The roar of gunfire, the sound of engines, and the screams of soldiers played a hellish march.
In the French command center, the knowledgeable Marshal Patrice McMahon couldn't help but tremble as he looked at the increasing casualty report.
After sorting out his thoughts, McMahon forced himself to calm down. He knew that he couldn't panic now. If he couldn't deal with it calmly, France would be finished.
As one of the founders of the Second French Empire, McMahon's feelings for this country surpassed his own life.
"You all know what happened at the front line. Our top priority now is to find a way to deal with the enemy's armored forces. Only by getting rid of them can the great France have a future.
From now on, the fate of the empire is in our hands. Our homeland is behind us, and now we have no way to retreat.
If you don't want the flames of war to burn our homeland, and don't want to see your wives and children homeless, then keep the enemy outside the country's gates!
Time waits for no man, the international situation is getting worse, and there isn't much time left for France. You are all the elites of the French army, and now the responsibility of dealing with the enemy's armored forces falls on your shoulders. "
He had to admit that he was getting old. The cruel reality taught McMahon a deep lesson. In today's rapidly changing military technology, traditional tactics and tactics have been swept into the garbage heap and are becoming less and less able to keep up with the times.
For example, the Austrian armored forces that just came out, McMahon used the method of dealing with cavalry to deal with the battle, and the result was naturally tragic.
Against cavalry, shooting people and horses could be done; against armored tanks, ordinary bullets could only tickle them, and there was no threat at all.
Past experience was unreliable, and McMahon had to brainstorm and find countermeasures.
"Marshal, after a few days of fighting, we found that the enemy's armored forces are not afraid of bullets. To destroy them, we must use artillery.
Ordinary artillery has a low hit rate because of the elevation angle, and it is best to produce a type of artillery that can be fired horizontally.
In addition to destroying by force, tunnels and mountains can stop the enemy's armored forces from advancing. Generally speaking, the worse the road, the more it can delay the enemy's armored forces. "
To be precise, this should be regarded as battlefield experience, not a response. On the surface, it seemed to be good, but in fact, it was not feasible at all.
On the battlefield, speed was the most important. The war would most likely be over before the country could develop flat-firing artillery.
The mountains were the work of nature, and could not be altered by the will of man. The French could not possibly withdraw their main force to the mountains.
Digging tunnels and destroying roads seemed to be the most effective countermeasures, but in fact, the biggest problem was that they couldn't dig all the way through.
The French army had expelled most of the people in Belgium and the Rhineland. The remaining people were either French or German traitors. The Allies could do whatever they wanted. Since the roads had been destroyed, they could pass through the fields.
He wasn't sure about the other areas, but the Flanders Plains along the coast was a place where armored troops could directly pass through. No matter how hard the French army tried, it was impossible for them to dig a trench that was hundreds of kilometers long in a short time.
Even if they dug it out, it would be useless. There were also infantrymen moving along with the armored troops. They could send people to fill in the gaps.
Of course, it was still possible to stall for time. However, this wasn't what the French army wanted. Just stalling for time wasn't enough to win the war.
Especially under the premise that Russia, Spain, and Switzerland could send troops to join the war at any time, the French did not dare to delay.
"Is there any other way? These measures alone aren't enough to turn the situation around. "
McMahon asked with a frown. Right now, there was only victory in his eyes. As long as they could win this battle, everything else was negotiable.
The middle-aged officer added, "The enemy's armored troops are divided into two types. One type is slow and has high defense. The other type is fast but has thin skin. It's like wearing a layer of armor on the outside of a car.
The former can only be destroyed with a 120mm caliber cannon; the latter can be destroyed with a 60mm light cannon. "
Tanks were slow, and the movement speed of heavy artillery was also slow. No one was much better than the other, so the accuracy couldn't be counted on.
The armored vehicles seemed easy to destroy, but they moved very fast, so it was very difficult to aim. It was difficult to aim, so the accuracy would naturally be disappointing.
…
A series of opinions were similar. Without a satisfactory answer, the elderly McMahon waved his hand and said, "Try according to your respective methods first and see the results."
If it wasn't for the political pressure, McMahon really wanted to withdraw the troops and fight a battle to defend the homeland.
However, this could only be a thought. If he really did that, the spittle of the people would be enough to kill him.
The people of France wouldn't allow the government to fail, especially in a war that concerned the fate of the country.
…
The Central European battlefield was still struggling, but the southern European battlefield was completely defeated. Influenced by the favorable international situation, the Italian national independence movement entered a new climax.
Not only did Vittorio Emanuele III come out every day to call on the Italian people to resist the tyranny of France, but the other royal families also came out every few days to make their presence known.
The nobles and capitalists of the Regions of Italy also sent representatives to contact the anti-French alliance to discuss the future of Italy.
It could be seen that everyone was very politically sensitive. They knew that it was time to pick a side, so they decisively came over.
Based on the principle of the more allies, the better, Austria naturally wouldn't refuse the surrender of these local tyrants.
With the addition of a group of leaders, the good days of the French in the Regions of Italy were gone forever. Not only did they have to fight the Austrian army on the front line, but they also had to deal with the endless uprisings in the rear.
If it wasn't for the geographical restrictions that restricted the full potential of the armored forces, perhaps the anti-French alliance would already be on parade in Turin.
In fact, the Austrian army wasn't far from the parade in Turin. There were only a few dozen kilometers left, and the French army was stubbornly resisting.
Outside of Turin, the sky was already filled with artillery fire. Looking at the billowing smoke rising in the distance, Crown Prince Frederick The Great sighed.
Austria inherited the tradition of the German Region and had a strong sense of martial spirit. Every soldier had a battlefield experience. Frederick The Great, who grew up in such an environment, was naturally no exception.
It took a lot of effort to convince his father and get a chance to go to the front line. Unfortunately, no commander dared to put the crown prince on the front line.
Let alone dying on the battlefield, it would be a political disaster if they bumped into each other or bumped into each other.
Under this background, regardless of whether Frederick The Great was willing or not, he became an honorable logistics officer, responsible for the maintenance of the roads from Milan to Turin.
No matter how hot-blooded the front line was, Frederick The Great could only watch from afar. The area within 20 kilometers of the battlefield was forbidden to him.
Because of this, Frederick The Great protested to his superiors, but there was no other way. It was the duty of a soldier to obey orders, even as the crown prince.
Then, Frederick The Great became the most special existence on the southern battlefield. He was known as the number one player in the gilded world. His main job was to organize civilian workers to repair the roads and transport supplies.
"Your Highness, a new batch of supplies has arrived. I need you to sign for it."
Then, the young officer took out a document and handed it over.
Frederick The Great, who came back to his senses, took the document and glanced at it. He said slowly, "Wait a minute, I'll go check it before signing."
According to the rules of the Austrian army, the officer in charge had to check the materials during the transfer process. Once he signed, he would be responsible for it.
Of course, the check was also carried out by professionals. It was impossible for the person in charge to do it himself. There were so many supplies, and it was impossible for one person to handle it.
It was impossible to check all the supplies, but it was possible to do random checks. If there was a problem with the supplies, they would be held accountable.
The safety of strategic supplies was crucial and directly related to the outcome of the war. Frederick The Great's job seemed inconspicuous, but it was a classic example of a man of low status and power.
Such personnel appointments were obviously intentional by the commanders. Other people could be bribed, but Frederick The Great, as the crown prince, could not be bribed.
Not only could he not be bribed, but he also had to be careful. If there was a problem, it would be useless here no matter how powerful the person was.
Ever since Frederick The Great came to power, all kinds of bad guys had retreated. Grass had already grown on the graves of those who did not have eyes. Not only would he be unlucky, but the people behind him would also be finished.
It was now an era of war, and the Government of Vienna had zero tolerance for those who meddled. Those who passed off shoddy goods as quality goods would be killed. Those who embezzled goods would be killed. Those who sold goods would be killed.
There was no such thing as the severity of the crime. If they committed it, they would lose their heads. In addition to these crimes, there was also the crime of treason. Whether or not there was collusion with the French, these actions were tacitly agreed.
After such a strong blow, those who dared to play tricks in the logistics were the real outlaws. The owners of big businesses would never be willing to risk their lives.
There were fewer problems, and Frederick The Great rarely checked in person. However, he was bored now, so he naturally had to find something to do.
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