Chapter 208: Waiting to Jump Into the Pit
Vienna
Affected by the failure of the Battle of Sofia, the negotiation between the Austrian government and the Ottomans has achieved phased results, and only some details are still under negotiation.
Franz doesn't care much about the outcome of the negotiation. Even if the two countries sign an agreement, the probability that it will be fulfilled in the future is less than one-third.
The international situation is ever-changing, and the outcome of the war in the Near East will directly affect Austria's income. From the perspective of interests, the Russian victory is of course the best choice.
It can not only let them rush to the front to pull hatred and share the pressure of Austria; but also will not let the Russians really soar into the sky and lose their restrictions.
Prince Wendischgritz, Minister of War, said strangely: "Your Majesty, a battle report was sent from the Serbian front. A group of British soldiers entered by mistake and were disarmed by us."
Franz asked suspiciously: "The war in the Near East can't spread that far, isn't it still separated by the Kosovo region?"
This mistake is too big. Even if the Battle of Sofia fails, the Kosovo region is still controlled by the Ottomans, and they can ask the local government to send a guide.
Prince Wendischgritz handed over the battle report, Franz glanced over, and finally understood why he looked so strange.
Franz thought for a while and said: "This is also a good thing. We have another small bargaining chip in our hands. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified the British and asked them to send people to discuss and lure these people back to China."
There is no doubt that these men will be detained until after the war, and to inform the British now is nothing more than to tell them that Austria has a group of British officers and men in their hands.
These people are useless now. When the war in the Near East escalates and the news of the heavy casualties of the British troops on the front line is returned to the country, after causing a sensation, the London government has to pay attention to these soldiers.
Franz admires the person who came up with this method.
This is a genius. They are deserters. Others are lucky to run away and hide in Tibet. After the war, they still worry about being liquidated and unable to return home.
They also became deserters, and they stayed in Austria to eat and drink until the end of the war. The salaries and benefits of the London government could not be without them, and they had to be brought back after the war.
Fortunately, there are not many such talents, otherwise tens of thousands of British soldiers would go to Austria to eat and drink, and the London government would vomit blood.
As for the Sardinian army who came to hang out, Franz ignored it directly. This was a normal operation, and no one rushed over, indicating that they are still the Kingdom of Sardinia, not Italy.
...
Metternich said with a big smile: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Felix's trip to Berlin failed, and the Kingdom of Prussia rejected the proposal to rebuild the Holy Roman League.
In order to avoid public condemnation, Frederick Wilhelm IV very cunningly chose to delay the time, and made a high-profile announcement to respect the choice of the German people.
Prime Minister Felix proposed a referendum, which he flatly rejected, and it seemed that the Prussians were about to get involved. "
I am not afraid of the Prussians doing things, but what I am most afraid of is that the Prussians will not do things. If the Holy Roman Empire was rebuilt in the name of a referendum, Franz would be the one to cry.
The democratically elected emperor looks good, but in fact, it has dropped several grades in nature. It is not supreme. Since it can be elected, it can also be abolished. It is even worse than the emperor election system of the year.
Regardless of whether it is good or bad for the country, it is absolutely disastrous for the royal family. Unless there is really no other way, no emperor is willing to accept this popularly elected throne.
At least Franz will not accept it. There are many families in Germany who are eligible to elect the emperor. Even if they win once, they can also change hands the next time. Then the emperor and the life-term president are only nominal.
Not only Franz can't accept it, but the Austrian government can't accept it. If Austria can't control the Holy Roman Empire, what's the use of rebuilding the Empire?
The Prussians were worried that Austria would limit them with the empire, but Austria was equally worried about not being able to control the empire.
Out of interest, once the empire is unified, the embarrassing situation of Prussia in the German region will change immediately, and the small state will support them against Austria.
Of course, this kind of support can only be done in the dark, and it is impossible for everyone to stand up against the central government on the bright side. Most of these states will play balanced politics, that is: the central government with Austria as the core and the local power represented by the Kingdom of Prussia. Pie, a delicate balance.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl said uncertainly: "It's a little surprising that the Prussians did not stand up and raise the banner of opposition. Could it be that they expect the small states to stand up and openly oppose us?"
Under the influence of nationalists, reunification has now been accepted by many people. If you oppose national reunification, you will undoubtedly draw hatred.
Of course, the strength of the nationalist group is not large at present. It can influence the government's position, but it cannot influence the government's decision-making.
If it waits twenty or thirty years before Austria re-launches the banner of "Rebuilding Shinra-Peaceful Reunification", it is estimated that there is a real possibility of success.
"This is not clear, anyway, someone has to be the leader, otherwise the plan will be successful, and the price of the Prussian government will be high if it wants to oppose it.
Now let's see which unlucky person is fooled by them. Anyway, whoever stands up against it will be hostile to the nationalists in the future. "Metternich analyzed.
Franz thought for a while and said, "It's best to be Bavaria. We need the Bavarian government to stand up and oppose it. This is a suitable choice for us."
Metternich analyzed: "Your Majesty, if Bavaria is to be recruited, we must also
Pushing it personally, it is estimated that the Prussians also want to push the Kingdom of Bavaria to be the first bird.
As the third largest country in the Federation, only their influence is large enough to allow everyone to respond collectively.
If the Bavarian government wants to gain the support of the small states, then this is an opportunity, and if successful, they become the leaders of the small German states. "
...
The Austrian government is discussing how to lead the kingdom of Bavaria into the pit, and the Tsarist government is also discussing the strategy behind it.
The Battle of Sofia is over, and the Second Bulgarian Battle has entered a new stage. At this time, they have two options:
Either concentrate troops to fight in the Sliven area, or first occupy Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Greece to join forces.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Aristan Lirod proposed: "Your Majesty, first attack the Keslivan area, clear the obstacles to the Constantinople area, and attack Constantinople in one go, then Britain and France will have to retreat."
This is the quickest way to play, and financially speaking, it's the least expensive way to win the war.
The premise is to be able to win. If you lose, everything will stop. High returns are accompanied by high risks.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Karl Woossel objected: "No, the Battle of Sofia has just ended, and the troops on the front line need to be refurbished urgently. At this time, there will be another decisive battle, and the pressure on the front line will be too great.
It is better to take the area where the enemy's strength is weak first, take Kosovo, Macedonia, and Thrace to occupy first, unite Montenegro and Greece, and attack from the enemy's flank.
Although the speed of these is a little slow, they are fighting against the wind, which is just the time to train the new recruits and restore the combat effectiveness of the troops as soon as possible. "
Seeing that the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Foreign Affairs had finished speaking, the Minister of War was embarrassed to find that he had nothing to say.
Who do you support? This problem is not easy to deal with. Before it is implemented, who knows which strategy is more reliable. Ivanovic can judge from a professional point of view. It is theoretically feasible.
In fact, it looks wonderful to outflank the war. The logistics is estimated to be able to drag people to death. You can't expect Montenegro and Greece to provide logistics, right?
Otherwise, while occupying these places, the Russian army must be stationed separately to ensure smooth logistics and transportation lines.
Immediately sent troops to a decisive battle, Ivanovich also knew that this was too difficult for a strong man. The troops on the front lines are tired, and if they don't renovate their combat effectiveness, they can't be guaranteed.
After hesitating for a while, the Minister of War Ivanovich analyzed from a professional point of view: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of War proposes to mobilize new troops to replace some of the troops with heavy casualties, and withdraw them to the Danube River for repair, as a whole Army Reserve.
Immediately after switching defenses, we will have a decisive battle with the enemy. Now the British Expeditionary Force is also seriously injured. We only need two main divisions to kill them.
Now we have to fight the enemy for time. Whoever can reinforce the frontline faster will be able to win this battle. "
There is no doubt that he is not supported by anyone. Ivanovic is very dissatisfied with the practice of two amateur players acting as professionals, but he can't provoke the two bigwigs.
Nicholas I was a soldier, regardless of his military literacy, he still knew the basic common sense, and naturally understood that Ivanovich's suggestion was more reliable than the previous two.
"Drop five divisions from the Lviv region to replace the troops involved in the Sofia campaign, and move eight divisions from the Moscow region to replace the heavily lost troops on the Sliven front.
Order the troops in the Ukrainian region to strictly prevent the enemy from landing, especially the Crimea Peninsula, and not let the enemy take advantage of the loophole. "
"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Ivanovich
The advantage of having more troops is reflected at this time, and the Russians can mobilize reinforcements in the shortest possible time.
It is a pity that this benefit is somewhat pale and weak on the battlefield. Poor transportation has restricted the speed of Russian troop movements.
The battle of Sofia was over for more than half a month. At this time, the tsarist government made a decision. A lot of time has been wasted. When these troops arrived at the front line, it was already more than a month later.
In any case, the Russians still passed the battle in Sofia. The Ottoman Empire's rule in the Balkans became shaky, and the Sudanese government had no strength to reinforce the front.
This means that the good days of the French are over. In half a year, the Ottoman Empire lost more than 300,000. Now the Sudanese government is eager to deal with the Greeks who have entered Thrace, and there is no supplementary force.
Aimable Jean-Jacques Perlisier discovered for the first time that the Ottoman Empire was still so important. The number of cannon fodder was insufficient, and the French Expeditionary Force had to top it by themselves.
A war of attrition is no fun. Almost every day, a regiment has to be disabled. This kind of loss is not so easy to bear. There were Ottoman cannon fodder in front of them, they didn't think there was anything, they knew it was amazing now.
Menshkov was completely desperate, launching a big attack every three to five, and both sides were mourning after a battle.
Of the 170,000 French Expeditionary Forces, there are only less than 100,000 left to fight. The rest are not all dead, nor are they all wounded, but because the troops were crippled and established, they had to be withdrawn for repair.
In fact, the losses of the French army were similar to those of the British, with more than 40,000 casualties, but their soldiers were more than able to withstand losses of this magnitude.
France has provided them with two additional troops, the total
The number is as high as 48,000, and the total number of the French army has not declined. Aimable Jean-Jacques Pelissier still had experience, and knew that he had not used a single unit to his death by letting troops take turns on the battlefield.
Even so, the battalion-company-level troops at the grassroots level are often beaten out of formation. This is something that can't be helped. The enemy's round of attack is often reimbursed by the first few companies.
In this respect, the British are far behind. Of course, this is the difference between a land-power country and a sea-power country. Even when Napoleon III was purging dissidents, he did not make small moves on these issues.
Therefore, the battle has been going on until now, and the French are still strong. If they can be repaired for a month or two, they can rebuild the lost establishment and return to the peak.
Time is a flaw, and the Russians will obviously not give them this chance. Although the Russian casualties are not small, the gray animals are easy to fool.
In the face of the bright future promised by Menshkov, the Russian soldiers plucked up the courage to take to the battlefield again, which is incomparable to the British and French troops.
The serf soldiers of Maoxiong are simple-minded and basically illiterate. They only need to promise them freedom and land, and these people can sacrifice their lives on the battlefield.
Change the British and French soldiers, it is estimated that no one will care. Everyone has learned it well, and this little trick can't tempt them. The most important thing is that everyone knows that there is no land to distribute in the mainland.
Aren't you afraid of being shot by people when you use colonial land to fool people? Those ghost places, you can buy the land of a farm for one pound, and want everyone to die?
If it is not easy to cheat, you must find a way to cheat. Aimable Jean-Jacques Pelissier decisively sacrificed the Russian-French revenge to inspire everyone's morale. It was fine at the beginning, but now the effect is not obvious.
If anyone pays attention, they will find that the French army is retreating, as if preparing to run away.
Aimable Jean-Jacques Pelissier was bitter, this battle was of great importance, and it was related to the prestige of the eldest Napoleon III, so he absolutely could not lose.
Even if it pays a heavy price, it can be a nominal victory. Since he can't afford to lose, he naturally has to think about the way back, and if it is really not desirable, he must dump the blame!
Of course, it is better to win the war, and how much you lose still has some influence. At this time, Aimable Jean-Jacques Perissier had regretted it. He had known that the British were so rubbish, and he would have gone up to the decisive battle with the Russians from the very beginning.
A tragic victory that hurts both sides is also a victory.
Moreover, the boss originally wanted to eliminate dissidents and eliminate the forces loyal to the Orleans dynasty in the army.
It's just that Aimable Jean-Jacques Pelissier didn't have a conscience and was reluctant to let so many French boys be buried with him, so he chose the safest way to play, which turned into a war of attrition.
However, the resilience of the Russians on the battlefield was above the coalition, and then the French suffered.
Missed the opportunity for a decisive battle, and now even if you want to be reckless, in the state of the French army, you will probably not be able to do it. Aimable Jean-Jacques Pelissier didn't want to give the Russians a stepping stone to make their reputation as the world's number one army power a bit louder.