Chapter 350

Lieutenant Colonel Hutir interrupted, "Alright, stop playing. We don't need to liven up the atmosphere now. Let's think of countermeasures! "

Potiorek waved his hand helplessly. "Alright, Lieutenant Colonel. But given the current situation, I don't think there's a need to formulate a strategy.

If the main force of the rebel army is like this, you can imagine what the miscellaneous troops are like. It won't be easy to bring them to the battlefield.

Frankly speaking, I'm not optimistic about this mission at all. Now I completely agree with the governor that we should first learn how to survive on the battlefield.

Right now, the most important thing for us is to take command of the army and train this motley crew a little. At the very least, we have to teach them to obey orders. "

Jokes aside, Potiorek wasn't that stubborn to lead a motley crew to attack Cairo.

The French army these days was still very intimidating. No one dared to look down on them.

With the rebel army's current strength, it would be a miracle in military history if they could burn the Nile Delta, let alone conquer Cairo.

The regular army had their own way of fighting, and the motley crew had their own way of fighting. They were all inexperienced fellows, so naturally, they didn't pay much attention to it.

Strategy and tactics were completely superfluous to a motley crew. They couldn't be realized at all.

Lieutenant Colonel Hutier nodded. "Since you can recognize this, it seems that my worries were unnecessary.

But it's not like we don't have a chance at all. Even if the main force of the French army can't win, it doesn't mean that we can't even defeat the Egyptian colonial army.

When the time comes, let Mahdi hold the main force of the French army. We'll be in charge of destroying it.

I heard that Egypt is the most important cotton production area for the French. Destroying these plantations will probably hurt them for a while.

If we're lucky, we can encourage the Egyptians to participate in the rebellion. The effect will be much better.

If it really doesn't work, we can find a chance to blow up the Nile River and create a man-made … "

…

Compared to the Austrians, the British were more serious. In order to create an opportunity to intervene in the Suez Canal, the Government of the United Kingdom directly sent a group of military instructors led by Lieutenant General Jarrett.

On one side was a fledgling military school student, and on the other side was an experienced general. Any normal person would know what to choose.

Lieutenant General Jarrett didn't disappoint Mahdi. He immediately came up with a perfect battle plan. At least, it sounded perfect.

The high-spirited Lieutenant General Jarrett held a baton and pointed on the map. "This is the core of Egypt, the Nile Delta, and also the focus of the French.

To drive the French away, we must first destroy their foundation here. Without the support of the Delta, the cost of the French troops would at least double.

For France, Egypt was just one of their countless colonies, and the government in Paris could not invest unlimited resources.

As long as they were hurt enough to make them realize that colonizing Egypt was a mistake, the French government would weigh the pros and cons.

With our strength, it is unrealistic to directly take the Delta region from the hands of the French.

"Chen, we have for us for. up. for. and up.

Find a suitable place to build a dam to store the water, then explode the dam, and the flood will drive the French away … "

It was a pure bluff, but the upper echelons of the Revolutionary Army loved it. The temptation to drive the French out of Egypt was too great, compared with the Austrians' proposal for a separate state.

In order to fool the rebel leader, Jarrett put in a lot of effort and learned about the Egyptian region.

Only then was he able to come up with a perfect battle plan that increased the Mahdi Rebellion's chances of victory by at least tenfold.

But it was useless. The success rate of driving the rebels away was zero. So what if it increased tenfold?

Unless something happened in Europe, such as Paris being invaded in the original timeline, the Government of France wouldn't give up on the Suez Canal.

Half of Sudan plus Egypt had a total population of only a few million. Their military strength couldn't compare to the Osman Empire.

Even if the cost of war would increase, how much could it increase? The revolution two years ago only made the Government of France poor. It didn't mean that the French people had no money.

Even the French government was willing to commit genocide if pushed to the brink. As long as their military strength was strong enough, the hidden danger of the colony wasn't a problem at all.

Mahdi was tempted by Jarrett's beautiful blueprint, but he didn't show it on his face.

For a leader, personal image was also very important. Once this plan was implemented, the Egyptian people who originally supported him would likely change their stance.

He asked nervously, "General, isn't this too …"

Jarrett glared at Mahdi and interrupted, "There are always sacrifices in war. It can be soldiers or civilians. As long as we can win, these sacrifices are worth it. "

Without a doubt, he saw through Mahdi's true intention. No one was willing to take responsibility for this kind of order that was bound to be criticized.

The seemingly indecisive question was actually making Jarrett the scapegoat. But for the British Empire's grand plan, Jarrett chose to endure it.

There was no need to be angry with a dead man. Anyway, the fate of this rebel army was already decided from the beginning.

After hesitating for a while, Mahdi said helplessly, "Alright then! In order to get rid of the French, we can only wrong the people in the downstream region.

Abdullah, send someone to calculate the losses of the people. After we drive away the French, we will compensate them in the future. "

After making this decision, Mahdi seemed to be a lot more relaxed.

…

With the "perfect" battle plan, the upper echelons of the rebel army were even less concerned about the Austrian military officers.

If it wasn't for the fact that Hutier and the others had the weapons and equipment they wanted and that they needed Austria's support, they probably wouldn't even bother to meet them.

"General, the French are powerful …"

Without waiting for Hutier to finish, Mahdi interrupted, "Lieutenant Colonel, we already have the perfect battle plan. For the sake of safety, we can't reveal it. Please forgive us."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward. Hutier was so angry that his good intentions were treated as ill intentions.

If it wasn't for his mission, he would have left in a huff. Even so, he was on the verge of exploding.

It would have been fine if he didn't accept the suggestion, but when he said "a perfect battle plan … for safety's sake, I won't reveal it", the word "doubtful" was clearly written on his face.

As soon as he finished speaking, Mahdi realized that he had said something wrong. There were some things that could be thought of, but not said.

The speaker didn't mean it, but the listener did.

In any case, Hutier was angry and had already made a decision deep in his heart to not care about the life and death of the rebel army. In any case, their mission was to cause trouble for the French. No one asked them to protect the rebel army.

Mahdi tried to salvage the situation. "Lieutenant Colonel, I didn't mean to doubt you. It's just that this is a serious matter, and we have to be careful. Please forgive us. "

With a cold laugh, Hutier said mockingly, "Of course, I completely understand what you're doing.

This kind of thing, if it were anyone else, they would keep it a secret from an outsider. After all, outsiders aren't reliable. What if they go and tell the French? "

Seeing that the atmosphere had become even more tense, Mahdi realized the danger. He wasn't an ignorant fool. He knew very well how powerful the French were.

This was the African continent. The British had limited authority and were powerless against the French. Without Austria's support, it would be a joke for them to want independence.

He patiently explained, "You've misunderstood. I don't mean to doubt you. If you want to know, you can refer to our upcoming military meeting. "

He really didn't suspect that Hutier would go and tell on them. In Mahdi's opinion, the British and Austrian representatives were more reliable than the rebel army's upper echelons on this issue.

The fact that these people could come here had already expressed the two governments' stance. Telling on them was treason.

If the French could instigate the British and Austrian representatives, then it wouldn't be a matter of African independence. Instead, it would be a confrontation between the UK, Fao, and Austria.

The Great Powers also wanted face. The French couldn't accept the idea of interfering in their internal affairs. Similarly, Britain and Austria couldn't accept the French planting spies in their own country.

If that really happened, Mahdi would wake up laughing in his dreams. The Great Powers started fighting, and the French couldn't be bothered with them.

In fact, the reason why Mahdi received the representatives of Britain and Austria with such great fanfare was not only for military assistance, but also for his subordinates to see.

There had always been problems with the rebel army's internal structure, and various systems weren't perfect. The main bond that held the rebel army together was Mahdi's charisma.

This was clearly not enough. A person's loyalty couldn't stand up to the test. Once an unforeseen event occurred on the battlefield, the Revolutionary Army could collapse at any time.

It was impossible to reorganize the rebel army in a short period of time. The French wouldn't give them that much time either.

It was very necessary to bring in external forces. Britain and Austria were both powerful. With the support of these two countries, it would undoubtedly greatly increase the confidence of his subordinates.

From the looks of it, the effect was very obvious. Ever since the British and Austrian representatives arrived, the morale of the rebel army quickly stabilized.

Those who were originally wavering and ready to defect to the French also stopped their steps of defecting.

To be able to establish an independent country, no one was willing to be enslaved.

After all, the colonial rule these days was really brutal. In front of the colonists, these local bigwigs could also be killed at any time.

No one wanted to continue living in a precarious situation. Seeing hope, everyone was willing to give it a shot.

Hearing this explanation, Hutier's expression softened a little, but he still didn't give Mahdi a good look.

"There's no need, General. I have no interest in your plan. I'm only joining because we have a common enemy.

You've been to Europe, so you should know that we have a feud with the French. We're happy to do anything that can cause trouble for the enemy. "

He didn't talk about friendship. That was too unreliable.

After the rise of the House of Habsburg, Sudan became the territory of the Osman Empire. They stood on the opposite side, and there was no such thing as friendship.

Compared to friendship, hatred could actually shorten the distance between the two sides. Anyone who understood the history of Europe would know how the feud of "Fao" came about.

The two countries had been fighting for hundreds of years, and they were still fighting. Before the battle for supremacy in Europe was completely decided, both Fao and France had the motive to stab each other in the back.

The rebel army wanted to overthrow the rule of the French, and they also stood on the opposite side of France. With a common enemy, both sides had the conditions to get close.

At this point, Mahdi already understood Hutier's intentions, but this was within his bottom line.

Mahdi echoed, "Yes, it's to get rid of our common enemy.

But Lieutenant Colonel, we've encountered a bit of trouble and need your help.

You know that the rebel army has just been established, and the internal structure hasn't been perfected yet, especially since we lack enough outstanding officers.

I know that you're a top student from the Austrian Army University, and I'd like to ask you to help train the 8th Division and temporarily act as its commander. "

After a pause, Mahdi added, "The 8th Division is a new unit, and it lacks weapons and equipment, so …"

The nominal number of rebels had exceeded 100,000, and they were organized into eight infantry divisions based on the European countries. In reality, the only one who had really seen blood was Mahdi's 1st Division.

The rest of the troops were formed by rebels who came to seek refuge later on, and the composition was complicated.

The 8th Division was the newly formed unit, and its combat power was the lowest among all the rebels. Its equipment was a mess.

There were more than 9,000 people in the division, and they only had 800 rifles in total. Now that they were given to the Austrians, Mahdi was even prepared to take back the only 800 rifles he had.

There was no other way. The rebel army lacked weapons and equipment. It was true that Britain and Austria supported him, but unfortunately, the weapons and equipment of Britain and Austria didn't grow on trees.

Before they saw the results, the amount of investment from both countries was very limited.

The British provided 7,500 rifles, 300 pistols, five field cannons, and some ammunition, which was barely enough to equip an infantry division.

The aid that Austria provided was about the same as the British. The military aid from both countries combined was only enough for two infantry divisions, and the rest had to be figured out by themselves.

Before they proved themselves on the battlefield, it was difficult for the rebel army to receive any more aid.

Mahdi had given the 8th Division to Hutier to command because he had no other choice. How could a unit with 10 people without a single gun go on the battlefield?

From Mahdi's point of view, the Austrian officers wanted to go on the battlefield because these restless young people wanted to prove their ability on the battlefield and earn the capital for promotion.

Since these people wanted to achieve results on the battlefield, they had to first solve the problem of the 8th Division's weapons and equipment.

Even if these people were all embroidered pillows and useless on the battlefield, he could still pick up some of the weapons and equipment for free.

If the Austrians could train the 8th Division, he would only be happier.

The French's counterattack was coming, and Mahdi wouldn't give up any chance to increase his strength.

As for the trouble they had to face in the future, that would be after they chased the French away. If they failed, there would be no future for them.

"It's my pleasure! We can think of a way to solve the problem of the equipment. "

After thinking about it for a while, Hutil agreed without hesitation. It was just weapons and equipment. That was a small problem.

Everyone had a quota in their hands. It was just an infantry division, and they didn't need many weapons. They just had to make up for it.

It wasn't easy to have a chance to practice in actual combat. Giving up a portion of retired weapons and equipment was nothing.

…