Chapter 922 Special Christmas

The value of the air show is not only to appreciate, but also to show off the force of the Tsarist government to the outside world. It doesn't matter how these planes got here, there are.

In a sense, being able to buy a plane is also a manifestation of strength. You know, more countries want to buy but can't buy it.

Perhaps intentionally or unintentionally, during the air show, Alexander III also invited ministers from various European countries to participate, including the French ministers.

According to European practice, an ally's ally is not necessarily an ally, and an ally's enemy is also not necessarily an enemy.

The Franco-Austrian War and the Anglo-Russian War are separate copies of the war that do not interfere with each other.

Therefore, when the European Continental War was raging, France and Russia still maintained normal diplomatic relations.

After confirming that the Russians were equipped with aircraft, the French envoy immediately took his heart. Since Paris was bombed, the French government has been worried about aircraft manufacturing technology.

As it turns out, fumbling on your own isn't that simple. Without technical experts in the field of aircraft, the French government could only find a few folk enthusiasts, and a group of mechanical engineers formed a grass-platform R&D team.

Not to mention the results, not to mention industrial production, the key is that the planes built in the laboratory are still in the primitive stage, and there is no return.

If you want to simply achieve free round-trip and landing, you still need a lot of time to experiment and explore. Anyway, the French army on the front line can't wait.

As far as Minister Alban knew, in order to develop aircraft manufacturing technology as soon as possible, the government did not hesitate to bow to the British for cooperation.

And then no more. Although Britain's industrial strength is stronger, in the field of aircraft manufacturing, like France, everyone is a layman, and there is no aircraft manufacturer in the whole country.

Now is undoubtedly an opportunity to get the aircraft manufacturing technology from the Austrians, but from the Russians.

Of course, the Russians do not have aircraft production technology, but they have ready-made aircraft!

Independent research and development requires a lot of time, and there are samples that can be referenced and imitated, which can undoubtedly save a lot of time.

Don't look at the arrogance of European countries. In fact, most of the industrial powers in Europe started out with cottages, including France.

Plagiarism and imitation, Minister Alban has no pressure. The only problem is how to get the planes from the Russians.

...

"Your Excellency Minister, this business is too tricky and beyond my ability."

After speaking, the middle-aged man pushed the check back. From the look in his eyes, it was certain that the middle-aged man was full of reluctance, and he did not want to give up this check.

But there is no way, the French are not easy to mess with, they will leave endless troubles for themselves if they don't do anything after receiving the money.

"Your Excellency, you are too modest. There is nothing you can't do in St. Petersburg who doesn't know your name.

Just a trivial matter, you just need to…”

Flattery, endless flattery. In order to achieve the goal, Minister Alban also gave up the bottom line.

After speaking, Minister Albon pushed the check back, and took out a blank check and put it on it.

The meaning is very obvious. As long as the target can be achieved, the price can be opened at will.

Seeing this scene, Duke Olmedo's position was shaken again. Although cooperating with the French may offend the Austrians, the French can't stand the high bid!

Although there are many people looking for him to do business, it is the first time he has received a random check.

After hesitating for a while, Duke Olmedo shook his head again: "Your Excellency, it's not that I don't help.

The problem now is that the Austrians are keeping an eye on them, and all the Austrians are responsible for the maintenance of the aircraft. It is impossible for us to send the aircraft out of Russia under their noses.

You know Austria's influence in Russia. Once they find a problem, the government will definitely give them an explanation. "

Money is good, but life is more important.

Usually, stealing a piece of weaponry from the military camp, Olmedo has a way, whether it is scrapping or decommissioning, it can be operated.

But not now, the Austrians are watching too closely. In case of being caught by the Austrians, the tsarist government will definitely give Austria an explanation for the relationship between the two countries.

In this context, no matter how awesome the relationship network is, it can't stand it. Olmedo didn't live enough, and didn't want to die.

Being rejected again, Minister Albon's face sank. With years of life experience, he could see that the Russian duke in front of him was not trying to raise the price, but really didn't dare.

After pondering for a while, the Minister of Albon asked unwillingly: "Your Excellency, the Austrians are responsible for the maintenance. This situation will definitely not continue?"

The Duke of Olmedo nodded: "Of course, we have arranged for technicians to go in and study. Before long, the logistical maintenance will be done by our own people.

If Your Excellency the Minister can wait, after two or three years, Your Excellency should be able to do so. "

After two or three years, the day lilies are cold. For such a long time, France has developed its own research and development, and it should be fruitful, and there is no need to spend a lot of money.

Albon asked reluctantly: "Don't your country want to imitate it? We can send engineers to help, decipher the technology, our two countries can share, and..."

Before Albon could finish speaking, Olmedo interrupted: "Why imitate? What good is it for us?

"

It sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth. At the beginning, after importing arcane equipment, the tsarist government was keen to introduce technology and imitate it.

However, in the face of high production costs, the tsarist government had to accept the concept of "making is worse than buying".

Ordinary weapons and equipment are still like this, not to mention aircraft. With the industrial strength of the Russian Empire, even if they could decipher the technology, they would not be able to industrialize production.

...

In the face of the ruble, Olmedo finally agreed to arrange a few French engineers to join the logistics maintenance staff.

How much you can learn by stealing depends on the luck of the French. Anyway, the Duke of Olmedo is not optimistic about the French.

Logistics maintenance and aircraft manufacturing are completely two concepts. Without in-depth study of the internal structure of the aircraft, there is no other way to deduce the aircraft manufacturing technology except to invest a lot of time and money in experiments.

It is good to say that the money invested is always crowded, and the key to the problem is time. It is quite different to reverse the introduction of aircraft manufacturing technology in one or two months, and spend a year or two to develop aircraft manufacturing technology.

...

Snowflakes fell, and the Rhine was covered in silver. With the silence of gunfire, there is no smoke in the past, and it is particularly pleasant under the soft sunlight.

It was another Christmas, and Marshal Patrice McMahon couldn't be happier watching the soldiers celebrate with laughter.

At the beginning of the Rhine offensive and defensive battle, there were only 300,000 Austrian troops on the opposite side.

It has only been a long time, and the total strength of the Austrian army has exceeded 800,000. With the addition of the troops of the two countries, the strength of the anti-French alliance is no longer obvious.

If the current situation continues, perhaps by next month, the ratio of forces on both sides will be reversed. At that time, the offensive and defensive trend of both sides will change positions.

There is no way to do that. France is not an opponent of the anti-French alliance.

The only advantage is that the French army is the most prestigious, supported by past records, and has a psychological advantage when fighting the enemy.

It is a pity that all this was broken by the Austrians in the Battle of the Rhine not long ago.

The French army did not continue the myth of winning and undefeated. The so-called superiority of combat effectiveness has now become a dream.

Frankly, Patrice McMahon didn't want a truce on Christmas, as it would buy the enemy a day and further increase the difficulty of breaking through the Rhine line.

"Marshal, the Christmas banquet will start in half an hour."

The guard on the side reminded.

This is the tradition of the French army. No matter what time of year, banquets are indispensable, not to mention Christmas.

Originally, Patrice McMahon was going back to Paris to attend the banquet at the Palace of Versailles, but he stayed on the front line because the road was blocked by heavy snow last night.

Now that he stayed here, as the boss of the front line, Patrice McMahon was naturally obliged to host the Christmas banquet and boost the morale of the army by the way.

"Got it, I'll be there on time!"

After that, Marshal Patrice McMahon closed his eyes and rested. Hosting a banquet is also physically exhausting, and for the elderly Patrice McMahon, it is also a burden.

...

The French were celebrating, as were the coalitions. In addition to retaining the necessary duty personnel, most of the officers and soldiers are celebrating this special Christmas.

Unlike the French army, Archduke Albrecht, who was the commander of the coalition, was absent, and the protagonist of the banquet became King Leopold II of Belgium.

In the headquarters, Justice Albrecht looked at the latest battlefield map, and there were several high-ranking Austrian officers who were absent from the banquet.

Soldiers on the battlefield are very fast, and although it is impossible to launch an attack on Christmas, it does not mean that there is nothing to do on Christmas.

"Just arrived at the armored unit, is it ready?"

There is no doubt that the major event that made the Austrian high-level leaders collectively absent from the banquet was the armored troops that had just arrived.

The movement of the armored troops is not small, and it is impossible to avoid the eyes and ears of the French army in normal times. Christmas is the only chance.

In order to hide their tracks, the Austrian army also carried out a series of camouflage.

For example: increasing the number of cars on the front lines and occasionally making deliberate noises to numb the ears of the French.

In order to reduce the risk of exposure, the armored troops did not come directly, but were transferred by waterway directly to the front line.

A middle-aged officer replied loudly: "Marshal, please rest assured, the armored troops have been scattered and placed in several camps prepared in advance, and I have personally checked them out.

The location of the camp is relatively remote, and the troops patrolling around have been replaced by our people a week ago.

There is also a car transport unit nearby for cover, as long as you don't get in close contact, most people won't find it. "

Fortunately, the French airship unit was killed, otherwise it would not be easy to hide an armored unit.

Although the armored force is almost invincible these days, if it is exposed in advance, the French are prepared, and it will be difficult to do their best.

Dealing with armored forces is difficult and difficult, simple and easy. As long as a few more holes are dug in the way of the armored troops, the speed of the armored troops can be slowed down.

Armored troops that have lost their speed,

In fact, it is a powerful army, and it is difficult to play a strategic role.

After getting a positive answer, Archduke Albrecht nodded and added: "Secret work must be done well, declare these camps as arsenals, and prohibit any unrelated personnel from approaching.

For the sake of safety, the arrival of the armored troops will not be notified to the two countries for the time being.

Our strategic goal this time is to leave most of the main force of the French army and kill the living forces of France to the greatest extent possible.

It's not easy to do this. Therefore, we must take advantage of the armored forces to catch the French by surprise.

If the French can react and shrink the main force back to the country, this war will be difficult to fight. "

It is a fact that it is far easier to fight the French on the Rhine than it is to fight them on the French mainland.

If nothing else, it will be much easier to catch the defeated soldiers after winning the war. The German people will not cover the escape of the French soldiers, and they are greeted by the encirclement of the People's War.

An older officer asked suspiciously, "Marshal, are the armored units really that powerful?

With just over two hundred tanks and more than seven hundred armored vehicles, I am afraid that some of them want to seriously damage the main force of the French army..."

There is no way, the armored forces are subject to the strictest secrecy, even in the top ranks of the Austrian army, they "only hear their names, but do not see their shapes."

Except for a few officers who watched the armored force exercise, no one knew how powerful the steel torrent was.

Archduke Albrecht knew that this was not just someone's question, and most of the people present were skeptical that the armored forces could seriously damage the French army.

After all, the total strength of the French army on the opposite side is about to exceed 2 million. It's really not enough to see such a small amount of armored troops scattered in the vast sea of ​​people.

"Fredrich, you are the commander of the armored force. Now it's up to you to explain how the armored force works!"

Nepotism is indispensable everywhere, and the Austrian army is no exception. The Habsburg family is the biggest relationship household.

Including the rise of Archduke Albrecht, he also took advantage of this relationship. Otherwise, it would not be so easy for him to become the first person in the Austrian army after the death of Marshal Radesky.

To his nephew and heir to political resources, Archduke Albrecht has never concealed his support.

Of course, the most important thing is that Friedrich can be made. There are also many members of the Habsburg family. If they are not capable, Albrecht would not be able to support them.

In essence, the purpose of supporting Friedrich is to strengthen the royal family's control over the army.

This political and military structure has lasted for hundreds of years and is one of the important means to protect the imperial power.

For details, you can refer to the period of Ferdinand I. The emperor was unable to manage the government for decades, and the imperial power of the Vienna Palace did not decline.

It is also the reason why Franz was able to quickly control the situation after he took office. From the beginning to the end, the army has not escaped the control of the royal family.

...