Chapter 408: The Pawn’s Helplessness

  Chapter 398: The Pawn’s Helplessness

The result of the Battle of East Prussia caused Europe to lose its collective voice. This result is too difficult to accept, no one expected Prussia actually came to reverse the attack.

Many mouthpiece experts also head to head analysis, that the front of East Prussia lost, is the Prussians in the enticement of the enemy.

Stepping on the shoulders of the Russians, the Kingdom of Prussia became famous in one battle. Even the commander-in-chief Mauch became famous overnight and became one of the most powerful generals of our time.

Mauch, as the man in question, didn’t dare to claim the credit. He could swear to God that there was absolutely no intention of abandoning East Prussia.

Do you really think that recapturing the East Prussia region will be enough? Look at how many people are left in the area and you’ll know how serious the problem is.

After recapturing the East Prussia region, the counted population was actually less than eighty thousand. You have to know that before the war there were more than a million people, even if there are still tens of thousands of people in the army, it adds up to more than 100,000 people.

The remaining 800,000 to 900,000 people were reimbursed in this war. Whether they died in battle or went to the Austrian colonies, for the Kingdom of Prussia, these populations were lost.

Did the Kingdom of Prussia now dare to ask Austria for people? Presumably the Vienna government was still wondering whether to come over and claim Silesia.

Isn’t it asking for trouble to send it to the door at this time?

The Berlin government doesn’t want to throw out the Silesia region. Austria has already broken the original agreement by supporting the Russians in the war.

But the great powers, as we all know – the skin is usually thicker. Unless the Kingdom of Prussia produced evidence, the Vienna government would never admit to having supported the Russians.

As for why there were so many Austrian equipment in the Russian army?

It’s common knowledge all over the world that Russian and Austrian equipment came from the same source. It’s only normal for Austrian equipment to appear, it’s only a problem if it doesn’t.

These are produced by the Russians themselves, the Russian Empire is the dominant power in Europe, how can it be that they can’t even manage to get their hands on the regional weapons and equipment?

The fact that the markings of Austrian companies appeared on strategic goods was even less noteworthy. It was all copied by the Russians, and the knockoffs were of course the same.

Those who do not believe can go to the Russian Empire to check, the tsarist government is still very good to talk, at most, will be sent to Siberia to plant potatoes.

Evidence? It is best not to take out the good, the lid uncovered everyone’s face is not good, it is better to keep silent together tacitly.

When the agreement and did not fall on paper, are verbal commitment, as nothing happened is not quite good?

Then, the soldiers from the East Prussian region did not agree.

They had lost their families and were now missing in action. Whether they were clicked by the Russians, or they were fooled into running away, there has to be a clear answer ah?

This rumor that the East Prussian region had been voluntarily abandoned was even more intolerable to everyone. Then the mutiny took place, and tens of thousands of troops demanded an explanation from the Berlin government.

Mauch, the commander-in-chief, became even more of a sinner in the eyes of many. If not for the military top management are clear, the loss of East Prussia is just an accident, William I was ready to let Mauch as a scapegoat.

Now certainly can not do that, will let the people under the cold heart.

Of course, this suspicion could not be eliminated until the matter was clearly explained. The black pot still falls on Mauch as the commander-in-chief, but the responsibility will not be pursued.

William I is a smart man, cross the river, remove the bridge, unloading the donkey, that must also cross the river, grind the surface finished, only then will do it.

The end of the Russo-Prussian War is only temporary, it is only the coming winter war can not go on, wait for the next year there is a test waiting for them, this time the military is never offended.

Besides, if William I can’t see such an obvious provocation, how can he still be king?

Berlin government made the first time to explain, to ensure that there is no intentional abandonment of the East Prussia region, but also published for the defense of the East Prussia region deployed strategic plan.

The generals who were responsible for defending the coastal region at the time, took full responsibility for the loss of East Prussia and were court-martialed.

Then the news of the people of East Prussia taking refuge in the Austrian colonies was publicized, and religious figures were brought out to testify that most of them were still alive.

William I made a promise that when the war was over, the government would pay to bring them back from overseas.

Noble officers were also doing ideological work for the soldiers: it was now a time of war, and the East Prussia region might fall into battle again at any time, so for the sake of the people’s safety, it was better to let them take refuge overseas first.

The mutiny came and went quickly, and while pacifying the troops, they did not forget to direct their hatred towards the Russians.

Numerous religious figures and the people who did not evacuate were all witnesses that it was entirely because of the Russians’ perverse behavior that people could not live any longer and ran to seek refuge overseas.

William I’s heart was tired, having pacified the soldiers, he had to pacify the nobility. The Junker nobles in East Prussia also suffered heavy losses, which were sacrificed for the country, and surely had to be compensated after the war.

This is not all, the war is to die, behind the brilliant results of the war, there are a large number of Prussian soldiers fell forever.

Berlin Palace, looking at the increasing number of deaths, William I’s heart is dripping blood.

That’s right, the Battle of East Prussia they are a great victory, not only recovered the East Prussia region, occupied the Lithuanian region, but also the attack on Poland’s Russian army back, and even occupied part of the Belarusian region.

Of course, it wasn’t that the Prussian army was really so awesome that they could defeat the Russians in an autumn storm.

In fact, all these territories were ceded by the Russians themselves. There is a saying: the amount of territory that can be occupied on the battlefield depends on how much the enemy is willing to give up.

The main force of the Russian army was severely wounded, the military disorganized all the way to rout, the Prussian army is naturally to follow behind to receive the territory on the line.

If you really fight all the way, how can you break through two to three hundred kilometers in half a month? This is not the era of blitzkrieg, rely on two-legged marching war, want to fast can not be fast up.

The results of the battle were brilliant, but the losses were also horrific. Behind the victory the Prussian army also paid a terrible price, the entire East Prussia battle of Prussia Prussian army losses of up to 142,000 people.

Among them, 74,000 were killed in battle, 38,000 were disabled by wounds, 3,216 died of diseases and accidents, and 27,000 were wounded who needed long-term recuperation.

This is not all, from the outbreak of the war to the present time, the total loss of the Prussian army has exceeded 280,000 men.

In addition to the military losses, civilian losses were even greater, and the Russian naval raids on the coast took a considerable toll on them. If you count the Austrians who took advantage of the fire, the total number was approaching a million.

Of course counting the newly occupied areas, the total population still increased. These new people, however, were not so identified with the Kingdom of Prussia.

But Wilhelm I was confident that there was no harm in comparison. With the Tsarist government as a reference point, he was sure that the population would make the right choice.

With a decade or two of assimilation, these new people would be the cornerstone of the Kingdom of Prussia again, and the old patriarchs had already set an example in this regard.

The most critical issue now was to expand the war and end it; the Kingdom of Prussia was too small and had to expand.

Since the Russians had already been offended, there was no harm in offending them more deeply. The best choice was to dig as many pieces of meat from the Russians as possible and use it to grow the Kingdom of Prussia.

As long as they were strong enough, it didn’t matter if the Russians wanted to retaliate. The Kingdom of Prussia has never been afraid of war, even in the face of the Russians.

……

“Your Majesty, winter has already set in and it is impossible to continue the war now, so I suggest abandoning the Lithuanian region for now and withdrawing our troops back to the East Prussia region for defense.”

Prime Minister Frank’s words interrupted William I’s unrestrained thoughts and pulled him back to reality.

“And the reason? You should know what abandoning the Lithuanian region would mean politically?”

Militarily, the defense of the East Prussian region was of course the best option, with direct access to the domestic railroads for transporting supplies.

Defending the Lithuanian region would be different, the supply line directly increased by more than two hundred kilometers, and there was no railroad connection to the country, the logistical pressure would be greatly increased.

But politically, the occupation of the Lithuanian region marks the Kingdom of Prussia in this war has the upper hand. Not only can it inspire military morale, but it also allows the gold masters behind it to increase their investment.

In William I’s opinion, the winter in Lithuania was not too cold, and the Prussian army could withstand it. There are also rivers in the territory can reduce the logistical pressure, holding the Lithuanian region is not a big problem.

Prime Minister Frank said cautiously, “The war has come to this point, we also need to consider the aftermath. Why don’t we take the good with the good and negotiate with the Russians to preserve the fruits of our victory.

If we occupy the Lithuanian region, the Tsarist government will not negotiate with us. Even if it’s to save face, they won’t make an armistice at this time.”

It wasn’t just about face, it was also about Alexander II’s personal prestige. Losing the war and coming to the negotiating table this was not something he could tolerate.

If he really lost the battle and had no chance of turning the tide, then it didn’t matter what prestige, if he didn’t want to admit defeat, he still had to admit defeat.

But the Russians did not really lose the war, just lost a battle.

Prime Minister Frank obviously did not want to fight the Russians to the death, and intended to use this opportunity to see the end. The annexation of Russian territory was never part of his plans.

William I replied with a bitter smile, ”Prime Minister, the war has come to this point, if we don’t have enough gains, what are we going to explain to the country?

Besides, the British aid is not a good thing to take. The London government’s support for our annexation of the Baltic region is not just support.

If we can’t do it, then without the support of the British behind us, what should we do in the future?

From the moment the military started this war, we were just a pawn, not a flag bearer. A pawn cannot lose its value, or it will become a discard.”

Fighting the Russians to the bitter end was not what William I wanted. Reality, however, told him that he had to fight the Russians to the end.

The victory in the Battle of East Prussia strengthened the resolve of the main war party, and the power of the radical groups, who wanted to seize the benefits of the war, increased dramatically.

A mere Danish kingdom could not satisfy their appetite. Moreover, the Kingdom of Prussia did not dare to annex the whole Kingdom of Denmark, and at most it would cut off a piece of land.

As the war went on, the Kingdom of Prussia was already heavily in debt, and the gold masters would not let them stop.

Now not only did the British need them to fight the Russians to the death, but the French and Austrians also needed them to continue to weaken the Russians. If they couldn’t do that, then the Kingdom of Prussia had no business being there.

Prime Minister Frank was unaware of this and that was because from the beginning he was anti-war and the countries did not engage with him.

After the war broke out, the military took over, the government was just playing along, and he, the Prime Minister, was marginalized.

He was not ousted, that is because William I did not want to see the military dominate, even if he kept Frank to occupy the position, he was not willing to give the prime ministership to the military.

Hearing this news, Prime Minister Frank’s face was ashen, and he left the palace in a state of disbelief.

(End of chapter)