Artillery shells fell from the sky and fell into the water with a roaring explosion, stirring up monstrous waves.
The rafts that had just been thrown into the river and had not had time to play a role were smashed by the huge waves.
Looking at the scene happening in front of him, Colonel Vorderman no longer had any hope for the next attack.
It couldn't be helped, the Suez Canal was too narrow. Standing by the river, one could clearly see the other side with the naked eye, and any crossing tool couldn't protect the secret.
It should be known that since the Suez Canal was opened to traffic, it was regarded as a first-class strategic area by the Fao and France. In order to ensure the safety of the canal, the two countries deployed a large number of artillery along the coast.
Without any accident, the French artillery was deployed in Egypt, and the Austrian artillery was deployed in the Sinai Peninsula. Each country occupied one side to ensure their own right to speak.
Originally, these artillery and fortresses were to guard against the British, but they didn't expect to hit their former allies.
After the outbreak of the war, in order to control the Suez Canal, the Fao and France both invested a large number of troops in the fight.
However, the defenses of both sides were so abnormal that no one could complete the landing without destroying the canal.
"Send a message to the headquarters. The enemy is prepared. The rafts we prepared were bombarded by the enemy. The plan to attack the port of Suez is ruined!
In view of the current situation, it is recommended that the headquarters approve to blow up the Suez Canal and fill in a passage. "
Colonel Vorderman said helplessly.
This was not the first time he proposed to blow up the canal. However, the Suez Canal was of great strategic importance, and the technology to remove silt in this day and age was not good.
Once the canal was damaged, even if it was only a part of it, it would take a long time to repair.
In times of war, time was life. Taking down a canal that could not play a strategic role could not form a strategic advantage against the enemy at all.
From the battle between the Fao and France's armies, it could also be seen that the artillery battle was one thing, but they were still trying to avoid the canal.
Of course, this was also related to the shareholders behind the canal company. After all, the shares of the Suez Canal had long been divided by the dignitaries of the two countries.
Although it was a time of war, it still couldn't escape from interpersonal relationships. Perhaps the big shots in the headquarters were also one of the shareholders of the canal company.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, no one could make up their mind to destroy the canal.
Comparatively speaking, the army was still relatively simple. These complicated issues were not something Colonel Vorderman needed to consider. As a frontline commander, he only needed to consider military issues.
…
After receiving Vorderman's telegram, the wrinkles on General Vislav's forehead became even more intense.
In order to facilitate colonial expansion, from the beginning of the establishment of the colonies, the colonial governors appointed by Austria were all military officers, mainly responsible for colonial security and foreign wars.
As the Governor of the Middle East, General Vislav automatically became the Commander of the Middle East Theater of Operations when the war broke out. He was responsible for seizing the Suez Canal.
Behind the high position, there was also a heavy pressure. Unlike the previous enemies, the enemy this time was the French.
Flipping through the history books, one would know that in the history of European wars, the French were a big boss. Most of the time, they were the strongest country in Europe, and the French Army was recognized as the best in the world.
Facing such an enemy, no amount of caution was too much.
In fact, Fislav was not the only one with such thoughts. When the war first broke out, the generals of the anti-French alliance were all fearful.
But all of this was in the past. With the outbreak of the war, everyone's awe of the French army quickly faded.
Yes, the elites of the French army were indeed powerful, but there were too few of them. Most of them were ordinary troops with mediocre combat effectiveness.
If the European battlefield was like this, there was no need to mention Egypt. In addition to the elite native divisions, the rest of the colonial troops were not enough at all.
Because of the blockade of the canal, although the Middle East Theater of Operations did not achieve much, the brothers in East Africa, West Africa, and North Africa were advancing.
There was no other way, the Fao's border was too long. Although most areas were separated by deserts, there were still many areas without deserts.
Even if the Government of France wanted to deploy heavy troops to defend the border, they didn't have enough troops to fill it. The responsibility of defense naturally fell on the colonial government.
Without a doubt, on one side were the feudal nobles who fought for themselves, on the other side were the indigenous troops who fought for the French. The combat effectiveness and fighting spirit of the two sides were not on the same level.
Victory was always the best morale booster. General Vislav, who was originally worried about whether the French would cross the river, was now only thinking about how to fight.
…
In the command center, Chief of Staff Von Franc smiled and said, "This is the 36th telegram recommending to blow up the Suez Canal. My commander, it's time to make up your mind."
General Vislav glared at him, rolled his eyes and said, "You think I don't want to, but the impact of blowing up the Suez Canal is too great.
It's fine if we can't use it ourselves. Anyway, the country has already prepared for it, and we don't expect it to be used normally during the war.
The problem is that when the Suez Canal was open to navigation, we issued an announcement of the canal's eternal neutrality, clearly declaring that the canal must be free to navigation at all times.
Now, because of the war, the canal is temporarily closed, and the country is under a lot of diplomatic pressure.
If the news that we blew up the canal at this time, the international public opinion that was originally in our favor will be reversed in an instant. "
Whether they were willing to admit it or not, war was for the sake of politics. As a high-level commander, General Vislav had to consider the political impact.
Although the Suez Canal was now closed, in fact, neither the Fao nor the Austrians had publicly announced it. There was only a proposal from the Foot Binding Canal Company.
In theory, the Suez Canal was still free to navigation, and neither the Fao nor the Austrians could stop it.
Of course, as long as one listened to the roar of artillery on both sides, no one would dare to pass the canal at this time.
Not daring to and not being able to were completely different concepts. Now, it was the Fao who was bearing the international pressure together, because the war was started by the French, and most of the resentment was directed at the French.
If the Austrians blew up the canal, it would be different. The Government of Austria would not be the French, but the Austrians.
It seemed to be a small problem to be scolded, but on a deeper level. It meant that the international credibility that the government had painstakingly accumulated would be directly destroyed.
Losing international credibility was bound to affect Austria's re-establishment of the international order after the war, which involved a lot of benefits.
Von Franc nodded, agreeing with this explanation, but the next words directly angered Vislav.
"This is your problem. Who asked you to be the commander? The staff department is only responsible for formulating the battle plan, and the political influence has nothing to do with us. "
Looking at the gloating chief of staff, General Vislav only wanted to punch him, but he could only think about it.
The rules were the rules. Since the establishment of the Austrian staff system, they were prohibited from getting involved in politics.
If they really ran to the political level to consider the problem, then they would not be far from being fired.
This was part of the balance of power, mainly learned from the former Time and Space Army General Staff Department's lesson in seizing power in World War I. It was a taboo that could not be touched.
In fact, as the commander, General Vislav was also restricted from getting involved in politics, but his special status determined that he must consider the problem from a political perspective.
Problems that could not be decided naturally had to be reported. Only the Government of Vienna could make decisions that could affect the future strategy of the empire.
…
In the evening, rows of rafts were quietly launched. Colonel Vorderman personally went to the front line to make the final mobilization for the sneak attack.
Looking at the energetic young men, Colonel Vorderman could not help but feel guilty.
They knew there was not much hope, but they still risked their lives. In a sense, it was murder.
But war was cruel. In order to win the final victory, no opportunity could be missed.
Colonel Vorderman's self-blame did not last long, and it was quickly interrupted by a voice.
"Colonel, it's time for action. The enemy's searchlight just swept past, we only have fifteen minutes. "
The advent of the electric era was naturally used in the military, such as the searchlight on the battlefield.
The Suez Canal's width was limited, and the searchlight could directly illuminate the other side. Naturally, it became a weapon to prevent enemy sneak attacks at night.
"Attack!"
…
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