Chapter 186 Dilemma

On June 12, 1852, the British Parliament passed the Army Expansion Act.

Maxime's proposed 120,000 military expansion was still discounted, and shrewd congressmen limited the final troop expansion to 80,000. The reason is, of course, that the armament should be based on actual needs and that taxpayers' money should not be wasted.

This thrifty sense of ownership directly led to the British Army holding back its allies in the war in the Near East.

The French are far more efficient than the slow-moving British. After confirming the increase in troops, Napoleon III started the road of blasting troops, and the total strength of the French army jumped to 620,000.

It seems that the invincible France that traversed Europe back then has returned. In addition to hairy bears, Europe has the largest standing army.

In order to expand France's international influence, Napoleon III was very active this time. While expanding the army, the French reinforcements have already set off from the country.

At this time, the military strength of the French mainland has dropped to the lowest point. Although the number of troops has increased, veterans and recruits are completely two concepts.

After the end of the Anti-French War, the Orleans Dynasty slowed down the development of the French Army in order to ease the international pressure, retaining only a small number of elite troops, which were restored after the Great Revolution.

Napoleon III's talent was not in the military. When expanding the army, he ignored the construction of the reserve force and the rationalization and reform of the mobilization mechanism.

Historically, in the Franco-Prussian War, when the French lost the war, they conceded counsel. It was because France's mobilization mechanism was imperfect at that time that it failed to mobilize enough troops to defend Paris in time.

This is the weakness of the French-style development model. Most of the country's core industries are placed around Paris. Once Paris falls, it will be difficult to make a comeback.

After the Bulgarian battle, the Russian army pushed the front to the Balkan Mountains, and it was time to test the Russians.

At this time, there were differences within the Russian Balkan Expeditionary Force. The generals headed by General Bach-Ivanov advocated to conquer Sofia first; the generals headed by Gorchakov advocated crossing the Balkan Mountains and taking the Edirne area directly. .

The ultimate strategic goal is the same - to conquer Constantinople and block the Bosphorus.

The reason for claiming to conquer the Sofia region first is that the Ottoman Empire has just experienced a major defeat, and the troops in this region are weak and the military difficulty is low.

Sofia is the most influential city in Bulgaria. Once it is conquered, it will have a very important political influence and can call on more Bulgarians to rise up against the Ottoman rule.

Another reason that cannot be said is that after conquering Sofia, even if the Russian army failed to conquer Constantinople, it also occupied most of Bulgaria, laying the foundation for the next war.

This is a traditional force. This is the ninth Russian-Turkish war. Many people believe that if the Ottoman Empire cannot be destroyed, there will definitely be a tenth Russian-Turkish war in the future. It is also important to plan ahead.

Swallowing the Ottoman Empire in one bite is just idealism, and not many people really think that Russia can swallow the Ottoman Empire in one bite.

Political slogans can be shouted. The slogans of destroying the Ottoman Empire have been shouted by the Russians for almost a hundred years, and now the Ottoman Empire is still standing.

The reason for claiming to go directly to the Edirne area is: in order to hurry up, this is the nearest route to conquer Constantinople. Taking advantage of the fact that the main reinforcements of Britain and France have not arrived, attacking Constantinople in advance has a better chance of winning.

Of course, the odds are high and the risks are high. If they don't occupy the surrounding areas, the Ottoman army is likely to outflank the Russian army. If they fail to conquer Constantinople, there is a risk of annihilation.

Franz did not care about the troubles of the Russians. Whether the Russian army will be wiped out, he is not worried at all.

In the case of the Ottoman Empire, unless it is a hang-up, no matter how good a tactic is, they will discount it when executing it.

Theoretically cutting off the Russian logistical supply line at any critical point along the way, they would win the war.

However, the unit responsible for carrying out the mission must also have sufficient combat effectiveness, otherwise it will be overturned by the Russian army in three to five times, so what's the use?

Not only that, but also the close cooperation of the surrounding Ottoman troops and local governments. As long as there is a problem in one link, it is impossible to close the door and beat the dog.

Don't expect the Ottoman Empire to complete this kind of difficult work. At most, it is to cut off the logistics line to scare the Russians into retreating, and then the two sides honestly start to consume.

...

Prince Wendischgritz smiled and said: "Your Majesty, the Ottomans have withdrawn from Serbia. It seems that the Russians have put too much pressure on them. Now they are preparing to concentrate their forces to confront the Russians, and they don't care about these areas. ."

It was obvious that he was in a very good mood. The feud between the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire has been going on for hundreds of years, and it is naturally refreshing to watch the enemy unlucky.

Of course, the more important thing is politics. Don't look at the fact that Marshal Radsky is now the Chief of Staff. He, the Minister of War, has not responded. In fact, Prince Wendischgritz has been looking for opportunities to break the game.

A strongman in military is not the same as a strongman in politics. Archduke Karl is an example. He went home and wrote a book.

In fact, Marshal Radesky, who is highly regarded in the Austrian army, did not do well in Austria before, and his long-term local service is not valued, but excluded from the core of power.

It's just that after Franz came to power, the situation changed.

In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the westward strategy, Marshal Radesky was transferred back to the center as chief of the general staff.

In this context, Prince Wendischgritz has no use even if there are 10,000 reasons. No matter what the reasons are, it is impossible for Franz to give up his support for Marshal Radesky at this time.

Knowing this, Prince Wendischgritz naturally wouldn't do anything. In fact, his relationship with Marshal Radesky deteriorated because of the conflict of power between the General Staff and the War Department.

The ass decides the position. The General Staff and the War Department are meant to check and balance each other. If the relationship between the two sides is good, Franz will be replaced.

Suppressed by Marshal Radsky, Prince Wendischgritz had no choice. But now the opportunity has come, the withdrawal of the Ottomans from Serbia means that Austria can get a large tract of land without breaking a sweat.

The main battle faction of the military is not so easy to suppress, and they don't know the real strategy of the Austrian government, so when fighter planes appear, they naturally want to fight.

At this time, if Marshal Radesky couldn't suppress his subordinates and brought the matter to the emperor, it would be a big loss; even if he suppressed it, it would make the military generals dissatisfied.

Franz is naturally clear about this little calculation. But he didn't mean to interfere, these struggles can only be regarded as pediatrics. Prince Wendischgritz used conspiracy, which is within the scope of the rules.

It is better for ministers to fight with each other than to collude and fight against the emperor. Franz pretended not to see the secret struggle as long as he didn't delay the business, the unrighteous gangs, and the secret struggle.

Where there are people there are factions, and Franz does not expect the purity of the bureaucracy of the Austrian government.

Franz asked: "What about Belgrade, did the Ottomans give up?"

Belgrade has always been known as the gateway to the Balkans. As long as it is mastered here, no one can ignore Austria's opinion on the future affairs of the Balkans.

However, now the strategic focus of the Austrian government is not on the Balkan Peninsula, and the Ottoman Empire has stationed heavy troops there, and Austria has not captured Belgrade.

If the Ottomans voluntarily gave up, they could send 8,000 troops to occupy it, and Franz would not be able to give up. Austria still did not lack such a small amount of troops.

The more chips in hand, the greater the benefits that can be obtained after the war. Everyone understands this simple truth.

Austria does not have such a good appetite for annexing the interests of the Balkans while unifying South Germany.

Unless the Russians open up and can conquer Constantinople, then the Nao-Austrian alliance between Britain and France will not be broken, and Austria will swallow the fat.

"No, but the Ottomans still drew their troops from Belgrade, and now the defenders there have dropped to 20,000." Prince Wendischgritz replied.

After wandering around for a while, Franz called out, "Jenny, send someone to notify the cabinet and Marshal Radesky to come over for a meeting."

The plan is always unable to keep up with the rapid changes. Austria stopped after occupying the two principalities in the Danube Valley.

Now that the Ottoman Empire has withdrawn its troops from Serbia, and Austria has not sent troops to occupy it, it would be too strange. Not to mention the Russians, even European countries will be suspicious.

However, as the occupation continued, Austria occupied more and more land in the Balkans. Then the problem came out. The original strategy of going south was just to cover the strategy of going west, but it turned out to be a fake drama.

Don't think that eating too much meat must be a good thing. It may also make people gain weight. Losing weight is the most troublesome.

Austria is about the same now. Now that it takes more and takes more, can the European countries agree to it after the war?

Jealousy can twist people's hearts. If everyone is jealous, Austria will have no friends. Franz doesn't want to be in that passive situation.

The problem now is that the situation is simply out of Franz's control. The Ottomans are too cowardly, they don't have the fighting spirit of their ancestors at all.

Even if they symbolically formed a gang of militia to come out and make a big splash, Franz could pretend to be deceived, not discover the enemy's conspiracy in time, and delay the fighter.

Now it's good, the Ottomans have withdrawn very single, and Franz is in a dilemma.