Long live Joachim

Chapter 40: Coincidentally On an autumn afternoon, the bright sunshine shines on the uncovered fields. The dazzling halo and stuffy air vaguely evoke people's memories of summer. Near the sports stadium in the western suburbs of Amiens, the withered wheat fields are filled with charred bullet craters, and the bodies of British riders and horses have not been cleared. The shocking scene also shows the remains of hundreds or even thousands of fallen soldiers, creating a bleak and unbearable sight. Shortly after the elite British cavalry unit was brutally slaughtered, about two regiments of British infantry aggressively approached the German airport and heavy artillery positions. Although infantry have stronger propulsion capabilities than cavalry, once they reach the western outskirts of Amiens, they lose the possibility of receiving gunboat support. Our own troops have fewer field artillery units, slower movement, and insufficient range and power to compete with German train guns. In the face of the unprecedentedly strong three-dimensional defense of the German Marine Corps, except for smoothing out several German firepower points during the battle, the sacrifice of British infantry did not result in any breakthrough. With a crisp roar, a gray painted Hubert-E attack aircraft landed smoothly. The plane was still taxiing, and the bomb thrower and machine gunner in the back seat made a victorious gesture to their ground companions. After the plane stabilized, the guy couldn't wait to climb out of the cockpit and excitedly shouted, "The British are retreating! We kicked their butts hard Xia Shu and Colonel von Lipseyer stood not far away. Upon hearing the news, their facial expressions were like a gentle breeze blowing on a lake, with only faint ripples. This was not only due to their cultivation and personality, but also due to their ease in controlling the situation. Since the eve, the British expeditionary force that landed in Abbeville has launched five attacks in Amiens, failing to capture the German defense line. Instead, they have suffered losses and morale has greatly declined. The situation on the western front simply does not allow them to continue to confront the German defenders. This formidable and formidable British army has already fallen into a dilemma of retreat. Hey, Ludwick The colonel beckoned to the pilot in the front seat of the cockpit. Compared to his somewhat overly excited companions, the cultured young pilot appeared calm and composed. He calmly stepped off the plane with his wings, walked confidently up to Colonel Lipsier and Xia Shu, took off his high-quality flight gloves, and gracefully bowed to them. Your Highness, this is Lieutenant Ludwig von Ginnert, our top flying ace, "Colonel Lipsier introduced to Xia Shu. We've met before, "Xia Shutong shook hands with the young pilot who was half a head taller and slightly thinner than himself." At last year's Hamburg International Flying Race, Ludwiger was the third place winner The colonel was the champion of that competition, but in fact, he is our top ace here, "said the second lieutenant humbly. Only those who can fly are considered ace, "Colonel Lipsier replied." Since the outbreak of the war, I have not carried out a single combat mission The commander has the responsibility of a commander, and only responsible men are worthy of respect. "This sentence was spoken almost without hesitation by Xia Shu, but when he regained consciousness, he found that it was a reminder to himself that while he was achieving his ambitions one by one in the war and constantly gaining the honor of being respected by the world, on the other side of the English Channel, there was a woman who was deeply entangled in conflicts because she fell in love with him. Your Highness, the British troops are retreating in a northwesterly direction, "Lieutenant von Ginnert said to Xia Shu in a rational tone." At first glance, it may seem like they are in a state of panic and chaos, but in fact, there is order. I think their morale has not been defeated Because he remembered Charlotte, Xia Shu was a bit distracted, but he still heard the meaning expressed by the second lieutenant and objectively evaluated it, saying, "That is a completely professional army, like the Roman legion more than a thousand years ago. They are more disciplined, obedient, tenacious, brave, and difficult to deal with than ordinary armies Fortunately, we have an absolute advantage in aviation power. Before dark, we can firmly grasp the whereabouts of the British army, "said Colonel Lipsier And constantly attacking them with bombs and machine guns, "the second lieutenant added," in most cases, dropping bombs is more lethal and intimidating than machine gun strafing, especially effective against cavalry Bombs have the power of bombs, and machine guns have the function of machine guns. Before the emergence of rockets and guided weapons, they were always the two fists of the aviation force, and there was no need to distinguish between superiority and inferiority. However, Xia Shu did not deny the second lieutenant's view, but described the future battlefield from the perspective of historical development: "When aviation technology develops for another ten or twenty years, the aircraft force alone may defeat a ground force, and the competition in the air will be dozens of times more intense than today Three people were talking when two gray convertible cars drove towards the direction of Amiens city. A few minutes later, the burly Brigadier General William Grintz stood in front of the summer tree and said in his clear and cheerful voice, "Impressive, Your Highness, you only used four battalions to repel the attack of one cavalry regiment and two infantry regiments of the British. It turns out that you are not only a genius war god commanding naval battles, but also a top-notch commander when you land Xia Shu and Greinz are old acquaintances, although they are about twenty years older than each other, their conversation tone is like that of ordinary friends - Xia Shu appreciates Greinz's abilities and is very satisfied with his character, so he chose him as the commander of the 3rd Marine Brigade among the three candidates. Grintz admires Xia Shu's talent and admires his incredible strategies with great admiration. You didn't come specifically to congratulate us, did you? "Xia Shu joked. Greinz didn't sell anything, he asked the adjutant to take out a piece of paper from the briefcase and present it to Xia Shu. Before reading the contents of the telegram, Xia Shu had a rough guess in his mind. After scanning, his premonition was confirmed: General Bilo had ordered two fully rested infantry divisions to gather and board in Namur and Mons, Belgium, and arrive in Amiens no later than the next morning. Even if more British troops landed in Abbeville, there would be little chance of capturing Amiens. Grintz replied with a naval humor, "If the British want to enter Amiens, they probably have to wait until after the war is over - then their identity should be travelers Xia Shu smiled knowingly and chatted with Colonel Lipsier for a long time, but his face never showed such a relaxed expression. Grintz is not just good at joking, his next words touch on Xia Shu's considerations regarding combat. But now there is a question, where will the British go if they withdraw from the Amiens front In fact, they are retreating towards the direction of the sea, "Xia Shu immediately replied Although Greinz has not received this fresh and spicy first-hand news, he is not surprised about it. He stood still with his hands on his hips and thought for a moment, 'Are they planning to withdraw to England or to a coastal location protected by warships?' The next topic seems to have little to do with the naval aviation unit, but Xia Shu still invited Colonel Lipseyer, Second Lieutenant Ginnat, and Brigadier General Greinz to have a cup of coffee together. After taking the first sip of rich and mellow coffee, Xia Shu said, "If I were the commander of the British army, I would never give up the attack at this time. The Western Front has reached a crucial stage, and we are the dominant and proactive side, so we can sit here quietly and have a cup of coffee. France and Britain are facing the risk of losing this war, and only by doing our best can we turn the situation around You're right, "Grintz replied." Perhaps their retreat was just to let us relax our guard and wait until dark before turning around to give us a sudden attack There is a possibility, but it's very unlikely, "Xia Shu paused for a moment." I speculate that the British commander will advance towards Paris Colonel Lipsier and Second Lieutenant Ginath both expressed surprise at Xia Shu's inference. It was obvious that once this British expeditionary force arrived at the front line in Paris, the German army and navy forces that had just won the victory on the Vaz River would inevitably be caught in a pincer attack by the Allied forces, and the situation could become very bad. Grintz immediately responded, "This is also the question I have been considering all along the way - how to prevent the British from going to Paris. Normally, we have just defeated the British attack, which is the best time to launch a counter attack. However, our current troops are too few, and unless the British troops have lost normal combat order, they can easily repel our counterattack Xia Shu was pleased to resonate with Greintz and said, "While you were on the road, we also discussed the possibility of launching a counterattack. According to our best ace pilot's observation, the British army deliberately put on a embarrassed retreat to lure us into pursuing Grintz snorted coldly to express his contempt for the British commander. From Amiens to the east is the heavily guarded front of the Klux Legion, with the British expeditionary force mainly consisting of infantry and cavalry, lacking air support and ground artillery. If one were to collide with them, they would surely suffer a head injury and blood loss. From Amiens to the west is the German transportation line leading to the front line in Paris. The defensive forces along the line are weak, and the British can temporarily cut it off. However, this will not have a significant impact on the German front line offensive within a few days. Only by marching on foot to the front line of the Vaz River can there be a chance to have an immediate effect. Xia Shu continued, "Based on aerial reconnaissance, we estimate that this British army has a size of 25000 to 30000 people, with cavalry accounting for a quarter. Excluding those who were killed, injured, and a few captured by us, they still have at least 15000 troops, with cavalry between 2000 and 3000. They definitely won't need the railway line from Amiens to the Waz River. The fastest time for cavalry and infantry on this journey is one day and two days respectively. We have enough time to track their movements. If they really want to go to Paris, we will take their rear route The similar way of thinking quickly made Grinz understand Xia Shu's intention: "Attack Abbeville Yes, take Abbeville! "Xia Shu nodded vigorously