On July 16, 1880, after ten months of hard fighting and hundreds of thousands of casualties, the Russian Army finally conquered Smolinsk. The European world was in an uproar.
That night, the European politicians couldn't sleep. Franz was one of them. If it wasn't for his years as an Emperor, he would've called a meeting that night.
The geographical location of Smolinsk determined that this battle would be extraordinary. By seizing this fortress, the Russian army had gained the initiative in terms of strategy.
The balance of the war began to tilt. The Russians, who already had the advantage in terms of national strength, made this advantage even greater.
Leaving a buffer of one night, Franz called a high-level government meeting at the Palace of Vienna the next day.
In order to make a correct judgment, it was necessary to understand the real situation on the Prussian battlefield.
After many years as an Emperor, Franz didn't take the historical information of his previous life seriously. He preferred to speak with facts instead of making judgments based on personal preferences.
…
Chief of Staff Albrecht: "In order to fight for Smolinsk, Prussia and Russia invested a total of 1.87 million troops. The Prussian Army invested a total of 720,000 troops, and the Russian Army invested a total of 1.15 million.
According to the analysis of the information provided by the military observer mission, the total number of casualties in the Smolinsk region between Prussia and Russia was more than 700,000, of which about a quarter were killed. The exchange ratio between the Prussia and Russian armies was about 1: 1.3.
It can be said that both Prussia and Russia gave their all for this battle. The battle was very fierce, and the fortifications in the Smolinsk region were very complete. The sudden loss of the city was completely unexpected.
The information we had was not complete, and we couldn't accurately determine the real reason for the loss of Smolinsk. From the results of the Russian Army, the Prussian Army had suffered heavy losses, and the prisoners alone were more than 120,000.
However, some people in the Military Observer Group objected. The proportion of the old and weak among the prisoners was too high. It didn't seem like they were the main force of the Prussian Army.
We verified with the Military Observer Group that half a month ago, the Prussian Army did undergo a major change of defense. However, it was carried out secretly, and the members of the Observer Group couldn't get close to it.
If the information was true, then the "Smolinsk Great Victory" of the Russians would be greatly reduced.
We haven't seen any big movements from the Prussian army. Whether it's the southern or northern front, they don't seem to have any intention of launching an attack. The real reason for gathering the main force is still to be studied. "
"Pu Jun gave up Smolensk on purpose". Many people found it hard to believe, including Franz.
Judging from the situation on the battlefield, the Prussian army had no reason to abandon Smolensk. With the local fortifications, the Russian Army might not be able to conquer it even after two to three years.
Under such circumstances, there was no need to give up strategic locations and sacrifice a large number of cannon fodder troops.
It wasn't that no one had thought of "luring the enemy deeper in", but the problem was that the price to pay was a little too tragic. Even if they were cannon fodder with low combat power, they were still valuable national defense forces.
Franz asked, "What diplomatic activities have the Government of Berlin done recently?"
Franz couldn't help but doubt the power of the combination of William I and Mao Qi. Obviously, they shouldn't have made a mistake by giving up Smolensk so easily.
If it wasn't an accident, then there must be a purpose. Other than "luring the enemy deeper in", showing weakness to the enemy to get more diplomatic support was also one of the possibilities.
Foreign Minister Wesenberg answered awkwardly, "Your Majesty, since the outbreak of the war, the Pu Bo Federation's diplomatic activities have never stopped.
According to the information from various embassies, the Pu Bo Federation's foreign minister would contact the political leaders of various countries every week, even a neutral country like Switzerland was no exception. "
Franz was dumbfounded by the answer. It was supposed to be a diplomatic activity, but how did it become a daily activity here?
Who knew if there were any results if they were in contact with the political leaders of various countries every day?
As if sensing the emperor's dilemma, Wesenberg added, "Also, not long ago, the Pu Bo Federation's foreign minister in Osman had a secret talk with the Sultan. No one knows the details.
The Government of Berlin also improved diplomatic relations with the Central Asian countries and the Empire of the Far East. It seems that they intend to reorganize the anti-Russian alliance.
There is no definite news yet, but it shouldn't be optimistic. There are a lot of internal problems in these countries, and they aren't actively anti-Russian. "
The last time they were able to form the anti-Russian alliance, it was mainly due to the efforts of the British. The Government of Berlin was just a bystander.
Today was different. The Russian Empire was no longer John Bull's main enemy. The Government of London naturally wouldn't continue to spend a large amount of money to target the Russians.
Diplomacy also had costs. Without enough benefits, why would everyone work for it?
Whether it was the Central Asian countries or the Empire of the Far East, no one had the courage to bite off a piece of meat from the Hairy Bear. They would be satisfied if they could guarantee their territorial integrity.
In Franz's view, instead of persuading these countries, it was better to send someone to persuade the Government of Japan. At least this person was adventurous.
Of course, this didn't have much practical significance. The Far East was too remote. Even if it was all lost, it wouldn't affect the strength of the Russian Empire.
The ones who really had the ability to help the Government of Berlin were the Nordic Federation and the Osman Empire. Unfortunately, the former had the Danes causing trouble, and the Tsarist government had made a promise, so they couldn't be moved at all.
Not to mention the latter, the Sultan was busy with internal reforms. Even if he wanted to take revenge on the Russians, he didn't have the strength.
Prime Minister Felix said, "If this is the case, the possibility of the Government of Berlin receiving a large amount of foreign aid is very small. Britain and France can't invest indefinitely. They must consider how to recover the cost.
Can we think that Moltke is repeating the same trick and trying to copy the last war by giving up the East Prussia area to increase the Russian Army's logistical supply line and lure the Russians into a decisive battle? "
No one stipulated that the same tactic couldn't be used twice. In fact, on the battlefield, no matter what tactic, as long as it was effective, it could be used.
Whether it was repeated or not, whether it would be seen through, these weren't the problem. There was always only one core – to win the war.
Chief of Staff Albrecht said, "We can't rule out this possibility. From a strategic point of view, this is an overt plot.
Even if the Tsarist government knew about the Pu Bo Federation's plan, it would be impossible to order the Russian Army on the front line to stop because of the risk.
However, although their plan is good, it's hard to say whether it can be realized. It's impossible that the Russian Army didn't notice the risk.
As long as they are careful, steady, advance step by step, and don't leave any opportunities for the Pu Bo Army, the situation will be very different. "
At this point, Albrecht suddenly chose to shut his mouth. "Steady, advance step by step" was easy to say, but it wasn't easy to do at all.
There was never a lack of idiots in the world, and there was no lack of utilitarian masters in the army. In the face of the temptation, could everyone resist?
The war had to serve the overall situation, and conversely, the part also affected the whole. As long as there was a problem in one place, the originally flawless strategic plan would instantly become riddled with holes.
Albrecht didn't have any confidence in the Russian Army's ability to execute. Not to mention the Russians, any army in this era couldn't guarantee that all the officers could see the overall situation.
Franz waved his hand, "Stop, this question ends here. If the Pu Bo Army is baiting the enemy, the Tsarist government should be the one having a headache now.
Of course, Alexander II Of Russia might still be celebrating the victory. But I think someone will remind him. After all, they have already lost once and should have learned their lesson.
Now we should discuss how to deal with the upcoming changes in Europe. "
"Long-term plans". Unfortunately, this thing didn't exist for a long time. The Government of Vienna's foreign policy had always been adjusted according to the needs of reality. Any foreign policy had its own practical effects.
This time was no exception, because the Prussian war was full of uncertainties, and more plans needed to be prepared.
As for which plan to use, it would have to wait for the dust to settle before choosing the plan that best suited Austria's national interests.
…
After achieving the "Smolensk Victory", the Russian Army didn't stop. Instead, they took advantage of the victory and captured Minsk. The vanguard was heading straight for Warsaw, the capital of Poland. The Prussian war seemed to have become clearer.
In the Russian Army General Command, Marshal Ivanov was staring at the map in a daze. There was no joy of victory on his face.
A middle-aged officer walked up to him with a document in his hand and reported, "Marshal, the Seventh Army sent a telegram, urging for logistics."
Ivanov turned around, paused, and asked, "Where is the Seventh Army?"
"The Seventh Army marched along the Bug River and has now passed Sarnaki. They are less than 200 versts away from Warsaw," the middle-aged man replied.
After finding Sarnaki on the map, Ivanov carefully looked at it for a while and sneered, "It's a flat plain in front of us. We are almost at Warsaw, and the enemy still hasn't intercepted us?"
Without waiting for the middle-aged man to reply, Marshal Ivanov said, "Mao Qi's appetite is really big. An army can't satisfy his appetite. Isn't he afraid of choking to death?"
The enemy knew him best. Mao Qi became famous in the last Prussian War, so he naturally became the focus of the Russian Army.
The information collected by Ivanov was so detailed that he even knew where Molky went to kindergarten. This was an exaggeration. Kindergartens weren't popular these days.
However, Mao Qi's life, hobbies, and style of using troops were all recorded. Similar information was not only collected by the Tsarist government, but many European countries were also doing the same.
With more knowledge, there were naturally people who came up with targeted tactics. The current tactics adopted by the Russian Army actually had the intention of restraining Mao Qi.
It turned out that this set of conservative tactics was really effective. With the advantage of military strength, even a strategist like Mao Qi couldn't do anything. The current tactics were used as a last resort.
After thinking for a while, Marshal Ivanov said, "Order the Seventh Army to stop advancing. Find a favorable terrain to build fortifications and wait for the logistics to arrive.
Order the Sixth Army to advance to the Lithuania region. Order the Northwest Army to launch a full-scale counterattack. Order the Southwest Army to pretend to attack the Warren region … "
A series of orders were given, but there was no order to advance to Warsaw. It was troublesome to encounter an opponent who fought steadily. Even though the Prussian Army had opened up, Ivanov still decided to take down the enemy on the right flank.
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