Chapter 365: Strategic Gamble
After returning to continental Europe, Stephen and Gabriel parted ways. One wants to run for independence, the other wants to find a place to watch the situation.
Stephen and others did not return to Hungary for the first time. The exile experience taught him that he had to be careful, and any negligence could be fatal.
Although more than ten years have passed, everyone has undergone earth-shaking changes, and no one can guarantee that they will be recognized by acquaintances.
Once the wind leaked out, they were all served in one pot. In the Principality of Montenegro, Stephen and others got off the boat and pretended to be businessmen to inspect the market in Montenegro.
Then he sent a few young people who had never passed by in Austria to enter Hungary to collect intelligence.
Adversity is the easiest way to grow, and now the Hungarian independent organization is different from a decade ago. Not only learned to know ourselves and the enemy, but also improved his life-saving ability by n grades.
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When a large wave of chaos swept across the European continent, the Purdue War was coming to an end. Fortunately, the tsarist government took action in time.
This is also not timely. The tsarist government should have taken action more than two months ago. It is a pity that the Russians wanted to suppress the Polish rebellion first, and then deal with the Prussians.
As a result, the Polish rebels were defeated, but the rebellion continued. There were too many supporters behind the Polish rebellion, and the strength of the rebels exceeded the Russians' expectations.
It's easy to beat them, hard to kill them. The existence of the Polish rebellion bought time for the Prussians.
Until the Danes couldn't hold on anymore, the tsarist government had to take action. Otherwise, the Kingdom of Denmark will fall, and the face of the Russian Empire will be lost.
On December 28, 1864, the Tsarist government issued an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Prussia, ordering them to withdraw from Denmark within 24 hours.
In Berlin, despite the mental preparation, when this day really came, the Prussian government still felt repressed.
The enemy this time is the hegemony of the European continent, the Russian Empire, which is not comparable to the Danes at all.
This is the end of the matter, and now there is no room for them to back down. Otherwise, if you offend the Russians, you will also offend the British and French who secretly supported them.
William I didn't care to get angry with the military. If he lost the war, even if the Russians didn't swallow Prussia in one bite, they would at least bite them.
"Are you ready, are you sure you can beat the Russians?"
Ron, Minister of the Army and Navy, replied: "We have completed the national mobilization, all the reserves have been demobilized, and the 427,000 Prussian troops are ready to go into battle.
The most important thing now is to get more loans from Britain and France. As long as the funding problem is solved, we can spend time with the Russians. "
It is true that the Kingdom of Prussia mobilized 427,000 troops, but it does not mean that these troops can be put into the war against Russia.
It is also a tragedy that the neighbors are too powerful. No matter the three neighbors, any family has the strength to kill them. The Prussian government has to be careful.
It is no problem for the main force to come out and fight the Russians to death. How to ensure that Fao does not take advantage of the fire is a big problem.
Even if everyone needs them to attack the Russians, France and Austria will not attack them for the time being, but once the war is over?
Whether it is a defeat or a victory, it is possible to incur a blow from both France and Austria.
Needless to say, after the defeat, the Russians want to eat meat, and France and Austria will also eat meat. The Kingdom of Prussia does not want to get away without paying a heavy price.
Winning this war is not the same as victory, the tsarist government still has the strength to make a comeback, and the days ahead are long!
The European continent is too small to hold so many powerful countries, and neither France nor Austria wants to see a powerful Prussia appear.
After the attack on the Russians, the role of the Kingdom of Prussia is over, and it is quite normal to be stabbed in the back.
The necessary precautions, the Prussian government had to prepare in advance. In the event of an accident, there must be time to react.
With so many practical problems in front of us, the Prussian military naturally dared not take risks. Not only did they want to win, but they also had to minimize their losses as much as possible, so as to deal with possible looting between France and Austria after the war.
In this era, the international environment of the Kingdom of Prussia is much worse than in history, and there are too few choices for them.
Historically, Bismarck was able to lead Prussia to unify Germany on the premise that the Russians lost the Crimean War and Austria lost the Franco-Austrian War.
The situation is completely different now. The Franco-Austrian War was never fought at all. The Kingdom of Sardinia wanted to seduce the French to attack Austria by ceding territory, but the Vienna government directly threw out the entire Sardinian kingdom.
France, which devoured the Kingdom of Sardinia, apparently made a lot of money, but in fact has fallen into a state of strategic passivity and has been isolated by European countries.
To some extent, this is also a good thing for the Kingdom of Prussia. The French, who are in diplomatic trouble, dare not fight the Rhineland idea for a short time, and their defense pressure is greatly reduced.
The awesome Russians are different, although their losses in the Near East War are greater than the historical Crimean War, the problem is that they won!
The Russian people are not afraid of heavy losses. The tsarist government occupied Constantinople, and all sectors of society were very satisfied, and the losses were directly ignored.
After the baptism of war, the combat effectiveness of the tsarist army is not comparable in history. Not only did the weapons and equipment exceed the same period in history, but also the morale of the army was incomparable.
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It is not surprising that the Prussian military chose to play conservatively. After all, what the tsarist government lacked most was soldiers, and the Russian-Austrian alliance was there. Even if Austria did not support the Russians, it would not prevent them from selling arms.
It is obviously unwise to fight against the Russians in this context. The Tsarist government lost three or five times, but the Prussians lost once.
War is not a child's play, both Ron and Mao Qi are the best military strategists of this era. Naturally, their pattern is not just to win a battle, but to win the war.
The biggest weakness of the tsarist government is poverty. Prussia has a gold master behind it, and it must be the Russians who cannot support it first.
Prime Minister Frank raised the question: "How can we guarantee to stop the Russians? From the actual situation, we must keep the enemy outside the country.
You all know exactly what the Cossack cavalry is. Once you let them go deep into the country to wreak havoc, the consequences will be disastrous. "
This is the most troubling issue. The Prussian-Russian border is too long, and the Pod Plain is flat. These areas are still the foundation of the Junkers aristocracy, and there is no room for failure.
Don't say that the large Russian army has penetrated deeply. Even if the cavalry of thousands of people rushed in and destroyed it, the Berlin government could not afford to lose.
Mao Qi said with a serious face: "Incorporate Qingye, and move all the people within 50 kilometers of the Prussian border to the rear.
Carry out the second mobilization again, increase the service period of the soldiers to five years, and adjust the service age to 16 to 55 years old. We can add another 300,000 troops out and briefly train them to deal with the intruding Russian army. "
Everyone's face changed greatly, and it was easy to say that merging Qingye. If it is done, then it is bound to pay a heavy price.
The Kingdom of Prussia is not a big country. It is easy to say 50 kilometers back. In fact, this means that millions of people will be relocated, and one-fifth of the country will be reduced to white land.
William I said solemnly: "This is impossible. Your plan to annex and clear the country has exceeded our ability to bear. If you do this, it must be us, not the Russians, who will collapse first."
Mao Qi sighed and said: "If this is the case, we can only take risks and put the battlefield in Poland as much as possible."
In this era, trenches and barbed wire have not yet appeared, there is no such cheap defense facilities, and the Prussian-Russian border line is so long, so we can only build fortifications in key areas.
The enemy's large troops did not dare to bypass these fortifications to attack deeply, and the small troops were different.
Of course, the rear is not without fortifications. The castles of the nobles are the best fortresses. It is not a big problem to deal with small troops without heavy firepower.
The main reason for merging Qingye is to reduce personnel losses. After all, it is impossible for the people to stay in the castle all the time, and everyone needs to live.
The cavalry came and went like the wind, and even if it was notified, it took time to prepare. The reason for retreating 50 kilometers is to gain this time.
William I hesitated, and the greatest risk in taking a risk was not military. Now the Polish Independence Organization is an ally of Prussia, and even if the war is fought in Poland, they also have popular support.
The trouble was that it angered the Russians and turned the local war into a full-scale war between the two countries. I don't blame the Prussians for being cowardly. The biggest problem is that after they completed the military reform, they didn't experience the war, so they didn't have the confidence in their hearts.
Prime Minister Frank said: "Your Majesty, we have reached this stage, why should we look ahead?
If this war is won, the independent Kingdom of Poland will be the buffer between Prussia in the future; if this war is lost, the Kingdom of Prussia will lose its future. "
As a prime minister from a Junker aristocracy, he still stood on the side of the Junker aristocracy at a critical moment. In any case, class interests must be preserved.
The retreat route of the Kingdom of Prussia was blocked, and the retreat route of the Junker nobles still existed. These noble nobles who can fight are still very popular in this era, and there is no way out.
William I nodded fiercely and said, "Do it with confidence and boldness!"
At this point, he decided to take a big gamble. Placing the battlefield in Russian Poland will not only reduce local losses, but also have the opportunity to take a bite out of the Russians after the war.
The British supported their expansion in the Baltic Sea region, and the German region had no chance to expand, and expansion to the east became the only option.
European countries would not mind seeing the birth of a Prussian Empire that had a deadly fight with Russia and took over the heavy task of containing the Russian Empire. John Bull would not have watched Prussia die.
Prime Minister Frank proposed: "Your Majesty, we must seek more support, at least to keep the Austrians neutral.
The Russian Empire with Austrian support is completely different from Russia without Austrian support, and we cannot be enemies of both empires at the same time. "
Since it is a war of attrition, it is natural to consider the strength comparison of the two sides. Austria may not be as rich as Britain and France, but Austria's industrial strength is no weaker than France's.
Support does not necessarily have to be given money, and materials can also play a role. As long as there is sufficient food, weapons and ammunition, and the necessary munitions, the Russians can keep going.
In this era, most conscripts in Europe were not paid, and the noble officers could also owe their pay first, and they would not strike because the king could not afford the pay.
William I thought for a while and said, "Well, send someone to discuss with the Vienna government. As long as it is not a core issue, it can be discussed."
...
Vienna, Franz did not know that Austria had once again become the focus of contention. At this time, Prussia and Russia
The country needs Austria's support.
Geopolitics is always an inescapable topic. Austria, which is close at hand, can play a role that cannot be compared with Britain and France, which are thousands of miles away.
He was still worried about the letter in his hand. Massimiliano, who was in trouble, finally knew that he was asking for help, and then Franz was in a dilemma.
The Russian-Prussian War is about to start, and the Vienna government must be alert and concerned; the North and South sides of the American Civil War are about to decide the winner and loser, and Austria's strength in the Americas must be invested in the subsequent intervention.
To meddle in Mexico's internal affairs again would be a life-threatening effort.
It is a bit inhumane to refuse directly. After all, the pure Massimiliano thought that diplomatic support was enough, but he did not know that behind every diplomatic support there was a game of power.
Diplomacy without strength is not worth mentioning at all. After hesitating again and again, Franz decided to pour a wave of chicken soup for Massimiliano and let him struggle on his own.
As a good brother, Franz still gave dry goods.
He deeply analyzed the internal contradictions of the Mexican Empire, and suggested that Massimiliano first win over the constitutionalists and establish a stable government. The issue of reform will be discussed later.
It's easier if you don't have money, and you can ask for a loan from the French with confidence. Guan said, right of way, fiscal revenue, minerals... As long as the price is right, all can be mortgaged.
Franz can't be controlled by listening or not. Anyway, the suggestion was given. According to the above statement, although it cannot make the Mexican Empire stronger, it can at least ensure that Massimiliano's throne is stable.
It increases the difficulty of future reforms and is directly ignored by Franz. In the face of survival, any other factor can be discarded.
The one who owes money is that although the uncle may not be applicable in this era, at least it can guarantee that Napoleon III will not easily give up his support for him.
As for the issue of repaying debts, we must wait until the throne is firmly established. If someone is ousted halfway, these debts have nothing to do with Massimiliano.
It was the Mexican government that borrowed the money, not Massimiliano himself. In the event of being ousted by the enemy, leaving them a mess would be considered a small revenge.