Anti-War Game: Starting from Normandy Campaign

....

The other side.

After being temporarily reorganized from a small town in the northwest to support the Battle of Songhu, the security regiment

The broadcaster Li Ran, who was killed in action, started over and once again chose the great northwest. This time, the identity was still a soldier of the security regiment, but the mission was different.

Among the ravines of the Loess Plateau, Li Ran followed the team escorting a packhorse team heading west.

The packhorses carried heavy machine parts on their backs, and the driver frequently shouted, urging the horses to move forward on the rugged mountain road. Li Ran looked at those parts and felt a bit dazed.

Because when he previously entered Shanghai, he happened to encounter that factory relocating.

Now, having started over and returned, the factory equipment that was evacuated during the Battle of Songhu had appeared on the vast Loess Plateau in the great northwest.

With the fall of the eastern coastal areas, the strategic value of the inland depths of the great northwest became prominent.

Initially, there was not much thought about it.

But as in-depth analysis continued, the Blue Star people's online users increasingly appreciated the prowess of Huaxia's ancestors.

The vast land area allowed the peoples living on this land to have an extraordinary margin for error. After the successive fall of the economically developed areas on the eastern coast, North China, and East China,

the Loess Plateau in the Northwest became a strategic rear supporting a prolonged resistance war.

The complex terrain of the Loess Plateau, Qinling Mountains in the northwest inland rendered the Japanese army's mechanized units completely ineffective, greatly limiting their offensive capabilities.

International aid could also reach the Loess Plateau directly through western routes, becoming another lifeline.

The Guanzhong Plain and Hexi Corridor in Gansu were still key grain-producing areas, supplying the daily grain needs of the army and people.

Without the geographic advantage of the northwest region,

the economy and social structure of the 'Republic' might have quickly collapsed within a few years following the Battle of Songhu.

But with the underpinning of the northwest land,

space could be exchanged for time, allowing the vast northwest land to accommodate over a hundred universities and the relocation of hundreds of factories, refugees, troops, and more.

It became a base for material supply, a military buffer zone, and a channel for international aid during the resistance war.

It was these supports that prevented the collapse of the existing social system and structure.

The importance of the northwest might not be evident in peacetime, but it became particularly significant during wartime.

The broadcaster Li Ran, after escorting the factory machinery, stayed in the area to continue observing the changes in the great northwest following the Battle of Songhu.

....

The other side.

The broadcaster Xia Jie, located in the Northeast Region,

was trailing at the end of a 30-man team, trudging with difficulty through the snow at the foot of Changbai Mountain, with white breath forming ice crystals on eyebrows and hair.

The livestream room was very quiet; although there were many viewers, there were hardly any comments.

Some newcomers, not understanding the situation, sent question marks, while veteran viewers in the livestream room explained:

[New friends, the broadcaster is not mute, just conserving energy and can't talk.]

[It will be better when they find a camp, they have just gone through a sweep by the devils, and the situation is very tough.]

As the veteran viewers in the livestream room explained, the new viewers also learned a lot.

In Xia Jie's plot on this side,

they had just experienced the Japanese Army's 'Winter Sweep,' and the team on this side was heavily devastated. From the perspective in the livestream room, it could be seen that the cotton-padded coats on everyone were already in tatters.

Various cuts, bullet holes, and dark brown blood stains covered the cotton coats.

Not long ago, the news of the setback in the Battle of Songhu came through, dealing a significant blow to the resistance fighters persisting in the thick forests of snow and water, compounded by the devils' 'Winter Sweep.'

The originally nearly hundred-strong team was now reduced to just these 30 individuals after intense battles.

Ahead.

Captain Zhao, leading the way, turned around and shouted hoarsely:

"Brothers! Just hold on a little longer!"

"We have a secret base at Pan-for-Gold Valley, there should still be some food stashed there!"

"Hang in there!!!"

In the subzero, -30° icy and snowy environment, those words indeed lifted spirits significantly, as having food meant having a chance to survive.

Yet, after half a day of difficult hiking, when the team finally reached Pan-for-Gold Valley,

the scene before them made everyone's hearts sink.

Most of the village had been burned down, standing in silence, obviously, there was no one left.

They didn't go further into the village,

but instead followed Captain Zhao to the secret base, which was a collapsed mine tunnel, undiscovered by the Japanese Army, but its entrance had already caved in.

The group managed with difficulty to clear the rubble, unearthing half a bag of grain to cook porridge, which finally revived everyone.

After the porridge, thinking of the desolation in Pan-for-Gold Valley, all fell silent.

Inside the half-collapsed mine tunnel, the chilling wind continually blew in from outside. Weathering a Northeast night at minus 30°C was not easy.

The broadcaster Xia Jie could only huddle in the corner, softly narrating the current situation:

"This should be the Republic's most challenging resistance force."

"In the Northeast Region, the winter night temperatures are generally between minus thirty to forty degrees, and winter lasts as long as half a year."

"Under such conditions, the resistance fighters don't even have a stable base."

"They often need to fight and relocate according to the Japanese Army's sweeps, just like my current team."

"In the battles against the Japanese Army during the Winter Sweep, we've been reduced from over a hundred men to 30."

"And once relocation starts,"

"one must use determination to confront nature."

"Today we found the secret base; otherwise, the group would have had to endure a night in the snow."

"At these temperatures, enduring a night outside... everyone would likely turn into ice statues."

"Winter in the Northeast lasts half a year, and since 1931, until the present 1937, the resistance fighters have fought for a full six years."

The new Blue Star viewers in the livestream room all fell silent.

Many people had played the [World War II] game and participated in the [Battle of Moscow] and [Stalingrad] campaigns, experiencing such harsh winter conditions for four or five months.

They considered such situations already quite difficult.

But at this moment.....

A winter at minus 40 degrees Celsius that spans half a year, and they've endured for a full six years.

How have they managed to endure it?

The Blue Star friends in the livestream room pondered this question.

The howling wind outside the cave added an even fiercer chill to this cold, black night, with no one daring to sleep for fear of never waking up again, all gathered around the fire, trying to warm up for a bit longer.

Suddenly.

Someone murmured:

"Captain.... they say over in Songhu by the canals.... we failed?"

Captain Zhao stared at the fire.

The reflection of the flames danced in his eyes. Captain Zhao was silent for a moment, then spoke:

"Not a defeat, a retreat."

"The Central Army and supporting forces from all over the country fought in Shanghai for three months, the whole world saw our resolve, whereas the Japanese's delusional 'three-month plan' failed."

Saying this, Captain Zhao took out a wrapped object from his pocket, carefully opening it to reveal a tattered little booklet.

Everyone curiously observed the captain's treasure.

While Xia Jie and the Blue Star viewers in the livestream room recognized the four characters on the cover of that little booklet.

"On Protracted War"

Under the firelight, Captain Zhao opened the booklet, his hoarse voice resonating:

"The War of Resistance against Japan is a protracted war."

"We do not fear sacrifice, do not fear difficulties, persist in the resistance, and strive for a united front...."

Outside.

The north wind roared.

Inside.

Thirty famished and frozen warriors huddled together, listening as the captain read from "On Protracted War," a flame of hope reignited in many of their eyes.

Suddenly, Xia Jie understood why, in the icy and snowy environment,

the resistance fighters could persist for six years, and perhaps endure even longer in the future because they possessed an unwavering belief.

It was something the Japanese would never comprehend, something burningly intense, even beyond minus forty degrees.

....

Over on the Blue Star player's side, experiencing the 'Republic' in various places from the Huaxia land through the [Awakening Era] DLC,

It's just that the timeline of the [World War I] series is limited to 1939, and as the timeline further opened up beyond 1937, the progress for Blue Star players accelerated considerably.

In the president's office at Polestar Company,

Zhao Ming looked at the backend, noting that in about a week, players would be able to experience all the storylines through 1939.

Then more and more players would complete the experience.

Meanwhile, on the [World War II] side, the Great Power Struggle war was nearly beginning, and the plan was to redirect this batch of [World War I] players to continue experiencing the stories beyond 1939 in [World War II].