Theory and reality were often the opposite of each other. Perhaps Obodo's response was effective, or perhaps the officers had no way out, but the surrounded 4th Russian Army exploded with power that exceeded the Prussian Army's expectations.
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. The 4th Army was still stuck there like a nail, and the Prussian Army was in a dilemma.
Looking at the increasing number of casualties and thinking about his mission, General Hanskoya, who was in charge of the 4th Army, was so worried that his beard was about to turn white.
More than half of the enemies were dead or injured, but they still showed no signs of surrendering. It was obvious that they were going to fight to the death.
If the Russian Army was this stubborn, then there was no point in fighting this war. The population of the Prussian Federation was limited, and there was no way they could continue fighting.
After rubbing his forehead, Hanskoya ordered his adjutant, "Send a message to the headquarters and report the situation here in detail. Tell General Mao Qi to give us another five days to wipe out the enemy.
If the other areas need support, we can send some of our troops away. We don't need so many troops to surround us anymore. "
After a few days of fighting, Hanskoya was sure that the enemy would not run. In order to complete his mission, he even purposely left an escape route for the enemy to break through.
However, the enemy acted as if they did not see it and remained in place, not giving him any chance to escape.
It did not make sense that they would not run when there was a chance. Hanskoya did not know what the Russian Army's commander was thinking, but he was very depressed.
"Yes, General!"
…
Not only was the Prussian Army depressed, but the surrounded Lieutenant General Obodo was even more depressed. The Prussian Army seemed to have gone crazy, attacking without caring about the casualties. The 4th Army could only defend and not fight back.
After being surrounded, he had no idea what was going on outside. He did not know why the enemy was going crazy.
Airships whistled as they flew over from the sky. This was the happiest and most nervous moment of the day for the Russian Army.
They did not know when it started, but the airships had become the pillar of support for the 4th Army, bringing them hope.
This was the most nervous moment. Other than the first few days, every time the airships came, there would be an aerial battle.
In just ten days, the Russian Army had paid the price of thirty-five airships crashing. Almost every day, three airships were destroyed.
Of course, the Prussian army didn't have a good time either. The airship troop might be the closest troop between Prussian and Russian in battle strength.
Odo picked up his binoculars and observed the terrifying aerial battle, counting in his mind, "1, 2, 3, 4 … 49."
49 airships. This number made Obo ecstatic. Compared to the previous day, it was a third more, and the enemy was only half of this number.
Even if the Russian airships had transport airships, they still had an absolute advantage over the Russian airships.
Although there were combat airships and transport airships, it was common for transport airships to be used as combat airships.
The airships were all large, so they could still withstand a few ordinary bullets. The heavy machine guns used by the air force had not been invented yet, and the real killing move was still the artillery.
Regardless of whether it was a combat airship or a transport airship, as long as they were equipped with cannons, they could enter the battlefield. However, the accuracy was pitifully low. Airships were not used to fight. The high cost was enough to hurt any country. The Prussian War was the first aerial battle in human history.
In essence, airships were not used to fight each other. The high cost was enough to make any country feel the pinch. The war between Prussia and Russia could be considered the first aerial battle in human history.
The Russian Army had to release strategic resources, so they could not chase. Maybe it was because the 4th Division had decreased, or maybe it was because the HQ showed mercy and sympathized with the 4th Division's hard work.
Perhaps it was because the number of soldiers in the Fourth Division had decreased, or perhaps it was because the people in the headquarters were kind enough to sympathize with the soldiers of the Fourth Division.
As the commander, he quickly realized that it was not because of the HQ's kindness, but because the 4th Division's value had increased.
As the commander, Odo quickly realized that it was not because of the HQ's kindness, but because the 4th Division's value had increased.
The 4th Division's greatest value was to keep the 500,000 to 600,000 Prussian Army soldiers here. Since they had to fight for their lives, their treatment would naturally increase.
Odo shook his head and got rid of the thought. He ordered the guard beside him, "Send someone to search carefully. See if there are any orders from the HQ."
Before the guard could reply, a young officer ran over with a document. "General, this is the battle report from the HQ."
Obodo snatched the document and quickly opened it to read. The more he read, the darker his face became. It was as if the sky had fallen.
It was not that the situation was bad. The overall situation on the battlefield was good. The Russian Army was getting closer and closer to winning the war.
On the 28th of October, 1880, the Russian Fifth and Seventh Divisions attacked Warsaw from the northeast. They were now at the gates of Warsaw.
On the 1st of November, the Russian First and Second Divisions launched the Battle of East Prussia.
Under the cover of the navy, on the 3rd of November, the Russian Army landed in Gdynia and won.
On the 5th of November, the Russian Army landed in Kołobrzeg and won again.
On the 7th of November, the Russian Southern Front tore through the Prussian defense line.
The next day, the Russian Army split into three groups. The Eighth Division headed straight for Berlin, the Ninth Division turned north to attack Poznan, and the First Division was in charge of support.
…
There was good news on the battlefield, but there was no news of the 4th Division's rescue. It was obvious what this meant. Although it was not explicitly stated, the warning was very obvious.
The Russian Army's success was inseparable from the 4th Division's hard work. If it was not for them delaying the Prussian Army's mobility, the Fifth and Seventh Divisions would not have the guts to attack Warsaw. The Southern Front would not dare to split into three groups.
In this kind of situation, whoever messed up and destroyed this hard-won situation would have to bear the responsibility.
There was no order, but this battle report was the best order. Odo knew very well that the 4th Division was not only a sacrificial pawn, but also a sacrificial pawn.
If they broke through the encirclement, the worst that could happen was that they would lose their heads. But if they ran now, their entire families would follow them to the guillotine.
Don't think that killing the nobles in Europe is a safe thing to do. Alexander Ii Of Russia was known as the "Butcher". If he did not kill people, how could the reforms succeed?
After some thought, Odo ordered, "Tell the entire army this good news. Tell everyone that victory is right in front of us. As long as we can hold on for another half a month, we will take Warsaw!"
"See through but not say it" was one of the rules of survival in this cruel world. Smart people would naturally be able to understand. Those who couldn't understand were people with a one-track mind. The fact that this report was in their hands was truly good news.
Hold on for half a month?
Odo did not believe it himself. Deep down, he felt that the 4th Division had already outperformed itself to be able to hold on for so long.
But people were always blindly obedient, especially when they were close to victory. They could always hypnotize themselves and explode with unimaginable combat power.
Deep down, Odo had already decided that the Prussian Army would hold on for as long as possible. If they could not hold on any longer, they would leave the local rats behind.
As long as the 4th Division did not run away and continued to fight, no one could pin the blame on him.
Fortunately, the soldiers did not know of Odo's unscrupulous thoughts. Otherwise, the morale that they had worked so hard to muster would be gone again.
Sometimes ignorance was a blessing. It was better to be immersed in the ocean of hope than to be in despair after knowing the truth.
…
The Prussian Army was at a complete disadvantage on the battlefield. The Government of Berlin was in a complete panic. Even Mao Qi's repeated promises could not dispel everyone's doubts.
It was necessary to mobilize the entire army. As long as they could carry a gun, they had to go to the battlefield.
It was fine if they did not have enough officers. If the officers of the main force could not be mobilized, then they would be drawn from the local troops.
If it was really impossible, then they would find someone to hold the fort and wait for a suitable replacement. If there was no suitable replacement, then there was naturally no need to change.
The enemy was about to reach Berlin. Who would care about the quality of the soldiers! Increasing the number of soldiers first would at least increase everyone's sense of security.
While Berlin mobilized its forces, it did not forget to launch a diplomatic offensive.
It was useless to rope in small characters like the Osman, the Central Asian countries, and the German Confederation. They had already lost the ability to influence the outcome of the war.
At this point, the Prussian Federation needed the support of the great powers. The European continent was different from other regions. What was obtained on the battlefield could also be thrown out on the negotiation table.
The Government of Berlin did not expect Russia to return without any results. However, they still needed to obtain the support of the great powers and preserve their strength as much as possible.
In the Palace of Vienna, Franz had just dismissed the envoy sent by the Government of Berlin.
Frankly speaking, he was very puzzled. The outcome of the war had not been decided yet. Why was the Government of Berlin so anxious?
The Russians seemed to be advancing triumphantly on the battlefield, but the war was not over yet. At least the Prussian Federation still had 600,000 to 700,000 new soldiers. No matter how weak these troops were, they should be able to defend the city, right?
Facing Franz's puzzlement, Chief of Staff Albrecht explained, "Your Majesty, the casualties of the Prussian Federation have already exceeded the million mark. Just the number of deaths alone is more than 300,000.
The loss of ordinary soldiers can be immediately replaced, but the loss of low-level officers is difficult to make up for.
According to the data we collected, the death rate of the Prussian nobles is much higher than the 13.5% of ordinary soldiers.
The Prussian army did not have enough officers, not only because of this war, but also because of the impact of the previous war.
In the first Prussian war, the new generation of the Juncker nobles suffered heavy casualties. Now, not only did they lack low-level officers, but they also lacked mid-level officers and high-ranking officers.
The lack of qualified officers had a huge impact on the combat effectiveness of the army. Compared to the beginning of the war, the Prussian army's combat effectiveness had actually declined.
It could be seen from their siege of the Russian Fourth Army that if the Prussian army was at its peak, it would not have taken so long.
The lack of officers was not anyone's fault. The Prussian Federation had already done a good job. They had enough officers to command 1.5 million soldiers.
This number was theoretically enough to deal with any war. Before the Prussian war broke out, no one knew that it would reach such a scale.
Be it the Prussian Federation or the Russian Empire, their ability to mobilize troops is beyond our imagination. "
Not to mention people of this era, even a transmigrator like Franz didn't know that the Prussian and Russian Empires could reach this stage.
This ability to mobilize troops was almost on par with the previous war. The Pobol Federation had mobilized more than 2.6 million troops, while the Russians had mobilized nearly 4 million troops in a frenzy.
This number was not the end. The number of troops on both sides was like a balloon, constantly expanding.
The balloon was getting thinner and thinner. While the number of troops was increasing, the combat effectiveness was also declining.
The Prussian army's performance was more obvious, mainly due to the quality of their troops. The Russians had been focusing on quantity from the start. Even though the combat effectiveness of their troops had declined, because the quality of their troops wasn't good at the start, the decline was not as large.
Franz asked doubtfully, "As far as I know, there are many officials in the Government of Berlin who came from the army. It should not be a problem to enlist them in this time of crisis.
With these people putting on airs and promoting some civilian soldiers to be officers, the problem of the lack of officers at the grassroots level would be solved. There is no need for the Government of Berlin to be so anxious, right? "
This was not Franz talking nonsense. Many officials in the Government of Berlin came from the army. Not only the Prussian Federation, but also Austria.
Under the national military service system, not only government officials had served in the army, but people from all walks of life had served in the army.
In times of crisis, letting them put on their uniforms again was also a way to solve the shortage of officers.
Albrecht shook his head, "Your Majesty, these people seem to have the ability to organize, but they are not suitable for the army.
The military officers of the Prussian Federation were led by the Juncker nobles. Due to the influence of traditional power, the most talented among them, or the most suitable for the army, would develop in the army for a long time.
After retiring from the army, the majority of those who entered the government were defective products that were eliminated midway. Their military capabilities were already worrying.
If these people were to re-enter the army, their rank would also be the position they entered the army, but this position had nothing to do with military command.
It is unimaginable to let a group of unknown military officials command the army.
I think they might not even be as good as the first year military academy students. At least these people are hot-blooded, don't argue, and can strictly carry out orders. "
Franz nodded awkwardly. Letting the officials command the army was indeed a huge trap. It was not good to drag the army into a political struggle before the war had even started.
After a pause, Albrecht added, "The Prussian Army has already begun to promote civilian officers. However, these soldiers have not received military education, so the upper limit of their training is very low. Only a small number of them can become officers.
Right now, the number of civilian officers in the Prussian Army is actually not small. However, these people's performance is not good, and there have been many problems. "
Franz wanted to say something but stopped. The problem of civilian officers was a problem in Europe.
It was not like what was said in the future, where the nobles controlled the army and excluded civilian officers.
In reality, the nobles were only interested in the middle and high ranks. The lower ranks were not their target. No one was that short-sighted.
The real problem was still military literacy. Ordinary soldiers had never come into contact with this aspect of knowledge, so how could they become qualified officers?
It could be said that in peacetime, ordinary soldiers had long been locked down. Only a few geniuses could become officers.
There were opportunities in wartime, but the prerequisite was that they could survive. Military merits were not that easy to obtain. They had to exchange their lives for it.
Even the nobles at the bottom had to lead the charge, not to mention the civilian officers. Many dangerous missions would fall on their heads.
No matter how talented you were, you would only have a future if you survived the battlefield. Otherwise, you would be a martyr.
He had obtained military merits, but this was not the end. On the contrary, it was just the beginning.
When one was promoted to a higher position, the requirements for one's military accomplishments also became higher.
In peacetime, there was still the opportunity to study in the military academy. When they returned, they would be more or less qualified. This was not possible in wartime. War would not wait for anyone.
To a certain extent, Albrecht's complaint about the poor military literacy of the civilian officers was an indisputable fact.
Apart from a few geniuses, most of the civilian officers were forced to do things beyond their abilities. It was normal for them to be unable to adapt in a short period of time.
The army was a place that worshipped the strong. No one would consider so many reasons, nor would they give you time to slowly learn.
If you were not good enough, you would be ostracized. There was no need to use any tricks to force you out.
It was not just the civilian officers. Even the children of large nobles would be ostracized if they were not capable enough.
Not only now, but even in the future, there was only one path for the civilian officers — to enter the military academy.
Through school, they could improve their military literacy. Through learning, they could make up for the gap in ability between them and the nobles.
This path was not easy to walk. There was a limit to the number of students in the military academy. Thousands of soldiers and horses were crossing a single-log bridge, and they had to face competition from the nobles.
Due to the impact of the educational resources, it was impossible to break through unless one was a genius.
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