In the Berlin Palace, a celebration banquet had just ended. As the star of the banquet, Mao Qi was specially asked to stay by William I.
The guests dispersed, and William the First's joyful expression disappeared. It could be seen that the understatement and confidence just now were all an act.
As the king of the Pubo Federation, William I. knew the crisis they were facing better than anyone else. The Battle of Warsaw was only a tactical victory, and it did not reverse the unfavorable situation on the battlefield.
It was just that the people needed confidence and victory. In order to stabilize the hearts of the people, there was this self-deceiving celebration banquet.
William I. asked with concern, "Marshal, when will the Battle of Warsaw end?"
"I don't know!"
It was an ordinary word, but it sounded a little heavy when used here. It seemed to have exhausted all of Mao Qi's energy. After he finished speaking, his expression instantly dimmed.
This was the real answer. When the Battle of Warsaw would end was no longer decided by the Pubo Federation. The decision had long been transferred to the Russians.
After pausing for a moment, William the First raised his tone, "What if I insist on a time?"
Mao Qi shook his head. "Your Majesty, this is not something I can decide! If we want to end the Battle of Warsaw, we have to see if the Russians agree.
The Russian Fourth and Fifth Armies are crippled, but their Seventh Army still has some combat power. The Third and Sixth Armies are on the way and will arrive at the front line soon.
This is just the beginning. As far as I know, the Russians still have seven new armies. The enemy can at least transfer four armies to the Warsaw battlefield.
Even if they are all cannon fodder, we can't defeat them in a short time. Moreover, the enemy is not in a hurry to fight, so it will be more difficult for us to take the initiative.
From a military point of view, the enemy has already entered our hinterland, and the Warsaw area has lost its value to continue defending.
If possible, I suggest we give up the Warsaw area first, concentrate our forces to solve the crisis on the north and south lines, and focus on defending the Kingdom of Prussia. "
Seeing that William I. did not speak for a long time, Mao Qi knew he was hesitating. He continued to add, "If we retreat to the Kingdom of Prussia, in addition to resolving our strategic passivity, we can also use German nationalism to influence the decisions of the Government of Vienna.
Austria's support for Russia was not without a bottom line. If they found out that the Tsarist government had the intention to annex the German Region, the situation would change.
Without the support of the Austrians, the Tsarist government would not last long. As long as they had no money in their pockets, the war would be over.
If everything goes well, we might even be able to annihilate the main force of the Russian Army in Prussia and recover our lost territory. "
On the surface, it seemed that Austria supported Russia in order to eliminate the Pobol Federation as a competitor and clear the internal obstacles for the unification of the German Region.
Once Russia showed interest in the German Region, it would only be a matter of time before Russia and Austria turned hostile. Even if the government could look at the big picture, the nationalists would stir up trouble.
William I shook his head. "This is the worst-case scenario. It's easy to give up the Polish region, but it will be difficult to get it back.
You have personally experienced Ivanov's military style. How likely do you think he will be fooled?
If the Russians continue to fight steadily, we won't be able to hold on for long. Maybe we will be exhausted to death before the Tsarist government runs out of money.
Moreover, do you really think that Russia will turn hostile immediately? Alexander II Of Russia is not stupid. No matter how much he covets the territory of the German Region, he will not show it now.
If I were in the position of Alexander II Of Russia, I would throw all of the German Region to Austria to pay off the debt in exchange for the full support of the Government of Vienna.
Maintain the relationship between Russia and Austria, hide behind Austria after the war to recover their strength, watch the situation in Europe, and wait for the next change in Europe.
It is unrealistic to drive a wedge between Russia and Austria, but there is a chance to win the support of other countries. At least the British can increase their investment.
Unfortunately, Denmark has fallen to the Russians. Otherwise, it would be a good move to rent the Royal Navy and attack St. Peter's Castle. "
The Government of Berlin had studied the relationship between Russia and Austria in depth and finally came to the conclusion that Russia and Austria would eventually turn hostile. However, this time was not now, but the time for the battle for supremacy in Europe in the future.
The war between Russia and Russia was not over yet. No matter how headstrong the Tsarist government was, it was impossible to immediately join the battle for supremacy in Europe.
This meant that there was still a long time before the conflict between Russia and Austria broke out. In a short period of time, the Prussian Federation would still be the first target of Russia's attack.
In fact, there was another reason that William I did not say. That was, he was not only the Kingdom of Prussia, but also the King of the Kingdom of Poland.
Once he gave up the Polish region, it would be impossible for him to gain the recognition of the Polish people in the future.
Politics was cruel. If there was no reversal, the situation would not be worse. If the Prussian army reversed on the battlefield and recovered the lost territory, he, the King of Poland, who gave up the Polish region, would be done.
When the time came to rebuild the Prussian Federation and ease the relationship between Prussia and Poland, he, as the King, would have to bear the responsibility. Abdication was the best outcome, but he might even die early.
In the face of interests, nothing was impossible. Since the start of the war, William the First's control over the country had fallen to its lowest point.
In this context, it was fine to give up the Warsaw region, but this order could not be given by him. He had to find someone to take the blame.
Was there a more suitable candidate than Mao Qi?
In order to win the war, the frontline commander ordered the abandonment of Poland, which was completely logical.
As for Mao Qi, he would be criticized after the war and even have a bad reputation. William I was afraid that he would want his reputation to be even worse. No emperor liked their ministers to be superior to their master.
If it was not for the hint that Mao Qi would take the blame, William I would not have said such ambiguous words at all. The last sentence of his complaint was even more superfluous.
The plan to attack St. Peter's Castle was not carried out, not because the Danes had turned to the Tsarist government, but because the British had dropped the ball.
There were many reasons why the Government of London was not willing to pay such a heavy price.
Domestically: the opposition party obstructed; internationally: the Fao and Germany wanted the British to abide by the rules of the game, and the Nordic Federation did not want to see the British extend their power to the Baltic Sea.
If it was to protect Britannia's own interests, the Government of London could not be afraid. The problem was that now it was for the interests of the Pubo Federation. The Government of London was naturally unwilling to let them pay such a high price.
It was useless no matter how much debt there was. The consortium could influence politics, but it did not mean that they could make decisions for the government. In this day and age, it was not the capitalists' turn to be the masters.
After a moment of contemplation, Mao Qi said with a bitter smile, "I know what to do."
With that, Mao Qi turned and left the palace, even skipping the ceremonial farewell.
From beginning to end, William I did not say anything to stop him. The rift had widened. It could not be helped. Since Ron's death, there had been a gap between William I and Mao Qi.
Without lubricant, the conflict between the Pubo Federation government and the military intensified. If William I wanted to play political balance, it was necessary to support the weak government to fight against the military.
As the leader of the military, Mao Qi naturally became the vanguard of the conflict. The more conflicts there were, the worse the relationship was inevitable.
William I now let Mao Qi take the blame, not only because of the situation, but also because of the continuation of the political struggle.
Otherwise, the government could also take the blame, but the Government of Berlin was already weak, and if they took the blame, they would not be able to fight against the military.
After the meeting ended, Mao Qi took a special train back to the front line. On the surface, it looked like the front line was urgent, but in fact, it was a silent protest.
Who made him unable to refuse this blame? It was not easy to be the leader of the military. He had to consider the overall interests of the military.
The military's authority was built on the basis of victory. The Pubo Federation was a country with a military. If they really lost the war, the military led by the Juncker nobles would suffer the most losses.
From a purely military point of view, only by giving up Warsaw and retreating to the Kingdom of Prussia would they have a chance of survival. Just based on this, Mao Qi had to do it.
If he offended the Poles, he would still be the high and mighty Marshal. At worst, he would be scolded a few times. Reputation could not be used to make a living; if he lost the war, he would be nothing.
It was impossible to be angry. If he was angry now and refused to retreat to defend Warsaw, it would not be angry, but gambling with his life.
The Japanese were not the only ones who had the power to punish national thieves. In fact, the Kingdom of Prussia was the originator, just not as crazy.
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