Chapter 703: Each Showing Their Godly Skills
Chapter 687: Each Showing Their Expertise
On July 16, 1880, after ten months of bitter fighting and hundreds of thousands of casualties, the Russian army finally captured Smolensk, and the European world was in an uproar.
It was a night when European politicians collectively lost sleep. Franz was one of them, and if he had not been tempered by his many years as emperor, he could not help but call a meeting overnight.
The geographical location of Smolensk determined the extraordinary nature of the battle. By capturing the fortress, the Russians had gained the strategic initiative.
The scales of the war began to tilt, and the Russians, who already had the advantage of national strength, put that advantage even greater.
Leaving a buffer of one night’s time, the following day Franz called a meeting of the high government at the Vienna Palace.
To make a sound judgment, it was necessary to first find out what was really happening on the Prussian-Russian battlefield.
Years of the emperor’s career, Franz has not taken the historical information of the previous life as a matter of fact, he prefers to use the facts to speak, will not be based on personal preferences to make judgments as a matter of course.
……
Chief of Staff Albrecht: “The total number of troops invested by Prussia and Russia before and after the battle for Smolensk was as high as 1,870,000, with the Prussian army investing a total of 720,000 troops and the Russian army investing a total of 1,150,000 troops.
According to the analysis of the information provided by the military observer mission, the preliminary analysis of the Smolensk region alone, the total casualties of Prussia and Russia exceeded 700,000, of which the number of killed in action accounted for about a quarter of the total number of casualties, and the exchange ratio between the Prussian and Russian armies was about 1:1.3 or so.
It can be said that Prussia and Russia in order to this battle are doing their best, the war played a very tragic, Smolensk region fortifications are very perfect, the sudden loss of defense completely out of our expectations.
The information in our hands is incomplete and we cannot accurately determine the real reason for the loss of Smolensk. Judging from the results of the Russian battle, the Prussian army has suffered heavy losses, with more than 120,000 prisoners alone.
However, there were objections in the Military Observer Corps. The proportion of old and weak among the prisoners was too high to be considered the main force of the Prussian army, which might not even be considered a second-line force.
We verified with the military observer mission sent to the Prussian Army that half a month ago, the Prussian Army did conduct a major change of defense. Only it was done so secretly that the members of the Observer Mission did not have the means to come into close contact with it.
If this information is true, then the Russians’ “Smolensk victory” will have a much lower value.
We have not seen any major movements of the Prussian army, neither on the southern nor on the northern front, and the real purpose of the concentration of the main forces remains to be studied.”
The inference that “the Prussians deliberately abandoned Smolensk” was incredulous to many, including Franz.
Judging from the situation on the battlefield, the Prussians had absolutely no need to abandon Smolensk. Relying on the local fortifications, the Russians might not be able to capture it even after another two or three years.
Against this background, giving up a strategic place and having to sacrifice a whole lot of cannon fodder troops was simply unnecessary.
“Luring the enemy into the depths” is not unthought of, the problem is that the price is too harsh. Even the low combat effectiveness of the cannon fodder troops, but also a valuable national defense force.
Franz asked, “What is the recent diplomatic activity of the Berlin government?”
There was no wonder Franz was not skeptical, the combination of William I + Mauch’s combat power was definitely not to be doubted, losing Smolensk so easily was clearly not a mistake they should have made.
If it wasn’t an accident, then there was a purpose. In addition to “luring the enemy deeper into the enemy”, to show the weakness of the enemy to get more diplomatic assistance, is also one of the possibilities.
Foreign Minister Weisenberg replied with some embarrassment: “Your Majesty, since the outbreak of the war, the diplomatic activities of the PBF have never stopped.
According to the intelligence coming from embassies all over the world, the Pupo Federation’s ministers abroad, have been in contact with dignitaries from various countries every week, even small neutral countries like Switzerland are no exception.”
This answer left Franz dumbfounded, how did what was said to be diplomatic activity become daily activity here.
Everyday contacts with dignitaries, who knows if there are any results?
Seemingly sensing the emperor’s difficulty, Weissenberg added: “By the way, not long ago the Pupo Federation’s minister to the Ottomans had a secret talk with the Sultan, the exact content of which no one knows.
The Berlin government also raised diplomatic relations with the Central Asian countries and the Far Eastern Empire, and seemed intent on reorganizing the anti-Russian alliance.
There is no definite news yet, so I guess it shouldn’t be very promising. These countries have a ton of internal problems and are not very active against Russia.”
The last time it was possible to form an anti-Russian alliance, it was mainly due to the British, and the Berlin government was just along for the ride.
Times are different now, the Russian Empire is no longer John Bull’s main enemy, and the London government will naturally not continue to spend large sums of money targeting the Russians.
Diplomacy also has a cost, without enough benefits, why let everyone sell their lives?
Whether it is the Central Asian countries, or the Far East Empire, there is no courage to bite off a piece of meat from the body of the woolly bear, to ensure their own territorial integrity they are very satisfied.
In Franz’s opinion, instead of trying to convince these countries, it would be more successful to send someone to lobby the Japanese government, at least this rich adventurous spirit.
Of course, this was of little practical significance. The Far East was so remote that even if all of it was lost, it would not affect the strength of the Russian Empire.
It was still the Nordic Confederation and the Ottoman Empire that were truly capable of helping the Berlin government. Unfortunately, with the Danes messing with the former and the promises made by the Czarist government, they couldn’t be pulled at all.
The latter, needless to say, the Sultan is busy with internal reforms, even if he wants to take revenge on the Russians again, it is still too much but not enough.
Prime Minister Felix: “If that’s the case, the chances of the Berlin government receiving significant foreign aid are already slim. Britain and France can’t go on investing indefinitely, they have to consider how to recoup their costs.
Can’t we assume that Mauch is up to his old tricks, attempting to follow the example of the last war where he abandoned the East Prussia region, increasing the logistical supply lines of the Russian army and luring the Russians into a decisive battle with them?”
No one is saying that the same tactic can’t be used twice, in fact when it comes to the battlefield, no matter what the tactic is, as long as it works it can be used all the time.
Repetition or not, whether it will be seen to be broken or not, these are not issues, there is always only one at the core – winning the war.
Chief of Staff Albrecht: “Don’t rule it out. Strategically, it’s a phallic plot.
Even if the Tsarist government knew about the Pupo Federation’s plan, it is unlikely that it would order the Russian troops on the front line to stop just because there is a risk.
But as good as their plan was, it was hard to say whether it could be realized. There was a risk involved, and it was unlikely that no one in the Russian army had realized it.
As long as one is a little more careful, and advances steadily and step by step without giving the Prussian army a chance, the situation will be very different.”
Here Albrecht suddenly chose to shut up. “Steady and steady, step by step advance” is simple to say, but not at all simple to do.
This world has never lacked fools, the army is not short of utilitarian masters, in the face of the temptation of the door, everyone can hold back?
War should serve the overall situation, and in turn, the local also affects the whole. As long as there is a problem in one place, the original flawless strategic plan, instantly become full of holes.
Albrecht had no confidence in the Russian army’s ability to execute. Not to mention the Russians, the army of any country in this day and age can’t guarantee that all of its officers have a big-picture perspective.
Franz waved his hand, “Hold it, that’s the end of that question. If the Prussian army is baiting the enemy, it is also the Tsarist government that should have a headache now.
Of course, Alexander II may still be celebrating his victory. But I think he will be reminded that after all, they have already lost once and should have learned their lesson.
For now, let’s discuss what to do about the next change in Europe.”
“Long term plans”, unfortunately that stuff is long gone. The Vienna government’s foreign policy had never been adjusted to the realities of what was needed, and any foreign policy had effectiveness.
This time was no exception, as the Russo-Prussian War was full of uncertainty and required the preparation of several more programs.
Which set of programs to use, still need to wait for the dust to settle after the choice of the most in line with Austria’s national interests.
……
After the “Smolensk Victory”, the Russian army did not stop, but pursued the victory and captured Minsk, and then aimed at Warsaw, the capital of Poland, and the Russo-Prussian War seemed to become clearer.
In the headquarters of the Russian army, Marshal Ivanov was looking at the map, his face did not see the joy of victory.
A middle-aged officer holding a document approached and reported, “Marshal, the Seventh Army sent a telegram urging for logistical supplies.”
Ivanov turned around, paused for a moment and asked, “Where has the Seventh Army gone?”
“The Seventh Army has marched along the Bug River and has now passed Sarnaki and is less than 200 Russian miles from Warsaw.” The middle-aged man replied
Finding Sarnaki on the map and scrutinizing it for a while, Ivanov sneered, “The front is already flat, it’s almost to Warsaw, and the enemy actually hasn’t intercepted it yet?”
Not waiting for the middle-aged man to reply, Marshal Ivanov added: “Mauch’s appetite is really big, one army is not enough to satisfy his appetite, isn’t he afraid of choking to death?”
The one who knows best is the enemy, Mauch became famous in the last Russo-Prussian War, and naturally became the focus of the Russian army’s attention.
The information gathered in Ivanov’s hands had been as detailed as where Mauch attended kindergarten. This was an exaggeration; kindergartens were not popular these days.
But Mauch’s biography, hobbies, and style of soldiering were all recorded. Similar information was collected not only by the tsarist government, but also by many European countries.
Knowing more, naturally, some people have studied the targeted tactics. The tactics used by the Russian army now actually have the intention of restraining Mouche.
Facts have proved that this set of conservative tactics is really effective. By virtue of the strength of the advantage of a steady fight, even Mou Qi such a militarist can not help, forced to have the current tactics.
After contemplating for a few moments of effort, Marshal Ivanov: “Order the Seventh Army to stop advancing, find favorable terrain nearby to build fortifications, and wait for logistical supplies to arrive.
Order the Sixth Army to march towards the Lithuanian region, order the Northwest Front Army to launch a full counterattack, and order the Southwest Front Army to feint at the Volyn region ……”
Several orders were issued in a row, just no advance into Warsaw. Running into a steady opponent was trouble, and even though the Prussian Army had liberalized its portals, Ivanov decided to take the enemy on the right flank first.
Thanks to 2020’s allies, two more today to celebrate!
(End of chapter)