The battlefield always awes people with its ever-changing fighter planes. To read the latest chapter of this book, please go to Baidu search: 1 Novel Network During the Battle of Waterloo, because Napoleon wasted more than 7 hours of the most critical period of fighting for the strategic initiative, in the end

led to the fall of the French Empire.

Fighter opportunities are fleeting, and on an ever-changing battlefield, grasping the opportunity often means the success or failure of a battle.

After reading the telegram from Han Wu asking for battle, Cai E immediately realized that the plan he and Xu Shuzheng had originally planned could not be implemented. Originally, according to their plan, whether it was a feint attack or an assist, the expeditionary force would be able to fight in a decent manner.

A battle, no matter what the outcome, must be fought, and then use some excuses to end this year's war, and then use half a year to complete the integration of the expeditionary force in France, at least to complete the integration of the expeditionary force's military-level units and legions.

Formed in preparation for next spring's battle.

This is no longer allowed!

To be precise, the hasty withdrawal of the German 17th Army caused a series of gaps and defensive gaps in the German frontline. This was the fighter opportunity that the expeditionary force had been waiting for.

From the German First Army and the Second Army entering Belgium on August 4, 1914 to the end of the First Battle of Ypres in November 1914, the fierce fighting for several months exhausted both warring parties. After the Battle of the Marne,

The battlefield on the Western Front formed a stalemate situation. In the back-and-forth attack and defense, both sides especially strengthened their defenses. Both warring parties dug deep trenches, strengthened bunkers, and set up barbed wire fences to build fixed positions.

At first, the trenches on both sides were hastily dug trenches. As the war progressed, commanders and logistics personnel also went deep into the trenches for command and supply. Therefore, the trenches were continuously deepened and widened, and the defense system became more and more developed.

. By the end of the First Battle of Ypres, a solid defense line of trenches, tunnels, shelters and barbed wire stretched across more than 600 kilometers of front stretching from the Swiss border to the sea.

The emergence of the trench network has made combat more and more beneficial to the defenders. The desolate no-man's land between the positions is stared at by countless black holes of gunfire. As long as the attacking troops appear in the no-man's land, the enemies in the opponent's trenches can

It was clearly seen that the machine gunners ambushing behind the fortifications were like strong winds sweeping away fallen leaves, easily taking away the lives of the attacking soldiers. Therefore, the night became working time, and the day was used for rest and recovery.

The more than 60,000 casualties suffered by the British army during the No. 1 attack were a clear reminder of the fact that trenches and machine guns completely stopped the infantry charge.

For the expeditionary force, from the time it was dispatched until now, the last thing they want to see is to become cannon fodder in the hands of the great powers. Because of this, Xu Shuzheng will do everything possible to use some of the subtle mentality of the French generals to prevent the coalition forces from taking advantage of the expeditionary force.

It's used as cannon fodder, but...how long can it be delayed?

And on the other hand, the country is eager for the expeditionary force to be able to show off in foreign lands, not just in a small-scale battle, but to play a decisive role in a battle. By making the entire military operation attract attention, it can gain a certain

level of recognition, thus paving the way for the country to strive for post-war status.

In other words, regardless of whether they are willing to be cannon fodder or not, in the end, the expeditionary force needs to sacrifice themselves to pave the way for the country's future. Currently, there are fourteen divisions in France and nearly 300,000 expeditionary troops. According to the worst-case scenario,

According to the plan, the expeditionary force will launch a campaign by next spring at the latest. Even if it uses human flesh, it will create something that will attract the attention of the world.

And now, judging from the telegram just received, an unprecedented opportunity has been placed in front of the expeditionary force. If this opportunity can be seized, maybe... less blood can be shed...

To catch it, or...

The answer is clear... Cai E clearly realized that the moment to decide the future of the expeditionary force is coming...

After breakfast, it was already daybreak. However, it was still dark inside the combat conference room with thick curtains. Cai E was looking at the German defense map drawn by the coalition forces based on intelligence and aerial photos by using the electric light. Ding Zimao, the director of the operations department, came over and asked him

Give Cai E a telegram:

"Sir, another telegram has been sent from my front finger."

Cai E took a look at the telegram. In the telegram, Han Wu asked the expeditionary force headquarters to send out reconnaissance planes to determine the enemy's deep distribution. It seemed that Han Wu... went with him!

Putting down the telegram in his hand, Cai E looked up at Ding Zimao, the operations director from the Jiangsu Army Staff Headquarters and said.

"Oh, please ask Chief of Staff Xu to come over immediately, and hurry up!"

A few minutes later, Xu Shuzheng came to the war room. After he arrived in the war room, Cai E immediately communicated the situation and telegram to him, then looked at him and said.

"How's it going? Youzheng, what do you think of this opportunity?"

"Opportunity, it's a good opportunity!"

Opportunity, is there any better opportunity than the current one? This is the first time. Two years after the outbreak of the European War, the Allied Forces have the first opportunity to extricate themselves from the quagmire of trench warfare. Lying on the map, Xu Shuzheng

Holding a pencil in one hand, he then drew a line on the map, seemingly outlining the battle plan in his mind. Slowly, his expression became more solemn.

"If we can seize this opportunity, we can fight a battle in the way we are familiar with, instead of sitting in the trenches all day long, fighting there! As a result, we have learned nothing but defense after fighting!

"

Learning, this time they came to Europe to fight, they came with the idea of ​​learning, but apart from digging trenches, what have they learned until now? When it comes to actually fighting trench warfare, the expeditionary force is not even as good as the British and French troops.

As for the Chinese Expeditionary Force, they have their own habits and their own fighting methods.

"There are three divisions. It is estimated that before the 10th, we can only send three divisions over! It may be difficult to send even one division over today."

Now the best breakthrough point has been discovered by the French, and the French are missing opportunities. Although there are still some defensive gaps, those gaps are too narrow and are not suitable for corps assault.

"What if we attack at separate points? Sir!"

At this time, Ding Zimao suddenly interrupted.

"Oh, tell me what you think!"

Although he felt a little unhappy that his words were interrupted, Xu Shuzheng, who knew that this matter was very important, still looked up at Ding Zimao and asked.

Facing the gazes of the two generals, Ding Zimao nodded, his expression a little awkward. He is a young man about thirty years old. His ability to serve as the director of the operations department is actually the result of a game of power. On the surface, he seems to be monolithic.

The expeditionary force has been involved in various power games from its establishment until now, and the positions of many of its officers are often the result of power games. He is, so is Xu Shuzheng, and even Cai E is the same. Although as the chief of the operations department,

I have been very familiar with the two of them for a long time. This is the first time that Ding Zimao has expressed his views on a certain issue, and he knows that the matter is of great importance. Therefore, his expression is unavoidable and nervous, and his voice even trembles slightly when he speaks.

"I think we should not just limit our sights to a certain defensive gap. Since the formation of the expeditionary force, we have never cooperated with large-scale group operations. Compared to regiment-level battles, we are better at division-level battles.

Combat, and now. Our frontal enemy should be the 8 heavily damaged divisions on the German front line. They are hastily withdrawing from the theater. Considering that the German defense replacement troops may be around 3-5 divisions, this should be the second

The last reserve in the hands of the Army Group, if we consider the German frontline along the Somme as a whole, is an insurmountable defensive fortress, and now, here, here..."...

Ding Zimao drew multiple points on the map one after another. Without exception, those points were defense gaps ranging from hundreds of meters to kilometers wide discovered by the reconnaissance troops.

"In short, the German army's overall trench defense system was partially disintegrated due to the hasty retreat of the 17th Army, which means that the original long snake was cut into several pieces. Of course, if we miss the opportunity like the French army, this long snake will

It will grow quickly, but if we mobilize three to six divisions from these points to rush in..."

While talking, he gestured with his hands and crossed each other.

"In this way, the reserves of the Second Army will be divided into multiple unconnected strongholds. Considering that the German Seventeenth Army has already suffered heavy losses, otherwise the German high command would not risk the collapse of the defense line and order the withdrawal.

And it will not evacuate in such a hurry. Therefore, at least until the German high command mobilizes new reserves, it is impossible for the 17th Army to form an effective defense against us. Therefore, while dividing its reserves,

We can mobilize six to eight divisions to decisively break through the German third position, form a roundabout encirclement attitude, and end the battle with a beautiful left hook..."

When Ding Zimao put forward his opinion, both Cai E and Xu Shuzheng were surprised. From Ding Zimao's plan, they saw a gamble of unprecedented scale, which was different from Han Wu's plan of taking the opportunity to advance more than ten kilometers.

Yes, Ding Zimao wanted to fight a "Sedan-style" battle on the Somme River!

For the expeditionary force, this is completely a gamble. Once this plan is launched, it means that in the next month, the expeditionary force will not only need to invest the current fourteen divisions, but also the three divisions currently at sea.

Individual divisions will also serve as reserve teams. This is a big gamble, and more importantly, there are many other uncertain factors in this big gamble. If...

"We don't have the experience to fight with a large corps!"

After lighting up another cigarette and spitting out these words, Cai E stared at Ding Zimao, a guy who hadn't even finished studying at Zhenwu Academy.

"It's true that I don't have the experience of fighting with a large corps, but if I don't fight, I will never have it..."

Ding Zimao said hurriedly, and involuntarily raised his hand to wipe the sweat on his forehead.

"When we fought the Japanese in Jiao'ao, we didn't even conduct division-level exercises..."

"That's defense..."

Xu Shuzheng was a little impatient and said casually.

"It starts with an attack. Coordinate the steps of each division. In the end, it will definitely become a defense!"

Ding Zimao argued hurriedly, thinking that he could not be careless. He didn't know if Xu Shuzheng's question was offensive to his explanation, and he had to explain it clearly.

"...It's like this. You should know the enemy. The Germans have their strengths. The British and French have their strengths. But we have our own strengths. If we fight according to their way, we will be tied up.

Instead of this, it is better to simply let go completely. What is the purpose of this battle? Why is it advanced by another month? It is to relieve the pressure on Verdun. In any case, as long as we execute this combination of punches, the German High Command will

, you have to fight us in our own way...For example, until now, Germany has not mobilized the main force of the Verdun battlefield because they do not feel that the scale of the battle fought by the coalition forces here will do any harm to them.

At least for now, they have not realized it, so what we have to face is the Second Army. And the Seventeenth Army has suffered heavy losses. Even if it has put in reserves, the British and French armies can contain some of them, so we

The German forces that need to be faced directly are actually relatively limited... Right now, we have 14 divisions of fresh force in our hands, but none of them have been put into use. If we use three divisions to divide the German forces in this area, and then send the main force

If the German army reaches deep inside, it will cut off the retreat route of the German Second Army. At the same time, it will also cut off the transportation and supply lines. In this way, the German army along the Somme River will be faced with enemies from both sides... Wait until this time, and we will put the last one, that is,

Now that the fourth batch of troops that have just arrived in the Mediterranean has been sent over, it will almost be a defensive battle..."...

While listening to Ding Zimao's report, Cai E looked at the map carefully, and then fell into thinking. He didn't even notice it immediately when Ding Zimao finished speaking.

"Youzheng, what do you think?"

Cai E asked. But his eyes did not leave the map.

It is undeniable that although Ding Zimao's suggestion is full of various risks, the biggest risk of which is that the expeditionary force will be completely disabled, but... the temptation is too great!

Annihilate the German Second Army!

"If we really fight like this, the risk is too great, and..."

After thinking about it, Xu Shuzheng said again.

"However, if implemented, even if it is half successful, it may affect the entire war situation. I am not talking about this battle, but the entire war."

What does it mean to affect the entire war? Regardless of whether the expeditionary force can achieve the campaign goal, once the battle begins, with the continuous investment of the expeditionary force and the emergence of the war situation, both the expeditionary force and China will definitely win something - the great powers

This means that the expeditionary force will be able to act as an independent group and will no longer be a small follower of the French army.
To be continued...