The outcome of the Battle of East Prussia was a collective loss of voice in Europe. This result was so unacceptable that no one expected Prussia to counterattack.

Many mouth artillery experts also made a straightforward analysis, believing that the Prussians were luring the enemy into the depths of East Prussia when East Prussia was lost.

Stepping on the shoulders of the Russians, the Kingdom of Prussia became famous in the first battle. Even coach Moltke became famous overnight and became one of the most powerful generals of our time.

Moltke, as the party concerned, did not dare to take this credit. He could swear to God that there was absolutely no intention of abandoning East Prussia.

Do you really think that the recovery of East Prussia will be enough? Just look at how many people are left on the ground to see how serious the problem is.

After the reconquest of East Prussia, the population was less than 80,000. You must know that before the war, there were more than one million, and even if there were still tens of thousands of people in the army, the total would be more than 100,000.

The remaining 8.9 million people were reimbursed in this war. Whether they died in the war or went to the Austrian colonies, for the Kingdom of Prussia, these populations were lost.

Could it be that the Kingdom of Prussia still dares to ask Austria for help? It is estimated that the Vienna government is still wondering whether to come and ask for Silesia.

At this time, isn't it asking for hardship to send it to the door?

The Berlin government did not want to throw away Silesia, and Austria had broken its promise by supporting the Russians in the war.

But the great powers, as everyone knows, are usually thick-skinned. Unless the Kingdom of Prussia produced evidence, the Vienna government would never admit to supporting the Russians.

As for why there are so many Arcans and equipment in the Russian army?

The fact that Russian and Austrian equipment came from the same source is news that the whole world knows. It is normal for arcane equipment to appear, and it is a problem not to appear.

These are all produced by the Russians themselves, and the Russian Empire is the hegemon of the European continent, how can it not even handle a small number of weapons and equipment?

The appearance of the marks of Austrian enterprises on strategic goods is even less worthy of mention. It's all copied by the Russians, and the knockoffs, of course, are the same.

If you don't believe it, you can go to the Russian Empire to check, the tsarist government is still very talkative, and at most it will send it to Siberia to grow potatoes.

Got proof? It's better not to take it out, it's not good to look good on everyone's face when the lid is lifted, so it's better to keep silent together.

The original agreement did not fall on paper, it was all a verbal promise, and it was not good when nothing happened?

Then the soldiers from the East Prussian region did not agree.

Their families are lost, and now they are no one alive or dead. Whether it was clicked by the Russians or fooled away, there must be a clear answer?

The news that East Prussia had been voluntarily abandoned, made it even more unbearable. Then the mutiny took place, and tens of thousands of troops demanded an account from the Berlin government.

Moltke, the commander-in-chief, has become a sinner in the eyes of many people. If it weren't for the fact that the top brass of the military knew that the loss of East Prussia was just an accident, Wilhelm I would have been prepared to make Moltke a scapegoat.

You can't do that now, it will chill your subordinates.

Of course, this suspicion cannot be eliminated until the matter is not explained. The black pot still fell on Moltke, the coach, but the responsibility will not be pursued.

William I was a wise man, crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, unloading the mill and killing the donkey, then he had to cross the river and grind the noodles before he could do it.

The end of the Prussian-Russian war is only temporary, it is nothing more than that the battle cannot be fought in winter, and there is still a test waiting for them in the coming year, and the military cannot afford to offend at this time.

Besides, if William I couldn't see such an obvious discord, how would he be a king?

The Berlin government immediately gave an explanation, assured that it did not deliberately abandon the East Prussian region, and also announced a strategic plan for the defense of the East Prussian region.

The general, who was in charge of guarding the coastal areas at the time, took full responsibility for the loss of East Prussia and was brought to a military court.

Then the news of the people of East Prussia who had taken refuge in the Austrian colonies was announced, and religious figures were invited to testify that most of them were still alive.

William I promised that when the war was over, the government would pay for them to be brought back from overseas.

The aristocratic officers were also doing ideological work for the soldiers: it was time of war, and East Prussia could become a battlefield again at any time, so for the safety of the people, it was better to let them take refuge abroad.

This mutiny came and went quickly, and while appeasing the morale of the army, it did not forget to draw hatred to the Russians.

Many religious figures and people who have not been evacuated are witnesses, and it is entirely because the Russians have gone against the grain and everyone can no longer survive, so they have gone to take refuge overseas.

William I's heart was tired and pacified the soldiers, but also the nobles. The Junker aristocracy in East Prussia also suffered heavy losses, which were sacrificed for the country, and must be compensated after the war.

And that's not all, the war is to die, and behind the brilliant results, there are still a large number of Prussian soldiers who have fallen forever.

The royal palace of Berlin, looking at the increasing death toll, Wilhelm I's heart was bleeding.

That's right, they won a great victory in the Battle of East Prussia, not only recovering East Prussia and occupying Lithuania, but also driving back the Russian army that attacked Poland, and even occupying part of Belarus.

Of course, this is not that the Prussian army is really so awesome that it can defeat the Russians in the autumn wind.

In fact, the Russians ceded these territories themselves. There is a good saying: how much territory can be captured on the battlefield depends on how much the enemy is willing to concede.

The main force of the Russian army was heavily damaged, the army was disheartened and routed all the way, and the Prussian army naturally followed behind to receive the territory.

If you really fight all the way, how can you break through two or three hundred kilometers in half a month? This is not the era of blitzkrieg, and you can't get up fast if you want to march on two legs.

The results were glorious, and the damage was terrifying. Behind the victory, the Prussian army also paid a heavy price, and the Prussian army lost as many as 142,000 troops in the entire Battle of East Prussia.

Among them, 74,000 were killed in battle, 38,000 were disabled due to injuries, 3,216 died of disease or accident, and 27,000 were wounded in need of long-term recuperation.

And that's not all, since the outbreak of the war, the total number of troops lost by the Prussian army has exceeded 280,000.

In addition to the losses of the army, the losses of civilians were even greater, and the Russian navy also caused them considerable casualties by attacking the coastal areas. If you count those who were robbed by Austria, the total number is approaching one million.

Of course, counting the newly occupied territories, the total population still increased. However, these new people did not identify with the Kingdom of Prussia so much.

But William I was confident that there was no harm without contrast. With the tsarist government as a reference, he believed that the people would make the right choice.

As long as it has been assimilated for ten or twenty years, these new people are the cornerstone of the Kingdom of Prussia, and our ancestors have set an example in this regard.

The most crucial issue now was to expand the results of the war and end the war, and the Kingdom of Prussia was too small to be expanded.

Since you have already offended the Russians, it doesn't hurt to offend you even deeper. It is best to dig up as many pieces of meat as possible from the Russians and use them to strengthen the Kingdom of Prussia.

As long as they are strong enough, even if the Russians want to retaliate, it doesn't matter. The Kingdom of Prussia was never afraid of war, even in the face of the Russians.

……

"Your Majesty, winter has come, and now it is impossible to continue the war, I propose to abandon the Lithuanian region first and withdraw the troops to the East Prussian region for defense."

Prime Minister Frank's words interrupted William I's imagination and pulled him back to reality.

"Why? You should know what it means politically to abandon the Lithuanian region? ”

Militarily, the defense of the East Prussian region was of course the best option, and supplies could be transported directly by domestic railways.

The defense of the Lithuanian region is different, the supply line has directly increased by more than 200 kilometers, and there is no railway to connect the country, and the logistical pressure will be greatly increased.

Politically, however, the occupation of Lithuania marked the upper hand of the Kingdom of Prussia in the war. It can not only motivate the morale of the army, but also allow the financiers behind it to increase their investment.

In the opinion of Wilhelm I, the winter in the Lithuanian region was not too cold, and the Prussian army could withstand it. There are also rivers in the territory that can reduce the logistical pressure, and it is not a big problem to hold the Lithuanian region.

Prime Minister Frank said cautiously: "Now that the war has been going on, we also have to think about the aftermath." It is better to negotiate with the Russians when we see a good situation, so as to preserve the fruits of our victory.

If we occupy the Lithuanian region, the tsarist government will not negotiate with us. Even if it is for the sake of face, they will not stop fighting at this time. ”

It's not just about face, it's about Alexander II's personal prestige. Having lost the war and going to the negotiating table is not something he can tolerate.

If you really lose and there is no chance of turning the tables, then it doesn't matter what prestige you have, you still have to admit it if you don't want to admit it.

But the Russians didn't really lose the war, they just lost a battle.

Prime Minister Frank obviously did not want to fight the Russians, and planned to take advantage of this opportunity to accept it as soon as he saw it. The annexation of the territory of the Russians was never within the scope of his plans.

William I replied with a wry smile: "Prime Minister, the war has reached this point, if there is not enough gains, what will we give to the country?"

Moreover, the aid of the British was not easy to get. The London government's support for our annexation of the Baltic Sea region is not just support.

If we can't do it, then without the support of the British, what will we do in the future?

From the beginning of this war provoked by the military, we were just a pawn, not a standard-bearer. A pawn must not lose its value, otherwise it will become an outcast. ”

Fighting the Russians to the end was not what William I wanted. Reality told him that he had to fight the Russians to the end.

The victory in the Battle of East Prussia strengthened the resolve of the main battle faction, and the power of the radical groups, who wanted to gain from the war, increased dramatically.

A mere Danish kingdom is simply not enough to satisfy their appetite. Moreover, the Kingdom of Prussia did not dare to annex the entire Kingdom of Denmark, at most it would cede a piece of land.

By the time the war had progressed, the Kingdom of Prussia was in debt, and the financiers would not let them stop.

Now it is not only the British who need them to fight the Russians to the death, but also the French and Austrians who need them to continue to weaken the Russians. If this could not be done, then the Kingdom of Prussia would have no value in existing.

Prime Minister Frank didn't know about it, and that's because he was an anti-war from the beginning and the countries didn't come into contact with him.

After the outbreak of the war, the military was in the driver's seat, the government was only playing the trick, and he was marginalized as prime minister.

He was not ousted because William I did not want to see the military dominate, and even if Frank was left in the position, he was not willing to hand over the prime ministership to the military.

Hearing the news, Prime Minister Frank left the palace with a dead face.