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

Chapter 174 [Italy: I'm Neutral!] (5.6k views, regarding compensation for monthly pass bonus chapters)

Han Hao's troops, who were part of the French Empire, were transported by taxi.

In one night, more than 6000 soldiers were transported to the front lines of the battlefield hundreds of kilometers away.

Before the imperial troops arrived, they set up a defensive line near the Marne River.

Meanwhile, the streamers on the Empire side...

Although I knew there was nothing I could do, after all, I was just a common soldier, all I could do was charge forward, and I could only listen to my superiors.

However, due to the previous battles and the advance of the Imperial armies, they have encountered almost no obstacles, and several Imperial forces are currently heading straight for Paris.

Therefore, France set up a defensive line along the Marne River.

The streamers on the Empire side didn't seem to care much.

Because France's fighting strength was indeed not as strong as the Empire's, even if they built a defensive line along the Marne River, they might not be able to withstand the Empire's army.

However.
The situation was not as simple as they thought.

With the arrival of the Imperial forces at the Marne River, a protracted war began between the two sides.

In the early stages of the battle, the Imperial forces were able to gain some advantage due to their superior fighting strength compared to the French.

But they soon realized something was wrong.

These French soldiers were truly tenacious, each one fighting with reckless abandon, completely prepared to perish together with them as they fought to stop them.

Inside Kong Yang's live stream room.

More than a week had passed in reality, and the battles in the game had lasted for half a month.

The match lasted from August to September.

They have yet to break through the lines of the French and British empires on the other side.

at this time.

Kong Yang was lying on the battlefield, pretending to be dead.

Meanwhile, the commanders on the Imperial side were still shouting "For the Empire and the Emperor!" as they rallied their troops to charge, attempting to break through the French lines of fire.

However, in Kong Yang's view, this situation was tantamount to suicide.

But strangely, no one sensed anything was wrong; everyone was simply following the commander's orders.

boom!
boom!
Shells rained down from both sides, and the flying dirt gradually covered the corpses on the battlefield.

On such a battlefield, feigning death is the best option, which is why Kong Yang was able to survive for so long.

Watching the soldiers who charged and died shouting "For the Empire and the Emperor," Kong Yang inexplicably felt that these people had died unjustly.

Soldiers from all countries during World War II at least knew why they were fighting.

The soldiers of World War I, under the foolish command of their commanders, were killed by the enemy while shouting slogans without any rhyme or reason.

The resilience of the French players also surprised the players on Earth.

Watch the plot videos circulating online.

Those French soldiers carried the expectations of the people of Paris, which is why they fought so recklessly.

But this posed a significant challenge for the empire.

Because the stalemate at the Marne River prevented a quick resolution to the French Empire's problems.

The fighting on the eastern front is about to begin.

If war breaks out with the Russian Empire, the western front must be halted, and some troops must be diverted to support the eastern front.

Because the Russian Empire was vast and rich in resources, not to mention its military strength.

The Schlieffen Plan was a gamble on timing, aiming to defeat the French Empire before the Russian Empire could mobilize its forces, and then transfer troops from the western front to the eastern front to fight the Russian Empire.

but now
This plan may fail.

The battle lasted a day.

The two sides gradually stopped as it got dark. Kong Yang took advantage of the darkness and poor visibility to get up and mingle with the surviving soldiers before returning to the camp for a meal.

The main idea is to lie down on the battlefield and eat when you get off the battlefield.

In the camp.

While Kong Yang was eating, the troops suddenly received orders to retreat.

They retreated towards the Verdun region.

Although the imperial soldiers were somewhat puzzled, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, since they no longer had to fight to the death.

Meanwhile, Kong Yang was in the live stream room.

Open the 'real-time map' on the Polaris website and look at the current battlefield situation; something is amiss.

In less than two days, the Imperial 1st and 2nd Legions, located near Paris, were pushed back by French forces.

Furthermore, the Anglo-French allied forces that had crossed the river slipped through the gaps and were about to form an encirclement.

It's no wonder the empire issued an order to retreat.

Meanwhile, he was in the far east, in the Imperial 5th Legion, so he was unaware of the situation in the west.

However, they need to retreat to Verdun.
Kong Yang's heart skipped a beat; the significance of Verdun was self-evident.

After all, it's clearly shown in the CG.

This retreat by the empire plunged it into a protracted war of attrition.

Despite Paris being so close, the other side seized the opportunity and created an encirclement.

If you don't want a refund.

That is the situation where the Imperial 1st and 2nd Armies were completely annihilated.

The battle situation in the Marne River has been captured from all angles across the internet during this period, based on footage from various live streams captured by the Photon supercomputer, with duplicates removed.

According to current statistics, the Empire has suffered nearly 20 casualties, while the Anglo-French allied forces have suffered more than 25 casualties.

Under such circumstances, the Empire could not afford the loss of its 1st and 2nd Armies being surrounded and annihilated.

But little did they know, this withdrawal would lead to...

The death toll on both sides in the Verdun region alone will far exceed the casualties mentioned above.

As the Imperial forces began their retreat.

The Anglo-French allied forces caught their breath, but the Empire wasn't entirely idle either.

After failing to cross the Marne River, the Imperial troops that retreated to the Aisne River and Verdun line also began digging trenches.

The reason the Empire couldn't conquer it for so long was because the Anglo-French forces dug trenches and used machine guns and barbed wire.

Every charge by the Imperial soldiers turned into a one-sided massacre; the Imperial soldiers were torn apart by crossfire as soon as they charged out.

Before the bugle call to charge had even faded, the corpses had already piled up like mountains.

And this time.

They became the defensive side, and thus became the empire.

In September 1914, France was shrouded in continuous rain.

On the muddy ground, imperial soldiers wielded shovels, digging trenches and using the terrain to construct defensive fortifications.

The pursuing Anglo-French forces were not to be outdone.

Both sides dug trenches a few hundred meters apart, but when the Anglo-French allied forces tried to break through the empire's lines and drive it out of France...

They discovered the predicament the empire had previously encountered.

The combination of trenches, machine guns, barbed wire, field artillery, and other weapons allowed the Empire to easily slaughter the British and French soldiers from their high ground.

The British and French commanders, who initially paid little attention, finally couldn't hold out after attacking for half a month.

Too many people died.

The problem has become unbearable, so we can only wage a war of attrition.

No one dared to charge into the opposite trench.

But this stalemate couldn't continue, so the trench warfare turned into a battle of wits.

What started as simple tunnels gradually evolved into a complex trench system.

Main trenches, secondary trenches, communication trenches, machine gun positions, sniper positions, observation posts, and barbed wire were laid out over a large area, and landmines and traps were also scattered around the dense trenches.

Originally simple trenches.

Through continuous renovations, it gradually became the soldiers' home, complete with all the functions needed to fight the enemy.

But the soldiers still had to sleep in the mud, keeping company with rats.

Both sides dug trenches in tacit agreement, launching attacks from time to time, all in an effort to gain a few hundred meters of advance.

The empire wanted to drain the blood of France, but it was completely unaware that it was also deeply mired in it.
the other side.

The Russian Empire.

Baku

The anchor, Huang Yong, was enjoying a large meal in his office.

As a nobleman of the Russian Empire and the highest-ranking official in the region, Huang Yong enjoyed extraordinary privileges.

Besides being able to uncover a lot of hidden information, it also allowed me to experience the life of a noble lord in the game, occasionally commanding troops to arrest traitors and such – it couldn't be more enjoyable.

In the live broadcast room, many people asked Huang Yong how the selection was made.

Why did the exact same selection method used by him result in the officer being chosen from Baku's side?
Huang Yong was also unaware of this, and could only reply:

"It should be random."

“Look at those who chose businessmen, there are tons of them with assets in the tens of millions, but not everyone’s identity is the same. Their businesses, identities, and names are all unique.”

The viewers in the live stream were also helpless.

After all, they had tried before, but they had never managed to get a car with a high-ranking official like Huang Yong.

At this time.

Some questions appeared in the live chat.

[Host, are there any secrets hidden in the Russian Empire? Give us a scoop!]

[Yes, yes, preferably royalty!]

[The yellow kind? Oops—something's not right with you upstairs!]

[The Royal Family! The Royal Family!!!]

[By the way, is there anything about Italy? I see they're still not doing anything. Aren't they an alliance?]

[Really? Could Italy be planning to defect like they did during World War II?]

Huang Yong looked at the comments with a strange expression:
"Royal? Yellow?"

"It really does."

Upon hearing this, the live stream chat was flooded with question marks.

Huang Yong chuckled:
"Actually, it's not really yellow."

"It's about marriage alliances between different countries in Europe."

"for example."

"The current British Emperor George V and the Imperial Emperor are cousins; the British Emperor's mother is the Imperial Emperor's cousin."

"And there's Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who was a cousin of King George V of Great Britain. Their mothers were both princesses from the Kingdom of Denmark."

"Furthermore, the Imperial Emperor was Tsar Nicholas II's cousin, because the Imperial Emperor's grandmother was Tsar Nicholas II's great-grandmother's sister."

The viewers in the live stream were stunned by Huang Yong's revelation.

Wait a minute, things are getting a bit messy.

[Is the Emperor of Russia a cousin of both King George V and Tsar Nicholas II, and also a cousin of Tsar Nicholas II? And is King George V a cousin of Tsar Nicholas II?]

What the hell is all this?!

Good heavens, is this some kind of family feud in Europe?

Seeing the bewildered comments on the screen, Huang Yong chuckled:

"Yes, that's it."

"In fact, all the countries involved in World War I were related in some way."

"We need to go back several generations to calculate."

"In the last century, Queen Victoria tied her nine children to royal families of various countries through marriage."

"Not only did they have empires, the Russian Empire, and the Kingdom of Spain, but they also intermarried with countries like Norway and Greece, forming a vast network of relatives." "So..."

"World War I was essentially a chaotic free-for-all among relatives."

This explanation drew enthusiastic responses from viewers in the live stream.

Then Huang Yong looked at the comments and continued:

"About Italy."

"I do know a little about that."

"There has been no movement so far because Italy has refused to send troops."

As Huang Yong spoke, comments flooded the live stream chat.

We all know Italy refused to send troops, but what's the inside story?

[Without a doubt, Italy will definitely switch sides.]

[Surely not, aren't they allies? Betraying them would be universally condemned.]

[To be able to be reviled by thousands means one is still alive. Didn't you see the Austro-Hungarian Empire and other great powers disappear during World War II?]

Looking at the comments in the live stream, Huang Yong spoke up:
"I do have some information, but I'm not sure if it will be useful."

As he spoke, Huang Hao instructed someone to clear the table, and then went to his office to find a map marked with many outlines.

Placing the map on the table, Huang Hao began to speak:
“Look at this map.”

"Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kingdom of Italy."

"These three countries are stacked together."

"But between the Empire and the Kingdom of Italy, there was the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

"It is well known that countries with adjacent territories will have some border issues to some extent."

"That's how it was with the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

Huang Yong pointed to the border between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire and said:

"Because of the relationship between national strength and territory, Italy has always been at a disadvantage in border territorial issues."

"There are many disputed areas between Austria-Hungary and Austria-Hungary."

"However, the Kingdom of Italy could not defeat the Austro-Hungarian Empire and also faced pressure from the Entente Powers, so joining the Central Powers was inevitable."

"However, now with the Austro-Hungarian Empire's invasion of Serbia..."

"The Russian Empire declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the two sides fighting was naturally what the Kingdom of Italy wanted to see."

"So when the Empire declared war on the Russian Empire and the French Empire as allies."

"The Kingdom of Italy, which did not want to get involved, refused to send troops and declared neutrality, citing that 'the alliance only applies to defensive wars'."

"Although we have not yet withdrawn from the Alliance."

"But because of its declaration of neutrality, France did not want any additional pressure, so it naturally did not interfere with the Kingdom of Italy."

"Meanwhile, due to pressure from the Russian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had no time to deal with the Kingdom of Italy."

"So right now, the Kingdom of Italy is just watching the show while holding the title of an allied nation."

"I just don't know if they'll switch sides later."

"After all, during World War II, the Italians jumped with such decisiveness and efficiency."

Huang Yong joked about it.

But in fact.

Italy actually did jump the gun later. As for why the Empire still dared to continue cooperating with the Kingdom of Italy during World War II...

Perhaps they overestimated the limits of the Kingdom of Italy.

After all, the defection during World War I was, from the perspective of various countries, due to the long-standing border territorial dispute between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

That's what made Italy decisively switch sides.

Since the Empire and the Kingdom of Italy did not share a border, from the Empire's perspective during World War II, there was no conflict between the two sides, so how could there be any talk of defection?

But who would have thought?

Who says you can't covet your teammates' land just because there's no conflict?
Huang Yong was talking to the live streamer about the information he had gathered.

As for the details
There's nothing we can do about that. After all, even though he's a high-ranking nobleman, he can't find out everything.

dong dong dong-

A knock sounded at the door, and Huang Yong looked towards the entrance:

"Enter."

The adjutant pushed open the door and walked in, carrying a stack of documents:
"Sir."

"We need your signature to confirm whether those serious criminals we arrested previously will be exiled or not."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yong waved his hand:

"Exile, exile."

"Throw them all into Siberia."

The adjutant nodded upon seeing this:
"Yes."

As the order was given, the prisoners were identified one by one.

They were escorted to Siberia wearing handcuffs and shackles.

At this point, the situation on the World War I side stabilized and began to devolve into a protracted war of attrition.

the other side.

In the sequel section, "Cold War Shadows," various streamers are also playing it with great enthusiasm.

In Yu Feng’s live broadcast room.

Currently, he serves as the editor-in-chief of a U.S. federal newspaper, collecting news from all over the world.

Given his status as a military officer, his movements were restricted.

So after World War II ended, Yu Feng, who entered the sequel, still chose to change his identity, and the identity of newspaper editor-in-chief was much more convenient.

Not only do they have reports from branches all over the world.

We could also contact other newspapers to exchange information, and we actually managed to get quite a bit of information during this period.

It relates to World War I, World War II, the Soviet Union, and the United States, etc.

Yu Feng is currently categorizing the collected data.

At this time.

Fang Ming sent a link to the communication, which surprised Yu Feng. He answered the voice call:

"what's the situation?"

"What are your instructions, General Fang?"

Fang Ming sounded melancholy:
"What's the point of being a general? The whole army has been wiped out."

"【Huaxia】is too difficult, I need to take a break. How far have you gotten in the sequel? Just team up with someone."

Yu Feng spoke up:
"I'm just playing normally, you can go into the game first."

"Let's form a team."

Yu Feng then sent the team-up link to Fang Ming.

soon.

Fang Ming then joined the team.

Yu Feng said with a smile:

"How did they get wiped out?"

"The tactics learned in World War II are no longer effective?"

Fang Ming spoke in a tone as if he had seen a ghost:
"Don't mention it."

"The tactical theories of World War II did play a role."

"But damn it, the ancient people of [China] learned it even faster."

"I only used it a few times, but the 'Han Xin' on the Han army side had already learned it almost perfectly, and he was even better at blitzkrieg than I was."

"I was even thinking of using a cavalry blitzkrieg to sweep across the world."

"In the end, they didn't even get out of the door, and were beaten down by the NPCs in Liu Bang's camp."

"Xiang Yu, who is with me, is also a stubborn mule."

"If you can't beat them, just run away."

"I won't run."

"Liu Bang and his men cornered us on the riverbank."

Guess what happened?

Yu Feng asked curiously:
"How about it?"

Fang Ming complained, finding it hard to understand:

"This guy would rather commit suicide."

"Why don't you just cross the river and go back? You can go back and find some men to fight your way back."

"When I first saw the various storylines, I thought he was pretty tough."

"But at the crucial moment, he pulled a suicidal move."

"I'm furious."

Yu Feng also didn't quite understand:

"Ah this."

"how about you?"

Fang Ming sighed:

"Liu Bang's side announced that whoever found Xiang Yu's body would be rewarded."

"After Xiang Yu's body was dismembered, they saw that I was still alive, and a group of people rushed over and chopped me up."

hiss--

Yu Feng gasped:
"Chop it raw?"

Fang Ming said irritably:

"Of course we can't just chop it raw; there was no anesthetic in ancient times."

"Luckily, the first blow hit my head, so it was relatively quick."

After making his comments, Fang Ming looked at the interface layout of the sequel, "Cold War Clouds," nodded, and then asked:
"Just like World War II, let's just start right away."

Which federation did you choose?

Yu Feng nodded and said:

"Yes."

"Just start it, the gameplay is similar to World War II."

"I chose the American Free Federation."

Fang Ming spoke up:
"Then I'll try the Soviet Federation."

"Let's see what kind of relationship we can have together."

talking.

Fang Ming chose the Soviet Federation.

Since it was a custom storyline, there was no need to think too much about it, so Yu Feng clicked "Start".

Subsequently
The screen went dark, but didn't light up immediately.

Yu Feng noticed something was wrong:
"Ok?"

"Hidden plot triggered?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a bird's-eye view descended from the sky, showing the outline of the continent and its terrain below. Yu Feng's eyes widened:
"[Republic]?!"

(Tomorrow's Republic storyline will be a compensation for the monthly pass bonus chapter (the chapter will be free), and the prizes for the monthly pass lottery will also be upgraded.)
（125名的3等奖：20元代金券，提升到40元，25名的2等奖50元代金券，提升到70元，也当做对月票番外疏忽的补偿。）
(You can join the group so it's easier to claim the voucher if you win.)
　"I've used all my strength, so why are these higher-dimensional beings still alive!"

　　
　
(End of this chapter)