Chapter 403: Armageddon
Chapter 393 – Armageddon
After entering the 19th century, the global village became more and more closely connected, and the international situation was even more involved.
With the end of the American Civil War, the energies of Britain, France, Austria and Spain were focused on Europe, and the pressure on the Czarist government increased dramatically.
The London government had already begun to plan its intervention in the Russo-Prussian War, attempting to use diplomacy to force the Czarist government to give in and strike a blow at the prestige of the Russians.
It must be admitted that John Bull’s diplomacy was powerful, and the Paris government, which had just been drawn in by the Russians, wavered again, and the Franco-Russian loans were withheld.
This can not all blame the French, the performance of the Russian army on the battlefield, too disappointing.
Originally, it was thought that the tsarist government had the advantage of the sea and would mobilize troops to land to stab the Prussians in the back, however, because of the problem of strategic supplies, the tsarist government was not able to organize a decent attack.
International military observers, now attacked the Tsarist government’s strategy and reduced them to nothing.
Alexander II was very much in the wrong, the war had broken out so suddenly that they had no time to prepare.
St. Petersburg, looking at the increasingly dire international situation, Alexander II made a decision – a quick war.
The Tsarist government’s ability to keep secrets was limited to ten people, and those who knew more than that were about as good as a sieve.
After receiving this news, Franz’s first thought was that it was going to be bad. According to the current situation, the final victor of a steady fight was definitely the Russians.
Do not look at the Prussians in the exchange ratio advantage, but this half of the war, they still paid 82,000 people losses, of which 43,000 people died in battle, 39,000 people due to injury retirement or captured.
The losses of their allies, the Poles, were even worse, losing at least 150,000 troops. Because the Polish Provisional Government was internally confused and couldn’t figure out the exact losses themselves, it was naturally impossible for Franz to know.
The combined losses of the Russians and Danes were also almost equal to the combined Polish-Polish losses.
If the war continued, in at most half a year’s time, the Polish insurgent army would collapse, and then the Kingdom of Prussia would have to fight alone.
If Franz had been in command of this war instead, he would have caught the Polish Insurrectionists and beat them up, using the navy to hit the Kingdom of Prussia and weaken their war potential.
A duel? After recovering the Warsaw area, controlling several rivers in Poland, and opening up the water transportation routes through Austria, or fighting as much as you want?
As long as the supply of logistics is sufficient, the Russian army’s fighting strength is not bad at all. With the advantage of numbers, the enemy could be easily defeated.
It would be militarily very unwise to risk a duel now. Of course, Alexander II made this decision mainly for political reasons.
With the pressure of the conservatives at home, the rampant anti-Russian forces internationally, and the financial pressures, the Tsarist government was under a great deal of pressure.
Foreign Minister Weissenberg proposed, “Your Majesty, the Russians have asked us for help to fulfill the order as soon as possible.
If nothing else, after this batch of weaponry has been delivered, it will be the time for their showdown with the Prussians.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that it is possible to take a portion of the equipment in service and deliver it to the Russians in advance, contributing to the outbreak of this duel before the onset of the Polish winter.”
Franz’s eyes lit up; this “winter” had come at the right time. No matter who won or lost the war, both sides lost the ability to continue the offensive after the winter.
By the time they fought again the following year, they would have almost regained their strength. No, the Russians would be able to regain their strength, and the Prussians would lose a duel and be out of luck.
Drawing active duty equipment, that’s just to make everyone look good, there’s nothing wrong with reserve equipment counting as active duty equipment.
Franz asked doubtfully, “Is it too late? It’s already September, by the time it gets to the Russians it’ll be October, will they have time for a decisive battle?”
Foreign Minister Weissenberg replied, “It’s true that time is a bit tight, but it’s barely enough.
The Russian troops near our borders can be reloaded first, and they can launch a counteroffensive first. In East Prussia, the Russians will have to be reorganized later, but that’s not a problem as long as they are willing to take casualties.
The pressure on the Russian generals at the front is so great that they can’t stand up to the pressure at home, and a decisive battle is sure to break out before the end of the year.
Winter is coming, and the worst thing is that the duel will end without a fight. No matter what, they have to fight a battle to give an explanation to the conservatives at home.”
Franz began to mourn for the Russian troops on the front. Even if they won the war, they had suffered heavy losses; if they lost the war, then naturally their losses would be even heavier.
Alexander II chose this time to duel, presumably because he was forced to do so. If the war was fought two months earlier, in case they lost the war, the enemy would be able to drive in, and they would suffer heavy losses.
It didn’t matter now, many parts of the Russian Empire were already in winter. When the battle was over it was estimated that it would be November or February, attacking Russia in this season would be absolutely tired of living.
Since the Tsar’s government was not in danger, the losses of the Russian army were not in Franz’s consideration, and the decision was made immediately.
“Deliver the goods as fast as possible, and present the Russians with another million rounds of ammunition to show our position.”
The Russians adopted the Austrian armament equipment is not without its benefits, because Austria has long been unified ammunition caliber, now the Russian army even if the change of clothes, bullets can still be common, do not have to worry about the joke of sending the wrong bullet.
……
The efficiency of the Vienna government is still very high, only two days to draw from the reserve equipment of 300,000 rifles, with the fastest speed sent to the Russian-Austrian border.
After receiving the news, Mauch, the commander-in-chief of the Prussian army, decided to strike first.
On October 2, 1865, the Prussian-Polish coalition launched a full-scale counter-offensive against the Russian army in East Prussia, Belarus, and the Ukraine before the Russians could change their uniforms.
Armageddon broke out ahead of schedule, and the eyes of all European nations converged on the battle.
If the Russians were victorious, there was no doubt that the Kingdom of Prussia was doomed; if the Prussian-Polish allied forces won, then the European landscape would be reshuffled again.
In Sweden, Karl XV did not hesitate to reject the Prussian proposal: a joint plan against the Russians.
Although Sweden was also anti-Russian, and even stood against the Russians in the Near East War, supporting the Anglo-French-Ottoman alliance, it did not mean that they liked Prussia.
At the outbreak of the Prussian-Danish War, Karl XV was ready to send troops to assist Denmark in the defense of Schleswig and to curb the Prussian kingdom’s expansionist ambitions.
In addition to the fear of losing lips and teeth, it had to do with the pan-Scandinavianism that prevailed in this era.
(Pan-Scandinavianism advocated: the United States of Northern Europe. initiated in Skåne in the 1840s, it reached its zenith in the mid-19th century. Sweden and Norway had already formed a Swedish-Norwegian union under the Treaty of Kiel, and Denmark was the only one left.)
Karl XV was one of the proponents of this plan, and he always wanted Denmark, Sweden, and Norway to merge into one country. He wouldn’t have minded Finland joining as well, if possible.
Sweden had sent troops to help the Kingdom of Denmark in the First Prussian-Danish War, only the reaction was slow, and by the time they got there the Russians had already intervened and didn’t take part in the war.
This time, Karl XV was also prepared to intervene, but unfortunately, Denmark was defeated too quickly, and many people in Sweden were against the intervention, which ended in failure, and Pan-Scandinavianism was also hit hard as a result.
It was not without reason that the Prussians tried to draw Sweden into the war. Sweden and the Russian Empire had a long history of animosity, and relations between the two sides had always been bad.
There were also the Finns, who already wanted to get rid of the Russians, who made offers to join Sweden if it would help them become independent.
Internationally the British were also trying hard to bring about a Prussian-Swedish union, and the government in London had long ago made a promise that they would support Sweden’s annexation of Finland.
The government in Paris also hoped that Sweden’s annexation of Finland would stab Russia in the back and was willing to help them.
Out of the consideration of weakening the Russians, even the Vienna government was willing to provide loans to Sweden, it can be said that the entire continent of Europe would like to see the Russians downfall.
Now that the Tsarist government had shown fatigue, the main force of the Russian army was held back on the front line, and with the Finns steering the ship, Sweden’s success rate in sending troops to seize Finland was very high.
Whether Finland or Sweden, are easy to defend and difficult to attack, even if the Russians want to counterattack in the future, it is difficult to achieve results.
So many favorable news, can not hide a fact – the Russians are too strong.
(End of chapter)