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

Chapter 160 [Operation Free Market Giveaway] Shocks the Head of the Blue Star Empire (6.6k words, two chapters combined)

on the ground.

a mess.

Having deviated nearly ten kilometers from their target location and been suddenly attacked from the air, many Allied soldiers who fell to the ground along with their bodies were bewildered.

The dense forest is filled with trees.

The directions that were once discernible in the sky are now completely lost on the ground.

Yu Feng was relatively lucky.

Because there were too many paratroopers in the sky, the Empire couldn't fight them off.

So it landed.

After landing, Yu Feng determined the direction based on the 'real-time map' in the live broadcast room and the sun in the sky, and directed everyone to assemble.

Fortunately, Yu Feng was a superior officer; otherwise, things would have been very difficult.

However, Yu Feng was still in shock. After barely managing to get everyone together, he looked at the Allied paratroopers who were being shot down in the sky.

For a moment, they didn't know whether to organize everyone to attack the Imperial forces or to carry out orders to seize the bridge.

But soon.

Yu Feng saw the message in the live stream and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

[Run, anchor! You've jumped into the Imperial Armored Division's rest area.]

[Over ten thousand Imperial armored troops are waiting for you. What's the point of fighting?]

???

More than 10,000 Imperial soldiers? An armored division?

What the hell?!
How was intelligence gathered?!
Why didn't you know about this?!
More than ten thousand Imperial soldiers?!

It's worth noting that the British Commonwealth 1st Airborne Division, where he served, only deployed 1 troops for this airdrop.

Before the plane even landed, it was cleared out by the Empire's anti-aircraft guns.

A few thousand remnants going to fight a fully equipped Imperial armored division? Are you kidding me?
Yu Feng looked up at the sky; everything was in complete chaos.

Due to the Empire's anti-aircraft guns, many panicked Allied soldiers frantically maneuvered their parachutes in the air, flying in all directions in an attempt to escape the area.

Yu Feng's side had only managed to gather a few hundred people, and it would be difficult to gather all the scattered Allied soldiers.

Seeing this, Yu Feng could only lead his men and rush toward the bridge several kilometers away.

Attacking the bridge garrison at the original target is much simpler than charging a mere few hundred men against an Imperial armored division of over ten thousand men.

The situation in other live streaming rooms was much the same.

They were mostly assigned by the authorities to the British Commonwealth, specifically the 1st Airborne Division.

Some were lucky enough to land, while others were riddled with bullets in mid-air.

Even worse, some streamers panicked and tried to survive, only to fly in that direction.

then
The imperial military camp tents were densely packed together.

Aside from the rapidly firing anti-aircraft guns, all that remained on the ground were countless Imperial soldiers who were laughing and pointing at him, looking at him like he was a monkey.

There were even instances of Imperial soldiers fighting on the ground to see who could capture him first.

It made the streamer want to commit suicide on the spot.

Under the mocking gaze of thousands of Imperial soldiers, the Commonwealth news anchor landed on the ground with his hands raised, and several Imperial soldiers jokingly tied him up.

In a small dark room.

Hearing the continuous gunfire outside and the laughter of Imperial soldiers, the streamer, bound and gagged, complained:
"What the hell."

"This is the first time I've experienced such an outrageous war in this game."

"Market action?"

"Which idiot designed this operation?"

"What a load of bull, this so-called military genius."

"This is fucking indescribable."

"I'm furious!!!"

Unlike the streamers from these allied factions.

The streamers on the Empire's side were ecstatic.

They were already aware of the Allied Operation Market Garden, since there were gaming forums where there were no secrets to be shared.

At first, when they looked at the "Operation Market Garden" plan, they also thought it would be difficult to implement.

But there was nothing I could do; my voice carried little weight.

Most of them were regimental commanders or battalion commanders, and reporting to them was of little use.

I just didn't expect the Allied forces to be such a makeshift team.

They're almost 10 kilometers away from the Allied target position, yet they're so far off-target. It's like 10,000 Allied soldiers have come to deliver medals to the enemy.

At this moment, in the live broadcast room of Shao Yan, a streamer from the Empire faction.

Shao Yan was excitedly firing his light machine gun at the dense white parachutes in the sky.

"One medal, two medals, holy crap!"

"We're about to take off!!!"

A burst of bullets from the light machine gun had already taken countless lives.

The viewers in the live stream were filled with envy.

This is such a great battle, I never dreamed I'd see it live!

The deputy battalion commander next to Shao Yan looked at the map excitedly and said:
"Battalion Commander, those Allied commanders probably can't even read a map?"

"They actually ordered their troops to end up here?!"

This location is nearly 10 kilometers away from the nearest vital bridge. Anyone who could read a map wouldn't have sent troops here.

Shao Yan, oblivious to whether the Allied high command could read a map, excitedly said:

"Forget about that, grab the machine gun!"

"These are all medals!"

A single burst of bullets, even with your eyes closed, would earn you an Iron Cross.

The two live stream rooms, with their distinct scenes, truly left the Blue Star players bewildered.

It's not just a matter of tactics.

Also, there's Montgomery, which we've been hyping up for so long. They've even created a player-driven ranking system, and it's still pinned to the top of the Polaris forum.

He overpowered three of the empire's most famous generals.

They were practically pointing their fingers at Zhao Laozei and saying, "Your Hall of Fame ranking is problematic."

How come such an awesome military genius can't get in?
However, this wave...

The Blue Star players were getting slapped repeatedly in the face.

The plan is sound.

There were major problems with the execution.

Firstly, the Allied forces lacked detailed intelligence and were unaware that there were Imperial resting troops stationed there.

Ten thousand paratroopers.

You've fallen into the encirclement of an Imperial armored division of over 10,000 men. They didn't intentionally want to attack you; they were lying in ambush beforehand.

They're resting here.

Military merits fell from the sky.

It really came from the sky; a single burst of bullets earned you an Iron Cross. You couldn't find another like it in the entire Second World War.

This once again demonstrates that 'Earth' is a huge makeshift operation.

However, there are also rational analyses.

The "Market Garden Project" requires collaboration from multiple parties, and every step must be flawless; otherwise, the entire project will be rendered unusable.

Like other paratroopers in bridge areas, no such mistake occurred.

Instead, they successfully captured those bridges, waiting for the Allied army to enter from the land.

But now we're stuck with the 1st Airborne Division.

Due to the remote location and incomplete intelligence, over a thousand of the 1-strong airborne division died before even landing, and the rest were scattered in various places.

Not only were they powerless to contest the bridge, they also had to face encirclement and suppression by the imperial forces.

Now the problem arises.

The Allied forces that successfully captured the bridge were unable to get through by ground because the British 1st Airborne Division failed to capture it.

With the support troops unable to get through, the Allied forces inside found themselves in a very awkward situation.

There's no support if we fight. With this small force, we might be able to capture a bridge, but expanding our gains is impossible.

If we don't fight, we're just waiting to die. The Imperial troops might arrive at any time, but unfortunately, reinforcements can't get here because of a problem in one place.

Now we can only watch the situation with the 1st Airborne Division, but the players on Earth have already given up hope.

And this is indeed the case.

On the TianSha live streaming platform, there are no fewer than 200 Allied streamers involved in the "Operation Market Garden" storyline.

However, half of them were killed in mid-air.

Upon landing, due to their different flight directions, some crashed into the Imperial camp, resulting in the deaths of another third of them.

Now, only about 50 people remain on the streamer's side.

It's unknown how many players have triggered this storyline, but based on the current situation in the live streams of the more than 50 streamers on the Tiansha live streaming platform.

There is absolutely no chance of turning the tide.

Yu Feng's side fared relatively well; after landing, they gathered more than 500 people.

However, after attacking the bridge, the Imperial bridge-guarding troops were engaged in a fierce battle that lasted half a day.

Now there are only 200 people left.

However, although this crucial bridge was secured, problems arose as a result.

Ground reinforcements haven't arrived yet.

The Imperial garrison is about to attack. These 200-odd men are going to fight an Imperial armored division of over 1? Are you kidding me?!

However, this is not a joke.

That's just how cruel the situation is.

Yu Feng and his 200-plus men held their ground in a village near the bridge, waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

They had no idea that the Allied high command was also in chaos.

General Patton, a senior U.S. Army officer, was practically pointing his finger at Montgomery and calling him an idiot. It wasn't until Eisenhower intervened to mediate between the disgruntled generals that the situation changed.

The Allied forces of the United States and Britain had by this time split up.

The most urgent thing right now is to take remedial action.

The British Commonwealth and the American Free Commonwealth have been sending planes to airdrop supplies, hoping to give the soldiers of the British 1st Division more time to hold out.

However, these supplies eventually ended up in the hands of the Imperial forces resting on the ground.

They provided the enemy with a huge supply for free.

When Yu Feng saw this in the live stream, he was almost furious.

Do these guys even have brains?
The Imperial troops, who were already resting, were given another round of supplies, and they were completely revived, ready to fight these defeated and broken soldiers.

Day 1.
Day 3.
Day 5.
Boom boom boom——!
in the village.

Yu Feng and his men hid in the pits under the cover. The Empire's artillery bombardment never stopped. Sometimes they had to rush out under the fire and drive back the Empire's troops.

Fortunately, there is only one passageway here, the bridge.

Yu Feng's side constructed numerous fortifications in the vicinity, repelling several attacks from the Empire.

Because the bridge can only accommodate those people.

Therefore, the main force of the empire could not advance and could only engage in a war of attrition with Yu Feng's side.

Even so.

Yu Feng's side was also rapidly dwindling in numbers, until by the 7th day, he only had about 80 people left.

Allied support had just arrived, but it consisted of only a few hundred people, also paratroopers, but from other areas, who had been ordered to come and meet them.

These people can't hold out any longer.

When the American paratroopers who came to meet them saw that there were only so many people left, they simply took them all and retreated.

However, the commotion here also attracted the attention of the imperial forces on the other side of the strait.

They sent a large army to attack.

Yu Feng and his men fought their way back, eventually getting everyone onto the vehicles provided by the American Free Federation, only to be jolted by a sudden jolt.
A sharp pain shot through my chest.

Looking down into the dimly lit carriage, Yu Feng could vaguely see a bullet hole in his chest, which had now stained his uniform red.

The screen went black.

This ended the game in the [Immersive Story] mode.

Bang!Bang!Bang!
The sound of something being smashed rang out.

Yu Feng's voice, filled with gritted teeth, echoed in the live stream:
"rough!"

"Can I really be this unlucky?!"

He led his men to hold out for seven days, only to be killed during the retreat. Yu Feng took a few deep breaths, scratched his head, and tried to console himself:

"Just get used to it, get used to it."

Then I clicked on the Polaris official website and entered the player forum:
"How is the situation now?"

Does anyone know?

I've been staying in the game these past two days and haven't had much time to check out other live streams.

I didn't know how bad the outcome of "Operation Market Garden" was, but now I finally have time to look it up.

As soon as Yu Feng entered the player forum, the chat room of Blue Star viewers started chattering away:

[The host has changed their name. This operation is now called "Operation Market Giveaway," also known as "I'm Giving the Empire Medals."]

[Hilarious, no need to check. According to current statistics, the British 1st Airborne Division sent 10000 men on a parachute landing, and only about 2000 returned.]

Those 8000 men were either dead or captured.

The streamers on the Empire side are ecstatic; everyone got an Iron Cross, and the Empire soldiers affectionately call you 'Iron Cross Medals'.

Looking at these teasing comments...

Yu Feng's head was buzzing, and his face flushed red.

What the hell is this "market giveaway campaign"?
They even affectionately call it the 'Iron Cross Medal'—what a ridiculous joke!
Yu Feng's lips twitched as he entered the forum.

At this time, the post about "Vote for WWII Generals" was still pinned to the top of the forum, and it had been marked with three "hot" characters, which shows how popular the post was.

Yu Feng also clicked in and looked at the poll.

At this point, Montgomery was already at the bottom.

However, Yu Feng didn't let it go either, and directly voted against him.

Not satisfied with that, he shared the link in the live stream, asking viewers to come and comment on it.

Only then did I start browsing the information and news on the forum.

In the past few days, as some players died first, and the storyline was skipped,

The situation on the Allied side has now been compiled.

It's said that high-ranking Allied officers, particularly senior generals from the American Commonwealth, almost got into a fight with these people from the British Commonwealth.

When the failure of this operation was blamed.

Montgomery's insistence on his plan was not wrong; the failure was due to the unpredictable Imperial soldiers, no one knew where they were resting, and the weather, among other reasons.

Senior generals in the United States doubted whether this guy could actually command. He lacked logistics and intelligence before the war and even tried to shift the blame to unforeseen circumstances.

What the hell do you mean by "unpredictable"?
If your intelligence is thorough, how could it not be foreseen?

Both sides blamed each other, but Montgomery insisted that his plan was correct.

However, this operation failed.

What was initially a very favorable situation was forced to shift the battle into a defensive phase.

This is a responsibility that Montgomery cannot shirk.

Command on the Allied side gradually shifted towards the American Free Federation, mainly because the operation had been too disastrous under Montgomery's command.

The 10,000 men of the 1st Airborne Division had almost no effect.

They even became objects for Imperial soldiers to rack up merits, which caused dissatisfaction within the British Commonwealth.

more importantly.

Because of the failure of Operation Market Garden.

This caused all the advantages gained from the earlier landings in Sicily and Normandy to vanish, and the Western Front suddenly fell into a disadvantageous position.

Furthermore, there are also reports on player forums.

Because of this operation, the Empire has begun preparing a counterattack, wanting to press its advantage.

If the empire were to succeed in its counterattack...

Montgomery is now nailed to the pillar of shame in world history.

The western front was stalled and forced into a defensive posture, but the eastern front was thriving, with the Soviet Union having already advanced into Poland.

They've almost driven the empire out.

If we don't come up with a solution soon, there's basically nothing left for us on the western front.

This is also a concern for the Allied high command.

If the Soviet Union were to invade the empire, the Allies would not get any benefits.

That's right.

At times like these, the Allied high command is still thinking about interests.

The lives and deaths of the soldiers were of no concern whatsoever.

The official player who leaked this information was also stunned during the meeting.

Because of the failure of Operation Market Garden, their discussion was not about the lives of the tens of thousands of soldiers, but about the failure of the operation itself.

Unable to penetrate the empire's homeland.

Once the Soviet Federation invades the empire's homeland, there will be no share of the spoils.

The politics on 'Earth' are far more sinister than the players on Earth imagine.

At the same time, it feels even more tragic that the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers are merely a matter of senior generals shifting blame among themselves, while high-ranking officials don't even discuss it at all.

Instead, they were thinking about how to gain the greatest benefit before the empire surrendered.

This isn't the first time Earth players have seen this, but it still makes them feel disgusted.

Yu Feng also cursed a few times, then looked at the overall situation in the world.

Currently on 'Earth'.

The empire's decline is already very evident, which is why these politicians are so eager to get a piece of the pie. However, the failure of Operation Market Garden has prevented them from doing so.

Their original plan was to invade the empire's homeland ahead of time, so that they would have more leverage when negotiating with the Soviet Union.

But now it's all for naught.

Moreover, the main reason lies with the British Commonwealth, so when it comes to distributing the benefits, the British Commonwealth suffers more losses.

This is why many officials in the British Commonwealth are dissatisfied with Montgomery—because of this incompetent guy, he's made our share of the pie smaller.

You deserve to die!

Yu Feng then went to the Empire faction's posts and found some information there as well.

The Empire was indeed reorganizing its forces, preparing to use this victory to launch another blitzkrieg and divide the Allied forces on the Western Front.

Furthermore, by seizing a series of important ports and utilizing Allied soldiers stranded on the Western Front, they forced the top leadership of the United States and the Commonwealth to negotiate, thereby concentrating their forces on the Eastern Front.

These are all insider messages compiled by players in the Empire faction.

only.
Looking at the operation of this plan, the final part.

Yu Feng felt a strange sense of familiarity, and said with some uncertainty:

"Could this be a plan devised by the Imperial Head of State?"

Because this last part is so similar to the previous 'Dunkirk'.

The 'Dunkirk' empire attempted to use the more than 30 Commonwealth soldiers stranded there to force the Commonwealth to negotiate.

Unexpectedly, fishing boats came over, and more than 30 people were evacuated in just a few days, so the plan fell through.

And now it's like this again.

It was another attempt to seize ports and use Allied soldiers stranded on the Western Front to force the Allies to negotiate.

The aim was to use negotiations to buy time so that they could focus all their efforts on the eastern front.

But regardless of whether this plan succeeds or fails.

Looking at the faces of those high-ranking politicians in the Anglo-American Commonwealth from the perspective of Earth players, are those ordinary soldiers even human?

Tens of thousands of people died.

The top brass of the Commonwealth were arguing that the plan had failed and they would not be able to reap any benefits from it.

In this situation, the Empire wanted to use those soldiers to force the high command of the Anglo-American Commonwealth to negotiate.

That's really a bit naive.

Those British and American high command didn't treat those ordinary soldiers like human beings at all. On the contrary, the Empire really did treat those soldiers like human beings, as bargaining chips.
However, after this commotion...

The failure of Operation Market Garden has made the situation in Europe somewhat unpredictable again.

No one expected that the already weakened empire would be given a much-needed boost by the Anglo-American coalition.

Yu Feng was looking at the 'real-time map' and chatting with the live stream, then prepared to start another game. This time, however, he chose the Empire faction, which really angered him.

a few days later.

In Yu Feng’s live broadcast room.

At this time, Yu Feng was in a corps under the 6th Panzer Army of the Reichsführer.

My initial role is that of a deputy regimental commander.

The actions and orders of the Imperial 6th Armored Army also confirmed the news on the forum a few days ago, as Yu Feng was indeed heading to the front line.

The objective was also to launch a surprise attack on Allied forces.

Yu Feng sat in the command vehicle, looking at the map and explaining to the viewers in the live stream:

"The counterattack is real."

"The plan is pretty much the same as what I saw on the forum a few days ago."

"hiss--"

"With so many people playing, this game doesn't seem to have any secrets."

"My frontline troops just received the news, but the player who's an Imperial official over there leaked it a few days ago."

"The plan was indeed formulated by the head of state."

"Well, how should I put it? I won't comment."

"Although it's a bit naive, at least they treated those British and American soldiers like human beings. It's hilarious."

"Suddenly, I feel like this joke is a bit lame."

Yu Feng spoke up:
"We have assembled about 20 men and 500 tanks on this side, which is all that we can muster on the western front."

"I dare not imagine what the consequences of this failure would be."

Looking at the various comments scrolling through the live stream, Yu Feng selected and replied to them:
"beat?"

"We'll have to wait a bit longer; you know how the Empire's logistics are."

"The supply is already insufficient."

"Actually, it's not a big deal to say it out loud. After all, Earth's NPCs basically don't listen to information from us players. Right now, the Empire hasn't even gathered enough fuel for its attack."

"It would be good if half of the 500 tanks could be started."

"Therefore, the Allied forces still have some time to organize their defensive lines."

"There's nothing we can do; that's just how things are in the Empire."

"The supplies can't keep up."

As Yu Feng was chatting, the live chat suddenly erupted.

[Holy crap?! Quick, check the player forums!]

The empire has collapsed again!!!

[It's hopeless, hopeless. The streamer should just commit suicide and switch back to the Allied faction.]

What a pity.

Yu Feng looked at these comments, somewhat confused. He quickly opened the player forum, only to find posts with the word "explosive" in them.

[Rommel committed suicide by poisoning; the Reich leader has gone mad!]

Looking at this post, Yu Feng was also dumbfounded:

"What the hell?!"

"What happened? Rommel is gone?"

"Didn't you say last time that you were hospitalized after being attacked by Commonwealth airstrikes?"

"Why did he suddenly commit suicide by poisoning himself?"

And what does this have to do with the head of state?
Yu Feng clicked on the post.

What comes into view are photos, all of which are screenshots from the live stream.

However, one could vaguely make out Rommel's features from the side, as well as the Gestapo officers surrounding him, one of whom was speaking while handing Rommel something.

Rommel ultimately accepted the gift and then returned inside. Players who triggered this event speculated that he was saying goodbye to his family.

Rommel then appeared in the courtyard, now dressed in a military uniform. He stroked his dog, which rushed towards him, and then, under the watchful eyes of the Gestapo, swallowed something.

He then sat down on a chair in the courtyard.

It only took a few seconds.

Rommel's body swayed and he collapsed completely.

That concludes the photos of the courtyard.

The next and final photograph is a newspaper with the headline 'Hero of the Empire, General Rommel, Dies Suddenly from Illness'.

Below is the eulogy from the head of state.

However, looking at these photos...

Blue Star players felt utterly absurd. What on earth was the Imperial Headmaster doing? Three of the Empire's greatest generals, officially certified by the Hall of Fame, had just committed suicide like that?
(End of this chapter)