Chapter 910 The Duel of Veterans

"Marshal, when will the defeated troops you gathered be handed over to us?"

The German Confederation, who had realized it later, was still aware of the problem of command, and Adrian, who was not in charge of liaison, came to the door in a hurry.

Archduke Albrecht shook his head, pretending to be surprised and asked: "What to hand over? Don't I, the coalition headquarters, have no authority to command these troops?"

The power of the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces is yet another mystery in the world.

The two countries were forced to join the anti-French alliance, and they had no confidence to compete with Austria for dominance, and even with the authority of the coalition headquarters, there was no clear agreement.

There is no specific agreement on the power, in theory, it can be infinitely magnified. For example, now, Archduke Albrecht has taken in the defeated troops in the name of the Allied Command.

Admiral Adrian tried to explain: "But the marshal..."

Before he could finish speaking, Archduke Albrecht interrupted: "No but, my admiral.

Your Excellency is well aware of how dangerous the situation on the battlefield is now. If we don't unify command at this time, do you think it is possible for us to hold the Rhine defense line?

The troops on the front line are insufficient. I have already reorganized the collapsed troops, and they are now engaged in the battle, and cannot be mobilized in a short period of time.

To hand over command of these troops, wait until the war is over. You can rest assured, I won't hold on forever! "

Don't worry, how can you relax?

It was because he was uneasy that Adrian came to the door. In fact, the defeat of the front line was also an opportunity for the German Federal Central Government.

If you seize the opportunity and take the opportunity to get the command of the armies of various countries, this loose alliance will not be far from the real unity.

One cannot blame the slow response of the German generals on the front line. Unlike the coalition headquarters with ambiguous powers, the power of the German front line command was stipulated early.

Each state has independent command power, and the German command is composed of representatives sent by each state. The commander-in-chief appointed by the central government is essentially just a relationship coordinator.

The internal relations of the headquarters were not straightened out, and the response was a step slower, which was also logical.

When George I decided to take the opportunity to seize power, Archduke Albrecht had already used the name of the Allied Forces Command to incorporate the German troops withdrawn from the front line.

Due to the inconvenience of communication, after the defeat of the front line, many front-line troops lost contact with the German command.

Disputes at the top, the officers and soldiers below do not know. Anyway, the existence of the coalition headquarters is well known, and the grassroots officers and soldiers are used to obeying the orders of their superiors.

In the panic, received an order from the coalition headquarters, and most people accepted the order.

Not only the stragglers were included, but the German troops who had retreated from the front were also beaten by Archduke Albrecht for a time lag, and were recruited in the name of the Allied Command, including many Hanoverian troops.

By this time, Archduke Albrecht had essentially mastered most of the German troops on the front line.

If it is not taken into account that the subsequent battle will require the cooperation of the German Confederation, Archduke Albrecht would have gone too far, for example: forcibly taking over the command of all German troops on the front line.

Admiral Adrian bravely defended: "Marshal, the coalition headquarters needs to unify the command, which can be achieved through the alliance of the three countries, and there is no need to directly command the front-line troops."

It's not that Adrian is bad at eloquence. It's just that the relationship between Germany and Austria is too complicated. Now that the German Confederation has to rely on Austria to protect its own security, he can't say a lot.

Other international alliances can also use different cultural customs and language barriers as an excuse to demand independent command.

The anti-French alliance will not work. Linguists may not be able to figure out the difference between German and Austrian. Anyway, the three languages ​​of Bideo and Austria can be used in common, and there is no communication barrier.

The excuse of the panacea can't be used, and the words that hurt feelings can't be said. Adrian Adrian is naturally uncomfortable.

Archduke Albrecht waved his hand, softened his tone and said, "Okay, Admiral. You and I are both soldiers, just consider the problem from a military point of view. For political issues, let the government communicate!

The most important thing now is to win this war, and the first task now is to hold the Rhine line, otherwise the German hinterland will become a battlefield.

What this means, you should understand. The ambitions of the French are endless, and by this time, no one can survive alone. "

This is persuasion as well as warning. Once the French army tore through the Rhine defense line, Austria was nothing, but the German Confederation was the second Belgium, including the northern states.

At this point, Austria is still in command of the army, and General Adrian is powerless.

You can't incite soldiers to mutiny, can you? In case the front line broke out and the French seized the opportunity and tore the Rhine defense line, it would really be shooting itself in the foot.

There is a lesson from the collapse of the Luxembourg defense line, Adrian Adrian has to take a lesson, the German Confederation can not afford to lose.

...

The episode in the headquarters did not affect the anti-French war.

After occupying the Luxembourg area, the French army did not stop and continued to march towards the German area, which was not far from the Rhine defense line.

Frankly speaking, sticking to the west bank of the Rhine is not the best option militarily,

It is far better to withdraw to the east bank and rely on the natural insurance of the Rhine to build a defense line.

However, the military needs to serve politics, and shrinking the line of defense to the east bank means that the anti-French alliance has admitted its previous military failure and abandoned Belgium and the Rhineland.

It was impossible to admit defeat, and the war against France was not only about defeating the French, but also with the attribution of continental hegemony.

Austria must play its own prestige on the battlefield, and not make people feel that it was a fluke.

There is no natural danger to rely on, and the coalition still has trenches. This stuff flourished in the Russian-Prussian War and is now widely accepted by the European world.

Archduke Albrecht did not dare to underestimate the French army. The trenches were dug one after another, making it clear that the French army would be consumed by positional warfare.

In order to win this war, the French government also fought hard, and Napoleon IV did not hesitate to invite the veteran Marshal Patrice McMahon.

Patrice McMahon and Archduke Albrecht were contemporaries, long-established veterans. This anti-French war is also the peak duel between two European famous players.

...

At the French army headquarters, after staring at the map for a while, Marshal Patrice McMahon said slowly:

"Albrecht is famous for being good at attacking, but he didn't expect to play turtle tactics now. It seems that the previous battle had a great impact on him.

Austria has put its strategic focus on Africa. Now that the Suez Canal has been blocked, the British are looting again, and the domestic supply of materials has begun to be tight.

Our next enemy is not only the anti-French alliance, but also time. If the enemy's Rhine defense cannot be torn apart as soon as possible, then..."

Everyone's expressions were condensed, and the smug expression no longer existed. Everyone is smart and knows that it is the old marshal who is beating them.

Material shortage is certainly a problem, but this problem is more reflected in finances. Although the impact of the European Continental War was great, it did not affect the whole world.

Without the Suez Canal, there is still the Cape of Good Hope. Moreover, the American route is still open, and Austria can only intercept part of the sea.

Even if the French merchant ships are a little more dangerous to go to sea, there are ships from other neutral countries available, but the cost is higher.

The shortage of supplies is only temporary, and the market will adjust itself. As long as you have money these days, you don't have to worry about not being able to buy supplies.

Before France's financial collapse, everyone didn't have to worry about going hungry.

"Marshal, the Austrian government chose the wrong person this time. Albrecht is the best at attacking, and now you can see that even the defense is preparing for the attack.

But now the anti-French alliance is at a disadvantage, and Xi'an on the Rhine is infinitely defendable. It is a joke to try to block us with just a few trenches.

If the enemy withdraws troops to the east bank and relies on the Rhine for defense, we really can't do anything about them in a short time. "

Patrice McMahon frowned: "Oudinot, you still haven't changed your stinky stinky pride.

Albrecht is good at attacking. That's because he is famous for attacking, and everyone thinks so. It doesn't mean that he can't play defensive battles.

Judging from the deployment of the enemy's troops, this is a tortoise shell. Although this tortoise was wounded in the front, its defensive power should not be underestimated.

But you are right on one point. The troops of the two countries have lost their morale, and Albrecht does not have enough troops in his hands. Sticking to the west bank of the Rhine is a failure.

Now we need time, as long as the Rhine line is torn apart before the Austrian reinforcements arrive, the war will be in our hands. "

That's right, Oudino is the guy in the original time and space who brought the expedition to Mexico.

It's just that his luck is much better than in history. He suffered a little injury in the middle of an accident and was transferred back to the country to recuperate. The next one took the responsibility for the failure of the war.

Being reprimanded, Oudino was not annoyed, and said without changing his face: "Marshal, the troops are ready for battle and can attack at any time.

Now the morale of the officers and soldiers is high, and everyone is still waiting to break through Vienna and capture Franz! "

In fact, the French army's original battle plan was only to seize territory west of the Rhine. The Rhine defense line was torn apart, and the first phase of the French army's combat mission was completed.

As for breaking Vienna and capturing Franz, that's just shouting slogans.

European countries are not fools and will not watch France fight all the way to Vienna. It is estimated that the French army is still halfway to Vienna, and the British will cut off their supplies.

Unlike Austria, which is not afraid of blockades, France cannot do without the support of foreign materials, even if it has North Africa.