The royal palace in Berlin has just finished a celebration banquet, and as the protagonist of the banquet, Moltke was deliberately left behind by Wilhelm I.

The guests dispersed, and William I's joy was gone. It can be seen that the understatement just now and the bamboo in the chest are all pretended.

As the king of the Pupo Federation, William I knew better than anyone the crisis he was facing, and the Battle of Warsaw was only a tactical victory and did not reverse the unfavorable situation on the battlefield.

It's just that the people need confidence and victory, and in order to stabilize people's hearts, there is this self-deceptive celebration banquet.

Wilhelm I asked with concern: "Marshal, when will the Battle of Warsaw end?" ”

"I don't know!"

The three ordinary words are a bit heavy here. It seemed to exhaust the strength of Moltke's whole body, and his expression instantly darkened after speaking.

This is the real answer, when the Battle of Warsaw will end, it is no longer up to the Pubo Federation to have the final say, and the decision has long been transferred to the Russians.

After a pause, William I added a tone of content: "What if I insist on a time?" ”

Moltke shook his head: "Your Majesty, this is not something I can decide!" If you want to end the Battle of Warsaw, it will also depend on whether the Russians agree or not.

The Russian Fourth and Fifth armies are all crippled, their Seventh Army still retains a certain combat effectiveness, and the Third and Sixth Armies are on their way to the front and will arrive at the front line in a short time.

This is only the beginning, as far as I know, the Russians have seven new armies, and the enemy can draw at least four corps to the battlefield of Warsaw.

Even if they are all cannon fodder rice buckets, it is impossible for us to defeat them in a short period of time. What's more, the enemy is not in a hurry to fight a decisive battle at all now, and it will be even more difficult for us to take the initiative to attack.

Militarily speaking, the enemy has entered our hinterland, and the Warsaw area has lost its value of continuing to defend.

If possible, I propose to abandon the Warsaw area first, concentrate my forces to resolve the crisis on the northern and southern fronts, and concentrate on the defense of the Kingdom of Prussia. ”

Seeing that Wilhelm I did not speak for a long time, Moltke knew that he hesitated, and continued to add: "Our retreat to the Kingdom of Prussia, in addition to resolving strategic passivity, can also use German nationalism to influence the decisions of the Vienna government.

Austria's support for the Russians was not without a limit, and if they were to discover the intention of the tsarist government to annex German regions, the situation would change.

Without the support of the Austrians, the tsarist government could not have lasted long. As soon as they run out of money in their pockets, the war is over.

If it goes well, we will still be able to encircle and annihilate the main forces of the Russian army in Prussia and regain lost territory. ”

Ostensibly, Austria's support for the Russians was aimed at eliminating the Put-Polish Confederation as a rival and clearing the way for the unification of Germany.

As soon as the Russians showed interest in the German region, it was a matter of minutes for Russia and Austria to turn around. Even if the government is able to take care of the bigger picture, nationalists will stir up strife.

Wilhelm I shook his head: "This is the worst plan, it is easy to give up the Polish region, but it is difficult to get it back."

Ivanov's style of using soldiers, you have personally experienced it, how likely do you think he is to be fooled?

If the Russians continue to hold on steadily, we will not last long, and we may not be able to wait for the tsarist government's wallet to run out, and we will be consumed first.

Besides, do you really think that the Russian Olympics will turn around immediately? Alexander II was not stupid, no matter how much he coveted the territory of the German region, he would not show it now.

If I were to be replaced by Alexander II, I would lose all of the Prussian German region to Austria in exchange for the full support of the Vienna government.

Maintain good relations between Russia and Austria, hide behind Austria after the war to recuperate and regain strength, sit back and watch the situation on the European continent, and wait for the next European change.

It is unrealistic to drive a wedge between Russia and Austria, but there is a chance to win the support of other countries, at least to get the British to increase their investment.

It's a pity that Denmark fell to the Russians, otherwise the Lend-Lease Royal Navy would have made a surprise attack on St. Petersburg. ”

The Berlin government has studied the relations between Russia and Austria in depth, and finally came to the conclusion that Russia and Austria will eventually turn their faces, but this time is not now, but the time for the future struggle for hegemony on the European continent.

The Russo-Prussian War was not over yet, and even if the tsarist government was iron-clad, it was impossible to immediately join the struggle for hegemony on the European continent.

This means that there is still a long time before the Russian-Austrian contradictions erupt. In a short period of time, the Pop-Po Federation will still be the first target of the Russians.

In fact, there is another reason why Wilhelm I did not say it, and that is that now he was not only the king of the Kingdom of Prussia, but also the Kingdom of Poland.

Once he gave up the Polish region, it would be impossible for him to gain the approval of the Polish people in the future.

Politics is cruel, and if it doesn't turn around, the situation won't get worse; In the event that the Prussian army turned the tables on the battlefield and regained the lost territory, he, the Polish king, who had abandoned Poland, would have done it.

When the time comes to rebuild the Pubo Federation, and to ease the relationship between Pupo, he, the king, must take responsibility. Abdication is the best ending, and if you don't do it, you will die early.

Nothing is impossible in the face of interests. By the time the war had progressed, Wilhelm I's grip on the country had essentially fallen to its lowest point.

In this context, it is possible to abandon the Warsaw area, but this order cannot be given by him, and someone must be found to carry the blame.

Is there a better candidate than Moltke?

In order to win the war, the commander of the front ordered the abandonment of Poland, which logically makes perfect sense.

As for Moltke, after the war, he was criticized and even discredited. William I would have liked to make his reputation even more stinky, and no emperor liked his courtiers to be high-minded.

If it weren't for the implication that Moltke was behind the cauldron, Wilhelm I would not have uttered ambiguous words at all, and the last complaint was even more superfluous.

The plan for a sneak attack on St. Petersburg was not implemented, not because the Danes fell to the tsarist government, but because the British dropped the chain.

The London government is reluctant to make this bloody investment, and there are many reasons for this.

Domestic: opposition party obstruction; Internationally: France and Austria want the British to play by the rules of the game, and the Nordic Federation does not want to see the British extend their influence into the Baltics.

If it is to protect Britain's own interests, the London government can not be cowardly. The problem is that it is now for the benefit of the Pupo Federation to make them pay such a big price, and the London government is naturally unwilling.

No matter how much debt there is, it is useless, the consortium can influence politics, it does not mean that they can make decisions for the government, and it is not the turn of the capitalists to be the masters in these years.

After pondering for a moment, Moltke smiled bitterly, "I know what to do." ”

After saying that, Moltke turned around and left the palace directly, even saving a polite farewell.

From the beginning to the end, William I did not open his mouth to stop him. The rift widened, and there was no way around it, and since Ron's death, there had been a gap in the relationship between William I and Moltke.

Without lubricants, the contradictions between the federal government and the military in Popo are growing day by day. William I wanted to play with political balance, and it was inevitable that he would support a weak government against the military.

Moltke, as the military boss, naturally became the vanguard of the conflict, and when there were more conflicts, the deterioration of relations was inevitable.

Wilhelm I is now holding Moltke on the back of the blame, not only because the situation requires, but also because of the continuation of the political struggle.

Otherwise, the government can also carry this black cauldron, but the Berlin government is already weak, and if it carries this black cauldron, it will be even more unable to compete with the military.

After an unhappy meeting, Moltke rushed back to the front by special train overnight. On the surface, it seems that the war on the front line is urgent, but in fact it is also a silent protest.

Who let this black cauldron, he can't refuse? The boss of the military is also not easy to be, and the interests of the military as a whole must be considered.

The army's right to speak is based on victory, and the Popo Federation is a country with an army, and if it really loses the war, the military headed by the Junker nobles will suffer the heaviest losses.

From a purely military point of view, abandoning Warsaw and retreating to the Kingdom of Prussia would have a chance of survival, and Moltke had to do it on this basis.

offended the Poles, he was still a high-ranking marshal, it was a big deal to be sprayed a few words, and his reputation could not be eaten; If he loses the war, he is nothing.

Angry, that's impossible. Now if you are angry and refuse to retreat and hold on to Warsaw, you are not angry, but you are gambling with your life.

The Heavenly Punishment of the National Thief is not the patent of the Japanese, in fact, the Kingdom of Prussia is the originator, but it is not so mad.

……