The French newspapers were quite consistent in their coverage. The report on this battle was that General Galieni led his troops to defend Epernay, and after consuming the German army's effective strength, he took the initiative to retreat. The Chinese Army launched a large-scale counterattack at night.

It intercepted the German army and formed an advance force to surround it, forcing the German army to flee across the river in embarrassment.

Well, this is another great victory won by the army with the help of its allies. France's allies, the Chinese, stepped forward at the most dangerous moment in Paris, braved the fierce German artillery fire, and launched a tidal counterattack. Although this

It was a planned battle, but the bravery and tenacity displayed by the Chinese were far beyond the imagination of the French and Germans. Without their sacrifices, there would be no counterattack at Epernay and no defense of Paris.

of victory.

Well, no one has noticed the loss of Verdun. Anyway, this war has been fought in France, and most French people do not understand the importance of Verdun. Ordinary people only need to know that France is fighting again

Just win. Well, this time we won with the help of the Chinese. It's that simple.

This is the purpose of French Prime Minister Viviani's private negotiations. It is common for politicians to deceive the people in order to restore the negative influence of the government. In order to bribe the Chinese Expeditionary Force, Viviani appeared on behalf of the French government and spent a lot of money. War

It’s still going on, we need to give the people confidence, which is something that money can’t buy.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force is on the road, and the price offered is not high, 48 tanks, 12 240 howitzers, and 120 of the latest 155 howitzers. There is no need to sign a contract for this kind of thing, Vivianni simply agreed

.

After the agreement was reached, Feng Guozhang, on behalf of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, held a press conference and faced reporters' questions with a serious expression. He answered without blushing or heartbeat: "Yes, this battle was completed under the command of General Nivelle.

The counterattack was a predetermined plan. In order to achieve the counterattack effect, General Nivelle allocated all 400-caliber cannons to our army. Sacrifice is inevitable. Aren't the French soldiers also making sacrifices for their country? This

It is war. For the benefit of the country, soldiers have their duty." "General Gallieni is very good, yes, very good. Under his command, the French army has successfully completed the task of consuming the German army. Everyone, this task is quite important.

At this difficult and critical moment, our army sent five divisions of reinforcements to fight side by side with the French army. This is the glory of our army."

The benefits were obtained. Feng Guozhang, a Chinese bureaucrat, was really good at talking. French Prime Minister Viviani even smiled crookedly.

National confidence has been boosted, and the process of French reinforcements and new troops has gone smoothly, all thanks to the help of the Chinese. Next, it depends on the outcome of the Battle of the Somme. If the strategic goal cannot be achieved,

Someone will always be responsible for the loss of Verdun, someone will always be responsible for the wrong strategy.

As the New Paris Defense Line gradually stabilized, the French army's focus once again shifted to the Battle of the Somme.

The Battle of the Somme in this time and space is almost a replica of a parallel time and space. The difference is that the tanks of the British and French forces are more advanced and more troops are invested. Others are completely nothing new. The seven days of artillery preparations combined the suddenness and tactics of the battle.

Changes were abandoned. Then the infantry went into attack, and the British and French generals continued their rigid tactics and charged in groups.

The entire battle lasted for five months. Both sides continued to increase their troops. The British and French allied forces suffered 300,000 more casualties than in parallel time and space, reaching an astonishing 1.1 million. The German casualties were similar to those in history, reaching 55.

Ten thousand. The number of direct casualties on both sides was as many as 350,000, which was 50,000 more than in parallel time and space.

Therefore, Joffre voluntarily resigned from the post of commander-in-chief of the French army. Nivelle, who performed well in the Battle of Epernay, became Joffre's successor. These are things for later and will not be mentioned for now.

The commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force, Fang Jianxiong, once again rose to a high level of personal prestige due to the outstanding performance of the expeditionary force in France. The glorious results of the expeditionary force were reported in newspapers, which was like giving another strong shot in the arm to the people's hearts, which had been at an extremely low level since the late Qing Dynasty. IV.

On the 15th of May, the Sino-British customs negotiations, with the support of France, the British side reluctantly signed a new agreement, confirming that starting from May 1st, customs affairs in various places will be gradually exchanged with China, and all customs affairs will be transferred to China by the end of the year at the latest.

The handover was completed. As soon as the news came out, the whole country was excited again. After the news of the victory of the expeditionary force came back, the students once again set off a wave of parades and celebrations. Since joining the European War, all the different voices in the country have completely disappeared due to the withdrawal of customs.

During the march, the students shouted slogans such as: Long live the Chinese nation, long live the National Defense Forces, long live Fu Shuai! This caused some people's uneasiness and laid the groundwork for some troubles in the future.

When the people cheered for the expeditionary force in the European battlefield and cheered for the return of the customs, Fang Jianxiong quietly returned to Wuhu. In early April, grass was growing on both sides of the Yangtze River and orioles were flying. As a newly emerging important town in the Yangtze River Basin, Wuhu became the industrial center of the Republic of China in the 16th year of the Republic of China.

The engine of development.

From Wuhu to Ma'anshan and then to Nanjing, there are factories everywhere along the way. After the Beng-Wuzhou Railway was opened to traffic at the beginning of the year, Fang Dashuai's special train crossed the Yangtze River by ferry. This railway, built by Americans, is not yet completed. There is still one building missing.

Wuhu Yangtze River Bridge, because it is a key project, is still under design review. It is expected to start construction at the end of 1918, and the completed bridge will be a dual-purpose railway and highway bridge. Of course, this is what Fang Jianxiong requested. According to the Americans,

"There are strict requirements for the height of the bridge."

What Fang Jianxiong requested was a century-old bridge. The Wuhu Yangtze River Bridge is the first bridge on the Yangtze River and is a model. Once completed, more Yangtze River bridges will be built in Wuhan and Nanjing in the future. Based on these projects, Fang Dashuai is confident

It's quite true. Even though it's easy to make money from war in Europe now, the far-sighted Americans still have to hold their noses and respond to requests.

When the ferry docked, the Wuhu Pier was boiling. Firecrackers were setting off, and gongs and drums were beating like crazy. As the greatest pride of Wuhu people, Fang Jianxiong’s return did not require any effort from the Wuhu city government. The people and wise men of the entire city made it voluntarily.

Come out to greet and welcome this young de facto head of state who has made the people in his hometown live a good life.

Zhang Weifan, Wu Xingzhou and other top leaders of the Wuhu Business Association led a group of Wuhu gentry to wait on the dock.

Since Fang's return to China in 1907, which kicked off the industrial development of Wuhu, private enterprises have been booming. There are more than a dozen fields involved, and there are more than 500 large and small enterprises. It initially occupied an area of ​​200 acres.

The "Wuhu Industrial Zone" can't be smaller. It has now developed into a behemoth. It stretches for more than 30 kilometers along both sides of the Yangtze River, deeply affecting several surrounding counties in Nanling and Wuwei. Moreover, the growth rate is still developing at a high speed.

Among them, Wu Xingzhou's power plant can now generate 2 million kilowatts. This is not enough. Another 1 million kilowatt power plant needs to be built in Ma'anshan to support the third phase of the Ma'anshan project. If Wu Xingzhou

It's a specialized field, but Zhang Weifan is a miscellaneous one. He has been involved in more than a dozen industries over the years, ranging from food, textiles, leather, construction, wood processing, etc. The Wu family has more than fifty factories, large and small.

When Fang Jianxiong stepped off the ferry, a local elderly man from Wuhu was elected and held a big bowl for Marshal Fang to vacuum. After the ceremony, Fang Jianxiong's face was red. Accompanied by the new Wuhu Mayor Li Xinbai,

Waiting for the bus to go to the city government in the new city. The old city has been kept as it is. According to Fang Dashuai's suggestion, the entire old city is now a commercial pedestrian street to preserve the city's tradition to the maximum extent.

The planning of the new city was still under Fang Tong, and American professionals were invited to plan and design it, and construction has continued intermittently to this day. Today, Wuhu has a population of one million and has become an important industrial town in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The new mayor Li Xinbai took over the class of Zhu Xiufeng. He studied in Waseda, Japan in 1905 and was one of the first members of the Tongmenghui.

Together with Wen Wei, he was one of the founders of the Yue Wang Hui.

Because of Marshal Fang, the incompetent Li Xinbai was not appointed as the Civil Affairs Chief of the Wuhu Military Branch Government. However, he still ran a newspaper "Gonghe Daily" in Wuhu, which was very influential in the local area. Zhu Xiufeng left

After the Wuhan Special Economic Zone was established, Li Xinbai was elected by the Wuhu Council to take over as mayor.

In fact, being the mayor of Wuhu is a very easy job. He doesn't have to worry much. Li Xinbai often publishes articles in newspapers and has a style of doing nothing about Wuhu's government affairs. He is known as the literati mayor.

.

In a sense, this mayor is not particularly qualified. But in this day and age, a mayor who does not cause trouble to the people and can ensure the normal operation of government departments is a good mayor. At least that is the case for the people of Wuhu.

You see, Mayor Li can just write articles if he likes, and it’s not a matter of scrapping the ground.

Li Xinbai still has quite good political achievements. He is passionate about education. When he is in power, the municipal finance invests heavily in education. Wuhu's education industry has developed rapidly in recent years. Wannan Medical College, Wuhu Normal University, teachers and students

As many as more than 5,000 people. At the same time, Wuhu Vocational and Technical School, Wuhu Steamship School, Wuhu Polytechnic College, etc. were established.

Accompanied by Li Xinbai, Fang Jianxiong's first stop was not to the Army University or the Wuhu garrison, but to a newly established company, the "Wannan Motor Vehicle Factory."

Don't underestimate this company. It was jointly established by more than 20 local gentry in Wuhu and hired American Steve Jobs as a professional manager. Of course, this Steve Jobs is not that Steve Jobs.

Because of this enterprise, there are more than two dozen supporting enterprises derived from it, such as casting plants, mechanical processing plants, asbestos brake pad factories, rear axle factories, etc. It is also because of this factory that the six-horsepower diesel engine produced by Wuhu Diesel Engine Factory has become
Chapter completed!