Holy Roman Empire

On July 16, 1880, after ten months of hard work and hundreds of thousands of casualties, the Russian army finally attacked Xmolinsk, and the European world was in an uproar.

This night, European politicians collectively suffered from insomnia.Franz is also one of them. If it was not the exercise of the emperor's career for many years, he could not help holding a meeting overnight.

The geographical location of Smolinsk determined the extraordinary nature of this battle.The Russian army has seized this fortress and has gained strategic initiative.

The balance of war began to tilt, and the Russians, who already had an advantage in national strength, put this advantage even greater.

Leaving a buffer for the evening, the next day, Franz held a high-level government meeting in the Vienna Palace.

To make a correct judgment, we must first figure out the real situation on the battlefield between Russia and Russia.

For many years of emperor career, Franz has not taken the historical data of the previous life seriously, he prefers to speak with facts, and will not make judgments based on personal preferences.

...

Chief of Staff Albrecht: "In order to compete for Smolinsk, the two countries have invested a total of 1.87 million troops, the general army has invested a total of 720,000 troops, and the Russian army has invested a total of 1.15 million troops.

According to the analysis of the data provided by the Military Observer Mission, the preliminary analysis is only in the Smolinsk region. The total number of casualties between the two countries is more than 700,000, of which about one quarter are killed. The exchange ratio of the two Russian and Russian armies is about Around 1: 1.3.

It can be said that both Russia and Russia are doing their utmost for this battle. The war was very tragic, and the fortifications in the Smolinsk region were very perfect. It was completely unexpected for us to suddenly fall behind.

The information in our hands is incomplete and we cannot accurately determine the real cause of Smolinsk ’s fall.Judging from the results of the Russian army, the general army has suffered heavy losses, with more than 120,000 captives alone.

However, there were objections from the military observer mission.The proportion of old and weak among the captives is too high, unlike the main force of the general army, even the second-line troops may not be counted.

We verified with the military observation team sent to the General Army that, half a month ago, the General Army did undergo a major change of defense.It ’s just that it ’s very secretive, and there is no way for members of the mission to get up close.

If the news is true, then the Russians ’gold content of the“ Smolinsk Grand Victory ”will be greatly reduced.

We have not found that the generals have made major moves. No matter whether it is the southern or northern lines, there is no intention to launch an offensive. The true purpose of concentrating the main forces has to be studied."

"The general army deliberately gave up Smolinsk", this inference makes many people incredible, including Franz.

Judging from the situation on the battlefield, the general army did not give up Smolinsk at all.Relying on local fortifications, even after another two or three years, the Russian army may not be able to conquer.

In this context, it is not necessary to give up a large number of cannon fodder troops while giving up strategic importance.

"Inducing the enemy to go deeper" is not that no one thought, the problem is that the price is too tragic.Even cannon fodder with low combat effectiveness is a valuable defense force.

Franz asked: "What are the diplomatic activities of the Berlin government recently?"

There is no doubt that Franz does not doubt that the combined combat power of William I + Maurice is absolutely beyond doubt. It is obviously not a mistake they should make to lose Smolinsk so easily.

Not accidentally, it is purposeful.In addition to "inducing the enemy to go deeper", it is also possible to show the enemy to fight for more diplomatic assistance.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg responded awkwardly: "Your Majesty, since the outbreak of the war, the diplomatic activities of the Federation of Pope have never stopped.

According to information from embassies around the world, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Poppo Federation contacts with politicians of various countries every week, even small and neutral countries like Switzerland."

This answer stunned Franz, saying that good diplomatic activities, how to get here become daily activities.

Every day is in contact with politicians of various countries, who knows whether there are results?

Seemingly aware of the emperor's embarrassment, Weisenberg added: "Oh, by the way, not long ago, the Minister of the Poppo Federation in Ottoman had a close talk with Sudan.

The Berlin government has also improved diplomatic relations with Central Asian countries and the Far East Empire, and it seems that it intends to reorganize the anti-Russian alliance.

There is no definite news yet, and it should be less optimistic.There are a lot of internal problems in these countries, and anti-Russia is not active."

The last time an anti-Russian alliance was able to be formed was mainly due to the British. The Berlin government only followed along with soy sauce.

Today, unlike in the past, the Russian Empire is no longer the main enemy of John Bull. The London government will naturally not continue to spend a lot of money against the Russians.

Diplomacy also comes at a cost, and there are not enough benefits. Why should we let people sell their lives?

Neither the countries of Central Asia nor the Far East Empire have the courage to bite a piece of flesh from a bear, and they are satisfied that they can guarantee their territorial integrity.

In Franz's view, instead of persuading these countries, it is better to send people to lobby the Japanese government for a higher success rate, at least this is adventurous.

Of course, this has little practical significance.The Far East is too remote, even if all are lost, it will not affect the strength of the Russian Empire.

It is the Nordic Federation and the Ottoman Empire that really can help the Berlin government.It is a pity that the former was troubled by the Danes, and the tsar's government made a promise, which could not be pulled at all.

Not to mention the latter, Sudan is busy with internal reforms, and even if it wants to avenge the Russians, it is still overwhelming.

Prime Minister Felix: "If this is the case, the possibility of the Berlin government getting a lot of foreign aid is very small. The British and French can not invest indefinitely, they must consider how to recover costs.

Can we think that Mao Qi reappeared in his old skills, trying to imitate the East Prussia region in the previous war, increase the Russian logistics supply line, and lure the Russians to fight them?"

No one stipulates that the same tactic cannot be used twice. In fact, on the battlefield, no matter what tactic, as long as it is effective, it can be used forever.

If you repeat it without repeating it, will you see the flaws? These are not problems. There will always be only one core-winning the war.

Chief of Staff Albrecht: "This possibility is not ruled out. Strategically, this is a conspiracy.

Even if the tsarist government knew the plan of the Federation of Popper, it was impossible for the Russian army on the front line to stop because of the risks.

But although their plans are good, it is hard to say whether they can be realized.It is impossible for no one in the Russian army to discover the risks that exist in it.

As long as you are cautious, play steady and advance step by step, without leaving the general army with a chance, the situation will be very different."

Speaking of which, Albrecht suddenly chose to shut up."Steady and steady progress, step by step" is simple to say, but it is not simple at all.

There is no shortage of idiots in this world, and there is no shortage of utilitarian masters in the army. Can everyone resist the temptation to send them to the door?

War must serve the overall situation, but on the contrary, localities also affect the whole.As long as there is a problem in one place, the original flawless strategic plan instantly becomes flawed.

Albrecht has no confidence in the execution capabilities of the Russian army.Not to mention the Russians, the military of any country in this era cannot guarantee that all officers have an overall view.

Franz waved his hand: "Stop, this question ends here. If the general army is to lure the enemy deeper, it is also the tsarist government that is the headache now.

Of course, Alexander II may still be celebrating victory.But I think someone will remind him, after all, they have lost once, and they should have learned their lessons.

Now let's discuss how to deal with the next change in Europe."

"Long-term plan", unfortunately this thing no longer exists.The foreign policy of the Vienna government has always been adjusted according to actual needs, and any foreign policy has practical effects.

This time is no exception, because the war between Russia and Russia is full of uncertainty, and a few more plans need to be prepared.

Which set of plans to use depends on the choice of the plan that best meets Austria ’s national interests after the dust is settled.

...

After the "Smolinsk victory", the Russian army did not stop, but took advantage of the victory and pursued the capture of Minsk. The soldiers pointed directly at the Polish capital Warsaw. The Russian-Russian war seemed to become clear.

In the Russian General Command, Marshal Ivanov was staring at the map in a daze, his face could not see the joy of victory.

A middle-aged military officer took a document and walked to Qianhui to report: "Marshal, the 7th Army sent a telegram to urge the logistics."

Ivanov turned around and paused and asked, "Where is the Seventh Army?"

"The 7th Army marched along the Bug River and has now passed Sarnaki and is less than 200 versas from Warsaw." The middle-aged man replied

Sarnaki was found on the map. After a closer look, Ivanov sneered: "It's already a flat Pingchuan, and it's almost coming to Warsaw. The enemy hasn't stopped it yet?"

Before waiting for the middle-aged man to reply, Marshal Ivanov added: "Mao Qi's appetite is really big, and an army is not satisfied with his appetite, is he not afraid of choking to death?"

It is the enemy who knows him best. Mao Qi became famous in the last Russian-Russian war and naturally became the focus of the Russian army.

The information collected by Ivanov has been detailed about where Mao Qi went to kindergarten.This is an exaggeration. Kindergartens are not popular this year.

However, Mao Qi's life, hobbies, and military style were all recorded.Similar information is not only collected by the tsarist government, but also in many European countries.

Knowing more, some people have also developed targeted tactics.The tactics currently adopted by the Russian army actually have the intention of restraining Mao Qi.

Facts have proved that this conservative tactic is really effective.Relying on the strength advantage, even military strategists like Mao Qi are powerless and have no choice but to have the current tactics.

After pondering for a while, Marshal Ivanov said, "Order the Seventh Army to stop advancing, look for favorable terrain to build fortifications, and wait for the arrival of logistics supplies.

Ordered the Sixth Army to march into Lithuania, ordered the Northwest Front to launch a full counterattack, and ordered the Southwest Front to pretend to attack the Warren area ... "

Several orders were issued, but no one entered Warsaw.It was trouble to meet a steady opponent. Even if the generals had opened the portal, Ivanov decided to take down the right-wing enemy first.