Chapter 476

Franz didn't like to play tricks, but unfortunately, his strength didn't allow him to.

For example, right now, it was obviously an overt plot against Britain, France, and Russia, but somehow it became a conspiracy.

There was only a fine line between a conspiracy and an overt plot. There was no strongest one, and the most suitable one was the best.

If someone told Nicholas I Of Russia about Franz's plan, what would the result be?

The answer was: nothing would happen, and Nicholas I Of Russia would just laugh it off.

Between countries, they were using each other, and it was normal for them to plot against each other. Don't be stupid if you want to have close cooperation. This simply didn't exist.

Mature politicians only looked at what their allies did, and what the results would be. They would weigh the pros and cons to decide the relationship between the two countries, and not consider what the allies were thinking.

Therefore, one must have the ability to trick their teammates. If one's ability wasn't good enough, and you were tricked by your teammates, don't cry, there would be many more days of being tricked in the future!

For example, now that Franz was tricking the Russians, as long as Austria fulfilled its obligations as an ally, it would be Russia's strongest ally, and the relationship between Russia and Austria would not be affected.

Even if Franz told Nicholas I Of Russia that Austria would send troops to help, the Russians wouldn't be surprised at all. Instead, they would be more likely to be shocked.

How much effort they put in, how much spoils of war would be shared. This was the basis of the Russian-Austrian alliance. Once the distribution of benefits was out of balance, the alliance would lose its value.

The Russo-Austrian Alliance was an equal alliance, and there was no affiliation. If Austria fulfilled its obligations as an ally and took on more obligations, the final distribution of the spoils of war would naturally change.

In the war that was happening in the The Balkans, the Russians didn't need Austria's reinforcements, and the Tsarist government wasn't a master who loved gray animals. It was impossible to use benefits to reduce the casualties of the frontline soldiers.

From a strategic point of view, if Austria attacked the Osman Empire, the best route to send troops was exactly the same as Russia's current route to send troops.

This was decided by logistics. Relying on the Danube River to transport strategic materials and kill their way into Bulgaria from the lower reaches of the Danube was much better than crossing the ravines from Bosnia and Serbia.

What determined the outcome of the war wasn't how much territory the Osman Empire occupied, but whether they could conquer Constantinople.

As long as Russia occupied Constantinople, the British and French navies would have to withdraw from the Black Sea. Otherwise, Russia would block the Bosporus Strait and they would be trapped.

After controlling the Black sea, logistics could be transported through the sea. Russia and Austria's power in the Black Sea could be transported by the sea route. It wasn't a big problem for Russia and Empire to fight in.

Unlike now, no matter how hard the Russians tried, the most they could send to the Balkans was four to five hundred thousand men. Any more than that and the enemy would not even need to fight.

If it's Austria's army, this, it't would have a quarter.

't. for's, for Russia, and and, and, and there. Their requirements for logistical supplies were the lowest among all the great powers' armies.

In modern warfare, weapons and cannons were outdated, which meant less pressure on the logistics.

Did the Tsarist government lack soldiers?

If they lost a few hundred thousand, they could just add another few hundred thousand. If Austria participated in the conquest of Constantinople, they wouldn't be able to monopolize the Black Sea Strait.

National interests were very realistic. They shouldn't expect their allies to bring their own rations and help without a goal.

The Black Sea was very small. Russia had long regarded it as their own territory and didn't want to share it with Austria.

According to the current alliance agreement, the Russians could reap the greatest benefits, and the price they had to pay was just a bunch of gray livestock casualties. The last thing the Tsarist government lacked was people.

…

Metternich said, "Your Majesty, Russia's envoy in Vienna came to see me yesterday. They want to send more troops to The Balkans and hope we can provide more war materials.

Initially, Britain and France's participation in the war prompted the Tsarist government to make this decision. It looks like they want to show the outside world their determination by sending more troops. "

Franz thought about it and said, "It's easy to provide war materials. As long as Russia is willing to pay, we can sell it to them.

Marshal, I would like to know how many troops the British, French and Ottomans can send to the Balkans. Will the Russians be able to gain the upper hand after sending more troops? "

Marshal Radski thought about it and replied, "Your Majesty, from a logistical point of view, the total number of troops FAO and Seman can send will not exceed 800,000.

But as the Russian Army pushes forward, they can send more troops. If it's a decisive battle along the coast, they can even send millions of troops.

But this is an ideal number. To ensure that so many troops fight, the war materials needed are also a big problem.

The Osman Empire can at most solve two to three of them. The rest will need to be transported from Britain and France.

Considering the cost of the war, Britain and France will likely choose to arm cheap Osman cannon fodder to fight Russia. Whether Russia can gain the upper hand on the battlefield after sending more troops will depend on the proportion of Britain and France's troops.

From a strategic point of view, I don't think Russia can achieve their goal. Due to the loss of the Black Sea, the Russian Army's supplies mainly rely on the Danube River.

But as the battlefront moves forward, the distance that needs to be transported by land will continue to increase.

Russia can send up to 500,000 troops in the decisive battle in Bulgaria. If it's in Istanbul, Russia can only send up to 400,000 troops.

The actual situation might be worse than this. After all, the Osman Empire has been operating in the The Balkans for hundreds of years. After the Russian Army occupies these areas, it will be difficult to remove their influence in a short period of time.

The Osman will definitely organize guerrillas to destroy the Russian Army's supply lines and increase the difficulty of Russia's logistics.

If they can't end the war quickly, the longer it drags on, the lower the possibility of Russia winning the war. "

Franz smiled slightly. This was the result he wanted. Russia, who can't win the war, is a good ally for Austria.

Under the pressure of Britain and France, the relationship between Russia and Austria may be further improved. With a stable rear, Austria can farm with peace of mind.

Now Franz is looking forward to Nicholas I Of Russia's determination so that the war can last longer.

Every generation of Tsar has set a good example. There is a saying in Russia, "A Tsar who hasn't fought in the Russian-Turkish war is definitely not a good Tsar!"

The Russian-Turkish war usually lasted four to five years. Basically, it was once in a generation. Other than the last Russian-Turkish war, the shortest was three years, and there were two wars that lasted more than ten years.

From a military point of view, the possibility of Russia losing is very small. If they can win, they will attack. If they can't win, they will defend.

In a war of attrition, Russia can't afford to lose their financial resources, while Britain and France can't afford to lose their manpower.

If the Hairy Bear loses hundreds of thousands of young men, they can still take out hundreds of thousands more. The nobles won't care about the casualties of the soldiers. If Britain and France lose hundreds of thousands of young men, they will have to consider the domestic situation.

As long as the Russians don't admit defeat and are willing to fight with their lives, Britain and France can't completely defeat them even if they use all their strength.

Unless Britain and France dare to attack Russia and fight all the way from the Baltic Sea to St. Peter's Castle, no matter how they fight in the Near East, they can't kill the Hairy Bear.

This also means that if Russia can't win the war in a short time, the deciding factor of the war will be a test of Russia's financial endurance, and Britain and France's ability to withstand casualties.

After all, this war is not as serious as the World War II. Britain, France, and Russia are not at the point of life and death. No one needs to fight with their lives on the line.

Franz said coldly, "Use our strength to push again. The French are already on the field, but the British expeditionary force is still at home. The stage is already set. We can't let them miss out on this good show."

John Bull's moral integrity is too low. If they don't push them to the battlefield, the Government of London might have to make the same choice as Austria.

Moreover, if they don't let the British experience the cruelty of a land war in advance, how can they make them behave in Austria's later actions?

…

London

Due to the defeat of the Osman Empire in the Battle of Bulgaria, the British prepared to send out 20,000 soldiers in advance, but it is obviously not enough to meet the needs of the war.

In the negotiations in Paris not long ago, Palmerston had to increase the number of British soldiers from 20,000 to 80,000.

80,000 soldiers is a small problem for any large land country. It can be gathered in ten days to half a month, but it is different for the British.

Their pocket-sized army only has a few hundred thousand soldiers. It is obviously difficult to transfer so many soldiers at once.

"Mr. Palmerston, why did you increase the number of soldiers without permission? Do you know how much trouble this will bring us?" War Minister McSimi asked unhappily.

Palmerston explained confidently, "Mr. McSimi, this is a political necessity. In the battle that just ended, the Osman Empire suffered heavy losses. According to our original plan, it is no longer enough to meet the needs of the war.

In order to curb the ambitions of the Russians, we have to send more forces over.

The French agreed to send another 120,000 soldiers. In addition to the 50,000 they have already sent to the battlefield, they have a total of 170,000 soldiers. Under these circumstances, we have no choice but to increase the number of soldiers.

Moreover, it is too dangerous to send 20,000 soldiers on the battlefield. If we are not careful, we can be completely wiped out.

If it is 80,000 soldiers, it will be much safer. We don't have to worry about being swallowed by the Russians, and the Ministry of War doesn't have to worry about it all the time. "

After listening to Palmerston's explanation, McSimi's anger grew. He admitted that compared to the Royal Navy, the British Army is really not good enough.

However, looking down on them like this is too much. After all, the British Army's combat power isn't bad. It is only because of their small numbers that they can't be ranked among the great powers.

"Mr. Palmerston, are you questioning the combat power of the British Army?" McSimi glared at Palmerston with bloodshot eyes.

It's fine if you think about these things, but publicly slapping the British Army in the face is too much. The British Army's lack of strength is caused by the lack of military spending, not because they don't work hard.

Realizing that he has misspoken, Palmerston immediately corrected himself. "No, Mr. McSimi. On the contrary, I am very optimistic about the British Army's combat power.

As the saying goes, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility on the battlefield. If we have too few soldiers, it will be easy for the Russians to take advantage of us. "

Even he didn't believe what he said. Even if the British Army sends the least troops in the alliance, the role of cannon fodder will still fall to the Osman Empire. How could they let the British Army take the risk?

McSimi snorted coldly. "Humph!"

This small interlude was over.

Prime Minister John Russell changed the topic. "Mr. McSimi, our allies can't wait any longer. How long will it take for the British Army to be ready?"

John Russell was very contemptuous of the Osman Empire's performance.

No matter what, they were a great empire that had beaten up the entire European society. Now, they were so easily beaten up by the Russians. It was a complete disgrace to their ancestors.

Although he despised them, they were still allies. In order to deal with a common enemy, they still had to work together. However, the Osman Empire's authority in the alliance dropped by two levels again.

McSimi had been waiting for this for a long time. He replied from the side, "Prime Minister, let's expand the army!"

This was an awkward topic. Because the British Army's focus was tilted towards the navy, the number of British Army troops could not increase.

The 100,000 British Army had to maintain the vast colony, so how many troops were left in the country?

If twenty thousand soldiers were to be deployed, they could squeeze their way out. If they transferred 80,000 British Army troops, they would have to send out all the local troops in one go.

They definitely had to leave troops in the country. Even if it was to suppress the Irish region, they could not transfer all the troops in the country.

There were not many British Army troops in the overseas colonies, so it was impossible to transfer them. Of course, the British had a lot of colonial troops in their hands. If they could make up the numbers, they could quickly gather them.

John Russell rubbed his forehead and asked, "How much are you planning to expand the army by?"

McSimi replied with a smile, "Not much. Our Army's requirements aren't high. We just need to expand by another 120,000."

Hearing this number, John Russell shook his head and said, "Mr. McSimi, it's not a problem to expand the army by 120,000 as long as you can convince the Congress."

McSimi's face turned red. If it was so easy to convince the Congress, the British Army would not be so small now.

In this era, as the only industrial country among the great powers and the world's number one colonial power, the British Empire was truly rich. It would not be a problem even if they had to raise another 100,000 British Army troops.

McSimi said calmly, "Prime Minister, the Army's military strength is limited, and there are too many places to guard. The total number of troops left in the country is only about 70,000.

It's already very difficult to transfer 20,000 British Army troops. If you want to transfer 80,000 British Army troops, even if I include the cleaners in the Army, it won't be enough. "

This was a good opportunity to expand the army, so the Army would naturally not let it go. Every expansion was accompanied by a large amount of benefits, so McSimi naturally had to fight for it as much as possible.

"But expanding the army by 120,000 at once is still too much. I can't convince the Congress. I'll say it again: As long as you have the ability to convince the Congress, it won't be a problem," John Russell objected without changing his expression.