Chapter 698

After receiving a telegram for help from the Fourth Army, Ivanov was in bad shape.

It's a very obvious thing, and anyone with a little bit of military common sense knows that if the lone army goes deep and finds that something is wrong, it should retreat immediately.

The Fourth Army did not act with combat missions and was completely free to play. After finding a large group of enemies, adjust the marching speed immediately, keep a safe distance from the enemy, and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

Even if it is a hindsight, the Fourth Army can choose to break out and join the Russian army in the rear before the enemy's encirclement is completed.

The Fourth Army had cavalry units, so it was impossible not to find any trace of the enemy, and the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops could not be kept secret at all.

Ivanov received news of the mobilization of the Prussian army at the rear, but it was a little late, and before he had time to respond, the Fourth Army's telegram for help came.

There was no radio these days, and the Fourth Army's telegram for help was still sent to the 107th Division in the rear through the airship unit, and then forwarded to the headquarters.

Although he had plenty of time, he failed to take action in time. Ivanov had always hated Obodo, a general who had no overall view.

Ivanov is also very clear about the reason. The Fourth Army is acting privately. If it does not have enough military exploits, it will come back in despair.

Waiting for an opportunity and grasping a fighter opportunity, the prerequisite is that success must be achieved, and failure is not a grasp of the fighter opportunity.

The competition within the Russian army is also very fierce. Once there is a stain, it is almost impossible to go further.

Coupled with the fact that he acted privately without asking for instructions, it is good luck to be able to retire early.

For the sake of their own future, the commanders of the Fourth Army held the heart of luck and dragged it to the present.

This telegram for help may seem plain, but in fact it is not without the intention of throwing the blame. It is estimated that the Fourth Army is all looking forward to Ivanov's order to let them retreat.

Anyone who knows the deployment of the Russian army knows that the Fourth Army is very important to the next Battle of Warsaw, and the Vistula River is even more related to the logistics and transportation of the Russian army.

"boom!"

Ivanov slammed the table and cursed: "e6tвoюmatь!"

"Пoшeлhaxyn!"

...

Listening to Ivanov's roar, everyone in the headquarters was worried, for fear of getting burned.

After scolding for a full quarter of an hour, the dry-mouthed Marshal Ivanov stopped. He was really angry, he had never seen such a trick to his boss.

The Fourth Army is over, and it will be difficult for the Russian army to win the Battle of Warsaw. From a military point of view, the situation on the front line is currently unknown, and the risk of sending troops to rescue is very high, and it is very likely that the enemy will be surrounded by the enemy.

Ordering the Fourth Army to break through and preserve its strength as much as possible is the best strategic choice.

However, in reality this cannot be done. In Ivanov's position, the military must also consider politics.

He ordered the Fourth Army to retreat, and in case the troops suffered heavy losses, he had his share of the responsibility.

Looking at Obodo's show, he knew that there must be someone behind him. When such an opportunity appeared, it was inevitable for these people to fiddle around and put the blame on Ivanov.

Politics is about pros and cons. Don't expect the opponent to be benevolent, the bottom line of politicians is never the lowest, only lower.

After calming down, Ivanov frowned even tighter. Looking at the map, thinking about the real purpose of the enemy.

The Fourth Army was of great importance to the Battle of Warsaw, but it was the same for the entire Russian-Prussian War. When the battle was fierce, the Russian army lost more than a hundred thousand a month.

If the war can be won, even sacrificing the Fourth Army Ivanov will not blink an eye.

After pondering for a while, Ivanov walked up to the combat staff and asked, "Where is the unit closest to the Fourth Army?"

The combat staff replied nervously: "The closest is the 107th Division of the Ninth Army, which is now in the Radom area; the second is the Fifth Army and the Seventh Army, but they are north of Warsaw and have no way to go. reinforce."

Ivanov's brows furrowed even tighter. A division's troops were sent in for reinforcements, and it was estimated that they were eaten by the enemy on the way.

If you want to relieve the Fourth Army, you need to invest at least one army. Unless the troops that are implementing the southern strategy are transferred, other troops will not be able to catch up in a short time.

After looking at the distribution of the Russian army on the map, Ivanov shook his head. In order to rescue the Fourth Army, he gave up the battle on the southern front. The strategy was completely worth the loss.

Battles on the southern front can be supplied from Austria with minimal logistical pressure. As long as the enemy's defenses are broken, whether it is to attack Berlin to the west, or to capture Poznan to the north, it is very tempting.

Once Berlin was taken, the Commonwealth of Prussia was finished; Poznan was captured, cutting off the enemy's connection with the rear, and the Prussian army in the Warsaw area became a lone army.

After pondering for a while, Ivanov said slowly: "Order the Eighth Army, Ninth Army, and Tenth Army to form the Southern Front immediately.

General Mathilde, commander of the Eighth Army, served as the commander, General Mettler, the commander of the Ninth Army, as the deputy commander, and the commander of the Tenth Army, as the chief of staff.

Order them to complete the organization construction as soon as possible in the shortest time, and within a week I will receive the news of the outbreak of the battle on the southern front. "

Very irregular personnel appointments, but special treatment in special times. The Russian army does not have the level of the front army. The army is already the largest unit. The front army was only temporarily established during the war.

The enemy's main force was on the Warsaw battlefield, and most of the troops on the southern front were second- and third-line troops. It was said that the southern front army actually had to fight separately.

If they really set up a headquarters for the airborne troops, it would take at least a month for them to sort out the situation of the troops.

On the battlefield, the soldiers are very expensive, and a month's time is wasted.

Before this, the Russian army also had the Southwest Front Army, but it was crippled by Mao Qi in the winter battle last year, and then was disbanded.

With the passage of time, the strength of the Russian army has continued to expand. The strength of an army ranges from hundreds of thousands to as many as 200,000. It is fully capable of fighting alone, and the need for establishing a front army is not so great.

The Russian army in the front was mainly defensive. Most of the time, Marshal Ivanov was directly commanding the large corps to fight. Just after the decentralization of power, the Fourth Army acted without authorization.

It directly dispelled Ivanov's idea of ​​forming a front army. If it was not forced by the situation, he would not establish a southern army.

You must know that the losses caused by the chaos of a front army can be much more serious than that of an army.

The newly released Southern Front has serious internal checks and balances. The three commanders are also the commanders of the front, and no one should want to act recklessly.

During the battle, they are directly commanded separately. The old troops are very familiar with them, and they do not need to run in. They can break out the maximum combat effectiveness in a short period of time.

As for the side effects, Ivanov can't care about it. As long as the war can be won, no matter how big a problem is, it is a small matter.

After a pause, Ivanov added: "Order the Fifth Army and the Seventh Army to attack the Warsaw area, let them control the rhythm themselves, and don't repeat the old things of the Fourth Army, I don't have so many troops to wipe them. butt.

Houtev drafted a telegram to St. Petersburg, reporting our battle plan and the appointments just now. "

There was no mention of the Fourth Army, and it was obvious that Marshal Ivanov was going to ignore them. Anyway, the Fourth Army was greedy for its own merits and acted on its own without asking for instructions. Even if the entire army was wiped out, he would not be responsible.

A middle-aged officer bit his head and asked, "Marshal, what about the Fourth Army?"

Ivanov glared at him fiercely, and replied very dissatisfied: "What should I do? What should I do, just do it!

Isn't that idiot of Opedo claiming to use his soldiers like a god? Now comes the opportunity to perform, as long as he can command the Fourth Army to defeat the Prussian Army, all problems will be solved! "

Defeat the Prussians?

Everyone has already started a moment of silence for the Fourth Army in their hearts. There is no doubt that this is an impossible task.

Seemingly realizing that he had lost his way, Ivanov sighed: "Order the Third Army and Sixth Army in the rear to rescue, I hope there is still time.

Give orders to the Fourth Army to make their own battle plans, and reinforcements will arrive as soon as possible.

Order the airship unit to drop supplies for them, generate electricity for St. Petersburg, and let them get a batch of airships as soon as possible, preferably the Austrian Eagle 4. "

Do your best, listen to destiny.

This sentence properly summed up Ivanov's order. The Third Army and the Sixth Army were repaired and supplemented in the rear. When they assembled and rushed to the front line, it was impossible to get it done within ten days and a half months.

If there is another accident in the middle, such as being blocked by the Prussian army in the middle, it may not be able to catch up within a month.

There is only one way to get fast, and that is to send cavalry. It is a pity that the cavalry of the Russian army is scattered to various units, otherwise the cavalry of more than 200,000 or 200,000 can be tried to rescue.

Of course, this only exists in ideal conditions. More than a dozen or two hundred thousand cavalrymen gathered together, and the logistics alone can make people collapse.

Now the Fourth Army can only rely on itself, and the airship empty supplies are more like a kind of comfort. The Russian army has a total of dozens of transport airships. In theory, they are all in operation and can release up to 40 to 50 tons of materials every day.

In fact, the average daily delivery of seven or eight tons of materials is considered a blessing from God.

Airships also require maintenance and inspections after each flight, which consumes a lot of time.

In addition, the transport airships of the Russian army are also scattered all over the place, and the number of them that can be assembled in the short term is limited. We must also consider bad weather. On average, seven or eight tons of materials can be put in every day, which is really not easy.

With such a small amount of materials, it is completely a drop in the bucket to supply the consumption of hundreds of thousands of troops. However, if all the high-calorie food is delivered, it can satisfy the rations of the soldiers.