Holy Roman Empire

The sacrifice was cannon fodder, and Feslav naturally didn't care.If the regular army lost so much, he would have to think about how to explain it to the country.

In fact, Franz didn't care about soldier casualties, but casualties had to be worthwhile.If it was the officer's decision-making mistakes that caused heavy losses to the troops, even if the war was won, they still need to be held accountable.

In contrast, the status of the cannon fodder troops is much lower, and it is enough to recruit after death, and the Vienna government will not bother at all.

This war, except for Jerusalem, is to cultivate the commanding ability of young officers through actual combat, basically all of them are highly equipped.

For example: Rick is a division commander of the colonial army, or a major, and is not qualified to appear in military conferences.

Rick's young officer hurriedly explained: "No general, I just think this kind of blind attack is meaningless.

In the case where heavy artillery cannot be used, it is difficult for us to attack like this, and it is difficult to achieve results. Perhaps there is a more effective way to attack the city.

For example: recruiting young men on the spot, allowing the Ottomans to kill each other, and weakening the morale of the defenders in the city.Or drive the people into the city and consume the enemy's food. "

These two methods have actually been mentioned at previous military conferences.The reason for being rejected is very simple, and that is because of reputation.

In order to gain political capital, the Vienna government has shouted the slogan of recovering the Holy Land.The Holy See, unwilling to be lonely, also spontaneously jumped out to wave the flag and shout.

A large group of war correspondents who are not afraid of death came here from the European continent.Every move of the Austrian army was watched by countless people, and Lieutenant General Feslav naturally would not take extreme measures.

Naturally, some people don't understand this approach. Everyone's reputation is not good these days. Austria's methods in the colonial movement are also unclean. Why care about reputation.

After hesitating for a while, Feslav shook his head: "No, the military serves politics, and the status of Jerusalem is extraordinary, and we must consider international influences.

If the casualties of the soldiers in your hands exceed one-third, you can stop the siege first. We have cut off the water source, and the people inside will not be able to last long.

This war is an actual combat training. Apply the knowledge you have learned and apply it on the battlefield. Losses are second. "

The seemingly easy answer is actually full of helplessness.Pinning your hopes on the enemy's lack of preparation is not what a general should do.

However, due to practical needs, Feslav has already reported the situation to the Vienna government, and the answer is: it doesn't matter if Jerusalem can't be beaten for a while, and Austria is not bad for this time, but its international reputation must not be damaged.

Another young officer suggested: "Why don't we let go and send people to spread rumors and encourage local Muslims to enter Jerusalem to defend the Holy Land.

And if we capture captives, we can also create an opportunity for them to escape back to Jerusalem.Whether the defenders in the city accept it or not, it will be beneficial to us. "

This kind of obscure method seems to be much more civilized.

Feslav nodded: "This suggestion is good, order the patrols in the north to release water, and deliberately leave a hole to allow people to enter and exit.

Then send someone to talk to the local powerful faction, let them guide the local Muslims into Jerusalem, and find an excuse to deal with those who don't cooperate.

Regardless of whether the defenders in the city will let people into the city or not, let me send them to the city first.Be careful not to let anyone find out. "

……

The blood-red sunset is gradually fading, Russia and Poland are still fighting fiercely, and the battlefield is already a sea of ​​corpses and blood.

In the moment of life and death, the courage shown by the Polish army surprised the Russians.However, this could not change the direction of the war. As time went on, the inferiority of the Polish army was gradually exposed.

As night fell, the night blocked the Russian army's front, and both sides were forced to withdraw.The crumbling Kyiv held on for another day, as the garrison officer Pretar was exhausted.

With less than one-fifth of the Russian army's strength, he has been holding on to the city for a week, and reinforcements still haven't arrived.The surrounding friendly forces have long been defeated, and Kyiv has been reduced to an isolated city.

Dragging his exhausted body and counting the casualties, Pretal only sighed.

The Polish government has deployed an infantry division and two garrison regiments in the Kyiv region, with a total strength of 1.6 troops, and less than half of them are now capable of fighting.

This is still the result of Pretal, who was under pressure and concentrated all the forces in the Kyiv area after the outbreak of the war, otherwise it would not be able to stop the Russian army for a week.

The strategic points outside the city have almost been lost, and the Russian army entered the city during the day. If there is no reinforcement, the loss of Kyiv is doomed.

Pretal no longer has any illusions about the reinforcements. He just hopes that the government will not waste the time that the 1.6 defenders have won with their lives.

It was late at night, and after the deployment of the garrison mission, Pretal wrote the last letter, or suicide note, to the Polish government.

The telegram from the Kyiv region to Warsaw has been cut off, and now only the original communication method can be adopted. Whether this letter can be sent to the Polish government is unknown.

This time, Pretal did not ask for help, and reason told him that it would be very stupid to fight the Russians in the Kyiv area.

The best battlefield is in Warsaw, although the loss of the battlefield in the capital would be very large.But without a popular base, it is too difficult to defeat the strong with the weak.

War always requires sacrifice, and in Pretal's view, there is no price that cannot be paid for victory.

Today, the defenders in the Kyiv region can sacrifice for the country, and tomorrow, Warsaw, the capital, can also make sacrifices.

As one of the leaders of the Polish Revolution, Pretal voluntarily left the power center after Poland's independence and chose to guard the least popular Kyiv front.

When he made this decision, he was ready to sacrifice for the country.The Russian Empire was not easy to deal with, and the tsarist government made a comeback, as many expected.

It’s just that this time came too early. After independence, Poland did not revive. After a few short years, it was reduced to fish again.

……

Warsaw, when Prime Minister Dombrovsky received Pretal's suicide note, the news of the fall of the Kyiv region and Pretal's suicide also followed, and the last nail was pulled out. Pointing straight to the Sluch River.

Putting down the letter in his hand, Dombrowski shook his head.In his opinion, Pretal is too idealistic, and it is good that the Kingdom of Poland can be kept at this stage.

Instead of fantasizing about concentrating troops on the Warsaw area to hit the Russian army, it is better to expect the Prussian reinforcements to arrive soon.

Just the day before the fall of Kyiv, the Polish parliament had elected William I as king, and it was a foregone conclusion that Pope would join forces.

The war has been going on until now, and the Kingdom of Poland has been defeated.In this short half month, the Kingdom of Poland has lost [-] troops and one-fifth of its territory. What will it take to fight the Russians?

The failure of a war always requires someone to be held accountable. As a loser, Dombrovsky, the interim prime minister, is not far from taking the blame and resigning.

There was no way, under the pressure of the Russians, all walks of life in Poland advocated a compromise with the Prussians in exchange for the Berlin government sending troops for protection.

These years of political career, Dombrovsky is not in vain, he is no longer the simple revolutionary.

Based on the analysis of the current situation, he knew that there was a deal between Prussia and Russia.It is impossible for the Berlin government to not know the truth, but the Prussians are still slow, which is enough to explain a lot of problems.

How the war ends is no longer up to the Polish government to decide.It is estimated that when the Russians get the agreed territory, it is time for everyone to sit down and negotiate.

The intervention of the international community resulted in thunder but no rain.If Britain and France really wanted to intervene in this war, they would directly send troops to the Baltic Sea to intimidate St. Petersburg, and the custodial tsarist government would make a compromise.

Chapter 137

To carve up Poland, it is not only enough to reach an agreement between Prussia and Russia, but also to obtain the recognition of European countries, especially the understanding of France and Austria.

Vienna Palace

Foreign Minister Weisenberg: "Your Majesty, we have reached an agreement with Prussia and Russia. They openly support our unification of the German region in exchange for our neutrality on the Polish issue."

It's not a bad check, but it's worse than a bad check.If Austria really unifies the German region, the two countries that react the most are Prussia and Prussia.

In the face of interests, this verbal commitment has no binding force, and whether it can be fulfilled depends on everyone's integrity.

Franz does not think that Prussia and Russia will fulfill their promises, and don't watch them fight to the death. If Austria really starts to unify the German region, the two countries will soon ease their conflicts.

No matter how deep the hatred between Prussia and Russia is, can it be compared to that of Britain and France?After the rise of the former German Empire, Britain and France can give up their hatred, and now Prussia and Russia can do the same.

In the final analysis, it is still interests. Austria's unification of the German region has threatened their security, especially for the Kingdom of Prussia, which is a political fatal blow.

In recent years, the Berlin government has deliberately downplayed the German reunification and advocated the idea of ​​Great Prussia, that is, the Junkers aristocrats are worried that the fortress will be attacked from the inside by Austria.

The annexation of Austria by the German Federal Empire will inevitably stimulate German nationalism in Prussia, which is absolutely unacceptable to the Berlin government.

Britain, France and Russia are similar, and neither want to see Austria continue to grow.After unifying the German region, Austria is the de facto hegemon of the European continent, which has seriously threatened their strategic security.

Taking this step, Franz will inevitably be beaten by the group even if he is the pinnacle of diplomatic play.

One-on-one, Austria does not hesitate; one-to-two, one has to think twice; one-to-three, there is almost no chance of victory; one-to-four, simply surrender directly, and this is not the case for courting death.

Prussia and Prussia obviously have no good intentions. Rather than supporting Austria to unify the German region, it is better to induce Austria to jump out to share the international pressure and divide the three giant alliances of Britain, France and Austria.

Franz nodded: "As expected, the secret deal between Prussia and Russia is to guard against us interfering, so let them be happy for a while. When are the British going to do it?"

People who count people keep counting.In major-country diplomacy, you will trick me today, and I will trick you tomorrow, and everyone will rely on their own means.There are only interests between countries, no right or wrong.

Wesenberg replied: "The exact time cannot be determined, the British are not at ease with us and have kept it secret from us until now.

Roughly before William I came to the throne, if you want to force the Kingdom of Prussia to make concessions, it must be before the plan of the Berlin government is completed. "

When it comes to deals and compromises, Austria is at the top of its game.The current political structure of the European continent is the result of deals and compromises between the Vienna government and various countries.

Otherwise, the Russians would not be able to get Constantinople, the French would not be able to swallow Italy, and the Russian-Prussian War would probably not break out, and the Kingdom of Poland would have no chance of independence.

It is normal for the British to be worried. No one can be tempted in the face of interests, and no one can guarantee that the Vienna government will not take this opportunity to make a deal with the French.

To a certain extent, the British and Austrian diplomatic concepts are the closest, with national interests as the core.When encountering problems, the first thing to think about is not to solve the problem, but to maximize national interests.

After pondering for a while, Franz made a decision: "Since this is the case, then strengthen the strength of the Russian Empire, lest Prussia become bigger and cause us trouble.

Didn't the tsarist government want to train troops?Agree with the Russian troop increase plan, and we will provide strategic materials. "

International politics affects the whole body, and they also played a balanced strategy. Franz knew that it was not easy for the British.

It is very difficult to maintain a balance between Prussia and Russia, while the British are playing with a continental balance.This needs to involve more countries and more things to consider, so the difficulty of operation is self-evident.

It's no wonder that a world war will break out in the original time and space, dancing on eggs every day, and there are always mistakes.It is estimated that the London government of the original time and space is also very ignorant, and the French actually tossed themselves to waste.

……

In the Middle East, Lieutenant General Feslav held a telescope and quietly watched the crowd gather to the north of Jerusalem.

The Austrian army besieging the city turned a blind eye, as if the north had been forgotten.

A burly young officer reported: "General, the patrolling sentry found the mark of the camel caravan in the north. It is suspected that someone had delivered supplies to Jerusalem last night."

Since the patrols were to release water on purpose, there was no need to send people to patrol at night.This created an opportunity for the enemy to take the opportunity to rush supplies into the city.

Lieutenant General Feslav said nonchalantly: "Don't alarm them yet, send someone to watch in secret, dig out the secret sons of the Ottoman Empire, and then catch them all."

After a pause, Feslav shook his head again: "Forget it, don't check it. Post a notice, from now on: Anyone who provides any help to the Ottoman Empire will be dealt with as the crime of collaborating with the enemy.

I don't need to explain the specifics. After the reporters have left, we will slowly settle accounts with them. "

The young officer hesitated, but in the end he didn't say anything.The Ottoman Empire has been operating here for hundreds of years, and its rule has long been ingrained. Even if the rule is destroyed by the Austrian army, it will not be able to clear its influence in a short time.

It is normal for some people to send supplies to the Sudanese government for the defenders.But how much of this sneaky delivery can be delivered every day?

For the 10,000+ people in the city, these things are a drop in the bucket.Besides, outside the city there are enthusiastic congregants who came from all directions to defend the holy land, and these people also need to eat.

Feslav probably understood what the Vienna government meant, and they were not in a hurry to recover Jerusalem at all.The General Staff also ordered that before Jerusalem was recovered, it was not allowed to go deep alone, so it was clear that he should delay the fight and fight slowly.

In this case, it is good to be salted fish.War has to serve politics, and since it is politically necessary to delay time, then let the war continue.

Otherwise, he would have ordered his troops to cross Jerusalem and march into the Jordan area by now.Now most of the Ottoman Empire's troops in the Middle East are concentrated in Jerusalem, and they can't stop the Austrian army.

Because of the reporter's relationship, even Lieutenant General Feslav did not clean up the local forces of the Ottoman Empire.

Knowing that someone was collaborating with the enemy, Feslav didn't bother to send someone to investigate.It's not that he is sluggish, but that there is no need to waste energy at all.

In order to prevent the desertification of the Holy Land, the Vienna government has dispatched geological and hydrological experts to assess the water, soil and natural environment in the Middle East, and reporters followed and recorded the whole process.

The information collected so far is not optimistic. The land in the Middle East is over-cultivated, with serious soil erosion and desertification. It is necessary for the local land to be fully fallow.

According to experts, the Middle East needs at least 20 years of fallow to restore the local ecology.

This issue has already caused a stir on the European continent, and everyone has condemned the Ottomans for their greed and reckless demands from nature.

If nothing else, the Austrian Middle East after the war will implement a 20-year land fallow plan. No farming or animal husbandry development for 20 years, the local people will definitely leave.

According to the previous practice, these people must be repatriating the Ottomans back to their country.It sounds very good, and everyone can return home safely. In fact, it is not so simple. Can the Sudanese government have the ability to accommodate so many people?

Especially for the local vested interests, all the land and property have been returned to zero, and everything needs to be started from scratch.

It's almost impossible.The class of the Ottoman Empire has long been solidified, and the pie is increasing, but the pie is shrinking. The future Sudanese government must be very lively.

Those who can now provide money and food to support the defenders of Jerusalem, do not think that they are also local wealthy nobles, and their repatriation after the war has become a bankrupt settlement.

This gap in heart is probably more uncomfortable than killing them.Even if they are strong in heart and accept the reality, these guys are the trouble for the Sudanese government.So why should Feslav get his hands dirty?

……

In the reporter's exclusive camp, the war reporter Brad reported: "This damn weather is so hot. If I knew this earlier, I wouldn't come here."

Brad is a seasoned war correspondent who can be found almost wherever there is a war.This time, he came here on a commission from the London Daily.

Of course, wanting to come to Jerusalem for a pilgrimage is also a factor.However, the plan did not change, and the Austrian army, which was in full swing, stopped outside the city of Jerusalem.

The reason for stopping is: the guns on the battlefield have no eyes, and they are worried that they will destroy the Holy Land.

The explanation is maddening, but politically correct.The unique religious status of Jerusalem, devout believers naturally cannot let go of their hands and feet here.

The temperature in the Middle East is so high that ordinary people can't stand it at all.In recent times, the non-combat attrition of the Austrian army has exceeded double digits.

The soldiers couldn't hold it, and the reporters who accompanied the army were not much better.The Austrian army can't raise the uncle, and naturally it is impossible to make ice cubes to cool them down.

Henry, the partner who lives in the same tent, joked: "It's still too late to leave now. Austria has supply ships that deliver supplies every week. They won't mind taking you alone."

Brad's face changed drastically, and it is very humiliating to give up halfway reporting on the battlefield, which is related to his professional ethics.

"Get out! I'm not someone who retreats before the battle. You don't want to enjoy the glory of reporting this war. This is the recovery of the Holy Land. This is the only chance. If I miss it, I will regret it for the rest of my life."