Chapter 404: The Times Create Heroes

The British ended up sidetracking, making the war confusing again. Whether the purse of the tsarist government was emptied first, or whether the kingdom of Prussia was unable to support it on the battlefield, no one knows.

With no access to sea transport, the Russians' plan to concentrate their forces and quickly defeat the Prussians failed.

Since the Russians lost Poland, food prices in St. Petersburg have continued to increase, and are 30 percent higher than before the war.

This is the result of Alexander II's timely measures to control it, otherwise it is not impossible for food prices to double.

The Russians have a lot of granaries, the only problem is transportation. From Ukraine and Moscow region to St. Petersburg, the price increase is inevitable.

At the Military Conference at the Winter Palace, Minister of the Army Heramed analyzed: "According to the current transportation capacity, the number of troops we can put into front-line combat will not exceed 400,000.

With such a small number of troops, it is almost impossible to win this war. The original battle plan was out of date, and the War Department decided to change the battle plan.

Conduct strategic defenses in the Baltic Sea and Belarus, put the main force into Ukraine, and attack Poland along the Russian-Austrian border.

In this way, our troops can get supplies directly from Austria, reducing the distance of logistics transportation.

Recover Poland first, then we can rely on the rivers in Poland to transport materials from Austria to ensure the logistical supply of the troops. "

The battle plan looks good and the logistical issues are resolved. However, Alexander II was very uncomfortable, which meant asking Austria for help.

There is no free lunch in the world, and to carry out this war with the support of Austria is bound to pay a price.

Alexander II did not want to see that the Russian army was working hard on the front line, but the greatest benefit fell into the hands of others, not even allies.

Chancellor Kristen Wahl objected: "The plan looks good, but it's not easy to get the Austrians to cooperate. It's not just about money, it's also about politics.

The Vienna government has been at odds throughout this war. On the one hand, they want to use our hands to smash the Prussian kingdom to create favorable conditions for unification; on the other hand, they want to keep the territorial integrity of the German region.

They are not going to cooperate fully unless we can pay a big price. Without their support, it would be difficult to get sufficient supplies even with Austria behind. "

The position of the Vienna government is not a secret, that is, it wants to see both Prussia and Russia suffer. This is in the best interest of Austria, creating conditions for national unity and ensuring the territorial integrity of the German region.

Only with social beatings would Prussian separatism be extinguished and merged with Austria.

At present, it is the Junkers aristocrats who advocate the establishment of Great Prussia. Once the domestic agricultural products are merged with Austria, the domestic agricultural products will inevitably be affected, and the interests of their landlords will be difficult to protect.

The worse Prussia is now beaten, the more people will support German unification, provided that the Kingdom of Prussia cannot be annexed by Russia.

In this context, it is not easy to count on Austria's full support to win the war.

Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov continued: "We have spoken to the Austrians about this issue.

The attitude of the Vienna government is very clear, they will abide by the Russian-Austrian alliance, and only limited to the content stipulated in the alliance.

Wanting to change their decision, the price to pay is too high, it is completely worth the loss. "

In the face of interests, allies should also lean back. Everyone present is not a novice, and they will not naively think that allies will cooperate with you unconditionally.

Speaking directly in terms of interests is actually the best way to get along with each other to maintain an alliance relationship. An alliance that only talks about friendship but not interests is never long-lasting.

Alexander II instructed: "Send someone to rent some warehouses on the Austrian border and store some materials in it as a transit point for trade between the two countries.

The military first regained part of the territory bordering Austria, and then traded nearby to save transportation costs. "

This is playing a side ball, stockpiling goods on the Austrian border in advance, and when the Russian army arrives, it can be supplied nearby.

Although there is still a lot of paperwork to go through, it also saves time. Time is life on the battlefield. With sufficient supplies, the Russian army can fight with the Kingdom of Prussia.

In this regard, they have an absolute advantage. As long as they fight for hundreds of thousands of people, the Kingdom of Prussia will not be able to hold on. Unless Britain and France personally fight, they will be the winners of this war.

It is a pity that the winter in Poland is not cold enough to take advantage of the Russian army's winter combat capability.

...

In Vienna, Franz put down the intelligence in his hand and started to eat melons, quietly watching Prussia and Russia show their magical powers.

The 19th century was the last brilliance of the monarchy. The times created heroes. This period was simply the eruption period of the hero.

William I of Prussia, Alexander II of Russia, Napoleon III of France, Emperor Meiji of Japan, Queen Victoria of England, and the protagonist himself, did not have a fuel-efficient lamp.

These people are relatively famous, and there are those with a relatively low sense of existence, such as: Rama IV and Rama V of Thailand. It is not a simple thing to be able to protect themselves in troubled times.

Another example: Abdulmaid I of the Ottoman Empire, who promoted modernization and reform, extended his life to the Ottoman Empire.

Including Karl XV of Sweden, Leopold II of Belgium, Montenegrin

Nicholas I, Luxembourg...

If these people change the time point, they can set off the situation of an era. It is unfortunate that everyone bumped into each other.

The king of a small country naturally does not have much room to play, and it is a kind of ability to survive in the slits of the foreign powers.

This requires superb political art, definitely not just salted fish. Every team is a test for a small country.

Now it's the turn of Alexander II and William I to pk. The winner will continue on the road to the king, and the loser will have to be eliminated from the game, leaving everyone behind.

The Sardinian king has become a sacrifice of this era, being the first to be eliminated and living in exile in London.

Laid-back days are short-lived and quickly shattered.

Foreign Minister Wesenberg reported: "Your Majesty, Francesco II sent a telegram asking for help. The rebels led by Garibal have crossed the Strait of Messina and continued to march north. The two Sicilian anti-rebel army was defeated again .

At present, the domestic situation is out of control, and rebellions are emerging one after another. Thirteen rebel armed forces, large and small, have appeared in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Just three days ago, Gabriel called on the rebels from all over the country to go to the Naples Union together, and the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies is likely to be in danger.

The most troublesome thing is that the idiot Francesco II actually sent a telegram for help to Napoleon III at the same time, which made the problem even more complicated. "

Rubbing his forehead, Franz also found the difficulty of the problem. If he just asked for help from Austria, then it goes without saying that he immediately sent reinforcements to help suppress the rebellion.

No matter how future generations boast about the Red Shirts, Franz doesn't care. The combat effectiveness of the army needs to be supported by national strength, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies is an agricultural country.

The navy blocked the port, and without ammunition replenishment, the rebels turned into guerrillas within three to five months at most.

Not any country can play guerrilla warfare. The kingdom of the Two Sicilies has a limited area and is divided into two by the Strait. With a population of only 8.7 million, it simply does not have the ability to fight for a long time.

In fact, these means are superfluous, and it is enough to send troops to roll over them directly. If there is even an Italian rebel army, the Austrian army can be disbanded.

Franz said dissatisfiedly: "Francesco II did not ask the Spaniards for help, but actually went to Napoleon III. It seems that the French have done a lot of small things under our noses over the years.

The staff should come up with a battle plan as soon as possible. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies can no longer fall into the hands of the French, otherwise the Mediterranean Sea will become a French private land. "

Franz knew that the French made small moves, but he never imagined that Francesco II would be affected.

To ask the French for help now is to lure wolves into the house.

At that time, it is easy to ask God, but difficult to send God. Such a good opportunity, it is strange that the French do not take root.

Even if you want to check and balance, you can't choose the ambitious France! Even letting the British intervene with troops is better than letting the French send troops.

Without Francesco II's telegram for help, the French would never have dared to reach out to the Italian region. Now the situation is different. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies has sent it to the door.

The conflict between France and Austria over the Italian issue is about to break out. For Franz, this may only be a small trouble, and for the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, it means life and death.

Franz can sell the Kingdom of Sardinia, but can't he sell the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies? As for whether the French will become bigger, that's what happened anyway.

As long as the interests are appropriate, many issues can be discussed. The French, in turn, might sacrifice the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in exchange for concessions from the rest of Austria.

It's not so fun to use barbarians to control barbarians. Even if the two countries can't agree on the exchange of interests, can't they divide up the two kingdoms of Sicily?

The integrity of the foreign powers is so high, as long as the interests are enough, they can go on. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies is not a core interest for Austria, it can only be regarded as a peripheral area, and it is similar to the French.

Of course, if Napoleon III really wanted to unify the Italian regions, then it has to be said that this is an essential part.

The big deal is to take Sicily as the boundary, France and Austria to divide up the interests of the Mediterranean, and jointly squeeze out the British.

At present, the cooperation between the two countries is still very happy. The British were suppressed in the Mediterranean Sea, and the tentacles that reached Egypt were blocked by the two countries.