhayn tapped Verdun on the map table with his fist and said with certainty.

Verdun This is where the war will change.

verdun

Thousands of kilometers away in the city of Peiping, in the military map room separated only by a wall from the Prime Minister's Office, a large map of the French battlefield is hung on the wall, while a military map of the Verdun area is spread out on the map table.

Believe me, this place will soon attract the attention of the world

Looking at Xiao Xiao standing in front of the military map, Li Zicheng said in an extremely confident tone that he had been observing the situation in Europe since the expedition of the expeditionary force. Although he did not know much about the history of World War I, it was because of the famous name of Verdun Meat Grinder.

Remembering that place also remembers that time - February 1916

It was also from that time that Li Zicheng ordered the intelligence agency in France to collect intelligence on the Verdun area. The intelligence collected shocked him. The French did not seem to be aware of the possibility of the German army attacking Verdun.

It can be said to be the weakest defense on the entire Western Front.

According to the information we have, the French army's Verdun fortification area spans both sides of the Meuse River and is 112 kilometers wide in front and 15 to 18 kilometers deep; there are four defensive positions, the first three are field defense positions, and the fourth is formed by the fortress.

It is a solid position composed of fortifications and two fortification zones. It is condescending and easy to defend but difficult to attack. The 3rd Army has 11 divisions with more than 630 artillery pieces. General F. Ell commands 5 divisions to defend the area north of Verdun.

Three divisions defended the area east and southeast of Verdun, and the other three divisions were deployed as reserves on the west bank of the Meuse River south of Verdun.

Then Li Zicheng pointed to the German-controlled area on the other side.

The 5th Army commanded by the German Crown Prince Wilhelm has seven corps, a total of 18 divisions, more than 1,200 artillery pieces, and about 170 aircraft. In terms of military strength, the Germans have an absolute advantage, considering the national sentiment of the French nation maintained by Verdun.

If the Germans attack here, the French will have almost no choice but to defend Verdun unless the French can sit back and watch the fall of Verdun and thus deal a heavy blow to their national sentiments.

Recalling the information about the Verdun Meat Grinder that he had read in some military magazines, Li Zicheng was talking like a military strategist about the several members of the National Institute of Materials in the military map room.

The military staff kept nodding. They may have suspicions, but at this time they did not want to disturb the Prime Minister's interest. After all, this was just his concern. The National Institute of Public Health interfered very much with the expeditionary force's war, even the Presidential Office.

So they are very cooperative with the Prime Minister's interest today. After all, sometimes they can benefit from some of the Prime Minister's ideas. Although he is a layman to a certain extent, in many cases he has some extremely good ideas.

novel ideas and those ideas always change the way war is done in some way

For example, airplanes, airborne troops, and... In short, it would not be bad to hear more of his thoughts on military matters. However, today they found that the Prime Minister was different from the past because what he was talking about was a possible military operation on the Western Front.

The battle breaks out….

They don't have much confidence in the future battle mentioned by the Prime Minister. Although the State Department does not interfere with expeditionary military supplies, it does not mean that the military staff of the State Department do not pay attention to Europe. After all, hundreds of thousands of their colleagues have arrived in Europe.

There are hundreds of thousands of expeditionary forces being formed in Europe and at home.

It is for this reason that they are also paying attention to the development of the war situation in Europe. The expedition of the expeditionary force has made them no longer only focus on the new tactics and new weapons displayed in this European war, but more on the development of the war situation.

At the same time, they will also conduct a lot of war games to consider this war far away from Asia from a strategic perspective, so they are no strangers to Verdun. Now they are so confident in the Prime Minister that they just smile knowingly and treat it as company.

Prime Minister plays military games here

But they didn't know that in fact, what Li Zicheng was thinking about was to use this incident to show everyone his military prowess and to predict the outbreak of a battle to prove that he had military expertise and at least an extremely keen military sense.

For those who are engaged in political activities, the only thing that needs to be remembered is that they must seize every opportunity to expand their reputation and influence. As for Li Zicheng, he does not mind using some control over the future to make people around him more superstitious.

He thus gained more reputation

Therefore, although I am very clear about their attitude, it does not hinder Li Zicheng's attitude.

Prime Minister, national sentiments belong to national sentiments. For a qualified soldier, he must not ignore military realities because of national sentiments.

At the right time, when the Prime Minister finished speaking, Xiao Xiao raised his objection. As the commander of the internal affairs forces, his current work is not too busy. Although nearly 50,000 internal affairs troops are scattered across the country to cooperate with local police in suppressing bandits, as the commander, he is not

He is free because all he needs to master is the general policy of suppressing bandits. For specific tactical command, grassroots commanders are naturally responsible for it. Now he spends more time in the military map room accompanying the Prime Minister in various military chess deductions.

In the past two months, the Prime Minister seemed obsessed with war games. He spent an hour every day proposing some possibilities for future wars and then asked these military staff to help him conduct war games.

No

Li Zicheng smiled and shook his head and said with great certainty.

National sentiment determines war, not war determines national sentiment. You have to remember that war is another continuation of politics. War is always subordinate to political needs. If French politicians feel that Verdun is related to national sentiment, they will think so.

It is even related to whether the French nation can persevere in this war. For any country, they always have several holy places that cannot be lost. Therefore, the French will definitely devote a steady stream of troops to Vers as the Germans hope.

board

Prime Minister, if this is the case, will the expeditionary force be thrown there as cannon fodder by the French?

Suddenly a very young voice came to Li Zicheng's ears. He followed the voice to see the young officer who was speaking clearly, but Li Zicheng smiled. He was a young officer recommended by Baoding Military Academy - Fu Zuoyi looked at this young officer Li Zi

Cheng's expression became extremely solemn
Chapter completed!