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

Chapter 162 [The Ardennes Counterattack] The Earth Conference That Shocked the Blue Star (6.4k words, two chapters combined)

Looking at the piles of empty oil drums stacked in the center of the camp.

Yu Feng was helpless.

Didn't they say the Allies had a lot of resources?

Why isn't it full?
However, there was no other way. Looking at the only two barrels of oil left, Yu Feng ordered the tank crews to check the current oil level of their tanks.

The two barrels of oil were then divided equally.

Fortunately, the tank still had some fuel left, otherwise it would be out of commission by now.

However, if the two oil companies divide the profits equally, it will only last a little longer.

But the leader's orders could not be disobeyed.

Although they reported a shortage of supplies and fuel, the only order was to continue advancing, break through the U.S. federal army's defenses, and force a crossing of the Maas River.

resignedly.

Orders from higher-ups must still be carried out.

After a brief rest, Yu Feng's 5th Armored Group Army continued its rapid advance.

But when the forced march was about to reach the next city...

Intense artillery fire came from the direction of the city, clearly indicating that a battle had broken out.

Yu Feng had just received the news.

Allied airborne divisions had arrived ahead of them to reinforce the city, holding it out before the enemy.

And they.
Only four tanks remained in the team.

The Imperial armored forces that swept across Europe did not destroy their tanks in the war; instead, they ran out of fuel and stopped one after another on the roads behind the lines, waiting for the Imperial reinforcements to take them over.

Faced with such a situation.

Yu Feng's side couldn't launch a direct attack either, so they could only keep asking their superiors when the supplies would arrive.

Five days later.

The broadcast came from the regimental headquarters of the Imperial 5th Panzer Army.

Goebbels, the Empire's Minister of Propaganda, is giving a speech spouting nonsense about the Empire's ultimate victory and how its warriors, under the Führer's leadership, will march towards greatness.

Inside the tent, Yu Feng raised his hand and pressed the shut-off button, abruptly stopping the broadcast.

The broadcast claimed that the empire was still dreaming of world domination, but in reality, the airdropped supplies promised five days ago had not yet arrived.

Yu Feng's group and other large forces in the surrounding area were forced to halt their advance.

At this time.

A man who was also an officer barged into the regimental headquarters; he was the regimental commander from the neighboring camp.

After entering, he familiarly walked to the stove and warmed his hands.

For some reason, perhaps sensing the impending destruction of the empire, many people felt that this winter was exceptionally cold.

Yu Feng looked up and asked:
Any updates?

Still no news about supplies?

The guild leader next door shook his head:
"No."

Then he fell silent.

After a while.

The middle-aged man's dry voice rang out:
"Patton's Third Army is advancing from the south."

"We'll be there soon."

"The Soviets have launched another offensive on the eastern front. They have withdrawn their eastern defenses by several dozen kilometers and are about to reach the empire's homeland."

Unwilling, intensely unwilling.

Anyone could hear the resentment in his voice.

Who would have thought.

The imperial steel torrent that once swept across Europe is now forced to halt here due to fuel shortages, while the Allied forces are steadily arriving.

Although their fighting strength is not as strong as that of the Empire.

But that almost unlimited supply is truly enviable.

As long as supplies are sufficient.

Why would they have stayed here for five days? They would probably have already broken through the coalition forces of the United States and the United Kingdom.

But now it's all over.

Even though nothing was said.

But they all knew in their hearts that they were too exhausted to fight anymore, and the remaining ammunition was not even enough to support two complete battles, while the Allied forces...
Yu Feng sighed and fell silent:

"The opportunity has been missed."

At the beginning of the war.

The Ardennes Forest was garrisoned by only five U.S. federal divisions, totaling no more than 80,000 troops.

The Empire, on the other hand, has an armored force of 20 men. As long as supplies are sufficient, this steel torrent of 20 men can easily push through.

But this is a major battle, a crucial juncture.

The logistics support is still inadequate.

With supplies delayed, nearly half of the 20-strong steel torrent remained stationary.

And in these few days.

The Allied forces had already reacted and, with their near-unlimited resource supplies, demonstrated formidable mobility.

In less than five days.

All the British and American troops on the surrounding fronts were transferred here.

Although these native NPCs of 'Earth' have no idea how many people are on the other side right now.

However, Yu Feng, who possessed the 'real-time map,' could see everything clearly.

In just a few days, the number of Allied troops in the Ardennes Forest had grown from 8 to more than 40, and troops from surrounding areas were still being continuously deployed.

Once all forces are mobilized to encircle them, the Allied forces in the Ardennes Forest number at least 70.

20 people broke through the defense line of 70.

This would have been easy if the empire had been at its peak.

but now
All the armored tanks were disabled on the road.

The so-called armored corps turned into ordinary infantry. Without the advantage of armor, it was impossible for them to win.

Looking at the Allied forces on the 'real-time map' that were moving almost every second, Yu Feng felt a wave of despair. The Allied forces were too mobile.

The empire's offensive has been completely blocked.

Furthermore, Commonwealth troops are also coming to provide support.

half a month later.

boom--!
boom--!
Yu Feng huddled in the shell crater.

The Allied artillery bombardment continued for more than half an hour before gradually ceasing.

And after stopping.

Yu Feng immediately organized a counterattack.

Once upon a time, such saturation attacks were exclusive to the Empire, but now they have become the Allied way of dealing with Imperial forces.

On the front lines.

Thick, blackened smoke billowed everywhere. It was supposed to be a cold January, but under such bombardment, one could hardly feel the cold; there was even a sense of warmth.

The soldiers of the Imperial forces lay prone in shell craters and trenches, firing at the distant torrent of steel.

The roar of the Sherman tank's engine on the other side sounded like the death knell.

boom!
boom!
Shells rained down.

Instead of immediately eliminating them, the Sherman tanks dispersed and began to encircle the position.

Yu Feng watched this scene, gave a wry smile, and said to the live stream:

"They're going to capture him alive."

The viewers in the live stream also witnessed the Empire's final frenzy.

Many Imperial soldiers were also aware of the Allied objectives.

Unwilling to be captured, the soldiers charged towards the Allied forces like madmen.

However, all they received in response was a hail of bullets.

One by one, the corpses fell.

At this time.

Over the radio, the division headquarters issued a retreat order.

Yu Feng leaned against the shell crater, loading his submachine gun. The steel encirclement formed by the US and British Sherman tanks had completely surrounded the area.

retreat?

Where to retreat?

Yu Feng found several grenades and made them into cluster grenades.

However, there were still quite a few soldiers around.

Yu Feng thought for a moment and then shouted:

"Everyone!"

"Prepare to retreat! Or surrender, either way, survive!"

The US-British Sherman tanks were closing in. Yu Feng leaped out of the tank, calculated the distance, and pulled the safety lever on his cluster grenade.

They charged toward the Sherman tank.

At the same time, a burst of bullets from the submachine gun in his hand was also released.

Chug tug tug——

boom! ! !
The chassis of a Sherman tank was blown to pieces, and flames shot into the sky.

Angry and cursing American soldiers climbed out of the tank compartment.

What awaited them was the resistance of some unwilling Imperial soldiers, followed by a barrage of shells from Sherman tanks.

After a while.

One by one, the surrendered Imperial soldiers walked out of the position with their hands raised, while those Imperial soldiers who were unwilling to give up had disappeared like Yu Feng.

The Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes Offensive): The last hurrah for the Empire.

Ultimately, they were defeated due to insufficient supplies.

Ardennes Forest.

This is the place where the miracle of the 'Earth' war once took place.

No second 'miracle' occurred.
Inside Yu Feng's live stream room.

Instead of starting a new game, he looked at the 'real-time map' on the Polaris website and opened the game forum.

At this moment, on the 'real-time map', the Imperial forces that were originally advancing to break through have been blocked back, and the scene has been reverted to the initial state.

This also signifies that the empire's counterattack has completely failed.

Looking at the current situation of the Empire, there is no longer any suspense. With the failure of the 'Battle of the Bulge', the Allied forces on the western front have approached the Empire's homeland.

Meanwhile, the Soviet Union on the eastern front had already been driven back to the Reich's homeland, approaching the capital, Berlin.

Looking at the empire's current situation of being attacked from two fronts.

The viewers in the live stream felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if Poland had been sandwiched between two forces and then divided up back then.

Looking at the map, viewers in the live stream couldn't help but sigh, lamenting the unpredictable nature of war.

The empire collapsed too quickly.

It was so fast that many players on Earth couldn't even react.

The current situation is basically predictable.

The question now is whether the empire's homeland can hold out, but that seems unlikely.

The Soviet Union lost tens of millions of people.

They've already pushed back and are at the empire's doorstep, how can they let the empire go?
As for the US-British coalition, needless to say.

What was the purpose of the previous "market giveaway campaign"?
Isn't it all about getting into the empire's homeland before the Soviet Federation, so that we can get more when it comes to dividing up the spoils?

It just failed.

Although we are now a step behind the Soviet Federation, we have already reached the empire's doorstep. How could we possibly let the empire go?

This situation is clearly a dead end, no matter how you look at it.

On the game forums, players on Earth discussed the fate of the Empire, with some speculating on its destruction, others on its massacre, and still others on its successful counterattack.
And the other side.

Inside Polaris Corporation.

Shen Qinghan was also discussing this issue with Zhao Ming.

At this time, Polar Star Company had already moved into the completed park, and from the top floor of the new office building, one could see a large part of Donghai City.

Below, you can clearly see several different views of the park.

The [China] zone, the [World War II] zone, and the [World War I] zone and the [Cold War] zone, which are currently under construction, each have different combinations and representative buildings.

Shen Qinghan sat on the sofa with her phone on the table, projecting a virtual screen.

The content on the screen was the Polaris Forum page, filled with various discussion posts from players.

Like the players, Shen Qinghan was unaware of what would happen next.

But Shen Qinghan could ask. Seeing that the forum was full of posts discussing the future of the empire, Shen Qinghan asked curiously:

What will become of the empire in the end?

"To be divided up?"

Zhao Ming turned around from the window and walked back to the sofa by the coffee table, where he sat down.
"Yes."

"Just like in Poland."

"But it will not perish."

Shen Qinghan was somewhat surprised:
"Won't perish?"

"The Empire killed tens of millions of people in the Soviet Union."

"Can this kind of hatred really be suppressed?" Zhao Ming shook his head and asked.
"Then you underestimate Earthlings."

"Hatred is hatred, and interests are interests."

"If the empire is truly destroyed completely."

"Then who should we seek compensation from?"

"Therefore, the empire will not perish, but will simply revert to its previous state."

Shen Qinghan realized:
"So that's it."

People are driven by self-interest, and this is true everywhere.

Then, Shen Qinghan looked at the forum and asked:
"What to do next?"

"With the fall of the empire, World War II should have ended, right?"

"And then came the shadow of the Cold War."

Zhao Ming took a sip of his coffee and said:
"Nope."

"The empire has fallen."

"But Japan will have to fight for a while longer in the Pacific and Asian theaters."

"World War II will not be truly over until the war is over in Japan."

"I'm preparing to hold a press conference."

"We're almost finished with 'World War II: Rise of Empires,' so we should release the sequel, 'The Cold War Shadow,' now."

"I'll also take a look at the [World War I series] and release it together."

Shen Qinghan was somewhat surprised:
"Isn't it a bit too early?"

Zhao Ming shook his head and said:
"not early."

"The World War I series is mainly able to be combined with the shadow of the Cold War."

"After World War II, the main issue between countries was the conflict of interests. The great power rivalry made it clearer to players the sordid conflicts between countries caused by interests."

"And these big figures and big countries abandon all hatred because of their interests."

"It will also make players who participate in the storyline more clear-headed and less likely to be easily fooled."

"And this is the sordid conflict between countries after the end of World War II."

"The players will encounter 'Earth' people who have reached the pinnacle of political maneuvering."

"And in the [World War I series]..."

"These Earthlings, at the 'peak' of power struggles amidst the shadow of the Cold War, were still green teenagers or confused young men, lads who didn't know where the future lay."

"Players can follow in their footsteps and watch how they grow step by step into the 'dragons' in the Cold War Shadow."

Shen Qinghan's eyes lit up after hearing this.

In this case.

It is indeed attractive enough.

If the leaders of those countries were as naive and confused as Zhao Ming said during World War I, they would have grown into rulers who controlled the world in just forty or fifty years.

Such an experience is hard not to want to pursue.

Moreover, the power struggles on 'Earth' are so captivating that many people on this planet are also obsessed with them.

With its contrast between the Cold War era and the World War I series—the characters representing the peak of middle age and the confused youth—both sides will attract many players.

Shen Qinghan asked:
When will it be announced?

Zhao Ming opened his phone, pulled up the game's real-time data, looked at the players' latest timelines, and said:
"almost."

"The Ardennes Offensive is now over, and what follows is a conference among the nations to divide the post-war spoils."

"Let's hold a press conference when the players trigger this storyline."

"According to the timeline of the plot, it should take about a week."

"I'll send out the announcement in a bit."

Shen Qinghan hadn't quite grasped what was happening yet, so she nodded, then realized something was wrong:

"and many more?"

"Dividing up the post-war spoils?"

"It's not over yet?"

"They've already started dividing it up?"

Zhao Ming shrugged and said with a smile:

"That's why I said you underestimate Earthlings."

"They really are capable of doing this."

Then, no longer looking at the astonished Shen Qinghan, Zhao Ming edited the game announcement for the press conference, which included the sequel to World War II, "Cold War Shadows," as well as the "World War I series."

evening.

TianSha Live Streaming Platform, Gaming Section.

In Yu Feng’s live broadcast room.

boom--!
With a deafening explosion, the game screen went dark, then returned to the main menu. Yu Feng rubbed his face and sighed.

"There's no way to fight."

It has reopened three times in just one afternoon.

Whether you randomly end up on the eastern front or the western front, the predicament is the same regardless of which side you fight on.

They were beaten up because of a lack of supplies.

Moreover, on the eastern front, the Soviets have already advanced into the heart of the empire and cannot be stopped.

Yu Feng stretched and said:

"Hey guys, wanna try out the [Huaxia] series of games?"

"This empire is doomed."

"Just wait for the result."

however.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments:
[Hurry to the Polestar website, there's new information!]

[The sequel to World War II is coming soon, so there's no worry about it being boring, but as always, Zhao Benshan is keeping us in suspense.]

The sequel features the Republic faction! Go check it out!

Yu Feng's eyes widened as he watched the scrolling comments:

A sequel to World War II?

"The Republic faction? Are you kidding me?!"

If it's anything else, then forget it.

However, the faction of the "Republic" that remained closed from the beginning to the end of World War II is truly intriguing.

In particular, the "Huaxia" series tells the history before the "Republic".

Thousands of years of history have been so fascinating.

What was the 'republic' like during this period?

Yu Feng immediately opened the Polaris website.

The first thing you see is the game launch announcement and the list of invited players.

I saw this.

Remembering something, Yu Feng quickly opened his game mailbox and, sure enough, there was an invitation:

"Brothers, we can meet in person now."

I felt relieved.

It seems his popularity is still pretty good. Although he received the call last time, this time it was too sudden, and Yu Feng wasn't sure either. Fortunately, he didn't embarrass himself in the live broadcast.

There really was an electronic invitation in my mailbox.

Yu Feng switched back to the official website of Chicken Heart and looked at the announcement:
"Upcoming releases include the World War I series of games, as well as the sequel to World War II: Rise of Empires, Cold War Shadows."

"In the sequel to World War II: Rise of Empires, Cold War Shadows, the Republic faction will be available, and the Republic faction's storyline will be triggered randomly."

"At the press conference, Zhao Ming, the chairman of Polaris, will personally introduce and answer players' questions."

"In person? Are you sure?"

"If we hadn't used a projector to fool people last time, we would have definitely gotten beaten up."

"You said you'd do it in person last time too, didn't you?!"

"Don't believe what that old scoundrel Zhao said!"

After complaining for a while, Yu Feng realized that this guy had also said he would do it personally last time, but he ended up using a projection, which angered the players.

The prank photo circulated for quite some time, then the announcement was released:

"Seven days later?"

"That's soon."

"There's also a cutscene, how come it's only 10 seconds long?"

Yu Feng was a little confused, so he clicked on the CG animation.

Swish!
The pitch-black screen suddenly lit up.

Rivadia Palace

A few words appeared, followed by a dimly lit hall.

The single chandelier cast a dim, yellowish light, illuminating the huge world map in the center of the long table below.

Three figures, their faces indistinct, sat around a long table. The dark figure on the left held a cigar, the smoke rising as he pointed to a part of an empire on a huge world map.

The figure in the middle, sitting in a wheelchair, nodded slightly, then moved his body slightly, seemingly smiling at something, while his hands kept moving, holding a pencil and sketching on the map.

The figure on the right was not clearly visible, but the same heavy military uniform shoulder lines and the shadow of the pipe hanging from his mouth made Yu Feng involuntarily hold his breath.

These three figures can almost all be matched with the corresponding candidates in the minds of Blue Star players.

At this moment, the figure on the right also raised his hand, pointed to a certain place on the empire on the huge map, and looked at the two people next to him.

The two people next to them had no objections, and the corners of the three shadowy figures' mouths were slightly upturned.

hiss--

Yu Feng gasped in surprise; this was quite exciting!

Is this a process of dividing up the world?
However, it's not over yet!
Wow!

Like a silent film, the CG suddenly made a 'whoosh' sound as if a map was being pulled, startling Yu Feng. When he looked again, the center of the map had changed from Europe to Asia.

Is it a "Republic"?!

Yu Feng's eyes widened as he watched the figure on the far right slowly raise his hand and point to a certain place in the [Republic].

Boom!
Tap your finger on the map!
This? ? ?
This sense of pressure made Yu Feng tense, even while watching videos.

The scene suddenly switched.

This time, however, the scene is in color. The surrounding environment is a farmhouse with an earthen house. On the earthen wall hangs a complete map of the Republic.

The map is covered with a dense array of red and blue arrows.

Only one figure, dressed in a faded gray military uniform, stood with his back to the viewer, looking at a map.

The figure, with its back to the camera, holds an unlit cigarette in one hand, as the CG perspective slowly sweeps across the Yangtze and Yellow River basins on the map.

Swish!
The video ends here!

The short ten-second CG sequence was breathtaking.

The last image... is it the Republic?!

How can the Republic break this deadlock?
These questions, along with the CG, appeared in the minds of countless players on Earth, who originally thought that the press conference in 7 days would not take long.

But 7 days feels a bit long now!

Why doesn't Zhao, that old scoundrel, hold a press conference now?
Yu Feng also came to his senses and let out a long sigh of relief:
"have to say."

"Polaris's CG is really well done."

"That's amazing!"

"Great power rivalry, hiss—"

"Just looking at the CG is breathtaking."

"How do we break this deadlock on the side of the Republic, facing the Soviet Union and the Commonwealth of Nations?"

"7 days?"

"It's taking a while."

"I won't be able to sleep tonight."

After watching the CG, Yu Feng's interest was piqued.

So another game was started. A few minutes later.

"Well, they'll die even faster now."

"I'll wait for the sequel, 'Cold War Clouds,' to be released."

a few days later.

Yu Feng was playing the [Huaxia] series when suddenly the chat in the live stream told him to go back and play [World War II: Rise of Empires].

Yu Feng was puzzled:
"Ok?"

"The press conference hasn't started yet?"

"playing what?"

"Is there a new hidden plot?"

"The Yalta Conference?"

"what is that."

Yu Feng clicked into the player forum and saw posts full of leaked information. He clicked on one and was instantly stunned:

"What the hell?"

"The empire hasn't fallen yet, so why are you starting to divide up the spoils?"

"Can't they wait any longer?"

(End of this chapter)