Chapter 734

While the French were playing dirty tricks, the Russians also started a war in Central Asia.

Frankly speaking, March or April wasn't the best time to attack, but the Tsarist government had to race against time.

Austria lost contact with the Government of Afghanistan, and the Tsarist government wasn't any better. Although they had been in power for a longer time, the Russian bureaucrats weren't paying attention!

The war had just broken out, and both sides lost contact. From the perspective of the Tsar government's higher-ups, there was definitely no good news if they couldn't get in touch.

In order to gain the upper hand in the war, the Russian military was forced to start the war ahead of schedule.

There were two sides to everything. The Russian Army was under a lot of pressure when the ice melted, but the Central Asian Khaganate wasn't any better.

Although the pressure on the local logistics was less, the war had affected the spring plowing.

For an agricultural country, this was undoubtedly the most critical. Although the Central Asian countries didn't completely rely on farming, and animal husbandry was also an important industry, they were still greatly affected.

There was no other way. The Russian Army had attacked, and all the young adults were forced to join the army. The labor force involved in agriculture was greatly reduced, and the decrease in agricultural production was inevitable.

It didn't seem obvious in the short term, but it actually affected the war potential of the three Central Asian Khaganates. In a sense, the Russians had already secured the victory in advance.

However, this wasn't within General Ozienets's consideration. From the beginning to the end, he had never treated the Central Asian countries as his opponents.

The attack was to end the war quickly, so that they could push the frontline to the Regions of Afghanistan as soon as possible and fight the British.

In this context, the long-term strategic advantage for the Central Asian countries was naturally meaningless.

"Send electricity to the country to urge them to speed up. If this continues, we will have to stop the attack in half a month."

With the outbreak of the war, the Russian Army's logistics management was gradually exposed.

As the supreme commander of the Central Asian region, General Ozienets had to coordinate the logistics within the country.

In peacetime, this wasn't a problem. The government could allocate strategic resources, and it could effectively balance the military.

However, it was inappropriate during the war. If the Tsarist government's bureaucrats were competent, the problem wouldn't be that serious. At most, it would be delayed for a day or two.

For a large country, it was acceptable to sacrifice a little efficiency.

Unfortunately, the Tsarist government's bureaucrats were constantly degrading. The reformists who promoted the country during the era of Alexander Ii Of Russia had now become decadent conservatives.

Alexander III was not a decisive person, and the Russian Empire's system was not perfect, so it was inevitable that the bureaucratic class was somewhat inadequate.

The middle-aged officer in charge of logistics replied, "Your Excellency, we have sent five telegrams. Apart from the first two replies, the subsequent replies were like stones sinking into the sea, with no reply.

If nothing unexpected happens, we will face the same outcome with this telegram. Perhaps these telegrams won't even reach the hands of the logistics department. "

Intercepting telegrams from the frontlines was impossible in other countries, but it was perfectly normal for it to happen in the Russian Empire.

The logistics transportation was slow, but it was not necessarily because the Russian Empire did not have the transportation capacity. It was more likely that the transportation capacity that originally belonged to the military was occupied.

The intensity of the war in Central Asia was not very high. The frontlines had also stored some supplies, such as food, tents, and the like.

What really needed to be transported from the country were mainly ammunition, medicine, and military supplies that were not suitable for long-term storage.

Due to the muddy roads, there might be some delays, but it was still barely enough.

Before the attack, the Russian military had already calculated. If he had known from the beginning that the logistics supply was insufficient, General Auchenets wouldn't have launched an attack so early.

After hearing the news, General Ozienets's face was gloomy. It was not that he had never fought in a war, but it was the first time he encountered such a scam.

Perhaps it was due to luck. Ozienets did not make it in time for the first Prussian War.

During the second Prussian War, the troops he served moved along the Russian-Austrian border. The logistics were purchased nearby, and the logistics were delayed by one or two days at most.

Not to mention the Third Near Eastern War. Austria was in charge of the logistics, and they sent their own people to receive the supplies. They did not have to worry about it at all.

His good luck finally ran out. Fighting in Central Asia, the logistics were all dependent on the country. General Ozienets finally learned the power of the bureaucrats.

"Why didn't you report such an important matter in advance?"

The bureaucrats in the country were powerful, but the bureaucrats in the frontline were not inferior. The logistics department had not replied to him three times. How could they hide such an important matter from him, the commander? Just thinking about it made him drunk.

The middle-aged officer, who was questioned, replied nervously, "We thought the Logistics Department was busy and forgot to reply. I didn't expect …"

Before the middle-aged officer could continue to explain, General Ozienets flipped out and threw the cup in front of him.

"What do you think? What do you think I'm the commander for?

Do you think that I, as the commander, can't control you just because you're in the logistics department?

Or do you think the military law of the Russian Empire is not strict enough, so you want to try it? "

The series of questions scared the middle-aged officer. He didn't know how to answer for a while.

Frankly speaking, they were sandwiched between the Logistics Department and the frontline command.

Being in the Logistics Department and being promoted to be responsible for the country, they naturally couldn't afford to offend the masters in the rear. The key was that they were also under the control of the frontline command.

For the middle-and lower-level officers, the Logistics Department was a powerful and fat yamen, but for General Ozienets, they were just a subordinate department of the General Command.

General Ozienets might not be able to decide their promotion, but he could decide their life and death.

The corruption of the Russian Empire was notorious. Needless to say, the management of the Logistics Department was definitely a disaster area of corruption.

If no one pursued the matter, then nothing would happen. If someone really opened the lid, they would still be held accountable.

This was the battlefield. As long as General Ozienets had evidence, he could execute any bureaucrat involved with the crime of corruption at any time.

"Your Excellency, I … I …"

Without waiting for the middle-aged officer to explain, Ozienets waved his hand and said, "Okay, Krátsvály. I know you all have your difficulties, and you can't make decisions in the country.

But remember, we are on the battlefield now. No matter who or what, we have to make concessions for the sake of war. I believe you can understand what I mean.

I don't care what method you use, you have to ensure the supply of logistical supplies for me. Whoever holds me back, I will take his head.

You can bring these words to those old men in the country. Once there is a shortage of supplies or a problem with supplies on the battlefield, I will go back and find His Majesty Tsar.

I believe that His Majesty Tsar will be able to see through the details and find out who colluded with the British and deliberately delayed the progress of the war. "

Killing people wouldn't solve the problem, and Krátsvály wasn't a person who created problems.

Ozienets wasn't an idealist. He didn't want to eliminate the vermin in the Tsarist government. As long as these people didn't cause trouble for him, it was fine.

There were too many bureaucrats like Krátsvály in the Russian Empire. If he killed one, there would be another. It was impossible to kill them all.

It was even possible that because of killing people, the logistics department would become united against a common enemy and deliberately cause trouble for him.

This kind of thing wasn't unprecedented. General Ozienets didn't want to try it. After beating them up, he decisively chose to stop while he was ahead.

As for getting back the right to allocate logistical supplies, the military would be responsible for coordinating the supply. That was not even a possibility.

He was in charge of the army and in charge of the provisions. Unless the Tsar personally commanded the army, the Empire would not be at ease to send anyone to command it.

The most basic checks and balances of power were used all over the world. If you wanted to break the rules, you would be violating a taboo. General Ozienets had a political mind. Naturally, he wouldn't jump into a trap.

General Ozienets's "beating" fell into Krátsvály's eyes. It was a critical hit more terrifying than a demon's.

Once the crime of "colluding with the British" was confirmed, everyone in the logistics department would definitely receive a bento box.

Not only would he be unlucky, but the family behind him would also be finished.

It didn't matter if they were nobles or not. Since the beginning of Alexander II Of Russia's reform, the Russian Empire had a tradition of not killing nobles.

It didn't matter if they were corrupt or not. Anyway, everyone was the same. The law didn't punish the masses.

But colluding with the British was treason. The Tsarist government had never been soft on traitors.

Seeing Ozienets's gaze, Krátsvály hurriedly promised, "Your Excellency Commander, please rest assured. I will definitely urge the country to send the supplies over as soon as possible. "

…

St. Peter Castle, Russian Army logistics headquarters. Minister Agente, who was on duty, was reading the newspaper to kill time.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man rushed in with a telegram in his hand.

Agente said unhappily, "What's the matter, Passel?"

Passel said with a wry smile, "Your Excellency Minister, it's urgent now. If we wait any longer, something big will happen.

This is a telegram from the frontline. Ozienets warned us that if the logistics can't be delivered in time, he will accuse us of colluding with the British to His Majesty Tsar. "

Agente's expression changed drastically. He cursed, "Outrageous! How can the logistics department be threatened by him?

Passel, you're making a fuss over nothing. Since Ozienets wants to accuse us, then let him accuse us.

How can His Majesty Tsar believe such an absurd crime? Order the transport team to find an excuse to deliberately stall for time. Let's see what he can do then! "

Being threatened was secondary. Agente was more afraid that someone would follow suit. If they accepted Ozienets's threat, the future Russian Army generals would follow suit. Wouldn't the logistics department be at the mercy of others?

Passel shook his head, "Your Excellency Minister, I'm afraid that won't work. If Ozienets dares to threaten us, I'm afraid he has some evidence in his hands.

According to Krátsvály's telegram, the fact that we borrowed military trains to transport supplies to the capitalists has been exposed.

If Ozienets opens this lid and insists that we colluded with the British and deliberately delayed the delivery of strategic supplies, the country is bound to conduct a strict investigation.

It's hard to say what will happen at that time. "

After listening to this explanation, Agente instantly realized the seriousness of the problem.

Once it was proven that the logistics department deliberately delayed the delivery of strategic supplies. Whether they colluded with the British or not, there would be no need for evidence. It would be up to Tsar to decide.

Considering the importance of this war, Agente had reason to believe that Alexander III would use their heads to intimidate the country's bureaucrats.

Similar things had already happened during the Prussian War. At that time, the higher-ups of the logistics department were dragged out by Alexander II Of Russia to be targets.

After learning from the mistakes of the past, the bureaucrats in the logistics department already knew what they couldn't do.

After reacting, Agente made a prompt decision, "Then what are we waiting for? Immediately start organizing the transportation and send the supplies to the frontline as soon as possible. Don't leave any evidence for Ozienets to complain about us."

In short, as long as the logistics arrived at the frontline on time. In that case, the issue of borrowing military trains to transport goods to the capitalists was not even worth mentioning.

Even if someone exposed it, the logistics department was enough to deal with it. It wouldn't attract the attention of the Tsarist government at all.

Otherwise, the consequences would be serious.

Passel said awkwardly, "Your Excellency Minister, it's not that we don't want to be fast. The problem is that the military trains have already been lent out.

If we go back on our word now, we will offend a lot of people. You have to know that those capitalists are not without foundation. There are too many big shots behind them. "

This was a practical problem. Even if ordinary capitalists were rich, they didn't have the guts to borrow military trains to transport their goods during wartime.

Russia's bureaucrats didn't have high moral integrity. It was child's play to turn hostile and directly steal their goods.

If they met a ruthless person, they might even put a hat on them for stealing military trains and directly execute them.

Those who dared to take out money to bribe the logistics department and borrow military trains to transport goods all had big shots behind them. They could withstand this risk.

Agente, who had recovered, sneered, "Just inform them. If they want to resent, let them resent Ozienets!

Don't be afraid of offending people. This kind of thing can't be seen in the light of day. If it really comes out, we will be finished, but how can they end up well? "

…