Chapter 185 The Time of the Test Has Come

Franz doesn't like to play tricks and tricks, but unfortunately his strength doesn't allow it.

For example, now, the calculation of the three countries of Britain, France and Russia is obviously a conspiracy, but somehow it has turned into a conspiracy.

There is often only a thin line between conspiracy and conspiracy, no one is the strongest, and the most suitable is the best.

What if someone told Nicholas I of Franz's plan?

The answer is: nothing will happen, Nicholas I will just laugh it off.

It is normal for countries to make use of each other, and it is normal for each other to have calculations. Don't be silly if you want close collaboration, it just doesn't exist.

Mature politicians only look at what their allies have done and what the consequences will be, and weigh the pros and cons to determine the relationship between the two countries, rather than what their allies are thinking.

So pit teammates must have level, if the level is not enough, they will be pitted by teammates, don't cry, there will be more days to be pitted!

For example, Franz is now pitting the Russians, but in fact, as long as Austria fulfills its ally obligations, it is Russia's most staunch ally, and Russia-Austria relations will not be affected.

Even now that Franz told Nicholas I that Austria would send troops to help, the Russians would not be surprised at all, but more likely to be frightened.

As much as you contribute, you can share as much spoils as possible. This is the basis for the alliance between Russia and Austria. Once the distribution of interests is unbalanced, the alliance will have no value of existence.

The Russian-Austrian alliance is a covenant of equality without any affiliation. If Austria has fulfilled its ally obligations and assumed more obligations, then the final distribution of spoils will naturally change.

Now that the war is taking place in the Balkans, the Russians do not need Austrian reinforcements, and the Tsarist government is not the master of loving gray animals. It is impossible to exchange benefits in order to reduce the casualties of frontline soldiers.

Strategically speaking, if Austria attacked the Ottoman Empire, the best route for sending troops was exactly the same as the current route for the Russians.

This is a logistical decision. It is much better to rely on the Danube River to transport strategic materials and enter Bulgaria from the lower Danube plain than to cross the valley from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

What determines the outcome of this war is not how much territory the Ottoman Empire occupies, but whether it can conquer Constantinople.

As long as the Russians occupy Constantinople, the British and French navies can only withdraw from the Black Sea Strait, otherwise the Russians block the Bosphorus Strait, and they will become turtles in the urn.

After mastering the power of the Black Sea, logistical supplies can be transported by sea. With the national strength of Russia and Austria, it is not a big problem to support the millions of troops fighting in the Balkans.

Unlike now, no matter how hard the Russian army invests in the Balkans, the maximum number of troops will be 400,000 to 500,000. No matter how much more it is, the enemy will not fight, and the logistics will be dragged to death.

After the Austrian army was replaced, this number would be reduced by at least a quarter.

The grey beasts claim to be the cheapest army in Europe, not without reason. Their requirements for logistical supplies are the lowest among all the armies of the great powers.

In modern warfare, the weapons and equipment are outdated and there are few artillery pieces, which also means that the pressure on logistical supplies is small.

Does the Tsarist government lack soldiers?

Hundreds of thousands have been lost, and the big deal is to replenish hundreds of thousands more. If the Austrian army was involved in the capture of Constantinople, they would not want to monopolize the Black Sea Strait.

The national interest is very realistic. Don't expect allies to bring their own dry food to come and help. There is no purpose yet.

The Black Sea is very small, and the Russians have long regarded it as a private land, but they are unwilling to give Austria another share.

According to how good the current covenant is, the Russians can get the most benefit, but the price paid is the casualties of a group of gray animals. The most important thing for the tsarist government is people.

...

Prime Minister Felix said: "Your Majesty,"

Metternich said: "Your Majesty, yesterday the Russian Minister in Vienna approached me, they intend to increase troops in the Balkans, and hope we can provide more war supplies.

Preliminary judgment, Britain and France's participation in the war contributed to the decision of the tsarist government. It seems that they want to put pressure on Britain and France by increasing their troops. "

Franz thought for a while and said, "The provision of strategic materials is easy, as long as the Russians are willing to pay, they can sell them.

Your Excellency Marshal, I would like to know how many troops the British, French, and Ottomans can put into the Balkans, and whether the Russians can gain the upper hand after increasing their troops? "

Marshal Radesky thought about it and replied, "Your Majesty, from logistical considerations, the total number of troops that the British, French, and Ottomans can invest will not exceed 800,000.

However, as the Russian army's front continues to move forward, the more troops they can invest, and if they fight decisively in the coastal areas, it is possible that they can invest millions of troops.

However, this is an ideal number. To protect so many troops in combat, the strategic materials needed are also astronomical.

The Ottoman Empire can solve two or three layers at most, and the rest needs to be shipped from Britain and France.

Taking into account the cost of war, Britain and France are likely to choose to arm cheap Ottoman cannon fodder and fight the Russians. Whether the Russians can gain the upper hand after increasing their troops depends on the proportion of the British and French troops.

Strategically, I am not optimistic that the Russians can achieve their goals. Due to the loss of the Black Sea sea power, the supplies of the Russian army mainly depended on the transportation of the Danube.

However, as the front moved forward, the distances required for land transportation continued to increase.

The decisive battle in Bulgaria the Russians can throw at most

With 500,000 troops, if they reach the Istanbul area, the Russians can only invest 400,000 troops at most.

The actual situation may be worse than this. After all, the Ottoman Empire has been operating in the Balkans for hundreds of years. After the Russian army occupied these areas, it is difficult to clear their local influence in a short period of time.

The Ottomans will definitely organize guerrillas to specifically destroy the supply lines of the Russian army and increase the difficulty of logistical transportation for the Russians.

If there is no quick fix, the longer it drags on, the less likely the Russians will win the war. "

Franz smiled slightly, which was exactly the result he wanted. The Russians who could not win the war were good allies of Austria.

Even under pressure from Britain and France, Russia-Austria relations may go further. With a solid rear, Austria can farm with peace of mind.

Franz was now looking forward to Nicholas I's determination to make the war last longer.

The tsars of all dynasties have set a good example. The Russians have a saying: "A tsar who has not fought the Russian-Turkish war must not be a good tsar!"

The Russian-Turkish war usually lasts for four or five years, basically once a generation. Except for the last Russian-Turkish war, the shortest start was three years, and there were two times for more than ten years.

Militarily, the chances of the Russians failing are very small. Attack if you win, defend if you don't.

In a war of attrition, what the Russians can't afford is financial resources, and what Britain and France can't afford is manpower.

Mao Xiong lost hundreds of thousands of young men, and he could take hundreds of thousands more. The nobles would not care about the casualties of the soldiers; Britain and France lost hundreds of thousands of young men, so they had to consider the domestic situation.

As long as the Russians don't admit defeat and are willing to risk their lives, even if Britain and France try their best, there is no way to completely defeat them.

Unless Britain and France dare to attack the Russian mainland, from the Baltic Sea all the way to St. Petersburg, no matter how much they fight in the Near East, they will kill the bear.

This also means that if the Russians cannot win the war in a short period of time, the factors that determine the outcome of the war will be tested: the financial capacity of the Russians and the capacity of Britain and France to bear casualties.

After all, this war is not as serious as the World War. The three countries of Britain, France and Russia have not reached the point of life and death. Everyone does not need to work hard.

Franz said indifferently: "Move our strength to push again, the French have already played, but the British expeditionary force is still in the country, the stage is set up, and they cannot be absent from this good show."

The integrity of John Bull is too low. If they are not pushed into the battlefield, the London government may have to make the same choice as Austria.

Moreover, how could the British be more at ease in the actions behind Austria without letting the British feel the brutality of the land war in advance?

...

London

Due to the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Bulgaria, the British had prepared a symbolic dispatch of 20,000 troops in advance, which obviously could not meet the needs of the war.

In the recent Paris negotiations, Palmerston had to increase the number of British troops from 20,000 to 80,000.

An army of 80,000 is a small problem for any major army country, and it can be assembled in ten days and a half, but it is different for the British.

Their pocket version of the army, with a total of only 100,000 people, is obviously difficult to deploy so many troops at once.

"Mr. Palmerston, why do you want to increase the number of troops without authorization? Do you know how much trouble this will bring us?" War Minister Maxime asked dissatisfiedly.

Palmerston explained with confidence: "Mr. Maximilian, this is a political need. In the just-concluded Great War, the Ottoman Empire suffered heavy losses. According to our prior plan, it was no longer able to meet the needs of the war.

To curb the Russian ambitions, we must devote more power to the past.

The French agreed to add another 120,000 troops to the 50,000 they had already put on the field, for a total of 170,000 troops. In this case, we also have to increase the number of troops sent.

Moreover, it is too dangerous to have 20,000 troops on the battlefield. If you are not careful, the entire army may be wiped out.

If it is 80,000 troops, it will be much safer. You don't have to worry about being swallowed by the Russians, and your War Department doesn't have to worry about it all the time. "

After listening to Palmerston's explanation, Maxime's anger grew even more. He admits that the British Army is really out of the question compared to the Royal Navy.

But it would be too much to despise them like that. You must know that the combat effectiveness of the British Army is not bad. It is only because the number is too small that it cannot be ranked among the great powers.

"Mr. Palmerston, are you questioning the combat effectiveness of the Army?" Maxime asked, staring at Palmerston with red eyes

Forget about thinking about these things, it would be too much to publicly slap the army in the face. The strength of the British Army is not good, it is caused by too little military expenditure, not because they did not work hard.

Realizing that he had made a blunder, Palmerston immediately remedied: "No, Mr. Maxime. On the contrary, I am very optimistic about the combat effectiveness of the Army.

As the saying goes, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility on the battlefield. If our troops are too small, it is easy for the Russians to take advantage of them. "

He didn't believe it himself. Even if the British sent the least troops in the alliance, the task of being the cannon fodder would still fall on the Ottomans. How could it be possible for the British to take risks?

Maxime snorted coldly: "Humph!"

This little episode is over.

Prime Minister John Russell changed the subject and said:

"Mr Maxime, our allies can't wait, how long will it take for the Army to be ready?"

For the performance of the Ottoman Empire, John Russell is very contemptuous.

After all, it was a great empire that slaughtered the entire European society, but now it is so easy to be beaten to the ground by the Russians.

Contempt is contempt. Now everyone is still allies. In order to deal with a common enemy, it is necessary to join forces. It's just that the Ottomans' right to speak in the alliance has dropped by two notches again.

Maxime has been waiting for this sentence for a long time, and he replied from the side: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, let's expand our army!"

This is an embarrassing topic, because the British's center of gravity is tilted towards the navy, resulting in the number of the army has not been increased.

The army of hundreds of thousands must maintain a vast colony, how many troops remain in the country?

If 20,000 troops are recruited, they can still squeeze out. If 80,000 troops were drawn, all the local troops would be taken out in one go.

The mainland will definitely keep the army, even if it is to suppress the Irish region, it cannot drain the domestic army.

The number of armies in overseas colonies is not large, and there is no possibility of recruiting. Of course, there are quite a few colonial troops in the hands of the British, and if they can be recharged, they will soon be able to get together.

John Russell rubbed his forehead and asked, "How much are you going to expand?"

Maxime replied with a smile: "Not much, our War Department's requirements are not high, as long as it is expanded by 120,000."

Hearing this number, John Russell shook his head and said, "Mr. Maxime, there is no problem with expanding the army by 120,000, as long as you can persuade Congress."

Maxime blushed, convincing Congress that if it were so easy, the number of British troops would not be so small now.

In this era, as the only industrial country among the great powers, plus the world's largest colonial power, the British Empire is truly rich and powerful.

Maxime said calmly: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, the army's strength is limited, and there are too many places to be guarded. Now the total strength of the army in the country is only more than 70,000.

It’s already very difficult to recruit 20,000 troops. If I recruit 80,000 troops, even if I count the cleaning workers from the War Department, it will not be enough. "

This is a good opportunity to expand the army, and the War Department will not give up. Every expansion of the army is accompanied by a large number of interests, and Maxime naturally has to strive for it as much as possible.

"But a one-time expansion of 120,000 troops is still too much. I can't convince Congress. I just said: as long as you have the ability to convince Congress, then there is no problem." John Russell objected without changing his face.