Chapter 726: A Good Warrior Doesn’t Have Herculean Success in Battle
Chapter 709 – No Herculean Efforts for the Good Warrior
Poznan Prussian army command, Mauch is busy holding a military meeting to discuss whether to recapture the city of Poznan.
Geographically, Poznan is located in the center of the Polish plain, and is a transportation hub, industrial center, naturally in their own hands good.
Located in the Polish plain Poznan and geographic location can not be related, as an inland hinterland city, Poznan does not need to consider the threat of foreign enemies, naturally, there will not be much fortification.
On the surface, it should be easy to be conquered. In fact, on the contrary, the main force of the Russian Eighth Army hunkered down in the city, in order to defend the city also drove all the people out of the city.
In later times, this might have been a good thing, meaning that the Prussian army did not have to take civilian casualties into account, and could let go of their hands and have a great time.
This was not the case in this era, as the power of artillery was limited, and it took a lot of ammunition and time to destroy a city.
In order to allow the Warsaw defenders to stall as long as possible, the Prussians left behind a large amount of artillery ammunition when they withdrew, and they didn’t have much with them.
Even if they were able to get supplies sent over from home, the Russians made it clear that they were going to fight a street battle, which would not be over in a day or two, and the Prussian army did not have enough time to spend here.
The Berlin government ordered them to return quickly to deal with the Russian army that was about to hit the foot of Berlin.
As for the Poznan battlefield, that is, the military was still working on it. Most of the people in the Berlin government were no longer thinking about defeating the Russians, but about how to conserve their strength so that they could negotiate with the Russians for an honorable end.
It was a European practice to negotiate when you lost a war, most of the time it was a cession of territory and the destruction of the country usually rarely happened.
The politicians knew very well how powerful the forces that didn’t want them to fall were now, and it wouldn’t be long before the Great Powers quickly intervened to mediate, and as long as the main body of the Prussian army was still in place, they would have a chance to bargain.
Not only was there urgency at home, but the time left for the Prussians on the battlefield was running out, with Russian reinforcements arriving in a steady stream.
A combat staff officer introduced, “The situation is now very obvious, the Russian Ninth Army is only a day’s journey away from Poznań, and if we want to recover the Poznań area, then it is necessary for us to hit them hard or eat them up.
The total strength of the Russian Ninth Army is around 200,000 men, so it may not be difficult to defeat them, but if we want to eat them, it won’t be possible in a short time.
From the intelligence of the reconnaissance, the Russian Ninth Army is acting very cautiously, and there is no possibility of realizing either a sneak attack or an ambush.
What’s more, behind them are the Russian 11th Army and the Russian 17th Army, which have already accelerated their marching speed, and will arrive at the front line after half a month at most.
If we are to recover Poznan, we must do it before the Russian reinforcements arrive. It is almost impossible to accomplish this without heavy casualties.”
The Prussian army were human beings, and even if they were better fighters, they would likewise get tired and die.
Swallowing 400,000 Russian troops in one bite, even if they were able to split them in two places to finish, they would likewise pay heavy casualties.
Whether to pay 100,000, or 200,000 losses, this question no one can answer up.
In short, if the Prussian army suffered heavy losses in this battle, it would be difficult for them to deal with the Russian army behind them.
The Russo-Prussian War has been going on for a while now, quite a bit of the flavor of the Chu-Han struggle, Mou Qi and Xiang Yu, the same front is winning battles.
Regrettably, many victories, the number of enemies is not reduced but increased, their own soldiers have been reduced.
After a few more victories, Mao Qi is going to run out of soldiers. Such a weird thing is really speechless.
A middle-aged officer retorted: ”This battle must be fought, if we just go back in disgrace, not only will our military morale be demoralized, but I’m afraid that the Poles in the Warsaw area will surrender directly to the Russians.
Right now we need the victory to invigorate the people, we must let the people see the hope of winning, otherwise this war simply cannot continue.”
The most important thing for people is to have hope, I’m afraid that no one is willing to continue a war that they know is doomed to failure.
Warsaw is the capital of the Kingdom of Poland, the Berlin government can accept the fall of the Warsaw region, but can not accept the surrender of the Poles, the political significance of this is too important, equivalent to shaking the foundation of the rule of the Prussian-Polish Confederation.
Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, the war was going to be lost anyway, and why care about a region that was destined to be lost!
Politically it certainly couldn’t be done, the Russo-Prussian war was still going on and the Berlin government still needed the Poles to give them a hard time in order to better fight the Russians.
In this context, the flag of the Prussian-Polish Commonwealth could not be lost. If this flag is lost, the Berlin government loses the juridical basis for its rule over the Polish regions, and the number of people willing to sell their lives will surely be drastically reduced.
The key to the Berlin government’s willingness to make an exception and allow the military to control the Warsaw region was the fact that the main warring factions in the army were much stronger, and they would not easily compromise with the Russians.
Mauch waved his hand to stop the argument: ”This battle is definitely to be fought, but it has to be fought selectively.
We don’t have time to spend with the Russian Eighth Army that is cowering inside the city, but the Russian Ninth Army that was sent to our door must be fought off.
Otherwise, as soon as we retreat, they will meet up with the Eighth Army inside the city, and with the reinforcements coming from behind, the total strength of the Russian army will be approaching eight hundred thousand, and this threat is too great.
Although the mobilization in the country has been completed, we still lack time to integrate our troops, by knocking out the Russian Ninth Army and hitting the enemy’s reinforcements hard, we can buy at least two months.”
Time is life on the battlefield, two months naturally can’t allow the Pupo Federation to return to its peak, but at least it can gain a fighting chance.
Unlike ordinary officers, Mao Qi thought more. The cruel reality told him that what determines the victory or defeat of a war is not just winning battles, but more than that, it’s the comprehensive national strength.
Ivanov taught him a lesson with practical actions that as long as the national strength was strong enough and the number of troops was large enough, there was no fear of defeating the war on the battlefield.
War is to die, defeat can also consume the strength of the enemy, the battlefield first win is not considered to win, the final winner is the victor.
……
On December 12, 1880, the government in London issued a call for peace to Prussia and Russia, which received a positive response from the government in Berlin, but was met with a closed door in the Tsarist government.
The war had gone on so far that it could not be stopped just because it wanted to. The Czarist government had paid too much for this war, and it was not easy to see the dawn of victory; if it stopped at this time, who would pay for the war losses?
The Russians do not give face to the behavior is naturally angry with the London government, not waiting for them to take action, and then came the news of the fall of Warsaw, Prussian-Russian war completely clear.
After the withdrawal of the main body of the Prussian army, the situation in the Warsaw area became a crisis. Although the Poles resisted very tenaciously, they still could not make up for the gap in strength.
After resisting for a month, they were still attacked by the Russians who tore through the defense line into the city and were now engaged in street fighting.
What happened afterward was no longer important, and everyone knew that the battlefield of Warsaw was beyond repair. The surrounding areas had all fallen, and it was only a matter of time before the defenders in the city were wiped out, unable to wait for reinforcements.
From the moment the city was broken, everyone acquiesced that Warsaw had changed hands.
The fall of Warsaw also means the fall of the Kingdom of Poland, the main force of the Prussian army has withdrawn, the military impact is still within control, but the political impact is much bigger.
It meant the collapse of the prominent Prussian-Polish Commonwealth, and the remaining Kingdom of Prussia could not afford to hold on to its status as a great power, and the Russians would not give them a chance.
In the grand scheme of things, Mauch’s performance in Poznań was unremarkable, and even the heavy defeat of the Russian Ninth Army did nothing to change the decadence on the battlefield.
……
In St. Petersburg, Alexander II is holding a celebration banquet in the Winter Palace.
The war has gone on so far that both Prussia and Russia are tired of fighting, only the difference is: the Prpo Federation is dying, while the Russian Empire is just tired and able to hold on for a little while longer.
Unlike the last time he had returned to St. Petersburg, this time Ivanov was given the grandest welcome by the Tsar’s government, and it was as if overnight he had become so well liked that he had become a doorstopper.
Not having the heart to pay attention to these trifles, and after a night’s rest at home, Ivanov once more stepped into the palace to report to Alexander II on the next plan of battle.
……
Alexander II was puzzled, “Marshal, are you sure you’re not mistaken, not to take advantage of the victory at this time, to rest the troops?”
Ivanov replied affirmatively, “Your Majesty, the war has been going on until now, our soldiers have been fighting with high intensity and are already very tired.
Especially the main force, many of them are severely attenuated, and if we want to recover our fighting strength, we must rest and reorganize. Now that the enemy has suffered a heavy blow, it is the perfect time for us to rest and reorganize our troops.”
Alexander II questioned, “But if we stop at this time, it will give the enemy a chance to catch their breath and increase the difficulty of the rest of the war.”
Ivanov explained, “It doesn’t affect the victory of the war, the Pupo Confederation is not even a match for us, and the only remaining Kingdom of Prussia is even less of a match for us.
The war has been going on until now, the casualties of the soldiers of the Pupo Federation have exceeded three million, and the number of casualties alone is as high as one million, with half of them coming from the Kingdom of Prussia.
No matter what the Berlin government thinks, they can’t fight anymore. The quality of the soldiers that the enemy had now mobilized had dropped drastically. Even if the soldiers were restored to strength, their fighting ability would drop by a large margin.
There’s no need for us to continue to take risks now; after letting the troops rest and recuperate for a month, we’ll concentrate millions of troops together to press on the enemy, and the chances of winning will be much higher than they are now.”
Different people say words have different weight, after the recovery of Lithuania, Poland, Ivanov’s “famous general” image has been rooted in the minds of the people.
The only regrettable thing is that Ivanov used troops to consume a lot, behind the victory, always accompanied by a large amount of material consumption and casualties.
However, it did not matter, as Alexander II was much more patient after the last Russo-Prussian war, and Ivanov’s solid generals were his favorites.
After hesitating for a while, Alexander II made a decision: ”Well then, let the troops rest for a month first.
But my marshal, it is still necessary to end the war as soon as possible. The longer it drags on, the more prone to change.
We just rejected the mediation of the British, and I’m afraid that they won’t let up next, and if the powers come together to pressure us, the government won’t be able to hold out for long.
Besides, the government’s finances are very bad, and if we drag it out too long, we’ll probably go bankrupt.”
Not likely to go bankrupt, but doomed. The Berlin government was also broke, and trying to get war reparations from them was simply impossible.
For the sake of this war, the Tsarist government had incurred huge debts, and the interest alone was an astronomical sum. The areas of Poland and Lithuania that had just been recovered would have to be rebuilt after the war at great expense.
From the beginning, Alexander II was prepared for financial bankruptcy. Once born, twice familiar, have experienced once, he does not care once again.
Unfortunately this time was different, most of the foreign debts were secured and there was no way to just renege on them. The Tsarist government would not let the finances go bankrupt unless it had to.
Ivanov nodded awkwardly, he really didn’t know how to take this. Guaranteeing an early end to the war, sorry it was impossible.
The war was not a child’s play, it could not be ended just because he said it would end early. This kind of thing was not something that could be promised indiscriminately, and if the government’s judgment was affected, the consequences could be disastrous.
Specific reference can be made to the “round dodo”, with the “five years to calm Liao” myth strategy to fool the emperor, not only pitfalls killed himself, but also ride on the fate of the Ming dynasty.
Financial problems, not to mention, the government can not handle things, he is a soldier is even more confused. Ivanov, who is self-aware, selectively ignored Alexander II’s expectant gaze.
Thank you ow tsunami Tianyu palm, additional will be there, the time is not certain.
A flash is again Valentine’s Day, trying to get off the sea moon, wish everyone a happy Valentine’s Day!
(End of chapter)