Chapter 72: The Sun-Swallowing Giant
August 5, 1914, St. Petersburg, Russia.
The French ambassador Paleolog drove to meet the Tsar and demanded that Russia launch an attack on Germany quickly. On the way, he encountered a group of Cossack cavalry heading towards the front.
The cavalry leader saw the French flag on the ambassador's car and enthusiastically invited the ambassador to review his troops, and the ambassador readily agreed.
When reviewing the troops, the cavalry leader gave a generous statement and shouted: "We want to destroy those despicable Prussians. Prussia must be forgotten, Germany must perish, and will exile William II to St. Helena!"
After the inspection, he wielded his saber and led the troops to gallop away.
The high morale of the Cossack cavalry gave the French ambassador a sharp increase in confidence. With the support and cooperation of the Russian giants, France will surely be able to defeat its old enemy and win the war.
The Russian giant does have a magical power, which not only confuses the French and Europeans, but also confuses the entire world.
For many years, this most backward and reactionary military feudal imperialist country has been not only the European military police, but also the demon of the Eastern nations. Although its army was killed in piles and notorious; although it was the cold winter that drove Napoleon out of Russia, not the Russian army; although in the Crimean War, the Russian army had eaten the British and French on its own land. although Turkey defeated the Russian army severely in the defensive battle of 1877; although Japan defeated the Russian army in China, the myth that the Russian army was invincible is still widely circulated in Europe. The Cossack cavalry is fierce and brutal, and is already well known in Europe. People think that the Cossacks plus the millions of strong, docile and obedient peasants are invincible.
The number of the Russian army is staggering: the usual strength of 1.4 million people can be increased to more than 3.1 million after being mobilized. In addition, there is a 2.6 million local army and a back force that can be recruited, so it can be mobilized. The total number of soldiers reached 6.5 million.
It is a pity that the ruler, Nicholas II, is neither wise nor virtuous. He only obeyed the queen's order, and the queen obeyed a liar active in the court. Under the reign of Nicholas II, the Russian state had no peace, frequent disasters, endless massacres, repeated defeats, and the people had no livelihood. The situation of the Russian army is not much better, the old veteran is like a crucian across the river, and the officer regiment is in a top-heavy situation. The appointment and promotion of officers does not depend on ability and exploits, but on the background and backing.
Germany, East Prussia.
The recruits are conducting training and exercises under the leadership of the veterans. The Instberg Gorge defense line has been reinforced again, and the troops responsible for operations in the Mazury Lake area are familiar with every forest and every path there, and everything is being prepared in an orderly manner. With.
After dispatching a large number of reconnaissance personnel to the east and arranging special intelligence personnel to closely monitor the radio communications of the other party, Chen Tian focused his attention on the battlefield on the Western Front at this time.
"God! The emperor actually collected battleships and tanks as noble works of art!" Chen Tian lamented. According to Thomas' report, the emperor's guards did not cross the border to participate in the attack, but were on standby in Berlin. The High Seas Fleet has not taken any action for the time being.
"The Belgians are just chocolate soldiers. Your Majesty, don't worry too much!" Thomas has arranged a group of military observers in the Western Front, and they will transmit the situation on the Western Front back to East Prussia as soon as possible.
"Don't underestimate the power that a country bursts out in the face of death!" Chentian hopes that the tanks and armored vehicles he provided to the emperor can play a role as a surprise in the Western Front. After all, once this weapon is put on the battlefield, the enemy will soon Will begin to research and manufacture similar weapons.
He lifted the pen to write quickly on the paper, but after a while he suddenly stopped, and the half-written letter paper was torn to pieces.
There are some things that he cannot say.
Belgium, Liege, almost the whole world is watching here.
Liege is like the hanging gate of a castle, guarding the gate from Germany to Belgium.
It sits on a steep slope of 150 meters high on the left bank of the Maas River. The river in this area is about two hundred meters wide. It is its natural moat, with a fortress guarding it in a radius of 48 kilometers. This is a well-known city, the most solid in Europe.
Liege's fortresses are built on both banks of the river, consisting of 12, generally 6-8 kilometers away from the city of Liege, and 3-5 kilometers apart from each other. The 6 blocks on the east bank all face Germany, and the 6 rings on the west bank are arranged around and behind Liege.
These fortresses seem to be medieval castles built under the ground. Only a triangular top is exposed on the ground. Some arched covers protrude from the top to conceal all the turrets. All other facilities are underground, with inclined tunnels leading to them. Basement, and communicate the connection of the turret with the ammunition depot and the fire control room. The 6 large fortresses and the 6 small fortresses in between have a total of 400 cannons, the largest of which is a howitzer with a caliber of 210 mm. There is a small turret at the top corner of the triangle, the rapid-fire gun in the tower and the slope in front of the fortress of the machine gun controller. Each fort is surrounded by a 9-meter-deep trench, and each has a steel watchtower that can be lowered to the ground like its cannon, with a searchlight on the tower. Each large fortress is garrisoned by two artillery companies and one infantry company with a total of 400 soldiers.
Before the war, in order to maintain neutrality, 6 Belgian infantry divisions and 1 cavalry division were deployed in various directions to deal with all incoming enemies: the 1st division was facing Ghent, the 2nd division in Antwerp, The 3rd Division was facing Liege in Germany, the 4th and 5th Divisions were facing Namur, Charleroi and Mons in France, and the 6th Division and the Cavalry Division were in central Brussels.
On August 3, King Albert officially took office as the commander-in-chief of the Belgian Army. He personally nominated the 63-year-old General Le Mans as the commander of the 3rd Division and the military commander of Liege. The king asked him to "hold the position entrusted to you and fight to the end."
The Belgians over-relied on these well-designed fortifications by Briarmont. The defenders were under-numbered, and they were all reserve soldiers, with only one officer per company, and did not start digging trenches and erecting barbed wire barricades until August 2 , To defend the gaps between the fortresses, and to remove houses and trees that hinder the firepower of the cannon. These measures were just beginning when the Germans launched their attack.
The 7 armies with a total strength of more than 1.5 million Germans range from the 1st Army at the top of the right wing of the German front facing Liege to the 7th Army at the end of the left wing of Alsace.
The 6th and 7th armies form the left wing of the German army with 16 divisions; the 4th and 5th armies form the center with 20 divisions; the 1st, 2nd and 3rd armies form the right wing with 34 divisions. According to the plan, the one that will pass through Belgium is On the right wing, another independent regiment composed of 3 cavalry divisions is attached to the right wing. The three armies on the right were commanded by Generals Kluk, Bilo, and Hausen, and the commander of the cavalry regiment was General Mavitz.
In order to open up this passage in Liège, the 2nd Army mobilized 6 brigades to form a "Maas River Force" under the command of General Emmy. If the Belgians raise their hands and surrender without resisting, this force can be expected to complete the task of occupying Liège when the main force is assembled.
Xiao Moqi thinks that Belgium's so-called not hesitate to fight is nothing but "the dream of sheep", so he did not transport the giant siege cannon to the front. However, the prince gathered his airship forces near Cologne, and it only takes two hours to get from there over Liege.
"His Royal Highness, you are overwhelmed! I believe the Belgians are only making symbolic resistance!"
Prince smiled, did not speak.
"If it wasn't for the Prince of East Prussia to bet with me before the war, saying that my airship troops can't blow up the Liege Fortress, I wouldn't bother to come here! Humph! Gigi, you wait to polish my shoes!" Pu Lins thought while watching his soldiers load bombs from several kilograms to half a ton into the airship. 69 airships covered several hills in the western suburbs of Cologne.
Chen Tian in East Prussia sneezed heavily.
"Who is talking about me again!" He hugged Xiao Sasa and kissed him, "Is it you, my little princess!"
Sasha giggled.
Before going to the front, the best thing is to stay with your family. In the next few years, Chentian and his family will inevitably get together less and more. Perhaps, they will never see his family.
The road to Liège was packed with infantrymen of the Emmy assault unit. In a monotonous earthy gray, only the red numbers of the groups on the black helmet rubber surface are bright and dazzling. Behind them is Ma Wan's field artillery. Groups of soldiers riding bicycles rushed ahead to seize intersections and villages and set up telephone lines. Cars carrying staff officers wearing monocles shuttled through the crowd, constantly honking their horns. Each regiment is equipped with a field cooking wagon, and the cooking soldiers stand on the wagon during the march, stirring the stew on the raging fire. The German army is well equipped, and the soldiers are in uniform steps, as if they are in a military parade.
The soldiers sang "Germany Supreme" and "Long Live the King's Victory", as if they were marching instead of going to battle.
The brigades under the command of Emmich marched towards Liège from three directions, north, south and east. When they reached the Damas River, they found that the bridge there had been destroyed. When they tried to erect a pontoon to cross the river, the Belgian infantry opened fire.
Unexpectedly, the German soldiers actually started fighting, and they began to be injured and killed in real fire. However, relying on the advantage of numbers, 60,000 German troops broke through the defense of 25,000 Belgian troops and successfully crossed the Visser River to the north of Liège. The brigades that launched the attack on the south were blocked, and the brigades that broke through the Maas River in the middle have reached the fortress area. .
On August 5, the first battle of the Great War began as the Germans began to attack Liège.
Emmich's infantry began to attack the four forts at the eastern end of Liège. They first carried out continuous bombardment with field artillery, followed by infantry assault. The light artillery shells that fell on the fortress did not do much, but the artillery shells dumped by the Belgians caused heavy casualties for the Germans. Nevertheless, the brave and fearless German soldiers were still Rush up one after another.
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Emmich's troops stopped their offensive, and the fallen German soldiers almost piled up a terrible barricade, but the Belgians still held the fort firmly. The intense sunlight made all the creatures on the ground want to find a cool corner to hide. The dusty German soldiers lay or leaned on the roadside to rest. The impact of several hours made them exhausted.
At this time, people heard a very light buzzing sound above their heads. It seemed that someone stabbed the honeycomb and attracted a large group of bees. When they raised their heads, they were all dumbfounded.
In the sky, countless huge airships almost obscure the sky.
Prince sat in the largest Zeppelin, looking proudly at the terrified people on the ground. Upon receiving the news that the German offensive was blocked, he immediately appealed to Xiao Moqi for battle and strongly demanded that Liège be bombed and defeated the Belgian resistance. In fact, he cares more about getting the Prince of East Prussia to help him polish his shoes.
The roar of motors stopped.
"His Royal Highness, we have reached the sky above the fortress of Liège, are we going to drop bombs?"
"Yeah! I order, start bombing! Let all the boats vote some more, give me a one-time scrapping of this European fortress!"
The German soldiers on the ground watched the monsters with the huge iron cross painted on the lower part stop over Liege, and then a lot of black things fell from the airship.
boom! boom! boom!
The sound of explosions one after another, the entire city of Liège and the surrounding fortresses were shrouded in the flames and smoke of the explosion.
"Hurray! Long live!" The soldiers waved their weapons, and these nasty fortresses had taken the lives of countless comrades in arms throughout the morning.
"Ready to attack!" Emmich gave an order, and all the soldiers who were exhausted just now became vigorous, and everyone's faces were full of confidence and desire for victory.
The last bomb fell from an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, smashed through a turret and caused a huge explosion. Then the airships began to move slowly, leaving the battered fortress, and flying to the west.
"Go!"
"Oh..."
Tens of thousands of German soldiers screamed and rushed towards the fortress. Bombs dropped from a high altitude destroyed many turrets and bunkers. In the evening, the Germans occupied the two fortresses west of Liege, and Liege's fortress circle was breached. Later that day, the German army broke into the city of Liège and engaged in fierce exchange of fire with the Belgian 3rd Division. Two hours later, the Belgian 3rd Division was annihilated. General Le Mans was killed and the city of Liège was declared lost.
On August 6, Prince's airship carried out two consecutive bombings on the remaining 10 fortresses around Liege. Dozens of large-caliber field guns also arrived at the Liege line. With their joint efforts, the entire Liege The fortress finally fell in the evening.
At 8 o'clock in the evening, Chentian received a call from Prince, "Jigi, we bet you didn't forget it! Get the tools for shoe polishing, I will come to you to polish your shoes at any time, hahaha!"
Chentian opened the calendar on the table and went to war for two days to capture the fortress of Liege. The Germans on the Western Front had already taken the lead, so what was the point of shining shoes!
On the same day, the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Russia.
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