London, since the news of the outbreak of the Russo-Prussian War came, the British government has been busy.

Prime Minister Benjamin: "What, you're going to expand your army again?" ”

War Secretary Fox reminded solemnly: "Your Excellency, we have not expanded our army for many years. Except for war periods, the army strength has not increased for almost fifty years. ”

Benjamin replied with an embarrassed face, "Sorry, I made a mistake. Let's talk about the reason, why did you think of expanding the army? ”

The presence of the British Army was too low, and it was usually the Navy that called for expansion. Suddenly, he received an application for the expansion of the army, and Prime Minister Benjamin habitually used "again".

This situation, Fox is used to. Such was the position of the British Army, which was rarely taken seriously by the government except when it was needed.

"With the outbreak of the Russo-Prussian War, the situation in Europe is about to face a reshuffle, and we need a strong army to deal with the unexpected."

Chancellor of the Exchequer Garfield Bromley Ahn Silon objected: "No, the situation in Europe is still under our control. As long as the Franco-Austrian balance is not broken, there will be no problems.

Besides, even if the balance of the European continent is broken, I don't think that the expansion of the army will change anything. ”

As harsh as it is, it's true. Austria has a standing army of more than 600,000, and the French standing army is close to 500,000.

Both Prussia and Prussia, which are at war, have mobilized millions of troops, and the total number of troops on the battlefield alone exceeds 1.2 million.

How many standing armies are there in Britain?

136,000!

Of course, this was not the entire armament of the British Empire. In the vast colonies, there are at least 50,000 or 600,000 colonial troops, as well as a number of civilian armed groups.

However, the combat effectiveness of the colonial army, which was notoriously low. When thinking about Europe, it is customary to ignore these forces.

Fox's face instantly darkened, this was a naked provocation. In the last few wars, the Army's performance has not been very good, so he has no confidence to speak.

No matter how effective the Army is, as Secretary of War Fox, he must maintain the dignity of the Army, and immediately asked: "Your Excellency, is this doubting the combat effectiveness of the Army?" ”

It's okay to doubt the combat effectiveness of the army, but it's okay to say it so blatantly. Compared with the Royal Navy, the British Army is the little brother, but there is also a large group of people behind this younger brother.

For the sake of a word, offending such a large group of people is obviously not the work of a wise man.

Realizing the gaffe, Garfield immediately remedied: "No, I never meant to doubt the combat effectiveness of the army.

I mean that the number of land forces is too small, there is no way to compare with the European countries, even if our army is strong in combat, it is difficult to defeat four hands with two fists.

As an island nation, it has been decided that Britain's center of gravity must be on the sea. Against this background, we are very limited in what we can devote to the Army. ”

Listening to this explanation, Fox's expression softened slightly: "It is precisely because of the gap that we have to catch up and narrow the gap with Fao.

The size of our army is completely disproportionate to Britain's international standing. Not to mention the deterrence of Faao, even a third-rate country dares to despise us. ”

Prime Minister Benjamin, who had finished reading the document, picked up a pen and circled a number on it, stopping the two from arguing: "Sir Fox, your plan to expand the army has exceeded reality.

History has proven that Britain does not have the strength to dominate the continent, and maintaining balance is the best option.

Diplomacy is at the heart of this goal, and there is no need for the Army to treat Fao as an imaginary enemy, which is beyond our capabilities. ”

Faced with this situation, Fox was unmoved, and this is not the first time that the expansion has been vetoed. Something like this happens almost every year.

There is nothing in the military that does not want to expand the army, especially the army that is raised by the mother. Whether you can pass it or not, try it every year at the end of the year.

It is not expected that all the goals will be achieved, but it will be a great victory to increase the size of one regiment.

"Prime Minister, even if you don't think about the situation in Europe, the colonies can't just ignore it, right? In recent years, the pressure on the colonies has increased.

Especially in the Indian colonies, we are still preparing to use troops against Afghanistan and Persia.

Without the expansion of the army, I am afraid that the colonial army alone will not be able to accomplish the government's plan. ”

Benjamin frowned, and they were feeling the pressure as Austria expanded its influence into the Persian Gulf region.

In order to contain Austrian expansion, the London government formulated a Persian strategy, preparing to occupy Persia before Austria could finish digesting the Arabian Peninsula.

As for the Afghanistan strategy, that is a legacy of history. As the world hegemon, John Bull also wants to save face, and the invasion of Afghanistan failed a few years ago, so he naturally has to find a way back.

With the outbreak of the Russo-Prussian War, the energy of the tsarist government was contained in Europe, and it was a good opportunity to do it. If you wait for the Russians to recover and then want to take this place, it will not be as simple as it is now.

Seeing that the Prime Minister had some intentions, the Secretary of the Navy, John Vasyl, immediately dismantled the stage and said: "With the current size of the army, it is indeed impossible to accomplish so many tasks.

But we still have time, after Austria digests the Arabian Peninsula, their next target should be the Ottoman Empire. Before the Ottomans perished, we didn't have to worry that they would fight us for Persia.

The same is true in Afghanistan, where the Russo-Prussian war will not end for a while. Only if the tsarist government won the war, we need to worry about this threat.

Judging by the current situation, the chances of the Russians wanting to win the war easily are almost zero. After this war, the tsarist government had to recuperate for at least ten years.

That's a long time, enough for us to do a lot of things. If the Army is unable to complete the mission, we in the Marine Corps can do it for you. ”

Suppressing the army is the core strategy of the Royal Navy, and it is no less important than suppressing France and Austria, or even more important.

Insufficient troops?

After the outbreak of war, a temporary expansion is sufficient, so why increase the number of personnel!

In the eyes of the Navy, the Army is redundant. Overseas expansion with the Royal Navy and colonial forces was sufficient; As long as there are police to maintain local law and order, what is the army used for?

Even if the rebellion is suppressed, the marines can be on it! It's a big deal to expand the establishment, and there is no need for the army to join in the fun.

Of course, this is just a thought, no matter how unpopular the army is, it is impossible for the London government to dismantle it.

The simplest checks and balances are still clear to everyone. If there were no army, wouldn't the entire country's military strength fall into the hands of the navy?

Benjamin nodded: "This issue will be put on hold for now, and then it will be discussed slowly, and if the War Department has any doubts, it can be directly submitted to the parliament for discussion."

Now let's talk about the Russo-Prussian War, which seemed to be confined to Eastern Europe but actually affected the world situation. ”

The parliament is the best shield, and when any issue reaches the parliament, it is not possible to discuss the results in a day or two, which can be called the best weapon to delay time.

Foreign Secretary Edward: "The Russo-Prussian War was arguably the largest war in the history of Europe, and even of mankind.

According to the information from the embassy, the total number of troops mobilized by Prussia and Russia is about to exceed 3 million. It may not be long before both sides will throw millions of troops into the fight.

It's really hard to imagine that this is only Prussia and Russia, and if France and Austria are mobilized, I am afraid it will be even more terrifying.

Now the war has just begun, and no one knows the outcome or victory. The only thing that is certain is that this war will be very brutal, and millions of people will probably die. ”

As he spoke, Edward had some lingering palpitations. Before the outbreak of the war, no one thought that Prussia and Russia would be so crazy.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Garfield complained directly: "It's all a bunch of crazy people!" ”

Prime Minister Benjamin waved his hand and pretended to be relaxed: "It doesn't matter whether Prussia and Russia are crazy or not, the key is the chain reaction brought about by the war, and what benefits can we gain from this change in the international situation?"

Needless to say, everyone knows that the arms dealers are going to make a fortune. Let's talk about the situation in Europe, the changes in the world situation. ”

Foreign Secretary Edward smiled lightly: "It's not that serious. If the situation in Europe changes, although it is not certain, as long as France and Austria want to maintain stability, they can be suppressed.

The world situation has a smaller impact, although the strength of Prussia and Russia is not weak, they are not colonial empires, and their influence is mainly in Eurasia.

At most, the Far East will be affected to some extent, but the rulers of Seris are too weak to dare to act even if the Russians have no time to look eastward.

In fact, we just need to pick up coffee, eat pastries, and watch the fight between Prussia and Russia, we really don't need to do anything! ”

Britain has the confidence to be a melon-eating masses, and no matter what the outcome of the Russo-Prussian War is, it will not affect their interests.

Colonial Chancellor Robert shook his head: "No, we can still do something. Everyone's eyes are drawn to Eastern Europe, then the South American war can go according to our script.

Before the end of the Russo-Prussian War, I thought that Austria and Austria should not care about making trouble for us, and the Chileans picked up a big bargain this time. ”

As a maritime country, Britain can happily make war money, but France and Austria on the mainland cannot.

The European continent is too small to squeeze out so many great powers, and it is impossible for France and Austria to allow new powers to rise and squeeze out their own interests.

Both Austria and France must now keep their attention, keep their eyes on the battlefields of Eastern Europe, and be ready to intervene in this war at any time.

In order to ensure the investment of forces on the European continent, France and Austria will naturally not be able to take care of the South American region in a short period of time, and Bolivia and Peru can be regarded as a tragedy.

……