Holy Roman Empire

One by one shells fell from the sky, and fell into the water with a roaring explosion, which caused a huge wave by the way.

The raft that had just been thrown into the river but had not had time to function, was smashed by the waves.

Seeing what happened before him, Colonel Boardman had no hope for the next attack.

There is no way, the Suez Canal is too narrow.Standing by the river, you can see the opposite side with the naked eye, and any river crossing tool cannot be kept secret.

You must know that the Suez Canal has been regarded as a top strategic place by France and Austria since the opening of navigation. In order to ensure the safety of the canal, the two countries have deployed a large number of artillery along the coast.

Without any accident, the French artillery was deployed in Egypt, and the Austrian artillery was deployed in the Sinai Peninsula.The two countries each occupy one side to protect their own right to speak.

Originally, these artillery and fortresses were used to guard against the British, but I didn't expect that they would eventually hit their former allies.

After the war broke out, in order to occupy the Suez Canal, both France and Austria invested heavily in the fight.

However, the defenses of both sides are abnormal, and no one can complete the landing without destroying the canal.

"To generate electricity for the command headquarters, the enemy was well prepared. The raft we prepared was shelled by the enemy, and the plan to attack the Port of Suez went bankrupt!

In view of the current situation, it is recommended that the headquarters approve the bombing of the Suez Canal and fill in a channel."

Colonel Boardman said helplessly.

This is not the first time he has proposed to blow up the canal. However, the Suez Canal is of great strategic significance, and the technology of dredging these years is not enough.

Once the canal is damaged, even in some areas, it will take a long time to repair it.

In the war years, time is life.Winning a canal that cannot play its strategic significance will never form a strategic advantage over the enemy.

From the battle between the French and Austrian armies, it can also be seen that the artillery battles are returned to the artillery battles, and they are still fighting with closed canals as much as possible.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the shareholders behind the Canal Company.After all, the shares in the Suez Canal have long been divided by the dignitaries of the two countries.

If you don't look at the face of the monk and look at the face of the Buddha, even though it is a war period, you still can't escape the human relationship.Maybe the big bosses in the headquarters are all shareholders of the Canal Company.

Unless it is a last resort, no one can make the determination to destroy the canal.

Relatively speaking, the army is fairly simple.These complex issues are not what Colonel Boardman needs to consider. As a front-line commander, he only needs to consider military issues.

...

Upon receiving a telegram from Colonel Boardman, the wrinkles on Admiral Fislav's forehead became denser.

In order to facilitate colonial expansion, since the opening of the colony, the governors of the colonies appointed by Austria are military attachés, mainly responsible for colonial security and foreign wars.

As the governor of the Middle East, from the outbreak of the war, Admiral Feslav automatically became the commander of the Middle East theater, responsible for capturing the Suez Canal.

Behind the high position and power, there is also heavy pressure.Unlike previous enemies, this time the enemy is the French.

When you open the history book, you will know that in the history of European warfare, the French is a big boss. For most of the time, it is the largest power in Europe, and the French army is recognized as the number one in the world.

In the face of such an enemy, no one can be too careful.

In fact, it is not only Feslav who has such an idea.When the war just broke out, the generals of the Anti-French Alliance were basically a little timid.

But all this is in the past tense. With the outbreak of the war, everyone's awe of the French army quickly faded.

That's right, the French army is really powerful, but there are too few such troops, and more of them are ordinary troops with poor combat effectiveness.

This is the case on the European battlefield, not to mention the Egyptian region.Except for the elite local divisions, the remaining colonial troops are simply not enough.

Because of the obstruction of the canal, although the Middle East theater did not achieve many results, the fraternal forces in East Africa, West Africa, and North Africa are advancing violently.

There is no way, the border between Fao and Austria is too long. Although most areas are blocked by deserts, there are many areas without deserts.

I don’t know how many miles the border stretches. Even if the French government wants to deploy heavy troops for defense, it doesn’t have so many troops to fill it. The defensive task naturally falls on the colonial government.

There is no doubt that on one side are the fiefdom nobles who fight for themselves, and on the other side are the indigenous troops who are working for the French. The combat power and will of both sides are not at the same level.

Victory is always the most morale booster. Admiral Feslav, who was originally worried about whether the French would cross the river, now only thinks about how to fight.

...

In the headquarters, Chief of Staff von Franck smiled and said: "This is already the 36th telegram suggesting that the Suez Canal be blown up, my commander, now is the time to make up your mind."

Admiral Fislav gave him an angry look, rolled his eyes and said, "You think I don't want to, but the impact of blowing up the Suez Canal is too great.

We can't use it ourselves, anyway, the country has been prepared for a long time, and we don't expect it to be used normally during the war.

The problem is that when the Suez Canal was opened for navigation, we issued the Eternal Neutrality Announcement of the canal, which clearly declared that the free navigation of the canal should be guaranteed at all times.

Now because of the war, the canal is temporarily closed, and the country is under very heavy diplomatic pressure.

If it is reported at this time that we have blown up the canal, international public opinion that was beneficial to us will probably be reversed in no time."

Whether you want to admit it or not, war serves politics.As a high-level commander, Admiral Feslav must consider political influence.

Regardless of the closure of the Suez Canal, in fact, neither France nor Austria has publicly announced it, and some of it is just a proposal from the Bound Canal Company.

In theory, the Suez Canal is still freely navigable, and neither France nor Austria can stop it.

Of course, as long as you listen to the roar of gunfire on both sides of the strait, no one would dare to pass the canal at this time.

Dare not and cannot be a completely different concept. Now it is Fao who bears the international pressure together, because the war was provoked by the French, and everyone's resentment was mostly directed at the French.

If the Austrian army blows up the canal, it will be different. It is not the French who cut the way for people and money, but the Austrian government.

It seems that being scolded is just a small problem, but it is a deep analysis.That means that the international credibility that the government has accumulated so much has been directly destroyed.

Loss of international credibility will inevitably affect Austria's re-establishment of international order after the war, and the benefits involved will be great.

Von Franck nodded, agreeing with this explanation, but the following words directly angered Fislav to death.

"This is your question. Who made you the commander? The General Staff is only responsible for making combat plans. The political influence has nothing to do with us."

Looking at the gloating chief of staff, Admiral Feslav only wanted to punch him, but he could only think about it.

Rules are rules. Since the establishment of the Austrian staff system, they have been prohibited from mixing with politics.

If you really want to think about the issue from a political perspective, then you won't be far away.

This is part of the checks and balances of power. It is mainly based on the lessons learned by the former German Staff of Time and Space to seize power in World War I. It is a taboo that cannot be touched.

In fact, Admiral Feslav, the commander, is also restricted from mixing with politics, but his special status determines that he must consider issues politically.

Questions that cannot be determined will naturally be reported.All decisions that might affect the future strategy of the empire were made by the Vienna government.

...

In the evening, rows of rafts were quietly launched into the water, and Colonel Boardman personally came to the front line to make the final mobilization work for the sneak attack.

Looking at the energetic young men, Colonel Boardman ignored that he was full of guilt.

Knowing that there is not much hope, and risking their lives, in a sense, it is murder.

But the war is so cruel, in order to win the final victory, no chance can be let go.

Colonel Boardman's self-blame did not last long, and was soon broken by a voice.

"Colonel, it's time for action. The enemy's searchlight has just been swept away, and we only have fifteen minutes."

With the advent of the power era, it has naturally been applied to the military, such as searchlights on the battlefield.

The width of the Suez Canal is limited, and the light can be directly illuminated on the opposite side, which naturally becomes a weapon to prevent enemy sneak attacks at night.

"attack!"

...