Holy Roman Empire

Facts once again proved that it is not that simple to go deep into the enemy's territory to fight.

That's right, both Belgium and the Rhineland are areas with convenient transportation and a complete railway network. The problem is that the roads were destroyed when the coalition forces retreated!

Destruction is always easier than construction. After occupying these areas, the first thing the French army did was to repair roads.

After more than a month of hard work, the road has basically resumed unimpeded, and the railway has almost been repaired.Seeing that it was about to be completed, it was a pity that it encountered this heavy snow again.

Bad weather affects logistics and transportation, which has become the biggest challenge for the French army right now, even more troublesome than the Austrian machine gun trenches.

After all, no matter how powerful the machine gun trench tactics are, it can only be defended on the spot.With the technology of this year, it is not possible to charge with a machine gun.

It can block the way forward of the French army, but it cannot threaten the lifeline of the French army.The logistics are different. If something goes wrong, the 200 million French troops will be in danger.

Looking out the window, Marshal Patrice McMahon sighed.The war broke out too hastily, and France was not prepared at all.

Who could have imagined that the huge French Empire didn't even have enough military uniforms for winter?In the end, the citizens had to be mobilized to donate cotton-padded clothes, which barely solved the problem of keeping the soldiers warm.

It's not that France's industry is not strong. As the world's second largest textile industry, as long as the raw materials are sufficient, millions of sets of winter clothes can be produced in a month.

The problem lies in the raw materials. 70.00% of the raw materials of the French cotton textile industry come from Egypt. Once the war broke out, the cotton production in Egypt was over.

Such a big gap is not so easy to solve.Even if you want to buy from the international market, you can't find enough sources.

You must know that cotton is as hard commodity as grain these days. Most producers have fixed partners, and it takes a big price to win the love.

Capitalists don't have such a strong sense of the overall situation. When they are not sure whether the war will continue, they invest huge sums of money to rob cotton, and the benefits and risks are completely out of proportion.

You must know that the French are very optimistic about this war. The mainstream public opinion generally believes that the French army will win within two to three months.

In such a short period of time, it can be survived by relying on inventory, and there is no need to invest huge sums of money to take risks.

Theoretically speaking, if no one is hoarding, under the condition of reasonable distribution, France will not be short of supplies now.

There is no way, the world can't compare with the greatest interests.After the war broke out, the price of goods rose slowly, and every day it dragged on, there was a new price.

No one will have trouble with money. In this context, the bureaucratic efficiency of the Paris government will naturally not be high.

The speed of raising materials in the early stage was too slow, which directly led to the failure of the French army to deliver enough materials to the front line before the onset of winter. The transportation efficiency was greatly reduced after heavy snowfall, and problems arose.

"Marshal, because of the heavy snow, the transport convoy that was supposed to arrive today has just arrived in Trier and is expected to be delayed by a week.

This is the third time this month that the arrival of supplies has been delayed. Since the snowfall, our supplies have not arrived on time. "

Major General John, who was in charge of the logistics and transportation of the French army, reported with a bitter face.

Compared with the fat man in charge of logistics distribution, the one in charge of logistics transportation is much more difficult. Not only do they have to build roads by themselves, they also face guerrilla attacks, and now they have to fight against bad weather.

If it's just this, it's fine, the big deal is to suffer a little bit, anyway, there is a lot of oil and water transported, which is enough to make up for everyone's injured hearts.

The problem is that the people responsible for transportation are not so obedient, and they will go on strike if the task is too heavy.After all, no matter how rich the oil and water are, they will not fall on them.

There is no way, the risk of recruiting laborers on the spot or using prisoners of war is too high, and it is uncertain when they will hook up with the guerrillas.Even if you don't collude with the guerrillas, the French army can't stand a passive sabotage.

For the safety of the logistics, the civilian husbands responsible for the transportation are all their own people. Once these people make trouble, the officers can only appease them.

Upon receiving this bad news, Patrice McMahon frowned and began to think secretly.

It wasn't long before the French army pushed the front line to the Rhine River, and they were often attacked by the enemy with heavy losses, and the supplies in reserve were very limited.

Since the snowfall, the supplies of the French army have fallen into a state of being unable to make ends meet.Even if the intensity of front-line firefights has decreased and the consumption of materials has decreased in the recent period, it will not last long.

No way, the consumption of ammunition has decreased, but the consumption of heating materials has increased.The coal production in the Rhineland region is true, but the German army blew up the coal mines before they withdrew, and it will take time to restore production capacity.

The most important thing is that the locals are unwilling to cooperate. Under the trend of hatred, the locals simply don't buy into the French army.

This war has only just begun, and it is far from the time to decide the outcome. Even the capitalists who are accustomed to watching the wind and the wind are not in a hurry to stand in line. There are only a very small number of people who ran to the French so early.

After a long while, Patrice McMahon said slowly: "Generating domestic power generation shows the difficulties we are facing and asks the Ministry of War to increase the number of transport teams.

Order the logistics department to give priority to the delivery of ammunition and medicines, and other materials, everyone should go down and find a way to raise as much as possible locally to reduce our logistical pressure. "

It is definitely not the best policy to raise supplies on the spot.Originally, the relationship between the French army and the local government was tense. If there is another wave like this, it will be difficult for the guerrillas to develop.

"Marshal, when the enemy retreated, they severely damaged the place, not only blowing up the infrastructure, but also burning down the material warehouse.

The industry in Belgium and the Rhineland is indeed good, but without the background of industrial raw materials, there is no way to change materials.

In particular, there is not much food produced locally, and it mainly relies on imports from Austria.Because of the war, the grain trade has been interrupted for almost a month.

Local food prices have soared, and social order has deteriorated sharply. If we go to collect food at this time, I'm afraid..."

Seeing Patrice McMahon's face getting more and more ugly, Lieutenant General Albert decisively chose to shut up.

Everyone knows the problem, but the French army is about to run out of food.No matter how serious the consequences are, Patrice McMahon has no choice now.

Glancing at each other, Admiral Udino, who has done his best, knew that it was time for him to take the blame.

He didn't have too many debts, and the previous big defeat had already discredited him, so he didn't care about another infamy.

If you take more scapegoats, you can also sell more favors, and someone will help you speak up during the post-war liquidation, so you don't have to go to a military court.

"Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, the problem cannot be viewed in this way. After the war broke out, the local residents were not completely unprepared.

As far as I know, when the enemy retreated, they did not burn all the supplies, and a large part of the food was distributed to the local people.It is not a big problem for us to borrow part of the food for emergency.

In addition to food, many of the materials we need can be raised locally, such as coal.

As long as everyone is willing to work hard, I believe it will not be difficult to restore the coal mine.There is not enough labor, so we can still use prisoners of war.

Set a task for them, and if they fail to complete it, they will be hungry. I believe they will compromise.

Other materials should be raised as much as possible, and the amount that can be raised is counted, and if it is not enough, find a way to transport it from China.

If you are worried that the situation will get out of control, then expel the locals to the opposite side, just to consume the enemy's supplies. "

Oudino just said what everyone wanted to do but didn't dare to do.Expulsion of the locals is not a big problem purely from a military point of view, but the political consequences are very serious.

This is the European continent, not a remote colony. Once the French army expels millions of locals, it will definitely arouse public outrage.

Especially for many small European countries, the French can do this to Belgium and the Rhineland today, and similar things may happen to them tomorrow.

Whether it is because of the death of the rabbit or the death of the fox, or for the safety of their own families, these small countries will stand on the opposite side of France.

Patrice McMahon was silent. From the beginning of the implementation of the "eating on the enemy" plan, the final result of driving or not expelling the locals is the same.

People are iron and rice is steel. If you don't eat a meal, you will be hungry.Without food in their hands, even if these locals wanted to stay, it was impossible for them to do so.

Fleeing famine is a matter of time, and it is nothing more than a matter of direction.France definitely cannot go. Refugees either flee to Switzerland, the Netherlands, or go to the German Confederation.

The expulsion by the French army was nothing more than allowing refugees who might have flooded into Switzerland and the Netherlands to enter the German Confederation, increasing the pressure on the anti-French alliance.

They are all their own people, the French army may not help the refugees, but the coalition forces cannot sit idly by.

Adding several million mouths to eat at once, no matter how big the anti-French alliance is, it is enough for them to bear it.

Chapter 185 Refugee Tide

A new day begins, and the snow is still flying all over the sky.Generally speaking, in such weather, neither the coalition nor the French will attack.

Captain Hoeg, who was on patrol, did not dare to take his guard lightly. The absence of a large-scale attack does not mean that a small-scale attack will not happen.

The No. 20 Fifth Division, where Captain Hoeger belonged, was attacked seven times by the French army in just half a month, causing hundreds of casualties.

Of course, the coalition forces also organized multiple retaliatory counterattacks. Generally speaking, they were victorious, and the Austrian army took advantage of it a little.

Facing the biting cold wind, Captain Hoeg sneezed, and an ominous premonition arose spontaneously.

"Cheer up and be careful not to be shot black by the French."

The battlefield is the best teacher, and experience is obtained slowly.I don't know when the warring parties fell in love with sniper games.

Four to five hundred meters away, ambush three or five soldiers with good marksmanship, and carry out a sneak attack on the enemy's patrol team, and they are not afraid of the previous platoon.

Subject to the accuracy of firearms, those who can hit more than 200% at a distance of 30.00 meters are elite soldiers.

At a distance of 500 meters, except for sharpshooters, ordinary soldiers rely entirely on luck, and there is no effective killing at all.

The soldiers in ambush will fight if they win, and run away if they can't win.In recent times, most of the casualties on both sides of the war came in this way.

"Don't worry, Captain. The terrain here is flat, and you can have a panoramic view of the situation three or five miles away. There is no way to hide people.

You see, the front is all white, and it doesn't look like anyone is passing by, unless the French ambushed in the snow in the middle of the night. "

The person who answered was a middle-aged veteran who was demobilized and returned to the army after the outbreak of the war.It can be seen from the eyes of everyone that his status in the patrol team is not low.

The army worships the strong, and being respected is naturally due to ability.This place is no exception. The middle-aged veteran is respected. Naturally, he has rich combat experience and has won military medals.

In almost all Austrian army companies, there will be such veterans, and the value of their existence is to impart battlefield experience.

Captain Hoeg took out the binoculars, glanced ahead, and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that there were no traces of pedestrians.

There is no overnight ambush. The temperature in the middle of the night is minus ten degrees. In the ice and snow without any heating facilities, it will kill people.

As for digging holes and setting up bunkers, that only exists in divine dramas.It's impossible in reality. Frozen soil is not so easy to dig. How can it be dug out silently overnight?

Just as he was about to put down the binoculars, a looming figure suddenly appeared in the distance, and Captain Hoeger's expression suddenly became serious.

"Signal, the enemy has appeared."

The distance is too far, and you can only see roughly through the telescope.Although it is unreasonable for the French army to launch an offensive in such weather, the battlefield is not a reasonable place.

Captain Hoeger went to a military academy, and countless classic battles told him that classic battles are won by breaking the rules.

It is not feasible in theory, but it does not mean that it will not happen in reality.For the French army, launching an attack in ice and snow weather is certainly not good, but it is not completely bad.

In such a ghostly weather, the planes and airships of the Austrian Army can only rest at home, and there is no need to worry about threats from the sky.

The task of the patrol team is to find the enemy and report it in time.After noticing the change, Captain Hoeger naturally wanted to report.

"Captain, are you sure it's the French army? Launching an attack now is not good for the French. You must know that fighting in such a ghostly weather will cause heavy casualties!"

Soldiers are injured in normal times, and when the corpses are collected in the evening, the wounded can be taken back for treatment by the way.

This kind of ice and snow weather is different. The wounded have been lying in the snow for several hours, and the wound has already been frozen, and the possibility of recovery is greatly reduced.

Anyone with a little bit of military common sense knows that the wounded on the battlefield are usually several times, perhaps even ten times, the number of soldiers killed in battle.

If these wounded cannot be rescued, the battle damage will go up all of a sudden.France is not a populous country, and they cannot bear such a loss.

Hoeg shook his head: "Lieutenant Hans, do you think other than the French, there will be people running towards us in groups in such a horrible weather?

Don't forget, this is war time.This is the battlefield where we are fighting the French army again. I don't think any normal person would be too tempted to run to die! "

Guns and guns have no eyes on the battlefield, and there is no innocent person in front of the two armies. If you come to join in the fun, your death will be in vain.

The nearby residents had long since fled, and no one stayed behind to be bombed.Captain Hoeg directly ruled out the possibility of the people.

Hans' middle-aged man shook his head: "No, Captain. Don't forget that the mines and factories in the Rhineland area are closed. After losing their livelihoods, ordinary people can't last long.

In this icy and snowy weather, it is difficult for the French to protect their own logistics, and it is impossible to provide relief.

According to past experience, every war produces a large number of refugees.For example, in the last Near East War, we created a large number of refugees for the Ottoman Empire. "

It can be seen that it is not because Lieutenant Hans has strong analytical skills, but mainly because he has personally participated in it, and the impression in his mind is too deep.

There are ready-made success stories, and there is no reason for the French not to follow suit.As for the sequelae, this is what Lieutenant Hans can consider.

After hearing this explanation, Captain Hoeg gave up his plan to withdraw immediately. Anyway, the distance between the two sides is still far, so it doesn't matter if they stay a little longer.

"Stop sending out the signal, and the scouts will go up one kilometer to make observations, and first determine whether the team ahead is the French army."

Own goals on the battlefield, the consequences are very serious.If the refugees were mistaken for the enemy and greeted directly with a cannonball, that would be another tragedy.

Captain Hoeger had a conscience and didn't want to direct a tragedy himself.

……

The coalition command headquarters, at this moment, the senior leaders of the three-nation coalition forces in Bideo are gathered together.

Grand Duke Albrecht said solemnly: "Everyone, I just received news from the front that refugees are coming to us.

Unlike the previous scattered refugees, the number of refugees this time may reach nearly ten million, and we are under great pressure.

There are indications that this time it is the French who are artificially creating a famine and forcing the people to leave.

The French are now at the end of their skills and have no way to defeat us on the battlefield, so they try to use this despicable method to wear us down. "

The Austrian officers are okay, but the officers of Bi and Germany were blown away, especially Leopold II, who attended the meeting, was even more panicked.

On the surface, a large number of refugees will consume the supplies of the coalition forces and increase the logistical pressure on the anti-French alliance.

If analyzed at a deeper level, this is the prelude to France's complete annexation of Belgium and the Rhineland.The locals are all gone, and naturally there is no way to prevent the French from occupying these areas.

As long as the French government settles a group of immigrants on it, the actual annexation is completed.Even after the war, European countries intervened together, and there was no way to restore Belgium, after all, they were all French.

A similar routine was used during Austria's annexation of the Ottoman Empire.When the European governments reacted and wanted to intervene, the Ottomans almost left.