Holy Roman Empire

The Russian Eighth Army is not fighting alone. The Russian Ninth Army is only less than 160 kilometers away from them. Once we launch a counterattack, the enemy will definitely provide reinforcements.

Everyone has heard about the domestic situation. The combat effectiveness of the newly formed troops is worrying, and they cannot be put into the battlefield in a short time.

If we want to retake the Poznan area from the enemy as soon as possible, we must deploy the main force to participate in the war this time. Now we need someone to stay in Warsaw to ensure that Warsaw is not lost during the time when the main force leaves. "

Staying in Warsaw is not an easy job.The current situation on the battlefield is obviously not good for the Pubo Federation. If things go well, they still have a chance to usher in a counterattack. If something happens, the remaining troops will be abandoned.

General Giovanni Ferrari, the commander of the First Army, said first: "Let's stay behind. The First Army has the strongest combat effectiveness and should be able to buy enough time for the main force."

This is not for show. The First Group Army is the absolute main force of the Prussian Army. The stronger the combat effectiveness on the battlefield, the more often it undertakes the heaviest combat tasks.

Without knowing that the country has decided to abandon Warsaw, considering the overall situation, General Giovanni Ferrari will naturally take on this difficult task.

Mao Qi denied it with a straight line: "No way!"

Then he explained: "It is true that the First Army has the strongest combat effectiveness, but what you are best at is offense, not defense. The next step is to retake the Poznan area, and the First Army is also inseparable.

This Warsaw defensive battle is difficult to fight. The Russians may be crazy like never before, and we cannot have many troops left behind. In this context, if we want to defend the Warsaw area, we must cooperate closely with the local militia.

A national mobilization order has been issued in the country, and Warsaw and its surrounding areas can mobilize about 20 people.These troops have only received simple military training and cannot be used as the main force. They can be used as auxiliary troops.

In the case of insufficient troops, we must give full play to the combat effectiveness of this force.Not seeking to defeat the Russians, as long as Warsaw is kept, it is considered a victory.

Considering various factors, the headquarters decided to let the third army with the best popular base stay in the Warsaw area.

General Vaskiewes, do you have any questions about holding on to Warsaw for at least 40 days under the attack of the Russian army? "

The establishment of the Popo Federation was too short. Although the Warsaw government intended to promote the unification of language and writing, the time was still too short. Coupled with the resistance of the Poles, naturally no results were achieved.

The language and writing are not unified. In order to prohibit the order, the Prussian army had to be organized separately.

The Third Army is a Polish-dominated force, and most of the soldiers are from the surrounding areas of Warsaw.The army composed of local people naturally has a better mass base than other troops.

Vaskovice's face was a little ugly. On the surface, it seemed that Moltke was asking for his opinion, but in fact he had no chance of refusing.

The headquarters has made a decision, what else can he do besides carrying out the order?

Moreover, Moltke's reasons are also very good. The Third Army is a local, and defending one's own hometown is its due meaning.

Without knowing that he was an abandoned child, Vaskovice didn't have a high sense of resistance, and just regarded it as an ordinary task.

Vaskivis asked with concern: "In general, I have no problem. The Third Army will try its best to buy time for the main force. But to cooperate with the local troops, who should be in command?"

After getting an affirmative answer, Moltke nodded with satisfaction: "Of course the command belongs to you. Before we launch a counterattack, the third group will take over all the military and political power in Poland.

Now is a special period and must be treated specially.Both the local troops and the local government are under your control for the time being.

The headquarters will not ask how this battle is fought. I have only one request, that Warsaw must be defended. "

Decentralization, maximum devolution.Vaskivis was about to become the most powerful army commander in the Pubo Federation. Even Marshal Moltke did not have the power to restrain the local government.

Vaskovice was not surprised, everything was possible in the war years.Although the Prussian army has not yet taken over local administration, this may be the first case, but the army's involvement in local government affairs has long been rampant.

In order to win the war, the Berlin government has become accustomed to playing deaf and dumb.As long as it is beneficial to the war, you can do it.

This is the first case of restraint in the local government, and it will never be the last.

This bad start is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the authority of the government.But the people sitting here are all soldiers, and the position under their buttocks determines that they must lean towards the military.

Vaskovice was overjoyed. It was a surprise to be able to command the local troops. Now that even the local government can control it, the resources that can be mobilized have greatly increased.

With so many resources, he can't stick to it for 40 days, so he can go home and farm, so as not to be ashamed to stay.

Vaskovice replied affirmatively: "No problem, the Third Army guarantees to complete the task!"

Moltke glanced at Vaskovice, with a sympathetic look on his brows, he quickly covered it up, and warned earnestly:

"Don't be too happy, the Third Army has only 15.6 people, even with 20 local troops, the total strength is only [-]% of the enemy's.

Even if we are on the defensive side and have a geographical advantage, we are still at a disadvantage and must be cautious.

The local army has just been established, and many of them haven't even completed basic military training. You'd better not have too much hope for combat effectiveness.

The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing, and this 40 days is only the minimum period.If something happens midway, no one knows when we will be able to reinforce Warsaw. "

"Yes, Marshal!" Vaskovice replied seriously

There was a bit of gratitude in his eyebrows. Since Mao Qi became the commander-in-chief, he has taken good care of the Third Army. Whether it is replenishment of supplies or assignment of combat tasks, he has never treated it differently.

Defending Warsaw is the most challenging task that the third group has received since the start of the war.However, high risk also means high reward, and this kind of difficult task is also the easiest to obtain military exploits.

Vaskovice is ambitious and not afraid of challenges.Moltke's warning, he only regarded it as the coach's concern for his subordinates, and he did not have any doubts.

Moltke nodded in satisfaction: "Very well, since you are so confident, the task of defending Warsaw will be handed over to the Third Army.

There is not much time left for us, and the rest of the troops should immediately pack their bags and set off for Poznan early tomorrow morning.

Due to the limited railway capacity, heavy weapons and logistics materials were transported by train, and the troops set out on foot with light packs. "

The railway facilities of the Pubo Federation are relatively complete, but no matter how perfect they are, there is no way to transport hundreds of thousands of troops, together with logistics supplies, to hundreds of miles away in a short time.

In this context, in order to save time, it is natural to give priority to transporting weapons, equipment and strategic materials, and soldiers still have to march on foot.

Fortunately, Poland is not that big.It is less than 37 miles (about 280 kilometers) from Warsaw to Poznan, and it takes almost a week for the troops to travel lightly.

Of course, this is theoretical data.In fact, it will definitely take longer, and the combat speed of the large corps itself cannot be accelerated.

Before arriving on the battlefield, heavy weapons and logistics materials must be distributed to the troops first, which requires a test of logistics organization capabilities.

If the organizational ability is not good enough to complete these tasks in time, it is better to let the soldiers go on the road with weapons, equipment and logistics materials, so as to avoid confusion and waste of time.

……

Chapter 277 The Refugee Crisis

Russian command, Ivanov is immersed in the joy of capturing Poznan.This can be said to be the biggest result achieved by the Russian army since the start of the war, and its strategic significance is not weaker than the recovery of Smolinsk.

Open the map and you will know that Poznan is located in the center of the Polish plain and is the most important transportation hub and industrial center between Pubo and Poznan.

The occupation of the Russian army here also means that they have cut off the main artery connecting Warsaw with the rear, and the main force of the Prussian army led by Moltke will soon become a lone army.

A young military officer came to report in a hurry: "Marshal, there is news from the front line that according to the airship investigation, a large number of enemy troops withdrew from the Warsaw area yesterday, the number numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

The enemy's marching speed is very fast, and they are suspected to be the main force, but they do not carry heavy weapons, so it is temporarily uncertain. "

Ivanov was startled, and thought to himself: "No, the enemy is going to run away." Then he hesitated again. Moltke was full of tricks, and his use of troops was often unexpected. No one knew whether this would be a feint.

The airship can only detect, it is difficult to tell whether the main force is below.There are still a large number of local troops in the Warsaw area, which fully possess the ability to pretend to be the main force.

The same strategy was used by Moltke in last year's winter battle.In the Warsaw Battle not long ago, the enemy repeated tricks to deceive the Russian Fourth Army.

But just giving up like this, Ivanov was not reconciled. If the main force of the Prussian army is let go now, it will be difficult to encircle and wipe them out in the future.

After a little thought, Ivanov made a decision: "Order the Seventh Army to immediately send cavalry into the enemy's territory to investigate and determine whether it is the main force of the enemy.

Report the news to the Eighth Army, ordering them to destroy the roads and bridges on the way back to the Prussian army, and prepare to intercept the enemy's return to the west.

Order the Ninth Army to immediately go to Poznan to join the Eighth Army and jointly carry out the interception mission.

Order the No.11 Army and No.17 Army to leave a small number of troops for defense, and the main force will go to Poznan for reinforcements as soon as possible.

Order the Third Army, Sixth Army, and Seventh Army to move closer immediately, and once it is determined that the enemy's main force has left, immediately attack Warsaw.

Order the Fourth Army and Fifth Army, which are being repaired, to prepare for battle and reinforce the Warsaw battlefield at any time.

Order the No.13 Army and No.14 Army to abandon their original combat missions and cut off the connection between the Warsaw enemy army and the East Prussian region. "

Ivanov was still the same Ivanov, and he did not blindly order the pursuit just because the enemy might retreat.

In order to seize the time, the Prussian army did not carry heavy weapons and equipment. If all the cavalry divisions in the Warsaw area were sent out, the success rate of intercepting them would still be very high.

The question is, what if you stop it?

The Russian Fourth Army and Fifth Army in the Warsaw area were abolished, and the Seventh Army was also severely injured in the previous battles, and its combat effectiveness was greatly reduced. Not at his peak either.

Even if these troops pursued, they did not have the strength to encircle and wipe out the main force of the Prussian army.What's more, if you want to pursue the pursuit, you must also solve the Prussian army left in the Warsaw area.

Considering the risks involved, Ivanov would rather choose a more conservative tactic and intercept in the farther Poznan area.

Safe is safe, and the success rate is pitifully low.The Polish plain is flat and there is no danger at all, and the enemy can choose too many paths.

Unless the luck is overwhelming, the Eighth Army can't stop it at all.Ivanov's order for reinforcements was not really to intercept the main force of the Prussian army in Poland, and blocking them outside Poland was also a good choice.

Ivanov, who likes to fight steadily, doesn't mind clearing out the enemies in the Warsaw area first, and then concentrate his forces for a decisive battle with the Prussian army.

……

The Palace of Vienna received news that the Russian army had occupied Poznan, and Franz spit out a sip of tea.

His intuition told him that there was a big problem here.

It is impossible for Mao Qi not to know the strategic value of Poznan.No matter how short the troops are, it is impossible to ignore such a strategic location.

Even if the main force is insufficient, the second-line force must make up for it.However, the Poznan area has deployed three second-line infantry divisions that are not fully organized, of which only 7000 people are stationed in Poznan City.

With such a small force, we almost need to tell the enemy that our force here is weak, come and attack quickly.

Franz asked: "Albrecht, what do you think Moltke wants to do? Lure the enemy to go deep and prepare to eat the Russian Eighth Army?"

Chief of Staff Albrecht said with a smile: "There may be factors in this aspect, but it should be more to preserve strength and jump out of the big pit in Warsaw earlier.

The Russians have too much advantage, and there is no chance of winning against the Pubo Federation head-on.To make a comeback, Moltke can only do something strange.

I don't know exactly what it is, but from a military point of view, abandoning Poland to lengthen the Russian front can indeed increase the chances of victory for the Prussian army.

The fall of the Poznan area also involved issues left over from history.Since the Vienna Conference in 1815, the area has been allocated to the Kingdom of Prussia, but the locals have not been very convinced.

To be precise, the local capitalists, nobles, and intellectuals were very dissatisfied with the Berlin government.

On the surface, it is the Berlin government's national integration policy, which promotes Germanization in the local area. In fact, the Junker nobles occupy most of the government's interests, and they, the latecomers, did not get the leftovers.

In normal times, these people can't make trouble, but in wartime, it's different, especially when the Russians are about to win, these frustrated people will naturally become active.

Perhaps, Moltke wanted to pull out these hidden dangers at once, and deliberately exposed them. "

"Lead the snake out of the hole and eliminate dissidents."

Franz is also familiar with this kind of thing.Political struggle is inherently cruel, and if there is no way to become one of your own, then you can only wash it away.

At this point in the war, the internal contradictions of the Pubo Federation have actually accumulated to a peak, and it is only a fuse that is about to explode.Since Poznan has become a hidden danger, it is natural to clean it.

Looking at the map, Franz sighed sincerely: "Moltke is really ruthless. The hundreds of thousands of troops in the Warsaw area gave up if they said they would give up!"

There is nothing wrong with this approach.As the saying goes, "Compassion does not lead soldiers", in order to win the war, there is nothing that cannot be sacrificed.

It seems that hundreds of thousands of troops have been abandoned. In fact, the Berlin government is not losing money. The war has progressed to the present.

Most of these troops are locals, and it is almost impossible to annihilate them in World War I.If it cannot be wiped out, even if the victory is won, it will be very difficult to clear the place after the war.

As long as the Berlin government sent someone to intervene, local guerrillas were born.Just think about the atrocities committed by the Cossack cavalry in the Polish region in the early stage, and you will know how much the local people hate the Russians, and there will be guerrilla warfare in the future.

Minister of Finance Karl said with a smile: "Your Majesty, Moltke may have no choice but to do so. The Warsaw area not only has hundreds of thousands of troops, but also a large number of refugees.

The war did not end for a long time. These people could not return to their hometowns to resume production. The Popo Federation could not provide so many jobs. It can be said that the Polish region is full of refugees.

According to preliminary estimates, nearly 300 million people received relief food from the Berlin government, and about half of them completely lost their source of livelihood.

While supporting millions of troops, there are also millions of refugees. Even if there is blood transfusion from the British, the Berlin government's finances will not be able to bear it.

Losing the Polish region also lost this heavy burden.On this issue, the Berlin government should have played a disgraceful role. "

Refugees are always the most troublesome. It is true that Austria is accepting refugees on a large scale. Unfortunately, the colonial government has passed the age of starvation and has set up a threshold. The language barrier stopped most people.

British and French colonies and American countries welcome immigrants, but it is a pity that they have to buy their own boat tickets, and they have to find ways to make a living when they get there.

Franz nodded: "This is a difficult problem for the Berlin government, but it should not be a problem for the Russians. They have rich experience in dealing with it, but they don't know what Alexander II will do this time."

Relief was impossible. Most of these refugees were created by the Russian army. Even if the tsarist government paid for relief, it could not regain the hearts of the people.

Moreover, the tsarist government was not rich, so Alexander II would definitely not do such a meaningless investment.

The massacre is the last option, involving millions of people, and it is estimated that the Russians may not be able to do it.

Expulsion may not be the best way, but it is the most likely choice of the tsarist government. Just like the Second Near East War, the Russian army expelled a large number of Ottoman people into the inland area, artificially created a famine, and severely damaged Ottoman empire.

Chapter 278 Stop Loss

On November 1880, 11, the Prussian army arrived in the Poznan area. After a brief rest, it launched an attack on the Russian Eighth Army the next day.

Under the harassment of Russian cavalry and airships, it took less than 8 days to arrive in Poznan from Warsaw.

Anyone with a bit of military common sense knows that the larger the number of troops, the more difficult it is to coordinate and the slower the marching speed.

The total strength of the Prussian army is as high as 46.8, and it is a miracle in military history that it can complete a march of more than 8 kilometers within 280 days.