Vienna

At the Austrian General Staff, Field Marshal Radesky was gathering a group of officers to conduct an analysis of the actual combat case, and the object was the Balkan battle.

Based on the information in their hands, they analyzed the gains and losses of the warring parties in this meeting and drew lessons from it.

The mystery of the authorities is clear to the onlookers.

As a bystander, the Austrian General Staff, a bunch of paper-based guys, bashing both sides of the war for nothing.

The Russians: made a mistake in their strategic decision, did not choose to break through from the weak Ottoman army, but fought to the death with the French. Evaluation: The commander's military literacy is insufficient and he does not know how to be flexible.

Coalition forces: The command is ambiguous, infighting, and pulling each other back, and does not play a role in the superiority of troops. Evaluation: The inevitable result of multinational cooperation cannot be solved by human beings.

Common denominators: serious bureaucracy, command confusion, and a garbage logistics system.

Assessment of the Army's Comprehensive Combat Effectiveness:

French: 9.4

British: 9.6

Russians: 7.8

Principality of Montenegro: 10.5

Ottomans: 5

Sardinians: 5

Looking at the evaluation report, Franz's expression was very interesting. The combat effectiveness of the British Army is actually higher than that of France, and it is estimated that few people can accept this statement.

What's even more bizarre is that the combat effectiveness of the Montenegrin army is actually off the charts, and it is still above the major powers.

The rest is relatively normal, the Ottoman army and the Sardinian army are both scum with a combat strength of only 5, this statement is widely accepted by the Austrian military.

The Greeks had not yet entered the war and could not make an accurate assessment, and the Bulgarian partisans were not a regular army and were ignored by the General Staff.

As if sensing Franz's doubts, Marshal Radesky explained: "Your Majesty, the fighting will of the Montenegrin army is the strongest in all countries, and every Montenegrin has been trained in military since he was a child, and his training is no worse than that of the armies of other countries. Coupled with the weapons and equipment we provide, the combat effectiveness that they are able to break out is quite amazing. ”

If people are not afraid of death, then the combat effectiveness will not be too bad. If you add to this the well-trained soldiers and advanced weapons and equipment, then it is not surprising that the combat effectiveness is off the charts.

However, this kind of explosion is also divided into places. Now the Montenegrins are taking revenge and fighting for themselves, and their morale is high and their combat effectiveness is naturally bursting.

If the time and place were changed, this Montenegrin army might not have this combat effectiveness.

Similarly, if the British and French armies fought on their own soil to resist foreign invasions, their combat effectiveness could also be outstanding.

Now they are fighting for the Ottomans in the Balkans, and aside from the possible geographical environment, water and soil adaptation, these factors cannot reach the peak of morale alone, and ten points of combat effectiveness can be exerted by eight or nine points, even if they are well-trained.

This comprehensive assessment, which changes from time to time, is still reliable in Franz's opinion.

The combat effectiveness of any army is not constant, and only in the most suitable environment can it exert its maximum combat effectiveness.

Franz asked suspiciously: "Your Excellency, the Montenegrin army is strong in combat, I can accept it."

But how did this conclusion come to that the British army's combat effectiveness was superior to that of the French army?

In terms of record, the French are obviously above the British, and these lobster soldiers have almost no record of shooting. ”

Field Marshal Radesky explained: "Your Majesty, the British Army has always been small in number, but they are no worse trained than any other country.

Of course, this factor can only prove that the British army is well-trained, and it cannot be said that the British army is stronger than the French army.

The fundamental reason is that Napoleon III was purging dissidents and taking advantage of the war to replace some high-ranking officers.

This kind of personnel transfer will inevitably affect morale in the short term, and it will take time for new officers to take up their posts, and the combat effectiveness of the French army will be reduced in the short term.

In the Balkans, the morale of this French expeditionary force was not high, and the combat effectiveness it was able to exert was also reduced.

Based on these factors, the General Staff believes that now their combat effectiveness is now inferior to that of the British.

This is not absolute, if these French generals have stronger command ability, they can also make up for this gap, after all, the commanders of the British army are a group of rookies. ”

Franz nodded, this combat effectiveness assessment can only be used as a reference. If you take it seriously, be prepared to be slapped in the face, the battlefield is ever-changing, and there has always been a saying in military affairs - to defeat the strong with the weak.

Franz said with a smile: "In this way, the two sides are still evenly matched in this battle, and it is impossible to tell the winner in the short term."

If the Greeks suddenly burst out and attacked the logistics of the coalition forces, if the coalition forces were caught off guard, the Russians would have a better chance of winning? ”

Foreign Secretary Metternich explained: "Your Majesty, the Greeks may not be able to count on it.

Although they chose to ally themselves with the Russians for the sake of profit, the Greek government did not want to be enemies of Britain and France.

They wanted to be like us, just to go to war with the Ottomans and remain neutral in the battles between the British, French and Russians.

In this battle, the Greeks were afraid that they would not have the courage to attack the logistics lines of Britain and France, and even if they participated in the war, they would only attack the surrounding lands, which would not help the overall situation. ”

Aside from lamenting a pig teammate, Franz couldn't do anything about it.

Austria did not send troops and Britain and France PK, that is, the number of large armies that could support the battle in the Balkans was limited, and the soldiers of the woolly bear were full. In increasing the number of troops, logistics are finished.

There is also the distribution of benefits after the war. Now Austria's main contribution is logistics, so it is reasonable for the Russians to give the greatest benefit to the distribution of benefits according to the prior agreement after the war.

If Austria had acted as the main force, the Russians would not have been able to swallow all the benefits they now wanted, which was unacceptable to the tsarist government.

In addition to these special circumstances, there is also a crucial condition, that is, Austria has the strength to be neutral, and Britain and France, no matter how unhappy they are, cannot help Austria.

It was different with the Greeks, and the British did not mind teaching this disobedient little brother a lesson. Once the small countries take sides, there is no room for manoeuvre, and do not expect Britain and France to listen to their explanations.

The correct thing for the Greeks to do was to either not do it or never do it. Snakes and rats at both ends, no matter what the final outcome is, they will not have good fruit to eat.

After a moment of contemplation, Franz said: "Then let's wait, the railway from Vienna to Salzburg has already begun to lay tracks, and it will be ready for traffic by the end of the year."

The railway connecting Munich to Salzburg has also been subgraded, and it is technically possible to lay temporary tracks in most parts of this section of the railway.

Even if the enemy breaks the net and blocks the Danube and the Rhine, the logistical problems can be solved in the same way. ”

The military strength of the South German states, Franz was not worried. No matter how hard these governments try, they can't stand the number of leading parties below.

The topic of reunification has been hyped, and everyone still doesn't know one word in this era - public opinion kidnapping. But in fact, most of the middle and lower class people in these small states have been influenced by public opinion.

When the Austrian army came in, this notion would break the army's will to fight. Those who surrender can confidently say: We are not surrendering, we are doing our part for the reunification of the country.

The only risk is logistics, the Bavarian government chose to break the net, directly blocking the Danube and Rhine rivers, and the Austrian army can only rely on land transportation logistics supplies, which is a headache.

It's too late to wait for the Bavarian domestic railways to open to traffic, but it doesn't matter, you can still work around and lay temporary tracks on the already completed roadbed.

Because of the terrain, this kind of short-distance railway may only be a few tens of kilometers, a dozen kilometers, or even a few kilometers of small sections, which cannot be connected. But Franz couldn't care so much, something is better than nothing.

No matter how troublesome it is to transport materials halfway, it is faster than using manpower to carry them on their shoulders. Every minute on the battlefield is precious, and Austria can follow the relay transport model of the Principality of Montenegro.

……

Balkans

The war had reached a stalemate, the Russians could not defeat the coalition forces, and the coalition forces could not help the Russians.

To the embarrassment of both warring parties, the two armies that stood out most on the battlefield were the Bulgarian partisans and the Principality of Montenegro.

On October 1, 1852, the Montenegrin army defeated the Ottoman-fortified fortress of Shkoda with fewer victories, and the gateway to Albania was opened.

In the following month, the Montenegrin army swept all the way, and half of Albania fell into their hands. Fortunately, fighting in these places is not the core and cannot affect the overall situation.

The performance of the Bulgarian partisans was also very eye-catching. In the Sliven area, they pressed the Ottoman army to fight, and from time to time they went deep into the rear to do things, which brought great trouble to the logistics and transportation of the coalition forces.

In the Sofia region, the Bulgarian partisans broke the Sardinian defenses head-on, interspersed into the rear of the coalition forces.

If it weren't for the quick reaction of the British this time, they quickly mobilized heavy troops to organize a counteroffensive and defeated them, and the coalition forces in Sofia would have been dumplings.

If the regular army is scattered, it becomes a rout. But they were originally guerrillas, and after being defeated, they naturally swam up, so that the coalition commander Montes was about to collapse.

There was no way, the Ottomans did not give their strength and said that they would fight on their own soil, but instead they fell into the sea of people's war.

After the breakdown, these Bulgarian partisans penetrated deep into the Bulgarian region, using the support of the local population to give them a blow from time to time.

By now, the logistical transport of the coalition forces Montes did not dare to use Ottoman escorts. If there were no more than 2,000 British troops to escort them, it would be a supply to the enemy.

Not long ago, 5,000 Ottoman troops escorted strategic supplies over were robbed by the guerrillas directly in the middle of the road. If it weren't for Sofia's abundant reserves, the coalition forces would have starved.

Even if heavy troops were sent to escort them, every time they successfully transported supplies, one hundred and eighty British soldiers fell on the battlefield.

Of course, the enemy died more, but in exchange for British soldiers and guerrillas, Montes felt that he had suffered a loss.

Montes said angrily: "Let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs send a note to the Sudanese government and ask them to encircle and suppress the guerrillas as soon as possible, and not let these people affect our logistics and transportation." ”

It's not that he doesn't want to send troops to encircle and suppress the guerrillas, the Russian army on the front line is still staring, as long as he dares to send the main force of the British army, the Russians will immediately pounce.

However, the guerrillas could not let it go, and if they were allowed to plunder like this, the logistics of the coalition forces would collapse sooner or later.

Supplies that could have arrived in a week now take at least ten days to go. The casualties and material losses are increasing with each delivery of supplies.

Then the task of encircling and suppressing the guerrillas would have to be entrusted to the Ottoman government, who were the head of the land, and it was just right for them to do this job.

It's a pity that this is only theoretical, and the reality is very cruel.

British Major General Alberton said disdainfully: "Your Excellency, the Ottomans may not be able to count on it.

In order to encircle and suppress this guerrilla army, the Ottomans have invested 50,000 troops, and now there are probably half of them.

These rice buckets are not fodder for war at all, and they are scared to pee when they hear the sound of gunshots, and relying on them to encircle and suppress the guerrillas is a fool's dream. ”

This is an exaggeration, and the Ottoman army was not so wasteful. The fundamental reason for the low combat effectiveness of these armies is that the main forces of the Ottoman Empire were thrown into the battlefield.

400,000 troops were invested in the Caucasus, more than 100,000 troops were lost in the Balkans, and more than 400,000 Ottoman troops are still fighting bloody battles on the battlefield.

They still have an army there? By the time the war had progressed, the Ottoman Empire had reached its full strength, and this was the largest force that the Sultan government could mobilize.

Now, in order to encircle and suppress the guerrillas, they have improvised 50,000 troops, saying that this is an army that completely underestimates them.

Most of them are captured strong men, and the morale of the army is completely lost. Learning to shoot a gun is considered to have completed the training, and then it is sent directly to the battlefield.

The weapons and equipment are also old antiques that were eliminated earlier, and many of the weapons are older than the soldiers.

The firepower of this regular army is at the same level as that of the guerrillas, and it is not even comparable to some of the guerrillas.

Montes said angrily, "Rubbish! How could the British Empire find such an ally, it is simply a shame.

Urge the French to fight the Russians as soon as possible, what do they want to do so slowly, do they still want to stay in the Balkans for Christmas? ”

……