Moltke, the headquarters of the Poznań army, was busy holding a military meeting to discuss whether to recover the city of Poznan.

From a geographical point of view, Poznan is located in the center of the Polish plain, and is also a transportation hub and industrial center, so it is naturally in its own hands.

Located in the Polish plain, Poznan has nothing to do with its geographical location, and as an inland hinterland city, Poznan does not need to consider the threat of foreign enemies, and naturally there will not be many fortifications.

On the surface, it should be easy to overcome. In fact, on the contrary, the main force of the Russian Eighth Army retreated in the city, and in order to defend the city, all the people in the urban area were driven out.

In later generations, this may be a good thing, meaning that the Prussian army does not have to worry about civilian casualties, and can be free to fight.

This era is different, artillery is limited in power, and it takes a lot of ammunition and time to destroy a city.

In order to delay the defenders of Warsaw as long as possible, the Prussian troops left behind a large amount of artillery ammunition when they withdrew, and they did not carry much ammunition with them.

Even if they can get the country to send supplies over, the Russians have made it clear that they want to fight street battles, which cannot be ended in a day or two, and the Prussian army does not have enough time to spend here.

The Berlin government ordered them to return as soon as possible to deal with the Russian army that was about to reach the foot of Berlin.

As for the Poznan battlefield, that is, the military is still working on it. Most of the government in Berlin was no longer thinking about defeating the Russians, but about how to preserve their strength in order to negotiate with the Russians for a decent ending.

This is a European practice, if you lose a war, you will negotiate, most of the time it is to cede land and pay reparations, and the destruction of the country generally rarely happens.

The politicians knew very well how strong they did not want to be in their downfall, or it would not be long before the great powers intervened to mediate, and as long as the main forces of the Prussian army remained, they would have a chance to bargain.

Not only was there domestic urging, but there was not much time left for the Prussian army on the battlefield, and Russian reinforcements were coming in a steady stream.

An operational staff officer said: "The current situation is very obvious, the Russian Ninth Army is only a day's journey from Poznan, and if we want to recover the Poznan region, then we need to inflict heavy losses or eat them."

The total strength of the Russian Ninth Army is about 200,000, and it may not be difficult to defeat them, but if you want to eat them, it will not be possible to do it in a short time.

Judging from the reconnaissance intelligence, the Russian Ninth Army was very cautious, and there was no possibility of either a sneak attack or an ambush.

What's more, behind them are the Russian Eleventh Army and the Russian Seventeenth Army, which have now accelerated their march and will reach the front line in half a month at most.

We must retake Poznan before Russian reinforcements arrive. It is almost impossible to accomplish without paying heavy casualties. ”

The Prussian army is also human, even if it is more combative, they will also get tired and die.

Swallowing 400,000 Russian troops in one gulp, even if they can be divided into two places, they will also pay heavy casualties.

Whether it will cost 100,000 or 200,000 losses, no one can answer this question.

In short, if the Prussian army suffers heavy losses in this battle, it will be difficult for them to deal with the Russian army behind.

The Russo-Prussian War has been going on so far, and it has a bit of a taste of Chu and Han fighting for hegemony, and Moltke and Xiang Yu have won battles in front of them.

Unfortunately, many battles were won, but the number of enemies did not decrease but increased, and his own troops kept decreasing.

After a few more victories, Moltke would be left without soldiers. Such a strange thing is really speechless.

A middle-aged officer retorted: "This battle must be fought, and if we go back like this, not only will the morale of the army be demoralized, but the Poles in Warsaw will probably surrender directly to the Russians."

Now we need to be inspired, we need to give the people hope of victory, otherwise this war will not continue. ”

The most important thing for a person is to have hope, knowing that a war is doomed, I am afraid that no one wants to continue.

Warsaw was the capital of the Kingdom of Poland, and the Berlin government could accept the fall of Warsaw but not the surrender of the Poles, which was too politically important to shake the foundations of the Pop-Polish Federation.

Maybe in the eyes of ordinary people, this war is going to be lost anyway, and the regions that are destined to be lost, why care!

Politically, this must not be done, the Russo-Prussian war is still going on, and the Berlin government still needs the Poles to give them their lives in order to better fight the Russians.

Against this background, the flag of the Pupo Federation cannot be lost. Without this banner, the Berlin government would lose the legal basis for its rule over the Polish regions, and the number of people willing to die would certainly be greatly reduced.

The Berlin government is willing to make an exception for the military to close the Warsaw area, and the most important thing is that the main fighting faction in the army is stronger, and they will not easily compromise with the Russians.

Moltke waved his hand to stop the quarrel: "This battle is definitely going to be fought, but it must be fought selectively."

The Russian Eighth Army, which was cowering in the city, did not have time to spend with them, but the Russian Ninth Army sent to the door must be defeated.

Otherwise, as soon as we retreat, they will join forces with the Eighth Army in the city, plus the reinforcements coming from behind, the total strength of the Russian army will approach 800,000, and this threat is too great.

Although the mobilization has been completed in China, we still lack time to reorganize our troops, defeat the Russian Ninth Army, and inflict heavy losses on the enemy's reinforcements, and we can buy at least two months. ”

Time is life on the battlefield, and two months will naturally not allow the Pubo Federation to return to its peak, but at least it can get the strength to fight.

Unlike ordinary officers, Moltke thought more. The cruel reality told him that it was not only the victory that would determine the outcome of the war, but also the comprehensive national strength.

Ivanov taught him a lesson with practical actions, as long as the national strength is strong enough and the troops are enough, he is not afraid of losing a battle on the battlefield.

War is to the death, defeat can also consume the enemy's strength, the first win on the battlefield is not a win, the final winner is the winner.

……

On December 12, 1880, the London government issued a call for peace between the two countries, which received a positive response from the Berlin government, but was closed to the tsarist government.

Now that the war has been going on, it is no longer possible to stop if you want to. The tsarist government has paid too much for this war, and finally saw the dawn of victory.

The Russians' faceless behavior naturally angered the London government, and before they could take action, news of the fall of Warsaw came, and the Russo-Prussian War became completely clear.

After the withdrawal of the main forces of the Prussian army, the situation in the Warsaw area became critical. Despite the stubborn resistance of the Poles, they were still unable to bridge the gap in strength.

After resisting for a month, the Russians broke through the defense line and stormed the city, and now street fighting is going on.

What happened next is no longer important, everyone knows that the battlefield of Warsaw is no longer able to return to the sky. The surrounding areas have fallen, and it is only a matter of time before the defenders in the city are destroyed without waiting for reinforcements.

From the moment the city was broken, everyone tacitly accepted that Warsaw had changed hands.

The fall of the Warsaw region also means the fall of the Kingdom of Poland, the main forces of the Prussian army have been withdrawn, the military influence is still under control, and the political influence is great.

This meant that the once-prominent Pop-Polish Commonwealth collapsed, and the remaining Kingdom of Prussia could not support the status of a great power, and the Russians would not give them a chance.

Under the general trend, Moltke's performance in the Poznan region was inconspicuous, and even if the Russian Ninth Army suffered heavy losses, it did not change the decadence on the battlefield in the slightest.

……

In St. Petersburg, Alexander II is holding a celebratory banquet in the Winter Palace.

So far in the war, both Prussia and Russia are tired, but the difference is that the Prussian-Polish Federation is dying, while the Russian Empire is just tired and can hold out a little longer.

Unlike the last time he returned to St. Petersburg, this time Ivanov received the most pompous welcome from the tsarist government, as if overnight his popularity had improved and become popular.

After resting at home for the night, Ivanov once again entered the palace and reported to Alexander II on the next battle plan.

……

Alexander II was puzzled: "Marshal, are you sure you are not mistaken, at this time you will not take advantage of the victory to pursue, and you will rest your troops?" ”

Ivanov replied affirmatively: "Your Majesty, until the war has been going on, our soldiers have been fighting at high intensity and are already very tired.

In particular, many of the main forces have been seriously reduced, and if they want to regain their combat effectiveness, they must rest and recuperate. Now that the enemy has suffered heavy losses, it is the best time for us to rest our troops. ”

Alexander II questioned: "But if we stop at this time, we will leave the enemy a respite and make the next war more difficult." ”

Ivanov explained: "This does not affect the victory of the war, and the Publo Confederation is not our opponent, and the only remaining Kingdom of Prussia is not our opponent."

So far, the soldiers of the Poppo Federation have suffered more than three million casualties, and the number of casualties alone is as high as one million, of which half are soldiers from the Kingdom of Prussia.

No matter what the Berlin government thinks, they can't fight anymore. The quality of the soldiers now mobilized by the enemy has dropped significantly. Even if the strength is restored, the combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

Now there is no need to continue to take risks, and after a month's rest of the troops, the odds of victory are much higher than they are now. ”

Different people have different weights to say, and after recovering Lithuania and Poland, Ivanov's image of a "famous general" has taken root in everyone's minds.

The only regrettable thing is that Ivanov consumed a lot of troops, and behind the victory, it was always accompanied by a large amount of material consumption and casualties.

But it didn't hurt, with the lessons of the last Russo-Prussian war, Alexander II's patience was much stronger, and Ivanov's steady general was his favorite.

After hesitating for a while, Alexander II made a decision: "Well, let's let the troops rest for a month."

But my marshal, I still have to end the war as soon as possible. The longer it drags on, the more likely it is that things will happen.

We have just rejected the mediation of the British, and I am afraid that they will not rest on their laurels, and if the great powers put pressure on us, the government will not last long.

Moreover, the government's finances are also very bad, and if it drags on for too long, we will probably go bankrupt. ”

It's not that it may go bankrupt, it's destined to go bankrupt. The Berlin government is also poor, and it is simply impossible to get war reparations from them.

For this war, the tsarist government already owed a huge debt, and the interest alone was astronomical. Poland and Lithuania, which had just been recovered, had to spend huge sums of money to rebuild after the war.

From the very beginning, Alexander II was mentally prepared for financial bankruptcy. Once born and twice matured, he has experienced it once, and he doesn't care about doing it again.

Unfortunately, this time it is different, most of the external debt is collateralized, and there is no way to directly repay it. The tsarist government would not let its finances go bankrupt unless it was forced to do so.

Ivanov nodded awkwardly, he really didn't know how to answer the question. An early end to the war is guaranteed, sorry for the impossibility.

War is not child's play, how can he say that it can be ended early. This kind of thing cannot be promised arbitrarily, and if it affects the judgment of the government, the consequences can be catastrophic.

Specifically, you can refer to "Yuan Dudu", with the mythical strategy of "five years of Pingliao" to fool the emperor, not only killed himself, but also took advantage of the national fortune of the Ming Dynasty.

Not to mention the financial problems, the government can't handle the things, and he, a soldier, is even more confused. The self-aware Ivanov, selectively ignored the expectant gaze of Alexander II.