Chapter 324: Chapter 173: [Italy: I’m Neutral! You Guys Fight!]
The troops of the French Empire where Han Hao was located, were transported by taxi.
In just one night, more than 6000 soldiers were sent to the frontline hundreds of kilometers away.
Before the Imperial forces arrived, they set up defenses near the Marne River.
Meanwhile, the livestream hosts from the Imperial Camp...
Even though aware, they were powerless. As mere frontline soldiers, all they could do was charge, while everything else was up to the commanders.
Due to previous battles and the advancement of several Imperial armies, they had encountered hardly any obstacles, with several Imperial troops heading directly towards Paris.
So, the fact that France set up a line of defense at the Marne River...
Was met with little concern from the Imperial Camp’s livestream hosts.
Because France’s combat capabilities were indeed weaker than the Empire’s, even with the defense line along the Marne, they might not be able to withstand the Imperial forces.
However...
The situation wasn’t as simple as they thought.
As Imperial forces reached the Marne River, a tug-of-war between the two sides commenced.
In the early phases of the battle, the Imperial forces could rely on superior combat skills to gain an upper hand.
But soon, things did not seem right.
The French soldiers fought fiercely and recklessly, determined to drag down their opponents with them.
In Kong Yang’s live stream room...
After over a real-life week had passed, the in-game battle continued for half a month.
It stretched from August into September.
The French Empire and Great British Empire defenses had not yet been breached.
At this moment...
Kong Yang was lying on the battlefield, pretending to be dead.
While the Imperial commanders still shouted ’For the Empire and the Emperor!’ rallying their troops to charge, trying to break through the French fire network.
To Kong Yang, this seemed no different from courting death.
Yet, nobody felt it was wrong, everyone followed the commanders’ orders.
Boom!
Boom!
Shells fell continuously from both sides, dirt flying, gradually covering the bodies on the battlefield.
In such a battlefield, pretending to be dead was the best choice. That was why Kong Yang had survived so long.
Looking at the soldiers shouting ’For the Empire and the Emperor!’ as they charged and died, inexplicably... Kong Yang felt these people truly died unjustly.
At least ’World War II’ soldiers knew why they were fighting.
But ’World War I’ soldiers were mindlessly slaughtered by the enemy under the foolish commands.
The firmness of France surprised Blue Star players.
Watching the storyline videos circulating online...
Those French soldiers bore the expectations of Paris citizens, thus fought so desperately.
But this posed a problem for the Empire.
As the stalemate at the Marne River continued, they couldn’t swiftly solve the French Empire.
The Eastern Front was already nearing confrontation.
Once they clashed with the Russian Empire, the Western Front would need to cease, redeploying some troops to the Eastern Front in support.
The Russian Empire, with vast territory, required no mention of troop strength.
The Schlieffen Plan gambled on a time difference, betting on defeating the French Empire before Russian mobilization, then redirecting Western Front forces to full-scale conflict with the Russian Empire.
But now...
This plan might be bankrupt.
Fighting persisted for a day.
Both sides gradually stopped only as darkness fell, and Kong Yang took this chance to blend with surviving soldiers under the cover of night, returning to camp for a meal.
The routine was simply: battlefield lying down, battlefield dining.
In the camp...
As Kong Yang ate, his unit suddenly received orders to retreat.
Retreating towards the Verdun Region.
Though Imperial soldiers felt puzzled, they breathed a sigh of relief, as fighting desperately was no longer necessary.
While Kong Yang, in the live stream room...
Opened the Polestar Official Website’s ’Real-time Map’, observing the battlefield situations, and immediately sensed something was off.
In less than two days, Imperial 1st and 2nd corps near Paris had actually been pushed back by French forces.
The British-French Allied Army launched into an incursion across the river, on the verge of forming an encirclement.
No wonder the Empire issued a retreat order.
He, stationed at the far eastern end, as part of the Imperial 5th Corps, was unaware of the western situation.
But retreating to Verdun...
Kong Yang got a chill; there was no need to explain Verdun’s significance.
Especially since the CG clearly depicted it all.
This Imperial retreat marked the start of a prolonged war of attrition.
Although Paris was within reach, the opportunity was seized by the opposing forces, forming an encirclement.
If not retreating...
The fate of the Imperial 1st and 2nd armies would be complete annihilation.
Throughout the Marne River battle, all viewpoints were available online, using photonic supercomputers to extract images from various live streams, removing duplicates.
Current statistics showed Imperial casualties nearly 200,000 soldiers, while British-French Allied casualties surpassed 250,000.
Given these circumstances, if the Imperial 1st and 2nd armies faced encirclement and annihilation... the Empire couldn’t bear such losses.
Yet unbeknownst, this very retreat...
Meant future deaths in the Verdun Region far exceeded those casualty figures.
With the Imperial forces beginning to retreat...
The British-French Allied Army took a breather, but the Empire wasn’t entirely idle either.