Holy Roman Empire

For example: the legendary anti-aircraft rifle.

Theoretically speaking, this specially developed anti-aircraft rifle has a limit range of up to thousands of meters, which can pose a threat to enemies in the sky.

As for the actual combat effect, it is a pity that the French army has not shot down a plane or airship with this thing for so long since the European war broke out.

Maybe it hit the target, but it's a pity that it just didn't fall.There is no way, the power of bullets is too small these days, and being able to fly thousands of meters does not mean that they also have thousands of meters of lethality. Unless the enemy is flying at low altitude, otherwise it is useless at all.

The anti-aircraft machine gun widely circulated in later generations is like a myth in this era. The Maxim machine gun is all new equipment. Soldiers can’t shoot Gatling into the sky, can they?

Compared with the black technology responsible for funny, the artillery is still powerful. Although the hit rate is pitiful, as long as it hits, basically the result can be achieved.

"The anti-aircraft weapons have been brought in, but, Marshal, I'm afraid it's just these hundreds of anti-aircraft artillery..."

There is no way, the 200 million French army counts on hundreds of anti-aircraft artillery to ensure the safety above their heads, no matter how they are allocated, it is impossible to do so.

In order to compete for the ownership of these anti-aircraft artillery, the French army was about to fight internally, which caused Lieutenant General Amedei, who was in charge of logistics, a headache.

Patrice McMahon nodded thoughtfully: "The number of anti-aircraft artillery is insufficient, so we don't need to allocate it to the troops for the time being. Let's gather together and act together with the artillery.

The enemy is in the sky, it is impossible to distinguish so clearly.At that time, let the other artillery fire together and frighten them.

As long as the enemy does not bomb at low altitude, the losses we will suffer are within the tolerable range.

You must know that the cost of the air force dispatching is not low, and the results obtained by harassing us at high altitude may not be enough for their gas money.

Didn't the country say that the production of fighter jets has already started, and the problem will be solved after a while.

Right now, we should speed up the progress, create as many refugees as possible before the international community interferes, and increase the enemy's logistical pressure. "

This is a fact. From purely economical calculations, the cost performance of high-altitude bombing is indeed low.

Hundreds of tons of ammunition every day, plus hundreds of tons of fuel, and a lot of maintenance costs, just to get the result of annihilating 80 and [-] enemies is definitely a blood loss.

Money is what is fought in the war. If the results cannot be obtained, no one can stand it after a long time, and the frequency of bombing will naturally decrease.

No, to be precise, the bombing frequency of the Austrian army has dropped.Most of the dispatches are aircraft harassment, and the frequency of airship dispatches is getting lower and lower.

The reason is naturally logistics. The emergence of the refugee wave forced the Austrian army to save ammunition and reduce logistics consumption as much as possible.

The airship units that were originally used to bomb the French army are now taking on more logistics and transportation tasks.Every day, hundreds of airships travel back and forth between the two places to ensure sufficient supplies on the front line.

The cost of the gods has long been out of the scope of the Vienna government's consideration.Now Austria is moving on three fronts, water, air and air, and is doing its best to deliver supplies to the front line.

As for the international interference that Patrice McMahon is worried about, it is actually completely fancied by the authorities, and the French government is scaring itself.

Countries capable of interfering in the European war do not want to intervene, and they are still engaged in a "friendly match", which cannot be stopped for a while.

The remaining countries that want to intervene in the European war do not have enough strength. Apart from shouting a few voices, they have no substantial ability to intervene at all.

……

Once the Sino-European battlefield is stabilized, the African continent will be bustling.Austria's full-strength shot, the effect is naturally extraordinary.

In just half a month, the Vienna government sent seventeen divisions of reinforcements to the Egyptian battlefield, which made the French army, which was already at a disadvantage, completely passive.

Looking at the mountain of help telegrams in front of him, Governor Jacob had no time to reply, and a new bad news came again.

As the Austrian army launched a full-scale offensive on the African continent, the Algerian region in the rear has now become the front line. The Algerian colonial government withheld reinforcements that were originally planned to reinforce the Egyptian region.

"Damn Anatole idiot, can't you use your brains? Once the Egyptian region falls, we will be completely passive in this war..."

Not only were they cursing Governor Jacob endlessly, but all the people present, no matter what faction they were in, showed the same hatred at this moment.

According to the plan, after the French army completes its strategic contraction on the African continent, there will be 30 reinforcements to reinforce the Egyptian theater.

Although these troops are not the main force, and their combat effectiveness is not much stronger than that of the native troops, it is better to have reinforcements than to have no reinforcements.

Even if the current battlefield situation cannot be reversed, at least the Egyptian theater can be sustained for a longer period of time.For everyone, as long as they can persist until the end of the European war, it is a great victory.

It's a pity that all of this has become a dream now. Without reinforcements, these remnants and defeated generals in Egypt will not last long at all.

Lieutenant General Artir, who was in charge of the Suez defense line, was filled with righteous indignation: "Your Excellency, please complain to the country! If everyone learns from the Algerian colonial government to act recklessly and disregard the overall situation, who can defend France?"

Don't worry, the enemy has already crossed the Suez Canal. If it weren't for the fortress, the canal defense line would have collapsed long ago.

Anyone with a little bit of military common sense knows that once the Suez Canal defense line collapses, the delta that stretches across the plains in the rear cannot be defended at all.

It doesn't matter if the Egyptian area falls, the key is that the Suez Canal has completely fallen into the hands of the enemy.Even if the canal is damaged and it will take time to repair it, the overall strategic passivity is still caused.

The Austrian Empire spanning Europe, Asia and Africa is absolutely terrifying. Even if France won the European War, it would not be able to deal with this monster.

……

In the Palace of Versailles, before the protest telegram from the Egyptian governor came, Napoleon IV was pissed off by the manipulation of the Algerian colonial government.

If you can't provide reinforcements to the Egyptian region, let's talk about it earlier, what is this move at a critical moment?

If it hadn't been confirmed that Algeria was still under the flag of France, Napoleon IV would have suspected that they had surrendered to the enemy.

Thinking about it with my knees, the sudden disappearance of the reinforcements that were supposed to go out is definitely a fatal blow to the Egyptian theater that is in the midst of wind and rain.

It is not popular in Europe to fight to the end. If there is no reinforcement in the country and there is no hope of victory, maybe the interest groups in Egypt will surrender to Austria.

Loyalty is something that cannot stand the test. No matter how strict France's control over the colonies is, the people's sense of belonging is not as good as that of the natives.

"What does that fool Anatole say?"

It can be seen that Napoleon IV is really angry.To use this tone to describe the governor I appointed is definitely the limit of patience.

Prime Minister Terrence Bulkin, who was flushed all over his face, replied with an influence on his scalp: "Anatole explained that the battle situation on the front line was urgent, and the troops that had been withdrawn from the front line were overtaken by the enemy halfway, and suffered heavy losses after the battle.

More than half of the reinforcements promised to Egypt have now been lost.In addition, the enemy's soldiers have already pointed directly at the Algerian region, and they have no ability to reinforce the Egyptian region.

In order to ensure the safety of the Algerian region, Anatole has issued an emergency mobilization order to recruit all French youths in the colony to join the army.

At the same time, a telegram for help was sent to the country, seeking military and material support.If nothing else, we are about to lose Africa as a source of raw materials. "

Believe it or not, it has happened.The retreat suffered heavy losses, and the strategic contraction plan was not fully successful, and the Algerian region was about to become a battlefield.

In this context, even if the Paris government forces the colonial government to send reinforcements, it will have no effect.

Unlike other colonies, the Algeria region has always been a key area for French operations, and local interest groups have become a trend.

At a time of crisis, the first thing everyone must protect is their own interests.In the face of interests, the overall situation must also rely on the back.

Suppressing the dissatisfaction in his heart, Napoleon IV asked, "How long can Egypt survive without these reinforcements?"

Confidence cannot be worn down. If everyone expected 100 points for the French army before the war broke out, now there are only 80 points left at most.

A quick decision to defeat Austria in a short period of time to win the war was just a beautiful idea at the beginning of the war.

Now Napoleon IV has increased the time to win the war from the initial two months to one year.Before the French army fully gains the strategic advantage, the French government cannot tolerate the fall of Egypt.

After hesitating again and again, Minister of War Luskinia replied uncertainly: "It is estimated that it can last for three to six months, but recently the Austrians have increased their troops to the Egyptian area. How long the Egyptian theater can last depends on the Enemy input."

This answer is tantamount to no answer. Austria's investment in Egypt is uncontrollable, which means that how long the French army in Egypt can last is also uncontrollable.

"Your Majesty, let's send more troops to Egypt! We must let the troops on the front line see hope, or else..."

Prime Minister Terrence Bulkin stopped talking halfway through his speech.There is no way, the following content is too damaging to morale.

As a politician, you can think about it secretly, but you really can't say some things.

Chapter 188 The Tangled Japanese Government

There is no way, the strategic position of Egypt is too important.As long as France wants to win the war, it must prevent the emergence of giants across Asia, Africa and Europe.

After contemplating for a while, Napoleon IV sighed and said, "The Ministry of War came up with a plan to send troops to reinforce the Egyptian theater as soon as possible. We don't want to defeat the enemy, we just need to stabilize the front line."

Reinforcing Egypt is easy to say, but not so simple to do.Not only is it necessary to squeeze out troops, but more importantly, the scale of the Egyptian battlefield has expanded, and the strategic materials that need to be consumed will also increase accordingly.

There is no doubt that it is impossible for French Egypt alone to bear such a large consumption.

Originally, the Paris government planned to share part of it with the Algerian colonial government, but now it is impossible.

While the reinforcements were being seized, the demand for strategic materials in the Algerian region also increased.Not to mention supporting the Egyptian region, it is estimated that they themselves will reach out to the country.

Today is different from the past. The war has progressed to the present, and France is no longer so rich and powerful.The sudden consumption of a large amount of supplies is also a test for the French government.

After a little calculation, Prime Minister Terrence Bulkin's forehead began to sweat.

"Your Majesty, it is easy to send reinforcements. The newly mobilized troops in the country are about to complete their initial training. It is not a big problem to withdraw twenty or thirty divisions. The trouble is the logistics supply.

So far, we have not only undertaken the logistics of nearly 500 million troops in Europe, but also supported a large amount of supplies on the colonial battlefields. Domestic industrial production has long been unable to keep up.

Now to reinforce the Egyptian battlefield, it will consume a lot of strategic materials.In a short period of time, it is difficult for us to raise so many materials.

Unless we have the full support of the British, we will not be able to complete our support to the Egyptian battlefield within half a year. "

What is important in war is the speed of soldiers, if you wait half a year, the collection of corpses in the past will not be able to catch up.But the problem is that hundreds of thousands of troops will go on an expedition, and the logistical materials involved will be as high as tens of thousands of tons, which cannot be prepared in a day or two.

Don't look at the mountains of strategic materials in France, but they all have a place to go.Both the Central European battlefield and the Southern European battlefield are very important, and there is no possibility of misappropriation.

Of course, you can buy it if your own production is insufficient, but it takes time to buy strategic materials.

The production time is nothing more than that, France has already placed a bunch of orders, and enterprises in most European countries are French arsenals.

The real trouble stems from politics. While countries are making money, they still don't forget to drag them down.

Most of the time, the import of strategic materials from France will be delayed.The endless checkpoint checks and messy procedures are all means to restrict France.

In order to break these restrictions, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made no little effort.It's just that no matter how hard the Ministry of Foreign Affairs works, it can't keep up with the speed of France's hatred.

"It is not difficult to convince the British to support. No one wants to see a giant that spans Asia, Africa and Europe. If Austria is really allowed to connect the mainland with Africa, the blow to Britain will also be fatal.

It's just that if we ask the British for help at this time, they will definitely open their mouths, and we are bound to pay a heavy price. "

Foreign Minister Karel Kadlec said in embarrassment.

As a centuries-old enemy, the French are naturally clear about the style of the British.If this kind of opportunity is delivered to your door, if you don't take advantage of it, it won't be John Bull.

France launched this European war essentially for profit. If it is robbed by the British, it is unknown how much the final profit will be.

Just turn over the history books and you will know how many teammates who cooperated with the British and lost their money, including France.

Now if you ask the British for help, it’s fine if you operate well; if you make a mistake, France may have to work for nothing in this European war.

At the critical moment, the young Napoleon IV still showed the decisiveness that a monarch should have: "Talk to the British immediately, no matter how much we pay, we must win this war."

I have to admit that Napoleon IV was very sensible at this time.All interests are based on winning the war. If you lose the war, you will lose everything.

The essence of international politics lies in strength. As long as France is strong enough, it is not necessary to count all the benefits it promises now. Anyway, they have not broken their promises.

……

While the negotiations between Britain and France were in full swing, the Far East was not peaceful anymore.Seeing that the four major European powers were all caught in the flames of war, the Japanese government, which had just completed the Meiji Restoration, gradually couldn't hold back its ambitions.

After more than 20 years of reform and development, Japan has become a regional power in the Far East, with the second largest comprehensive national strength in East Asia.

Of course, this ranking means nothing.Asia is almost divided up, and there are only a few independent countries in East Asia.

The olive branch handed out by the French still affected this new country. Whether to go south to capture Nanyang or go north to conquer Korea has become a hot topic in Japan.

As the leader of this militaristic country, Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi has had a hard time recently.The voices of the people clamoring for war are getting louder and louder, and the situation is about to get out of control.

Just at this time, the opinions of the top Japanese government also diverged.Some people advocate going north to capture North Korea, while others advocate taking the opportunity to go south to conquer Nanyang.

Even those who advocated the invasion of Nanyang proposed three plans, the combat targets were: the French Indochina Peninsula, the Spanish Philippines, the Austrian Nanyang and the German Malay Peninsula.

There is nothing surprising about it. Although it was only the French who invited Japan to attack the Austrian South Seas, the Japanese government also has a lot of blows, and they are not optimistic that France can win the war.

Regardless of how militant sentiment among the people is soaring, the Japanese high-level leaders are still not drifting. They are very clear that their own family can only follow the trend, and they have no ability to change the outcome of the European war.

At this time, the team is very critical.If you stand with the loser, then it goes without saying that you will be liquidated after the war, and the vast sea cannot stop the soldiers of the great powers.

Specifically, you can refer to the naval strength of countries in the Asian region.The British Far East Fleet is naturally the leader, and the Francophone and Austrian fleets deployed in Asia are of equal strength. With the addition of several ships from the German Federation, the Anti-French Alliance still has a slight advantage.

After the three major powers, it is the Far Eastern Empire and Japan, then Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal are responsible for the bottom.

A squadron exceeds the entire family property of the Japanese Navy, and the overall strength of the navy is calculated, and the gap between everyone is tens of times.

This is determined by comprehensive national strength, and it is not something Japan can catch up in a short time.With the few ironclad ships they bought, they could only give away heads in front of the former dreadnoughts.

In this context, it is only normal for politicians who want to speculate to have differences of opinion.Even Ito Hirobumi himself wanted to take the opportunity to give it a go, but in the end reason prevailed.

On the surface, at this time, whether the Japanese government is falling to the French or to the anti-French alliance, it can determine the strength comparison between the two sides in Asia. Fao should try to win over Japan first.

Theoretically speaking, as long as the Japanese government grasps the balance, it can reap benefits from both sides, and then bet on the winner at the last moment.

It is a pity that the French extended an olive branch, but Austria turned a blind eye to them. Even Japanese officials took the initiative to ask questions, but they did not receive the desired answer.

This kind of disregard certainly made the Japanese government look bad, but it also made them aware of Austria's strength.

Human psychology is complicated, sometimes the more you ignore it, the easier it is for people to think more.

In the eyes of many people, although the conditions offered by the French are attractive, France is fighting alone in Europe, and Austria still has a group of allies in Europe.