Chapter 816: Rescue Battle 1

"How is the situation on the front line? Have our troops withdrawn?" The Austrian Emperor's slightly suppressed voice once again sounded in the Hoffmann Palace.

"The Second Army has withdrawn to Przemysl. Several other armies are also retreating rapidly. However, the Fourth Army, which accommodates some personnel of other armies and insists on retaining heavy weapons, is still far away from the planned position. A distance of more than 50 kilometers." Conrad, the commander-in-chief of the Austro-Hungarian Army, said with some shame. At this time, his mood was completely different from when the war broke out a month ago. Conrad was in high spirits a month ago, but what about now? The complexion is almost the same as a frost-beaten persimmon... "Why didn't the Fourth Army obey the orders of the general headquarters? Why?" The Austrian Emperor was already a little angry in his words. "Because General Hoffenberg believed that if the troops retreated brazenly, they would be pursued by at least two Russian armies. The Russian Fourth Army had already defeated our Second Army, and because of the arrival of the Bavarian Army , they moved closer to the Ninth Army and concentrated a large number of troops on a not-so-wide front. Coupled with the trailing Russian Ninth Army and the large number of Russian cavalry, once they broke away from the solid position, they would not have the help of artillery and positions. , the entire retreat is likely to turn into a rout," Conrad said. "But it is impossible for Hoffenberg to block the Russian counterattack and then retreat calmly! When did our general become like a piece of rotten wood?" The Austrian Emperor is now furious! "It's Prince Leopold. We have checked recent military communication records. Prince Leopold hopes that General Offenberg will try to gather the remaining soldiers and preserve as much equipment as possible, and said that the Bavarian Army will do its best Go all out to rescue the siege! And because of such a telegram, Offenberg believed it! He believed in the Prince of Bavaria!" Karl on the side was already extremely angry when he said this! As the nominal second-in-command of the Austro-Hungarian Army and a strong candidate for the future heir to the empire, Archduke Karl was angry not only because of Offenberg's choice, but because of the fundamental reason why Offenberg made such a choice. The reason was simply a telegram from a man who did not command the Austro-Hungarian Empire! "He actually believes in the Bavarians so much and regards Bavaria as his master! We are the highest command representing the military power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire! He is derelict in his duties! He is committing a crime!" Archduke Karl was the first After receiving the telegram from Auffenberg for the first time, he became furious in front of Conrad and other senior officials in the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Empire! From Auffenberg's actions, he saw the tendency of the upper management of the Austro-Hungarian Army, and it also made him realize that the crown prince's position was getting further and further away from him... "Your Majesty the Grand Duke, you'd better pay attention to what you say. The Kingdom of Bavaria is our ally, and Prince Leopold has just helped us stabilize part of the front. It is extreme to say such things under such circumstances. Wrong! Even His Majesty will not tolerate it." General Kwess, commander of the Austro-Hungarian Second Army who had just been rescued by Prince Leopold, said immediately. Kvais is a member of the Austro-Hungarian Army who is already close to Bavaria. And politically, it is hoped that Princess Mary will ascend to power. So what he said was merciless. Soon other people present also expressed that Archduke Karl's words were inappropriate or excessive, which made the Archduke very angry. But this time, he finally decided to raise this matter in front of the Emperor of Austria. He believed that it was necessary to rely on the authority of the Emperor of Austria to refocus military command power! "So what does Prince Leopold mean now?" The Austrian Emperor ignored Archduke Karl at all. The Austrian Emperor already knew about the fuss made by the other party at the headquarters. In his opinion,

Karl's lack of military talent can be tolerated, but political immaturity is absolutely unacceptable. Maybe Ruprecht's political skills are not too high, but at least it makes sense, coupled with his strong strength, he Naturally, he can act stronger, but Karl, a man under 30 years old and without his own direct lineage and strength, why should he be so jumpy? Karl's recent performance has really disappointed the Austrian Emperor!

"Prince Leopold repeatedly stated that he would assist General Offenberg, and His Royal Highness Prince Ruprecht had returned to Munich, but he did not stay too much and went directly to the front line. His Royal Highness the Prince expressed his willingness to personally lead the Bavarian Army to assist General Offenberg through private channels. And now, the Bavarian Army is indeed showing signs of mobilization," Conrad said. "Private channels?" Ao Huang said thoughtfully. "Well, it's Earl Schelling. He said that the prince will rescue the Fourth Army out of the morality of the allies and the feelings of the nation, but that's all." Conrad said. "It seems that the misunderstanding between us needs to be resolved." Emperor Ao smiled bitterly. "Since the Bavarian Army is willing to provide help, we will do our best to cooperate and support as much as possible in terms of supplies and transportation. After all, we are saving our own troops." The Austrian Emperor said. Ignoring Archduke Karl who still wanted to say something, the Austrian Emperor waved his hand to dismiss the meeting. He was already old and needed to take a good rest before making a decision that was most beneficial to the empire. Some things have come to an end. It's time to make a decision! While the senior leaders of the Austro-Hungarian Army were discussing this battle, as the protagonist of the incident, the situation of Auffenberg and his men who were fighting on the front line could be described as living like a year! A total of 15 Russian divisions have surrounded 6 infantry divisions and 1 cavalry division of the Fourth Army. The entire encirclement area is only more than 30 square kilometers. Assistance from the rear has been cut off. In addition to its own troops, Offenberg also accommodated about 22,000 retreating soldiers and wounded soldiers from other legions. Of course, these people cannot provide much combat effectiveness. Now, there are about 150,000 Austro-Hungarian troops and about 400 various artillery pieces in the entire encirclement. It was an accident that Offenberg was bitten by two armies at the same time. Originally, according to the Russian plan, it was a Russian The group army fought against an Austro-Hungarian group. After the Russian Fourth Army defeated the corresponding Austro-Hungarian Second Army, the Russians were startled by the sudden appearance of Prince Leopold on the flank. Then the Fourth Army decisively chose to give up the attack on the Austro-Hungarian Second Army, and then turned around to join the Russian Ninth Army. Offenberg, who was fighting the Russians head-on, suddenly found that his flank was exposed. It's coming, and what's even more tragic is that after it was exposed, another Russian army group took advantage of the situation and came to kill him! What do you think Auffenberg should choose? A huge pliers had unknowingly clamped in, and the Russians had a maneuver advantage. At this time Auffenberg couldn't run away even if he wanted to. Three updates today~~~! Here comes the first update~~~!