Chapter 517

On the 15th of August, 1852, the Russian Army launched the Second Battle of Bulgaria. The Russian Army turned out in full force and crossed the Balkan Mountains to attack the Allied Forces.

Franz could not understand why the Russians sent their main force to the front. At the very least, they should have left enough troops to defend the logistics line. Although he did not understand, he still had to help the Russians deal with the aftermath.

Austria needed the war to continue. Only when the Russians, Britain and France fought seriously would there be a good opportunity for Austria to advance westward.

Franz frowned and ordered, "Order the frontline troops to be on standby. Once the Allied Forces break through, pretend to be the Balkan guerrillas and help the Russians defend the logistics line."

If Austria was not a multi-ethnic country with many ethnic minorities in its army, it would be difficult for them to help the Russians.

Politics was shameless. As long as the lid was not opened and the British and French did not have evidence to prove that Austria did it, everyone would continue to pretend to be ignorant and find a chance to take revenge in the future.

If the lid was uncovered, then Franz would have no choice but to fight with his life on the line. Franz hated to take such extreme risks.

Marshal Radski suggested, "Your Majesty, it is easy to be exposed if we intervene directly. Why don't we support the Bulgarian militia and guerrillas?

The Russians do not take them seriously, but the military observers at the frontline think that they have a high fighting spirit and a certain level of combat power.

As long as we provide them with a batch of weapons and equipment, it will be almost impossible for the Allied Forces to sneak an attack on them. "

Austria needed the Russians to continue fighting, but they were not prepared to help the Russians. That would mean the failure of their westward strategy.

They could not expect the Russians to keep their word. If Austria helped them defeat Constantinople, they would send troops to help Austria unify the German Region.

Thinking from another perspective, if Austria's strategy was realized, would Franz still do his best to help the Russians?

Sincere cooperation was based on mutual benefits. Once the benefits were gone, everyone's position would change.

Franz shook his head and said, "It's easy to support the Bulgarians, we don't lack firearms.

But how do we explain to the Russians? According to the treaty, the Bulgarians are the territory of the Russians and we cannot interfere. "

In order to avoid conflicts, the Russo-Austrian Alliance made it very clear that the two countries could do whatever they wanted in their own territory, but they could not interfere in their ally's territory.

Now the Russians propagate Slavism in Bulgaria and in the Principality of Montenegro, but they do not touch Serbia and the Danubian principalities.

The Russians followed the rules, so Austria could not break them. This was the foundation of the alliance between the two countries. It was easy to destroy, but difficult to establish.

Prime Minister Felix suggested, "Why don't we arrange for someone to smuggle arms to the Bulgarian region? Recently, there have been many active arms dealers in the Balkans. We can find someone to be our agent."

"No," objected Metternich. If it's a few thousand rifles, we can let the arms dealers sell them to the Bulgarians.

"If it's a few thousand rifles, we can let the dealers sell them to the Bulgarians.

But if we let the Bulgarians have the ability to stop the allied forces, we will need at least one or two divisions of weapons. "

Moreover, the Bulgarians don't have that much money to buy weapons, and the arms dealers don't take money from them. Such a strange thing happened, as long as the Russians aren't stupid, they would know it was us. "

Smuggling firearms could only be done on a small scale. Once the scale grew, it would be difficult to keep it a secret.

Franz thought for a moment and said, "Select a portion of the second-hand weapons from our warehouse that can still be used, and the weapons seized from the Balkans, and let the quartermaster sell them to the dealers under his own name. We will not participate in the rest."

Franz thought for a moment and said, "Let the quartermaster sell some of the second-hand weapons in our warehouse that are still usable and the weapons we got from the Balkans to the arms dealers. We won't be involved in the rest."

A large number of Austrian weapons appearing in the Bulgarians would definitely attract the attention of the Russians.

If it was second-hand weapons entering the market, the Russians would probably feel that it was a good friend. Now the largest arms dealer in Bulgaria was the Russia Expeditionary Force. The officers would sell the captured weapons to the local guerrillas for profit.

Currently, the largest arms dealer in Bulgaria was the Russian Expeditionary Force. The officers would resell the captured weapons and equipment to the local guerrillas for profit.

Even if the Russians found out, they would help to cover it up. Otherwise, the fact that they were selling weapons would be exposed. Even if the Russians found out, they would cover it up for them. Otherwise, the fact that they were reselling firearms would be exposed.

If the allied forces were to send troops to the back to cause destruction, although the number of troops will not be too many, it will not be too few either. At least it will be in regiments. I'm afraid the Bulgarian militia will not be their match. "

"Don't worry, we just need the Bulgarians to buy time. With this time as a buffer, I think the Russians should be able to react." Franz said calmly.

"Don't worry, we just need the Bulgarians to buy time. With this time as a buffer, I think the Russians should be able to react." Franz said calmly.

Franz was at ease with the Bulgarian militia's fighting power. He had fallen into a misconception that these people would not be able to defeat the regular army on the battlefield.

But at home, with the terrain to rely on, these Bulgarians would have no problem delaying the enemy's marching speed.

There was only one word to describe a surprise attack – fast. If they were not fast enough, they would not be able to cut off the enemy's logistics line. It would be best if their tracks were exposed.

…

The Balkans Allied Forces Command

"General Monster Pasha, why don't you tell me what happened? Why didn't you know about the Russians' attack?

Don't tell me you didn't notice the movement of hundreds of thousands of troops? "The French commander, Amable Jean-Jacques Pellissier, questioned.

"General Monster Pasha, you can't absolve yourself from the blame. The Russians have already started their attack, but you didn't know. You even needed us to inform you.

This is the Osman Empire's territory, and you can't even get this bit of information. Are all your officials eating sh * t? "The British commander, Montes, rebuked.

In the face of the two's accusations, Monster Pasha had nothing to say. They were all foreign troops, so it was understandable that they did not know about the Russians' actions. But they, the local tyrants, actually allowed the Russians to complete the military movement right under their noses without knowing anything.

"I'm sorry, both of you. We will deal with the derelict personnel seriously. The same thing will not happen again. Now that the enemy is here, let's deal with them first! "

With that, Monster Pasha picked up his baton, pointed at the military map, and analyzed, "Here, and here, are the focal points of contention between us and the Russian Army.

Judging from the firepower on the battlefield, the focus of the Russians' attack this time should be the strategic location – Sliven.

Since ancient times, Sliven has been a strategic location in the Balkans. Once the Russian Army occupies this place, it will give us a strategic advantage.

From here to Edirne, it will be difficult for us to establish an effective line of defense. If the Russians leave a hundred thousand troops in Sliven, we will have to leave two hundred thousand troops to watch over them.

In addition, there is another city that may be the focus of the Russians' attack, and that is Sofia.

Sofia is located in the southern part of the Sofia Basin, and is also a strategic location in the Balkans. Controlling this place is equivalent to controlling half of Bulgaria.

If Sofia falls, then the Russians will be able to link up with the Austrians in the north, and Belgrade, which we are still defending, will also lose its strategic significance. "

Looking at the map, Montes's expression changed. The British army was currently stationed in Sofia, and together with them, there were thirty thousand Ottoman soldiers.

The reason why they chose to station here was because of the British Expeditionary Force's internal analysis. They believed that the Russians' target was Constantinople, and the focus of their attack would be on the Sliven region.

If the Allied Forces won and launched a counterattack, Sofia would be in an advantageous position. They could rush to the Danube River as soon as possible and cut off the Russian Army's retreat. This was a good place to gain military merits.

But now, it seemed that the Russians could also break through in the Sofia region. If they conquered this place, more than half of the The Balkans would fall, and the political gains would be greater than the military gains.

The French commander-in-chief, Amable Jean-Jacques Pellissier, analyzed coldly, "The Russians want to capture Constantinople, and the Sliven region is a hurdle that they can't avoid. Unless they aren't afraid of us attacking them from the back, the Russians will have to take this place.

If we lose the Sliven region, it will be difficult for us to fight in the future. When the time comes, the Russians will be able to advance and retreat at will, and we can only passively deal with them.

Now that your country has already abandoned the Serbian region, even if we lose Sofia, we will only lose the central and western parts of Bulgaria and Belgrade.

This war is still too early, and the one who has the last laugh will be the victor. We don't need to care about the loss of a city or a territory, and it is worth it to temporarily give up some territory for the final victory. "

Montes strongly objected, "We can't give up the Sofia region just like that. The Russians have already bewitched the Bulgarians, and if this continues, more Balkan nations will be bewitched.

At that time, we will find that the number of enemies will increase, and with the support of these people, even if we defeat the Russians, we won't be able to drive them out of the The Balkans.

The 30,000 reinforcements from our country have already set off, and they will arrive in the Balkans the day after tomorrow at the latest. The 20,000 troops from the Kingdom of Sardinia have also arrived in the The Balkans, and they will send 50,000 of them to reinforce Sofia.

Due to the limitations of logistics, the Russians have limited troops in the The Balkans, and they can't attack Sofia with too many troops. The 100,000 troops will definitely be able to defend.

The French army is guarding Sliven, and there is almost no chance for the Russians to break through. As long as this wave of attack is blocked, we can launch a counterattack.

In terms of military strength, we have the absolute advantage. No matter how strong the Russian Army is, they won't be a match for us in the The Balkans. "

Military affairs served politics, and as the British army's first battle in the The Balkans, it was impossible for Montes to retreat without a fight. This concerned the reputation of the British Army.

The French had already made a name for themselves, and even though the French army had suffered losses, on the surface, they were still the victors, and the Osman would be the one to blame for their failure.

The British Army also needed to establish their might, and they also needed to prove their strength to the outside world and raise their status in the country. This meant that they couldn't act together with the French, or they would be seen as a bystander.

Monster Pasha supported, "General Montes's suggestion is good. We can't afford to lose Sofia, and we can't afford the political influence."

On the negative side, it was still unknown whether they could drive the Russians away. If both sides were to fight and both sides suffered heavy losses, the Osman Empire would be unable to recover its lost territory. Wouldn't it be a great loss to give up Sofia now?

The British were strong because of their navy; the French were strong because of the Napoleonic era; and the Osman Empire was strong because of history.

The Russians were strong in the present, and their army was strong. After fighting with the Russian Army many times, the Osman government had many Russophobes, and even Monster Pasha couldn't help but be affected.

The Government of Sudan was ready to move the capital. If it wasn't to boost morale, the Osman Empire's capital would be Ankara.

The Hairy Bear was too difficult to deal with, and if they couldn't be driven out of The Balkans, the Government of Sudan wouldn't dare to keep the capital in Constantinople and be neighbors with them.

Two to one, Amable Jean-Jacques Pellissier didn't continue to object. They were allies, and he could actually command the French army. The Osman army could still be commanded, but the arrogant John Bull wouldn't buy it.

Amable Jean-Jacques Pellissier suggested, "Since that's the case, then let's divide the work. The British army in the Sofia region will be the main garrison, named the Left Army, with General Montes as the commander.

The Sliven region, including the area around Kazanrek, will be guarded by the French army. I will personally be the commander, and it will be the center army. The remaining areas will be under General Monster Pasha's command, and it will be the right army.

The situation at the front line is tense, and there's no time for us to waste. If there's no problem, let's take up our posts as soon as possible! "

Montes said without hesitation, "No problem, this distribution is very reasonable, and we can maximize the combat power of the troops."