Holy Roman Empire

Aside from the covenant, the relationship between Britain and France is more like enemies than allies.

Foreign Secretary Weisenberg explained: "Your Majesty, Anglo-French relations are very complex and date back to the Middle Ages.

During these long years, Britain and France have been hostile for most of the time. Even if they have formed an alliance now, there is a lack of basic trust between the two countries.

Judging from the information we have collected, the alliance between Britain and France is more like a farce. The two governments have never regarded each other as allies.

But whenever there is a conflict of interest, or one party loses value, the alliance will immediately fall apart. "

This answer makes people very speechless, but thinking about the farce in the early days of the British-French alliance in the original space-time, Franz will understand.

It is impossible for two hostile countries to form an alliance suddenly, and it is impossible to become friends immediately. At least it will take a period of running-in before the mentality of the two sides can be changed.

Now stop anyone on the street in Paris and ask them who is the biggest enemy of France. There is a 90.00% chance that the answer will be: the British.

To get to the bottom of the reason, apart from the hatred between Britain and France, the most important thing is that the Russian-Austrian alliance did not put enough pressure on them.

After all, Russia and Austria have been in an alliance for many years. In the past few decades, apart from jointly killing the Ottoman Empire, Russia and Austria have worked alone most of the time.

Especially now that the Russians' strategic center of gravity has shifted southward, and Austria has exercised restraint on European issues, France can't feel the pressure at all.

Without the pressure of survival, why should they let go of their bodies and run to be the younger brothers of the British?

The alliance is completely out of interest, and the greatest value lies in increasing political influence, not that Britain and France will really join forces to start a war with Russia and Austria.

In this regard, it is not surprising that the French government jumped out in support of the anti-drug campaign.Even issuing bonds to the Russians, this kind of business can be done, not to mention simply expressing your own opinions!

Franz nodded in approval, and did not continue to dwell on this issue.The worse the relationship between Britain and France, the better it is for Austria, and he has no need to worry about the enemy.

After a pause, Franz continued to ask: "How far has the Ministry of Agriculture's potash fertilizer promotion reached? How much can the domestic grain production capacity increase this year?"

Secretary of Agriculture Hals: "The promotion of potash fertilizers is relatively smooth. At present, most farms in China have accepted potash fertilizers, and many farms have already carried out trials.

After the autumn harvest, everyone can see the effect, and then it will be fully rolled out.

Grain production capacity has increased significantly, and it should start to explode next year, and this year's grain production capacity will also increase slightly. "

This is an inevitable result. No matter how good a product is, before trying it out, everyone has no idea.

Especially when it comes to this kind of issue involving the family's income, everyone is even less likely to be sloppy, and no one is willing to take risks before seeing the effect.

Everyone is willing to take out a piece of land to try potash fertilizer, which proves that the Ministry of Agriculture has done a good job.When the effect comes out, the government will not need to promote it at that time, and the people will promote it by themselves.

This is also a good thing. If the grain production capacity will skyrocket this year, the Russians will not cry.

Who knows whether the tsarist government will have the courage to continue to fight the British after the heavy losses in agriculture.

If the fire suddenly turns off, wouldn't the previous investment in Austria be in vain?

Chapter 129 Final Preparations

On the battlefield in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Patrick finally waited for the long-lost reinforcements, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he received a shocking news—the Russians were coming.

On September 1889, 9, the Russian army captured the Mare area, which is less than 11 kilometers away from the nearest area of ​​Afghanistan.

The three major Khanates in Central Asia, which were originally placed high hopes by Britain, have been defeated across the board under the attack of the Russian army. At this moment, the governments of the three countries have all fled to Afghanistan.

After nearly a year of bitter fighting, Lieutenant General Patrick had to admit that the Indian colonial army was not made for war.

In the case of equal strength, the regular army can't compete with the guerrillas. It's a joke to say that it has actually happened now.

Patrick was able to become the commander of the expeditionary force, and his political acumen was naturally not bad.He knows exactly how tense the Anglo-Russian relationship is.

Thinking of the upcoming Anglo-Russian war, and seeing the reinforcements sent to him at home, Patrick felt the urge to cry.

So far, the British army in Afghanistan has assembled 30 infantry divisions, 2 cavalry divisions, and 8 artillery regiments, which can be described as strong and strong.

However, these troops are all prefixed, and the situation is instantly different.

Of the 30 infantry divisions, only two were sent from the mainland, and the rest were Indian colonial troops.Cavalry divisions and artillery regiments are local elites, which are technical arms and are jobs that Indians cannot do.

However, sending so many cavalry into Afghanistan is drunk just thinking about it.If it weren't for his strong self-control ability, Lieutenant General Patrick really wanted to send a greeting to see if the old men in the country were out of their minds.

Anyone who knows a little bit about the terrain of Afghanistan knows that the most suitable unit here is the mountain infantry division, which is not a special establishment in the British army.

As for the cavalry, in addition to serving as messengers, it can only increase the logistical pressure on the troops.

The guerrillas are all in the mountains, and they only come out occasionally to do things. The large cavalry here is useless at all.

It can't be said that it is completely useless. As long as the British army defeats the Russians, the cavalry will be the main force when they counterattack Central Asia.

It is a pity that Lieutenant General Patrick does not need it. The exiled Central Asian Khanate government did not come empty-handed, and there are [-] to [-] troops to follow.

These grassland peoples are born cavalry when they mount a horse.

Frankly speaking, the Three Khanates of Central Asia collapsed so quickly. In addition to the corruption of their own regime, the lack of support from the British government is also one of the core factors.

They are all caused by bureaucracy, and the supporting weapons and equipment are all jokes. Some guns can be traced back to the last century, and their collection value is greater than their practical value.

You know what you know, but there is a lot of benefit exchange hidden in it, and Lieutenant General Patrick wisely chose to pretend not to see it.

Not to mention pitting the Khanate of Central Asia, in fact, the weapons and equipment of the Indian colonial army are garbage as always, lagging behind Europe by more than 30 years on average.

Even for the local main force, there is still a gap between the weapons and equipment of the world-class level.

It's not that Britain's military technology is poor. The key is that the army is not well received in the country. It has always been raised by stepmothers, and the annual funds invested in weapons research and development are limited.

Being able to barely keep up with the world's first-class level is the result of Britain's solid industrial foundation. If it wants to go to the forefront of the times, the government's funding is simply not enough.

"Generate domestically, tell London we need reinforcements, lots of reinforcements!

If we want to defend the Afghan region, we need at least 20 more domestic infantry divisions, which must be the main force of the local army, and the Indian colonial army is simply not enough. "

The young officer nearby persuaded fearfully: "Your Excellency, Commander, 20 infantry divisions are too many, I'm afraid the country will not agree."

For the army powers such as Russia, Austria and France, 20 infantry divisions are not worth mentioning at all. With sufficient supplies, they can be assembled in a maximum of ten days and a half months.

But for Britain, the situation is very dire.Let's put it this way, if you add up all the British Army before the expansion and multiply it by two, you may not get it all together.

Even because of the tense situation in Central Asia, the London government carried out a round of military expansion, the British Army still has less than 30 people, and a total of 17 infantry divisions.

Opening the mouth requires 20 main infantry divisions, which is clearly the rhythm of packing the British Army, forcing the British government to continue to expand the army.

Lieutenant General Patrick shook his head: "Mar put away your little thoughts, don't forget who our enemy is this time! Facing the Russians, how many 20 infantry divisions are there?

If there is a fight, you will find that human life on the battlefield is worthless.The Russo-Prussian War is the best example, with millions of casualties on both sides.

Although this Central Asian War may not be as crazy as the Prussian-Prussian War, it will not end so easily without filling in tens of thousands of lives. "

Looking at the stunned young officers, Lieutenant General Patrick just secretly sighed: The young generation in Britain is too fragile to withstand any disturbances.

Not to mention the entire Central Asian battlefield, the total number of casualties in the Afghan war alone exceeded one million, but most of the Afghans died, and everyone didn't feel deeply.

The next enemy is the Russians. It is obviously not enough to rely on Indian cannon fodder alone. The main force of the British army must be in charge, otherwise it is easy to be defeated across the board.

Judging from the experience of the first Near East War, even if the cannon fodder is enough, the British army must be prepared for heavy losses.

……

The British army panicked. In fact, the Russian army on the front line was not much better.

It seems that they have achieved a comprehensive victory in the Central Asian battle, but they failed to wipe out the governments of the three countries, and it is doomed that the Central Asian region will not be peaceful.

If the guerrillas in Afghanistan are drilling ravines, then the guerrillas in Central Asia are mostly horse thieves, and many of them are fighting against the Russian army on the basis of tribes.

Admiral Oginets knew very well that the fierce resistance of the people in Central Asia was largely driven by the Russian army.

If it weren't for the fact that the Russian army often went out to plunder, the local resistance would not have been so fierce.But there is no way, you know what you know, the ass determines the position of Admiral Auchinets.

Russian soldiers have almost no military pay, and their main income is captured on the battlefield. If they are not allowed to go out to rob, who is willing to continue to work hard?

In addition, the logistics of the Russian army is also very bad.Even in the case of sufficient supplies, it can only be managed barely enough, without any quality at all.

After eating military rations for many years, the hair has faded from the mouth. At this time, it will hinder the soldiers from improving their lives, and it will cause serious trouble.

Against this background, Admiral Oginets could only turn a blind eye to the looting taking place below, and used the most brutal means to suppress the resistance movement.

Since the occupation of Central Asia, the Russian army has executed three or four figures of resistance elements almost every day, relying on the most stringent implication laws to maintain social order.

It can also be said that there is no "order", because these orders can only restrain the local people, and Russian soldiers do not have to obey them at all.

In order to ensure smooth logistics and transportation, Admiral Oginets even cleared out a no-man's-land road, and all the residents within [-] kilometers around were cleared out.

As a price, Admiral Oginets also won the reputation of "General Butcher", who stopped children from crying in Central Asia.

Putting down the documents in his hands, Oginets said slowly: "After cleaning up, let's generate electricity for the country! As long as the supplies are in place, we can launch an attack on the Afghan region."

It can be seen from the tone that Admiral Oginets is very helpless now.If he had a choice, he would never take the position of commander this time.

It seems majestic, but in fact it is also full of crises.In order to win this war, Admiral Oginets offended too many people.

If the victories continued, there would be no problem. No matter how many people offended, they could be overwhelmed by military merits and become Marshal Ivanov second.

But once the front line changes, the situation is completely different.The principle that the wall is overwhelmed and pushed by everyone is also applicable here. Auchinets can only win but not lose.

According to the original plan, the seizure of Central Asia will stop.Now that he has made a name for himself, he is returning to St. Petersburg to receive his reward.

It is a pity that the reality is cruel. The changes in the international situation have inspired the tsarist government's ambition to seize India.

What Admiral Oginets has to do now is to complete the first step of the plan-to seize the Afghan region and lay the foundation for the future attack on India.

The middle-aged officer didn't seem to realize that Auchinets was in a bad mood, so he happily replied: "Yes, Your Excellency Commander!"

Everyone's location is different, and the scenery they see is different.

For Admiral Oginets, the title of marshal is indispensable until the war has progressed, and it is the best choice to accept it as soon as it is good.

But for most Russian military officers, it is better to continue this war. It is far better to squeeze the persimmons here than to go back to Europe to fight for hegemony.

The Indian colonial army is worthless, but they bear the British brand. If they have bad eyesight, they can be treated as the main force of the British army.

The enemy to face is the combat effectiveness of the colonial army, but it can produce the military exploits of the regular army, but for everything that has something to do with it, at this time, they are trying to find ways to mix with the frontline troops.

As a frontline commander, Admiral Oginets has sold a lot of favors recently.

Chapter 1 Thirty: The Anglo-Russian War Breaks Out

London

After finally mustering up the courage, the British government, which was determined to fight the Russians, was directly confused by Lieutenant General Patrick's request for help.

Putting down the telegram in his hand, Prime Minister Gladstone asked suspiciously: "Isn't there already 40 troops on the front line? Why do we need reinforcements?"

It's not that Prime Minister Gladstone made a fuss. In fact, Britain has never played such a large-scale strategic game in history.

Before the war broke out, more than 40 troops had gathered on the front line. If another 70 infantry divisions were reinforced, the total force would approach the [-] mark.

A local war is so big, it is completely beyond Prime Minister Gladstone's cognition.

Army Secretary Rosario: "Your Excellency, the War Department has carefully studied Lieutenant General Patrick's request for help and is basically certain that his request is reasonable.

The Russians are coming aggressively. According to intelligence, they have invested 50 troops in Central Asia, and the possibility of continuing to increase troops cannot be ruled out.

Because of the distance, the enemy's increase in troops will be much faster than ours, and it is necessary to ensure sufficient troops on the front line.

Otherwise, in case of an emergency, you can only count on the support of the Governor General of India.IMHO, the Viceroyalty of India is not equipped to deal with emergencies.

Once there is a war with the Russians, the Indian region will also become unstable. Maintaining the stability of the Indian region is the most important job of the Governor of India.

If there is no preparation in advance, it would be irresponsible to suddenly draw too many troops from the Indian region to the front line after the war breaks out.

Second, the Afghan region has not always been peaceful, and the locals and the Russians have conspired against our rule.

Due to the mountains in Afghanistan, the base camps of rebel organizations are all deep in the mountains and old forests. Our troops in Afghanistan have carried out many encirclement campaigns, but none of them have been wiped out.

Once the war with the Russians breaks out, these people will jump out to sabotage again. We must leave enough troops to deal with emergencies and prevent them from cooperating with the Russians.

......"

There are a lot of reasons, but to sum it up, there is only one thing, that is, expand the army quickly, the front line is about to be impatient.

Although he has always been raised by his stepmother, the army also has pursuits.This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand the military, no matter what everyone will not give up.

Rosario, who was born as a civil servant, naturally knew the twists and turns, but as the Minister of War, his ass had already decided his position.

If the military platform is dismantled at this time, then there is no need to do the subsequent work, and the people below must have a way to kill him.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Childers sneered: "Your Excellency, you should know the situation in Afghanistan. The front line needs to maintain 70 troops. How many people does your Ministry of the Army plan to use to support logistics?

100 million or 200 million, or 300 million, or even 400 million? "

This is the most realistic problem. Afghanistan is a landlocked country, and supplies such as food and cloth may be exported from the Governor-General of India, but weapons and ammunition must be delivered from the mainland.

If all the production and transportation personnel are added up, there are not a few million people serving the front-line troops, and it is simply impossible to support an expedition of this scale.