Chapter 938: The Christmas Offensive

  Chapter 919 The Christmas Offensive

As it turns out, allies are not easy to find. There weren’t many countries that were qualified to be allies with France these days, and even fewer that were able to be allies with France because of their interests.

The alliance is also to pay attention to the principle of reciprocity, if the gap between the strength of the two sides is too large, then it is not looking for allies, but looking for a little brother.

From the heart, Napoleon IV is naturally willing to accept the little brother. The problem is that no one is stupid, for no reason why to France as a little brother?

Theoretically, once France shows defeat, for the sake of continental balance the British will most likely support them, and European countries will stop dragging their feet in small actions.

Unfortunately this only exists in theory, the prerequisite must be the top government of each country to maintain absolute rationality, not mixed with any personal feelings.

Obviously, this is impossible. Politicians are also human beings, and they have the same feelings and desires of ordinary people. Since they have feelings, they will be affected to a greater or lesser extent when making decisions.

With the relationship between France and other countries, there are many people who want to kill them, showing weakness and pretending to be dead may be really dead.

Napoleon IV did not dare to gamble, even if the situation in Africa is deteriorating, France is gradually at a strategic disadvantage, he can only cover the lid, pretending to be a very strong look deterrent to the European countries.

“Allies?”

“Who can become our true ally?”

This is definitely a torture question from the soul. Right now, France’s ally is just one Britain, and unfortunately this ally is not reliable.

Summarized in one sentence: the chances of stabbing a teammate are slightly higher than stabbing an enemy.

Of course, if the French government had been a little more cheeky, it could have included Monaco. But that doesn’t make any sense; a seaside park can’t affect the contrasting strengths of the warring sides.

Under the expectant gaze of his colleagues, Foreign Minister Karel Kadlec replied stiffly, “Your Majesty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has conducted an in-depth study in order to break the political passivity.

The British have allied themselves with us, and although this ally is not very reliable, it is still necessary to stabilize them.

From the outbreak of the war until now, nearly a third of our strategic materials have been imported from Britain, pulling in the British is of great significance.

Strategically, if we want to change our unfavorable situation, it is best to pull in the Russians.

But this is very difficult to do, the Russian-Austrian alliance has been continued for many years, want the Tsarist government to suddenly turn against it is not realistic at all.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made a lot of efforts to break up the Russo-Austrian alliance, but unfortunately with little success.

Although there is no concrete evidence, but through some clues to analyze, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Russia and Austria have reached an agreement. The Austrians had probably promised the Russians the benefits of India.

We ……”

Without waiting for Karel Kadlec to finish his sentence, Napoleon IV impatiently interrupted, “My Foreign Minister, don’t talk such nonsense.

It’s an open secret that Russia and Austria are trading interests with each other, and everyone in the world knows it.

After the Austrians occupied the Ottoman Empire, they stopped continuing their expansion to the east, if there were no insider deals between Russia and Austria, that would be a problem.

As for India, that’s for the British to worry about. All you need to do is tell me if it’s possible to pull the Russians over.

If the Russians can’t be our allies, then who else can?

It doesn’t have to be the Great Powers, even the next best country will do. Even if you pull Switzerland over, I will hold a celebration banquet for you.”

It was genuine, Napoleon IV really wasn’t picky now. Bloody lessons had taught him that it was better to have more allies.

Just look at Austria next door, as soon as the Continental War broke out it pulled in a bunch of minions and formed the Anti-French Alliance.

Although most of them are playing soy sauce, but the number of people ah, in the momentum of the direct crush of France.

After hesitating for a few moments, Karel Kadlec replied with a slightly unparalleled voice: “Your Majesty, dividing Russia and Austria…the alliance…still needs time, it can’t be accomplished overnight.

We are trying to bring Switzerland on board, only…the results…are not very promising, but we have stabilized the Swiss government, and they have remained neutral in the war.

In order to turn the situation around, the Foreign Office is working with the Allied Powers and Colombia, who have always been interested in Austrian America, but are afraid to make any moves due to Austria’s power.

And then there is the Japanese, a small Far Eastern country whose power has grown so fast after the Meiji Restoration that it is on the verge of catching up with Belgium.

They and the Austrians in the South Seas region there is a conflict of interest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready to pull together their division of the Austrian South Seas.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also pulling in the Far Eastern Empire ……”

In the face of the Emperor’s pursuit, in a short period of time to come up with a response program, Karel Kadlec is a little admiring his own wit.

On the surface, as long as these allies are brought together, France will be able to get rid of the dilemma of being alone, and the strategic situation will be greatly improved.

In reality, everyone present knew that these were just a beautiful pie in the sky.

Theoretically, bringing together the Union State and Colombia would not only combat the Austrian colonial system in the Americas, but would also help France import agricultural products from the two countries.

Unfortunately the Americas are not the only countries, the strength of the Union State, although not weak, but unfortunately there is also a hereditary enemy of the United States next door to hold back.

Whether or not to win the fight, regardless of the laborers to conquer Austrian America, sure not to create opportunities for the enemy?

Colombia, not to mention, even if they enter the war, at most only two infantry divisions. Any more and the Austrians would have swept through Colombia again.

The Americas could not be opened, and the same was true of Asia. The Japanese, in these days, were in a groveling stage, not yet as arrogant as in later times.

Until the continental war was divided, there was no way they could take the fire for France.

The most crucial thing is that they are not strong, although Karel Kadlec would like to brag a few words for them, only really do not know what to brag about, and in the end can only take Belgium as a comparison.

Although the Austrian South Seas is not the center of gravity of the Vienna government, there are still tens of millions of people, armed with hundreds of thousands of troops can still do. If you really fight, who beat who is still an unknown.

As for the Far Eastern Empire, it’s better to wash your hands of it. People are still busy with internal strife, neither the mood, not to mention the courage to go to this hilarious.

“Since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already made a plan, go ahead and implement it as soon as possible, I’ll be here waiting for your good news!”

By this point, Napoleon IV’s expectations had long since hit rock bottom. Even though these potential allies, were all chicken shit, but who let France lack allies right now?

In any case, something was better than nothing. Don’t expect them to be able to do much to defeat Austria, but at least they can help wave the flag and disgust the Austrians.

After a pause, Napoleon IV added: “The core of our strategy is still in the European continent. The center of gravity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should also be placed on the European continent.

Whether it is the British, or the Russians, as long as we can pull a family down, we are facing the dilemma of the situation, will be completely reversed.

If that’s not possible, you can also mobilize the Nordic Confederation. The Danes are not obsessed with the Schleswig-Holstein duchies, so give it to them.

There are also the states within the German Confederation, you can also go and do some work, not asking them to turn over to you, just asking them to be passive.”

No matter how low the success rate was, Napoleon IV didn’t mind trying. Who let the French army not show the fighting ability it should?

The promised autumn wind swept away the fallen leaves, but it turned out that the wind was blowing up, how could it not be that the wind direction was not quite right, and it swept the fallen leaves into its own house.

……

France was on the move, and Austria was not idle. At the instigation of the government in Vienna, the Russian army launched attack after attack into the Afghan region.

The temptation to seize the Afghan region and open the gateway to India before the end of the Continental War was too great.

So that many of the top echelons of the Tsarist government were so addicted to it that they simply could not extricate themselves from it.

Visible benefits, not vague promises can be compared. Let the British and French talk about the sky, the Russians feel that the seizure of India is more reliable.

Of course, the most crucial thing is that the Afghan region has been occupied by the Russian army most of the time, and is about to win the victory.

As long as the Afghan region is occupied, the later battles will be better. Without the government’s encouragement, the soldiers and officers will be happy to kill into India.

If the tsarist government is willing, can follow the example of Austria to open up overseas colonies, let the nobles with private army on can solve the problem.

When robbing for themselves, the fighting power of the hairy bear can absolutely burst, it is not at all the lobster soldiers can stop.

Not an exaggeration at all, as long as the Russian army in the Afghan region to annihilate the main force of the British army, a short time the British simply can not replenish. Without the British army to press on, the Indian colonial army is a joke.

……

“To occupy the Afghan region before Christmas, which idiot’s gave the order?”

In the Russian command headquarters, Admiral Oginets looked at the order in his hand and cursed in disbelief.

It was not true that the war in Afghanistan had reached a critical moment, but the more such a time came, the fiercer the enemy’s resistance became.

In front of the Russian army can smoothly break through, in addition to the willingness to take human life to fill, more importantly, the British army logistical supply line is too long, every now and then was attacked by Afghan guerrillas.

According to the Russian army statistics out of the results of the war, the British army’s strategic supplies have nearly two-thirds will disappear in transit.

Whether it is the Afghan guerrillas to kill, or by the domestic bureaucrats to the division, this issue will be benevolent to see the wisdom of the people.

All in all, it was a good thing for the Russian army. Restricted by logistics, the British forces on the front line had all the firepower in the world but couldn’t explode at full strength.

In this context, even if there is a heavenly danger to rely on, the British army was still beaten back.

In order to maximize the war credit, the specific inside information of this, Admiral Auchinets naturally could not report.

Falling into the eyes of the tsarist government, all is the Russian army is not afraid of sacrifice, not afraid of the difficulties and dangers, all the way to overcome the difficulties, with the blood wrote a victory song.

There are two sides to everything, and the series of victories, while stimulating the ambitions of the Tsarist government, also consumed their patience.

It’s not as if someone couldn’t resist and wanted to occupy the Afghan region before Christmas to add luster to the annual festival.

Hearing Admiral Auchinets’ curses, the middle-aged officer who delivered the telegram, hastily reminded, “Your Excellency the Commander, this is an order from the War Ministry. It also has the Cabinet’s opinion attached to it, which amounts to a domestic consensus.”

An unmitigated disaster, that is. Admiral Oginets dared to berate the domestic bureaucrats, and that was because his own status had risen to the same level as the bigwigs at home.

If nothing else, after winning this war, Admiral Oginets would be promoted to Field Marshal.

And not just that kind of look-alike, but after Marshal Ivanov, another big shot in the Russian army.

No emperor likes his men to be ironclad, and the harder Admiral Oginets cursed, the happier Alexander III would be.

The fact that Admiral Oginets could scold did not mean that anyone could listen. In case there is a change in the back, triggering a high-level conflict, perhaps the person who scolded is fine, and those of them who listen to the guy is likely to be affected by the fish in the pond.

In a sense, this was essentially taking sides. Not opening his mouth to stop it, that meant recognizing Admiral Auchinets’ point of view.

It doesn’t matter if you have a backstage, but if you don’t have a backstage, you might fall victim to the political struggle at some point.

“Hmph!”

After a cold shout, Admiral Auchinets decisively cut off the idea of continuing to curse. There was no way, there were too many people involved, and they really couldn’t afford to be offended.

When you don’t know how to curse, it doesn’t matter, when you know, you have to be cultured, this is politics.

“Call the War Ministry back, we will launch the final offensive as soon as possible, but the logistics can’t keep up.

To capture the entire Afghan region before Christmas, we need at least 1.2 billion rounds of ammunition and three million artillery shells ……”

Typical lion’s share, but there was no way around it. Admiral Oginets had no confidence in occupying the Afghan region before Christmas and had to find a good excuse first so that he could easily shift the blame when the mission failed.

This is also the basic skill of the Russian generals, almost every top commander of the Russian army, is a master of shirking responsibility.

Insufficient strategic supplies, has always been the Russian army to deal with the domestic urgency of the unquestionable. As long as this killing move is taken out, the government will have nothing to say.

(End of chapter)