Chapter 833

The sun shone on the earth, reflecting the white snow and emitting a golden glow.

The snow on the ground and the frozen Neva River heralded the arrival of winter. St. Peter Castle was more compatible with the snow.

In the past, Alexander III would definitely take his family out to bask in the winter sun during such good weather.

At this moment, the upper echelons of the Tsarist government were gathered in the Gatchena Palace, discussing the next national policy.

Foreign Minister Óscar Jiménez: "Last night, the French Minister revealed a piece of news at the banquet. The Government of France is preparing to increase its assistance to us.

As long as the frontline troops capture Herat or the Wakhan Corridor, they will underwrite war bonds worth one billion francs for us.

The French's intention is very clear, that is to use our hands to weaken the British. The Anglo-French alliance can be said to exist in name only.

Before this, the Government of Austria also revealed similar intentions, but the French are more anxious.

The British have done too many bad things, and now the world is full of their enemies. The current international situation is very favorable to us, and the next step is up to the military. "

Turning an enemy into an ally could be considered a miracle in the history of diplomacy. But considering the complicated relationship between Britain and France, this kind of thing was normal.

Britain and France were enemies, and there was no need for a reason to trick the British. If the Government of France wholeheartedly helped the British, then there would be a real problem.

Minister of War Ivanov: "The frontline is progressing very smoothly. We have advanced to the important city of Herat in the west of Afghanistan, and the transportation hub of Kunduz in the east.

If we make a breakthrough at any point, we will take the initiative in the war. Judging from the current situation, the success rate of taking Herat or the Wakhan Corridor before the British reinforcements arrive is still very high.

The only problem that tests us now is logistics. As the frontline advances, the logistics delivery is getting slower and slower.

If this situation doesn't change, it won't be long before the frontline troops stop and wait for supplies. "

Anyone could shift the blame, and what He Kuang Ivanov said was also true.

The smooth progress of the Russian Army in the early stages was based on the situation of sufficient supplies. With the outbreak of the war, the supplies stored before the reserves were exhausted, and now they could only rely on the rear for supplies.

Alexander III's face suddenly turned ugly when he heard that the logistics supply was insufficient. He looked murderously at the Minister of Logistics, Agente, as if to say: You better give me a reasonable explanation, or else …

Argente was prepared for this, so he explained calmly, "It's not our responsibility if we can't supply our supplies.

The road in Central Asia is not peaceful, and there are often guerrillas causing destruction, which seriously affects the logistics.

Also, the troops at the frontline are often mobilized, and most of the time, the logistics department is not informed in advance. The people below often have to take the wrong route, so how can they not be slow?

Ivanov sneered, "If your logistics department can't do it, then hand over the logistics to the Ministry of Army. Don't find so many lousy excuses.

Guerrilla attack?

The military had already cleaned up the surrounding resistance groups and sent out a large number of soldiers to protect the transport team along the way.

Since the start of the war, the transport team has been attacked by guerrillas seventeen times. The maximum number of guerrillas was no more than five hundred, and nine of them were instigated by you.

Li troops of of the. in. In. In. we, the convoy, there, the convoy, there, and, sh.

"In order to reduce the conflict, we even relocated the indigenous people within 30 kilometers.

The logistics department needs your approval in St. Petersburg for large-scale material movement. The person in charge of the frontline only has the right to move materials below the divisional level.

"The logistics department's large-scale material mobilization needs to be approved by you in St. Peter Castle. The person in charge of the front line only has the right to mobilize materials below the division level.

"The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing. Our generals at the front line don't know what will happen next. They need to adapt to the situation. How can we inform you in advance?"

The conflict between the military and the logistics department was actually an extension of the conflict between the military and the government bureaucrats. In the end, it was a battle for the right to speak.

Especially after the invention of the telegraph, the speed of information transmission accelerated, and many European countries strengthened their control over logistics.

Not to mention this era, even during World War II, the logistics system of various countries was still in a mess.

It was not that everyone didn't know how to solve it. The problem was that once the government handed the logistics to the military, it would lose the checks and balances of the military. It was easy for the military to expand.

Although there were problems with the logistics system, this was the era of the worst. As long as others were a little better, it would be considered a success.

Agente replied calmly, "Marshal, professional things should be left to the professionals.

With all due respect, if the military were to manage the logistics, the situation would only be worse than it is now.

"Don't forget that in addition to distributing materials, the logistics department is more important in collecting materials. There are a lot of problems involved in this.

"As for the problem of the timely deployment, our logistics department is already thinking of ways to solve it. The situation will improve after a while."

It was absolutely impossible to hand over the right to allocate logistics resources. Without this part of the power, the logistics department would really be nannies, and they wouldn't even get paid.

In addition to the loss of power, the more important thing was the loss of vital interests. The positions in the logistics department were all lucrative jobs. Only by controlling the procurement and distribution of materials at the same time could everyone make a fortune from it.

In order to dispel the military's thoughts, Agente did not hesitate to make a direct threat. He clearly told Marshal Ivanov that without the cooperation of the logistics department, the military would not be able to collect materials at all.

Alexander III pretended not to see the struggle between his subordinates.

He was also happy to see the conflict between the people in charge of the troops and the people in charge of the provisions; if the two were really like brothers, Alexander III would really not be able to sleep at night.

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Minister of Finance Alisher advised, "Alright, the two of you, the logistics department will increase the power of the frontline officials to directly report to General Ozienets to ensure the timely deployment of frontline materials.

Also, increase the speed of domestic material transportation. If the quantity is not enough, purchase from Austria. Anyway, we have to do our best to ensure the needs of the frontline troops. "

Whether it was the logistics department or the military, they had to rely on the Ministry of Finance to allocate funds.

In this context, the Minister of Finance also acted as a lubricant to coordinate the conflicts between the various departments. Although he did not have the title of Prime Minister, he actually exercised part of the power of a Prime Minister.

Marshal Ivanov did not really imagine that he could really get the power of logistics. The military did not get it during the Prussian War, and it was even more impossible now.

As long as the frontline commander could temporarily allocate the frontline materials to ensure the supply of materials to the troops, he would be satisfied.

Marshal Ivanov accepted it, and Agente could not find an excuse to refuse, so he could only bite the bullet and accept it.

He did not deliberately drag the military down with the chaotic allocation of materials. The root cause of this was still the lack of total supply of materials.

This involved a deeper reason. There were too many interest groups involved, and Agente could only choose to cover up the truth.

In the case of insufficient materials, it was inevitable to rob Peter to pay Paul. Many times, the wrong distribution of materials was forced by the frontline officials to use the wrong distribution as an excuse to delay time.

Anyway, the process of transferring materials was very complicated, and it would take a long time to go back and forth.

The materials that were supposed to be distributed for three months were likely to be distributed for two months, and the remaining month would be saved.

No, it should be said that they owed it. When they could fulfill it would depend on the specific situation. Anyway, as long as they did not go too far, there would not be a big mess.

What about the Russian Army at the frontline with insufficient materials?

The ancestors had already thought of a solution to this problem. They could just send troops out to rob them. Anyway, this was the tradition of the Russian Army.

Of course, this was also risky. During the original World War I, because the war lasted too long, the Russian Army could not find a place to rob supplies, and this method collapsed, directly burying the Russian Empire.

After the small episode, Alexander III smiled and said, "The situation now is getting more and more interesting. The Austrians support us in the war against the British, and the French also support us in the war against the British.

The two countries of the Fao actually thought of the same thing. I will not believe that there is no conspiracy behind this.

What do you think the real purpose of the Fao and the two countries is? What kind of benefits are enough for them to give us such a big bargain? "

Being suspicious was the instinct of a ruler. The methods of the Fao and the two countries were not clever, and the signs of deliberately provoking the British and Russian war were too obvious.

Knowing that there was a conspiracy, and that the Russian Empire might have become a chess piece, Alexander III still chose to jump into the pit for the sake of benefits.

There was no other way. The current international situation was very clear, and the road of the Russian Empire to the west had been blocked.

With the lesson of the Prussian War, even the most radical pro-war faction did not think that there was a future in expanding to the European continent.

The only options left were to go north, south, or east. There was no doubt that going north had no future. There was only ice in the Arctic Ocean, and the Nordic Federation was a hard bone to chew.

Going east was also not a good choice. The weather was too bad. It would take a year to travel from the west to the east, and it was not suitable for the movement of an army.

Going south became the only and best choice. Although he had to compete with the British, why not compete in this day and age?

Even if he was a chess piece, Alexander III had to be a chess piece that could jump out of the chessboard at any time, and not be used as a pawn in a muddle.

Foreign Minister Oscar Jimenez said, "Looking at the current international situation, the Fao and the two countries support us in the war against the British. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that there are three main possibilities.

First, they want us to fight with the British and exhaust our strength. The two countries of the Fao and the two countries can reap the profits of the war.

Looking at the current support of the two countries, the suspicion of making profits from the war can be ruled out. They provide us with funds and can't recover the cost of trade.

Second, they use us to inflict heavy losses on Britannia, and then divide up Britannia.

This is less likely. Although the French repeatedly promised to choose the right time to go to war with the British, they asked Austria to declare war on the British first.

We have tested them. The Government of Vienna is not ready to fall out with the British, let alone go to war with the British.

Third, the two countries of the Fao and the two countries want to use the war in Afghanistan to stall us and the British, so that they can take action in Europe.

The specific action is still uncertain for the time being. Looking at the performance of the two countries of the Fao and the two countries, we can judge that the Government of France is more eager. The Government of Austria is relatively indifferent. They don't seem to have made up their minds.

Based on this, we can preliminarily judge that the two countries of the Fao and the two countries have not reached an agreement, and the strategic goals of the two countries may even conflict.

I personally think that the goal of the two countries of the Fao and the two countries should be Central Europe.

Austria wants to take the opportunity to unify the German Region, but they are not sure that they can complete the unification under the obstruction of the French, and they are not willing to give up this opportunity.

The French want to use this opportunity to expand into Central Europe. Their goal should be to annex Belgium and parts of the German Confederation.

Mainly the territories west of the Rhine River, where the French need the most coal mines, can make up for their lack of resources.

Of course, this is only a guess. The appetite of the Government of France may not be so big.

After all, the strength of the German Confederation is not weak, and there is also Austria on the side. They will certainly send troops to interfere. In terms of strength, the French do not have a high chance of winning against the German and Austrian coalition.

Unless the French can end the war quickly and occupy the above territories before Austria sends troops, and use the Rhine River as a natural barrier to stop the German and Austrian coalition. "

Strategic plans can't be hidden if they want to. They don't need evidence, as long as there is a motive, it is enough. There is no doubt that the two countries of the Fao and the two countries have the motive to expand into Central Europe.

While initiating the war with the British, the Tsarist government did not neglect to pay attention to the European continent.

In fact, if it were not for the Fao and the two countries in Europe restraining each other, the Tsarist government would not dare to go all out south.

The Minister of War Ivanov shook his head: "I agree with your judgment, the third scenario is the most likely.

However, I have a different opinion on the specific details. It is true that the two countries of the Fao and the two countries are interested in Central Europe, but the strength of the German Confederation is not weak.

If Austria wants to annex the German Confederation, they can use political means from the inside, and there is a chance of success.

If the French attack the German Confederation, even if Austria does not send troops to interfere, they will lose a few teeth.

It is impossible for the Government of France to not see this. Instead of taking risks without certainty, it is better to take a step back and annex Belgium. "

Because of the war between Prussia and Russia, the Tsarist government's evaluation of the combat power of the German Confederation has been raised by a level.

On paper, the current German Confederation was not weak.

Its military strength was similar to the old Prussia Confederation, and its economic output was second only to England, France, Russia, and Austria. Its heavy industry was on par with France, and it had a population of more than 25 million.

Marshal Ivanov didn't think that the French would bite this tough bone, especially when there was a lion behind this bone that was ready to hunt.

In comparison, annexing Belgium was much easier. No one knew about the secret treaty in Belgium. On the surface, annexing Belgium would offend the British.

However, in terms of the relationship between England and France, offending them was not a big deal. They even dared to issue war bonds to the Russians, what else did the French not dare to do?

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oscar Jimenez, shrugged: "Marshal, the French are not as rational as you. They have always claimed to be the world's number one army.

You have not been to France, so you may not know, but the French are particularly arrogant. Starting from Napoleon Iii, the Government of France has been promoting the theory of France's invincibility.

Many of the French are still stuck in the Napoleonic era and think that they are invincible. Even if we defeated them in the Near Eastern War, it did not change anything. "

The Near Eastern War could not be counted. England, France, and Russia all claimed to be the victors. The only one who admitted that they were the losers was the Osman Empire, which had disappeared in the long river of history.

Oscar Jimenez could talk about the Near Eastern War, but Marshal Ivanov did not have the face to talk about the Near Eastern War.

Although the Russian army had won the battle strategically, they had lost the battle tactically. The so-called victory was achieved by piling up human lives.

The Russian Army's casualty ratio could not be seen at all. Many times, the Russian Army had twice the number of soldiers, but they were still beaten to the ground.

In the eyes of an orthodox soldier like Marshal Ivanov, it was not a victory for the Russian Army, but a humiliation.

Sensing that the atmosphere was not right, Alexander III said: "Well, the size of the French's appetite is only a small problem.

Although I don't want to admit it, in recent years, the balance of power between the four major European powers has been broken, and we are the weakest.

The strength of the UK, Fao, and France is above us. We are now able to compete with the British for the Regions of Afghanistan, which is the result of the support of the Fao.

However, the Fao and France can provoke a war between us and the British in order to reap the benefits. Why can't we do the same?

The problem of Central Europe is the core contradiction between the Fao and France. Whether it is Austria who wants to unify the German Region, or France who wants to enter Central Europe, as long as one of them takes the first step, a fierce conflict will break out.

Now that we are at war with the British, the Fao and France have no worries. If we push them in the back, the possibility of a war breaking out is very high.

As long as we use the war to make the Fao and France suffer losses, we will have the opportunity to re-establish our dominant position on the European continent. At the very least, we can pull them to the same starting line. "

Everyone knew how to cheat their teammates. The Fao and France could use the Russian Empire as a chess piece, and Alexander III could also fight back.

The British and Russians had already started fighting, and after the war, the two countries would definitely suffer heavy losses. If the Fao and France did not exhaust the strength of the two countries, then the gap in strength between the four major powers would be completely widened.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Oscar Jimenez, reminded, "Your Majesty, once the war breaks out between the Fao and France, we will lose external assistance.

Without the support of the Fao and France, with our own strength, I am afraid that the Afghan battlefield … "

Alexander III interrupted, "Don't worry, provoking a war with the Fao and France is not something that can be done overnight.

Even if we do take action, it will be when the Afghan battlefield is about to be settled. Before that, we are all good allies.

What we need to do now is to try our best to ask for loans and supplies from the Fao and France. If they want us to work for them, then they must give us something in return. "

Hearing this explanation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It did not matter to provoke a war with the Fao, as long as it did not affect the Afghan battlefield.