We promised to develop a game called Candy Crush, what the hell is the Third Reich?

Chapter 156 [End of the North African Campaign] The Birth of an Allied Military God (6.5k words, two chapters combined)

Yu Feng, in the live stream room, brought up a map and began explaining while looking at it:

"Currently, in the North African theater, the spheres of influence of the Empire and the Kingdom of Italy have been compressed to this corner of North Africa."

"Rommel has already returned to Berlin. The current commander on the other side is Messer, a senior general from the Kingdom of Italy."

"The Allied commanders were General Montgomery of the British Commonwealth and Field Marshal Eisenhower of the American Free Commonwealth."

"I don't know much about that Messer."

"However, Eisenhower is in the Hall of Fame."

As he spoke, Yu Feng brought up Eisenhower's biography.

[Dwight David Eisenhower (To be unlocked)]

[Title: Allied Commander-in-Chief, Five-Star General]

[Rank: Five-Star General, United States Army]

[Biography: Born into a poor family in Texas in 1890, he worked his way into West Point Military Academy. He served in the military for 25 years, remaining a lieutenant colonel until the age of 44. From 1941 to 1944, he rose six ranks from colonel to five-star general, setting a record in the Commonwealth. He commanded Operation Torch (the North African landings) and Operation Overlord (the Normandy landings), assembling 300 million Allied troops and 9000 ships, successfully opening a second front in Europe using a feint attack tactic.]

[Famous quote: "In preparing for battle, I often find that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."]

[Exclusive plot: To be unlocked]

[Exclusive biography: To be unlocked]

[Note: Participating in the Tunisian campaign will unlock the "Allied Command" storyline, allowing you to closely observe dynamic scenes of Eisenhower's tactical debates with Montgomery and Patton.]

Looking at Eisenhower's introduction, Yu Feng felt a toothache:

"To be honest, it's really outrageous."

"In just three years, he jumped six ranks to become a five-star general."

"Isn't this cheating?!"

"But there are indeed things there."

"Just commanding so many people and ships is something that not just anyone can do."

"The opening of a second front in Europe should be the Normandy landings."

"Speaking of which, when the game first launched, we were getting utterly crushed on the Normandy landings."

"But we've been fighting for several years now, and the immersive storyline's timeline hasn't even reached the Normandy landings yet."

"I wonder what the 'Normandy landings' in the [Immersive Story] mode will be like."

Yu Feng was speaking in the live stream.

Most of the viewers in the live stream had played the "Normandy Landings" version, but this one was already modified.

The landing points were divided into several, so many players didn't find it difficult.

But back then, there was only one landing point, Omaha Beach, so dying a dozen or twenty times an hour was perfectly normal.

Yu Feng spoke with some emotion, then returned to the topic:
"Currently, my unit, the British Commonwealth 8th Armoured Brigade, is advancing towards the Akarit River along with the New Zealand Division, while the main force is advancing on the Hama region."

"With Rommel gone from the Empire, the other generals really couldn't stop the Allied offensive."

"My sphere of influence is still shrinking, so I shouldn't die easily this time. I'm planning to become a war correspondent."

"Strive to survive to the end and broadcast this battle live in its entirety."

Because of his position as commander, and because he is currently in a completely dominant position against the Empire.

Yu Feng simply took a pair of binoculars and stayed in the car, watching his troops fight. He would carry out whatever orders came his way, because he couldn't afford to die easily.

Yu Feng still gets so angry about the last death that he grinds his teeth in frustration.

The fact that we only learned about Rommel's return home now shows that those soldiers of the American Freedom really thought they were fools who had lost too much blood and were talking nonsense.

Keep in mind that almost a month has passed.

If any information had been reported, it would have been impossible to have only found out at this point that Rommel had returned home.

Knowing this two weeks earlier could have made a big difference.

If I ever get the chance to meet those soldiers from the American Free Federation, I'll beat them up and show them who the real idiot is.

Yu Feng watched his troops fight.

On March 3.27, Allied forces arrived in the Hama region.

On March 3.28, the Empire began its retreat to the Akarit River position, but the Maret Line was breached by the Allied forces.

On April 4.5th, the Allied forces launched a fierce attack on the Akarit River defenses, but were met with desperate resistance from the Imperial armored forces.

On April 4.7th, when the Allied forces launched another attack, they found the Imperial positions completely deserted. With the help of intelligence gathering from all sides, they learned that the Imperial and Italian troops had retreated to the ports of Tunis and Bissell.

This was the Axis powers' last struggle in the North African theater.

Yu Feng's live streams these past few days have been going incredibly smoothly.

This was very satisfying for players who had been constantly suppressed by the Empire faction.

Moreover, the empire's power is visibly shrinking on the map.

At this moment, on the forum of the Polestar official website.

Many people have discussed this part of the story, and some have pieced together the plot to create a complete account of the war.

Although the initial lack of coordination between the British and American command systems led to the defeat at the Cassell Pass, Rommel was forced to retreat more than 50 kilometers.

However, with Eisenhower's mediation and bold delegation of authority, the situation improved.

By directly handing over command of the US Army II to the British Commonwealth, the Anglo-American forces, which later fully cooperated, crushed the Italian and Imperial forces.

Unfortunately, Rommel had to return home due to illness.

Otherwise, the players on Earth would also like to see if Rommel has any solutions in this situation.

After all, Rommel was a famous general of the Empire and a celebrity in the Hall of Fame.

Dwight Eisenhower of the Commonwealth of America was no less impressive; a future five-star general, he was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Moreover, his bold approach to delegating authority reveals him to be an unconventional general.

Otherwise, who would dare to hand over their country's army to another country to command?

However, if the players on Earth think about it, they believe that the overwhelming advantage of the Anglo-American Federation and the severe shortage of supplies on the Empire's side mean that even if Rommel came, he would probably be powerless.

The name "Desert Fox" is correct, but the prerequisite is that the armored tank needs fuel to get moving.
The Blue Star players, watching this attack and command, finally found some confidence, but there was more discussion, including among Montgomery.

Because each player has a different identity and a different storyline, the complete "Tunisian Campaign" is pieced together.

Players discovered that Commander Montgomery of the British Commonwealth was also quite capable, with flexible tactics, which explains why he was able to fight against Rommel.

The only problem is, why can't I find it in the Hall of Fame?
Is there not enough space?

After all, Rommel is in the Hall of Fame, so this Commonwealth general who could rival Rommel shouldn't be unknown.

For a time, many players on Earth couldn't understand it.

However, this wasn't the most important thing. After discussing it for a long time without reaching a conclusion, the Blue Star players shifted the topic to other things.

A pinned post on the Polaris forum.

Vote to choose the strongest 'Earth' general in your heart!

Although Polaris has not provided an official ranking, it hasn't stopped Blue Star players from creating their own lists, collecting information on generals active on various battlefields.

A poll was then launched, and the poll was pinned by several forum administrators.

Although the post contains:
Montgomery (7288112 votes) [Manstein (7187225 votes)]

[Guderian (6982247 votes)][Eisenhower (5871247 votes)]

[Zhukov (7052472 votes)][De Gaulle (1578727 votes)].
The rankings have not yet been compiled.

However, judging from the number of votes, the generals who have been active recently have received more votes, with Montgomery, who is in charge of the troops in North Africa and is about to end the North African campaign, being the most prominent.

And Manstein, who just turned the tide in the Battle of Kharkiv.

Because the players' ranks have all increased.

Therefore, when participating in the storyline, players can occasionally come into contact with the high-ranking generals, and many players come out to campaign for their own faction's 'Earth' generals.

Some people have already started buying tickets.

Fortunately, it was discovered in time and a large number of people were temporarily banned from speaking to stop it.

This situation was also reported to Zhao Ming.

Meanwhile, Zhao Ming also noticed the posts on the forum, looking at the generals mentioned there.

Seriously? This number of votes?

Looking at the comments section of this post, some people are expressing their indignation on Montgomery's behalf because they admire him, questioning why such a general shouldn't be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Zhao Ming's lips twitched slightly.

It's unclear whether players who have experienced the "Operation Market Garden" storyline will still support Montgomery after its release.

Looking at Montgomery, who was far ahead in the votes, and the comments section almost praising him as a military genius, saying things like he defeated Rommel and ended the North African campaign, etc.
Zhao Ming suddenly had an idea.

If the storyline for "Operation Market Garden" is released, will it be criticized for lacking logic?

How could such a 'military genius' make such a foolproof move?

But that's how he gave the orders!
Zhao Ming's expression was strange. Let him be criticized. He wasn't the first one. The previous "Battle of Britain" and "Dunkirk" were also criticized for being illogical.

But this is a historical fact, it's just that Earth players don't know it.

However, if we look at it this way, we need to add another storyline before "Operation Market Garden," such as Montgomery's pre-battle speech, so that Earth players can participate.

With the encouragement of the 'God of War', players on Earth will feel more at ease when parachuting.
After glancing at the posts on the forum, Zhao Ming ignored them.

It was all done spontaneously by the players, so it didn't affect anything. Zhao Ming directly opened the database and pulled up Montgomery's information before Operation Market Garden.

Choose a scene and participate in a close-up interaction with Earth players.

the other side.

Yu Feng's [Immersive Story] mode has progressed to the point where the [North African Battlefield] is about to end.

Although it's not over yet, the empire can't hold out for long with the little territory it has left.

The British Commonwealth, as the country that ended the North African war, attracted a lot of new Blue Star players to watch, while the Empire's live stream was the opposite.

In the live streams from various battlefields, viewers from Earth were jokingly commenting, "Streamer, run! The Empire is doomed!" and "North Africa is gone, hurry up and get out of here!"

Such remarks became mocking comments, filling various live streaming rooms.

The streamers from the Empire faction were helpless. "It's no use talking to me. Is it that I don't want to quit?"
The leader ordered a fight to the death, not to retreat.

Some streamers who focus on everyday life are also teased by such comments.

Players on the Commonwealth side suddenly became arrogant.

And its reputation has gradually taken off.

However, a single live stream quickly stirred up public opinion online.

He is a streamer from the Empire faction.

I'm a fisherman myself, and I heard that "World War II: Rise of an Empire" is a completely simulated planet with many different kinds of fish.

So he started streaming the game, and he already had a number of fans.

The game started randomly in the Ruhr region of the Empire.

Because he had never participated in the war, he had survived. There was a reservoir in the Ruhr region, and the streamer was there to fish, so he could use what was nearby.

Every day I sneak off to the reservoir to fish.

There are always 30,000 to 40,000 people in the live stream room, all of whom are fishing enthusiasts.

Although the number of participants was small, there were also very few comments.

However, everyone knows the true value of a fishing expert, and there was nothing particularly noteworthy in the live stream itself.

It didn't generate much discussion.

In his "Immersive Story" mode, the timeline is also up-to-date, having progressed to May 1943.

The fishing streamer in the video, as always, sneaked off to the reservoir to fish.

People quickly joined the live stream, mostly fishing enthusiasts in their thirties, forties, and fifties.

I've only been fishing for less than 10 minutes.

The roar of bombers filled the sky. The viewers in the live stream were familiar with the sound of these bombers; they had heard it countless times.

The recent high-profile search for the other side of the envelope involved someone from the Ruhr region; that family had all perished in the bombing, and the son had died on the battlefield. But this time...

The bomber was different because its sound was getting closer and closer.

The streamer, who was fishing, also noticed something was wrong. He looked up and then saw a terrifying scene.

The swarms of Commonwealth bombers did not target towns, but instead flew directly toward the reservoir dam in the Ruhr region.

then.

Countless tiny black dots fell.

Then the bombs skipped across the water like stones, leaping and bounding toward the dam.

From the perspective of the live stream.

Explosions continued to rise from the dam, causing the ground to shake violently. The fishermen from Blue Star in the live broadcast room were stunned by this scene.

"No way? What are they doing?"

This is a crime! A crime!

How could they be so inhumane? Bombing the dam? What about the people there?

[Incomprehensible! How could this happen?!]

[This is insane! Who gave this order?!]

These fishermen, aged in their thirties, forties, and fifties, come from all walks of life, and some are even government officials.

So his words weren't as extreme as those of the younger viewers in other live streams, but he was still shocked and couldn't understand how someone could give such an order.
Completely devoid of humanitarianism?

These things are unimaginable on Earth. These people in their thirties, forties, and fifties have no interest in this war game; they're just here to watch the fishing.

But witnessing this scene firsthand left me completely bewildered.

The one who was even more confused was the fishing streamer.

because
The reservoir dam was blown up, and the floodwaters, carrying mud and trees, crashed down like a tsunami.

Boom——

This is nature's most furious roar, and it's also the sound at the end of the video.

Then the screen went dark and the scene ended.

During this period, the Polaris gaming forum and the live streams of various streamers were all discussing the course of World War II on 'Earth', because the balance of victory had already tipped.

But then came this sudden move by the British Commonwealth.

Everyone was stunned.

According to statistics from many players afterwards.

The British Commonwealth's bombing of the Ruhr dam triggered floods that inundated more than 3000 hectares of farmland and killed at least 3 people.

3 people, civilians.

The Blue Star fans who originally supported the Commonwealth were also confused.

Isn't this a crime?
More importantly, what did the people do by staying at home? Are people this inhumane when war breaks out?

After all, most people on Earth are anti-war.

It turns out that even at home, it seems unsafe.

The British bombing of the Ruhr dam served as a wake-up call for humanity, reminding us that even staying at home can lead to death in the event of war.
And the other side.

Many Blue Star players began gathering information.

The British Commonwealth has done this, what about the others?

soon.

One player compiled a video clip from various online videos, titled...
Who ultimately benefits from war?

As soon as the video started playing, the first thing that caught the eye was the Ruhr Dam incident that had just occurred in the storyline.

Commonwealth planes flew over the reservoir and dropped bombs, causing flash floods that swept across the entire Ruhr region.

The scene changes.

It was the Ruhr region, which had already been flooded. On the murky yellow floodwaters, bodies of the elderly and children floated.

The densely packed corpses gradually gathered together under the swirling current of the water, numbering at least a hundred, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

Then the scene changed.

Several words appeared on the screen:

[Lidice village, June 10, 1942]

The player, in first-person perspective, had just skipped the storyline when he heard a commotion outside and was about to get out of bed to check it out.

Boom——!
The wooden door inside the house was kicked open, and several imperial soldiers immediately pinned him down and tied him up.

After the player was taken to the village chief's yard, he discovered that almost everyone in the village was being held there.

The men were tied up and forced to kneel on the ground, while the women and children were loaded onto trucks.

The player was unaware of what had happened.

Yesterday we were harvesting wheat, how did the story jump to this point?
however.

The men in the village chief's courtyard were quickly executed in a form of torture.

And during the execution process.

Listening to the curses and swears of the imperial soldiers, the player realized that this was a retaliatory massacre because a high-ranking official of the empire had been assassinated.

A powerful figure assassinated? Or massacred?

Instead of finding the murderer, you go and massacre civilians in a village to vent your anger?

The emotionally charged player struggled to say something.

But the next second.

boom!
The screen went dark.

Next came Japan, the Soviet Union, and both the Axis and Allied powers.

The videos all revealed an extremely cruel side.

These plot points went unnoticed before, but as people on Earth discovered them, they realized, "Where are the good guys here?"

On the one hand, they send the people's children to their deaths.

Bombing people to death while massacring civilians?

No?

The more I think about it, the more something seems off.

The video creators seem to have noticed this problem as well, so the latter part of the videos depicting the massacre of civilians in various countries focuses on those who "benefited" or "gave the orders."

Some players are randomly assigned to be gang henchmen.

Watching death notices being sent out one after another in the town, while his boss counted the money from smuggling weapons to the enemy and indulged in nightly revelry.

There are players who are randomly assigned to be secretaries to government officials.

Watching those high-ranking officials eat steak and drink red wine, even feeding their own dogs specially supplied French foie gras, yet once they step out the door, they transform into righteous crusaders.

They were convincing those young people in their twenties that they were the future of the country. The Blue Star players looked at the excited young people.

The video then switched to showing a series of corpses.

And at the end of the scene.

It was the Imperial soldiers, shouting "For the Empire!" It was the Soviet Union soldiers, shouting "For Motherland!"

He died on Mamayev Kurgan, a place less than two square kilometers in size.

The impact of these scenes in the video has shattered the worldview of players on Earth.

The wars on this 'Earth' are far darker than we imagine.

I had never thought about this before.

But looking at the arms dealers and politicians in the video, they all seem to be making a fortune, all while maintaining a dignified air.

The video contrasts the innocent civilians being massacred with the soldiers who were shouting slogans before they died.

It's obvious who the fool is.

This video clip quickly went viral, trending across various federations.

Nothing else
On this blue planet that has never experienced war, the darkness revealed by this video dealt a fatal blow to those warmongering fanatics.

It's said that a certain software crashed because of being mentioned so much.

There are countless groups with hundreds or even thousands of members, but after watching the video, they all tagged their group organizers, asking if they would be the first to go into battle if a war broke out.

However, even with the organizers' assurances, the number of people leaving the groups is increasing rapidly, and years of hard work can crumble overnight.

This night.

I wonder how many fanatics hate Polaris Group and Zhao Ming.
The more the players explore, the more darkness they discover.

soon.

The 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was unearthed.

The players on Earth were furious.

When I first entered the story, I thought it was because my Poland was too weak. Even when the Soviet Union invaded Poland later, I didn't think about it that way.

but now
So you guys planned this all along?

Looking at the Axis and Allied powers, the two biggest fighting forces and enemies, they seem to be at odds. Who would have thought that they were once so close?
however.

The uncovered information is far more extensive than this.

Before the United States Freedom joined the Allied Powers, it had been selling goods, oil, and other products to Japan.

Soon after, another Blue Star player who randomly became a Soviet Federation official revealed news that shattered the worldview of Blue Star players.

The Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Treaty

Specifically, in order to stabilize the Far East, the Soviet Union signed a treaty with Japan, the Axis power, in which both sides recognized the forces supported by the other.

The Soviet Union recognized the Japanese-backed "pseudo-states" in the international community.

Japan, on the other hand, recognized the "foreign" forces supported by the Soviet Union in the international community.

This treaty was signed in 1941.

However, both sides remained wary of each other until April 1943, when this Blue Star player, as a Soviet official, participated in a meeting between the two sides.

The Soviet Union needed to fight the Empire with all its might, so its military strength in the Far East was extremely important, while Japan was suffering heavy losses in the Pacific.

The only way to reinforce troops is through the northeastern region of the Republic, but that region is the Soviet Far East.

Now, with one ally and one Axis power, the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

Meanwhile, the American Free Federation, which had previously sold supplies to Japan, turned around and began transporting supplies to the Republic via the "Hump" airlift route.

Many players have realized that they were playing the game too one-sidedly before.

All they know is to charge, ...

If those official NPCs were to look at them, wouldn't they look at them like they were idiots?

Many players on Earth are still constantly using random selection.

He tried various identities to gain access to high-ranking officials, hoping to uncover just how many secrets remained on Earth.

The discussion among Blue Star players is in full swing.

However, the course of the war was not affected at all, and battles continued to take place on 'Earth' every day.

At this time, Stalingrad was in May 1943.

They also began to regroup their troops.

Although they suffered a major defeat two months ago, the protruding part of the defense line in Kursk is the perfect place to fight a decisive battle with the Empire.

Although the national war instance [Battle of Kursk] has not yet been opened, we cannot experience the feeling of multiplayer online play.

However, in the immersive story mode, both sides in the Battle of Kursk are already gathering their forces.

　I recommend a book by five groups of friends~ Check it out if you like sailing~
　　

(End of this chapter)