In the Palace of Vienna, Franz was holding an end-of-year meeting when a sudden telegram interrupted the proceedings.
On November 27, 1879, the Russian Army reinforcing Brest was ambushed by the Prussians on the way, and the southwest battlefield took a turn.
On the surface, the Government of Vienna only cared about the final result of the war between Prussia and Russia. The changes on the local battlefield were not enough to make everyone so serious.
However, the southwest battlefield was an exception. On one hand, it was because the Tsarist government had mortgaged the land west of the Dnieper River to Austria. If these areas fell into the hands of the Prussian-Polish Federation, it would be very troublesome for the Government of Vienna to collect the debt. (Only in Ukraine)
On the other hand, it was for export trade. Since the outbreak of the war, the Tsarist government had been buying in Austria.
Once the Dnieper River was cut off, traffic would be limited, and the trade between Russia and Austria would definitely be greatly affected.
In order to make money from the war, the Government of Vienna had also made ample preparations. Many state-owned enterprises had increased production lines. If the trade between Russia and Austria decreased, these enterprises would suffer heavy losses.
It was related to their vital interests, so the government naturally had to pay attention. As for the end-of-year meeting, it could be said to be important, but it could also be said to be unimportant.
The end-of-year meeting included a summary of the year's political, economic, diplomatic, and military developments, as well as the government's plans for the coming year.
The various departments had already done their homework, and now they were reporting to Franz to prepare for the next year's budget fight.
Most of these plans revolved around national policy. The core was originally led by Franz, but he rarely intervened in the specific plans. The cabinet was responsible for it.
…
Franz: "Chief of staff, tell me about the current situation at the front line!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Chief of staff Albrecht replied.
"Yesterday afternoon, the Russian Army that had set off from the Warren area to reinforce Brest was ambushed by the Prussians as soon as they crossed the Pripyat River.
Because the Russian Army was temporarily formed from a mix of different places, the organizational relationship had not been straightened out. The 30,000 Russian Army was defeated by a Prussian-Polish strategist, and the loss of at least 8,000 troops.
The remaining troops had already scattered in all directions like frightened birds. A large number of weapons and equipment had been abandoned, and they had lost the ability to fight for a short period of time.
Not counting the demoralized troops, the Russian Army's total force in Warren had dropped from 102,000 to 67,000. Their advantage over the Prussian army was gone.
If I were Moltke, I would abandon Brest and focus my attacks on Covelli. If they took over this place, they would be able to attack Kiev in the east or Brest in the north.
But the Pu Army only held the advantage in the southwest. The Russians in the north had already reached Riga, and the defense line in the Vizeme Highland was in danger. The central battlefield, Smolensk, had become a meat grinder.
Judging from the current situation, the Russians might choose to advance by land and sea. Relying on the advantages of the Russian Navy, it is very likely that they will have an advantage on the Baltic coast. "
Franz: "So, Mao Qi must be under a lot of pressure right now?"
Albrecht replied with certainty: "That's right!"
If the Prussian Army was unable to achieve a breakthrough on the battlefield, Russia's actions in the Baltic Sea would pose a serious threat to their homeland. The Government of Berlin's Navy faction would rise up, and that would be very lively.
This involved their vital interests. The people in the coastal areas would be in an uproar, and the Navy faction would take the opportunity to exert their strength. No matter how well-respected Mao Qi was, he would not be able to withstand the pressure from all sides.
Franz sighed inwardly. Any famous general would be powerless when faced with an internal crisis. This was probably the reason why Mao Qi was so anxious to open up the situation in the southwest.
Purely from a military point of view, letting the Russian Army enter the Polish region and think of a way to surround and annihilate them would actually increase their chances of success.
Not only would they have a strong base of support, but they would also reduce the pressure on logistics and transportation. Even the battle line would be shortened, and they could invest more troops in the decisive battle against the Russian Army.
It was a good military plan, but a bad one in politics. If they really let the Russians in, the Poles would be at odds with them.
Foreign Minister Wesenberg reminded, "According to the intelligence we have received, Russia's diplomatic work has also made a breakthrough.
They seem to have secretly given the Danes a promise. Just a week ago, the Danish government submitted a naval exercise plan to the Nordic Federal Parliament.
If the plan goes through, the Prussian Federation's sea transportation route will be cut off. The Russians' offer should be very high, and the Swedes are already interested. The chances of it going through are very high. "
A naval blockade wouldn't kill the Prussian Federation. They could still borrow the German Federal Empire's route to transport supplies through the Elbe River.
But this would greatly increase the pressure on logistics. The most important thing was the Nordic Federation's stance. The diplomatic situation was very unfavorable for the Government of Berlin.
If the Prussian Federation was at a disadvantage on the battlefield, who could guarantee that the Nordic Federation wouldn't hit them when they were down?
The Danes had always wanted to take back their two duchies. As long as the Russians were willing to pay the Swedes, everything was possible.
The confusing situation gave Franz a headache. He originally thought that the combination of William I and Mao Qi was already very good, but he didn't expect that Alexander II Of Russia wasn't easy to deal with.
In the last Prussian war, Alexander II Of Russia hadn't grown up yet. He could only be regarded as a semi-emperor. He was slightly inferior in the game. This time, it was different.
Since the start of the war, Franz hadn't found any signs of an uprising in Russia. This was a great achievement.
In modern times, the Tsarist government was a weirdo. Every time there was a foreign war, there would be an uprising in the country.
There were no problems, which meant that Alexander II Of Russia's reform was successful. A stable Russian Empire was absolutely terrifying.
After hesitating for a while, Franz said coldly, "Don't act rashly on the diplomatic front. Unless the Nordic Federation directly enters the war or the situation on the battlefield is completely out of control, we will continue to remain neutral.
The General Staff Department will pay close attention to the direction of the war. If there is any possibility of one side gaining an overwhelming advantage, they must report to me immediately.
Looking at the current situation, Russia seems to have a higher chance of winning. Then we will wait for Britain and France to give blood to the Prussian Federation.
Once the strength of both sides is out of balance, we will secretly sell the Mark core machine gun technology to the weaker side and teach them how to use trench tactics to delay the war as much as possible. We can also sell the mortars. "
To maintain the balance on the battlefield, Britain, Fao, and Russia also had a division of labor. For example, if the balance on the battlefield was broken, if the Prussian Federation was weak, Britain and France would be responsible for giving blood to them. If Russia was weak, Austria would be responsible for giving blood to them.
In any case, whoever was weak would be supported. It was everyone's goal to let Prussian and Russia suffer losses. Not to let the fourth pole rise was the common will of the three old empires.
No, it should be said that it was the common will of the Fao and Russia. The British couldn't say for sure. In this aspect, Niuniu's strategy was still quite vague.
Franz never felt the need to keep low-tech weapons a secret. He didn't take them out in advance because there was no need.
In order to achieve a strategic goal, it was nothing to throw out a few technologies. If it wasn't for the performance, Franz was ready to throw out the tank technology.
Unfortunately, it was difficult to play its role even if it was thrown out.
The steam engine tank was too big, slow, and very inflexible. It was easy to become a target for artillery.
The internal combustion engine tank didn't have enough performance. It was also very expensive, and the price-performance ratio was too low. It couldn't be used at all.
Even Austria couldn't afford it, so Franz didn't think that Prussian and Russia could. Moreover, they couldn't produce the engine.
Although the internal combustion engine had been around for a few years, it was actually still very high-tech.
Other than Austria, who went further in this aspect because of Franz, the other countries didn't invest much in research and development.
Technology was created by piles of money. Without investment, it was naturally difficult to achieve results.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Albrecht replied.
After the interlude, Franz asked again, "How's the situation in South America? Did the Chileans release our ships?"
The Government of London pretended to be ostriches and handed over the seized ships to the Chileans. Austria naturally found trouble with the Chilean government.
Bullying the weak and fearing the strong had always been the nature of a great power. Asking for compensation from the British and the Chilean government were two completely different concepts.
Foreign Minister Wesenberg smiled. "The three South American kids are still fighting. There shouldn't be a winner in the short term.
Since the British handed over the seized ships to the Chilean government, things have progressed much more smoothly. The only problem now is that the goods on the seized ships are no longer there. We are currently negotiating with the Chilean government for compensation.
If it wasn't for the British's sudden intervention, we would have signed an agreement with the Chilean government.
Perhaps the British are too greedy and caused the Chilean government to be dissatisfied. They want to bring in our and the French's power to balance the British. "
This was good news. Although Chile wasn't the only source of saltpeter, and Austria had also discovered some saltpeter mines in their colonies, importing Chilean ore was still the cheapest in terms of cost.
As for the conflict between the two countries, it wasn't even worth mentioning in the face of profit. Thinking of this, Franz suddenly realized that this Chilean government wasn't simple either.
Selling favors to the Fao and the Chilean government seemed to be betraying their national interests, but in fact, they were laying the foundation for winning this war.
If they didn't deal with the two hooligans in advance, even if they defeated Peru and Bolivia, they wouldn't be able to reap the benefits.
There were too many examples of winning on the battlefield but giving up the spoils of war in diplomacy.
The Chilean government obviously understood the nature of the great powers. They took advantage of the seizure of the ships and took timely remedial measures.
Franz couldn't help but sigh. No country could stand out because of luck.
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