Wild North America 1846

Chapter 469 Adventure Plan
Prussian Front Command

King William, Prime Minister Bismarck, and senior officials of the Prussian army stood in front of the huge sand table, looking at the small flags on the sand table that marked the situation of the enemy and us, and remained silent. The atmosphere was very dignified.

on the southern front
The army of the ally Italy was defeated by the Austrian army in just two days. Before the war, the arrogant Italian commander sent an emergency request to the Kingdom of Prussia, which put the already tense Prussian army in a dilemma.

To save or not to save?
"After all, they are military allies, and we must save them...but not now." Prime Minister Bismarck said firmly.

He checked the situation on the northern front with his finger, looked up and said to King William;
"The Elbe Army and the First Army broke into Saxony and Hannover with great force, wiped out all the clowns who followed the Austrian Empire, and now the attack momentum is in full swing.

This is a key step in realizing the unification of the German nation. Any unexpected situation should not interrupt the military operations of the above-mentioned two legions, but make persistent efforts to wipe out these states that split the German nation in one fell swoop.

The 16 soldiers of the Second Corps were responsible for restraining the main force of the Austrian Corps, with a total of more than 6 people in six armies. The pressure on the shoulders was enormous, and it was impossible to transfer excess troops.

The only way to reinforce Italy's southern battlefield is to mobilize troops from within the country, and try to prepare a new regiment of 5 to 6 people within two weeks, and put it into the southern battlefield to stabilize the local festering situation.

Your Excellency General Moltke, what is the opinion of the General Staff Headquarters? "

Prime Minister Bismarck pointed to General Moltke, Chief of Staff. This experienced military commander took a step forward, took a small wooden pole like a band baton from the lieutenant colonel's adjutant next to him, pointed to the terrain on the huge sand table and said;
"Your Majesty, Your Excellency the Prime Minister;
If we want to launch a full-scale offensive on the northern front, we must continue to increase our troops to strengthen the frontline attack force.

The General Staff Headquarters has made a complete plan for the second phase of the war. The most urgent task is to use the domestic perfect railway line to transport troops forward, according to the deployment plan;

The Army Staff Headquarters will cooperate closely with the railway department to dispatch a total of more than 810 trains and send another 15 to 16 troops to the northern battlefield, including soldiers from our allies. This plan has already begun to be implemented.

a week at the latest

Our army will assemble enough troops on the front line to launch the second phase of operations, strike the enemy with rapid and uninterrupted violent attacks, wipe out its vital forces, and force the Austrian Empire to admit defeat and withdraw from the war.

In order to achieve this strategic goal, it is necessary to make dangerous moves.

Now that the Kingdom's three major corps have broken through into Saxony, Hannover and other places, the Elbe River Corps and the First Corps will gather in the Moravian region north of Dresden to form a force of about 19 soldiers. ~ A large army of 20 people (including follow-up reinforcements).

My plan is;
Order the Elbe River Army and the 1st Army to advance south along the Ore Mountains, and the 2th Army (note; the number of subsequent reinforcements) will cross the Sudeten Mountains and advance southwest.

The three main armies of the Kingdom "divided into joint attacks" and broke into the territory of the Austrian Empire in an all-round way, forming a joint large army with a strength of 45. Tens of thousands of reinforcements) formed a pincer offensive, surrounded and wiped out the main force of the Austrian army with superior forces.

Of course, the dangers of this military plan are great.

If the Austrian Army were to block the Ore Mountains and the Sudeten Mountains with favorable terrain, our army may suffer heavy casualties while delaying favorable fighters, which would lead to the failure of the entire combat plan.

In addition, this plan goes deep into the enemy's territory, which will lead to an overly long front line and a certain degree of difficulty in the logistics supply of the main force.

After in-depth research by the General Staff Headquarters, it is believed that;
As long as they can encircle and severely damage the main Austrian corps within two weeks, the difficulty of logistical supplies will not erupt on a large scale, which will lead to the failure of the entire military plan;

There are risks, but the benefits are greater.

When the allied armies of the Austrian Empire were retreating, they did not leave blocking troops in the Sudeten Mountains and the Ore Mountains in panic. The Elbe Chasing Corps had already penetrated into the mountains. This is the biggest advantage at present.

Before the enemy reacts, we must invest enough troops into the depths of the mountains, quickly remove a small number of enemy castles that may occupy dangerous terrain, and open up a road to victory.

Is this military plan implemented?

I would like to ask His Majesty the King for your permission. The army still needs the Royal Government to organize a horse-drawn carriage team with sufficient strength to continuously transport supplies to the front line through the mountain roads, so as to relieve the worries of the future. "

The biggest problem of whether to make a decision was sent to King William. He folded his hands in front of his chest with frowning eyes, and looked at the huge sand table with fixed eyes, falling into a dilemma.

This military plan is not risky, but extremely risky.

If the soldiers of the whole Prussian country rush into the mountains, the setback will lead to the destruction of countless painstaking efforts that the Kingdom of Prussia has invested in for decades. This is not a joke.

Even if they rush out of the mountainous area, whether they can successfully encircle and severely damage the main force of the Austrian Army Corps is still a matter of uncertainty.

The so-called two weeks in General Moltke's mouth meant that after defeating the main force of the Austrian Army Corps, they took advantage of the victory to pursue and occupy a large area of ​​Austria's grain-rich areas, and the grain was lost to the enemy.

July is the season of summer harvest, and its significance is self-evident.

Really count on the government to organize hundreds of thousands of civilians to deliver food to the front line, the rugged and dangerous mountain roads are a huge obstacle that cannot be overcome.

In these days, the mountainous roads are only rugged trails that can barely be passed by horse-drawn carriages. It is pure fantasy to rely on them to supply the combat logistics needs of more than 40 troops.

More is the ammunition and food carried by the soldiers, as well as the supplies transported by the army's carriage. It may be dangerous to last for two weeks, and it will be over in almost 10 days.

The Duke of Oldenburg was a senior Junker military aristocrat. After careful consideration, he said, "General Moltke, can you be sure that the fleeing states did not stay behind the dangerous mountain passes?"

"That's true. The news from the frontline corps shows that even if there are a few remaining troops, they can't stop the progress of my main corps."

"That is to say, there are indeed remnants of troops stationed in the mountains, although the number is not large."

"Your Honorable Duke, so far; I am convinced that the Austrian Prince Benedy has not realized the importance of this point, and has not sent troops to garrison mountain castles and dangerous passes. This is our greatest opportunity, and we must seize it firmly , if it is missed... it will drag the war into a longer stalemate."

"But we can't be too risky and put the fate of the entire country on the line. General Moltke, don't forget the famous Battle of Austerlitz commanded by the French Emperor Napoleon, which is a classic example of dealing with the Austrian and Tsarist troops who attacked separately."

The Battle of Austerlitz was a complete victory won by the French emperor Napoleon in 1803 against the main forces of Austria and Tsarist Russia in the third anti-French alliance, commanding the French army to defeat each of them.

Dividing the troops meant great risks. If the Austrian army seized the opportunity to divide the troops and defeated them one by one, the Prussian army would be in an extremely difficult situation.

Because of the mountain range, the main forces of the three major corps could not fight together. Whether the Austrian army faced the Elbe Corps, the First Corps, or the Second Corps, they would have the advantage of strength and geographical advantage.

At that time, whoever surrounds who will be two things.

The Prussian army attacking along the valley also has a huge disadvantage, that is, once the Austrian army realizes the combat intention of the Prussian army and sends the main force of the corps to block the mountain pass, it will really be over.

The Prussian army was limited to a narrow valley passage, unable to gather a wide enough front to meet the enemy, and could only refuel tactically to give away the head. No matter how powerful the combat power was, it could not be brought into play, and it was really in a deadlock.

The words of the Duke of Oldenburg were also worried in King William's heart.

You can't hope that the Generalissimo of the Austrian Army is a fool, at the mercy of the Prussian General Staff.

While considering the huge benefits, you should also consider the huge risks. What should you do if you lose the battle?
And this is where King William hesitated to make a decision. It was easy to make a decision, but the serious consequences brought about by it made him have to carefully weigh it.

Adhering to the tradition of Junkers military aristocrats, King William hung out in the barracks at the age of 9. When he was young, he was called the "Prince of Shotgun".

He remained silent for a long time, and the solemn atmosphere in the headquarters was suffocating.

Prime Minister Bismarck waited for a while, and couldn't help interjecting;
"Your Majesty;

I still remember that in 1859, I served as the ambassador of the Tang Empire. Facing the American Civil War that lasted for several years, the Tang Empire was fully prepared to intervene in the war.

When the time was right, the United South brazenly launched an all-out war against the United States of America.

I personally admire the tough tactics of Emperor Li Cha of the Tang Empire, his keen sense of war like a wild wolf, and even more my admiration for his daring to decide to act when the southern government is facing the crisis of complete defeat.

you also saw

As a result, the Datang Empire won the eternal friendship of the Confederate States of America, and also reaped huge war dividends, truly establishing its hegemony in North America.

In many cases, it is not a sure thing to invest in. The greater the risk, the greater the return. It is the same in ancient and modern times.

I dare not say whether Prince Benedy will divide his troops to guard the dangerous pass of the mountain, whether he will block the exit of the valley and put our army in great danger.

But I firmly believe in the strong fighting power and strong fighting spirit of the Prussian army, that decades of painstaking efforts will not be in vain, and that military geniuses like the French emperor Napoleon are not everywhere. God bless Germany! "

King William took a deep look at his prime minister, Bismarck, and saw the strong fighting spirit in his eyes, which also aroused a flame in King William's heart. How could he be willing to drag the war into a long-term stalemate?
The current situation is that the Prussian army must cross the mountains before it can penetrate deep into the hinterland of the Austrian Empire to attack the main force of the Austrian Empire's army that adheres to the concept of "defense first".

It is not surprising that the Austrians did this. They were waiting for other European powers to participate before launching a full-scale counterattack.

The Russians must not be able to count on it. Nicholas I died of a cerebral hemorrhage due to his good brother Emperor Franz Joseph.Now that the bones are still cold, how could his son Alexander II send troops to rescue the Austrian Empire?
The problem is that;

As long as the war is delayed, the French Emperor Napoleon III will definitely send troops to intervene, and the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph is [-]% sure of this.

It is not a joke that the European situation will affect the whole body. The French will never regard the Kingdom of Prussia as the kingdom of Germany.

The French Third Reich has many followers in North Germany. This is also an area where French influence penetrates deeply. There are constant cutting and chaotic marriage and family relationships. This alone is enough for France to take action.

From the perspective of national strategic interests

Napoleon III managed to break the shackles of the Alliance of Three Emperors, but he did not want another strong opponent to emerge in Northwest Europe to compete with France for continental hegemony.

Therefore, France has already carried out military mobilization within its borders, and a steady stream of troops is gathering at the Franco-Prussian border, and it has exerted tremendous pressure from the national level, all of which have been piled up on the shoulders of Prime Minister Bismarck.

The biggest problem now is time, and what is missing is time.

Because the Austro-Prussian War broke out too suddenly, the speed of mobilization of the French army was not fast.

Many French officers and soldiers who were on vacation were on their way to the barracks, and the French troops who were fighting in the colonies could not be brought back for a while, and the local French army alone was not enough to start a full-scale war.

It took time for France to mobilize, and it would take a long time for factories to switch to a wartime system. This created the strategic thinking of "defense first" as the main force of the Austrian Imperial Army, trying to try to pull the war into a stalemate and wait for military intervention by major European powers.

The adventurous military plan of the Chief of Staff Moltke is the most favorable plan to break the fantasy of the Austrian army. It will severely damage the main force of the Austrian army in the shortest time, lay the foundation for victory, and leave no time for the French to intervene.

"Are you confident? Your Excellency the Chief of Staff." King William asked with a serious face.

General Moltke felt the heavy pressure in an instant, and the hope of the entire Kingdom of Prussia to unify the German region was on his shoulders. He nodded firmly and replied; "Your Majesty, you can trust this Prussian army. The best military mobilization system and firm belief in all of Europe will surely bring you the victory you crave."

"Then it's decided. Let's implement it according to the combat plan formulated by the General Staff Headquarters. The sooner the better."

"As you wish, my honorable majesty."

Finally, the overall military plan for the second phase of the "split joint attack" was finalized, and everyone present breathed out a sigh of relief.

from now on

It is about to enter a tense state of continuous rotation all night long. The Elbe River Corps, the First Corps and the Second Corps go deep into the mountains. The staff headquarters has to issue hundreds of important orders, which are related to the order of battle, army scheduling, material supply, marching order, etc. In terms of other aspects, every aspect must be sorted out clearly, and I am really busy.

In case of poor consideration, 45 troops are crowded on the narrow mountain trails, screaming every day, and the ground is not working, it will be a complete disaster.

(End of this chapter)