Chapter 182: It’s All About Setting Them Off
Chapter 179 – All By Way of Support
Since the declaration of war with the Ottoman Empire, Austria has entered into a state of war, a large amount of strategic materials along the Danube River to the Balkan Peninsula, 200,000 Austrian troops also killed in great numbers.
On the surface, Austria is looking for revenge on the Ottoman Empire. The hatred between the two sides can be traced back to hundreds of years ago, if there is no Ottoman Empire to add to the chaos, the Habsburg dynasty would have united Germany.
This time Franz deceived the whole world, and again the army, and again the strategic materials continue to pour into the Balkan Peninsula, that even the Austrian internal seems to be this is to beat the Ottoman Empire to death.
Only a few high-level only know, this Balkan Peninsula offensive has come to an end, the Austrian army and strategic materials, to the Danube River Basin assembly, the main purpose is to the westward strategy unfolded after, can quickly transfer troops.
The strategic materials shipped to the Balkans, not still have the Russians need it? Even the Tsarist government, which had been preparing for war for two years, had not been able to solve the problem of internal transportation.
Originally, the tsarist government was prepared to rely on shipping to solve the logistical problems, they concentrated strategic materials to the Ukrainian coastal ports, with the Black Sea Fleet escort can be said to be foolproof.
As a result, the plan could not catch up with the fast change, the British and French navies came, the sea road is impassable.
At this time we need allies to contribute, Austria has a Danube River through, can be straight through the Bulgarian region, supply logistics problems.
It can be said that the Danube River, is God’s gift to Austria’s treasure. Before the completion of the railroad, water transport is the most reliable way.
The Danube originated in Baden, through Württemberg, Bavaria into Austria, through the Wallachia and Moldavia duchies into the sea, which is Austria’s west into South Germany and south of the Balkan Peninsula logistics lifeline.
Of course, it was good that the railroad could still be built. After all, the Danube can not cover all areas, there is a railroad through the east and west in more convenient.
Vienna
The Austrian General Staff, the army in the war report has piled up. Soldiers are in need of military service, the occupation of the Danube River Basin two duchies have not fought much at all, we rely on what to rank ah?
If Marshal Radetzky’s prestige is not high enough to suppress the main war faction in the army, these messy war reports will come to Franz’s desk.
According to the statistics of the Archives Bureau, in 1852, the General Staff received more than 100,000 war petitions, and the names of almost all the officers and soldiers appeared on the war petitions.
A middle-aged officer holding a thick file said with a bitter smile, “Your Excellency the Field Marshal, this is the war request report sent by the 19th Division.”
He already didn’t know how many times this was the first time he had hugged the documents over, ever since the war with the Ottoman Empire broke out, the Austrian military had started to sharpen their fists and prepare for a big fight.
The General Staff, every day, receives a large number of reports asking for war, as well as countless battle plans. In short, everyone is very anxious, fearing that the Russians are fighting too hard in the front, and there is no chance for them to perform.
Marshal Radetzky thought for a moment and said, “Throw it to the archives, and from now on all such reports need not be brought to me.”
At first, he was very happy, it was a good thing for the army to be belligerent! As time went on, Marshal Radetsky became numb.
Since the successful occupation of the two Danube principalities, many people had viewed the war as an armed parade, as if the Ottoman Empire was a stab in the dark.
Not only were the active officers and soldiers moved, but even the foppish children of the nobility were looking around for connections, wanting to enter the army to gild the lily.
It was only at this time that they wanted to join, naturally it was impossible. In order to implement the westward strategy, the Austrian government’s top management were all keeping a close eye on the situation, and any slightest negligence was not allowed to occur.
“Yes, Marshal!” The middle-aged officer replied
After saying that, the middle-aged officer didn’t leave, instead, he was a bit anxious, as if he had something to say.
After seeing this, Marshal Radetsky asked suspiciously, “Major General Lafitte, what else?”
“Your Excellency Marshal, the group below is furious and we’re about to be unable to suppress it.” Major General Lafitte said apprehensively
Field Marshal Radetzky said seriously, “What can’t be suppressed, just tell them to get ready, when to fight, they don’t need to worry about it yet.
Anyone who has a problem with it, immediately order him to retire and go home, the Austrian army has no such lawless people!”
“Yes, Field Marshal!” Major General Lafitte replied hastily
The Austrian military doesn’t have a tradition of subjugating the top, this kind of military affairs are not the turn of the officers and soldiers below to make decisions.
If they were ordered to retire and go home at this time, they would have nothing to do with this war, and it would be a big loss for those who aspire to earn their fame on the battlefield.
Suppressing the voices underneath, Marshal Radetsky sighed. This was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go south to the Balkans at this time, but unfortunately reality would not allow it.
Now the main force of the Austrian army are in the lower Danube two duchies activities, ostensibly in the purge of resistance, the establishment of effective local rule, but in reality is not to facilitate the gathering.
Even the warships in the Austrian navy that were able to navigate the Danube, which had run to the Black Sea to stand by before the outbreak of the war, were all escorting in the Danube basin at this time.
After all these preparations, we can’t even give up our westward strategy just to take advantage of the Balkans, can we?
It is easy to disperse the army, but it is difficult to gather them together. With a single order, the Austrian army and the Russians would join forces and take over the Balkans in no time.
But once the Balkans were occupied, Austria would be stuck here, and it would be difficult to get out.
Far away from the Danube basin, no waterway transportation, and so on hundreds of thousands of troops gathered, and then transported from the Balkan Peninsula to South Germany, the yellow flowers are rancid.
American Spring Palace
Franz asked with concern, “Mr. Stein, the construction of the main railroad line in the country has proceeded to that point, when will it be completed?”
The construction of Austria’s railroad network, which began in 1849, has been three years since the start of construction, and some sections of the plains have been opened to traffic.
But it’s still a drop in the bucket for the entire transportation network. It is needless to say that the railroads that have to go over the main vein of the Alps will not necessarily be successfully opened for another three years of repairs.
For the mountain railroads, Franz’s requirements are not so urgent, and now the most important thing is the Vienna to Salzburg railroad, which must be opened to traffic ahead of schedule.
There is no way, under his butterfly effect, the Near East War broke out a year earlier than the historical Crimean War, which gave the preparation time for the westward strategy one year less.
One year is enough to change a lot of things, Vienna is only two hundred kilometers away from Salzburg, four years to repair this railroad, Franz is not at all worried.
The construction conditions of the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway were so harsh that it took less than four years to build, and this section of the railroad did not need to cut through the Badaling Tunnel by hand, nor did it need to build the Huailai Bridge.
It would be difficult to do with one year less of construction time. For the sake of secrecy, Franz can not be specifically over this section of the railroad. If it attracted the attention of those who wanted to, it would be troublesome. Now it is only possible to let the national railroad main line together to catch up with the schedule.
According to the plan of the General Staff, once the westward strategy unfolded, the Austrian army attacked in three ways. One way to fight along the Danube River, one way from Salzburg by land straight to Munich, and one way is along the Rhine into Bavaria.
I have to say that the developed water system is good, even from Salzburg into Bavaria, there is a Salzach River can be connected to the Rhine.
In this era, the Bavarians have not yet built the canal between the Rhine and the Danube, otherwise the unification of South Germany from Vienna to mobilize supplies can be.
Now there was an additional logistical supply point – Salzburg. It was therefore crucial to build a railroad between Vienna and Salzburg before the outbreak of war.
Railroad Minister Stein handed Franz a document and said, “Your Majesty, this is the schedule for the construction of the railroad, and the estimated time of opening, please take a look at it.
Currently, the major railroad companies in the country have increased their construction speed. It will take at least two more years for the overall completion of the main railroad, with three-quarters of the way to be opened to traffic within the year, and some of the mountain railroads may be delayed until 1856.”
Franz nodded, Austrian railroad construction was not slow in this day and age, especially after the government’s stimulus policy, several railroad companies were rushing to meet their deadlines.
Starting from this year, the Austrian railroads will usher in a wave of openings, and many sections will be opened one after another, and the transportation situation in the country will be greatly improved.
After casually flipping through and seeing the answer he wanted, Franz smiled and said, “I’m very satisfied with this speed, Mr. Stein has been fortunate, now you can go and get busy.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
After saying that Stein turned around and left, the meeting behind was not something that he, a technocrat, could participate in.
Franz wasn’t prepared to train all-rounded bureaucrats, most of the officials in the government departments were proficient in one area. If they were good at everything, they could pack up and go home, the Austrian government didn’t need generalists.
If there was such a talent, Franz thought it would be better to send it to scientific research, and it was too dangerous to engage in politics, even he, the emperor, was afraid of it.
After seeing Stein leave, Franz said: “Gentlemen, if there is no accident, before the end of the year, the Austrian railroad to Salzburg can be opened to traffic, the current railroad foundation construction has been completed.
The original plan remains unchanged, and now there will be a delay of at least half a year, does Mr. Metternich have any questions?”
The named Foreign Minister Metternich thought for a moment before replying, “Your Majesty, it depends on the battle situation on the Balkan front.
According to the intelligence we have gathered, the Russian army has invested 251,000 troops here, the Ottoman army nominally has 450,000 men, but in reality the shortfall is at least one-fifth of that, and I’m afraid that the fighting strength is not optimistic.
If the Russians make quick work of the battle and capture Constantinople before the British and French intervene, it will be difficult to continue with our original plan.”
Don’t look at the surface as if the Ottoman army was more numerous, but in reality Metternich was still more favorable to the Russians. Just because there were more troops on the Ottoman side did not necessarily mean that there were more troops committed to the battlefield.
Now that the Russians had lost the two Danube principalities to Austria, they had actually lost the responsibility of maintaining the stability of their rear to Austria as well, including the logistical transportation of this area, which was all being done for them by the Austrian army.
The Ottoman Empire was fighting on home soil, but unfortunately in the Bulgarian region the Russians were more popular. With the support of the Russians, the number of local guerrillas had broken through five figures, and the advantage of the Ottomans’ home front turned into a disadvantage.
Marshal Radetsky commented with great confidence, “Mr. Metternich need not worry, this is a war that is worse than rotten.
After our contact with the Russian army that entered the Balkans, we can basically determine that the combat power of the Russian army is much lower than we previously thought.
First of all, the Russian army is very chaotic in terms of troop configuration, the troop establishment is still stuck in the era of the anti-French war, the internal corruption of the army is serious, the weapons and equipment are backward, and the logistical system is chaotic.
Secondly, the Russian army’s military discipline is lax, the Cossack cavalry is a bunch of locusts, they are going all the way to disaster all the way to fight the wind war can be, once suffered defeat immediately will be routed.
The Ottoman army hired French instructors to train them, but they only learned the skinny of the French, and apart from looking like a modernized army, they were in fact still the same old thing.
In terms of corruption, the Ottoman army was even more serious, the Russians were at least able to make up the establishment, the Ottoman officers directly ate up the empty pay, the troops were seriously short.
Many soldiers were conscripted by the officers and pulled in to make up the numbers, so I don’t expect them to have any fighting ability.
Overall, the Ottoman army’s fighting ability is even worse. If there is no outside intervention, they will most likely lose this battle, but there is not much problem in holding Constantinople.”
Franz recognized Marshal Radetsky’s critique. Historically the Crimean War Russians showed fighting ability in one word – rotten, and the Ottomans showed that there is no worst, only worse!
Overall, both the Russians and the Ottomans were at a low point during this period. Not only them, but actually France, Austria, Spain and Prussia as well, the European powers were collectively out of shape except for the British.
Austria was salvaged by Franz’s butterfly effect, and with the Russians and Ottomans in the background, Marshal Radetzky had an undercurrent of confidence.
(End of chapter)