Holy Roman Empire

After Christmas, Felix embarked on the journey under the welcome of the people.

In the eyes of German nationalists, this was a crucial step towards unification.

As the boss of the German Confederation, the Austrian government has begun to work hard for unification. This is a turning point in history.

Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, Felix walked all the way, and there were crowds welcoming him everywhere.

It's not that the brand "Shinra" is popular. In fact, many people don't feel the disbanded Shinra Empire.

But they want the unification of the German region, and they don't want a war to break out, so "rebuilding the Holy Roman Empire" is the best choice, there is no one.

The "Shenra faction" can become the mainstream thought in German nationalism only because the people hope for the peaceful reunification of the German region, and they are also called the "peaceful reunification faction".

It is a pity that these people cannot dominate the German region. The rulers of the states must first consider their own interests.

……

Berlin

Although Frederick William IV supported the unification movement, it was only a political need, and it did not mean that he was willing to sacrifice his own interests for the unification of Germany.

The unification of Germany that the Kingdom of Prussia has been pursuing always excludes Austria. This goal cannot be achieved, and this unification is worthless to them.

In history, Frederick William IV took the "Three Kings Alliance" as the core, trying to use the Erfurt Union Parliament to exclude Austria.

This is also the political idea of ​​Little Germany. The reason for excluding Austria is very simple: the German Empire united with Austria is too large, so large that no European country can bear it.

Of course, this is only one of the reasons, and there are many other reasons, for example: there are too many other nationalities in Austria, which will destroy the purity of the German nation...

Prime Minister Joseph von Radowitz said solemnly: "The ambitions of the Austrians have been exposed. Considering the current international situation, they are likely to have the support of the Russians.

We have been speculating that the Russian Omnipotence is probably Austria's support for the Russians to annex the Ottoman Empire in exchange for the Russians' support for their rebuilding of the Holy Roman Empire.

I have to say that the Austrians are ruthless enough to dare to seek skin from a tiger.Now they have chosen a good time, Britain, France and Russia have declared war, and a lot of energy has been held back.

If you want to interfere in the German region, you must let the Russians annex the Ottoman Empire. Napoleon III may give priority to interfering in Central Europe, but the London government will definitely hesitate.

If the Austrian government can use diplomatic means to unify the German region, even if it is only in name, the French would not dare to act rashly. "

The Russians annexed the Ottoman Empire, and the French lost only their interests in the Near East and Egypt. In the Mediterranean, the French navy could still suppress the Russians.

The British are different, and what they lose is not just the interests of the Mediterranean.In the words of Palmerston: If we cannot keep the Russians in the Balkans, we must keep them in the Indus Valley.

Once the Russians are allowed to annex the Ottoman Empire, Persia will not be able to stop the Russians, which means that India is in danger.

In this era, Britain only controlled India, and had not had time to swallow it in one gulp. If the Russians were allowed to come out to disrupt the situation, their most important colony might fly away.

When faced with a dilemma, hesitation is inevitable.

After all, the reconstruction of the Holy Roman Empire is still only a loose empire, and it cannot expand outward until the internal integration is completed. With the French standing in front, the British will not be threatened in the short term.

Frederick William IV sneered and said: "The Austrians think too well, that brat Franz must have been fooled by someone!

As long as we do not agree, the German region cannot be united.Did he really think that the German states would be willing to be unified by the Austrians?

If the Holy Roman Empire cannot be rebuilt by political means, what will the Austrians do? Is it possible to use military power to unify the German region by force? "

Joseph von Radowitz shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, this is impossible. Although Austria's military strength is strong, it is impossible to unify the German region without the intervention of foreign powers.

Should Austria use force, we form an alliance with the German states to resist their attack.

We can even deliberately allow the Austrians to destroy the military power of these small states. As long as we don't take the initiative to fight with them and delay until the French send troops to intervene, Austria will lose.

As long as the operation is good, the strength of these small states will be greatly damaged after the war, and the opportunity for us to unify the German region will appear instead.

It is impossible for that old fox of Metternich to fail to see that Felix is ​​committed to promoting peaceful reunification, and because of this, it is impossible to take risks with them in the Austrian government. "

Prime Minister Joseph von Radowitz's judgment was not wrong, which is one of the reasons why Franz dared not take risks.

As long as the Prussian army does not come out for a decisive battle with Austria, whether it is defending the city or retreating all the way, it is impossible to destroy their main force in a short time.

After a month or two, the French intervention army came over, and France and Austria could not stand it.

If it is delayed for a few more days, the British, Spaniards, and intervention troops from a bunch of small European countries will all come.

In this case, Austria has no hope of victory at all.You bet your entire fortune, and if you fail, you're finished.

Can it be expected that the Austrian army will explode and kill Prussia and France before the arrival of the intervening troops from various countries?

Big countries maintain stability, while small countries take risks.

Franz, who is familiar with history, knows that only the winner who survives to the end is the real winner. A country that relies on reckless victories will end in tragedy.

Japan and Germany are typical examples of them. They are the masters of explosive combat power. When the outbreak broke out, the sky was full of air every day, and then they were hemiplegic when they were beaten together by everyone, and all the gains in the early stage were vomited out.

On the contrary, Italy, which has been muddling along, became a victorious country in the two world wars and took a lot of advantages.

Even the awesome Frenchman, after suffering a loss, knows that he can lie down and win, so he must never waste money.

With so many senior cases, how dare Franz make a fuss?Don't look at the Austrian army's combat effectiveness after training, it seems to be very strong, the problem is that it can only break out in one wave!

Once the quick fix is ​​not possible, the weakness of Austria's multi-ethnic country will be exposed after a long time.

According to the current plan, it will be much safer, and it will only be used in areas with a good public foundation.The stalls are small, and the risk is naturally small.

Once done, internal integration can be completed in the shortest possible time.If the French dare to take the lead, they are the invaders, and they can enjoy the morale bonus of the local battle.

Frederick William IV sighed and said: "It's a pity, if there are no these old foxes, we can still send people to try it.

Now, let's find a way to destroy the Austrian plan, it is best not to arouse the disgust of the people, our reputation can no longer be tossed. "

It is difficult to do anything with a bad reputation. After being tricked by the German states, the reputation of the Prussian government has not been good until now.

Not only in the German region, but even in the country, the Prussian people are not very cold about the government.

No matter how they explain it, the government's promises have not been fulfilled, and the people always feel that the government has cheated them of their money.The nationalists, in particular, were very dissatisfied with the government's compromise with the Russians.

Chapter 89 The highest state of the pit

The British reinforcements had just arrived in the Balkans, and before they had time to take over the entire defense zone, the Bulgarian guerrillas launched a full-scale counterattack. This time, the Russians also cooperated very well and firmly suppressed the coalition forces on the front line.

Facts have proved that Plovdiv is indeed a bait set up by the British, planning to encircle and annihilate the main force of the Bulgarian guerrillas here, but they only controlled the beginning and failed to control the end.

As soon as the battle started, the situation changed. More than a dozen cities, including Plovdiv, were attacked by guerrillas at the same time.

Most of it was a feint, but the unfinished arrangement of the British was exposed in this mess.

There is no way, although the Greeks are not strong enough, their timing is too good, who knows if they will go all the way to Constantinople?For safety reasons, the Ottoman Empire had to mobilize troops to encircle them.

The troops defending the city are insufficient, and there are leading parties in the city, and a feint attack may break the city. If these places are lost, the coalition forces in the Sofia area will be surrounded, and the British army has no choice but to send troops for reinforcements.

The firepower of the Bulgarian guerrillas is too weak, and it is okay to bully the second-line troops of the Ottomans. On the frontal battlefield, they are no match for the British.

Just because you can't beat it doesn't mean you can't beat it.The British army who had just arrived at the front had never fought against them, and the arrogant British commander directly treated them as natives of the colony.

This understanding is not wrong. In theory, Bulgaria can also be regarded as a colony of the Ottoman Empire, but it is directly under it.

In terms of strength, the gap is huge. The Bulgarian guerrillas have also been trained by Russian and Austrian instructors. Coupled with their high morale, their combat effectiveness is not weak.

With a sound of "boom", the British army who was marching was attacked by the guerrillas again. After a while, the gunfire stopped abruptly, and the guerrillas apparently retreated.

A young officer said with a pale face: "General, the front is attacked by the enemy. Two soldiers were killed and seven soldiers were injured!"

"Is this the first time we have been attacked by the enemy?" Major General Oliver asked

"No. 18 times!" The young officer replied in a low voice

"What nonsense is that? Hurry up and send someone to chase after me!" Major General Oliver ordered

The Bulgarian guerrillas did not cause much casualties to them, but the frequent attacks slowed down their marching speed, but the key was to hit the morale of the troops.

Major General Oliver is not the one who will not fight back after suffering a loss, of course he will fight back.

Since they have no experience in fighting guerrillas, most of the time they chase them halfway and the enemy disappears. If they are unlucky, there will be more traps waiting for them along the way.

In this round of confrontation, not to mention that the British army did not take advantage, the key is that the best fighter was delayed.By the time they arrived at their destination, the main force of the guerrillas had long since disappeared.

Everyone knows that the base camp of the Bulgarian guerrillas is in the Balkan Mountains, and Major General Oliver's mission is to encircle and suppress the guerrillas.

But entering the Balkan Mountains is to use one's own weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths.It is difficult for large troops to move, and the artillery has lost its effect. Fighting in this environment, the casualty ratio of the two sides is almost 1:1.

Major General Oliver is not crazy about exchanging a British soldier for a guerrilla. If he dares to do this, he will be court-martialed soon.

Major General Oliver was commanding troops for the first time, otherwise, as a gold-plated relation, he would not have taken on this unfortunate mission.

The British generals who have been in the Balkans for a long time would rather fight the Russians on the front line than enter the mountains to encircle the guerrillas.

In the former, the enemy can see that the combat effectiveness of the British army has a slight advantage. As long as they are not besieged by the enemy several times, the risk is controllable; It's just that it's different after entering the mountain.

Major General Oliver thought he had a trick, and arranged a bait to lure the Bulgarian guerrillas.

The result now is obvious, the enemy was fooled, but unfortunately he overestimated the marching speed of the British army, and they were unable to close the pocket array in time under the enemy's sneak attack.

……

Plovdiv, most of this strategic location has fallen, and the defenders are still stubbornly resisting.Attacking tough battles is not the strong point of the guerrillas. Even if there are internal and external cooperation in the city, they have not been able to capture the city in one go.

The guerrilla commander Edimir ordered: "Order the troops to stop the attack, collect as much strategic material as possible, take away what can be taken away, and burn what can't be taken away, and can't leave it to the enemy."

The middle-aged officer said reluctantly: "Commander, isn't it such a pity that so many treasures have been burned. If we organize civilian husbands to rush to transport them, they can still be shipped out."

Edimir glared and said, "Stop talking nonsense, with so much supplies, can we still run? If we are bitten by the British, even if our strength is increased tenfold, we will not be their opponents! "

Edimir was satisfied with being able to destroy this part of the supplies.Although it is a pity that they did not take the whole of Plovdiv, politically they can declare that they have captured here and strive for a better position with the Russians.

The Russians are very realistic. At the beginning, the treatment of the Bulgarian guerrillas was not to starve to death.Since they tore through the Sardinian army's defense line and broke through to the enemy's rear, the treatment of the guerrillas has become closer to that of the Russian army.

They couldn't get the logistical supplies for the time being, but the Russians still sent them a batch of weapons and equipment, which were transported through the trails in the Balkan Mountains.

Many guerrilla officers, including Edimir, have obtained the official ranks of the Russian army, and they are now also organized.

Fitzroy Somerset also promised that those who are willing to join the army after the war will be given an official Russian military designation and will be responsible for stationing in Bulgaria; those who want to retire can also enter the government department to get matching treatment.

"independent"?Stop dreaming, the Russians are not here for charity, they have worked so hard for so long just to make the Bulgarians independent.

Now Bulgarians are not so demanding, autonomy is their highest goal.Most also wanted protection from the Russians, guaranteeing them freedom from Ottoman enslavement.

Especially religious people, who are standard pro-Russian factions, have very high expectations for Bulgaria to join the big family of the Russian Empire.

The future of Bulgaria will be nothing more than a province, an autonomous province, or joining Russia in the name of an autonomous principality. The specific situation depends on the decision of the Tsarist government.

The prerequisite is that the Russians won the war. If they lose everything, the losers are not eligible to enjoy the spoils.

……

Sofia

At the coalition headquarters, Lieutenant General Montes has already greeted all the relatives of Major General Oliver in his heart. He doesn't treat his teammates like this, let alone his own people?

If he hadn't delayed the time to receive the defense in order to arrange the so-called pocket formation, the Bulgarian guerrillas would not have been able to take advantage of it and conquered three and a half cities in just one week.

The cities belonged to the Ottomans, and Montes didn't care even if they were conquered. The problem was that the supplies hoarded in the city belonged to them.

Even if the British Empire has a great career, it doesn't care about such a small loss, but political influence must also be considered?

The direct consequence now is to make Montes unable to hold his head up in front of the French.The deeper impact is that the Bulgarian region has become more unstable. More and more people see the hope of getting rid of Ottoman rule and turn to support the guerrillas.

"Send an order to Major General Oliver to immediately recover the lost ground and ensure the smooth flow of our army's logistics transportation line." Montes ordered

Let’s talk about the encirclement and suppression of the guerrillas later. If it doesn’t work, let’s leave it to the Ottomans. Anyway, this is not the territory of the British Empire, so Montes doesn’t care so much.

"Yes!" replied the attendant

When this order was given, Monteith had not yet noticed that the danger was approaching, and that Fitzroy Somerset was already planning Armageddon.

最初的时候，索非亚战场上是俄军7.3万+2万保加利亚游击队VS5万英军+2万撒丁军队+3万奥斯曼军队，双方实力相当。

Now that the Russian army has been supplemented, there are still more than 7 troops in total, while the Ottoman army in the coalition army is less than 4.2. Of the remaining 3.5 British troops, only 1.9 are on the front line, and the Sardinian army has [-] left. Ten thousand.

It has to be said that the Italians are good at saving their lives, and they have the lowest casualty rate among the warring parties. The battlefield life-saving manual that Franz tossed back then is now deeply rooted in the hearts of the Sardinian army.

This means that when the reinforcements of the coalition forces were held back by the Bulgarian guerrillas, the Russian army already had an absolute advantage on the battlefield.

The Ottoman army has been crippled, and the Sardinian army is paddling across the field. No matter how strong the remaining British army is, it cannot withstand double the Russian army.

On December 1852, 12, under the leadership of Fitzroy Somerset, the Russian army launched a fierce attack in the Sofia area.

Different from the previous attack, this time the Russian army was attacking the Sardinian defense line. Ever since the Bulgarian guerrillas broke out from here, Fitzroy Somerset realized that this was the weak point of the coalition defense line. .

It's just that the opportunity was missed at that time. In order to prevent the British from plugging this loophole, this place became the target of the Russian army's feint attack in the later period. Every time it fired a lot of artillery fire, it actually didn't contribute.

The Sardinian army on the opposite side also cooperated very well. It was common practice to shoot guns into the sky, and the two sides made a very fierce fight.

Montes was fooled. He really thought that the Bulgarian guerrillas tore through the line of defense. It was the Sardinian army who had just arrived and was unfamiliar with the environment, and the guerrillas found a path to break through.

Coupled with the tense military force, the Sardinians seemed to be working hard again, fighting vigorously on the battlefield and withstood the Russian attack, so he did not allow the British army to join them in defense.