Chapter 709 Good Warriors Have No Outstanding Military Exploits
At the Poznan Prussian Army Headquarters, Mao Qi was busy holding a military meeting to discuss whether or not to recapture the city of Poznan.
From a geographical point of view, Poznan is located in the center of the Polish Plain, as well as a transportation hub and an industrial center. Naturally, it is in its own hands.
The location of Poznan on the Polish plain has nothing to do with its dangerous geographical location. As a hinterland city, Poznan does not need to consider the threat of foreign enemies, and naturally there are not many fortifications.
On the surface, it should be easy to conquer. In fact, on the contrary, the main force of the Russian Eighth Army huddled in the city and drove all the people out of the city to defend the city.
If it is in later generations, this may be a good thing, which means that the Prussian army does not have to take into account civilian casualties, and can let go of their hands and feet.
This era is different. The power of artillery is limited. If you want to destroy a city, you need to consume a lot of ammunition and time.
In order to prolong the time of the Warsaw defenders as much as possible, the Prussian army left a large amount of artillery ammunition when they evacuated, and they did not carry much ammunition with them.
Even if it is possible to send supplies from China, it is not enough. The Russians made it clear that they want to fight in the streets. This cannot be over in a day or two, and the Prussian army does not have enough time to spend here.
The Berlin government made repeated orders and ordered them to return as soon as possible to deal with the Russian army that was about to hit the foot of Berlin.
As for the Poznan battlefield, that is, the military is still working hard. Most people in the Berlin government are not thinking about defeating the Russians anymore, but how to preserve their strength in order to negotiate with the Russians for a decent ending.
This is a European practice. Negotiations are made when the war is lost. Most of the time, the land is ceded and indemnity is paid. The destruction of the country generally rarely happens.
Politicians are very clear that they don't want to see how powerful their fallen forces are. It won't take long for the foreign powers to intervene in mediation. As long as the main force of the Prussian army is still there, they will have the opportunity to bargain.
Not only was the domestic urging, there was not much time left for the Prussian army on the battlefield, and the Russian reinforcements were coming in a steady stream.
A combat staff officer introduced: "The current situation is very obvious, the Russian Ninth Army is only a day away from Poznan, and if we want to recapture the Poznan area, then we must hit them hard or eat them.
The total strength of the Russian Ninth Army is about 200,000. It may not be difficult to defeat them, but if you want to eat them, it cannot be done in a short time.
Judging from the reconnaissance intelligence, the Russian Ninth Army is very cautious, and neither a sneak attack nor an ambush is possible.
What's more, behind them are the Russian 11th Army and the Russian 17th Army, which have now accelerated their marching speed and will reach the front line in at most half a month.
We have to retake Poznan before the Russian reinforcements arrive. It's almost impossible to do without major casualties. "
The Prussian army is also human, even if they are stronger in combat, they will also be tired and die.
Swallowing 400,000 Russian troops in one bite, even if they were able to divide them into two places, they would still suffer heavy casualties.
No one can answer this question whether to pay 100,000 or 200,000 losses.
In short, if the Prussian army suffered heavy losses in this battle, it would be difficult for them to deal with the Russian army behind.
The Prussian-Russian War has been going on until now, and it has a bit of a taste of Chu and Han fighting for hegemony. Mao Qi and Xiang Yu have been victorious in front of them.
It is a pity that many victories have been won, but the number of enemies has not decreased but increased, and his own soldiers have been decreasing.
After a few more victories, Mao Qi will have no soldiers available. Such a bizarre thing is really speechless.
A middle-aged officer retorted: "This battle must be fought. If we go back in such a dismal manner, not only will the morale of the army suffer, but the Poles in Warsaw will probably surrender directly to the Russians.
Now we need victory to inspire people, we must let the people see the hope of victory, otherwise this war cannot continue at all. "
The most important thing for a person is to have hope, knowing that a war is doomed to fail, I am afraid that no one wants to continue.
Warsaw is the capital of the Kingdom of Poland. The Berlin government can accept the fall of the Warsaw region, but it cannot accept the surrender of the Poles. The political significance here is too important, which is equivalent to shaking the ruling foundation of the Pope Federation.
Maybe in the eyes of ordinary people, this war is going to be lost anyway, and the areas that are destined to be lost, why care!
Politically, this must not be done. The Prussian-Russian war is still going on, and the Berlin government still needs the Poles to give their lives to them in order to better fight against the Russians.
In this context, the flag of the Commonwealth of Pope cannot be thrown away. If this banner is lost, the Berlin government will lose the legal basis for its rule over the Polish region, and the number of people willing to give their lives will definitely be greatly reduced.
The Berlin government is willing to make an exception to let the military stop in the Warsaw area. The most important thing is that the main battle faction in the army is stronger, and they will not easily compromise with the Russians.
Mao Qi waved his hand to stop the quarrel: "This battle must be fought, but it must be fought selectively.
We have no time to spend with the Russian Eighth Army huddled in the city, but the Russian Ninth Army that came to the door must be destroyed.
Otherwise, as soon as we retreat, they will join forces with the Eighth Army in the city, and together with the reinforcements coming from behind, the total strength of the Russian army will approach 800,000. This threat is too great.
Although the domestic mobilization has been completed, we still lack time to reorganize the troops, destroy the Russian Ninth Army, and severely damage the enemy's reinforcements. We can buy at least two months. "
Time is life on the battlefield. Naturally, two months cannot restore the Popo Federation to its peak, but
At least get a fight.
Unlike ordinary officers, Mao Qi thought more. The cruel reality told him that what determines the outcome of the war is not only the victory of the war, but also the overall national strength.
Ivanov taught him a lesson with practical actions. As long as the national strength is strong enough and there are enough troops, there is no fear of defeat on the battlefield.
In war, people will die, and defeat can also drain the strength of the enemy. The first to win on the battlefield is not a win, and the last winner is the winner.
...
On December 12, 1880, the London government issued a call for peace to Prussia and Russia, which received a positive response from the Berlin government, but was closed to the Tsarist government.
The war has been going on until now, and it is no longer possible to stop it if you want to. The tsarist government paid too much for this war, and finally saw the dawn of victory. At this time, stop, who will pay for the war losses?
The Russians' behavior of not giving face naturally angered the London government. Before they could take action, the news of the fall of Warsaw came, and the Russian-Prussian war became completely clear.
After the main force of the Prussian army withdrew, the situation in Warsaw became crisis. Although the Poles resisted very tenaciously, they still could not make up the gap in strength.
After resisting for a month, the Russians broke through the defense and invaded the city. Street fighting is now going on.
The latter matter is no longer important, and everyone knows that the Warsaw battlefield is powerless. The surrounding areas are all occupied, and it is only a matter of time before the defenders in the city are destroyed without reinforcements.
From the moment the city was broken, everyone assumed that Warsaw changed hands.
The fall of the Warsaw region also means the fall of the Kingdom of Poland, the main force of the Prussian army has been withdrawn, the military influence is still within the controllable range, and the political influence is great.
This means that the once-prominent Commonwealth of Prussia has collapsed, and the only remaining kingdom of Prussia cannot support its status as a great power, and the Russians will not give them a chance.
Under the general trend, Mao Qi's performance in the Poznan area was inconspicuous. Even if the Russian Ninth Army was severely damaged, it did not change the decadence on the battlefield.
...
St. Petersburg, Alexander II is holding a gala dinner in the Winter Palace.
The war has been going on till now, both Prussia and Russia are tired, but the difference is: the Commonwealth of Prussia is dying, while the Russian Empire is just tired and can hold on for a while longer.
Unlike the last time he returned to St. Petersburg, this time Ivanov received the most ceremonious welcome from the tsarist government, as if his popularity improved overnight, and he became a crowded crowd.
Without thinking about these trivial matters, after resting at home for a night, Ivanov stepped into the palace again and reported the next battle plan to Alexander II.
...
Alexander II wondered: "Marshal, are you sure you're not mistaken, at this time, if you don't pursue the victory, you should rest your troops?"
Ivanov replied affirmatively: "Your Majesty, our soldiers have been fighting at a high intensity until now, and they are already very tired.
Especially the main force, many of them have been severely attrition, and if they want to restore their combat effectiveness, they must take a rest. Now that the enemy has suffered heavy losses, it is the perfect time for us to rest our troops. "
Alexander II questioned: "But if we stop at this time, it will leave a breathing space for the enemy and increase the difficulty of the next war."
Ivanov explained: "This does not affect the victory of the war. The Commonwealth of Prussia is not our opponent, and the only remaining kingdom of Prussia is not our opponent.
Since the war has gone on, the soldiers of the Commonwealth of Prussia have suffered more than three million casualties, and the number of casualties alone is as high as one million, of which half are soldiers from the Kingdom of Prussia.
No matter what the Berlin government thinks, they can't fight. The quality of the soldiers now mobilized by the enemy has dropped considerably. Even if the strength is restored, the combat effectiveness will drop a lot.
Now there is no need for us to continue taking risks. After letting the troops rest for a month, and concentrating millions of troops to press the enemy together, the odds of winning are much higher than now. "
Different people speak different words. After regaining Lithuania and Poland, Ivanov's "famous general" image has taken root in everyone's mind.
The only regret is that Ivanov used a lot of troops. Behind the victory, there was always a lot of material consumption and casualties.
However, this is innocuous. With the lessons of the last Russian-Prussian War, Alexander II's patience has become much stronger. Ivanov's stable general is his favorite.
After hesitating for a while, Alexander II made a decision: "Well, let the troops rest for a month first.
But my marshal, still want to end the war as soon as possible. The longer it drags on, the more prone to mishaps.
We just rejected the British mediation, and I am afraid they will not let it go. If the foreign powers put pressure on us together, the government will not last long.
Besides, the government's finances are also very bad, and if it drags on for too long, we are likely to go bankrupt. "
Not likely to go bankrupt, but destined to go bankrupt. The Berlin government is also poor, and it is impossible to get war reparations from them.
For this war, the tsarist government has owed huge debts, and the interest alone is an astronomical sum. The areas of Poland and Lithuania that have just been recovered will cost huge sums of money to rebuild after the war.
From the beginning, Alexander II was mentally prepared for financial bankruptcy. He has experienced it once, and he doesn't care about doing it again.
Unfortunately, this time it was different
Likewise, most foreign debts are secured, and there is no way to directly default on them. The tsarist government will not let the finances go bankrupt unless it is compelled to do so.
Ivanov nodded embarrassedly, he really didn't know how to answer this question. Guaranteed to end the war early, sorry it's impossible.
War is not a child's play, how could it be that he said that it could end early. This kind of thing is not something that can be promised indiscriminately. If it affects the judgment of the government, the consequences can be disastrous.
For details, you can refer to "Yuandudu", fooling the emperor with the mythical strategy of "Five-year Pingliao", not only killing himself, but also taking advantage of the national fortune of the Ming Dynasty.
Not to mention financial problems, and things that the government can't handle, he is even more confused as a soldier. The self-aware Ivanov selectively ignored the expectations of Alexander II.