Chapter 323: Chapter 172: [Stunned in Close-Quarters Combat, Heading to the Marne River]
Hundreds, thousands of people in the forest fighting with bayonets, it’s too intense, like a battle royale.
The viewers in the live stream were complaining:
[Great, I just saved up two thousand little sharks, all gone now.]
[I bet thirty thousand little sharks that they’d hold for two days, but still, France isn’t cutting it.]
[No one really thinks France can hold, right? There’s no way.]
[Tsk! I’m betting they can hold for seven days, so what?! France is invincible!!!]
[Wow, even with how World War II went, there are still fanboys?]
[This is World War I, it’s different from World War II.]
[How is it different... they only held for two and a half days.]
The Blue Star viewers in the live stream discussed, although they kept saying France was different, the reality proved... the Imperial forces still had more fight in them.
Some Blue Star viewers who supported France had no choice, they really couldn’t win.
You can’t lie to yourself and say France held, the map doesn’t lie.
In Kong Yang’s live stream, a ’real-time map’ from the Polestar Official Website was displayed.
Just like in World War II.
The Polestar Official Website also had a dedicated ’real-time map’ for ’World War I’, dynamically updated based on the latest progress, and differentiated by the colors of the Allied and Imperial forces.
Kong Yang expanded the map, looking at the Arden Forest.
Unlike during ’World War II’.
During ’World War II’, the Imperial forces broke through the Arden Forest and pushed straight west towards Dunkirk.
But now, in ’World War I’, the Imperial forces broke through the Arden Forest and chose to push straight west towards Paris.
After pulling up the border map, Kong Yang marked a few red arrows and spoke to the live stream:
"According to the Imperial plans."
"After breaking through the Arden Forest, they drove straight to the French capital, Paris."
"The main objective is a quick victory."
"The key point of the ’Schlieffen Plan’ is to quickly defeat France when faced with encirclement by France and the Russian Empire."
"Then, rally the troops to turn around and attack the vast, slow-to-mobilize Russian Empire."
"Thinking about it, there’s no flaw in that plan."
"The main means of troop movement in this era is highway marches and mule and horse transportation."
"Even with railroads, it takes at least 60 days for Russia to mobilize forces to the front, and if something goes wrong, it takes even longer."
"So, rationally, this plan isn’t flawed."
"But...."
"It turned into a drawn-out war of attrition in a previous CG, where did it go wrong?"
Kong Yang looked at the map.
The Verdun and Somme River in the previous CG were on either side, not aligning with our current march route.
It seems that... something went astray on the way straight to Paris.
Kong Yang cleaned up the battlefield with the team while looking at the map and discussing with the viewers in the live stream.
...
Meanwhile.
In Han Hao’s live stream.
The news of the front-line forces’ defeat in the Arden Forest had already reached Paris.
The atmosphere in Paris was unusually tense at this time.
As a soldier, Han Hao also returned to the barracks to await orders.
As night fell, there was still no movement.
The Blue Star viewers in the live stream couldn’t help but be suspicious.
[It’s been half a day, why hasn’t France responded?]
[Could they be negotiating surrender?]
[Don’t kid around, how could they surrender after just a few days of fighting?]
[But given the ’World War I’ situation, leaving overnight won’t be fast enough.]
[Exactly, it’s several hundred kilometers.]
[The railways aren’t convenient here, you can’t transport them over.]
[They can only build a defensive line in front of Paris.]
Exactly.
Given the transportation capabilities during World War I.
Even if they hurry, they might not make it in time.
The Imperial forces haven’t stopped for a moment.
Han Hao was also watching the map in the live stream... suddenly!
The assembly whistle sounded.
Everyone grabbed their weapons and rushed out; without any delay, the officers commanded everyone to move out.
Han Hao was still a bit puzzled.
But as they stepped out of the barracks’ gates, like the other ’Earth’ NPC soldiers, they were stunned:
"Oh my...."
"What is happening?"
Under the cover of night.
The streets of Paris were lined with taxis, their lights flickering, parked at the barracks’ entrance.
Seeing the soldiers come out.
The taxis immediately started up, and all the soldiers piled into them under the officers’ orders.
Han Hao, in a state of confusion, followed and climbed in.
As soon as he was seated, the fully loaded taxi immediately accelerated, heading towards the front lines.
The taxi driver, seeing that Han Hao and the other soldiers seemed a bit nervous, reassured them:
"Guys, don’t worry."
"We’ll be there soon!"
Han Hao twitched the corner of his mouth—was it really about getting there?!
This....
Looking at the scene outside the car window, both Han Hao and the Blue Star viewers in the live stream were momentarily silent.
Taxi after taxi sped towards the battlefield; if viewed from an aerial perspective, one would see a river of steel flowing forth, as the familiar streets of Paris passed by, its citizens waving the French flag and shouting ’Vive la France’ at them.
Han Hao looked back.
The other soldiers were also gazing out the window, and through the reflection in the glass, one could see the longing in their eyes.
But more than that....
Was their determined march to the battlefield.
Due to the sheer number of taxis, some sections of the road were jammed. Taking advantage of this delay.
Parisian citizens flocked to the taxis, pressing food and flowers against them.
Han Hao rolled down the car window, and an elderly woman, her voice trembling, handed over some homemade bread, saying:
"Children, please come back safely."
"Come back safely."
Han Hao took the bread, took a deep breath, and nodded heavily.
Soon the taxi started up again, heading into the unknown battlefield ahead.
Han Hao took a bite of the bread in his hand, the sweet aroma spreading in his mouth, chewed a few times, and then spoke to the Blue Star viewers in the live stream:
"Perhaps this is why French soldiers... fight to the death."
The Blue Star viewers in the live stream fell silent too.
Indeed.
Such scenes were hard not to be moved by.
Soldiers who bear such expectations could not retreat on the battlefield, for behind them are the citizens of their homeland.
And without realizing it.
France also created the first record in war history of motorized troop transportation.
As the taxi drivers pressed the gas pedal harder.
The destination was getting closer and closer.
Han Hao looked at the map and realized where they were headed.
[Marne River]
This river, located in front of Paris.
If they rely on the natural barrier of the river, they could indeed construct a defensive line that is easy to defend but hard to attack.
This move, after all, was not wrong.