Nanyang Storm 1864

1918st January 4

Eastern Europe
Thrace Front

Around four in the morning, the darkest hour before dawn, the early spring wind howls across the fields, and the sub-zero temperature freezes the morning dew into frost.

At 4:15 a.m., the forward command gave an order, and more than 4600 artillery pieces fired simultaneously. The booming sound of the cannons instantly broke the silence of the early morning, and the fiery flames illuminated half the sky.

Countless shells rained down, turning the Ottoman army's defensive line into a sea of ​​fire, as if the gates of hell had been opened.

On the defensive line, bunkers, barbed wire, artillery positions, heavy firepower points, logistics support units, command posts, and other pre-marked targets were all reduced to ruins in the frenzied bombardment.

More than half an hour after the intense bombardment, the Ottoman Empire's artillery counterattack finally arrived.

Not long
The heavy artillery groups behind the Great Chu Empire's European expeditionary force roared, unleashing large-caliber shells from an immense distance at the Ottoman Empire's artillery positions, almost leveling everything.

The mutual artillery fire did not last long before the artillery on the Ottoman positions completely ceased.

The full-scale shelling lasted for more than four hours, until dawn broke and the dazzling sunlight shone on the earth, illuminating this land shrouded in the heavy shadow of war.

The resounding bugle call rang out, and a large number of imperial soldiers leaped from their trenches, roaring as they charged toward the enemy positions.

These white and black soldiers, in sparse formation, desperately charged forward with their rifles, quickly crossing the shattered barbed wire, fortifications, and trenches, advancing bravely across a battlefield riddled with shell craters.

At this moment, the artillery group of the Great Chu Empire began to extend its bombardment. The artillery fire, like a thunderous curtain of fire, covered the deeper second-line positions, engulfing the Ottoman soldiers who hurriedly crawled out of the artillery bunkers. The blown-up limbs and broken arms, along with the mud kicked up, flew into the sky.

On the positions held by Ottoman soldiers, the trenches were riddled with holes from bombing, and many soldiers were buried alive in the artillery shelters.

Some remaining soldiers, under the officer's furious orders, scrambled out of their bunkers and hurriedly ran towards the distance of the trench, preparing to begin defensive operations.

Large numbers of Ottoman soldiers reappeared on the trench lines that had been severely damaged by artillery fire.

After five years of bloody trench warfare, both sides have figured out effective anti-artillery tactics, which is the main reason why the trench warfare has become a protracted stalemate, as neither side can defeat the other with one blow.

at this time
Suddenly, the massive horde of soldiers from the Great Chu Empire's European expeditionary force launched several signal flares into the air.

Immediately, all the soldiers took cover in the nearest shell craters, the closest of which was only five or six hundred meters away from the Ottoman defenders.

The artillery barrage, which had been spreading forward, suddenly enveloped the front-line positions again, and the intensity of the artillery fire instantly increased to the level of rapid firing every ten minutes.

The barrage of artillery fire once again enveloped the front line, and the shockwaves from the explosions came wave after wave. This "counterattack" inflicted heavy casualties on the defending Ottoman soldiers.

The shells exploded into a blood-red cloud, and countless shells fell into the trenches, instantly turning the battlefield into a bloodbath, causing Ottoman soldiers to cry out in agony.

At this point, the front lines were a living hell.

This round of attacks was both intense and deadly, but it didn't last long, ending abruptly after 10 minutes.

At this moment

The soldiers of the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force, who were hiding in the shell craters, shouted and charged forward. The distance of five or six hundred meters only took a few minutes, and the sporadic artillery fire and heavy machine gun fire from the Ottoman side could not stop them at all.

Seeing that the front-line positions had been breached on a large scale, artillery fire and heavy bunker fire from the Ottoman Empire's second-line positions opened fire, causing considerable casualties to the attacking Great Chu Empire soldiers.

When the surging soldiers of the Great Chu Empire reached within thirty or forty meters of the trench, they took out their grenades, pulled out the fuses, and threw them at the enemy trenches.

Grenades rained down on the trenches, and violent explosions rang out continuously, sending flesh and blood flying everywhere.

After throwing grenades, the soldiers of the Great Chu Empire rushed forward with their guns, jumping into the trenches, and the final close-quarters battle began.

at the same time
A terrifying buzzing sound came from the sky, and a large, dark formation of fighter jets appeared between the blue sky and white clouds. The air force suppressed by the Great Chu Empire had arrived, and the timing was perfect.

Many soldiers carrying signal flags would form groups of three and quickly unfurl the signal flags after rushing into the front-line trenches.

The signal flags were rectangular, with crimson arrows printed on white cloth. They were all pointed at the second-line positions occupied by Ottoman soldiers, at the enemy's firing positions and artillery positions, to guide the biplane fighters in the sky.

View from the air

You can then see the clear direction of the signal flags, and the boundary between the enemy and our side is clear and distinct.

The attackers in the air, biplane fighters, flew in pairs, taking turns swooping down to launch a frenzied attack on the Ottoman Empire's second-line firing positions and artillery positions.

Twenty-pound bombs rained down, and heavy machine guns fired wildly, instantly turning the Ottoman enemy's second-line trenches into a bloodbath.

These fighter jets of the Great Chu Empire's air force were incredibly ferocious. When strafing along the trenches, they were only a few dozen meters away from the ground at their closest point. Each volley of fire brought with it screams of agony and severed limbs, causing heavy casualties to the enemy.

9 a.m.

The fierce battle between the two sides was deafening. The leading attacking force of the Great Chu Empire had already captured most of the Ottoman front-line positions and was organizing its troops to launch an assault on the Ottoman second-line positions.

On one side of the Great Chu Empire's position, a large number of steel behemoths appeared. These were the Great Chu Empire's Tiger II tanks, a medium tank weighing 8.6 tons, whose frontal armor could withstand damage from 30mm small-caliber shells.

Compared to the heavy tanks of Britain, France, and Germany, which often weighed thirty or forty tons, the Great Chu Empire's Tiger II tank was lighter, faster, and more maneuverable, posing a greater threat on the front lines.

Its Maxim 25mm long-barreled rapid-fire cannon had been in service with the Great Chu Empire for over thirty years. It was durable and reliable, and had a powerful killing effect on enemy heavy firepower points, bunkers, and buildings.

Hundreds of Tiger II tanks quickly crossed the front trenches, followed by a densely packed regular troops of the Expeditionary Force, also known as the Chinese Legion.

With attacks from both aircraft in the air and tanks on the ground, the Ottoman Empire's second-line positions were quickly breached, creating a powerful deterrent effect on the enemy.

The battle continued until nearly noon.

Countless Ottoman troops, like a swarm of ants being driven away, fled in all directions towards the third line of defense, covering the hillsides.

The attackers' biplanes swooped down from the sky, their heavy machine gun fire exacerbating the chaos and carving a trail of blood across the vast fields.

The fighter jets, having exhausted all their ammunition, took to the skies again, flapped their wings, and flew south in sequence. After forming a formation in the air, they turned west and returned to the forward field airfield.

The subsequent formation of fighter jets, fully fueled and armed, entered the battlefield in an orderly fashion.

Then they split into several groups in the air, each consisting of a squadron of 12 fighter planes, which took off in waves, unleashing a barrage of firepower on the Ottoman army.

And those tanks advancing across the fields are the best targets for guidance.

The tanks belonging to the Empire are positioned directly in front of the targets that the fighter jets will bomb and straf, without the slightest mistake.

This was because the Ottoman Empire lacked tanks, and its weak air power had been completely neutralized before the battle even began, leaving it only able to passively endure attacks. This was the price of being backward.

Marshal Chu-Zheng Hui, Commander-in-Chief of the European Expeditionary Force, stood on a high hill surrounded by a group of senior generals. The field telephone had been received there, constantly reporting the latest battle results.

Looking forward from here

All that could be seen were distant gunfire and smoke, and ever-rising mushroom clouds. Intense gunfire erupted in waves, and fighter jets swooped down from the sky like birds returning to their nests, wreaking havoc on the battlefield.

Setting down his binoculars, Marshal Chu-Zheng Hui addressed his generals, “Men, the attack at the front is quite sharp. We have now broken through the second line of defense and are advancing towards the Ottoman third line. This is a great battle, thanks to the effective deployment of the commanders. I will request commendation from His Majesty.”

"Your Excellency Commander, I believe that the Ottoman army's fighting strength is at the bottom of the Allied forces, and is indeed much worse than the Germans. In the face of our army's powerful attack, they are as useless as chickens and dogs."

"Don't worry, General Wang, you'll have plenty of opportunities to fight the Germans. Let's take down the Ottomans first."

"Hahaha... That makes sense. When it comes to taking advantage of someone, pick the weakest one first. If the Germans didn't have so many cannons or fighter jets, they might not have been able to withstand our combined air and space attack."

"The artillery's counterattack was brilliant! They deserve credit." The generals in the rear command were in high spirits, their words brimming with pride, a testament to their unwavering confidence in the army and its soldiers.

The German army was not without its battles, and with the support of its air wing, the Reich army still maintained a firm grip on the advantage.

However, the German army was extremely resilient, their fortifications in the artillery bunkers were well done, and their counter-fire was both rapid and deadly, making them a formidable enemy.

The Ottoman army currently defending Thrace was assembled from various locations by the Ottoman Empire, totaling over 47.6 men. It was commanded by German General Weizmann, and key command positions at the corps and division levels were also held by high-ranking German officers.

Even so, the battle lines they had painstakingly built over several months were easily torn apart like a piece of paper in the face of the Great Chu Empire's fierce air-land integrated warfare offensive.

After capturing the first and second lines of defense, the Great Chu Empire's army encountered strong resistance when launching an attack on the Ottomans' third line of defense.

German commander-in-chief General Weizmann deployed his strategic reserves to launch a massive counterattack against the advancing tank forces, and the two sides clashed fiercely.

The tank forces of the Great Chu Empire used heavy machine guns and artillery to annihilate the surging Ottoman army. The thunderous cannon fire was incessant, and the machine gun barrels were red-hot.

The Imperial field artillery quickly moved forward to their positions, and around 3 p.m., the repositioned artillery positions began to unleash artillery fire on the Ottomans.

Under the combined onslaught of air and ground artillery, the Ottoman strategic reserve forces suffered heavy losses in their counterattack and were forced to retreat.

At 5:10 p.m., exciting good news arrived.

The vanguard of the Third Army broke through the last Ottoman defenses and was expanding to both flanks, with a tidal wave of Imperial troops pouring in.

Soon after, good news kept coming in: several more sections of the Ottomans' three-line defenses were breached.

The rapidly advancing assault force, led by tanks, began to capture Ottoman rear outposts, barracks, reserve warehouses, and ammunition depots, as well as railways, bridges, and rear villages and towns.

The Ottoman army was routed. In the twilight, the Ottoman troops fled in panic across the hills, while the Imperial soldiers, led by tanks, pursued them relentlessly.

A rapid advance force, using hundreds of military trucks as vehicles, crossed the war zone and trenches on long planks and then swiftly advanced along the road, sweeping away scattered Ottoman troops along the way and heading straight for the important enemy town of Kottenlinka behind enemy lines.

This was a transportation hub where the Ottoman army assembled in the rear, where railways and highways converged, and it was also a major artery for transporting logistical supplies to the front lines.

Once cut off, the entire Ottoman army on the front lines became like birds in a cage.

The fighting, which began at dawn, continued into the night, with gunfire and artillery raging almost everywhere on the battlefield, which spanned tens of thousands of square kilometers.

The gunfire gradually subsided by the next morning.

The air force wing's fighter jets roared in and circled over this land, like a flock of eagles inspecting their territory, searching for prey on the ground.

Before long, the fierce battle resumed.

During the retreat, a large portion of the Ottoman army rallied together.

In the early morning

Fighter jets circling in the sky spotted enemy targets and immediately began bombing and strafing. Amidst countless rising mushroom clouds were the bodies and limbs of Ottomans torn apart by the explosions, and eyes filled with extreme fear.

The attack initiated by the air force fighters quickly attracted the attention of the surrounding imperial forces, and a siege ensued.

The attack began on the morning of April 14th, and the intermittent fighting lasted for five days. After breaking through the enemy's defenses, the Great Chu Empire sent a massive army in multiple directions to Thrace, completely occupying the region.

What followed was a campaign of suppression and counterinsurgency, with the imperial army carrying out bloody repression and ruthless purges against any locals who disobeyed orders.

In the previous battles, the East African Corps and the Volunteer Corps had been almost completely wiped out, leaving only a little over 100,000 men.

The imperial army forcibly conscripted local Thracian men, amassing more than 37 in just two weeks, intending to use them as cannon fodder to resist the Ottoman army's frenzied counterattack.

There was no other way but to retaliate. After the fall of Thrace, Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, was exposed to the advance of the Great Chu Empire's European expeditionary force, with the closest distance being only 60 kilometers.

Six German divisions were successively transported from Ukraine, around the Black Sea, to the front lines in Istanbul by steamship. The Ottoman Empire mobilized all its steamships to urgently transport the German troops.

Almost every day, a German division arrived, doing everything in its power to keep the Ottoman Empire afloat.

Germany also squeezed out a squadron of 160 fighter jets from its limited air force to urgently reinforce Istanbul, sparing no expense in doing so.

Troops mobilized from all over the country by the Ottoman Empire were also continuously gathering at the front lines, ranging from teenage soldiers to men in their fifties, all of whom were in the conscription queue.

The Ottoman Empire lost the Thracian War, and the capital and the whole country were shaken. Pessimism about losing the war spread like wildfire, casting a heavy shadow over the entire empire.

Germany had to halt its troop movements westward and instead urgently sought to prolong the lives of its allies, urging the Ottomans not to fall.

This major victory greatly boosted the morale of the British and French troops who were still fighting on the Western Front.

At this time, the Western Front in Europe was engulfed in fierce fighting. The Germans had launched a spring offensive, putting immense pressure on the Allied military bloc, and the two sides were locked in intense combat.

On the land of Tsarist Russia

The White Army and the new government's army were engaged in a fierce battle, with flames and smoke filling the land. Countless people were killed or wounded in the war, and countless Russian towns were enduring the trials of war. Tsarist Russia remained in the midst of the suffering of war.

On the southern front, where Italy was the main defender, the addition of several German divisions instantly overwhelmed the Italians, who suffered a defeat of hundreds of kilometers in just half a month.

The Allied military bloc had to divert more than a dozen divisions of British and French forces to the southern front to clean up the mess left by the Italians, creating utter chaos.

The addition of American troops to the Western Front did not have much effect.

These poorly trained American soldiers were immediately terrified by the brutality of the Western Front. The defenses they had just taken over were quickly breached by the Germans, turning them into a major liability on the Western Front.

The Allied Supreme Command had to mobilize reserve forces to participate in the counterattack and recapture the positions lost by the Americans, which resulted in another bloody battle.

In the spring of 1918
Europe is suffering Germany's final frenzy, with war raging from east to west, and almost the entire continent is engulfed in conflict.

The only bright spot was the great victory of the Thracian campaign led by the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force, which became the only glimmer of light in the dark world.

At this point, all doubts and dissatisfaction vanished, replaced by a tidal wave of flattery and compliments, along with nauseating praise.

In their excitement, the Allied Supreme Command immediately issued a telegram commending all officers and soldiers of the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force and requesting that a new offensive be launched as quickly as possible.

The objective was to besiege Istanbul, drawing some of the German forces away and reducing pressure on the western and southern fronts.

The only troops currently in use are those of the British, French, and Chu states. As for the American army, let's not even talk about it; they're utterly incompetent in every way, yet they keep complaining and grumbling, which is infuriating.

As for the Italian army, cough cough cough...

The Allied High Command now regrets it; they were utterly hopeless. It seems the current situation might have been better if the Italians had remained in the Central Powers.

It's always more satisfying to have the Germans clean up your mess than to do it yourself, right?

Now everyone understands that the German army is the most powerful among all the world's armies, and it can hold its own against the armies of England, France, and Chu in a head-on confrontation.

The Russian army could easily crush the Austro-Hungarian army, and the Russian army could in turn crush the Austro-Hungarian army, utterly humiliating them.

The Austro-Hungarian army was able to easily defeat the Italians, causing them to suffer repeated defeats and forcing them to repeatedly request aid from the Allied Supreme Command, asking for reinforcements, weapons, food, and various supplies.

Anyone who runs into this guy will be so angry they won't be able to eat. (End of Chapter)