Respectfully

In the eighth year of the Republic of China, at the end of November 1917 in the Gregorian calendar, after nearly two months of sailing, passing through the sea area full of German submarines and mines, the Chinese troop carrier and escort fleet finally arrived in the European continent.

At this time, the Battle of Cambrai on the Scheldt River in northern France had already begun. The British army concentrated more than 300 tanks, five armies and more than 1000 cannons to attack the defending German army.

On flat and dry land, tanks are most powerful.The Germans were caught off guard and the position quickly fell.The British army captured Cambrai and advanced towards Valenciennes, and soon advanced ten kilometers in depth, capturing more than 7000 prisoners.

News from the battlefield came back, and for the only time in World War I, all the church bells in London rang in unison, and optimism began to spread, as if the Allies had won the war.

The reality quickly dealt a heavy blow to the British army. Sir Bing, who commanded the tank operations, hoped to send more reinforcements to deal a more powerful blow to the German army. However, Haig, the British commander in chief, gave a negative answer after hesitation.

In December, the cold weather was coming, and the Western Front was no longer suitable for combat.The purpose of launching the Battle of Cambrai was not to annihilate the German army, but to attract the attention of the Ypred army and reduce the pressure on the coalition forces defending the area.

Haig told Sir Byng that there were no reserves, as large numbers of troops had been sent south to support Italy, which had suffered a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Caporetto.

Sir Bean was frustrated, but there was nothing he could do.The noodle army is used to dragging allies back and inserting a knife into their allies, which is fully revealed again.

When the Huaxia army arrived, it was catching up with a terrible snowstorm.

The violent wind swept across the European continent that had been destroyed by the war. For example, the welcome ceremony for the U.S. military was directly "omitted", and there would naturally be no military parade when entering the city. Fifty thousand Chinese soldiers put on thick winter uniforms and cotton padded clothes. Walking off the ship in line, tanks, planes, and cannons marched, an atmosphere of silence and chill permeated the wind and snow.

The British and French officers, who were still contemptuous at first, felt a chill when they saw this army, and their dissatisfaction with the government's efforts to get a group of "yellow monkeys" from China was instantly wiped away.

There is no doubt that this is an army, and an army that has experienced fighting on the battlefield.If the marksmanship of these Chinese soldiers is as good as their disciplined character, then their performance on the battlefield is quite worth looking forward to.

It's time to move this army to your defenses!

Winter is the "truce" time. After four years of war, the Allied Powers and the Allied Powers have a common "tacit understanding".

In just a few short months, soldiers on both sides could get rest and supplies, but as the war continued to stalemate, the "rest" time became shorter and shorter. Looking at the recruits sent to the front line, the veterans were cursing, still Just a bunch of kids, it's a crime!

However, the population of Europe is "limited", not young boys, should women and old people go to the battlefield to fight against mature men?

The arrival of the American soldiers once made the Allied countries "joy and encourage", but the performance of the cowboys poured a basin of cold water on the heads of the Allied countries.There is a precedent for the Americans. The commanders of the coalition forces on the front line did not have any hope for the Chinese army. They sneered: "We should thank the government for at least sending us a group of laborers to dig trenches."

The U.S. military in the training camp also does not have a "favorable impression" of the Chinese army.In America, racism is worse than in Europe.A country that has racial riots just because a black boxer is defending his title will show kindness to the Chinese army?What's more, this country has written "exclusion of Chinese" into the law in a grandiose manner!

Chinese soldiers lined up at the pier, wearing thick cotton coats, cotton shoes, military caps and gloves, which made the Europeans look sideways.

Even with supplies from the United States, life for Europeans is still difficult.

Young Marshal Lou finally stepped down from the boat, wearing a knee-length woolen coat, black military boots, a wide black hat brim stained with snow and frost, a collar trimmed with black fur, and a golden general star on the collar, which stood out against the black background. striking.

Black eyebrows, cold eyes, and tight lips.

For a moment the French and the English thought it was a German soldier standing before them.

Immediately, they realized that they were wrong.Compared with the resolute Germanic man, this man has more of an oriental mystery and tranquility.

"Women are sure to like him."

The Frenchman muttered, the British were noncommittal, but the Americans who came together had a rather uneasy face. Obviously, he thought of the American soldiers who complained in the training camp.

"Young general."

This is the evaluation of Lou Xiao by the British. The next moment, they saw more "young generals".

Young Marshal Song, Marshal Ma, and Marshal Long, who also carried generals on their shoulders, filed down, and the four young Chinese generals stood together. not here!"

Young Marshal Lou raised an eyebrow when he saw the officers who came to "greet" them, Colonel?

Not only Lou Xiao, but also Song Wu's eyes narrowed, Young Marshal Long curled his lips, and Young Marshal Ma reached out to touch his waist, but found that he didn't have a whip.

"Hello, Your Excellency!"

One lieutenant general and three major generals, no matter how arrogant they are, soldiers have their own rules.

The British colonel was the first to salute Young Marshal Lou and the others, followed by the French, and finally the Americans.

The four young generals returned the salute, but the expressions on their faces were a little cold, remembering what the old soldiers and ruffians at home said before they left, these foreigners are indeed not good people, and they all owe a lesson.Begging them to come, but putting on this "formation", what, let's show off?

Soon, the coalition forces on the western front knew the news of the arrival of the Chinese, and the Germans on the opposite side also knew about it.

"Chinese army?" A German lieutenant colonel took out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his military uniform, knocked out one and put it in his mouth, "Leo, are you familiar with them?"

"No," another major shook his head, "Kyle once taught at the Huaxia Military Academy, he may know something."

"Really?" The lieutenant colonel lit a cigarette. "Fight them and everything will be clear."

"perhaps."

The major picked up the binoculars, looked through the wind and snow, through the no-man's land, and looked at the coalition position on the opposite side.

Winter, or spring?Always come across.

Compared with the "leisure" of the Germans, the leaders of the Allied Powers at this moment have encountered difficulties again. The British commander Haig and the French commander Manjean on the front both hope to bring the Chinese army under their command, but the Chinese army clearly stated that they To "act on your own".In other words, the Chinese, like the Americans, have no interest in being cannon fodder for the Europeans.

Marshal Lou, who was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Huaxia Army, had a tougher attitude than General "Black Jack" Pershing in the United States.

"The Chinese army must be under the command of the Chinese officers!"

In short, the Huaxia army can only fight with "our own people".Coalition officer?Where to stay cool and where to stay.

When Marshal Lou was talking, the other three marshals were either loading bullets or wiping their sabers, while the older division commanders and brigade commanders were sitting upright. It was obvious that the "young people" had their say here. .

"There is no room for negotiation." The quarrels between the leaders of the Allied Powers seemed endless. Sometimes, they might just quarrel for the sake of quarreling, "Let them go to Cambrai!"

As we all know, in late November, the British army won a "big victory" at Cambrai, and then they were defeated by German reinforcements. Moreover, the German army continued to increase its troops, which made all the bells in London churches ring in vain up.

Anything that wins quickly is a joke.

The Huaxia Army did not have any objection to the decision made by the upper echelons of the coalition forces, and once again assembled the team and marched to the position.

The protruding area, which is nine kilometers deep and stretches for more than ten kilometers, was previously defended by the British army.After the German army mobilized several cutting-edge divisions to launch a counterattack, most of the positions were taken away, and the situation became precarious.Now that the Chinese are taking over the defense, including the coalition forces and the German army on the opposite side, they are "looking forward" to the performance of the Chinese army.

It's just that both sides believe that it will have to wait until next spring at the earliest. In such cold weather, fools will rush to the battlefield with guns in hand.

Unfortunately, they were all wrong.The Chinese soldiers who fought in Siberia really didn't take this "blizzard" in northern France seriously.

The French who were waiting to see the good show, the Germans who underestimated the enemy, the British who had a vague attitude, and the Americans who were in the training camp and looked forward to spreading "freedom" to the world will soon be stunned.

After arriving at the position, the Chinese officers immediately began to patrol the defense line. Although they were not as good as the Germans, the trenches built by Britain and France were quite satisfactory.What the Huaxia soldiers have to do at this time is to send out observation posts, pick up engineering shovels, and "repair" the trenches to make them more comfortable.Then, except for the dispatched scouts, all combat teams began to rest, and only the logistics and cooking soldiers were busy.

The cauldron was set up, and the hot water began to roll in the pan. In the steaming heat, noodles, pickles, and canned food that had been dug into pieces were thrown into the pan, as well as a whole basket of marinated eggs.These "good things" were not seen by the foreigners at all when they were on the ship.

On a cold winter day, a bowl of hot soup and a serving of hot noodles are rare enjoyments.

The aroma of the hot soup soon began to disperse, and more than 1000 German prisoners who were left in Compure also smelled this tempting smell. The British themselves had a hard time, so naturally they would not give the prisoners much treatment.The so-called gentlemanly spirit and aristocratic style may still exist in 1914, but by 1917, they have all become clouds.

Who can expect the captives to be full when their own soldiers can only rely on black bread to satisfy their hunger?

"Paul, what are the Chinese people doing?"

There were also several German cooks who were captured. In the absence of soldiers, even cooks had to go to the battlefield.

"I don't know, it smells so good."

The aroma was getting closer and closer, and the German prisoners saw more than 20 Chinese soldiers approaching with a large bucket of noodles.A German-speaking soldier told them that this was food for them.

"God!"

Holding the hot soup in their hands, the Germans thought they were dreaming.Of course, they don't know how to use chopsticks. Spoons and forks can also solve the problem. If not, they can go to battle with bare hands.

When the German prisoners were devouring, the Chinese soldiers who could speak German walked up to a German officer and handed him a cigarette, but the Germans were not polite.Later, Brother Huaxia learned from the German population some "things" that the British did not tell them.

The "friendly" attitude of the Chinese confuses the Germans. They are enemies, aren't they?

"I have two German friends." The Huaxia soldier said, "I am a soldier. I follow the will of the country to fight in Europe. If I meet them on the battlefield, I will shoot them."

The German nodded without asking further questions.

The next day, these German prisoners were taken to the rear camps. Many of them did not have the opportunity to return to Germany until after the war.

On December [-]th, the blizzard that lasted for more than a week finally stopped, and the temperature was still very low. Several black fighter jets appeared in the sky. They formed a battle formation, guarding the most central plane, heading towards The German positions flew away.

"alert!"

The observation post in the German position quickly discovered the abnormality in the air. The black fuselage and the eye-catching five-color national flag under the wings all indicated that this was not any kind of aircraft they were familiar with!

The fleet began to lower the altitude, and the anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-aircraft guns on the ground were set up, but the Germans discovered that these planes flew at a much higher altitude than the British and French planes they had shot down, and they were faster.

"A Chinese plane?"

In the cockpit, Brother Huaxia carefully observed the ground and pulled up the joystick. Their purpose was not to launch an attack on the German positions, but to observe the terrain.

The British and the French did give them some "suggestions". However, through the mouth of the German officer, Young Marshal Lou discovered that there were some "problems" in the suggestions given by the British.

The fighter jets were sent out to carry out reconnaissance missions. Facing the unfamiliar land and the first-class European army, the soldiers’ palms were sweating. When the plane took off, the nervousness turned into excitement.

The fleet roared through the air, and the Germans responded quickly. Fifteen German biplanes took off to intercept.

Twelve against fifteen, Huaxia Aircraft was at a disadvantage, but the black fleet did not retreat, cowardly, it would only make the enemy look down on them.

Like two groups of sharks smelling blood, the black fighter plane and the wooden biplane quickly strangled together.

The air circus in Germany began to perform, and China's black whirlwind faced it fearlessly. With the sound of machine guns, the roar of internal combustion engines, and the flames, one plane exploded directly in the air. come down.

A German plane climbed to a high place and swooped down. The dense bullets hit a Huaxia plane, but they didn't realize that behind him, another Black Whirlwind was biting tightly...

The continuous flashes of fire in the air and the black smoke rising from the ground indicated the fierceness of the battle.

No one thought that an aerial reconnaissance would suddenly turn into an aerial battle.

The first battle between the Chinese army and the German army was staged in the air.

The battle ended quickly. The Germans lost six planes and six pilots, while the Chinese lost eight, but only two pilots died. All Chinese pilots have parachutes. Only bomber pilots in the German Air Force have this treatment.

The army on the ground also began to dispatch. The Chinese soldiers were to rescue the pilots who fell in no man's land. The Germans hoped to capture the prisoners. The battle in the air made them wary of the Chinese army. It's all different.

Soldiers also holding submachine guns and wearing steel helmets meet on the battlefield. The machine guns behind them are their cover. The bullets of submachine guns and rifles fly by their ears. Death and injury may occur at any time.

The Huaxia soldiers who saved the lives were unwilling to give up. They had already rescued four of them, and the last two were still short!

The Germans will not give up either, they are closer to the two injured pilots than the Chinese!

The gunshots became more intense. A pilot with a leg injury pulled out a pistol and pulled the trigger without any hesitation, ending his young life. The other pilot moved a little slower, and the Germans had already rushed forward. Knock him out.

The Chinese soldiers were red-eyed, but the Germans retreated at the fastest speed. They could only die if they continued to rush forward.

The squad leader who led the team clenched his fist and hammered the ground fiercely, "Damn it, bastard!"

The first battle on the European continent was not even called a battle. It was just a small-scale conflict, but it gave both sides a new understanding of each other.

After receiving the report of the first battle, Marshal Lou looked around the crowd, "The German army today is far behind the beginning of the war."

No matter which country, after four years of war, tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of dead, the elite troops will almost be wiped out.The German High Command successively removed 32 divisions from the army's order of battle. Anyone who leads troops knows what this means.

Recruits, lots of recruits.

Young Marshal Lou stood up, and everyone's eyes followed his movements, "Everyone, the first battle starts today!"

All the officers stood up at the same time, "Yes!"

Just when the Chinese army was about to set off a gust of wind on the European continent, the provinces in China began the largest census since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The new household registration system was promulgated, and the population household registration that had lasted since the Qing Dynasty was abolished, and every household was re-registered. The coalition government announced that it would follow the model of the six northern provinces and implement welfare policies in each province one after another. It is the focus object of this census.

The six northern provinces, the six southern provinces, and the southwestern provinces have the largest workload. The number of Russians, pineapple heads, and foreign workers from several Southeast Asian countries has increased month by month. During the census, the staff found that some villages in northern Myanmar, even the entire village Everyone ran into Huaxia, and there were still a lot of pineapple heads, dragging their families with them, and they couldn't be driven away.

The situation in the six northern provinces was a bit better, but Li Jinyan was shocked by the summed up numbers after checking the six provinces. How could he not know that there were so many foreigners in the six northern provinces?

In addition to Russians, there are Belgians, British, French, Dutch, Portuguese, etc. who are engaged in technical work, open shops, work on farms, and work in factories.There are even quite a few Latin Americans.

Li Sanshao narrowed his eyes, twitched the corner of his mouth, and sent a telegram back to the capital. After receiving it, President Lou Da found Zhan Changqing, discussed it properly, and submitted it to the Congress the next day.

During the congressional discussions on the "immigration system" and the so-called "green card" issue, Lou Ershao's school life was also on the right track. Li Jinyan not only paid attention to European news, but also grasped the latest information in Russia.

The October Revolution broke out, the coalition government collapsed, and Kerensky fled abroad... Kolchak returned home, the White Army appeared, and gunshots rang out in Yekaterinburg. She survived and fled in Siberia under the protection of Chinese intelligence personnel. Elena followed the Grand Duchess.

Li Jinyan can expect that the considerable amount of gold is getting closer and closer to him.

But what he is focusing on now is not gold, but the battlefield on the Western Front in Europe, to be precise, the small town of Cambrai in northern France.

On December 28, the Chinese army took the initiative to launch an attack on the German army behind the line of defense. This attack was beyond the expectations of both the Allies and the Allies. It was also outside the historical process of World War I, but it had a huge impact on the entire battlefield of World War I. Influence.

Later generations called this battle the continuation of the "Battle of Cambrai", but there is another saying that this battle initiated and led entirely by the Chinese army played the prelude to the last scene of the European War.