The Prussian army is on the move, and the Russian army is not idle. Perhaps having learned the lessons of the last war, the Russians are much more cautious this time.

No matter how the Prussian army fought, they recognized Smolensk, and the rest of the region relied on the fortifications built earlier.

From the standpoint of a bystander, the Russians are a little more conservative in terms of strategy, but have to admit that this is the safest option.

Smolensk is the gateway to Moscow, and without taking it, the Russian army will not be able to advance westward with confidence.

Those who have studied the Prussian army know that they most like to concentrate superior forces in local battlefields for decisive battles, and they are strong in dividing and attacking together, making rapid breakthroughs, fighting on the outside line, and fighting quickly and decisively.

In the last war, the Russians suffered a big loss, and now it is natural to learn a lesson.

Steady and steady, it is undoubtedly the best choice. Concentrate forces in one direction to focus on attacking, and other areas rely on fortifications for defense, and even if the Prussian army concentrates superior forces, it will be difficult to break through in a short time.

Defense is always more advantageous than offense, with pillboxes and fortresses as a backing, without two or three times the advantage of troops, it is impossible to break through under normal circumstances.

Vienna Palace, looking at the military deployment map of the Russians, Franz frowned, the Russians are stable, but what about the Pop-Polish Federation?

An evenly matched battle is what Franz wants to see. Now the tactics of the Russian army do not have any technical content, and they are completely fighting with the Pubo Federation.

"Albrecht, if you were in Moltke's position, how would you fight this war?"

After a little thought, Albrecht picked up his baton and put it on the map: "Here it is

Smolensk, located in the middle of the Eastern European Plain, is militarily considered the gateway to Moscow.

In recent years, many fortifications have been built on the border between the two countries, and Smolensk is home to many fortresses.

If it is my command, since the Russians are going to attack Smolensk, then they will directly defend in place and use the fortifications to consume the Russian army's troops.

The Russians defended in other areas, and the Prussian army could also hold on. Anyway, winter is coming soon, and even if a breakthrough is made now, there is no way to expand the results.

The issue of the decisive battle can be completely delayed until the beginning of the spring of next year, when the muddy roads will be the biggest enemy of the Russian army. ”

After a pause, Albrecht added: "Actually, in addition to the army, the navy can also be considered.

In recent years, the Russians, constrained by financial resources, have abandoned their navy. The navy of the Pop-Po Federation could not do it, but they could turn to Britain and France for help.

Buy or lease a fleet, attack St. Petersburg directly, and if you're lucky, end the war within the year.

Even if the tsarist government is not retained, it doesn't matter. The capital is lost, and the Russian army on the front line will definitely be in turmoil.

In exchange for defeat, maybe the tsarist government will change its previous strategy and order the Russian troops on the front line to come out for a decisive battle, and fighters will naturally appear. ”

Franz was stunned for a moment, and suddenly discovered that the Russians actually had such an obvious flaw, and he could not help but be surprised.

After calming down, Franz shook his head: "Moltke would not have done this, and the Junker nobles would not have allowed the glory of defeating the Russians to be given to the navy."

A sneak attack on St. Petersburg requires close cooperation between the army and the navy. The Prussian army had not conducted landing training, and if it was not well coordinated, this plan would not have been realized at all.

Besides, it is difficult to keep such a big move as the purchase of the fleet a secret. No matter how much Britain and France cooperate, entering the Baltic Sea will be exposed, unless Britain and France personally send troops. ”

The dispute between land and sea is an unavoidable topic. Despite the absolute superiority of the army in the Popo Federation, there is no shortage of supporters in the navy.

At the end of the fifties, when the last wave of colonial expansion broke out, Prussia also set off a wave of naval development, and even built its own ironclad ships, opening up a colony in Indochina.

If it weren't for the Army's preemptive action and the Second Prussian-Danish War, which caused the situation to spiral out of control, perhaps the Kingdom of Prussia would have become the new colonial empire.

Even now, Prussia's domestic business community is a supporter of the navy. It's too late to carve up the colony, but everyone's overseas investment still needs to be protected!

In these years, international trade is not easy to do, and it is difficult to do anything without a strong navy as a backing. Even pirates watch people cook.

If you count carefully, you will find that the probability of accidents overseas in a landlubber country like the Pupo Federation is several times higher than that of a naval power.

The losses of the capitalists, the Junker aristocracy did not care, their core interests were in the land. If it were not for the pressure of the Russians, they would have even opposed the creation of a Pu-Po federation.

In order to prevent the agricultural products of the Polish region from hitting the domestic market, the current Pop-Polish Federation still retains tariffs.

In this context, Moltke, as the representative of the interests of the Junker aristocracy, would never sacrifice class interests unless he was forced to do so.

As for Britain and France personally sending troops, that was completely overthinking. Their support for the Pop-Po Federation is true, but it does not mean that they want to see the Russians lose immediately, at least the French just want to see the Pup-Po Federation win miserably.

Albrecht nodded: "Indeed, once the navy is the key to winning this war, it will be difficult to suppress their development after the war.

The strength of the Pupo Federation is still insufficient, and it is simply impossible to build a large navy while maintaining a world-class army. ”

This problem is not only plaguing the Pop-Pop Federation, but also Austria.

With a world-class army and navy at the same time, even Austria struggled a little. This is best evidenced by the annual budget disputes that erupt in Vienna.

It's normal not to guess Moltke's movements. Albrecht was only the chief of the Austrian General Staff, and he did not know enough about the Pubo Federation, and his judgment was inevitably influenced by the Austrian army's operational thinking.

As a matter of fact, each country's armed forces have different operational ideas, and they are usually influenced by their own national strength. Different countries have different tactics for armies to fight.

There is no right or wrong, only suitable and unsuitable. Perhaps the tactics that seem perfect now will fall behind in a few years; Now it seems that the fantastical tactics may become mainstream again in a few years.

This will happen more and more with the development of the times.

Franz asked indifferently: "Well, this question will be put aside for now, and the answer will be revealed after a while."

Let's talk about overseas first, where is the South American war, and are the British going on again? ”

With his knowledge of the British, it would not have been John Bull if the London government had not taken advantage of the fact that Fao-Austria was focused on Europe.

Foreign Secretary Wessenberg: "Yes, Your Majesty. According to the intelligence we have gathered, the second detachment of the Pacific Fleet of the British is rushing over.

If nothing else, there is a good chance that they will blockade the coastal areas of Peru and Bolivia to create a chance for Chile to win the war. ”

Franz was very upset when he heard the news, but he couldn't do anything about it. Unless it was a joint intervention between France and Austria, it would not have been able to stop the British at all.

Bolivia and Peru in this era, in addition to the territorial area, were really small countries. Combined, the economies of the two countries are less than half that of Vienna.

With such a small interest, it is undoubtedly a dream to count on the union of France and Austria.

Europe is the center of the world in these years, and it would be tragic if the situation in Europe got out of control because of the intervention in South America and the dispersion of forces.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz reluctantly made a decision: "Our strength in South America is limited, and it is difficult to compete with the British without domestic support.

For the time being, give up the layout in South America, as long as it does not directly harm our interests, let the British toss! ”

……