Chapter 927: Dead Daoist Friends Don't Die Poor Daoist

Affected by the shift of Austria's strategic focus, the confusing situation in the Central European battlefield suddenly became clear.

The coalition forces, which were eager to counterattack, are now completely on the defensive. It seems that it has been held back by the refugee tide, and no matter how provocative the French army is, they will not be able to hold on.

There are planes + airships in the sky, and trenches reinforced barbed wire + machine guns on the ground. Facing such an enemy, the French army is also very helpless.

Attack it, the price to pay is too high, and it is difficult to achieve satisfactory results.

After all, there is no technical content in the trenches, and there is still another way to break through. Simply filling in with infantry is irresponsible for the safety of the soldiers.

Although the casualties are worth it if the war is won, the problem is that the Battle of the Rhine is only a microcosm of the European War.

If you lose this battle, France will die; if you win this battle, there will be the next battle. When you open the map, you know that if France wants to win the war, it doesn't have to fight three or five battles, and don't expect to make the anti-French alliance succumb.

If the family is exhausted here, how will the war be fought in the future? Any commander knows that winning first is not winning, only the last winner is the real winner.

On one side is the battle line that has been unable to break through, and on the other side is the cumulative number of casualties every day, Marshal Patrice McMahon in the command only feels a lot of pressure.

"Have the anti-aircraft weapons been shipped?"

The coalition forces are only the army, and the air force, which has an absolute advantage, still comes out to check in from time to time every day. Whether it was a bomb that fell from the sky or a bullet that flew out, it was a big problem for the French army.

Simply calculating the results of an airship and a plane is inconspicuous, but once the unit is magnified a hundred times, the situation will be different.

Even if the record of one plane dispatched is only one, for the French army, it is still hundreds of casualties every day, and it is not a small number under the accumulation of time.

In particular, the blow to the morale of the military is even more difficult to make up for. In order to get rid of this predicament as soon as possible, Marshal Patrice McMahon requested air defense weapons from the country for the first time.

Don't look at the time when airships are put into military use ahead of time, and countries have developed air defense weapons in advance. In fact, the power of anti-aircraft weapons these days is still very limited.

In addition to the role of anti-aircraft artillery, other anti-aircraft weapons have been born to increase comedy.

For example: the legendary anti-aircraft rifle.

In theory, this specially developed anti-aircraft rifle has an extreme range of up to a thousand meters, which can pose a threat to enemies in the sky.

As for the actual combat effect, it is very regrettable that the French army did not shoot down a plane or airship with this thing.

Maybe hit the target, but unfortunately they just don't fall. There is no way, the power of bullets is too small these days. It can fly over a thousand meters, which does not mean that the lethality is also over a thousand meters. Unless the enemy is flying at a low altitude, it is useless at all.

The anti-aircraft machine guns that have been widely circulated in later generations are like myths in this era. The Maxim machine guns are all new equipment. We can’t let soldiers shoot Gatling into the sky, right?

Compared with the black technology responsible for funny, it is still the artillery. Although the hit rate is pitiful, as long as it hits, it can basically achieve results.

"The anti-aircraft weapons have been brought in, but, Marshal, I'm afraid there are only a few hundred anti-aircraft artillery pieces..."

There is no way, two million French troops rely on hundreds of anti-aircraft artillery to ensure the safety of their heads, no matter how the distribution is impossible.

In order to compete for the ownership of these anti-aircraft artillery, the French army is about to fight, which makes Lieutenant General Amede in charge of logistics very headache.

Patrice McMahon nodded thoughtfully: "The number of anti-aircraft artillery is insufficient, so there is no need to allocate it to the troops for the time being. Let's concentrate on the action with the artillery first.

The enemy is in the sky, and it is impossible to distinguish so clearly. When the time comes, let the other artillery fire together and scare them off.

As long as the enemy does not bomb at low altitudes, the losses to us are within the acceptable range.

You must know that the cost of the air force dispatching is not low, and the results obtained by harassing us at high altitudes may not be enough for their fuel money.

Isn't it said in China that the production of fighter jets has already begun, and the problem will be solved in a while.

For now, we should speed up the progress and try our best to create more refugees before the international community intervenes, and increase the logistical pressure on the enemy. "

This is a fact. From a purely economic calculation, the cost-effectiveness of high-altitude bombing is indeed low.

Hundreds of tons of ammunition per day, plus 100 tons of fuel, and a lot of maintenance costs, just to get the result of annihilating 180 enemies, it is definitely a blood loss.

War is all about money. If you can't get results, no one can stand it for a long time, and the frequency of bombing will naturally decrease.

No, to be precise, the bombing frequency of the Austrian army has dropped. Most of the dispatches are aircraft harassment, and the frequency of airship dispatches is getting lower and lower.

The reason is of course logistics. The emergence of the refugee tide forced the Austrian army to save ammunition and reduce logistics consumption as much as possible.

The airship unit that was originally used to bomb the French army now takes on more logistical transportation tasks. Hundreds of airships commute between the two places every day to ensure the adequate supply of front-line supplies.

The cost of the horse has long been out of the consideration of the Vienna government. Now Austria is moving in unison by water and air, trying its best to deliver supplies to the front.

As for the international interference that Patrice McMahon fears, it is actually a fan of the authorities, and the French government is frightening itself.

Countries capable of interfering in the continental war do not want to intervene, and they are still in a "friendly match", which cannot be stopped for a while.

The remaining countries that want to intervene in the European War do not have enough strength. Apart from shouting, they have no substantial ability to intervene.

...

The battlefield in China and Europe has stabilized, and the African continent has become lively. Austria, which is going all out, has an extraordinary effect.

In just half a month, the Vienna government released reinforcements of 17 divisions to the Egyptian battlefield, which made the French army, which was already at a disadvantage, completely passive.

Looking at the mountains of telegrams for help in front of him, Governor Jacob didn't have time to reply, and a new bad news came again.

As the Austrian army launched a full-scale offensive on the African continent, the Algeria area in the rear has now become the front line. The Algerian colonial government withheld the reinforcements originally planned to reinforce the Egyptian area.

"Damn idiot Anatole, can't we have a little more brains? Once Egypt falls, we will be completely passive in this war..."

Not only did they curse Governor Jacob, no matter which faction, everyone present showed the same hatred at this moment.

According to the plan, after the French army has completed its strategic contraction on the African continent, there will be 300,000 reinforcements to reinforce the Egyptian theater.

Although these troops are not the main force, and their combat effectiveness is not much stronger than that of the indigenous troops, it is better to have reinforcements than no reinforcements.

Even if the current battlefield situation cannot be reversed, at least the Egyptian theater can be supported for a longer time. For everyone, as long as they can persist until the end of the European war, it is a great victory.

It's a pity that all this has become a dream now. In the absence of reinforcements, these remnants of defeated soldiers in the Egyptian region will not be able to last for long.

Lieutenant General Arthur, who was in charge of the Suez line of defense, said with righteous indignation: "Your Excellency the Governor, complain to the country! If everyone follows the reckless actions of the Algerian colonial government and ignores the overall situation, who can defend France?"

Don't worry, the enemy has already crossed the Suez Canal. If it wasn't for the fortress, the canal defense line would have collapsed long ago.

Anyone with a little bit of military common sense knows that once the Suez Canal defense line collapses, the delta at the rear cannot be held at all.

Even if the Egyptian region falls, the key is that the Suez Canal has completely fallen into the hands of the enemy. Even if the canal was damaged and it took time to repair, the overall strategic passivity was still caused.

The Austrian Empire spanning Europe, Asia and Africa is absolutely terrifying. Even if France won the European War, it could not help this monster.

...

In the Palace of Versailles, before the protest telegram from the Egyptian governor came, Napoleon IV was annoyed by the rioting of the Algerian colonial government.

If it is impossible to provide reinforcements to the Egyptian region, then say it earlier, what is this move at a critical moment?

If it wasn't for sure that Algeria was still under the French flag, Napoleon IV would have suspected that they would go to the enemy.

Thinking with my knees, I knew that the reinforcements that were supposed to set off suddenly disappeared, which was definitely a fatal blow to the Egyptian theater where the wind and rain were misty.

It is not popular in Europe to fight to the death to the end. If there is no domestic reinforcement and no hope of victory, there is a chance that the interest groups in Egypt will surrender to Austria.

Loyalty can't stand the test, and no matter how strict France's control of the colonies, the people's sense of belonging is not as good as the homeland.

"What did the idiot of Anatole say?"

It can be seen that Napoleon IV was really angry. To describe the governor-general appointed by him in this tone is definitely the limit of his patience.

With a flushed face, Prime Minister Terence Bulkin affected his scalp and replied: "Anatol explained that the battle on the front line was urgent. The troops that had been withdrawn from the front line were caught up by the enemy halfway, and they suffered heavy losses after the battle.

The reinforcements originally promised to Egypt have now lost more than half. In addition, the enemy's front has been directed at the Algeria area, and they have no ability to reinforce the Egyptian area.

In order to ensure the security of Algeria, Anatole has issued an emergency mobilization order to recruit all French youths in the colony into the army.

At the same time, a telegram for assistance was also sent to the country, seeking military and material support. If nothing else, we are about to lose Africa as a source of raw materials. "

Believe it or not, it has already happened. With heavy losses on the way to retreat, the strategic contraction plan was not fully successful, and the Algeria region was about to become a battlefield.

In this context, even if the Paris government forced the colonial government to send reinforcements, it would have no effect.

Different from other colonies, the Algeria region has always been the focus of French operations, and local interest groups have become a trend.

In times of crisis, everyone must protect their own interests first. In the face of interests, the overall situation must also fall back.

Resisting the dissatisfaction in his heart, Napoleon IV asked, "How long can the Egyptian region last without these reinforcements?"

Confidence is unbearable. If everyone's expectations for the French army were 100 points before the outbreak of the war, there are only 80 points left at most.

A quick decision, defeating Austria in a short period of time to win the war, was just a beautiful idea at the beginning of the war.

Now Napoleon IV has increased the time to win the war from the original two months to one year. The French government could not tolerate the fall of Egypt until the French army had fully achieved a strategic advantage.

After hesitating again and again, the Minister of the Army Luskinia answered uncertainly: "It is estimated that it can last for three to six months, but recently the Austrians have sent more troops to the Egyptian region. How long the Egyptian theater can support depends on the Enemy input."

This answer means that there is no answer. Austria's investment in Egypt is uncontrollable, which means that how long the French army in Egypt can last is also uncontrollable.

"Your Majesty, send more troops to Egypt! We must give hope to the troops on the front line, otherwise..."

The words were only halfway through, and Prime Minister Terence Bulkin could no longer speak. No way, the latter content is too demoralizing.

As a political figure, it's okay to think secretly, but there are some things you really can't say.