Holy Roman Empire

Now is the time of war, and everything must serve the war.The logistics of our front-line troops are all supplied by the Austrians, and it is impossible to kick them out.

After the war is over, it is our time.The government also does not want to see the Austrians control our military production, and our market will come back by then. "

Everyone came here for profit. Both the military and the government were very dissatisfied with the inferior weapons they produced, so the expeditionary force switched to Austrian weapons on a large scale.

Stupid, big, and thick are the consistent characteristics of Russian military weapons. If there is only this shortcoming, the military will tolerate it. The problem is that these weapons and equipment often jam, and they may explode.

If there is no choice, or if everyone has the same weapon, forget it.The problem is that now Britain, France and Austria have surpassed them, and even the Ottomans on the opposite side have begun to switch to new weapons.

In order to win the war, in order to increase the chance of survival on the battlefield.The officers on the front line strongly demanded to change their outfits. They could not be suppressed by the interest groups in the government, so they could only buy Austrian equipment for the expeditionary force.

The young man complained: "Mr. Coors, even if the market returns, I will still face competition from the Austrians. The military is used to using arcane weapons, will they still use our junk?

Sorry, I'm a very blunt person.Compared with our European counterparts, the weapons and equipment we produce are indeed behind an era.

Don't you want to change? The government can't tolerate it all the time. If this continues, we will be eliminated sooner or later. "

Coors laughed, and then explained: "Little Peter, you are still too tender, didn't old Peter tell you?

On the surface, we have jointly monopolized the domestic supply of weapons and equipment, which must be rich.

In fact, we don’t make a lot of money. How much does the Army pay to replace its weapons and equipment every year?If it is less than 1000 million rubles, almost half of the money will be divided, and the rest will be used to buy equipment.

The research and development of weapons is full of uncertainties. More than 90.00% of the weapons and equipment that come out have no actual combat value, and 90.00% of the weapons that are more than five are not profitable.

In this case, if we cannot maximize the maximum profit of each weapon, how can everyone's interests be guaranteed?

Originally, the time when everyone made a fortune was during the war.It is very unfortunate that the biggest peach in this Russo-Turkish war was picked by the Austrians. "

Little Peter lowered his head dejectedly and stopped talking.The arms market is limited, and there are too many people sharing the cake.

In addition, it is a monopoly operation, and the research and development of new weapons cannot bring them greater profits, so everyone is naturally not active.

A middle-aged man said in a deep voice: "Since we can't stop the change of clothes, we should just join in.

Send people to buy production lines from the Austrians, and we will produce them ourselves.The expeditionary force needs them to provide logistics, and we have no way to compete for that market.

But we have to occupy the rest of the domestic market.After the war, the domestic arms market is still ours. "

Ivanov, who was angry before, said: "This is also a way. According to past experience, this short-term will not end. We can make up for the loss by joining in."

Little Peter was a lot more cautious this time, and asked uncertainly: "Will the Austrians sell me out? You know, this is a good time for them to make money?"

Coors replied affirmatively: "Yes, these production lines are not only produced in Austria, if they don't sell them, we can find others to buy them, but they need to be modified.

It can even be produced in our country, but it is not very easy to use.In order to save costs, everyone is used to importing from abroad. "

Chapter 78 On bureaucratic technology which is better

The flames of war in the Balkan Peninsula were ignited again. This large-scale battle was the largest in the history of the European continent. The total number of troops invested by both sides on a front of more than 400 kilometers exceeded one million.

The battle that was destined to be famous in history unfolded very comically.It stands to reason that the coalition forces are not well prepared, and as the initiators of the battle, the Russians should take advantage of it, and even directly seal the victory.

The reality is very tragic. As the attacking party, the Russian army also experienced chaos.

Preston, the artillery regiment commander, scolded angrily: "Hell, we are artillery, and you actually sent me a bunch of bullets. Do you want me to feed bullets to the cannon?"

The officer delivering the supplies mechanically replied: "Sorry, Mr. Colonel, this is an order from above. If you have any questions, please contact the headquarters. Now please sign for the supplies."

Preston's artillery regiment had just arrived, and the infantry regiment originally stationed here had moved forward, but the logistics department still distributed supplies according to the original plan.

Preston frowned and replied: "We responded to the above, Mr. Major. Now these materials are useless to me, you should take them back!"

The major officer said seriously: "Your Excellency, I have received an order to send this batch of supplies here to the defenders, please be sure to sign for it.

As for how to dispose of these materials, you can decide for yourself, you can dispose of them in private, you can find a place to throw them away, and just report the war damage directly after the war.

These materials are the supply of an infantry regiment for the next week, and there are still many good things in it. Colonel, you will not suffer. "

After hesitating for a moment, Preston still signed his name, and the money delivered to the door was not earned for nothing.

Anyway, artillery is the treasure of the headquarters, unlike those worthless gray animals, once a report is made, their supplies will still come down.

……

In this battle, the main force of the Russian army was divided into two. Fitzroy Somerset led four infantry divisions, two artillery regiments, and one cavalry regiment, with a total of more than [-] people attacking the Sofia area.

The battlefield is ever-changing, and troops are frequently mobilized, so the logistics system cannot keep up.Unlike the previous battle, it was in the Danube River Basin at that time, and it was easy to resupply, and even if it made a mistake, it could be adjusted quickly.

It was different now, the battle line had advanced two hundred kilometers, and it would take several days for the logistics supplies to be delivered. Without telegrams, they had to be notified by messengers, and the news received by the military supply department was often delayed.

At this time, the mechanical Russian bureaucratic system came into play. The officers who transported the logistics materials had to deliver the materials to the designated locations.

Even if the original troops are gone, they will hand over the supplies.Colonel Preston's artillery receiving infantry supplies is not an exception.

Fitzroy Somerset was a good general, he had to take care of this kind of thing, how can you fight a war without solving the logistics problem?

"Order the logistics department to increase the material supply of the frontline troops to one month. The future material supplies will not be in a fixed location, but must be handed over to the troops.

The troops below the division level are no longer transported separately, but are all sent to the division headquarters for uniform distribution of supplies, and the artillery and cavalry regiments are sent directly from the headquarters. "

A middle-aged military officer reminded: "Your Excellency Chief of Staff, this is not in line with the rules, I am afraid it will..."

Fitzroy Somerset shook his head and said, "Don't worry, I will explain this problem to the country. Now send someone to contact Commander Menshikov, I believe he has encountered the same problem."

……

After changing the logistics supply mode, the Russian army's logistics supply chaos was finally resolved.Of course, the lost materials transported in front must not be found, and all of them will be considered war damage.

The battle of Sofia started, and the Russian army was only [-] kilometers away from Sofia, and the two sides had already started fighting.

Sofia Coalition Command, Montes asked: "Have you checked the enemy's forces clearly?"

"Your Excellency, Commander, I have figured it out. The Russian army dispatched 4 infantry divisions, 2 artillery regiments, and 1 cavalry regiment, totaling 7.3 people.

In addition, there are about 2 Bulgarian partisans.However, they seem to have disagreed with the Russians and did not act together. "

The person who answered was an Ottoman officer. Naturally, they lowered their heads to do the scouting of the enemy's situation.If you send British soldiers out, you will not know how to get back if you don’t understand the language and get lost.

Montes said calmly: "Our reinforcements will arrive tomorrow night, order the troops not to rush to fight the enemy, and leave a small number of troops to restrain the enemy's marching speed.

Except for a few important strongholds that must be defended, the rest are withdrawn, and they will fight the enemy after the reinforcements arrive. "

It doesn't matter if you don't stay calm. Montes is considered a rare "veteran" in the British army. He once commanded a battalion of troops and suppressed hundreds of colonial rebellions.

There is no way, who has made the British Empire peaceful and peaceful in the past ten years?Without a major war, apart from suppressing the Irish mob, the British Army could only bully the colonial aborigines.

The largest battles also stay at the regiment level.It is rare to see high-level generals like Montes who have been on the battlefield, so he became the commander of the British Expeditionary Force.

You can learn without experience, and now Montes is doing very well, completely in accordance with the requirements of the art of war, even if you can't take advantage of it, you can't suffer a big loss.

……

Evening

In a camp, soldiers gathered in twos and threes looking up at the starry sky.

A man with a Genoese accent asked: "Arturo, you said that the country sent us to the Balkans to fight the Russians. What is the plan?"

Arturo said indifferently: "Didn't those gentlemen say that the purpose of beating the Russians this time is for revenge. It is said that the Russians supported Austria in the last Ossa War, and they are still allies now.

Aonzo, why are you asking this?We are all here to make a living. If we can find a job in China, who would come here to suffer! "

"No, just asking casually. I always feel that there is a problem here. It is not normal for us to go to the Balkan Peninsula to fight the Russians for no reason.

Even if it is revenge, it is the aristocrats and capitalists who need revenge. We poor people have nothing to lose, so why come here? "Aonzo shook his head and said

Doubts are doubts, they are not educated, so they can't think so much.They all joined the army to make a living.

"I said what are you guys talking about, hurry up and get tomorrow's food, and if you miss the time, you can solve it yourself."

A familiar voice came, and the two stopped their conversation, and ran over as fast as they could to line up to receive supplies.

After receiving the food, Aonzo's face turned ugly, and he complained: "Damn British, don't they just like corned beef and hard biscuits so much?

Not even a piece of bread is provided, this life is simply not human.They are deliberately abusing us, and these provisions are probably not as good as the Ottomans! "

In this war, the expenses of the Sardinian army were borne by the British, and the logistics and supplies were naturally handled by the British.

Not to mention deliberate abuse, the provisions of the British soldiers were the same as theirs.It was all flat, two pounds of corned beef and three hard biscuits per person per day, and then nothing. (2 pound equals 1 kilograms)

Not to mention vegetables and fruits, not even a piece of black bread.The British did not do this to save costs. Considering the cost, the price of beef is not low, and it would be much cheaper to replace it with black bread.

The reason for this tragedy is - the bureaucratic system.The bureaucrats of the British Quartermaster Office thought that corned beef jerky was easy to transport, and then they slapped their heads and became the supplies of the British army in this war.

On the surface, beef is eaten every day, and this kind of food is not bad.If you switch to beef jerky and eat it every day, the feeling will not be so good. The first thing to test is whether the teeth can bear it.

Not only is the beef hard, but the biscuits distributed are even harder. This may be the earliest compressed biscuit.If you don't put it in the water to bubble, if you can bite and move, it is iron teeth and copper teeth.

This kind of food is simply disastrous for Italians who pursue deliciousness.

No matter how poor the Sardinian Kingdom is, their army never saves on food expenses, and the food quality is much higher than that of the British.

"Aonzo stop complaining. If the Ottomans know about it, they won't mind trading with you. Are you really willing to trade with them?" Arturo said with a smile

Happiness is a comparison. The food provided by the British is the most unpalatable, at least you don’t have to worry about being hungry.

These beef jerky can also be processed twice. If possible, you can get some vegetables and cook them together without adding any salt.

The supplies of the Ottoman army are really bad, and there are also those who are required to bring a certain amount of dry food to the battlefield.What kind of food you can get depends on luck, and it is a good season to eat until you are seven to eighty percent full.

Ottoman bureaucrats still have the good habit of discounting according to regulations because of the daily empty pay. If there is no shortage in a certain army, it will be miserable and prepare the whole army to starve.

Aonzo shook his head and said, "I didn't say anything, but the logistics officer of the British should be shot. I bet there are definitely more soldiers killed by them than on the battlefield."

Arturo said with a smile: "I don't know about that, maybe the British people's stomach is different from ours, they can bear it.

Let’s not talk about this, we remember that during the day, you pulled out a few vegetables, and I have two potatoes here, which will be stewed with beef jerky tomorrow, let’s make do with it! "

The two looked at each other and smiled. Even if the logistics supply standard is low, the Italians can still use their talents to improve the food as much as possible under limited conditions.

In this regard, the Sardinian army also contributed.Their arrival directly improved the quality of life of the British army and reduced the number of scurvy patients in the British army.

The British soldiers who traveled with them quickly learned these excellent experiences and spread them at the fastest speed.In the past, when they went out, they simply robbed goods, which was too wasteful.

Now that everyone has learned it well, the crops in the field and the cattle and sheep on the hillside can all be turned into trophies.Many soldiers even learned to pickle food and use all conditions to store food.

The direct sequelae of this is that the marching speed has dropped significantly, and military discipline has become more lax.With the old fritters of the Sardinian army around, whatever the officer orders, they should do whatever they want.

The law does not blame the public, and the officers dare not do anything to a group of big soldiers who stand in a unified position.

By the way, it also brought down the British, and everyone discovered the power of unity.As long as they are of one mind, the officers will not dare to move them.

The final arrival time in Sofia was two full days later than Montes expected.In this battlefield where time is like life, two days is enough to change things.

The most direct thing is that the Russian army has already pressed up. Due to the lack of troops in the surrounding strongholds, Montes dare not allocate too many troops to garrison, and now they have fallen to the ground.

With the delayed arrival of the reinforcements, the coalition forces have lost their best opportunity. It is already too late to launch a counterattack while the Russian army is not gaining a stable foothold.

Montes roared angrily: "You bunch of idiots, the journey has been delayed for two days. Are you on an outing on the road? Do you know what military law is?"

Major General Mantua of the Sardinian Army lied solemnly: "Your Excellency, we were attacked by guerrillas on the road and caused dozens of casualties to us. We delayed the time to wipe out the guerrillas."

Everyone is not a fool. In order to avoid the military law, everyone said that if they encountered a guerrilla attack, the wounded were proof.

"The guerrillas are so rampant, and you have so many troops, how dare they sneak attack?" Montes asked suspiciously

Mantua had an idea and said: "Your Excellency, the guerrillas are very cunning, they don't fight us head-on, they just attack secretly.

They dig traps on the road and shoot cold arrows at night. They are very difficult to deal with, and there are still a lot of them.In order not to let these people cut off our army's retreat, we wiped them out. "

He wasn't talking nonsense. Some soldiers really fell into the trap, but they fell accidentally when they were looking for prey in the mountains.There is also the existence of sniping arrows, and it was also the arrows that met the Ottoman hunters in the mountains.

This is the first time Montes has encountered such a high-level talent who lies without changing his face. British officers are relatively honest, and they are completely different concepts from Italian officers.

It was not the first time for Mantua to do it. When they were with Marshal Badoglio, they collectively deceived the country. Now there is no pressure to fool the inexperienced Montes.

Montes snorted coldly: "Hmph!"

Then he scolded his head and covered his face: "Even so, you shouldn't delay for such a long time. Don't you leave a small group of troops to encircle the guerrillas and rush over with the main force?

Do you know how much damage your delay has brought to our army, and you have missed the best opportunity to counterattack! "

But at this time he didn't mention military law, and everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.Mantua did not continue to defend himself, he was afraid of being scolded, and he would not lose a piece of meat.

After the failure of the Orsa War, there were not many generals in the Kingdom of Sardinia who could retain the title of general, and Mantua was able to become one of them not because he could fight, but in fact his military ability was very limited.

His greatest ability is to be eloquent and eloquent, to read words and deeds, to pass all the responsibilities to others, and to stand on the king's side for the first time to gain trust, and only then did he have the opportunity to make a comeback.

Chapter 79 Russian-Austrian Trade

Vienna in midsummer is still cool.

Schönbrunn Palace