Before the Government of Vienna could deal with the aftermath of the destruction of the canal, the battlefield in Central Europe changed again.
Before the Government of Vienna could deal with the aftermath of the destruction of the canal, the battlefield in Central Europe changed again.
After 27 days of hard fighting and paying a heavy price of nearly 50,000 casualties, the French army tore through the Luxembourg defense line that the German Confederation had painstakingly built, and the German Region was open.
There was a skill in setting up a teammate. If it was earlier, Duke Albrecht wouldn't have minded the French army galloping in the German Region. After all, the Austrian reinforcements were still on the way, and no one could say anything.
But now, the Austrian reinforcements had arrived at the frontline, and the nearest troops were less than 30 kilometers away from the Luxembourg line. It wouldn't be right to watch their ally perish.
But it wasn't easy to rescue them either. These troops also had a mission, and the Belgians were waiting for them to save them.
Unlike the German Confederation, Belgium was a small country. Up until now, all the young people in the country had gone into battle, and it could be said that they had unleashed their full potential.
It couldn't be helped. This was a disaster caused by their geographical location. After the outbreak of the war, the weakest Kingdom of Belgium passively took on the heaviest combat tasks of the anti-French alliance.
Austria was too far away, and the German Confederation was slow to provide them with support in time. The Kingdom of Belgium could only grit their teeth and hold on. Now, they were at their limit.
Since Belgium had held on until now, Duke Albrecht naturally couldn't watch them perish. After the reinforcements arrived, he immediately ordered for Belgium to be reinforced.
As for the Luxembourg and Rhineland lines, the German Confederation had more manpower, and their military strength was relatively sufficient.
However, the reality was like a comedy. Before the crumbling Kingdom of Belgium collapsed, the more powerful German Confederation was the first to break through the defense line.
"There were 350,000 troops defending the Luxembourg line, and more than 400,000 troops in the Rhineland area could also provide support. Why did the defense line suddenly collapse?"
Grand Duke Albrecht asked impatiently.
He couldn't help but be angry. The Luxembourg defense line had to collapse at the worst possible time, not earlier or later.
If the defense line collapsed a few days ago, the Austrian reinforcements were still on the way, so they naturally didn't have to bear the responsibility. If it collapsed a few days later, the main force of the Austrian army would have arrived, and they wouldn't have to worry about PK with the French.
However, they couldn't do it now. There were only 15 divisions of the Austrian army at the frontline, and they could reinforce the Belgian army to help stabilize the defense line.
If they wanted to engage in a decisive battle with the French, there would be no hope at all if they did not increase their numbers by several times. Archduke Albrecht did not think that the Austrian army would be so powerful that they would be outnumbered.
General Adrian of the German Federation, who was in charge of coordinating the work, explained bitterly, "Marshal, this was a complete accident.
You know, we have a lot of countries, and this is the first joint operation. This is the first time. There are a lot of countries.
The command system had "some problems", but that was just Admiral Adrian trying to flatter himself.
In fact, the issue of the command of the German Federal Army had never been straightened out.
The armies of each state had their own independent command. The commander-in-chief appointed by the central government was more like the coordinator of a military alliance and had no binding power over the armies of each state.
Even of the Army, and war plans were with of the states.. Even if there was an emergency, everyone had to hold a meeting to make a decision. Otherwise, the armies of the states wouldn't even care about the command.
Fortunately, the German army had been relying on the fortifications to defend, and there weren't many military movements. Otherwise, the chaotic command system would have been destroyed by the French.
They could hide for now, but they couldn't hide forever. The consequences of the chaotic command system still happened, and as the price, the German Federation lost the Luxembourg defense line.
Duke Albrecht waved his hand and interrupted General Adrian's long speech. "Alright, now is not the time to look for responsibility, and I'm not interested in those stupid things.
Now tell me, where did the French fight, and the losses of the frontline troops? Or, how many troops do you have under your control? "
After losing the battle, chaos was inevitable. Especially since the German Confederation army was still doing their own thing, the situation was even more dangerous.
At this time, Duke Albrecht could only hope that these guys could use their full potential when they ran away, so that they could delay the French's advance in the upcoming battle.
Adrian replied in a low voice, "After days of fighting, the troops at the frontline have long been exhausted. They suddenly suffered a great defeat, and many of the troops were scattered.
Now we are gathering the defeated troops, and the initial estimate is that we will lose more than half of our troops.
After the enemy broke through the defense line, they split into two groups, one advancing towards Belgium, and the other towards the Rhineland region.
We have already built a second line of defense in the Rhineland region, but the incident happened too suddenly, and there are not enough troops at the frontline … "
At this point, Adrian stopped abruptly. There was no other way, it was too embarrassing. Not only had their own defense line been broken, but even Belgium had been tricked by the German army.
Tricking his teammates was nothing, and Adrian wasn't a saint. The problem was that once Belgium fell, the German Confederation wouldn't be able to escape.
Austria's allies did come, but the Austrian troops that reached the frontline were limited, and there was no way they could fill this gap.
Looking at the map, Duke Albrecht said coldly, "There won't be any reinforcements. The situation at the frontline is lost, and the dozens of divisions in my hands can't take care of both fronts.
The most important thing now is to find a way to defend the Rhine River, and create conditions for the counterattack later. As for the other areas, it's time to give up.
You should know the importance of the Rhine River. If you don't want to see the French army galloping in the hinterland of the German Region, then immediately pull back your troops and defend. "
It looked like he was in a difficult position, but in fact, Duke Albrecht was already overjoyed.
Fighting against the French army in the German Region and fighting against the French army in France were two completely different concepts.
Other than the military benefits, the more important ones were the political benefits. The defeat of the German army at the frontline would inevitably awaken the German people's sense of crisis.
In a sense, the worse the losses at the frontline, the louder the call for unification after the war would be.
Especially the people who had personally experienced this war, they could understand the importance of a strong country.
The little Germany led by Hanover obviously couldn't meet everyone's needs. When the time came, the public would automatically push for the unification of the German Region, forming a trend.
As for the group of governments who each had their own ulterior motives, after this war, it was about time for them to recognize the reality, especially the countries that had directly suffered from the war, and they needed Austria's help after the war.
After a pause, Duke Albrecht added, "By the way, I'll have to ask you to explain to Belgium yourself."
Explanation? Since things had already come to this, any explanation would be futile. No matter how extravagant it was, it couldn't change the fact that Belgium had been tricked.
If they didn't want to lose everything, the Belgian government could only give up most of their territory and defend a few military fortresses.
If they were lucky, they could hold on until the main Austrian army arrived. If they were unlucky, they could only go into exile.
It was conceivable that the relationship between Germany and Belgium would not be good for a long time in the future. In the following war, the cooperation between the two countries could not be counted on.
However, this had nothing to do with Duke Albrecht. For the great cause of the unification of the German Region, some sacrifices were unavoidable.
It was better to borrow the hands of the French to get rid of these feudal vassals than the Government of Vienna to go into battle to remove the vassals.
"Marshal, if we send our troops now, there is still hope to plug the gap, and even …"
Without waiting for Adrian to finish, Duke Albrecht interrupted him forcefully, "Sir, this is all your wishful thinking.
If they could plug the gap, the Rhinelander army would have taken action long ago. But until now, they have not taken any action. Are they waiting for my orders?
At this point, the most important thing is to stabilize the situation and create opportunities for the counterattack, not to gamble for that one in a million chance.
Sir, you should know that we can't afford to lose now. If the frontlines suffer another defeat, the international situation will be reversed. The countries that were originally leaning towards us may all switch to the arms of the French. "
Excuses would never run out. Duke Albrecht had made up his mind to kill with a borrowed knife. Naturally, he would not be persuaded.
…
In the Brussels palace, Leopold II had just woken up from his afternoon nap. Before he had time to wash up, he received the shocking news of the collapse of Luxembourg's defensive line.
Anyone with the slightest bit of military knowledge knew that once Luxembourg fell, the flank of Belgium would be exposed to the vanguard of the French army.
At this point in the war, the Kingdom of Belgium had already used up all its strength. It was impossible to find enough troops to build a left defensive line in a short period of time.
"Trash!"
"You are all a bunch of trash!"
"Almost 800,000 troops can't even defend Luxembourg. Are the generals of the German Confederation eating sh * t …"
…
Faced with the King's incessant cursing, no one corrected the German troops guarding Luxembourg. There was no small problem with 800,000 troops.
"Your Majesty, the German troops are retreating. Our left flank is directly exposed to the enemy. Now, we can only …"
Prime Minister Ogyust was still politically savvy. Before he was sure of Leopold II's position, he did not directly say the word 'exile'.
Perhaps the venting just now had eased his mood, or perhaps the prime minister's persuasion had worked. Leopold II calmed down and said in a deep voice.
"Didn't Duke Albrecht send us reinforcements? If we send these troops, they won't be trash too, right? "
"Your Majesty, these troops will not be coming. Just now, the Allied Forces Command sent a telegram saying that Duke Albrecht is preparing to build a defensive line at the Rhine River.
He suggests that we withdraw our troops, give up unnecessary defensive lines, and only guard a few key areas while waiting for the next major counterattack. "
Army General Desmet replied.
"Hmph!"
"Waiting for the major counterattack? It's easy for him to say. Anyway, the battlefield is not in Austria. It doesn't matter how we fight.
But what should we do?
What about the six million Belgian citizens?
Defend Brussels to the death, or go into exile in Austria?
… "
Leopold II raised a series of questions that constantly impacted the people. In the depths of everyone's heart, a soul interrogation that was destined to be fruitless.
…
