Holy Roman Empire

In essence, airships are not used to fight each other. The high cost is enough to make any country feel bad. The Russo-Prussian War can be regarded as the earliest air battle in human history.

Unable to do anything, the Prussian airship unit decisively chose to retreat.If the Russian army wants to release strategic materials, it simply doesn't care about catching up.

Perhaps the number of the Fourth Army has decreased; or perhaps the elders at the headquarters have shown kindness and sympathy for the hard work of the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Army. Today's materials are exceptionally rich.

Rare vegetables, fresh beef, ham, cheese, bread, butter, soybean flour, Opodo is hungry.

As a commander, Obodo soon realized that it might not be the good intentions of the elders, but the increase in the value of the Fourth Army.

Dragging 60 million Prussian troops here is the greatest value of the Fourth Army.If they need to work hard, the salary will naturally increase.

Shaking his head and dispelling the thoughts in his mind, Obodo ordered the guards around him: "Send someone to look carefully to see if there is an order from the headquarters."

Before the guard could answer, a young officer ran over with a document: "General, this is the battle report from the headquarters."

Obodo snatched the file, quickly opened it and read it.The more he looked at his face, the more gloomy he looked, as if the sky had fallen.

It's not that the situation is bad, the overall situation on the battlefield is good, and the Russian army is getting closer and closer to winning the war.

On October 1880, 10, the Russian Fifth Army and the Seventh Army launched attacks on the Warsaw area from the northeast respectively, and now they are approaching the city of Warsaw.

On November 11, the Russian First Army and Second Army launched the Battle of East Prussia.

Under the cover of the navy, on November 11, the Russian army launched a landing operation in the Gdynia area and won a complete victory.

On November 11, the Russian army launched another landing operation at Kolobrzeg, again confirming its success.

On November 11, the Russian Southern Front tore through the Prussian defense line.

The next day, the Russian army divided into three groups. The Eighth Army drove straight to Berlin, the Ninth Army turned to attack Poznan in the north, and the Tenth Army was responsible for supporting it.

……

There was all good news on the battlefield, but there was no news of rescue of the Fourth Army.What this means is self-evident, although it is not stated explicitly, but the meaning of warning is very obvious.

The triumphant advance of the Russian army is also inseparable from the efforts of the Fourth Army.If they hadn't held back the mobile forces of the Prussian Army, the Fifth Army and the Seventh Army would not have the courage to approach Warsaw, and the Southern Front would not have dared to divide their troops into three groups.

In this situation, whoever loses the chain and destroys the hard-won overall situation will be responsible for it.

There is no order, but this battle report is the best order.Obodo knew very well that now he not only wanted to treat the Fourth Army as abandoned sons, but clearly treated them as dead soldiers.

If they break out of the encirclement ahead, they will lose their heads at worst; if they run away now, the whole family will go to the guillotine together.

Don't think that killing nobles is not popular in Europe, so you can really sit back and relax.Alexander II has the reputation of "butcher". If there are countless people who don't kill, how can the reform be successful?

After thinking for a while, Obodo ordered: "Report the good news to the whole army, and tell everyone that victory is in sight. As long as we persist for half a month, we will take Warsaw!"

"Seeing through but not revealing" is also one of the survival rules in this cruel world.Smart people can understand it, and those who don't understand it are the one-headed masters. When this battle report is in their hands, it is really good news.

Persist for half a month?

Obodo himself didn't believe it. Deep in his heart, he felt that the Fourth Army's ability to survive until now was due to its super-level performance.

But people are blind, especially when they are closest to victory, they can always hypnotize themselves and explode with unimaginable fighting power.

Deep down in his heart, Opodo had already decided that the main force of the Prussian army should be restrained for as long as he could.

As long as the Fourth Army didn't run away and stayed here to fight, others couldn't blame him.

Fortunately, the soldiers didn't know about Obodo's unscrupulous thoughts, otherwise the morale that everyone had finally built up would be vented again.

Sometimes ignorance is also a kind of blessing. It is better to be immersed in the ocean of hope than to despair after knowing the truth.

……

The Prussian army was completely at a disadvantage on the battlefield, and the Berlin government was completely panicked. Even Moltke's repeated assurances could not dispel everyone's doubts.

The mobilization of the whole people is necessary, as long as they can resist the use of guns, they must go to the battlefield.

It doesn't matter if there are not enough officers. If the officers of the main force cannot be moved, they will be drawn from the local troops.

If it really doesn't work, find someone to hold it up first, and then change it when there is a suitable one.If there is no suitable one all the time, then of course there is no need to change it.

The enemy is about to hit Berlin, who cares about the quality!Get the quantity up first, at least it can increase everyone's sense of security.

While mobilizing armed forces, Berlin also did not forget to launch a diplomatic offensive.

It is useless to win over small players such as Ottoman, Central Asian countries, and the German Federation. They have lost the ability to influence the outcome of the war.

At this point, the Pubo Federation needs the support of the great powers.Continental Europe is different from other regions. What is obtained on the battlefield may also be spit out on the negotiating table.

The Berlin government does not expect the Russians to return without success, but it still has to do to gain the support of the big powers and preserve their strength as much as possible.

Vienna Palace, Franz has just sent the special envoy sent by the Berlin government.

Frankly speaking, he was very puzzled, the war has not yet been decided, why should the Berlin government be so anxious?

The Russians seem to be advancing on the battlefield, but the war is not over yet.There are at least 70 to [-] new recruits in the Pubo Federation. No matter how weak the combat effectiveness of these troops is, the defense of the city can always make do, right?

Faced with Franz's doubts, Chief of Staff Albrecht explained: "Your Majesty, the battle has progressed so far, and the number of casualties in the Pubo Federation has already exceeded one million, and the number of casualties alone has exceeded 30.

If we talk about the loss of ordinary soldiers, it can be replenished immediately, but it is difficult to make up for the loss of grassroots officers.

According to the analysis of the data we have collected, the death rate of the nobles in the Prussian army is much higher than the 13.5% of ordinary soldiers, which is already approaching 20%.

The number of officers in the Prussian army was insufficient, not only because of this war, but also because of the impact of the last war.

In the First Russo-Prussian War, the new generation of Junker nobles suffered heavy casualties. Now they are not only short of low-level officers, but also middle-level officers, and there is actually a shortage of high-level officers.

The insufficient number of qualified officers has a great impact on the combat effectiveness of the army.Compared with the early days of the war, the combat effectiveness of the Prussian army has actually declined.

It can be seen from their siege of the Russian Fourth Army that if it was the Prussian army at its peak, it would not need to be delayed for so long.

The insufficient number of officers is not anyone's responsibility. The Pubo Federation has done a good job. They have enough officers in advance to command 150 million troops.

This number is theoretically enough to deal with any war.Before the outbreak of the Russo-Prussian War, no one knew that this war could reach the current scale.

Whether it is the Pubo Federation or the Russian Empire, their mobilization capabilities are beyond our imagination. "

Not to mention the people of this era, even Franz, a time traveler, didn't know in advance that Prussia and Russia could do what they are doing now.

This mobilization ability is about to catch up with World War I.The Pubo Federation has mobilized more than 260 million troops, and the Russians mobilized nearly 400 million troops even more frantically.

This number is not the end, the number of troops on both sides is like blowing up balloons, constantly expanding.

The balloon gets thinner as it expands.While the number of troops continues to increase, their combat effectiveness is also declining.

The performance of the Prussian army was more obvious, mainly because they followed the quality route; the Russians started with quantity, although the combat effectiveness of the troops also declined, because the quality was not very good at the beginning, so the decline was not so great .

Franz asked suspiciously: "As far as I know, there are still many officials in the Berlin government who are from the army. Now is a critical moment, and it should not be a big problem to recruit them for emergency.

With these people fighting, and promoting some civilian soldiers to serve as officers, the problem of insufficient officers at the grassroots level will be solved.There is no need for the Berlin government to get angry in such a hurry, right? "

This is not Franz nonsense, many officials of the Berlin government are from the army.Not only the Pubo Federation, but also Austria.

Under the universal military service system, not only government officials have served in the military, but people from all walks of life have served in the army.

At a critical moment, letting them put on military uniforms again is also a solution to the shortage of officers.

Albrecht shook his head: "Your Majesty, these people seem to have organizational skills, but they are not suitable for the army at all.

The officers of the Popo Federation are dominated by the Junker nobles. Influenced by traditional forces, the best talents among them, or those who are most suitable for the army, will develop in the army for a long time.

After retiring from the army, most of those who entered the government department were defective products that were eliminated midway, and their military capabilities themselves were worrying.

If these people are allowed to re-enter the army, their official positions will also be their positions in the army, but this position has nothing to do with military command ability.

Let a group of bureaucrats with unknown military capabilities command the troops, that scene is simply unimaginable.

I think it may not be as good as the first-year military cadets. At least these people are full of enthusiasm, they don't talk about trivia, and they can strictly follow orders. "

Franz nodded embarrassingly, making the bureaucratic command of the troops really a huge pit.Don't fight the battle yet, first draw the army into the political struggle.

After a pause, Albrecht added: "The Prussian army has already started to promote civilian officers. However, these soldiers have not received military school education, and the upper limit of training is very low. Only a very small number of them can serve as officers.

Among the grassroots officers of the Prussian army, there are actually not a few civilian officers.However, the performance of these people was not good, and there were a lot of troubles. "

Franz hesitated to speak. The issue of civilian officers is a difficult problem in all European countries.

It is not as later generations said that the nobles controlled the army and excluded civilian officers.

In fact, the nobles are only interested in the middle and high-level positions, and the positions below the platoon level are not their goals at all, and no one has such a shallow eyelid.

The real problem lies in military literacy. Ordinary soldiers have never been exposed to this knowledge, so how can they become qualified officers?

It can be said that in the peaceful era, the promotion channels for ordinary soldiers were locked early, and only a very few geniuses could become officers.

There is indeed a chance in the war years, but the prerequisite is to survive.Military merit is not so easy to get, you need to exchange your life.

The aristocratic officers at the grassroots level must take the lead in the charge, let alone the civilian officers. I am afraid that many dangerous tasks will fall on them.

No matter how talented you are, only if you survive the battlefield will you have a future, or you will be a martyr.

After getting the military merit, this is not the end.Quite the contrary, this is just the beginning.

After being promoted to a higher position, the requirements for personal military literacy have also become higher.

In peaceful times, there is still a chance to go to the military academy to study for a while, and you will be almost competent when you come back.Not in the war years, war will not wait for anyone.

To some extent, Albrecht complained about the poor military quality of civilian officers, which is also an indisputable fact.

Except for a few geniuses, most of the civilian officers are promoted to the shelves, and it is normal for them to be unable to adapt in a short period of time.

The army is a place where the strong are believed. No one will consider so many reasons, let alone give you time to learn slowly.

If you can't do it, you will be squeezed out, and you don't need to use any means at all to squeeze you out.

Not only the civilian officers, but also many children of the great nobles, who are not capable enough, will be pushed out.

Not only now, but even in the future, there is only one way for civilian officers to go to the military academy.

Improve your military literacy through school learning.Through learning, make up the ability gap with noble officers.

This road is also difficult to walk. The number of students enrolled in the Higher Military Academy is limited, thousands of troops cross the single-plank bridge, and they also face competition from noble candidates.

Affected by educational resources, it is impossible for anyone who is not a genius to break through.

Chapter 272 Legacy and Threat

The Russo-Prussian War has developed to this point, and the international situation in Europe after the war will definitely undergo earth-shaking changes.As a chess player, the Vienna government naturally wants to guide the situation in a direction that is beneficial to itself.

Pulling back his wandering thoughts, Franz said slowly: "The Berlin government is in a hurry. The situation in the Pubo Federation may be worse than what we know.

According to the current development of the situation, the possibility of the Pubo Federation turning over is very small, and we can prepare for the aftermath.

This time, we will not only fight against competitors and recover the previous investment, but also take away the biggest dividend. "

The Russo-Prussian War was not just as simple as it seemed on the surface. The Vienna government invested so much money not just to let the Russians win the war.

The credibility of the tsarist government was well known, how could Franz support them without generous rewards?

Russia-Austria friendship, at most, can fool ordinary people.Anyone with a little common sense knows that this thing is unreliable.

Perhaps before the Russo-Prussian War, the friendship between Russia and Austria had a long history. After the war, the two countries will transition from allies to competitors.

Of course, the price paid by the tsarist government in this war was a bit heavy. It owed huge debts, and it would not be able to turn over for decades, and it did not have the capital to turn against Austria in a short period of time.

For a long time to come, Russia-Austria friendship will still be the theme of diplomacy between the two countries until one side does not need it.

The reason for Franz to spend his money is naturally not because the collateral offered by the Russians is attractive.In fact, asking for the territory as a mortgage is just to reassure Alexander II that he can boldly avenge the Pubo Federation.

Regardless of how fertile the land in Ukraine is, it will only fall into the hands of Austria if the Russians are defeated and breach the contract.

If the tsarist government wins the war, Austria will also earn a sum of loan interest, plus some war money, and the benefits and risks are completely out of proportion.

Using debt default to hit the British can be counted as one of the goals; using post-war overcapacity to suppress the French manufacturing industry can also be regarded as one of the goals; what really cost the Vienna government is to eat the legacy left by the Pubo Federation after the defeat .

It's not land. Although the Pubo Federation has a lot of land, it's not enough to make Franz tempted.

Moreover, the Russians paid a painful price of millions of casualties for this war. It is impossible for them to do it for nothing, right?

If Austria foolishly ran to take over the territory of the Popo Federation, it would not be able to eat much meat. Instead, it would have to bear the heavy responsibility of guarding the east gate of Europe, and would fight the Russians to the end.

It is tempting to establish a Central European empire, but the price to be paid is also very heavy.Originally, Austria's strategic position was very bad, and if it extended its territory to the Baltic Sea, there would never be peace.

In Franz's opinion, the greatest legacy left by the Pubo Federation is not the land, but the people on the land, especially the officers with rich combat experience.

After the Pubo Federation is over, the only ones who are eligible to inherit these inheritances are the Russian and Austrian families.

There is no doubt that Pu Russia has just had a bloody fight, and the seeds of hatred have been planted. If the Junker nobles have no integrity, it is impossible to take refuge in the past immediately.

Moreover, even if they are willing to defect, they must be willing to take them in.

Don't say that the Russian military does not welcome the Junker nobles, even the Austrian military will not welcome them, and no one wants to add a group of people to grab food in their own bowls.

Franz wanted to subdue these people for his own use, and he would not recruit them directly, and there were not so many places in the Austrian army to place them.