Wild North America 1846

Chapter 537 The Demonic Star in Destiny

Author: Portuguese toothless

Chapter 537 The Demonic Star in Destiny

The victories in the Prussian-Danish War and the Prussian-Austrosian War won the lofty aspirations of Prussian King William I and the enthusiastic support of the vast majority of the Junker military aristocracy. The royal family took advantage of the situation and strengthened its control over the army through various means.

Bismarck, who assisted the king in winning two wars, earned the reputation of the "Iron-Blooded Chancellor" and gained widespread prestige in Europe, where he was regarded as one of Europe's most capable political leaders.

Berlin, Army General Staff Headquarters.

King Wilhelm I of Prussia, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince Friedrich Karl, Prime Minister Bismarck and dozens of senior Prussian generals gathered at the large border sand table in the war room to conduct actual combat sand table exercises.

General Moltke, the Prussian Chief of Staff, who was dressed in military uniform, held a long baton in his hand, pointed at the sand table, and said in a calm voice;

“Based on the current situation of the French army and after comprehensive consideration, I predict;

Under the current passive situation, the French Empire will definitely try to use force to break the situation and take the lead in provoking a war, and the direction of attack will definitely choose Alsace and Lorraine.

Especially near Strasbourg, trying to cross the Rhine River from the gentle mouth here.

Because this is a protruding part of southeastern France, directly facing my country's inland hinterland on the east bank of the Rhine River.

If the attack advances not far, it will be able to cut off our north-south main railway lines, posing a serious threat to the mobilization of our troops..."

The accurate judgment of Chief of Staff General Moltke aroused whispers among the Prussian generals below. Some agreed, while others had reservations and believed that it should be treated with more caution.

After all, this is a major decision that determines the direction of the battle. Once the judgment is wrong, everything may be lost.

The Kingdom of Prussia had been preparing for this crucial war for a long time.

Even from the time of King Friedrich Wilhelm II and King Friedrich Wilhelm III, they were planning this fateful war against the French Empire. This was the generation of King William I’s father and grandfather.

, it has been more than half a century.

The French Empire has always been a mountain and the biggest obstacle on the road to the reunification of the German nation. It must be defeated in order to realize the comprehensive rejuvenation and glory of the German nation.

The previous Prussian-Danish War and the Prussian-Austrian War were just two appetizers, while the Franco-Prussian War was the real French feast.

If anything goes wrong

It will surely put the great cause of German national reunification in a crisis and will affect the situation in Europe for decades or even hundreds of years to come. You have to be cautious!

Why did the French Empire have to cross the Rhine from Strasbourg?

Is it not possible to bypass the Belgian plains and invade the North German Confederation?

Hearing the private discussions of the generals, William I's stern eyes touched Prime Minister Bismarck who was standing next to him.

From the other party's eyes, William I could see that Bismarck, the iron-blooded prime minister whom he had always trusted, fully supported General Moltke's strategic judgment. This was consistent with his judgment in his heart, so he conveyed his supportive eyes in a subtle way.

The French Emperor Napoleon III was called the "Fox of the Tuileries" or the "Mysterious Sphinx" by European political circles, describing his unfathomable sophistication and his unrivaled strategy that led France from one glory to another.

.

in fact

Many of these are the self-pleasure of the French public opinion media, which is a kind of mindless pursuit and sensationalism.

Of course, a wise political leader like Prime Minister Bismarck would not be swayed by it, affecting his calm and correct judgment.

In the eyes of Prime Minister Bismarck

Emperor Napoleon III was a political speculator who was good at maneuvering. He had neither superhuman military talent nor unparalleled courage. He was nothing more than a yes-man following the British.

The series of victories it achieved in its colonial expansion in Europe and the world were nothing more than a pitiful reward for following the British and charging into battle.

May I ask, which battle victory of the French army was personally commanded by him?

One of the most commendable achievements of Emperor Napoleon III was to provoke the Russian furry bear to trigger the Crimean War in 1853, thereby breaking the alliance of the three emperors of Russia, Prussia and Austria, and allowing France to break free from the shackles around its neck, thereby gaining

Considerable development.

Others are just lackluster.

The bragging Gauls were willing to exaggerate the wisdom and prowess of their Emperor Napoleon III, but this did not affect the rigorous and pragmatic Prussians. William I and Prime Minister Bismarck could see through the French court's impetuousness and eagerness for quick success at a glance.

His attempt to use force to break the situation was obvious, which fully confirmed the judgment of General Moltke, Chief of Staff of the Prussian Army.

Or how can we say that the Germans are the devils of France?

It was precisely based on the impetuous psychology of the Gauls that they would inevitably choose the Strasbourg line, which was the most convenient, fastest and easiest to achieve success, and broke through the Rhine River defense line to invade the Kingdom of Prussia. The plain terrain here was conducive to a large army assault.

On the French-German border

In addition to the Strasbourg attack route, the French Empire has two other attack routes. One is to make a left hook through the Belgian plains from the north and break into the Kingdom of Prussia.

The so-called detour through the Kingdom of Belgium is a false proposition and is actually an invasion.

Everyone knows that King Leopold of Belgium is the cousin of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The cousins ​​have been close since childhood. Invading Belgium is tantamount to a slap in the face of the British and will most likely lead to armed intervention by the British Expeditionary Force.

The other road was the Baden Mountain area in the south with dangerous mountains and dense forests. It was passable by a few horse-drawn carriages, but the rugged mountain roads and endless forests were a nightmare for a large corps assault, and it was the first plan to be abandoned.

"...

In summary

I concluded that the French army would inevitably concentrate its superior forces, break through the Rhine River defense line from Strasbourg, and invade the hinterland cities of our country on a large scale, in order to achieve the purpose of drawing and severely damaging our army.

Based on the situation of French railway lines, the General Staff Headquarters came to the conclusion after careful calculation;

The Strasbourg Railway does not have the ability to assemble the entire main force of the French army. More than half of the French army...numbers about 150,000 to 180,000. They should get off and assemble at the Metz station in the hinterland of France, a little west and north of Strasbourg.

, drove in on foot.

In this way, the French Metz Group and the Strasbourg Group are bound to be separated by the Vosges Mountains, and this is the decisive opportunity we have been waiting for for a long time.

The main force of the French army was divided into two by the Louge Mountains, giving our army the best opportunity to defeat them one by one..."

When General Mao Qi, Chief of Staff of the Prussian Army, was introducing the situation, his face glowed with a strange look of confidence, which deeply attracted the senior generals present. This is the style of a commander-in-chief.

Taking into account the military strength and combat readiness of France and Prussia, the Prussian army had a great advantage.

The French army implements a standing army system. The experienced professional soldiers of the army have been in battle for many years and have fought in several continents in Europe, Asia and Africa. Their combat effectiveness is among the top levels in Europe. The title of European Overlord is not fake.

However, the French military system does not have two-level establishments: corps and division. The permanent establishment is only at the level of combat regiment. It is difficult to ensure proper coordination and maximize combat effectiveness through hasty formation during war.

The total strength of the French army does not exceed 570,000. The local combat troops are only 330,000 to 340,000. There are also 60,000 to 70,000 logistics and guard troops. There are still more than 100,000 French troops scattered around the world, which will not be used when the war breaks out.

.

The Kingdom of Prussia learned from the advanced experience of the Tang Empire and widely implemented a system of combining compulsory military service and professional sergeants across the country. Together with the North German Federal Army, the total wartime strength could reach more than 1 million.

There were more than 700,000 troops participating in the battle on the front line, which was more than twice the total military strength of France.

Moreover, the Kingdom of Prussia has a complete reserve system, which can recruit a total of 2.45 million local soldiers to participate in the war at any time. It has sufficient material preparation before the war and can cope with a large-scale war of attrition.

since this year

The Kingdom of Prussia has borrowed two huge loans from the Tang Empire, totaling 128 million Tang Yuan. Now most of them have been converted into mountains of supplies and transported to the ports of Bremen, Cologne and Frankfurt, becoming the strong force for the Prussian army to defeat the enemy.

backing.

The Supreme Military Council adjourned only in the evening. The senior generals of the Prussian Army were still in high spirits and gathered together in twos and threes for a heated discussion without feeling tired at all.

Prime Minister Bismarck was walking with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm. He took the initiative to ask: "Dear Your Highness, during this visit at the beginning of the year, what was your impression of the Orientals?"

"Oh... I have a feeling of déjà vu. How can I put it... The rigorous, hard-working and even taciturn nature of Oriental people makes me feel familiar. If it weren't for their black hair, dark eyes and distinctive Oriental language,

I would have mistaken it for Hamburg or Holstein. Oh... by the way, they look just like Finns, except for their eyes."

"It seems that I am not the only one who has such an illusion. My dear Your Highness, I learned a lot there. The Demon King Richard is perhaps one of the most respected monarchs in the world. In many ways, he is no less important than Bei

Queen Victoria, who was highly regarded by the British, maintained close and friendly transatlantic relations with the Tang Dynasty, which was beneficial to the Kingdom of Prussia."

"I agree with your point of view, dear Prime Minister." His Royal Highness Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm said this and stood up, giving a polite smile to the blood prince Karl who was walking by him. After he walked away, he said:

continued;

"To tell you the truth, my wife, Princess Victoria, dislikes this oriental country very much, especially the grand royal gardens and so many women like the nouveau riche. In her eyes, he is simply a debauched tyrant.

But it must be admitted

The nobles and gentlemen in the delegation and I are very envious of this kind of life.

Maybe...this is the ultimate enjoyment!

It’s exciting to think about it. There were hundreds of beautiful women in the imperial harem of the Tang Dynasty. There were white women, oriental women and Spanish women. They could obey the emperor’s call at any time. There were also many young women in the court.

maid……"

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm became more and more excited as he talked, and his eyes revealed a strange luster called a pervert. Prime Minister Bismarck had to cough twice, interrupt His Highness's unrealistic obscenity, and said;

"Please forgive me, dear Your Highness, I have no intention of interrupting your interest. Just maintaining close transatlantic relations is very important to both countries."

"OK, I think so too, dear Prime Minister."

"That's good, we have reached an agreement."

(End of chapter)