Back to the Republic of China as a commander

On April 4, the coalition forces issued the first combat mission to the Chinese European Expeditionary Force.In fact, it is a rather nonsensical task, because in the western section of the entire front, the French army had to withdraw troops from the eastern end near Luxembourg to supplement it because of the heavy losses in the Battle of the Somme at the end of last year.But in this way, the eastern end of the front line also needs troops to supplement, especially the Verdun area needs troops to guard, so Marshal Fuxi, chief of the French army's general staff, unceremoniously threw Verdun to Bai Chongxi, Just stay here, kid.

Bai Chongxi was not polite, and immediately accepted the task, but the premise was that Bai Chongxi had the final say on how to keep it, so Wang Zhenyu, the big butterfly, finally began to affect the course of the First World War.

It is impossible for such a huge military mobilization not to alarm the Germans. We must know that the German intelligence agencies were also well-known during World War I.And when the German General Staff learned that the French had transferred 20 main forces from the Verdun area to the Western Front, and then replaced them with 20 troops from China to guard Verdun.They clearly felt that an opportunity to break the current stalemate on the battlefield was once again in front of them. . .

"Brother Baili, so you think the Germans will use this defense to attack us?" Bai Chongxi asked Jiang Baili standing in front of the sand table with his hands behind his back.

Jiang Baili nodded and said: "This is inevitable. After all, we are soft persimmons in the eyes of the Germans. If we don't pinch our soft persimmons, then it is not the character of the Germans. I believe this is also an opportunity for the Germans. The war has ended. It's been going on for almost three years, and now it's 1.1 meters of war on the move, and they need a breakthrough more than the French to end this long war."

Bai Chongxi looked at Zhu Zhixin and the others present and said: "Then let's adjust the deployment and see how to entertain these uninvited German friends. The staff department will come up with a plan. This time we will focus on defense. Talking about making big claims like national prestige, at least let our so-called allies and the Germans on the opposite side see if we are a persimmon or not?"

Chapter 331 Comeback

Verdun is the prominent part of the Allied defense line, which poses a great threat to the German army's penetration into France and Belgium. It is also a strong stronghold leading to Paris and the hub of the French army's front. At the beginning of 1916, the German Imperial High Command decided to shift its strategic focus to the west, and Falkenhain, the Chief of the German General Staff, set the target of the attack on the famous fortress of Verdun in France.Verdun is the protruding part of the front of the British and French armies. It is like a protruding fang, posing a serious threat to the German flank that penetrates into northern France. Germany and France have fought here many times, but the German army failed to capture it. fortress.If the German army can capture Verdun in one fell swoop this time, it will definitely deal a heavy blow to the morale of the French army.At the same time, the occupation of Verdun also opened up the channel for the German army to march towards Paris. After occupying Paris, France would be destroyed without attack, and the remaining British and Russian armies would be nothing to fear.

Beginning in January 1916, Falkenhayn quietly assembled troops to prepare to attack Verdun. At the same time, Germany blatantly increased its troops to Chamberny, making a gesture of launching an offensive there.The commander-in-chief of the French army, Joffre, was really fooled.Since the German army was unable to capture Verdun in 1 and shifted its offensive direction, the French believed that the Verdun Fortress was outdated, and Joffre stopped strengthening the fortress in 1914.At this time, the movement of the German army to Chamberny made Joffre extremely vigilant. He thought that the German army would attack Chamberny and then march into Paris from here.The Germans are continuing to quietly build up forces in the direction of Verdun.As the signs of assembly gradually became apparent and exposed, the British and French allied forces finally figured out the real intention of the German army.Xiafei panicked and quickly ordered to increase troops to Verdun.But by 1915 February, only two divisions had reached Verdun.On this day, the German army began to attack Verdun.The German artillery regiment bombarded the fortress of Verdun with heavy artillery fire, and then launched a charge.The prelude to the Battle of Verdun has begun.The 2 cannons of the German army bombarded like thunder, charging one lang higher than the other in turns.The commander of Verdun Fortress Petain commanded the defenders and reinforcements to resist desperately.However, because the reinforcements only came to two divisions, plus his own two divisions, there were only four divisions in total, and the German army advanced 21 kilometers on the first day.But he finally held his ground.

The battle was hard for the French army.The German army has 27 divisions and 1000 cannons, while the French army has only 11 troops and 270 cannons.But somehow it withstood the German attack.After the French reinforcements arrived, the two sides began a tug-of-war.The German army had already lost its opportunity to take Verdun in one fell swoop the day before, and both sides were increasing their troops to Verdun, posing for a fight to the death.In the fierce fighting until April, the strength of the French army was comparable to that of the German army.The Germans were in a hurry, and the crown prince personally conquered it, and used gas bombs for the first time.But the French army still stopped the German offensive again and again in front of the fortress. In July, the Germans launched their last offensive **, but they were still held back by the French army. By the autumn, the French army began to counterattack.

In the Battle of Verdun, Germany and France invested nearly 200 million troops, with a total of more than 100 million casualties.The German army was exhausted in this battle.After the French counter-offensive began, they successively recovered large tracts of land east of Verdun, and the German army retreated steadily.By November, the fronts of both sides had returned to their pre-war status.

This is the famous Battle of Verdun, and as the information that the Chinese European Expeditionary Force was about to be stationed here was sent to the desk of Marshal Hindenburg, the chief of the German general staff, a bold idea appeared in Hindenburg's mind .

Another Battle of Verdun?

Due to the two consecutive battles of Verdun and the Lyme River launched in 1916, both the German army and the French army have entered a very exhausted state. In fact, both warring parties stopped large-scale military operations throughout 1917. , They all chose to lie down in the nest and wear their own wounds, trying to recover a little vitality.

But now it is obvious that the French can't hold it anymore. They actually left such an important place in Verdun to the Chinese to guard it.

What level is the squadron? Hindenburg doesn't know?Just over ten years ago, the Eight-Nation Allied Forces commanded by Vadsi with less than 5 people captured the capital of the Eastern Empire very easily, stayed there for more than a year, and obtained huge indemnities.Hindenburg and Vardesi are still acquaintances. He really can't understand how the hundreds of thousands of boxers that overwhelmingly described by Vardesi rushed towards him like a tide, and then how they collapsed in front of the powerful firepower of the coalition forces. .He even couldn't understand how there could be such a horrible organization as the Boxers, who were so keen on killing their compatriots, as if they could defeat the foreigners by killing all their compatriots who believed in Christianity and used Western products!But Hindenburg figured out one thing, that is, Chinese rulers generally have low IQs, and their army is even more vulnerable. The appearance of 24 squadrons in Europe is probably the result of an equally ignorant Chinese ruler's overheating. Will the powerful German army be afraid of a group of troops similar to African natives?The answer is obvious.

Hindenburg began to lobby the Kaiser hard, and organized another Battle of Verdun, trying to use this loophole at this most critical moment to break through the French defense line. Germany in 1917 has entered a very difficult period. Due to the Arab uprising in 1916, the railway line from Berlin through the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire to Basra in Iraq today is almost paralyzed.And the situation is still deteriorating. The Allied Powers have organized troops to plan to land on the bus.There was nothing the Germans could do about it. Their navy had already been transformed into an existing fleet in the Battle of Jutland.

"Marshal Hindenburg, are you sure we can make a breakthrough in Verdun and win this damn war?" In the Imperial Palace in Berlin, Wilhelm II asked hesitantly.

Hindenburg nodded without hesitation: "Your Majesty, with the progress of the war, Britain and France suffered far more losses than the German Empire. They even had to spend money to hire military forces such as Canada, India and even China Fight us. As long as we grit our teeth and persist one last time, we will be able to defeat the French and win this war."

William II no longer had the full confidence that he had at the beginning of the war, and the nearly three years of war had already made him feel physically and mentally exhausted.But because the people who were about to drown were ordinary, the Kaiser decided to grab the life-saving straw handed over by Hindenburg: "Okay, my marshal, tell me, how many troops and supplies do you need?"

Although our Marshal Hindenburg looked down on the squadron, the rigor of the Germans prevented him from making the decision to underestimate the enemy: "Your Majesty the Emperor, according to the information we have, in the Verdun area, the French still About 8 divisions of a group army were left behind, with a total number of about 20, plus about 50 Chinese and British and Indian troops. We analyzed that they had at least 20 divisions with nearly 2000 cannons, and 200 aircraft. To defeat them, we need to concentrate at least 45 troops, 3000 cannons, and 400 aircraft. At the same time, we must launch some offensives at the western end of the Western Front to cover our strategic intentions, and we have to , Organize an army of about 15 people as a follow-up after the successful breakthrough.”

When William II heard this data, his face became extremely ugly: "With so many, can the empire still raise so many troops and supplies? You must know that we lost 50 precious young people in the Somme."

Hindenburg gritted his teeth and said: "We can transfer troops from the Eastern Front. The Russians have been defeated. We can transfer Ludendorff and his army from the Eastern Front to the Western Front. Now it is the turn of Britain and France to enjoy us. The greatest power of the German army."

Hearing what Hindenburg said, William II could only nod his head vigorously and said, "Okay, my Marshal, I hope we can end this damn war within this year."

The time for the battle of Verdun was set at the end of May, because it would take time to bring Ludendorff's 30 troops back from the Eastern Front.

However, after Bai Chongxi realized that he was being pinched as a soft persimmon, he received an order from the coalition forces and unceremoniously drove the officers and soldiers of the Chinese European Expeditionary Force into the front line of Verdun for defense.

Due to the lack of sufficient intelligence support, all Bai Chongxi can do is to order his soldiers to work hard to build various fortifications.In fact, Bai Chongxi is also hesitating in his heart. If it is a positional battle with the Germans in Verdun, repeatedly fighting for 1.1 meters, is this kind of battle what he wants?Bai Chongxi looked at the map and fell into a moment of thought. . .

The transfer of the German army is still very good in terms of secrecy, but it does not mean that the French army does not know anything about it, at least Foch, the chief of the French army’s general staff, knows, because in the direction of Verdun, the Germans Under the active area of ​​the country, the most indispensable thing is the French.But for some unknown reason, Fuxi did not choose to inform the Chinese. The only change he made was to adjust the military deployment in the Verdun area, move the French army to the fourth line of defense, and move the Indian army and the Indian army to the fourth line of defense. The Australian army moved to the third line of defense, and unceremoniously put the Chinese on the first and second lines of defense. The intention of using the Chinese as cannon fodder is naturally obvious.

This selfish order was actually meaningless to an unruly general like Bai Chongxi. On the contrary, it prompted Bai Chongxi to make up his mind. A military operation that shocked Europe was about to begin in this era, and Bai Chongxi also because of this Action became a World War I hero. . .

Chapter 332 Comeback ([-])

In March 1917, the February Revolution broke out in Russia (the old Russian calendar was February), which overthrew the Romanov Dynasty and ended the rule of feudalism.

It was the end of March when the accurate news reached China, and the Beiyang government in Beijing was naturally indifferent. After driving away Liang Qichao and Xiong Xiling, Duan Qirui, who had ascended to the position of prime minister, now completely disregarded the opposition of President Li Yuanhong and devoted himself to In cooperation with the Japanese, we are working hard to prepare and train the participating troops.

And Li Yuanhong's political skills are obviously not as good as Duan Qirui's. The Hubei army who followed him to the north of the three divisions was gradually bought by Duan Qirui, divided and wooed.

In the south, the national government is busy with the election of the two houses and the transition of power. After Sun Wen won the throne of the chairman of the national government, he focused on the south and was not very interested in the affairs of the north, let alone international affairs. business.

But Wang Zhenyu is different. He is a time-traveler. Thinking that a certain leader in later generations would actually recognize the Sino-Russian border, and dare to come back to claim victory with a black blind island, he really treats the common people as blind.Now that I have come to this era, China's land area must not be 960 million square kilometers.100 million square kilometers is the bottom line, and 2000 million square kilometers is by no means excessive. The border line should be within the range of military bullets.

At this moment, in Wang Zhenyu's private study on the third floor of Wuhan Wenlu, a large room of 150 square meters, a map of the Republic of China is hanging on the wall. Wang Zhenyu is looking at the map with his hands behind his back.From time to time, his eyes flicked across Tibet, Xinjiang, and Outer Mongolia, thinking about something all the time.

Yang Yongtai, Yang Du, Zhao Hengti, Wan Yaohuang, Li Zongren, and Ma Xicheng were sitting on the sofa behind Wang Zhenyu. They all had some brains about Wang Zhenyu's summoning today. It would be nonsense to say they wanted to discuss the war in Europe.Communication in this era is far less convenient than World War II, and news from Europe is basically outdated when it reaches China, so the only thing that can be done is to authorize Bai Chongxi with full authority, and this guy seems to be quite reliable.Isn't that what else can happen in Europe?Although the new military committee of the national government will be released in April, but everything that needs to be decided has been settled, so there is no need to talk about it?Everyone was at a loss.

Wang Zhenyu was thinking about Tibet, Xinjiang and Outer Mongolia.

Let’s talk about Tibet first. It seems that because of the British, this place is a bit complicated, but it’s not too difficult, because now the British and the French are beaten by the Germans in Europe together.It would be great if people can keep the pearl in the crown of the queen of India. Tibet is to the British Empire, compared to an old man in his 80s facing a young girl. Although he wants to, he is already powerless.

When solving the Sichuan issue, Wang Zhenyu unceremoniously left Liu Xiang as a foreshadowing, waiting to be used on the Tibet issue. If these local tyrants are disobedient, Wang Zhenyu will drive them into Tibet, and then pursue the rebels. In the name of the army, Tibet was brought back to the big family of the Chinese nation.

But before that, Tibetan lamas are still useful. For example, solving the Outer Mongolia issue may require the help of these magic sticks.

The most hopeful solution is Xinjiang. The current ruler of Xinjiang, Yang Zengxin, is very sensible. For example, the wool blanket in his living room was sent by this old boy. For the benefit, then the youth army can enter Xinjiang next.After all, the Russians themselves are in a mess now, and they have no time to take care of Xinjiang that has come to their mouths.If conditions permit, Wang Zhenyu even hopes to take back the territory in Central Asia after the October Revolution. Of course, the premise is that he is not afraid of retaliation by the powerful red Soviet regime in the future.

Finally, there is Outer Mongolia. This land is too big and rich, and it is also too far away from me. How should I solve this area? Is it true that it has been under the control of the shameless Stalin like in history? Will it be separated from the big family of the Chinese nation?Wang Zhenyu thought hard with his hands behind his back.

The answer is naturally no, but the strength of the Russians is by no means bragging. After all, with the help of French capital, their annual production of steel is already 500 million tons. This is no joke.Even if the five-year plan is completed on my own side, the steel production is estimated to be only 300 million to 400 million tons.

Thinking of this, Wang Zhenyu suddenly remembered, if the civil strife in Russia can last longer, does it mean that China has the possibility of surpassing Russia in industrial development?

Wang Zhenyu went to another wall, where a map of Europe was hanging. It would be ridiculous for Europeans to see a map of Europe in a Chinese official's house, but such a ridiculous thing happened.

Wang Zhenyu looked at Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. According to Wang Zhenyu's memory, these two countries are among the most powerful countries in the world.Needless to say, Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire alone was the second largest country in Europe at the time, the third most populous, and the fourth most powerful country in terms of industrial capacity.Wang Zhenyu even wondered maliciously, if he exceeded the original plan and added hundreds of thousands of troops to Europe and attacked the Austro-Hungarian Empire from Italy, would he be able to gain enough benefits in the process of the collapse of the empire.It's a pity that I can only be obsessed with it. When you think of Britain and France, you really have nothing to do with it.It’s better to get the part that you should take. You still have to keep in mind the principle that you can’t eat too much if you eat too much. Otherwise, it’s easy to perish the party and the country. This is the same both internally and externally.Didn’t the Soviet Union always want to liberate all mankind in history?The result is that it hangs up by itself. This example is very typical.

After thinking for a while, Wang Zhenyu remembered his confidantes sitting in his study. He turned around and smiled apologetically at Yang Yongtai and the others: "I'm really sorry for you, I thought too much about the problem. So invested, I forgot to pay attention to your arrival."

Yang Du took the lead and replied: "The chairman is worried about state affairs, which really makes us deeply ashamed, but the state affairs are difficult, and I still hope that the chairman can take care of his health."

Wang Zhenyu found that with the continuous improvement of his status, flattery like this seemed to be getting more and more pleasing to his ears, so he should be vigilant about this.He waved his hand and said, "I can worry about something, but I have to ask all of you to help me calculate it."

After Wang Zhenyu finished speaking, he sat down, Erlang raised his legs, organized his words and said, "It's like this, everyone has heard about Russia, right?"

Everyone nodded.

Wang Zhenyu took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled out one and put it in his mouth. Secretary Chen Bulei immediately took out a match and lit it.This is a bad habit that Wang Zhenyu has developed recently, Ye Ziwen said it several times but it doesn't work.There is no way, the higher the status, the greater the power, and the troubles and pressure are also increasing day by day.Wang Zhenyu took a puff, puffed out a puff of smoke and said, "Then you also read all the military reports sent by Lai Jiansheng and the others from Europe?"

Wang Zhenyu's questioning here and there made everyone a little confused, and they could only nod truthfully.

"Now that the Russians are in civil strife, and the British are shedding blood all over Europe, I think it's time to properly resolve the problems in our country's Tibet, Xinjiang, and Outer Mongolia."

This is really not surprising. Who would have thought that Wang Zhenyu called everyone from their homes on the Qingming Festival to discuss such a matter, and the scene immediately became silent.

If it is said that the Northern Expedition is now launched to unify the country or something, everyone may be able to accept it, but when the whole country is divided into the north and the south, when considering the border issue, Wang Zhenyu feels a bit hopeless to everyone here, let alone in Outer Mongolia and The territory of the Beiyang warlords is still separated from the south.

Zhao Hengti was the first to raise an objection: "Wen Zheng, isn't this a big step for you? We have just sent more than 20 troops to Europe, and internal affairs are still being adjusted. Duan Qirui and the others in the north are treating us You are also eyeing it, and you are sharpening your knife there. At this time, you are in the mood to take care of frontier affairs, which is too big a step."

Wan Yaohuang also held objections, but he had a different opinion from Zhao Hengti: "Marshal, we made arrangements for Tibet when Sichuan was pacified, and now the Chengdu-Chongqing railway has also started construction, and it is estimated that it will be completed in three years." Open to traffic, it’s okay to go to recover Tibet now. After all, Liu Xiang’s local army alone can complete this task, but the commander, the problems of Xinjiang and Outer Mongolia. Even if the Russians are in chaos now, it’s not easy for us to intervene Firstly, the distance is too far, secondly, the target is too big, and thirdly, apart from the Beiyang warlords, there are also local forces such as the eight towns of Longshang in Gansu, so it is difficult for us to stretch our arms there. For Beijing, that is the signal for an all-out war, and the General Staff is not ready for the Northern Expedition right now."

Everyone said what they said, and they all felt that Wang Zhenyu's thinking was unreliable, and they tried to dissuade Wang Zhenyu, hoping that he would give up this idea.