I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 602 If you can do it, don’t beep

It is the consensus of the whole world not to attack Russia in winter.

After entering winter, both Russia and the German-Austrian alliance reduced the contact between their ground forces. Fighting still had to happen, but the ground offensive turned into artillery battles.

The defense lines of the Russian Army and the German-Austrian Allied Forces were almost all built along the rivers. Since it was just the beginning of winter, the river surface had not yet frozen, which further reduced the possibility of contact between ground forces.

Compared with the cold north, warm Belgium is obviously more conducive to military operations.

The German army deployed four newly formed mobilized armies in the direction of Ypres, and the defenders of Ypres were the British First and Fourth Armies.

The First Army and the Fourth Army were the main forces of the British Army, but they failed to withstand the attack of the German recruits. With the help of the French Ninth Army, the British Army stabilized its defense line.

The British army performed extremely poorly in this battle, which greatly disappointed the French.

However, with the arrival of the Canadian Corps and the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the British Army's combat effectiveness was greatly improved, which gave the French hope again.

On November 11, Conrad regrouped and commanded the Austrian army to cross the Rhine and launch an attack directly on Belgrade.

The Austrian army's 305mm field guns were deployed on the other side of the Rhine and directly bombarded Belgrade.

Austrian planes appeared on the battlefield for the first time and bombed Belgrade.

The Balkan War gave countries a full understanding of the air force, and they all increased their investment in the air force.

The Austrian army was no exception, but due to its limited strength, it did not have many aircraft before the outbreak of the war.

Now the Austro-Hungarian Empire's military-industrial enterprises were running at full capacity, not only producing aircraft but also armored vehicles.

Once Austria-Hungary returned to the right path, the Kingdom of Serbia had no chance of winning.

On the 6th, the Austrian army captured Belgrade, and morale was greatly boosted.

Putnik had no intention of defending Belgrade to the death. He withdrew the main force of the Serbian army to the southern mountains, preparing for a long-term battle with the Austrian army.

Conrad was very angry. The capital had been occupied but they still refused to surrender and were not following the rules.

George had never expected that Putnik knew guerrilla warfare.

Not only did Putnik fight guerrilla warfare with Conrad in the southern mountains, but he also invaded Bosnia, causing Conrad to lose face.

Bosnia is also mountainous.

Dmitry told George that Putnik had participated in the Rivne exercises several times as a military observer.

George can only say that opportunities always favor those who are prepared.

Taking advantage of the winter, George worked to increase Constantinople's industrial capacity.

The arsenals left over from the Ottoman Empire played an increasingly important role and were now able to produce light machine guns and mortars.

After arriving in Vladivostok, Fedorov improved his automatic rifle and introduced a light machine gun that could be used by a single soldier.

The range and energy sustainability of a light machine gun are not as good as those of a heavy machine gun. Its only advantage is that it is lighter and can be carried around, making it more suitable for accompanying troops than a heavy machine gun.

The heavy machine gun is difficult to move due to its heavy weight and requires the cooperation of multiple people to use it properly.

Light machine guns can be distributed to the squad level. After using the ammunition box to feed ammunition, the reserve ammunition can reach up to 50 rounds, which is compatible with the ammunition belt of heavy machine guns.

There are two types of ammunition belts for heavy machine guns, one with 50 rounds and the other with 100 rounds.

The light machine guns produced in Constantinople were supplied first to the Vladivostok Armored Division stationed in Constantinople.

Demeter didn't quite understand. He thought that the front-line troops should be supplied first.

George presented facts and reasoned that only by controlling the most powerful forces in his own hands could George have the ability to deter the Balkan countries.

After the Austrian army captured Belgrade, a large number of Serbs poured into Bulgaria, posing some security risks to Bulgaria.

Brusinov sent a telegram to George, hoping that George would order the border to be closed.

George disagreed.

It was the King of Serbia who made the mistake, not the Serbs themselves.

Not only did George not close the border, but he also asked Polis to send people to properly resettle the Serbs who fled to Bulgaria. In these days, population is strength.

Georgy sent a telegram saying that the Austro-Hungarian Navy was ready to take action and had repeatedly harassed Greek ports. Georgy hoped that the Mediterranean Fleet would take action to destroy the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire's four "United Force" class battleships have been put into service one after another, and they are a maritime force that cannot be underestimated.

The Mediterranean Fleet had two dreadnoughts and one super dreadnought, and its strength was similar to that of the Austro-Hungarian fleet.

If the British Mediterranean Fleet is included, the Austro-Hungarian Empire would pale in comparison. So after the war broke out, the Austro-Hungarian fleet hid in the naval port in the Adriatic Sea and did not dare to take the initiative to attack.

George was not so worried about the Austro-Hungarian fleet, but about Italy.

After the outbreak of the war, the Kingdom of Italy did not join Germany in declaring war on France, but waited and watched. The background of Italy's joining the Allies was the conflict with France over Tunisia. In order to seek support from Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy joined the Allies.

In 1895, Italy invaded Abyssinia in North Africa. Its two allies, Germany and Austria-Hungary, did not provide any help to Italy, which made Italy very disappointed.

Germany and Austria-Hungary were even more disappointed.

In the eyes of Germany and Austria-Hungary, there was no reason why the Italian army, equipped with modern weapons, could not defeat Abyssinia, whose weapons and equipment were still in a primitive state.

So even without the help of Germany and Austria-Hungary, Italy should be able to take over Abyssinia cleanly and efficiently.

Italy was too incompetent. Not only did it suffer heavy casualties, but it was also forced to sign a humiliating treaty, recognizing the independence of the Abyssinian Empire and paying a sum of money in exchange for the captured Italian officers and soldiers.

At this point, Italy had completely become a laughing stock of the whole world, not only being madly ridiculed by the French, but also being despised by its allies.

France's support for Abyssinia was the main reason for Italy's defeat in Abyssinia.

So not only is Britain the troublemaker in Europe, the French are also very good at it.

After the defeat of the Abyssinian Empire, Italy began to adjust its policies and ease relations with France.

France snatched Tunisia from the Italians and ruined the Italians' good fortune in Abyssinia. In order not to offend the Italians, France invested in Italy and provided loans to the Kingdom of Italy, which effectively eased the relationship between France and Italy.

After easing relations with France, the Kingdom of Italy discovered that the Austro-Hungarian Empire still occupied part of Italy's territory.

So Italy's position began to become ambiguous.

The conflict between France and Italy has eased, there is no fundamental conflict between Britain and Italy, and the Russian Empire and Italy have nothing to do with each other.

So what was Italy's original intention in joining the Allies?
By this time the Italians had forgotten all about it.

Amur and Italy have close commercial trade, and Italy is one of the most important overseas markets for Amur goods.

Although the Kingdom of Italy was not very powerful, George liked one characteristic of the Italians: they loved to enjoy life while they could.

Italians have a strong demand for luxury goods from the East, and cosmetics and food produced in Amur are also very popular in Italy.

European luxury brands had not yet taken off in those days, so high-end products from Amur quickly took over the Italian market.

At this time, no one knew what the Italians, who had not yet joined the war, were planning.

However, George knew that Italy was a fence-sitter in both world wars, so Italy would definitely participate in the war, and would do so by joining the Allied Powers.

George hesitated whether to send a telegram to Nicholas to remind him that it was possible to win over the Kingdom of Italy.

However, considering Italy's performance in Abyssinia and Tripoli, George was worried that if the Kingdom of Italy joined the Allies, the Allies would also have to send 50 divisions to protect Italy.

Taking Georgy's request into consideration, George still sent a telegram to Rakitsky, ordering the Mediterranean Fleet to strengthen patrols along the Greek coast and protect the security of the Greek coastline.

This would also be good for the Mediterranean Fleet.

Marmara Island, the home port of the Mediterranean Fleet, is too far away from the Adriatic Sea.

In order to better protect Greek ports, the Kingdom of Greece must provide a port for the Mediterranean Fleet to use.

There were few ports worth mentioning for the Kingdom of Greece, except for Piraeus and Thessaloniki, and Georgi told George to pick any one.

Piraeus is only 9 kilometers away from Athens. If the Mediterranean Fleet were to be stationed in Piraeus, it would be like putting a gun to the chest of the Kingdom of Greece.

Thessaloniki is the largest port on the Aegean coast, and it is impossible for Russian troops to enter.

George selected the port city of Kerkyra on the island of Corfu for the Mediterranean Fleet.

Corfu Island has an area of ​​580 square kilometers and is the second largest island in the Ionian Islands. It guards the gateway to the Adriatic Sea. Controlling it is equivalent to locking the Austro-Hungarian fleet in the Adriatic Sea.

Corfu is only 100 kilometers away from Italy.

Sending the Mediterranean Fleet to Corfu would also be a deterrent to the Kingdom of Italy.

Corfu has very good natural conditions, but its port facilities are not complete enough and the city is very small, so it does not have the ability to accommodate the Mediterranean fleet.

The Mediterranean Fleet will be stationed in Corfu, and port facilities such as military camps, warehouses, and hospitals will need to be renovated.

Considering the huge investment in improving port facilities, George simply had the Mediterranean Fleet sign a contract with the Kingdom of Greece to lease the entire Corfu Island.

George was very happy. He thought it was a good deal to exchange an island for the security of the Greek Kingdom's coastline.

What's more, this is not a cession, but just a lease, and Corfu still belongs to the Kingdom of Greece.

What George did not expect was that the Mediterranean Fleet's lease of Corfu immediately aroused opposition from the Kingdom of Italy.

The Mediterranean Fleet's control of Corfu is also a threat to the Kingdom of Italy. How can we allow others to sleep soundly beside our bed?

George ignored the Italians. If you have the guts, come and hit me. If you don’t, stop talking nonsense.

(End of this chapter)