Chapter 191 Russian Counterattack
St. Petersburg
Suddenly receiving the declaration of war from the Kingdom of Sardinia, the angry tsarist government exploded in anger. Forget the British, French, and Ottoman Empires. They are all powerful countries in the world. What is the Kingdom of Sardinia?
I really thought that Russia was in decline, and all cats and dogs could come and do things? Angry is angry, because the distance is too far, Russia can't help the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Nicholas I snorted coldly: "Humph!"
"Order the troops on the front line to greet the Sardinians well and let them know that the Russian Empire cannot be humiliated!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The Minister of War quickly replied
No one could have imagined that the order under Nicholas I's anger would actually become the key to breaking the Russian army in the future and won a big victory.
On July 18, 1852, the Russian army launched an offensive in the Caucasus region, and the Turkish army retreated steadily. Constrained by the terrain, the Russian army won many battles, but unfortunately the front was advancing very slowly.
The Ottoman Empire also had smart people who knew that the favorable terrain in the Caucasus could not be abandoned. They hoarded a large number of troops here. The troops on the front line were defeated, and they immediately sent new troops to the top.
The two sides launched a fierce fight, which can be described as an inch of land. After paying a heavy price, the Russian army was forced to stop the offensive in August.
The casualties were too great. The number of casualties in the battle for more than half a month exceeded 70,000, with an average of more than 5,000 casualties per day. However, the victory was far away, and the Russians could not stand it.
If you want to increase troops, due to the terrain, logistical supplies are a problem. It is possible to concentrate 200,000 troops. This is the result of hoarding strategic materials in advance.
After half a month of fighting, the weapons and ammunition are almost consumed, that is, the Russian army's weapons and equipment are backward, so that the basic logistics supply can be guaranteed. If the British, French, and Austrian troops are replaced, the logistical pressure will increase by a quarter.
The Caucasus could not be broken through, and the Russians once again turned their attention to the Balkans. After such a long period of repair, the Russian army has recovered its combat effectiveness, and its total strength has risen to 480,000.
The coalition army has more troops, with 170,000 French troops, 20,000 British troops, 540,000 Ottoman troops, and the Sardinian troops have not yet arrived, with a total strength of 730,000.
However, the Russians are not too disadvantaged. The Bulgarians formed an army of 50,000. Austria still helped to hold off 70,000 to 80,000 Ottoman troops. army.
In general, the combat effectiveness of the two sides is almost equal, and the key to determining the outcome is the contest between the commanders of the two sides.
"Are the supplies in place?" Menshkov asked
The last Bulgarian battle failed to expand the results. In addition to the sudden appearance of the French army, which broke their plan, there was also the fact that the logistics materials could not keep up.
In advance, the Russian army made a wrong estimate of the ammunition consumption on the battlefield, ignoring that the consumption of weapons and ammunition would also be greatly increased after the troops were reloaded.
The Russians' weapons and equipment are backward, and Franz, as an ally, will naturally not sit idly by. As soon as the war in the Near East broke out, Austria sold a large number of new weapons and equipment to the Russians.
The Russians did not have the financial resources to change their clothes on a large scale, but they still purchased a batch of weapons and equipment for the main force. About three infantry divisions were replaced with arcane weapons, and more than 300 artillery pieces were purchased to increase their firepower.
Facts have proved that these weapons and equipment are still worth the price. After the replacement, the combat effectiveness of the Russian army has improved a lot. These main divisions are the first troops to tear apart the defense line of the Ottoman army.
Playing on the battlefield is cool, and the consumption of ammunition will naturally be large. Take the added 300 cannons as an example, only one salvo is needed, and a ton of ammunition is gone.
The high consumption is a logistical problem. Comparing the Russian equipment with frequent problems, the officers fell in love with the arcane equipment at once, and asked to change the equipment.
If it is a peaceful time, the large-scale procurement of Austrian weapons and equipment will definitely be desperately opposed by the interest groups engaged in weapons production.
It was different during the war. Having paid so much for this war, Nicholas I would never tolerate someone dragging his feet at this time, and he strongly passed the military’s dress-up requirements.
In the past few months of repair, the Russians have not been idle, and have successively replaced the equipment of some troops. By now, one-third of the 480,000 Russian troops are using arcane equipment.
The main force has leveled up the gap between Britain and France in terms of weaponry and equipment. Even if there is a lack of training, it can make up for two or three points by relying on the fighting will of the fighting nation.
Like the last time, the main force of 90,000 Russian troops could not hold 50,000 French troops in the field. It is very difficult to happen now.
"It's all in place, and some of the supplies have even exceeded our previous plan, enough to support our entire army for three months." The quartermaster replied.
Menshkov nodded with satisfaction, he had enough confidence in this war. In the last Bulgarian battle, the main force of the Ottoman army had been hit hard.
Even though the current number of troops has not declined, the combat effectiveness has inevitably declined. The combat effectiveness of recruits and veterans is completely different, and the gap between the combat effectiveness of elites and cannon fodder is even greater.
Menshkov said confidently: "Very good, as long as the logistics are in place, we have won half of this war.
Our combat plan has been approved at home, and there are still 300,000 troops in Ukraine, which can replenish our consumption on the battlefield at any time.
The Ottomans are nothing to worry about. The Kingdom of Sardinia was only drawn by the British to make up the number. Our main enemies are Britain and France.
The strategic goal of this battle
, is to annihilate the main force of Britain and France on the Balkan Peninsula, advance the front to Edirne, and lay the foundation for the capture of Constantinople.
For the final victory, in this war, we must do whatever it takes, regardless of casualties, to tear through the enemy's line of defense in the shortest possible time, and encircle and wipe out the British and French allied forces.
Only by killing them can we win this war. "
Russia's military system is a bit chaotic, and the tsarist government employs people very casually. Menshkov was originally from the army, served as a diplomatic attaché in Vienna, participated in the Anti-French War, the Eighth Russo-Turkish War, and served as the tsar's attendant.
After retiring from the army, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Then he entered the Navy and served successively as Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Chief of Staff of the Naval Command, Minister of the Navy, and now an Admiral.
To be able to leap from the army to the navy and become an admiral, some people may think that his naval talent is super strong, so he can make an exception for promotion.
The direct consequence of Menshkov's entry into the navy is to delay the technical progress and combat training of the Russian navy, and to apply the army's training model to the navy, which can be regarded as a gravedigger of the Russian navy.
At this time, he, the admiral, was sent to command hundreds of thousands of troops to fight, and he was the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force in the Balkans. Naturally, it would not be convincing.
Although he was born in the army, but after leaving the army for more than ten or twenty years, his professional ability has inevitably deteriorated, which is unconvincing.
It is more appropriate to say that he is a soldier now, rather than a politician. The employment mechanism of the tsarist government cast a shadow over the war that was about to break out.
Russian Chief of Staff Fitzroy Somerset objected: "Your Excellency Commander, the persimmons are looking for a soft pinch. To win this war, the easiest breakthrough is obviously the Ottomans.
What we have to do now is to look for opportunities to crippling the Ottoman army, and then come to bite the hard bone of Britain and France.
Without the Ottoman troops as vassals, the British and French troops are less than 200,000 troops, and we can easily kill them. "
Menshkov explained confidently: "If we focus on attacking the Ottomans, the British and French troops will slip away when the momentum is not right, and we have no ability to keep them at the same time.
If we can't fight Britain and France, even if we take Constantinople, this war will continue.
They can send troops to the Balkans by sea, and this will become a distant future.
From the outbreak of the war to the present, we have paid at least 130 million rubles for the military. If we add the pre-war preparations, our military expenditure has exceeded 200 million rubles, which is the fiscal revenue of the Russian Empire for a year.
If the war goes on for a long time, our finances will be unsustainable. Financially, we can't compete with the UK and France, not even with the Austrians. "
Fighting for financial resources, the British are invincible in this era, even if they only look at financial income, they are all invincible. In the second echelon, the four countries of Fa, Austria, Russia, and Qing were not able to keep up. Everyone was only six or seven layers of the British.
This gap can only be slowly caught up after countries have completed the Industrial Revolution.
"But Your Excellency Commander, we don't have an advantage now. The result of the war is likely to be both losers and fail to achieve the final goal." Fitzroy Somerset said with a frown.
Menshkov shook his head and said, "We must fight even if we lose both. No matter what, we must fight Britain and France to force them out of the war.
If we fight step by step, are we going to fight this war for one or two years, or ten or eight years?
It is different now from before. We could fight with the Ottoman Empire for more than ten years in a war back then, but is it possible now?
The high cost of war has already taught us that a quick solution is the best option. If we delay, the price we will pay will only be heavier. "
Soldiers look at the problem, just starting from the military is enough. Politicians look at problems more from political considerations.
Menshkov has overdone the politicians. He can ignore the losses of the Russian army, but he cannot accept that the war will continue.
The Russian government is well aware that the longer the war goes on, the worse it will be for them. In the later stage, it can only see who has the stronger ability to bear.
In order to prevent this from happening, the best way is to use the tragic casualties on the battlefield to frighten Britain and France and force them to make concessions.
In history, after the Crimean War, the British intervened in European affairs, and they restrained a lot, avoiding their own participation as much as possible, and laying the foundation for Prussia to unify the German region.
It can be said that the Crimean War was fought for the Germans. After the war, internal contradictions broke out in Russia, and reforms were necessary, but they did not come out for more than ten years; the two victors of Britain and France also had lingering fears, and did not intervene in the unification war initiated by Prussia for the first time.
With a unified understanding, the Russian army began to prepare. Fortunately, the transmission of information was not convenient in this era. Although wired telegraphy appeared, it was only available in big cities, and the Balkans had not yet become popular.
Otherwise, as the Russians are doing now, their actions have not yet begun, and the enemy will be ready when they receive the news.
...
All wars need to be compared, and the Russians are better than the British, French, and Osman troops, no matter how chaotic they are.
Britain and France would not give in to each other, and the Ottoman Empire could only be neutral. They were afraid that if Britain and France were to withdraw, they would be doomed.
Historically, Aimable Jean-Jacques Perissier served as the commander of the coalition and was barely able to command the coalition. Now Aimable Jean-Jacques Perlisier is only one of the three commanders.
The sequelae is that when a coordinated operation is required, everyone must report to the coalition headquarters, and only after the three commanders have reached an agreement can it be carried out.
The Russians were about to attack, but the coalition did not know anything. The Ottoman Empire does not attach importance to intelligence work, and all sources of intelligence are provided by the people of the country.
Under the bureaucratic system, many of these intelligences were used directly without verification. It's a pity that the Russians don't pay much attention to intelligence work, otherwise, if they pass some fake news in the past, they can make the coalition suffer a big loss.
Britain and France are all over the country and do not have the ability to collect intelligence. Their bureaucracy should not be underestimated. They directly believe that the Ottoman Empire will solve this problem.