Chapter 478 Prepare for a Decisive Battle

John Bull's influence in this era is still extraordinary. Although it is not comparable to the same period in history, it is also a rallying cry.

The Italian Revolutionary Party, the French Revolutionary Party, as long as the organization can be named, sent representatives to London.

Looking at the information in his hand, Franz's first reaction was: The British are really rich!

In other countries, it is not easy to find them, regardless of whether these revolutionary organizations give face or not.

Revolutions also lose their heads. If they were not careful, Napoleon III would have killed them long ago. The British were able to find them all in such a short time, unless the two sides kept in touch.

In addition to "money capability", is there any way to get these revolutionary party members to cooperate? The Italian Revolutionary Party is just that. Britain and France are feuding. Why should the French Revolutionary Party buy the British?

Anyway, Franz couldn't afford the money. Instead of using it to support the rabble, it is better to invest in domestic economic construction and increase its own strength.

It's not that he discriminates against revolutionaries. In this era, the French revolutionaries are all white gloves of the bourgeoisie, and the value of existence is to benefit the bourgeoisie.

Except for a few people, most of them are losers in the struggle for power, fighting for their own interests. Apart from carrying the banner of a revolutionary party, in fact they are not real revolutionaries.

The Italian Revolutionary Party is relatively better, at least they are fighting for national independence, although the internal organization is chaotic and mixed, it can also be called a revolutionary party.

Since it is a revolutionary party, it is natural that it will not be able to play with the emperor Franz. In the face of national interests, it is a fallacy to talk about justice or not.

The sacred mission of funding the Revolutionary Party was thus handed over to the British. Originally Americans also had a share, and in order to promote the republic, they were also trying to throw money.

However, after the end of the Civil War, after a severe social beating, both the federal government and the Confederate government settled down and dared not reach out to Europe.

Without the support of one donor, the revolutionary momentum in Europe has dropped a lot compared to the same period in history, and social security has obviously surpassed the original time and space.

Except for the Italian region, the Italian people who were unwilling to be ruled by the French are still fighting back. The French were so busy suppressing the rebellion that it was understandable that they had neglected social order.

It is time to raise troops for thousands of days and use them for a while. The British people's money is not so easy to get. Now is the time to work for the British.

Perhaps they are also voluntary, anyway, it is not themselves who bleed and sacrifice, and the success rate of British support is even greater. In case of success, they make a lot of money.

In contrast, the response of European countries is much more subtle. Perhaps the French diplomacy played a role, or perhaps the Austrian lack of intervention made them think otherwise.

In short, everyone is condemning the French, and the slogans are earth-shattering. When it came time to take practical action, they all seemed to have changed their minds.

Franz is not at all surprised by the choices of various countries. The French are not soft persimmons. Napoleon III has already put on a stance that he will not hesitate to fight. Governments of various countries are weighing the pros and cons. No one wants to be the first bird.

To put it bluntly, everyone wants to be a fisherman and is unwilling to lose their own strength. In the final analysis, it is still because of interests. The British, the anti-Pharaoh boss, will not take the lead. How can you expect the younger brother to work hard?

The current practice has only allowed countries to isolate France. To attack the French lair and destroy the Great French Empire, there is still a lack of a main force.

In this regard, the French have picked a good time. Prussia and Prussia are in the recovery period, and Austria has an alliance with the Paris government, and none of the remaining countries can fight.

As the situation in Europe becomes more stable, the situation on the African continent has changed. In order to support the South African war, the British have increased their troops three times. So far, the number of British troops in the Cape Town colony has exceeded 180,000.

Of course, after removing the cannon fodder troops, this number was directly cut in half, and even so, it was still amazing.

After the Near Eastern War, this was the battle the British had devoted the most troops to. The total strength of the Austrian side was also similar, and Franz directly regarded the war as a training ground.

No, it should be an officer training camp. Regular troops cannot appear on the battlefield, otherwise Austria's neutrality will not be guaranteed.

The fact that soldiers cannot go into battle does not mean that officers cannot go into battle. Take off your military uniform and go to war in your own name, it has nothing to do with the Vienna government.

Including the nobles who volunteered to participate, they are actually members of the Austrian Reserve Officers Corps. According to the rules of the German region, the nobles enlisted unconditionally during the war.

Increasing the actual combat capability of these people also increases the Austrian defense force. It's hard to find an opponent like the British, so of course they have to make full use of it.

The indigenous cannon fodder troop formed on the spot is for the officers to practice. Many battles are now carried out by officers sent by the General Staff to direct these indigenous troops to do tactical experiments.

Although these data are not representative, the final results will be very different when implemented by different militaries.

But no matter what, it's better than talking on paper. If commanding cannon fodder troops can win, wouldn't that prove everyone's commanding ability?

The reality is very face-saving. More than 90% of the tests end in failure. In many cases, the cannon fodder troops were defeated, and then Viscount Fickney commanded the "Boer Republican Army" to deal with the aftermath.

The war has come to the present, and the combat effectiveness of the Boer Republican Army and the Austrian troops is similar.

This force now has about 38,000 people, and with the addition of hundreds of thousands of cannon fodder troops, it is on a par with the British, which is enough to prove their combat effectiveness.

Of course, this also has something to do with the mixed ups and downs of the British army. Many white troops from the colonies are actually messing around.

In the original time and space, the Boers had fewer troops, and the British attacked with ten times their troops, and both sides fought for two or three years. If the supply of materials is cut off, the Boers will be powerless and the war will continue.

The situation in South Africa this time is completely different. It is impossible for the British to block it. No matter how good the London government is at dancing sleeves, the Austrian African colonial government cannot cut off the supply of its own people.

The cost of war is high, and it doesn't matter if Franz, the emperor, is not afraid, what are the officers on the front line afraid of. Many people think that this is a game between Britain and Austria, which is related to Austria's hegemony on the African continent.

By the end of 1870, the casualties of this South African war could not be fully counted, and even the number of casualties themselves did not have an accurate number.

On the battlefield in South Africa, Franz was the greatest delegator. All officers can recruit cannon fodder troops, and the loss of indigenous troops has always only been counted as a rough figure.

Anyway, the loss of 10,000 can be supplemented by 20,000. The Boer Republic has not enough recruits, so let the rear colonial government send people over.

On the British side, there was already the embarrassment of insufficient cannon fodder troops, and a large number of young men were sent to the battlefield. I don't know how many tribes will perish because of this.

Christmas is not far away. At this time, the "Army of the Boer Republic" has advanced the front to the hinterland of the British South African colony, only more than 200 kilometers away from Cape Town.

Viscount Fickney didn't intend to drag on any longer, and everyone wanted to finish the war for Christmas. The delay is too long, the British reinforcements are coming again, and the war will not be easy to fight by then.

To attack from inland areas, logistics will always be the biggest constraint, and if it weren't for a few rivers in South Africa, the war would have ended long ago.

Pointing to the hand-painted military map on the wall, Viscount Fickney said: "Everyone, this is the map of the British troops. As the front goes forward, the British resistance is getting stronger and stronger.

If the war cannot be ended within this year, and it is delayed until the beginning of next year, then the fourth batch of reinforcements from the British will arrive, and it will be difficult for us to capture Cape Town by then.

There is not much time left for us to fight. If a quick solution is not possible, it may be difficult to occupy the whole of South Africa before the negotiations between the two countries. "

There is no way, the war is going on now, if you want to end it, you need one side to surrender. The British are not iron-headed brothers. If they can't beat them, they will admit to being intimidated. John Bull has never been afraid of anyone.

It’s just a local war. How firm is the Vienna government’s stance on winning South Africa, it’s impossible to say, including the Emperor Franz, who is just preparing to take the gold mining area first.

How much land was eventually taken from the British was not that much of a concern. The main reason is that only by capturing Cape Town, can South Africa be able to maximize its military exploits.

Don't look at the war for more than half a year, everyone has made great achievements, but the actual results are very limited.

Leaving aside the annihilated cannon fodder troops, the loss of the British army was definitely no more than 10,000. Every time the two sides fought, they were only defeated and not completely wiped out, and the results of the battle would naturally fail.

There is no way to do this. The British commander-in-chief, Governor Delphi, is an old fox. Every time, he let the white soldiers go first and use the cannon fodder to follow.

Throwing 10,000 is not enough, just throw 20,000. Anyway, the cannon fodder troops are worthless. These are all hidden dangers. If they escape to the rear residents' gathering place, the loss will be great, and Viscount Fickney has to send someone to clean up.

It takes time to catch tens of thousands of pigs, let alone people? After solving these shrimp soldiers, the British main force built another line of defense.

If the main force of the British army cannot be annihilated, this war will naturally not end in a short time.

A middle-aged staff officer frowned and said: "I'm afraid this is a bit difficult. To capture Cape Town, our troops are still insufficient, and these indigenous troops cannot be counted on at all.

When we arrived at Cape Town port, the British still had naval fire support. We lacked heavy artillery, and it was difficult to capture the city in a short period of time. Once the war dragged on, the situation would change again.

The latest reinforcements from the British can come from Ethiopia in just one week, and the reinforcements from the mainland only take a month. "

This is a real problem. Austria has no shortage of troops, but the troops that can be put into the South African battlefield are very limited.

On the one hand, due to logistical reasons, the regular army is different from the indigenous cannon fodder. As long as you give it a bite, you can also go to the battlefield equipped with a big knife and a spear.

The problem of eating is easy to solve. South Africa is also rich in products. The Boer Republic can provide some of them, and the rear can provide some of them, and they can also snatch some of them.

When necessary, it is not impossible to just guarantee the logistical supply of the regular army, and let the cannon fodder troops go out and eat the enemy.

Weapons and ammunition must be provided from the rear, and this supply line is very long. Part of it went to the Congo area, and the other part was sent via the Nile River through Egypt.

On the other hand, this war was fought under the Boer title after all. The small Boer Republic, capable of mobilizing 38,000 troops, is already against the sky.

Although the foreign powers are shameless, the Vienna government is not so thick-skinned. If it really offends the British, everyone will feel bad.

Now the two sides are still fighting within the scope of the rules of the game, and they have suffered defeats on the battlefield, which can only prove that the British army is not capable of fighting. since

If you are incompetent and want to start a war, don't blame others for revenge.

Viscount Fickney coaxed: "It's not easy to fight, but we still have to fight. I think everyone wants to see that the post-war summary is written to wipe out 100,000 British troops and capture British South Africa.

Instead of smashing the British conspiracy of the Boer Republic, annihilating 10,000 enemy troops, and forcing the British to admit defeat!

After winning this most crucial decisive battle, it is not a problem for everyone to want to be promoted to the nobility. If we stop now, most of us will only get one citation. "

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