Holy Roman Empire

Franz doesn't like to play intrigues, but his strength doesn't allow it.

For example, now, the calculation of the three countries of Britain, France, and Russia is obviously a conspiracy, and I do n’t know how it has become a conspiracy.

Conspiracy and conspiracy are often only one line away. No one is the strongest, and the best is the best.

What happens if someone tells Nicholas I of Franz's plan?

The answer is: Nothing will happen, Nikolai I will just laugh away.

Between countries, they are originally using each other, and it is normal for each other to calculate something.If you want intimate cooperation, don't be stupid, this simply does not exist.

Mature politicians only look at what their allies have done, and what the result will be, weighing the pros and cons of them to determine the relationship between the two countries, rather than considering what the allies are thinking.

Therefore, the teammates in the pit must have a level. If the level is not enough, the teammates will give them a pit. Do n’t cry. There will be more days to be pitted later!

For example, now that Franz is pitting the Russians, in fact, as long as Austria fulfills its obligations as an ally, that is, Russia ’s strongest ally, Russian-Austrian relations will not be affected.

Even now Franz tells Nicholas I that Austria will send troops to help, the Russians will not have any surprises, but are more likely to be frightened.

As long as you contribute, you will share as many loot as possible. This is the basis of the Russian-Austrian alliance.Once the distribution of benefits is unbalanced, the alliance has no value in existence.

The Russian-Austrian League is an equal covenant and does not have any affiliation.If Austria has fulfilled its allies ’obligations and assumed more obligations, then the final distribution of loot will naturally change.

Now that the war in the Balkans is happening, the Russians do not need Austrian reinforcements, and the tsarist government is not the lord of the gray animals.In order to reduce the casualties of frontline soldiers, it is impossible to exchange profits for profits.

From a strategic point of view, if Austria attacks the Ottoman Empire, the best route for sending troops is exactly the same as the route for the Russians.

This was determined by the logistics. The transportation of strategic materials from the Danube Basin to the Bulgaria from the lower Danube Plain was much stronger than the past from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serbia.

It was not the occupation of the Ottoman Empire that determined the outcome of this war, but whether Constantinople could be conquered.

As long as the Russians occupy Constantinople, the British and French navies can only withdraw from the Black Sea Strait, otherwise the Russians blockade the Bosphorus Strait, and they will become turtles in the urn.

After mastering the sea power of the Black Sea, it is possible to supply logistics by sea. With the national strength of Russia and Austria, it is not a problem to support millions of troops to fight in the Balkan Peninsula.

Unlike now, no matter how hard the Russian army invests in the strength of the Balkan peninsula, it will be at most 450,000, and no more will use the enemy to fight, and the logistics will be delayed.

Changed the Austrian army in the past, this number will be reduced by at least a quarter.

Grey cattle are claimed to be the cheapest army in Europe, for no reason.Their requirements for logistics supply are the lowest among all the powers of the powers.

In modern wars, backward weapons and less artillery also mean less pressure on logistics supplies.

Are the soldiers missing from the Tsarist government?

Hundreds of thousands were lost, and the big ones would add hundreds of thousands.If the Austrian army was involved in the capture of Constantinople, they would not want to monopolize the Black Sea Strait.

National interests are very realistic. Do n’t expect allies to bring their own dry food to come and help. There is no purpose.

The Black Sea is small, and the Russians have long regarded it as a reserved place, but they do not want to share it with Austria.

According to how good the present covenant is, the Russians can get the most benefit. The price paid is only the casualties of a group of gray animals. The most important part of the tsarist government is people.

...

Prime Minister Felix said, "Your Majesty,"

Metternich said: "Your Majesty, the Russian Minister in Vienna visited me yesterday, and they intend to increase their troops to the Balkan Peninsula, hoping that we can provide more war materials.

According to preliminary judgment, the participation of the British and French wars led to the decision of the tsarist government.It seems that they want to increase the pressure on the British and French forces."

Franz thought for a while and said: "The provision of strategic materials is easy to handle. As long as the Russians are willing to give money, they will sell it to them.

Marshal, I want to know how much troops the British, French, and Ottomans can put into the Balkan Peninsula. Will the Russians have the upper hand after the troop increase?"

Field Marshal Radsky replied after thinking about it: "Your Majesty, from a logistical point of view, the total strength of the British-French Ottoman side will not exceed 800,000.

However, with the continuous advancement of the Russian military front, the more troops they can put in. If they decide to fight in the coastal areas, they can invest millions of troops.

However, this is an ideal number, and the strategic materials needed to support so many military operations are also astronomical.

The Ottoman Empire can solve at most two or three layers, and the rest needs to be transported from the British and French natives.

Considering the cost of war, Britain and France are likely to choose to arm the cheap Ottoman cannon fodder with the Russians.Whether the Russians can gain the upper hand after the increase of troops depends on the proportion of the British and French troops.

Strategically, I am not optimistic that the Russians can achieve their goals.Due to the loss of sea power in the Black Sea, the supply of the Russian army mainly depends on the transportation of the Danube.

However, as the front moves forward, the distance required for land transportation is also increasing.

In the decisive battle in Bulgaria, the Russians can invest up to 500,000 troops. If they reach the Istanbul area, the Russians can only invest up to 400,000 troops.

The actual situation may be worse than this. After all, the Ottoman Empire has been operating in the Balkans for hundreds of years. After the Russian army occupied these areas, it was difficult to remove their local influence in a short time.

The Ottomans will definitely organize guerrillas to specifically destroy the supply line of the Russian army and increase the logistics of the Russians.

If it is not possible to make a quick decision, the longer the time delay, the less likely the Russians will win the war."

Franz smiled slightly, which was exactly the result he wanted.The Russians who cannot win the war are good allies of Austria.

Even under the pressure of Britain and France, Russia-Austria relations may go further.Only when there is a solid rear is Austria able to farm with peace of mind.

Now Franz expects Nicholas I ’s determination to make this war last longer.

The czars of all generations have made good examples. The Russians have a saying: "A czar who has not fought the Russian-Turkish war must be not a good czar!"

The Russo-Turkish War usually takes four or five years, basically one generation, and apart from the last Russo-Turkish War, the shortest period is three years, and two times over ten years.

From a military perspective, the Russians are very unlikely to fail.Attack if you win, and defend if you don't.

In the war of attrition, what the Russians cannot afford is financial resources, and what the British and French cannot afford to do is manpower.

If the bear loses hundreds of thousands of young and strong, they can still take out hundreds of thousands more. The nobles will not care about the casualties of the soldiers; if the British and French lose hundreds of thousands of young and strong, we must consider the domestic situation.

As long as the Russians refuse to accept the defeat and are willing to fight for their lives, even if the British and French are so aggressive, there is no way to defeat them completely.

Unless the British and French dare to attack the Russian mainland, from the Baltic Sea all the way to St. Petersburg, no matter how they fight in the Near East, they will not lose their lives.

This also means that if the Russians cannot win the war in a short period of time, the factors that determine the victory or defeat of the war are the test: the Russians' ability to withstand finances and the ability of Britain and France to withstand casualties.

After all, this war is not as serious as the World War, and the three countries of Britain, France, and Russia have not reached the point of life and death. Everyone does not need to work hard.

Franz said indifferently: "Let's mobilize our forces to push one more, the French have already played, but the British Expeditionary Force is still in the country, the stage has been set up, and they cannot be absent from this good show."

John Bull ’s morality is too low. If they are not put on the battlefield, the London government may have to make the same choice as Austria.

Moreover, without letting the British feel the cruelty of the land warfare in advance, how can they be allowed to settle down in the action behind Austria?

...

London

Because the Ottoman Empire was defeated in the Bulgarian battle, the British prepared to send 20,000 troops in symbolic form in advance, which was obviously unable to meet the needs of the war.

In the recent Paris negotiations, Palmerston had to increase the number of British troops sent from 20,000 to 80,000.

The 80,000 army is a small problem for any large army, and it can be put together in ten days and a half months, but it is different for the British.

Their pocket version of the Army has only a total of more than 100,000 people. It is obviously difficult to deploy so many troops at once.

"Mr. Palmerston, why increase the number of troops without authorization, do you know how much trouble this will cause us?" Army Secretary Maximi asked with dissatisfaction.

Palmerston explained with great confidence: "Mr. Maximilian, this is a political need. In the just-concluded General Assembly battle, the Ottoman Empire suffered heavy losses. According to our prior plan, it was no longer able to meet the needs of the war.

To curb the ambitions of the Russians, we must invest more power in the past.

The French agreed to add an additional 120,000 troops, plus the 50,000 troops they had already put on the battlefield, a total of 170,000 troops.In this case, we also had to increase the number of troops.

Moreover, the 20,000 troops on the battlefield are too dangerous. If they are not careful, they may be wiped out.

If it is 80,000 troops, it will be much safer. Do n’t worry about being swallowed by the Russians. Your Army Department does n’t have to worry about it all the time."

After hearing Palmerston's explanation, Maximi's anger was even greater.He admits that compared with the Royal Navy, the British Army is really unable to take action.

But it is too much to despise them.It should be understood that the combat effectiveness of the British Army is not bad, only because the number is too small to be ranked among the powers.

"Mr. Palmerston, are you questioning the combat effectiveness of the Army?" Maximi questioned Palmerston with red eyes.

If you think about these things, it would be too much to openly hit the army.The strength of the British Army was inadequate. That was caused by too little military spending, but it was not that they did not work hard on their own.

Realizing that he had lost his word, Palmerston immediately remedied: "No, Mr. Maximi. On the contrary, I am very optimistic about the combat effectiveness of the Army.

As the so-called ability is greater, the greater the responsibility on the battlefield.If we have too few troops, it is easy for the Russians to take advantage of it."

He didn't believe this, even if the British sent the least troops in the league, when the task of cannon fodder would still fall on the Ottomans, how could the British army take risks?

Maximi sipped: "Humph!"

This episode is over.

Prime Minister John Russell shifted the subject and said: "Mr. Maximilian, our allies can't wait. How long will the Army be ready?"

John Russell despised the performance of the Ottoman Empire.

How to say that was also a great empire that slammed the entire European society. Now it is so easy to be beaten on the ground by the Russians, it is almost to lose the face of the ancestor.

Despise contempt. Now that everyone is an ally, in order to deal with a common enemy, it is still necessary to join forces.It's just that the Ottomans' voice in the league has dropped by two grades again.

Maximi has been waiting for this sentence for a long time, he replied from the side: "His Excellency, let us expand the army!"

This is an embarrassing topic, because the British's center of gravity is tilted towards the navy, which has caused the number of the army to go up.

How many troops are left in the country to maintain a vast colony?

If the 20,000 army is transferred, they can still squeeze out.If the 80,000 army is transferred, the local army will be taken out in one breath.

The homeland is definitely going to leave the army, even if it is to suppress the Irish area, the domestic army cannot be exhausted.

There are not many troops in overseas colonies, and there is no possibility of deployment.Of course there are a lot of colonial troops in the hands of the British, and if they can be recharged, they can be quickly collected.

John Russell rubbed his forehead and asked, "How much are you planning to expand?"

Maximi replied with a smile: "Not many, our Army Department's requirements are not high, as long as it is expanded by 120,000."

Hearing this number, John Russell shook his head and said, "Mr. Maximilian, there is no problem in expanding the 120,000 army, as long as you can persuade Congress."

Maximi's face turned red, and if Congress were to be as simple as that, the number of British troops is no longer so small.

In this era, as the only industrial country among the powers, and the world ’s first colonial power, the British Empire was truly rich and wealthy, and even raising more than 100,000 troops would not be a problem.

Maximi said calmly: "Your Excellency, the army has limited strength and there are too many places to guard. Now the total strength of the army is only 70,000.

It has been very reluctant to mobilize 20,000 troops. If 80,000 troops are mobilized, even if I count all the cleaners in the Ministry of the Army, I can't count them enough."

This is a good opportunity to expand the army, and the Army Department will naturally not give up.Every expansion of the army is accompanied by a large number of benefits, and Maximi will naturally strive for it as much as possible.

"But the expansion of the army by 120,000 at a time is still too much. I can't convince Congress, or the sentence just now: as long as you have the ability to persuade Congress, it will be fine."