Holy Roman Empire

If the fight continues like this, it won't be long before the British's superior force will no longer exist.The governor of Delphi has worked very hard, and the British soldiers have also worked very hard.

It's a pity that the combat effectiveness of the indigenous army is only so small. Apart from giving away heads, they are soy sauce on the battlefield.

If it weren't for the presence of British soldiers, even this exchange ratio would not have been possible.It's not that these soldiers were not brave, in fact they were braver than most British soldiers.

However, this is not the era of cold weapons, and bravery does not mean strong combat effectiveness.The military discipline is lax, and orders are ignored, and they often shoot at the air, regardless of whether there are enemies.

Not only in the 19th century, but even in the 21st century, many African armies fought in this way.When the two armies fired at each other, they didn't look at the enemy's position at all. The muzzles of the guns were raised high, and the bullets flew into the sky.

When charging, they swarmed up, and there was no queue at all.There is no Maxim machine gun now, but Gatling Austria is still not lacking, and it is most suitable for dealing with this kind of random charge.

They didn't take their own lives seriously, and the British commander didn't care much about the casualties of these cannon fodder.As soon as the war started, the lives of the British and the aboriginal cannon fodder were filled.

Compared with the war in Europe, this is more like a child's play.So although this war was fought fiercely, the main casualties were provided by these cannon fodder.

If it weren't for worrying about wasting ammunition and increasing logistical pressure, Viscount Fickney was also planning to form a cannon fodder force and send it to the door to fight against the British.

Viscount Fickney has experience in this kind of thing. When cleaning up the indigenous tribes, in order to reduce losses, he formed an indigenous army to fight.

These people are not lenient when it comes to killing their own people.Viscount Fickney can be sure that the Africans who died at the hands of the colonists definitely did not die at the hands of their own people, not even one-fifth, or even less than one-tenth.

After all, labor is also money, and the colonists still value their wallets very much, only these native troops don't care.When the battle is over, these native troops are almost exhausted.

Even so, Viscount Fickney formed an army of indigenous cold weapons.Every time there is a hand-to-hand fight, send them up.

If you find that during the Anglo-Boer War, two black troops were fighting, and there were two white troops watching the show behind, don't feel surprised, this is normal operation.

This is a tacit understanding between the two sides. The British also hope to level the casualty ratio between the two sides through this kind of battle, so as not to look bad on the data.

Viscount Fickney also didn't want to end the war immediately. Just driving the British out of the Boer Republic was not enough to satisfy his appetite. He is now eyeing British South Africa.

This kind of small victory, which is advancing steadily, is not enough to convince the British, leaving them with hope of victory, and the war will continue.

After advancing the battlefield to the hinterland of British South Africa, it is time for a decisive battle.At that time, the recruits of the Boer Republic also became veterans, and they directly occupied Cape Town in one fell swoop, creating an established fact.

At that point, it's up to the foreign ministries of the two countries to engage in wrangling.Regardless of the final outcome of the negotiations, their military exploits have been achieved.On this issue, all the nobles who participated in this war were in an unprecedented position.

Since the opening of this new type of combat mode, the exchange ratio between the two sides has rapidly approached.From the super number of [-] to [-] to [-], it quickly narrowed to within [-] to [-], and occasionally it can overtake it.

Anyway, none of them died on their own, and there was no pressure on either side.

Whether it is Governor Delphi or Viscount Fickney, the battle reports they sent up will not have any casualties of the native army, and even the establishment of this army can be mentioned in one stroke.

In just a few months, the total number of casualties in the Anglo-Boer war exceeded [-]. If they were all white soldiers, no one would be able to bear it.

Now it's easy for everyone to do business, and it doesn't matter if you lose a battle, just catch a cannon fodder army and beat them hard, and you can write a battle report when you get enough heads.

The Spring and Autumn strokes are written in one stroke, and even a big defeat can become a tie.The reason for the retreat is a strategic shift, so as not to leave an opportunity for the enemy.

This is how the battle report of the Governor of Delphi was written. On the one hand, the news of victory continued, and on the other hand, he kept asking for reinforcements from the country.There is nothing wrong with this, just find an excuse, for example: the enemy has increased its troops.

This is the African continent, and it is impossible for members of Congress to visit the front line to check it out.The London government is all its own people. If the front line is defeated, the cabinet will also be questioned by Congress.

A burly young officer with a smile on his face ran over and reported to Viscount Fickney: "General, the casualties have been counted. Our army killed 76 people and injured 84 people; we defeated more than 156 enemy troops and wiped out all of them." 98 people and [-] prisoners."

This data automatically filters the casualties of the indigenous armies on both sides. Even if it is recorded, it will have no effect. The Vienna government will not recognize that thing.

The killed white soldiers are military exploits, and the wiped out native troops can only be regarded as the first, and the conversion can only be regarded as one hundred to one.

As far as this data is concerned, after subtracting the casualties of our own cannon fodder troops, there is nothing at all in the end.

This is not that the Vienna government is harsh, but a practical need.If there is no such restriction, these nobles can create a record of millions of people within a year, and then the marshals will fly all over the sky, and the duke will walk everywhere.

What is integrity, it doesn't exist at all!Even if all the local aborigines were turned into military exploits, these colonists could still do it.

With this constraint, it is different. If someone really relied on the natives to make military achievements, at least hundreds of thousands would have to be killed before he could be conferred a title. It was basically impossible to do it with a colonial team of several hundred people.

There is no way to get a bad record, it doesn't matter.In addition to the battle results, the spoils captured and the land seized can all be converted into military exploits.

Most of the nobles were granted titles by expanding their territories, so the spoils of war were naturally taken privately. After all, it is too expensive to exchange for military merits.

This is legal, and all seizures during colonial activities can be handled by themselves, whether it is to exchange military merits with the government, or to divide them by themselves.

Because of this, the South African War became popular this time. After all, this time it was a real record. Not only could it be knighted, but the military rank could also be promoted.

Don't think that military rank is useless. In fact, it is a symbol of glory in the German region, especially those killed with real swords and guns, and are the most respected.

Even if it is a commoner who rises through military exploits, he will also be respected by everyone.On the contrary, the kind of nobles who have no military merits will be despised by the old nobles.

Now that the war has progressed, there are more nobles who have reported to Viscount Ficney.Some participated in the name of individuals, some led the family's private army to participate, and even the armed forces under the colonial company joined.If the war continues, this number will continue to increase.

If it weren't for the joining of these people, this nascent "Army of the Boer Republic" would not know how long it would take to form a fighting force.

After all, soldiers can be trained in a few months, but officers are not easy to train.A unit without the command of a qualified officer has very limited combat effectiveness.

This result did not meet Viscount Fickney's expectations. The British were still so slippery, holding the cannon fodder to the rear, and running away first.

He gave an order in high spirits: "Understood. Pass on the order, each unit will settle the wounded first, and the larger unit will rest for a day before continuing to move forward."

The young officer replied: "Yes, General!"

Viscount Fickney frowned slightly, and said calmly: "Don't call me a general, now I'm just a colonel, and it will make people laugh if it gets out."

There is no way, despite commanding tens of thousands of troops to fight, his rank is still colonel.Even if you want to be promoted, you have to wait until you return to Vienna after the war.

Before that, he could only command the entire army as a colonel.This is the rule. If you call yourself a general in advance and spread the word, you will be ridiculed for being uneducated and ignorant of the rules.

Viscount Ficney was also from aristocratic background. Although he was only a minor noble, it was a noble family that had been passed down for hundreds of years, so he could barely be called a veteran noble.

Viscount Fickney has always attached great importance to the rules, especially when it comes to family reputation, so he can't be sloppy at all.

……

Chapter 47 The British Plan

The flames of war in South Africa worried the London government.It was once thought that Austria and the French had reached a secret deal to attack the Federal Empire of Germany.

Fortunately, the worst did not happen, and Austria did not take action, otherwise they would have added a new threat.

Although Austria, nestled in the Mediterranean, is terrifying, it does not threaten Britain.Once the German region was unified and crossed into the Atlantic, the situation changed, and the distance between the two sides was shortened.

Of course, this threat is relative.Franz is also worried about the threat of the British, after all, the Royal Navy is the strongest in the contemporary era.

It didn't happen, but it made Prime Minister Benjamin even more confused. He couldn't see what the Austrians wanted to do at all.

Don't care about the French threat?This is impossible!The Habsburg dynasty and the French have been entangled in the European continent for hundreds of years. How could it be possible to not know the horror of their opponents?

France's annexation of Italy was not just about expanding its territory, but also established France's hegemony in the Mediterranean and Europe.

Does Austria not have this issue?Reasons will be compromised. Even if you are worried about being caught off guard by directly confronting France, then after the London government agrees to the alliance, it is time for the Vienna government to take action.

Prime Minister Benjamin asked with concern: "Have you figured out the inside story of Fao's transaction?"

The more you can't understand it, the more you feel that there is a problem.In order to find out the insider trading between France and Austria, the London government did its best and did not hesitate to activate the highest level of secret subterfuge.

For this reason, many spies lurking in France and Austria have been exposed, and the information reported back is still only fragmentary, which needs to be analyzed and inferred.

Foreign Secretary McLean thought for a while and said: "We have insufficient intelligence and can only make preliminary judgments.

Roughly: Austria acquiesces in the annexation of the Italian region by France in exchange for the French admitting that they have unified the German region.

There may be other exchanges of interests, such as: the two countries jointly carve up the Mediterranean Sea and squeeze us out; and the secret partition of the African continent, etc.

In recent years, the relationship between France and Austria has been very close. In the overseas colonial expansion, the two countries seem to have agreed to each other, and direct conflicts rarely occur.

This time the French acted suddenly and caught the Vienna government by surprise.Austria didn't have time to prepare at all. They wanted to unify the German region without bypassing the Kingdom of Prussia.

The Vienna government should have planned to use the Prussian War to weaken Prussia at first. They did not expect the Russians to be so disappointing and lose the war.

If it weren't for this accident, the nationalists would have forced the defeated Kingdom of Prussia to join the Shenluo Empire, and now Austria should also unify the German region.

An accident caused the Vienna government's plan to fail completely.Now they may still be struggling, whether to unify the German region by force. "

Brain supplementation is often the scariest thing. The jumbled information, which is true, false, and false, has successfully led the British astray. McLean chose the most logical inference.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and seemed to accept this statement.The most frightening thing is always the unknown. Once the ins and outs of the matter are figured out, there will be a solution.

Finance Minister Motoli analyzed: "In recent years, the Vienna government has invested a large amount of fiscal revenue in economic development without military preparations.

The Kingdom of Prussia is not weak, and after learning from the Russians, it is impossible for the Vienna government to take action against them without sufficient preparation.

However, we still need to prepare for the worst. Austria has too much advantage over Prussia. Once the Vienna government makes up its mind to do it, the preparation time will not be too long. "

War is not a child's play, especially modern warfare is very dependent on logistics.In the event of a war between the two countries, a series of material preparations are bound to be carried out.This requires a lot of financial and human resources, and it is impossible to keep it secret.

It is quite reliable to judge whether a country is preparing for war from the flow of materials.

"We really need to be more vigilant. A Great France is enough, and there must be no unified Shenluo Empire.

After so many years of development, the power gap between Pu and Austria has not only not narrowed, but has been further widened.

Although the Prussians won the Prussian-Russian War, it will take time to digest these trophies, and they cannot be fully transformed into strength in the short term.

Now Austria's standing army has reached 58. If a war breaks out, they can mobilize another two to three million troops in the shortest possible time.

As early as more than ten years ago, Austria set a record of mobilizing more than 180 million troops in one month.In terms of mobilization mechanism, the Austrians have come to the forefront of the world.

Perhaps Austrian Africa can mobilize 100 million troops.And the combat effectiveness of these troops is not weak. Now a group of private nobles can fight us in South Africa.

Although Prussia has a standing army of 36, limited by financial and manpower, as well as the impact of the Prussian War, it is initially estimated that their current limit mobilization is about 70.

The Berlin government is now increasing the training of reserve forces. According to the plan of the Prussian General Staff, 100 million reserve forces will be trained within ten years, and their mobilization capacity is expected to exceed 150 million in the future.

Since the war in the Near East, the pattern of warfare in continental Europe has changed.Future wars must be fought by large corps, and the size of our army can no longer keep up with the times. "

It was Brandt, the Minister of War who was speaking. He saw the great development of the armies of European countries, while the lobster soldiers were standing still. He saw it in his eyes and was anxious in his heart.

The era of large corps combat has come, and many people have expected this problem.In the Russo-Prussian War that just ended, the Russian Empire singled out the heroes, and the total strength of the Russian Empire once exceeded 200 million.

This number was beyond their imagination in the past. If it was not limited by traffic and the corruption of the tsarist government, the Russians would have won the war by virtue of their numerical superiority.

After experiencing it once, everyone has to admit that modern warfare can use far more troops than in the past.When the quality advantage is not obvious, the sea of ​​people tactic is the simplest and most effective tactic.

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli rubbed his forehead and said: "The issue of the Army will be discussed later, and now we should first discuss how to deal with this challenge."

The army wants to expand its army, how can this be done?The landlord's family has no surplus food. In order to maintain the Royal Navy, the financial resources of the London government are almost exhausted, and no one can stand another gold swallowing beast.

The annual daily military expenditures of France and Austria are no less than theirs, and in some years they are even higher than them.The Royal Navy can still guarantee an absolute advantage, and naturally it takes the bulk of military expenditures.

Under normal circumstances, the Royal Navy takes 90.00% to [-]% of the military budget, which is a normal operation, and it is not uncommon for the Royal Navy to take [-]% of the budget occasionally.

If it comes to France and Austria, the navy can get half of the military budget, which will be taken care of. Most of the time, the army will take the lead.

Taking Austria as an example, the army usually takes 55% to 60% of the annual military budget, and the rest is spent by the navy.

France is similar.Unless it is a naval arms race, it is difficult for the naval expenditures of France and Austria to exceed that of the army.

In this context, the Royal Navy's maritime supremacy was consolidated.If the army wants to expand its army, it must either increase military expenditures or squeeze out the navy's share.

Both of these points are impossible to achieve. A substantial increase in military expenditure will not be able to bear the financial burden of the London government. Reducing the navy's military expenditure is slow suicide.

Once the Royal Navy's superiority is no longer there, Britain's good times are over.But if there is any sign of decadence, European countries will rush to carve up their colonial empires.

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli knew that the army's problem could not be solved, so he covered it up without waiting for Brandt to continue talking.

Knowing the seriousness of the matter, Foreign Minister McLean took the topic: "Austria is already very strong, and it is absolutely impossible for them to unify the German region.

The military pressure of the Kingdom of Prussia is too great, and it needs to face military pressure from Russia and Austria.I suggest continuing to strengthen the Kingdom of Prussia and, if necessary, allowing them to annex the Kingdom of Poland.

But this time should not be too early, the Russian Empire has not yet recovered, if they were allowed to annex Poland in advance, maybe they will join hands with Austria to kill the Russian Empire first.

We need a balanced European continent. It is not a good phenomenon that such great powers appear frequently. If this situation does not change, the European continent will be reunified sooner or later.

Therefore, Greater France must also be split.Otherwise, when it becomes a habit for a strong country to annex a weak country, it will be a big trouble. "

The result of "unification of the European continent" is too terrifying. A unified European continent will really kill Britain.

John Bull's sense of crisis has always been very strong. Once the European powers have a tendency to unify the continent, they will immediately be suppressed by them.

In the later stage, it has developed to the point where anyone who is strong will be suppressed.More than ten years ago, the Russian Empire was coaxing and coercing the European continent, and then John Bull worked hard to suppress the Russians.

Now that the Russians have gone down, France and Austria have emerged again.Taking one against two is not their style, after the initial trial, they decisively chose the strategy of attacking whoever takes the lead first.

Originally, the target selected by the London government was Austria, and a plan was being formulated for implementation, and the French took the lead.

Not only did they take the lead, but after annexing the Italian region, they also forced their power out of the Mediterranean.

This is unbearable, and the London government has to change its goals.However, the plan could not keep up with the changes, and Austria did not cooperate.John Bull, who had no thugs, saw that the French had no way to start.

Prime Minister Benjamin said solemnly: "The Italian revolutionary leaders Garibaldi and Mazzini have both arrived in London, hoping to get our support to restore the country.

They had already met with the former Sardinian royal Vittorio Emanuele II, and the two sides reached an agreement and decided to unite against French rule.

In addition, some Italian nobles contacted us, hoping that we can hold an international conference to stop the French aggression.

It's just that these forces are too scattered. Even with our support, it will be difficult to shake the French rule in Italy in the short term.We need more allies to support us. "