The German Eighth Army on the northern front concentrated 2,000 artillery pieces, 2,000 machine guns, and 60,000 soldiers. They forcibly crossed the West Dvina River in the Ixkul area, broke through the defenses of the Russian Twelfth Army on the east bank, and headed toward Rodenboi.

St. and Hinzenberg developed the offensive. Implemented auxiliary assaults on Majorenhof, Berbek, and Riga.

The German army used chemical shells to prepare for heavy artillery fire and launched the attack. They concentrated their superior forces on a narrow front, quickly crossed the West Dvina River and wedged themselves into the Russian defense zone. The Russian army group reserve counter-assault and the first echelon troops

The counterattacks implemented failed to stop the German offensive.

In Ludendorff's battle plan, the offensive on the northern front was the top priority, because the capital of the Russian Empire was Petrograd. Once the Baltic coast of the northern front attack was occupied, the blow to the entire Russian empire would be huge.

At this time, Ludendorff still did not expect that the results of this offensive would far exceed the expectations of the entire German high command. It was not just the northern front that had made progress, but all the German-Austrian forces on the entire front had made amazing progress.

breakthrough.

The Austrian infantry advancing on the southern front seemed to understand this, so their steps were particularly vigorous, and the momentum of their attack was much stronger than the previous one. Coupled with the unremitting bombardment of their own artillery, there seemed to be no one moving on the Russian position.

Even the Russian artillery did not fire at the advancing Austro-Hungarian column like last time.

The battlefield was extremely quiet, with only the little flames left by the artillery fire on the Russian positions still burning silently.

The Austrian infantry continued to advance forward. When they came to the trench where they had been hit hard, everyone appeared cautious. Contrary to their expectations, the Russian trench did not erupt with dense bullets like last time.

.In this strangely calm atmosphere, the Austrian army quickly set up simple steps on the trench, and then crossed the trench one by one.

Compared with the numerous corpses of Austrian soldiers on this side of the trench, the side of the trench next to the Russian trench is obviously much cleaner. After all, only a few Austrian soldiers crossed the trench in the previous attack, and now the ground there is mostly charred.

Smoking bomb crater.

Whether the Russians retreated or had other plans, the answer should lie behind the Russian trenches. The soldiers with anticipation burst into cheers of victory. After crossing the Russian trenches, the infantry saw the fleeing figures of the Russians.

The Russian soldiers began to abandon their cannons and evacuate their positions. However, their legs could not race with the cavalry horses. More and more people were chopped to the ground by the swords of the Austro-Hungarian cavalry. The ferocious cavalry did not take prisoners of war at all.

Thoughts, even if the deserters had raised their hands to surrender, the enemy's saber would chop them down mercilessly. The area around the position suddenly turned into a human area, and the screams of the Imperial Russian soldiers could not be heard.

Just a week ago, this scene was the treatment given to the Austro-Hungarian army by the Russian soldiers. No one would have imagined that the roles changed so quickly and caught people off guard.

Imperial Russia, which alone endured the siege of the Allied Powers, had been gritting its teeth and persevering for three years. The last straw that broke the camel's back came during this full-line offensive by the German-Austrian coalition.

"Is it true that the Russian Empire can't stand it any longer?" Ludendorff, who had determined that the troops on all fronts had reported good news, found Hindenburg, who had been cooperating with him on the Eastern Front for more than a year, full of joy and uncertainty.

asked worriedly.

In just a few days, this offensive can be said to be greater than the battles in the past three years or so combined. Even the front lines of the Austro-Hungarian Empire came with shocking good news. The German-Austrian Allied Forces seemed to be entering.

No one's land.

Compared with the huge progress on the central and southern fronts, the battle on the northern front suddenly became lackluster in comparison, but this is not surprising. The offensive on the northern front threatened the capital of Imperial Russia. The desperate resistance of the Russian army here is understandable.

.

The troops on the central and southern fronts have made huge progress, and the three Russian armies they faced have been defeated.

Hindenburg immediately came to the map, simulated the battlefield situation in his mind, suddenly looked back at Ludendorff and said, "Maybe we have an opportunity to end the war on the Eastern Front, defeat the enemy or strive for an environment favorable to the empire to end the war.

.”

Hindenburg and Ludendorff had always criticized the German Chief of General Staff's strategy of focusing on the Western Front. According to their ideas, after the setback in the border battle in 1914, the main force should be concentrated

, together with the Austro-Hungarian Empire defeating the Russian Empire, this is a good way to solve the two-front war, and the Russian Empire as a whole is surrounded by the Allies, and there is absolutely room for success.

Now that Falkenhayn has mobilized the main forces on the Western Front, it is just to make up for things that should have been done long ago.

"We need troops, as many troops as possible, even Italians. Now anyone wearing a military uniform and walking on the soil of the Russian Empire can further aggravate the collapse of the Russian Empire." Hindenburg became excited and said at the headquarters

He walked around and said, "Report the situation of the battle to Your Majesty immediately!"

The German-Austrian Allied Forces advanced 150 kilometers on the Eastern Front in just a few days. This news shocked the world. The British and French Allied Forces on the Western Front launched attacks on German positions on their own fronts.

, poisonous gas shells were fired at each other as if they were free, and the toxic smoke never dissipated from the positions of both sides. A large number of soldiers had to pay a heavy price because of this unrestrained use of chemical weapons.

But at this time, everything was ignored. At this point in the war, except for the border battle, the Western Front has not been pushed so far in such a short period of time. If the Eastern Front is like the news released by the Germans, it can only mean that

One problem is that the Empire of Russia has shown signs of collapse. Knowing that the Empire of Russia is in danger, Britain and France ignore their mutual intrigues and attack the Allied positions like crazy.

Artillery shells were poured out as if they were free of charge. At the same time, the British Prime Minister and the French President also publicly announced, "The United States of America is about to join the Allied Powers camp!" This kind of propaganda is not only to stabilize the morale of the country's citizens, but also to hope that this good news can

Give a glimmer of confidence to the precarious Emperor.

As if they saw hope of the end of the war, the German troops on the Eastern Front threw themselves into the battle without hesitation. The German Eighth Army on the Northern Front began to bombard Riga. German soldiers wearing helmets braved the firepower of the Russian counterattack and launched an attack.

On October 19th, Riga was captured. Before the German soldiers of the Eighth Army could take a breath, the reserve reinforcements continued to advance directly through the road they opened. On October 20th, the German army had entered Estonia, and again fought here.

The battle between the Imperial Russian Army and Petrograd was shaken. Nicholas II had to consider a question that was very damaging to morale. Should he go to Moscow to escape. To imitate the strong walls and clear fields during Napoleon's invasion?

Grand Duke Nicholas made a decision earlier than Nicholas II. He had ordered the road from the front to Petrograd to be fortified and cleared. Russian soldiers began to destroy the roads and railways from the Baltic Sea region to Petrograd along the way, and notified the local people at the same time.

Residents were evacuated, and the situation in Petrograd was not much better. Rumors spread and residents throughout the city were panicked.

Washington, the British and French ministers in Washington, urged the federal government even twice a day to ask for the specific time to join the war. If the United States of America can now announce to the world that it will join the Allied Powers camp, it can even stimulate the trend of the entire America, and this will officially become the Allied Powers camp.

required.

"The attack of the German-Austrian Allied Forces seems to be a very familiar plan." Looking at the arrows of the German-Austrian Allied Forces' attack on the map of Europe, Sheffield thought about it and finally came up with the Barbarossa Plan in his mind.

The all-out attack of 2.3 million German and Austrian troops, as well as the current retreat of Imperial Russia, are just like that war thirty years later. The door was pushed open, and Jesla's head poked in, "Boss, Edith

Madam, does she want you to eat, or should she bring it to you?"

"Send it over!" Sheffield said without looking back, his eyes not yet looking back from the map on the wall.

Only a few minutes later, Edith Rockefeller walked in with lunch and urged, "What are you looking at? Does your stomach have a special structure?"

"Look at the ghost!" Sheffield gave a very nonsense answer, but it was also a very correct answer. A ghost, the ghost of communism, seemed to be born soon.

"It seems that many newspapers have made the federal government reconsider its decision to enter the war." Edith Rockefeller asked in an interrogating tone, "Does this matter have anything to do with you?"

"Really not this time." Sheffield shook his head, quickly stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth, swallowed it, and said slurredly, "These newspapers will be visited by FBI agents soon. At this time,

, what should not be done? It is too late to join the war, there is no room for regret."

"As you said, the Germans are very powerful." Edith Rockefeller lamented, "Citibank should not have given loans to the British. My brother even regretted it."

"The greatness happened two years ago. The British can find teammates like France and Russia, but the Germans can't." Sheffield put down the plate and said helplessly, "This is the benefit of being a world hegemon. But one thing is true.

, Di’o seems to really be unable to hold on any longer.”

On November 2, 1917, the United States of America officially declared its participation in the war and began preparations for the dispatch of an expeditionary force. This news made the people of Britain and France celebrate, but before they were happy for long, a piece of news like a bolt from the blue shocked everyone.

Stunned, a revolution broke out in Petrograd, Nicholas II announced his abdication, and the Russian Empire ceased to exist.
Chapter completed!