Holy Roman Empire

As soon as the artillery battle started, the French were confused.The firepower of the two sides is not at the same level at all, and all battlefields have been suppressed.

The shortage of artillery can not be solved in a while.Although France's industry is not weak, who has nothing to do with a lot of artillery at home?

You must know that this war can also be said to have come suddenly, and the war broke out far earlier than the French government's plan.

Being able to deploy more than [-] artillery pieces on the southern front in just a few months is enough to prove the strength of France.

After all, Central Europe is the main battlefield. The French have to focus most of their attention on Central Europe, and artillery must give priority to satisfying the Central European battlefield.

Colonel Novik shook his head: "Is this considered a counterattack? If you don't distinguish carefully, you won't hear the sound of our guns at all.

Send power to the headquarters and request fire support.

immediately!

If this continues, our troops will collapse before the enemy attacks. "

No one can bear the battle of being beaten without fighting back.After days of bombing, the French soldiers on the front line have long lost the arrogance they used to have.

In fact, the regiment of Colonel Novik is not bad. Most of the soldiers come from the mainland of France, and the fighting will is quite strong.

During the bombing, the reduction of personnel has exceeded [-]%, and the troops have not collapsed, so they can be called elites.

If it had been placed in the newly formed unit with a large number of Italian soldiers, it is estimated that there would have been a mutiny by this time.

……

Colonel Novik's roar still failed to change the embarrassment of the French army, and Adrian, the commander of the French army, was also troubled by this problem.

There is no way, who made France not fully prepared?

From the beginning of the war to the present, the number of the French army has almost expanded tenfold. To be able to guarantee that each man has a gun is the hard work of the Paris officials.

Throwing away Colonel Novik's call for help, Marshal Adrian stared at the map and began to think seriously about how to fight back.

Chapter 164 Battle for the Canal

He had the upper hand on the battlefield, but General Morks was not in a hurry.

Apart from launching a symbolic offensive and constantly putting pressure on the French army, the Austrian army hardly made any major moves, allowing the French to dispatch troops.

Seeing the loss of fighter planes day by day, but the Austrian army did nothing, Vittorio Emanuele III "sees it in his eyes and is anxious in his heart."

As a top student who graduated from the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, although he has never led a soldier, Vittorio Emanuele III still does not lack basic military literacy.

However, he, the king, besides his noble status on the surface, actually has no right to speak.

After repeatedly lobbying Admiral Morquez to launch a full-scale offensive to no avail, Vittorio Emanuele III even protested to the Vienna government, demanding a change of commander.

There is no doubt that such a request will naturally not be supported.The Austrian army seems to have the upper hand on the southern front, but it may not be so if they really fight.

The French are not as easy to bully as the Kingdom of Sardinia, and they can be overwhelmed all the way.The complex terrain and poor traffic in Italy are all problems that the Austrian army has to face.

As long as the front advances several hundred kilometers, the Austrian army's firepower advantage will no longer exist. It is not that the Austrian army lacks weapons and ammunition, but the key is that the transportation cannot keep up.

Without the advantage of firepower, facing the French army occupying favorable terrain, it is bound to pay a heavy price.

This point has been proved in the original time and space.After the outbreak of World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire easily defeated Italy with only a small number of troops, but as the front moved forward, it quickly lost to the terrain and logistics, and staged a tragedy of victory first and then defeat.

The conservative offensive line on the southern front was naturally created by Franz.In his opinion, keeping the French Italian Legion is more valuable than killing them.

Numerous cases have proved that more troops are not better, and more troops also mean more consumption.Although France's strength is strong, maintaining an army of several million is also dwarfed by comparison.

The French increased their troops in Italy, which was exactly what Franz wanted to see most.

The Central European battlefield requires a large number of troops, the Egyptian battlefield requires a large number of troops, and the southern front requires a large number of troops, and Africa needs...

Where did the French government get so many troops?With their population of more than 3000 million, it is simply impossible to form so many troops.

To solve the problem of insufficient troops, the French government either armed the colonial natives or recruited a large number of Italians to join the army.

In either case, the combat effectiveness of the French army will decline, and the more troops are expanded, the greater the combat effectiveness will be.

In contrast, the anti-French alliance has much greater advantages in this regard.Although the expansion of the army will also reduce the combat effectiveness of the troops, the quality of the soldiers is high!

It can be said that every time the army expands, the balance of victory will be tilted one point towards the anti-French alliance.

France and Austria are not the only two big countries in the European continent. If the war situation suddenly becomes clear, countries will immediately interfere.

Countries will not just watch Austria dismantle France, otherwise France would have been dismantled as early as 1815, and there is no need to wait until now.

A quick decision seems to be a good win, but it can't really defeat France, leaving endless troubles.

Apart from winning a nominal victory, Austria won't get much benefit at all.Even the unification of the German region may not be possible.

As a last resort, no one wants to have an extra boss on their head.

What Franz wants is a Shenluo Empire that everyone is crying and clamoring to join, not an empire that is forcibly unified by force, has many internal conflicts, and may split again at any time.

As for driving out the French and liberating Italy, that was just a political slogan for the Italians, and it was not the goal of the Vienna government from beginning to end.

It was originally intended to attract the strength of the French army, and Vittorio Emanuele III's thoughts were naturally in vain.

……

Suez Canal

Open the map and you will know that whoever controls this golden waterway will have the initiative in this war.

Since the outbreak of the war, Austria has sent troops from Austrian Sudan, Libya, and the Sinai Peninsula to besiege French Egypt.

The roaring gunfire continued, and the Suez Canal, where thousands of sails raced in the past, has fallen silent at this moment.

Without the passage of ships, the port naturally became depressed.Coupled with the war, a large number of people fled to escape the war. At this moment, there are the most French soldiers in Suez Port.

Unlike others, the quick-witted John didn't follow suit, but instead expanded his tavern.

Soldiers are also human beings, and they also need to relax. Especially in wartime, they need a channel to vent, and alcohol is absolutely indispensable.

Not only did the business of the tavern not slump because of the war, but it became more and more prosperous, which made John so happy that he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

I sincerely hope that this war can continue, preferably for a long time, just like the Hundred Years' War...

The only fly in the ointment is that many French soldiers do not have alcohol, and they lose themselves after a few glasses of wine, and fights often occur.

Accidental injury is inevitable, and people may be able to avoid it, and the tableware, tables, chairs and benches in the tavern will suffer.

Just now, John also dealt with a brawl.Said it was dealing with it, but in essence, all he did was to notify the officer to come and pick him up.

Unfortunately, this time the client was poor again, and after searching all over, he still didn't have a single franc.

No money means no money. Apart from admitting that he was unlucky and being forced to agree to postpone the compensation, there was actually nothing John could do.

This is the front line, maybe someday these unlucky bastards will receive a lunch box.The dead do not need to pay their debts.

If there are only these losses, John doesn't have to care.The wool comes from the sheep, and because of the war, the prices in the Port of Suez have long been skyrocketed.

What really worried John was the situation on the battlefield.He didn't even need to go out to inquire about the news. He could analyze the three or five points just by listening to the conversations of the drinkers.

The so-and-so army suffered heavy casualties, so-and-so survived the disaster, so-and-so was unlucky...

Regardless of whether it needs to be kept secret or not, after a few glasses of wine, it was shaken out.

The speaker is unintentional and the listener is interested.

The battle for the Suez Canal is still going on, and John can't judge the final outcome, but it is an indisputable fact that the French army suffered heavy casualties.

The port of Suez is also the front line. Once the Austrian army regards this as a breakthrough, the tavern business will not continue.

Although John loves money, he cherishes life even more.Guns have no eyes on the battlefield, and if you don't pay attention, you will see God.

The Paris government has issued a mobilization order for the whole people. At a critical moment, the Governor of Egypt has the right to recruit all French in the territory to join the army.

As early as a week ago, the Egyptian governor issued a call-up order.According to the regulations, John should have entered the barracks to report.

But there are exceptions to everything, and privilege is everywhere.With the help of Franc, John successfully escaped military service on the grounds of being weak and sick.

It's a pity that if you escape the first day of junior high school, you may not be able to escape the fifteenth day.With many years of life experience, John can be sure: once the situation on the battlefield deteriorates, the colonial government will further increase its conscription.

Maybe even the step of physical examination will be omitted by then, as long as there is no lack of arms or legs, they will have to go to the front line.

That's why rich people are leaving the port of Suez.Everyone is a person of status, how can they work hard on the battlefield?

Although everyone has confidence in France, it is high expectations for the mainland, not for the Egyptian colonial government.

Before John could make up his mind, the flames of war spread to the Port of Suez.The Suez Canal is still too narrow, with a distance of only a few hundred meters, it is impossible to get out of the range of the cannon.

As the rumbling sound continued, the shells falling from the sky began to ravage the emerging city, like a meteor shower.

Without any hesitation, John joined the fleeing army.Starting tonight, the city has officially turned into a military port.

……

"Fick, you idiot. I asked you to prepare a boat. It's just a few rags that might sink by themselves in the water. What's the use?"

A middle-aged officer growled at his subordinates, and it was obvious that he was really angry.It was originally planned to attack the port of Suez, but when it arrived there, it was found that there were no ships at all.

Fick's young officer hurriedly explained: "Colonel, you can't blame me for this. The Suez Canal is too narrow, and the enemy's artillery can cover it all.

At a distance of only a few hundred meters, any gunner can hit it.There is no way to hide a big ship, so we can only make do with some rafts.

But you can rest assured that the big ship of the French on the opposite side was also destroyed by us, so there is no need to worry about them launching a sneak attack. "

After hearing this explanation, the middle-aged officer's face became even more ugly.There are not enough ships, just relying on a bunch of rafts to cross the river, the difficulty can be imagined.

Unlike other regions, the Sinai Peninsula is not a good place.If the Vienna government had not implemented the land fallow early, relocated the population, and curbed the expansion of desertification, it is estimated that even the drinking water for the troops would not be able to be provided locally.

Except for the garrisons in a few strongholds, the Sinai Peninsula is no man's land.There are no people, and it is simply impossible to find a solution to the ship problem locally.

As for sending ships from the mainland, it is easy. The problem is that before the ships enter the canal, they will be destroyed by the enemy's artillery fire.

At a distance of two to 300 meters, it is not easy to hit a ship.From this point of view, even if there is a boat, crossing the river will not be smooth.

Chapter 165 Battle for the Canal

Cannonballs fell from the sky one after another, and when they fell into the water, they made a roaring explosion, which also caused huge waves.

The raft that had just been thrown into the river and had not had time to function was torn apart by the huge waves.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Colonel Boardman no longer had any hope for the next attack.

There is no way, the Suez Canal is too narrow.Standing by the river, you can clearly see the opposite side with the naked eye, and any means of crossing the river cannot be kept secret.

You must know that the Suez Canal has been regarded as a top strategic place by France and Austria since its opening to navigation. In order to ensure the safety of the canal, the two countries have deployed a large number of artillery along the coast.

Not surprisingly, the French artillery was deployed in Egypt, and the Austrian artillery was deployed in the Sinai Peninsula.The two countries each occupy one side to protect their own right to speak.

Originally, these artillery and fortresses were to guard against the British, but they did not expect to hit the former allies in the end.

After the outbreak of the war, in order to occupy the Suez Canal, both France and Austria invested heavily in the fight.

However, the defenses of both sides are abnormal. No one can complete the landing without destroying the canal.

"Give power to the headquarters, the enemy has already prepared, the raft we prepared was bombarded by the enemy, and the plan to attack the port of Suez went bankrupt!

In view of the current situation, it is recommended that the headquarters approve the bombing of the Suez Canal to fill in a passage. "

Colonel Boardman said helplessly.

This is not the first time he proposed to blow up the canal. However, the Suez Canal is of great strategic significance, and the dredging technology these years is not good.

Once the canal is damaged, even locally, it will take a long time to repair it.

In times of war, time is life.Taking a canal that cannot play a strategic role will simply not form a strategic advantage over the enemy.

From the battle between the French and Austrian armies, it can also be seen that the artillery battle is the artillery battle, and they are still trying to avoid the canal.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the shareholders behind the canal company.After all, the shares in the Suez Canal have long been divided up by the dignitaries of the two countries.

If you don't look at the monk's face and look at the Buddha's face, even though it is a time of war, you still can't escape the human relationship.Maybe the boss in the headquarters is one of the shareholders of the Canal Company.

Unless it is absolutely necessary, no one can make up his mind to destroy the canal.

Relatively speaking, the army is still relatively simple.These complicated issues are not what Colonel Boardman needs to consider. As a front-line commander, he only needs to consider military issues.

……

After receiving a telegram from Colonel Bodman, the wrinkles on Admiral Feslav's forehead became more dense.

In order to facilitate the expansion of the colony, the colonial governors appointed by Austria were all military attaches starting from the opening of the colony, and they were mainly responsible for the security of the colony and foreign wars.

As the governor of the Middle East, Admiral Feslav automatically became the commander of the Middle East theater from the outbreak of the war, responsible for seizing the Suez Canal.

Behind the high position and weight, it is also accompanied by heavy pressure.Unlike previous enemies, this time the enemy is the French.