Before the first wave subsided, another wave arose.
Before the Government of Vienna could deal with the aftermath of the destruction of the canal, the battlefield in Central Europe changed again.
After 27 days of hard fighting and paying a heavy price of nearly 50,000 casualties, the French army tore through the Luxembourg defense line that the German Confederation had painstakingly built, and the German Region was open.
There was a skill in setting up a teammate. If it was earlier, Duke Albrecht wouldn't have minded the French army galloping in the German Region. After all, the Austrian reinforcements were still on the way, and no one could say anything.
But now, the Austrian reinforcements had arrived at the frontline, and the nearest troops were less than 30 kilometers away from the Luxembourg line. It wouldn't be right to watch their ally perish.
But it wasn't easy to rescue them either. These troops also had a mission, and the Belgians were waiting for them to save them.
Unlike the German Confederation, Belgium was a small country. Up until now, all the young people in the country had gone into battle, and it could be said that they had unleashed their full potential.
It couldn't be helped. This was a disaster caused by their geographical location. After the outbreak of the war, the weakest Kingdom of Belgium had to passively bear the heaviest burden of the anti-French alliance.
Austria was too far away, and the German Confederation was too slow to provide support in time. The Kingdom of Belgium could only grit its teeth and hold on. It was now at its limit.
Since Belgium had persisted until now, Duke Albrecht naturally couldn't watch them perish. After the reinforcements arrived, he immediately ordered for reinforcements.
As for the frontline in Luxembourg and the Rhineland, the German Confederation had more manpower, and their military strength was relatively sufficient.
However, the reality was like a comedy. Before the crumbling Kingdom of Belgium collapsed, the more powerful German Confederation was the first to break through the defense line.
"There were 350,000 troops defending the Luxembourg line, and more than 400,000 troops in the Rhineland area could also provide support. Why did the defense line suddenly collapse?"
Duke Albrecht asked impatiently.
He couldn't help but be angry. The Luxembourg defense line didn't collapse earlier or later, but at the most unexpected time.
When the defense line collapsed a few days ago, the Austrian reinforcements were still on the way, so they naturally didn't have to bear the responsibility. When the defense line collapsed a few days later, the main force of the Austrian army had arrived, and they weren't afraid of PK with the French.
However, they couldn't do it now. Only fifteen divisions of the Austrian vanguard had arrived at the frontlines. It was still possible to reinforce Belgium and help stabilize the defensive line.
If they wanted to engage in a decisive battle with the French, there would be no hope at all if they did not increase their numbers by several times. Archduke Albrecht did not think that the Austrian army would be so powerful that they would be outnumbered.
The General of the German Confederation, Adrian, who was in charge of coordinating the work, explained bitterly, "Marshal, this was an accident.
As you know, we have a lot of countries, and this is the first time we have a joint operation. It's inevitable that there will be some problems in commanding the army, so … "
The command system "has some problems" was just Admiral Adrian trying to flatter himself.
In fact, the issue of the German Confederation's military command had never been straightened out.
The armies of each state had their own independent command. The commander-in-chief appointed by the central government was more like the coordinator of a military alliance and had no binding power over the armies of each state.
Even the battle plans were drawn up by the representatives of the various states. Even if there was an emergency, it had to be decided by everyone in a meeting. Otherwise, the armies of the various states would not even give a damn about the command center.
Fortunately, the German army had been relying on the fortifications for defense and did not need to make many military movements. Otherwise, the chaotic command system would have been wiped out by the French long ago.
They could hide the first time, but they could not hide forever. The consequences of the chaotic command system still happened, and as the price, the German Confederation had to pay the Luxembourg defense line.
Archduke Albrecht waved his hand and interrupted Admiral Adrian's long-winded speech, "Alright, now is not the time to find out who is responsible, and I am not interested in those stupid things.
Now tell me, where have the French reached, and the losses of the frontline troops? Or should I say, how many troops do you have under your control? "
It was inevitable that chaos would occur after losing the battle. Especially since the German Confederation army was still acting on their own, the situation was even more dangerous.
At this time, Archduke Albrecht could only hope that these fellows could explode with their potential when they ran away and preserve as much strength as possible, so that in the following battle, they could delay the French's advance.
Adrian replied in a low voice, "After days of fighting, the frontline troops have long been mentally and physically exhausted. They suddenly suffered a great defeat, and many of their troops have been broken up.
Now we are gathering the defeated troops, and the initial estimate is that we will lose more than half of our troops this time.
After the enemy broke through the defense line, the troops advanced in two directions, one toward Belgium, and the other toward the Rhineland region.
We have already built a second line of defense in the Rhineland region, but the incident happened suddenly, and the frontline troops are insufficient … "
At this point, Adrian stopped abruptly. There was no other way, it was too embarrassing. Not only had their own defense line been broken, but even Belgium had been tricked by the German army.
Tricking his teammates was nothing, and Adrian was not a saint. The problem was that once Belgium fell, the German Confederation would not be able to escape the disaster.
The Austrian allies had indeed come, but the Austrian troops that had reached the frontline were limited, and there was no way they could fill this gap.
Looking at the map, Archduke Albrecht said coldly, "There will be no more reinforcements. The situation at the frontline is already lost, and the dozen divisions in my hands cannot take care of both fronts.
The most important thing now is to find a way to defend the Rhine River, and create the conditions for the counterattack later. As for the other areas, this is the time to give up.
You should know the importance of the Rhine River. If you do not want to see the French army galloping in the hinterland of the German Region, then immediately pull back your troops and defend. "
It looked like he was in a difficult position, but in fact, Archduke Albrecht was already overjoyed.
Fighting against the French army in the German Region and fighting against the French army in France were two completely different concepts.
Other than the military benefits, the more important ones were the political benefits. The defeat of the German army at the frontline would inevitably awaken the German people's sense of crisis.
In a sense, the worse the losses at the frontline, the louder the call for unification after the war.
Especially the people who had personally experienced this war, they could understand the importance of a strong country.
The little Germany led by Hanover obviously could not meet everyone's needs. When the time came, the public would spontaneously push for the unification of the German Region, forming a trend.
As for the group of governments who each had their own ulterior motives, after this war, it was about time for them to recognize the reality, especially the countries that had directly suffered from the war, and they needed Austria's help after the war.
After a pause, Archduke Albrecht added, "Oh right, I still need you to explain to Belgium yourself."
Explanation? Since things had already come to this, any explanation would be futile. No matter how extravagant it was, it could not change the fact that Belgium had been tricked.
If they did not want to lose everything, the Belgian government could only give up most of their territory and defend a few military fortresses.
If they were lucky, they could hold on until the main Austrian army arrived. If they were unlucky, they could only go into exile.
It was conceivable that the relationship between Germany and Belgium would not be good for a long time in the future. In the following war, the cooperation between the two countries could not be counted on.
However, this had nothing to do with Archduke Albrecht. For the great cause of the unification of the German Region, some sacrifices were unavoidable.
It was better to borrow the hands of the French to get rid of these feudal vassals than the Government of Vienna to go into battle to remove the vassals.
"Marshal, if we send our troops now, there is still hope to plug the gap, and even …"
Without waiting for Adrian to finish, Archduke Albrecht interrupted him forcefully, "Sir, this is all your wishful thinking.
If they could plug the gap, the Rhinelander army would have taken action long ago. But until now, they have not taken any action. Are they waiting for my orders?
At this point, the most important thing is to stabilize the situation and create opportunities for the counterattack. We should not gamble for that one in a million chance.
Sir, you should know that we cannot afford to lose now. If the frontlines suffer another defeat, the international situation will be reversed. The countries that were originally leaning towards us may all switch to the arms of the French. "
Excuses would never run out. Archduke Albrecht had made up his mind to kill with a borrowed knife. Naturally, he would not be persuaded.
…
In the royal palace of Brussels, Leopold II had just woken up from his afternoon nap. Before he had time to wash up, he received the shocking news of the collapse of the defensive line in Luxembourg.
Anyone with the slightest bit of military knowledge knew that once Luxembourg fell, the flank of Belgium would be exposed to the vanguard of the French army.
At this point in the war, the Kingdom of Belgium had already used up all of its strength. It was impossible to find enough troops to build a left defensive line in a short period of time.
"Trash!"
"You are all a bunch of trash!"
"Almost 800,000 troops can't even defend Luxembourg. Are the generals of the German Confederation eating sh * t …"
…
In the face of the king's endless curses, no one corrected the German troops guarding Luxembourg. There was no small problem with 800,000 troops.
"Your Majesty, the German troops are retreating. Our left flank is directly exposed to the enemy. Now, we can only …"
Prime Minister Ogyust was still politically savvy. Before he was sure of Leopold II's position, he did not directly say the word 'exile'.
Perhaps the venting just now had eased his mood, or perhaps the prime minister's persuasion had worked. Leopold II calmed down and said in a deep voice.
"Didn't Albrecht send us reinforcements? Send these troops. They won't be trash too, right? "
"Your Majesty, these troops will not come. Just now, the Allied Command sent a telegram. Archduke Albrecht is preparing to build a defensive line at the Rhine River.
He suggests that we withdraw our troops, give up unnecessary defensive lines, and only guard a few key areas. We will wait for the big counterattack. "
General Desmet replied.
"Hmph!"
"Waiting for the big counterattack? It's easy for him to say. Anyway, the battlefield is not in Austria. It doesn't matter how we fight.
But what should we do?
What about the six million Belgians?
Defend Brussels to the death, or go into exile in Austria?
… "
Leopold II raised a series of questions that constantly impacted everyone. In the depths of everyone's heart, a soul interrogation that was destined to be fruitless.
…
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