Chapter 895: Counting on each other (in )
Chapter 877 Counting on each other (2 in 1)
The sunlight waved over the earth, reflecting the white snow and radiating a glittering golden light.
The snowy ground and the frozen Neva River swore the arrival of winter, and St. Petersburg still goes better with snow.
When the weather was good, Alexander III would have taken his family out to enjoy the winter sunshine.
At the same time, in the Gatchina Palace, the senior members of the Tsar’s government were gathered together to discuss the next state policy.
Oscar Jimenez, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “Last night, the French Minister leaked the news at the banquet that the French government is preparing to increase its aid to us.
As soon as the troops on the front line capture Herat, or the Wakhan Corridor, they will underwrite one billion francs of war bonds on our behalf.
The intention of the French is very obvious, is to borrow our hands to weaken the British, the Anglo-French alliance can be said to exist in name only.
Before that, the Austrian government also showed a similar intention, only the French were more anxious.
The British have done too many bad things, and now they have enemies all over the world. The international situation is now very favorable to us, and the next step is up to the military.”
Turning an enemy into an ally could be considered a miracle in the history of diplomacy. But considering the complicated relationship between Britain and France, it was only natural that such a thing would happen.
Britain and France were sworn enemies, and there was absolutely no need to justify screwing the British; if the French government wholeheartedly helped the British, that would be a real problem.
Minister of War Ivanov: “The front line is going very well. We have advanced the front to Herat, the major town in western Afghanistan, and Kunduz, the eastern transportation hub.
A breakthrough at any point will give us the initiative in the war. Judging from the current situation, the success rate of taking Herat, or the Wakhan Corridor, before the arrival of British reinforcements is still very high.
The only problem we have now is logistics, which is becoming more and more sluggish as the front advances.
If this situation doesn’t get changed, it won’t be long before the troops on the front line have to stop and wait for supplies.”
Flip-flopping was something anyone could do, not to mention that Ivanov was telling the truth.
The Russian army’s smooth progress in the early stages was based on sufficient supplies, and with the outbreak of the war the previous stockpile of supplies had been depleted, and now it had to rely only on rearward deliveries.
Hearing that the logistical supplies were not available, Alexander III’s face instantly became ugly, clamping a murderous gaze on the Minister of Logistics Argent, as if to say: you’d better give me a reasonable explanation, or else ……
Argent, who was prepared for this, explained unhurriedly: ”It’s not our responsibility that the logistical supplies are not available.
That part of the road in Central Asia is not peaceful, and from time to time there are guerrillas who cause damage, which seriously affects the progress of logistical transportation.
There is also the front line of the troops at intervals from time to time to mobilize, many times did not notify the logistics department in advance, the following people often have to run the wrong way, how can it not be slow?”
Ivanov sneered, “If your logistics department can’t do it, leave the matter of material transportation to our Ministry of War, don’t make so many lame excuses.
Guerrilla attacks?
The military has already cleared out the resistance groups around the area and sent heavy troops along the way to protect the transports.
Since the beginning of the war, there have been seventeen guerrilla attacks on the convoys, with a maximum of 500 men, nine of which were initiated by you.
In order to reduce the conflict, we even relocated thirty kilometers of the surrounding native people, and you were able to go the wrong way.
As for not informing you in time, that’s bullshit.
The Logistics Department needs your approval in St. Petersburg to move large-scale supplies, and the head of the front line only has the right to move supplies below the division level.
The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing, our generals at the front don’t know what’s going to happen next and need to improvise, so how can they be informed in advance?”
The conflict between the military and the Ministry of Logistics is actually an extension of the conflict between the military and the government bureaucrats, and it boils down to a battle for the right to speak.
Logistics was the government’s best means of restraining the military, and in the eyes of the government bureaucrats, sacrificing a little efficiency in order to limit the military from getting bigger was not worth mentioning at all.
Especially after the invention of the telegraph and the faster transmission of information, many countries in Europe have increased their control of logistics.
Not to mention that in this era, even by the time of World War II, the logistical systems of various countries were still in disarray.
It’s not that people don’t know how to fix it, the problem is that once the government hands over logistics to the military, it loses its checks and balances on the military, and it’s very easy for the military to get bigger.
Although everyone’s logistics system has problems, but this is supposed to be more than rotten times, as long as the others are a drop better that is considered a success.
Argent replied calmly, ”Your Excellency Marshal, professional things, or leave it to the professionals.
With all due respect, if you let your military manage the logistics, the situation would only be worse than it is now.
Don’t forget that besides distributing supplies, the Logistics Department is more importantly raising supplies, and there’s a lot more involved here.
As for the problem of untimely deployment, our Logistics Department is already working on ways to solve it, and the situation will get better after a while.”
Surrendering the power to deploy logistics supplies was something that could never be done. Without that part of the power, the Logistics Department would really be a milkmaid, or the kind that didn’t get paid.
In addition to the loss of power, the more important thing was the loss of personal interests. The positions in the Logistics Department are all fat jobs, and only by controlling the procurement and distribution of materials at the same time will everyone be able to make a fortune from them.
In order to discourage the military, Argent went so far as to make direct threats. Clearly telling Marshal Ivanov that without the cooperation of the Logistics Department, the military would not be able to raise supplies at all.
The struggle of his men, Alexander III pretended not to see.
He was happy to see the conflict between those in charge of troops and horses and those in charge of food and supplies; if the two were as close as brothers, Alexander III would really have trouble sleeping.
Seeing the atmosphere is not right, the finance minister Alisher opened his mouth to persuade: “Well two, the logistics department to enhance the power of the front line deployment of officials, directly to the general Auchinets responsible for the front line to ensure the timely deployment of supplies.
In addition to increase the speed of domestic transportation of supplies, the quantity is not enough to purchase from Austria, in any case, we must do our best to ensure that the front line troops need.”
The face of the gold master could not be ignored, and both the Ministry of Logistics and the military depended on the Ministry of Finance for appropriations.
In this context, the Minister of Finance also acted as a lubricant to harmonize the conflicting conflicts of various departments. Although he did not have the name of prime minister, he actually exercised part of the prime minister’s power.
Marshal Ivanov had no illusions about actually getting logistical powers, and what the military had not gotten during the Russo-Prussian War was even less likely now.
As long as he could let the first-line commanders have the right to temporarily deploy supplies to the front line and guarantee the supply of supplies to the troops, he would be satisfied.
Marshal Ivanov accepted it, and Argent couldn’t find an excuse to reject it, so he could only accept it with a stiff upper lip.
The chaotic deployment of supplies was also not him deliberately dragging his feet for the military. The root cause of this happening was still an insufficient supply of total supplies.
This involves deep-seated reasons, which involves too many interest groups, Argent can only choose to cover up.
In the case of insufficient supplies, it was unavoidable to tear down the east wall and mend the west wall. Many times the wrong distribution of supplies is that the bureaucrats at the front line are forced to have no choice but to delay on the pretext of wrong distribution.
Anyway, the procedure for exchanging supplies was complicated, and the time passed in one go.
Supplies that should have lasted three months were likely to be issued for two months to muddle through, and the remaining month was saved.
No, I should say it was owed. When it can be honored, that depends on the specific situation, anyway, as long as the play is not too much, there will not be a big mess.
What about the Russian troops on the front line with insufficient supplies?
This problem, the old ancestors have long thought of a solution, send soldiers out to rob on the line, anyway, this is the tradition of the Russian army.
Of course, this is also risky, the original time and space during World War I, because the war lasted too long, the Russian army could not find a place to grab supplies, this set of rules on the collapse of the play, directly buried the Russian Empire.
Tidbits passed, Alexander III laughed: “Now the situation is more and more interesting, the Austrians support us to make war on the British, the French also support us to make war on the British.
France and Austria actually thought of one piece, behind this to say there is no conspiracy, I will not believe.
What do you think is the real purpose of France and Austria? What kind of interest is enough for them to send such a big bargain to us?”
Suspiciousness is the instinct of rulers, France and Austria’s methods are not clever, the traces of storing up to provoke the Anglo-Russian war are too obvious.
Knowing full well that there was a conspiracy and that the Russian Empire might become a pawn, Alexander III chose to jump into the pit for the sake of profit.
There was no way out, the international situation was now very clear, and the Russian Empire’s path to the west had been blocked.
With the lessons of the Russo-Prussian War in mind, even the most radical war-mongers did not see a future in expanding to the European continent.
All that remained was to go north, south, or east. There was no doubt that going north was hopeless, the Arctic Ocean was nothing but ice, and the only Nordic Confederation was another hard nut to crack.
Going east was not a good choice either, the climate was just too harsh. From the west to the east the journey alone would take a year, not suitable for large armies to move at all.
Going south became the only and best option. Although we have to compete with the British, but what not to compete these days?
Even as a pawn, Alexander III wanted to be a pawn that could jump out of the board at any time, not be confused and be taken as a discard.
Foreign Minister Oscar Jimenez: “Looking at the current international situation, France and Austria support us in going to war with the British, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes there are three main possibilities.
One, let us and the British fight a bloody battle, consume our strength, France and Austria can sit back and make war money.
From the current support of the two countries to us, the suspicion of war money can be ruled out, they provide us with funds for trade alone can not recover the cost.
Second, use us to hit Britain hard, and then divide Britain.
This possibility is even smaller. Although the French repeatedly promised that they would choose an appropriate time to go to war with the British, they asked Austria to declare war on the British first.
As we tried, the government of Vienna was not ready to turn against the British, let alone go to war with them.
Thirdly, France and Austria want to use the war in Afghanistan to stall us and the British in order to facilitate their actions on the European continent.
Exactly what action is still uncertain for the time being. Judging from the performance of the French and Austrian countries, we can judge that the French government is acting a little more eagerly. The Austrian government has shown relative indifference, and it seems that they have not yet made up their minds.
Based on this, we can initially judge that the French and Austrian countries have not reached an agreement, and even the two countries this time there may be a conflict of strategic objectives.
I personally feel that the goal of France and Austria should be Central Europe.
Austria wants to take advantage of the opportunity to unify the German region, but they have no bottom in their hearts, not sure to complete the unification of the French under the obstruction, but also unwilling to give up this opportunity.
The French attempted to use this opportunity to expand into Central Europe, with the goal of annexing Belgium and parts of the German Confederation.
Mainly the territories west of the Rhine River, where there were coal mines that the French needed most to make up for their shortcomings in resources.
Of course, this is just a speculation, and the French government may not have such a big appetite.
After all, the German Confederation was not weak, and with Austria on its side, it would surely intervene with its troops. In terms of strength, the French did not have a high chance of winning against the German-Austrian coalition.
Unless the French are able to fight a quick battle and snatch the established fact of occupying the said territories before Austria sends out troops to block the German-Austrian allied forces with the heavenly danger of the Rhine River.”
Strategic plans can’t be hidden just because you want them to be, no evidence is needed, just a motive is enough, and there is no doubt that both France and Austria had a motive to expand into Central Europe.
While launching the war with the British, the Tsarist government did not neglect to focus on the European continent.
In fact, if it were not for the mutual restraint of France and Austria on the European continent, the Tsarist government would not have dared to go south with all its might.
Minister of War Ivanov shook his head, “I agree with Your Excellency’s judgment that the third scenario is the most probable.
However, I have a different opinion on the specific details. It is not true that France and Austria are interested in the Central Region, but the German Confederation is not weak.
If Austria wants to annex the German Confederation, it can do it from within through political means, and there are still a few chances of success.
If the French were to forcefully attack the German Confederation, even if Austria didn’t intervene with troops, they would pop a few teeth out.
It is impossible for the French government not to see this, and instead of taking a risk without certainty, it would be better to settle for the annexation of Belgium as a second best option.”
Because of the Russo-Prussian War, the Czarist government’s assessment of the fighting strength of the German states was all raised a notch.
Purely on paper, the current German Confederation was not weak.
Military strength and the former Prussian Federation is almost the same, the total economic output is second only to Britain, France, Russia and Austria, heavy industry and France on a par, the population of more than twenty-five million.
Taking himself as an example, Marshal Ivanov did not think that the French would go to gnaw on this hard bone, especially since there was a lion ready to hunt behind this bone.
In contrast, the annexation of Belgium would be much less difficult. The matter of the Biaoumi Pact was unknown to everyone, and on the bright side it appeared that the annexation of Belgium would also offend the British.
However, as far as the Anglo-French relationship was concerned, the offense was justified. Even to the Russians issued war bonds things have done, what is the French dare not do.
Foreign Minister Oscar Jimenez shrugged: ”Marshal, the French are not as sensible as you are, but they have always claimed to be the world’s number one army.
You haven’t been to France, so you probably don’t know that the French are particularly arrogant. Since Napoleon III, the French government has been preaching the theory of French invincibility.
Many Frenchmen are still stuck in the Napoleonic era and think they are invincible. Even the fact that we had defeated them in the Near East War didn’t change that.”
The Near Eastern War cannot be counted, Britain, France and Russia all claimed to be the victors, and the only one who admitted that they were the losers was the Ottoman Empire, which has disappeared into the annals of history.
Oscar Jimenez can talk about the Near Eastern War, Marshal Ivanov has no face to mention the Near Eastern War.
While the Russian army did win a strategic victory, it lost tactically. The so-called victory was completely piled up by human lives.
The battle loss ratio of the Russian army was simply unreadable. In many cases, the Russian army had twice as many troops and was still being beaten by others on the ground.
In the eyes of an orthodox soldier like Marshal Ivanov, that was not a victory for the Russian army, but rather a disgrace.
Sensing that the atmosphere was not right, Alexander III spoke, “Well, the size of the French appetite is just a minor issue.
As much as one doesn’t want to admit it, the balance of power between the four European powers has indeed been broken in recent years, and we are the weakest one.
Britain, France, and Austria are all above us, and the fact that we are now able to compete with the British for the Afghan region is also a result of French and Austrian support.
However, France and Austria were able to provoke us into a war with the British in order to reap the benefits, so why should we not follow suit?
The issue of Central Europe is the core conflict between France and Austria. Whether Austria wants to unify the German region or France wants to move eastward into Central Europe, as long as one of them takes the first step, a fierce conflict will break out.
Now that we and the British are at war, France and Austria have no worries. If we push them from behind, the possibility of them breaking out into war is very high.
As long as we use the war to make France and Austria lose both, we will have a chance to re-establish our dominant position in the European continent, and if not, we can bring them to the same starting line.”
Pitting teammates can be done by anyone, France and Austria can use the Russian Empire as a pawn, and Alexander III is likewise able to counterattack.
England and Russia had already fought, and the two countries were sure to lose a lot of money after the war. If they don’t consume the strength of France and Austria, then the power gap between the four great powers is going to be completely widened.
Foreign Minister Oscar Jimenez reminded, ”Your Majesty, once war breaks out between France and Austria, we are deprived of foreign aid.
Without the support of France and Austria, with only our own strength, the Afghan battlefield is afraid ……”
Alexander III interrupted, “Don’t worry, provoking a war between France and Austria isn’t something that happens overnight.
Even if we were to take action, it would be when the Afghan battlefield is about to settle. Until then, we are good allies.
What we need to do now is to ask for loans and supplies from France and Austria as much as possible; if they want us to sell our lives, then they have to come up with favors.”
Hearing this explanation, the crowd breathed a sigh of relief. It didn’t matter if it provoked a war between France and Austria, as long as it didn’t affect the battlefield in Afghanistan.
(End of chapter)