Mediterranean Hegemony Road

The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, although it is midsummer now, it seems that it is still a cold winter and a twelfth lunar month. There is no warmth, and the gloomy face of Nicholas II directly pulls the temperature down! \u00261t;/p\u003e

Since the beginning of summer, Nicholas II's mood has never been better. There is no way for the bad news on the front line to continue, especially in the last half month, the situation on the battlefield has taken a turn for the worse. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Just after Nicholas II received the battle report again, the rough roar sounded again: "Trash, all are a bunch of trash!\u00261t;/p\u003e

Even if it was 700,000 pigs, the Germans couldn't catch them in such a short time, but the 700,000 Russian troops actually became prisoners of the Germans in just three days! \u00261t;/p\u003e

Now the whole world is watching our jokes, an army group actually surrendered as a system? \u00261t;/p\u003e

God! The largest surrender in history was actually created by us! Has the great Russian Empire really fallen? It's just..."\u00261t;/p\u003e

It is no wonder that Nicholas II was so angry. The total loss of the Russian army in just half a month was as high as 1.8 million. The northern army was finished, and the western army was also crumbling. The southwestern army suffered heavy losses in the winter offensive. It hasn't recovered yet, and has been hit hard again. \u00261t;/p\u003e

On July 3, 1916, German troops penetrated the Russian Northern Front. \u00261t;/p\u003e

On July 6, the Northern Front, with a total strength of more than two million people, was divided into two, and the northern defense line of the Russian army collapsed! \u00261t;/p\u003e

On July 9, the German Sixth Army completed the interspersed interspersed with the Northern Front, and nearly one million Russian troops fell into the German encirclement. \u00261t;/p\u003e

On July 10, the Germans once again broke through the defenses of the Russian and Western Fronts. \u00261t;/p\u003e

July 1o,

The commander of the Russian Northern Front, Admiral Alexei Andreevich Polivanov, ordered the encircled troops to break through, and it ended in failure! \u00261t;/p\u003e

On July 15, in the case of running out of ammunition and food, the Russian Second Army was forced to surrender to the German army. Along with them, part of the First, Fourth and Fifth Army Groups surrendered, with a total number of 700,000. \u00261t;/p\u003e

...\u00261t;/p\u003e

The Russian army has set another world record. The number of troops who surrendered at one time in a battle exceeded 700,000! \u00261t;/p\u003e

Nicholas II does not care about the loss of the army. The key point is that the battle on the Eastern Front is powerless. Although there are more than 3 million troops in the Russian army on the front line at this moment, they are unable to continue to block the forces of the Allies! \u00261t;/p\u003e

Xiang bit the bullet and said, "Your Majesty, let's find a way to deal with the aftermath now!"\u00261t;/p\u003e

Nicholas II sneered and said: "The aftermath? How to deal with the aftermath? Do you still have a way to turn defeat into victory?"\u00261t;/p\u003e

Apparently, Nicholas II was now stimulated, and his anger had buried his sanity. The defeat of this battle was not just an ordinary defeat! \u00261t;/p\u003e

This means that his ambitions have died. The performance of the Russian army on the front line has made everyone see the reality of the Russians. In this case, do you still want to dominate the European Big 6? \u00261t;/p\u003e

Not to mention hegemony, it is impossible to even convince Bulgaria to build a Slavic empire. The Austro-Hungarian Empire is an obvious example. Hungary and Austria have similar strengths and become a dual empire, and then consume a lot of national power in the internal friction. This is definitely Not what Nicholas II wanted. \u00261t;/p\u003e

The 6th Army Minister thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, think of a way to stop the loss! Now immediately withdraw all the troops in the front line, and we will rebuild the defense line in the rear.\u00261t;/p\u003e

Although we are now incapable of defeating the Germans alone, as long as the Allies win the final victory, we will win too! \u00261t;/p\u003e

Now our top priority is not to investigate why it failed, but to build a defense line again to block the German and Austrian coalition forces! ”\u00261t;/p\u003e

Perhaps it was enough to vent, Nicholas II calmed down and ignored the Minister of the 6th Army. Instead, he turned his attention to the Chief of the General Staff and asked, "What plans does the General Staff have?"\u00261t;/p\u003e

The chief of the general staff is now sweating on his forehead. Anyone with a little military common sense knows that the Russian army missed the best time to retreat. \u00261t;/p\u003e

If the Germans retreated to the original line of defense before the Allies counterattacked, the Germans would not have won so easily. \u00261t;/p\u003e

It is a pity that for the so-called politics, the Russian army chose to build a defense line in place to block the attack of the German and Austrian allied forces, and gave up the fortress trenches that had been built before, and finally paid a painful price! \u00261t;/p\u003e

It is obviously impossible to defend on the defense line that has been built before. Many areas of the original defense line have already fallen! \u00261t;/p\u003e

The retreat of the entire army proposed by the 6th Army Minister to re-establish the defense line has become the best choice for the Russians. \u00261t;/p\u003e

The chief of staff said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, the staff plans to send the two million troops that have just been mobilized in China to re-establish the defense line in the Central Russian Highlands, but it will take time.\u00261t;/p\u003e

Therefore, the staff planned to let the front-line troops, alternately cover the retreat, and resist the delay. And abandon the northern Romanian areas and hand over the defense to the Bulgarians! \u00261t;/p\u003e

When winter comes, we will start a counter-offensive to regain lost ground. At that time, I believe that Britain and France are also ready, and Bulgaria should also solve the Ottoman Empire. At that time, the three fronts attacked, and the Germans were too busy with three heads and six arms! ”\u00261t;/p\u003e

It has to be said that Mao Xiong is domineering. When the staff formulates a strategy, it dares to directly give up millions of square kilometers of land, and Europe is the only one. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Nicholas II's face is very embarrassed now. He has to admit that the staff's plan is very feasible. The real strength of the Allied countries is the German family. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Austria-Hungary and Italy did not fare very well in this world war, and either of the four-nation entente was better than them. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Now it is equivalent to the German family who are singled out for the British + o.8 France + o.6 Russia, and they still have the upper hand in the European Big 6, which has to be admired! \u00261t;/p\u003e

However, the weaknesses of the Germans were also obvious. The battle on two fronts resulted in the dispersion of troops, and they could not take care of each other, and they could not achieve a decisive victory on both fronts. \u00261t;/p\u003e

At the same time, the Allied countries have an absolute advantage in the navy and block their overseas material transportation channels. Now, except for the five countries of the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway, which can continue to trade, all other international trade channels for the Germans have been cut off. . \u00261t;/p\u003e

Once there is a protracted war and there are not enough strategic materials, the Germans will definitely not be able to last! \u00261t;/p\u003e

But the most correct choice militarily does not mean that it is also politically correct, and it may still be catastrophic! \u00261t;/p\u003e

Clearly, the negative repercussions of relinquishing a large amount of territory, even for a short period of time, could shake the foundations of the tsarist government. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Nicholas II also became frustrated at this time. He didn't know what to do, and asked unwillingly: "Is there no other way?"\u00261t;/p\u003e

The chief of staff thought for a while and said, "Unless Britain and France immediately launch a full-scale counter-offensive on the Western Front, forcing the Germans to draw troops from the Eastern Front, there is still a chance!"\u00261t;/p\u003e

...\u00261t;/p\u003e

While the Russians are preparing for a strategic retreat, the Germans in Berlin are now hesitating whether they want to defeat the Russians all at once. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Don't look at the brilliant results they have achieved on the front line, but the losses of the German-Austrian coalition are not small. In just one month, the number of casualties has reached nearly 600,000, and it is still increasing by 20,000 to 30,000 people every day! \u00261t;/p\u003e

If it goes on like this, when they kill the Russians, the German-Austrian forces will suffer heavy losses. If you want to kill the French in the next war to win this war, it will be difficult to achieve! \u00261t;/p\u003e

So the German chief of staff Frankingham suggested to Wilhelm II to take advantage of the fact that the Russians were now seriously injured to politically win over them and induce the Russians to withdraw from the war. \u00261t;/p\u003e

History is always an amazing coincidence. In history, after the defeat of the Russian army on the Eastern Front, the Germans threw an olive branch in an attempt to get the Russians out of the war. . \u00261t;/p\u003e

In this time and space, the situation of the Allies is more severe than in history. Some people advocate to induce the Russians to withdraw from the war. Naturally, it is not surprising news. \u00261t;/p\u003e

William II asked cautiously: "Is it possible for the Russians to withdraw from the war?"\u00261t;/p\u003e

The impact of this incident is really too great. Once the Russians withdraw from the war, the German-Austrian coalition can be thrown into the Western Front and attack Britain and France in a surprise attack. \u00261t;/p\u003e

The Western Front suddenly increased by two or three million troops, and Britain and France would definitely not be able to stop it. Once the defense line collapsed, the French would be finished, which basically could declare that the Allies had won the war. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Chancellor Theobald von Bateman Holwig thought for a moment and said: "Whether it can be successful or not, it is worth a try!\u00261t;/p\u003e

Even we can acquiesce to the Russians annexing Romania, or induce them to attack Afghanistan and threaten the British India! ”\u00261t;/p\u003e

Now the conflict between Germany and Russia is not serious, the two sides can completely compromise, and paying some price to get the Russians out of the war will not harm the core interests of the Germans. \u00261t;/p\u003e

William II thought about it and found no problems, then said: "Well, first send someone to talk to the Russians, the conditions are good to discuss.\u00261t;/p\u003e

As long as the Russians can withdraw from the Allies, we will support them to obtain India, and even if they want to continue to expand in the Far East, we can acquiesce! \u00261t;/p\u003e

Even if they still want to get Constantinople, it is acceptable to enter the Mediterranean, but they need to do it themselves! ”\u00261t;/p\u003e

Everyone's expressions changed. The conditions offered by William II this time were really too generous. If they were put forward before the outbreak of the World War, there was a really high possibility that the Russians would be added to the Allies. \u00261t;/p\u003e

The minister of the 6th Army, a Junker nobleman, objected: "Your Majesty, you promised so many benefits to the Russians. Didn't we fight this war in vain? We fought desperately, but instead let the Russians take the biggest cake. It's really..."\u00261t;/p\u003e

William II interrupted: "It also depends on the Russians who don't have such a good appetite! In this war, our strategic goal is to kill the French, and then negotiate with the British to end the war!\u00261t;/p\u003e

Once the Russians invade India, let the British take care of themselves! It is best to let them fight for India and consume each other's strength. ”\u00261t;/p\u003e

...\u00261t;/p\u003e

Can the Germans' wishful thinking work? This issue will take time to verify. From a purely interest perspective, it may be more cost-effective for the Russians to withdraw from the war to preserve their strength. \u00261t;/p\u003e

The premise is that Mao Xiong has no ambition to dominate the European Big Six, otherwise there will be no possibility of relaxation between Germany and Russia. \u00261t;/p\u003e

As soon as Germany and Russia started to contact, Ferdinand received the news. As a bystander, he quietly watched all this happening, as if he didn't know anything. \u00261t;/p\u003e

He knows that even if the Russians want to withdraw from the war now, they must pull Bulgaria to withdraw together, otherwise what will they use against the more powerful Germans after the war! \u00261t;/p\u003e

One of the most crucial reasons why Britain and France persuaded the Russians in history is that the Germans are too powerful. Once they are allowed to integrate the European powers, the Russian Empire can only exist as a second-rate country! \u00261t;/p\u003e

In the end, Ferdinand decided to stab the Germans and reveal the information to Britain and France, so that they could mix it up. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Anyway, in terms of diplomatic means, since Chancellor Bismarck, the Germans' diplomacy has been offline, and now with John Bull, they can't succeed at all! \u00261t;/p\u003e

...\u00261t;/p\u003e

Ferdinand asked with concern: "Chief of Staff, is our army ready? When will we be able to board 6 Italy?"\u00261t;/p\u003e

Chief of General Staff Imya Dimitev said confidently: "Your Majesty, the army is ready, and we can attack at any time with your order!"\u00261t;/p\u003e

Ferdinand nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, then order Lieutenant General Wallycott to start the battle as soon as possible, and let him choose the specific time and place!"\u00261t;/p\u003e

Ferdinand is self-aware. He knows that due to foresight, his strategic level may be 90 points, but his actual military command ability may only be 50 points, so he never intervenes in the command of front-line troops. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Especially in such a Deng 6 battle, there are more issues to be considered in practice, including weather, wind and waves at sea, changes in the deployment of the enemy's forces, etc., which may affect the success of Deng 6, and it is even more impossible to intervene. \u00261t;/p\u003e

"Yes!" The Chief of General Staff replied forcefully. \u00261t;/p\u003e

After the brief military meeting, Ferdinand's heart was relieved. Presumably when the Italians withdraw from the war, the main war faction among the Russians will also be rejoiced! \u00261t;/p\u003e

After all, this is a political battle. As long as the 6th landing is successful, the Allied forces will burn the war to Rome, and the vacillating Italian government will most likely succumb. \u00261t;/p\u003e

It doesn't matter whether the Italians will resist desperately. Anyway, only five Bulgarian infantry divisions participated in the 6th army of the Allies this time, and the remaining 16 infantry divisions were British and French colonial cannon fodder troops. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Cannon fodder troops can be consumed at will, which is already the consensus of everyone. After all, for John Bull, even the loss of one million colonial troops would not have the same impact as the loss of ten thousand native troops. \u00261t;/p\u003e

...\u00261t;/p\u003e

In the midsummer July, Ferdinand was hiding under a tree to enjoy the shade, and now he is very fond of the days when there were air conditioners. Where is it now, the old-fashioned electric fan is whirring non-stop, constantly stimulating his ears. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Xiang Constantine suddenly came to the palace and brought him a piece of good news, or better news for the Russians! \u00261t;/p\u003e

"Your Majesty, we have cleared the Dardanelles and can now resume navigation. The Bosphorus Strait is expected to be cleared in two months to resume normal navigation!"\u00261t;/p\u003e

Ferdinand suddenly stood up from his chair and said, "Okay! Immediately send a telegram to St. Petersburg and tell them the good news!"\u00261t;/p\u003e

After the outbreak of the World War, the Ottoman Empire knew that its navy was not strong enough, and simply blocked the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus strait, and cut off the sea transportation of the Russians by violent means. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Without this sea route, the materials provided by Britain and France could only be transshipped by railways in Bulgaria, which obviously would delay a lot of time. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Originally, it only took two or three days to complete the transportation task by sea, but it is impossible to complete it without ten days and a half months if it needs to be transshipped by railway! \u00261t;/p\u003e

This also takes into account the capacity of the railway. In many cases, when the supplies arrive, they have to wait in line for the train. \u00261t;/p\u003e

Well now, the Dardanelles Strait is open to navigation, and the materials can directly arrive in Constantinople, and then transfer to the past, saving at least half of the time, and there is no need to wait in line for the train! \u00261t;/p\u003e

Obviously, this is undoubtedly good news for the Russians, which means that the material assistance they get later can be greatly increased! \u00261t;/p\u003e

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