Chapter 1420: Just Laku Franxi (First update, please subscribe)
Once again, France suffered a blow even heavier than that of 1870.
Billowing black smoke was rolling over the battlefield. The green grass was now dotted with craters filled with smoke. At the artillery position, a cannon was blown into a pile of scrap metal. The incomplete bodies of French soldiers in blue uniforms and red trousers lay all over the destroyed trenches. The heart-wrenching cries of the wounded and dying soldiers made people feel like they were falling into hell.
"The Germans... the Germans are coming!"
Someone screamed and groaned in fear.
In the sunshine, the mountains and plains were filled with German soldiers wearing gray-green uniforms and cloth-covered pointed helmets. The endless German soldiers marched into France and the French Empire.
At the same time as the border battle, the German army, under the command of Count Alfred von Schlieffen, implemented the Schlieffen Plan - concentrating strong forces on the Western Front, encircling the French army from the flank through Belgium and the Netherlands, which had empty defenses, and trying to defeat France through a quick battle. Then, the army moved eastward to deal with Russia.
On March 19, the German army used hundreds of cannons and dozens of tons of artillery shells to blast open Belgium's strongest defense line, the Liege Fortress, and then one million troops headed directly into the heart of Belgium.
According to Schlieffen's plan, while the right wing was making a major detour through Belgium, the German left wing, in accordance with the strategic plan, fought and retreated, luring the French army to continue to advance.
Although the "Schlieffen Plan" of this era was not perfect enough, what was different from history was that the commander-in-chief of the German left wing, Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, faithfully implemented the Schlieffen Plan. Unlike his son in another world, he could not tolerate the strategic retreat and arbitrarily changed Moltke's plan to launch an attack on the French army.
After Prince Ludwig implemented the strategic retreat as planned, under the heroic command of Marshal de Cassiternau, the left wing of the French army entered the German mainland from Alsace and Lorraine, just like at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.
After receiving the battle report, Count Schlieffen was so excited that he went crazy.
"We won the war!"
As Count Schlieffen and the German Emperor cheered their celebration, the strength of the right wing was once again strengthened by the landing of 300,000 British expeditionary forces in Belgian ports.
This coalition force, with a total size of nearly 1.3 million, broke into the French mainland and, with a right hook, tried to outflank the millions of French troops located in the border area.
When Napoleon V received the battle report from the front, he was so angry that he almost smashed the desk of the French General Staff.
At that time, there were only less than 500,000 French troops in Paris, and the Allied forces had almost three times the strength of the French.
what to do?
The issue facing Napoleon V was one without choice - either fight or perish.
"Sons and daughters of France, France is being invaded by the British and Germans. In order to defend France, we must mobilize every bit of strength!"
Facing the threat of national destruction, Zhu Di once again thought of what Emperor Zhu had once said to him - victory belongs to the side that mobilizes every bit of strength first.
While mobilizing troops to reinforce Verdun, Judy summoned Zhou Ze, the commander of the Ming Empire's expeditionary force, to his headquarters. A month ago, the empire decided to send an expeditionary force to France. The troops were not sent from the mainland, but from African colonies. In the past month, 150,000 imperial troops entered Tunisia through the "Sahara Railway" which was just built a year ago, and then arrived in France by ship. Zhou Ze, the imperial army lieutenant general who was the first to attack the Paraguayan capital in the "Brazil Campaign", is the commander-in-chief of this imperial army.
"Your Majesty, we still have a chance. The French army is now being mobilized and trained, and in Africa, we have mobilized 1.7 million troops, of which more than 700,000 are warriors ready to go into battle at any time."
In fact, those mobilized from Africa were either Japanese warriors or second-generation Japanese. Even the army Zhou Ze was leading now, most of the soldiers and grassroots officers were of Japanese descent. Most of them were colonial garrisons. As soon as the empire was mobilized, they replenished soldiers and equipment on the spot. Before the training was completed, they took the train directly to the north according to the order of the headquarters.
This army is a symbol of friendship between the Empire and France. For the Empire, the Empire absolutely does not mind fighting to the last Japanese. Of course, it does not mind using the Japanese to deepen the relationship between the Empire and France.
"But now we only have 700,000 troops available for the battlefield!"
There are still 150,000 Ming troops in these 700,000 miles. Using 700,000 to resist 1.3 million, the difference in military strength is too big.
Anyone who understands military affairs knows that with such a huge disparity in troop strength, the side with fewer troops is doomed to fail.
"As long as we hold out for a month, France will be able to mobilize two million troops to the front. Within a month, 200,000 reinforcements will arrive from the African colonies. And there is also Russia. Russia has already launched an attack on Germany from the East. Although Austria remains neutral, its neutrality forces Italy not to join the war now. One month..."
After a pause, Zhou Ze said.
"In a month, we will win this war!"
When saying this, Zhou Ze seemed extremely confident. This confidence came from his heart in his own strength. Of course, it was also a trust that the war mode had changed.
"General, when can you and your troops be deployed to the front line?"
Facing the emperor's question, Zhou Ze stood up.
"Your Majesty, the expeditionary force can be deployed to the battlefield at any time!"
The expeditionary force could be deployed to the battlefield at any time. Long before it set off from the empire by airship, His Majesty the Emperor personally met with him and instructed him to obey the orders of Napoleon V during the war in France.
"His orders are equal to my will!"
This was a direct order from His Majesty the Emperor. For Zhou Ze, who was leading the expeditionary force with the rank of Lieutenant General, he knew very well that this was entirely the trust of His Majesty the Emperor - it was His Majesty who supported him as the commander of the expeditionary force against all odds.
Zhou Ze was naturally full of gratitude for this, and he wanted to repay the Emperor for his recognition and support.
It was for this reason that Zhou Ze gave the most affirmative answer directly to Napoleon V's question.
"Then let's do it now, my general! I believe you won't let us down!"
Looking at the confident Zhou Ze, Napoleon V couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. At least the Ming Empire had never let him down.
God bless, I hope they can hold there along with the French army.
After all, the fate of the French Empire depends on them!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
