God didn't favor the Russians. Time was on the enemy's side. When the Russian Army reported the news to St. Peter's Castle, it was already late at night.
The officer in charge of drafting the telegram was an experienced official. The first part of the telegram was about the results of the battle, emphasizing the bravery and fearlessness of the Kamian defenders. The report was put at the end.
The bureaucrat on duty had just come back from a cocktail party. He was upset because he didn't get to enjoy himself. He read the first part and thought it was a telegram asking for credit, so he didn't read the rest.
The Kamian victory had been reported two days ago, and the celebration party had already been held. The details of the second report weren't as important. They just had to wait in line. There was no need to rush.
It wasn't until the next afternoon when the report was made to the head of the department, Marshal Ivanov, that he found out the rest.
It was already too late. Before Marshal Ivanov could make a decision, the telegram asking for help from Brest also arrived.
Two bolts of lightning collided with each other. Ivanov was infuriated. Time was life on the battlefield. If he had received the news last night, he would have reported it immediately. The reinforcements were already on the way.
"Which bastard was on duty last night? I'm going to kill him!"
Hearing the news, the officer panicked and replied, "Yes, Georgi."
Marshal Ivanov was even angrier when he heard the name. "Which idiot arranged for this playboy to be on duty? Doesn't he know that he's good for nothing but doing bad things?"
There was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't deal with him because of his connections. Even though Alexander II Of Russia had purged the army, nepotism still hadn't been completely eradicated.
Georgi was from a big noble family. His father was the current finance minister, and he entered the army with his family background.
There were many similar cases in the Russian Army. Usually, Ivanov didn't care as long as these people didn't cause trouble. Except for a few talented people, the rest of them were usually given some simple jobs to "train" them.
Without a doubt, receiving telegrams was one of them. The most important requirement for this job was reliability. The rest was simple. They were classified according to the importance of the telegram.
The big nobles were undoubtedly reliable. They and the Russian Empire would suffer together, so they wouldn't leak secrets to the enemy.
There weren't many things to do, and it was easy for him to get credit. Naturally, he was welcomed by everyone.
Seeing that no one answered, Ivanov knew that this most likely involved a big shot, so he simply stopped asking. He slammed the table and said, "Tell that idiot to go home immediately. I don't want to see him in front of me again."
Even if he couldn't be shot, he could still be sent home. Ivanov had already given him a lot of face by not holding him accountable for such a big incident.
Fortunately, the matter had not blown up yet. They could still deal with it internally and cover it up. Otherwise, Georgi would be dead. Alexander II didn't mind killing a chicken to warn the monkey if he dropped the ball at such a crucial moment.
The attendant replied fearfully, "Yes, Marshal."
If someone were to take a closer look, they would see that his forehead was already dripping with sweat, and his heart was beating faster.
It couldn't be helped. When immortals fought, the mortals were the first to suffer. Many things could not stand up to investigation. Once serious, it would lead to a reign of terror.
Marshal Ivanov was still able to see the big picture. He knew that this was a critical moment, and the government could not afford to have any internal problems. He could only turn a big problem into a small one and a small one into nothing.
As for the telegram, it could only be thrown into the sea, as if it had never been received.
…
Of course, Lieutenant General Olivier Thornfield's big picture perspective was still useful. When he reported to the headquarters, he also sent a message to the garrison in Brest.
The bureaucrats could be careless, but the frontline officers did not dare to be careless. Even when they received the news in the middle of the night, the garrison immediately responded.
Unfortunately, there was too little time. It was too late to adjust the strategic deployment. They could only strengthen their defenses to ensure that they would not be ambushed.
From the moment the Prussian army split up, the garrison in Brest was already prepared. However, they were only prepared for a division of the Prussian army. Now that the enemy had doubled, the original preparations were naturally not enough.
The Battle of Brest broke out. The Prussian army attacked at all costs, and the Russian Army also fought a bloody battle. Airships, cannons, and machine guns filled the entire battlefield.
The cruelty of modern warfare left people dumbfounded. Looking at the pictures sent from the frontline, Franz was also shocked. At this moment, human lives became worthless.
In the Palace of Vienna, Chief of the General Staff Albrecht: "Your Majesty, from the current situation, the Russians are in trouble.
The Prussian army's actions have disrupted Russia's deployment, and the Tsarist government's painstakingly constructed strategic defensive line now has an obvious gap.
Brest is being attacked from both sides by the Prussian army, and no one knows if the garrison can hold on. The Tsarist government cannot take this risk.
Mao Qi's timing was very good. The interior of the Russian Empire had already entered winter, and the temperature in many places was already ten degrees below zero.
In this kind of bad weather, it was already too late to move troops from the rear to reinforce Brest.
In terms of time, it was the fastest to move troops from the flanks. The Ukraine region had not entered winter yet, so it would only take three to five days to reinforce Brest.
But this way, the forces on both flanks would become weaker. No one can guarantee that the Prussian army won't use the same trick again, using a bunch of cannon fodder to attract attention while the main force has already moved.
Right now, the Russians should be having a headache. No matter what choice they make, it's a risk. If they make the wrong choice, the southwestern battlefield will collapse. "
Collapse?
Franz shook his head. "It's not that serious. It's November now. Even if the Prussian army captures Brest, they won't have time to continue expanding their gains.
If they're really pushed, Alexander Ii Of Russia can still trade with the Prussian army. They can directly ignore the southwestern threat and concentrate their forces to attack East Prussia from the coast.
Even if they lose all of Ukraine, the Russian Empire is still the Russian Empire. How big is the Prussian Federation's territory? As long as a Russian Army attacks the rear and causes damage, even if the Government of Berlin wins, it will still be a loser. "
No matter how trashy the Russian Navy was, it was still a bit stronger than the Prussian Federation. In the last war, they were able to attack the Prussian Federation's coast. If it weren't for the lack of logistics, the result of the war would have been reversed.
A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.
This time, the Tsarist government had stockpiled a lot of supplies in St. Peter's castle and didn't attack the Prussian Federation's coast. More importantly, the Government of Berlin was prepared and deployed a large number of shore artillery.
These were all small problems. As long as they were willing to suffer casualties, they would always be able to land successfully.
Of course, the premise was that Britain and France didn't take sides. Otherwise, the Russian Navy really wouldn't be able to complete the mission.
Frederick The Great suggested, "Actually, the Russians have another option. After the victory at Kamen, the pressure on the local garrison will be greatly reduced.
If the Tsarist government dares to take the risk, they can disregard everything and directly order the local troops to attack Warsaw.
Regardless of whether they succeed or not, they can disrupt the Prussian Army's deployment and make them flustered for a while. If they succeed, they will make a lot of money. "
Franz shook his head. He had always hated this kind of gambling tactic. It would be good if they succeeded, but what if they failed?
"Albrecht, explain it to him!"
Franz knew that he was good at strategy, but tactics really couldn't stand up to the test. He didn't choose to go on the field but let the professionals do it.
Albrecht nodded, "Your Highness, before we carry out this plan, you have to find out what kind of people the Russian Army guarding Kamen are.
Don't assume that they are strong just because they have a good record. In fact, it's too much of an exaggeration.
According to our intelligence, half of the Kamen garrison are new recruits who have just been mobilized. They can defend and fight smoothly, but they will immediately collapse if they encounter a tough battle.
If they were to attack Warsaw, I'm afraid that more than one-tenth of them would be left behind in the rapid march before they even reach the battlefield.
Aside from these internal factors, even if the Russian Army were all elites, they wouldn't be able to complete the mission if the Prussian Army didn't intercept them halfway.
Just the people of Warsaw alone can make them return in defeat. The Poles hate them to the bone. A lone army without backup will not be able to come out once they enter. "
Frederick's face turned red, and he felt a little embarrassed. It was a serious blow to his confidence that he hadn't noticed such a simple problem.
Franz smiled. In his opinion, this was a good thing. Perhaps it was because he had been in contact with the General Staff for too long, Frederick The Great had been overconfident recently.
As a crown prince, it was enough for him to learn strategic planning. Why would he study military command? Was there something wrong with his head?
…
Kamen, Russian Army Headquarters
Chief of Staff Larsson said, "Commander, the headquarters called and ordered us to immediately transfer two regiments to reinforce Brest."
Lieutenant General Olivier Thornfield's expression changed drastically. He looked at the map and frowned, "Only from our side? Ask if we're the only ones, or all the other areas."
Chief of Staff Larsson said, "I've already asked that question. All the nearby troops have been transferred, including ours.
But not many of them were transferred. We should be the ones with the most troops. Maybe it's because we just won a big victory and there won't be a war in the short term. "
Olivier hesitated. He felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what it was.
"If that's the case, then carry out the order! Also, try to find a way to travel with the surrounding troops. It's too dangerous to send two regiments over alone. "
Caution was Olivier's greatest strength. This was a lesson he had learned from the last Prussian War. With this guiding ideology, Olivier was often in a daze.
He had never won a big victory or suffered a big defeat. It could be said that he was a very stable commander, which was very reassuring.
…
Mao Qi occupied the war room in the Prussian command center on the Brest frontlines.
A middle-aged officer said in a low voice, "General, the Russians are moving."
Mao Qi stood up and quickly walked to the sand table. He ordered, "Hans, mark the direction of the Russian Army's troops."
"Yes!"
After that, the middle-aged officer quickly took action and completed the task professionally.
Mao Qi showed a happy smile, "It's done. Very good, we've already won half of the battle. How much we can achieve this time will depend on whether the Russians are generous enough.
Tell Demacia that the Russians have taken the bait. How much they can take is up to them.
Order the 7th and 11th Divisions to increase the intensity of their attacks. From now on, we will storm Brest day and night and tire the Russians out.
Order the 13th and 25th Divisions to prepare for battle. Whether we can take Warren or not will depend on them. "
As a strategist who specialized in fighting on the perimeter, Mao Qi disliked attacking fortifications the most. If the Russians were to hold their ground, the two sides would be competing in strength. No matter how capable he was, he wouldn't be able to display it.
Now that the Russians were moving, the situation had changed. The Russian Army in the field was definitely much easier to deal with than the Russian Army in the fortress.
Even though the Russians had paid a heavy price in the early stages of the battle, it was all worth it as long as they could mobilize the Russian Army and break the stalemate in the southwest.
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