The Return of the King chapter 005

Late at night on November 11, 1918, Lloyd George, Prime Minister of the Empire, where the sun never sets, had just arrived in the Tower City, the capital of Gaul.

There were no passenger planes in the entire era, so they all traveled by boat and train. After a long day of traveling, the nearly sixty-year-old prime minister felt very tired, and just as he finished taking a shower, he was about to rest. At that time, the Prime Minister's guards knocked on his door

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, Chief Secretary Mr. Ayres has something urgent to report to you!"

There was a hint of uneasiness on the guard's face. He knew how unhappy it would be for him to come in and wake up the Prime Minister when he was about to rest. However, the Prime Minister's chief secretary insisted on asking to see the Prime Minister overnight, so the guard did not The only solution was to knock on the door.

Sure enough, Prime Minister Lloyd George got up from the bed with an unhappy look, put on his coat, yawned, looked at the guard coldly, and said:"Take it with you." Let him come in!"

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

The guard secretly wiped his sweat and ran out quickly.

A moment later, Chief Secretary Els hurried in. Prime Minister

George was a little surprised when he saw sweat on the forehead of his Chief Secretary. Eleven In the Iron Tower City during the month, the temperature is only about ten degrees. At night, the temperature drops to about five degrees. At this temperature, the air people exhale will be filled with white mist. Secretary Els can actually sweat profusely. , what on earth made him so nervous?

"What happened, Mr. Ayres?"

Unconsciously, Prime Minister George's voice became serious. He realized that something must have happened, otherwise his chief secretary would not be so embarrassed.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the latest intelligence is coming from the front line, you must take a look!"

Els did not rush to report the situation, but handed a telegram into the hands of Prime Minister George. Prime

Minister George frowned. The code name of the Royal Army was written at the beginning of the telegram. It seemed that it was sent back from the front line. So he immediately thought of the situation on the front line.

Could it be that something happened on the front line?

With this thought, Prime Minister George read the telegram carefully. , and after he finished reading, his face turned livid

"are you sure? The attack of the Scottish Highlanders was repelled and all tanks were lost?"

The Scottish Highland Regiment, as the earliest unit to participate in the British Army during World War I, this unit has always been the ace card of the British Army.

Ayers nodded:"This matter has been confirmed by a message to General John French. After that, not only the Scottish Highland Regiment suffered losses, but also the Oxfordshire Cavalry Regiment supporting them suffered considerable losses. Moreover, the Bastogne area is still in the hands of the Germans!"

Like General Foch, the French marshal, Secretary Ayres's last words stung Prime Minister George's heart.

"Humph, tell French that all the German troops in the Bastogne area must be annihilated before the Iron Tower City Peace Conference is held!"

...

Just when the prime minister of the Empire on which the sun never sets issued an order to seize the Bastogne area, General Hindenburg, the marshal of the Second Empire, also received battle reports from the front line.

This telegram came from the 1st Guards Infantry Regiment. The commander of the infantry regiment reported to him the movements of his regiment. He also told Field Marshal Hindenburg that the 1st Battalion did not carry out the orders of the Army Headquarters and did not follow the 1st Guards Infantry Regiment. An infantry regiment retreated.

After receiving the news, Marshal Hindenburg was a little angry. It is the duty of soldiers to obey orders. Among the well-disciplined German army, disobedience of military orders almost never happened, so he was very dissatisfied with the behavior of Major Mainz.

But soon, the battle report of the First Battalion was also sent to him via telegram. The reason why the First Battalion was obtained was because it was unable to retreat after fighting with the British army. Marshal Hindenburg's anger quickly subsided.

In just one day, the First Battalion had sent him two success reports one after another, which made Marshal Hindenburg dumbfounded.

Although he admired the outstanding performance of the First Battalion very much, this victory had become meaningless when the empire had surrendered and the war was over.

However, the strength displayed by this army in this battle forced Marshal Hindenburg to take it seriously.

If the outcome of the empire is really what the Gauls wanted, and the army organization is reduced by the first officer, then the most elite troops among the generals will inevitably be left behind. The first battalion performed so brilliantly in the last moments of the empire, Then this fire must be preserved, so Marshal Hindenburg personally issued his order to the Bastogne area

"Order your troops to retreat back, retreat to the Rhine area for repairs, and accept reorganization!"

After the stern tone, there were the old marshal's heartfelt words:"The war is over. Children, don't make unnecessary sacrifices. The days ahead are still long. Imperial Army Headquarters, Field Marshal Hindenburg."

After receiving this telegram, Major Mainz looked at the position and battlefield in front of him, and then at his men.

After the order to retreat was given, the 1st Guards Infantry Regiment had already begun to evacuate. After they repulsed After defeating the British attack, the German troops on the left and right wings have all withdrawn. They are currently the only army in the Bastogne area. Under this situation, if they continue to stay here, there is no doubt that they will be heavily surrounded by the enemy. The first battalion has a total of only more than 500 people.

After several fierce battles, there are less than 400 people left. It is of course unrealistic to expect these 400 people to fight against millions of Allied troops, so retreat is no longer possible. It became the only choice before them!

Lin Yu understood that the war was really over. No matter how he fought, the First World War would come to an end. Instead of holding on to the tail of the old era, it was better to move forward bravely. Take a step forward and enter a new era. Moreover, it can be seen from the eyes of the soldiers in front of them that they are eager to return to their motherland and their hometowns. Their families are waiting for them to return home and reunite.

, in the expectant eyes of the soldiers, Lin Yu finally made a decision

"Brothers, let's go home!"

After finishing speaking, Lin Yu walked to the center of the position, pulled up the Iron Cross Black Eagle battle flag that was inserted outside, held the battle flag high, took the lead in singing the national anthem of the Second Empire, and left the battlefield with his head held high.

"Long live the victor's crown, Lord of the Fatherland!"

"Long live my emperor!"

"Feel the glory of being on the throne, the passion is high under the light, you are people's favorite!"

...

On November 20, the 1st Battalion of the 1st Guards Infantry Regiment safely retreated to the Empire and was stationed in the western town of Daleiden.