Chapter 183: Ideal strategy

Winter to summer, St. Petersburg has ended the bitter cold wind days, the cozy sunshine scattered on every corner of the city, warming this ice and snow country.
The Balkan war report came over, and the good news and the bad news are always shortcuts for the bureaucrats to get in, and the Tsarist government is no exception.
In the first round of the Balkan battle, the Russians won a full victory. Even if the Russian army lost too much in the Battle of Razgrad, adding a trace of flaws to this battle, it did not damage the hearts of officials.
Of course, in the battle report received by Nicholas I, of course, the Russian army would not suffer. The frontline officers took it all, adding the losses of the Ottoman army, and it seemed like a big victory.
After receiving the news, Nicholas I held a celebration party in the Winter Palace that night. Unfortunately, the heroes were thousands of miles away and missed the glory that belonged to them.
The Russians had reason to be happy. In the first round of the Bulgarian campaign, they won a great victory and pushed the front forward by more than 100 kilometers.
Starting from the attack on Cruiser, the Russian army launched an attack on the Ottoman army with a total strength of 280,000, defeating nearly 500,000 Ottoman troops and 50,000 French troops.
At the cost of just over 45,000 casualties, more than 53,000 people were wiped out and more than 38,000 people were captured.
Defeat twice as many enemies with half of the strength, and the loss of 91,000 enemy troops in exchange for the casualties of 45,000 soldiers, including the French army of more than 10,000 people.
The contribution of the Bulgarian guerrillas was carried over, and their casualties were naturally ignored. Anyway, the battle won, and the specific situation of the Tsarist government did not care. Concern is useless, deceiving and hiding has penetrated into every corner of the Russian Empire.
Since the Ottoman army claims to be the 500,000th Army, they defeated the 500,000th Army. The actual strength of the enemy was naturally ignored by everyone.
...
After the celebration party, Nicholas I returned to the subject again. It's not good news that the French sent troops to fight.
Although the British and French fleets have seized the power of the Black Sea, the Tsarist government is considering the possibility of British and French troops entering the war, and it really makes them feel uncomfortable.
Perhaps the officers on the front line are still a little bit temperate, or maybe they know that the war is going to continue, they have to fight hard with the French, and they are afraid to pit themselves in.
At the end of the battle report, they focused on the threat of the French army.
To sum up, if not 50,000 French troops suddenly appeared on the battlefield, this Bulgarian General Assembly battle would be the end of the Ottomans.
Without French reinforcements, it wouldn't be long before Her Majesty the Tsar can parade in Constantinople. His Majesty the Tsar must remain vigilant against these evil Frenchmen.
Nicholas I said with a smile: "You, the French really sent troops to participate in the war. News from London, not long ago the British Parliament passed a resolution to join the war.
From now on, we have added two more enemies. Britain and France are not so good at dealing with the Ottomans. The war is not yet over.
How to fight the next battle, everyone have any ideas, you can speak freely. "
The front line had a great victory, and Nicholas I was in a good mood. Even if he knew that Britain and France had joined the war, he was very angry, but he did not erupt, and he was very confident in winning the war.
The strong always have to maintain a good manner, especially when the winning ticket is held.
This is not an exaggeration. Judging from the strength of the army on the bright side, the Russians really have this strength. At least in terms of population, the Russians have this strength.
In 1852, the total population of Russia was between 65 million and 76 million, more than the total population of Britain and France. The total population of the British Isles was about 28 million, and the total population of France was about 36 million.
(There is no way, the tsarist government did not have demographics in this era, and the data varies greatly.)
The Ottoman Empire was automatically ignored by Nicholas I, and the battle in Bulgaria has exposed the fact that the Ottoman army was unbearable.
In the later wars, the Ottoman Empire will soon be reduced from the protagonist to the supporting role, and Britain and France are the new main forces of war.
"His Majesty, now that Britain and France have jumped in, we will turn the Balkans into their graves and let them know who is the world's first army power.
Now we should immediately send more troops to the front line, annihilate the Ottoman Empire, and recapture Constantinople. "Secretary of the Army, Arthur Nicholas, said aggressively.
In the decisive battle between Britain and France in the Near East, the Russians could not take any advantage, and they would not suffer too much. Geographically, everyone was half a catty.
The Russians can be supported by Austria and can transport supplies through the Danube River. Britain and France also have goods transported by sea. The logistic link is a draw.
The frontline increase is inevitable. After winning this battle, the losses suffered by the Russian army are not small. The war must continue to require reinforcements. Commanders at the front have already asked for reinforcements in the country.
"Your Majesty, due to an incorrect estimation in advance, we did not expect the British and French to participate directly in the war, and we hoarded a large number of strategic materials in Ukrainian coastal ports.
Now that the sea is blocked, we can only transport supplies by land. At present, we can only supply 30% of the supplies of the frontline army, and the rest must be purchased from Austria.
We are under great financial pressure, and although Austria has provided us with a war loan of 100 million dongs, it will not be able to sustain it for long. Treasury Secretary Astanley Rod reminded
In order to supply the current unit, they will have to purchase a large number of strategic materials from Austria. If they continue to increase their troops to the Balkan front, military expenditures will continue to increase.
It wasn't that Astanley Rhodes was opposed to the surge, he just raised the issue and avoided making plans blindly. It would be embarrassing to have no money to fight in the later stages.
A hundred million Austrian guilders seem to be quite a lot. In fact, when they arrived on the battlefield, they were simply a sloppy salary. Now the total number of Russian troops in the Balkans has exceeded 300,000.
In a Bulgarian battle, the Russian army lost 45,000 people. Even if gray animals were worthless, they would have to pay a pension.
If the battle is won, the reward for merit is also indispensable. These still require money.
Weapons and ammunition consumed on the battlefield, damaged weapons and equipment need to be replaced, these are money.
Even if they do not fight, the expenses of the 300,000 army for eating and drinking Lasagna each month are more than 4 million dong. It is not the high standard of the Russian army, but the high cost of transporting materials during the war, and once it is up, it costs money.
In a Bulgarian battle, the Russian army destroyed thousands of tons of ammunition. On average, it consumed nearly 100 tons of ammunition every day. This item alone cost tens of millions of dongs.
Adding so much messy expenditure together, a Bulgarian General Assembly battle that lasted more than a month, the Russian military's military expenditure will not be less than 40 million rupiah. This has not yet been calculated for salary.
The main funding of the war still had to be solved by the Russians themselves. Austria's loans could only be used to make up for it. The pressure of the Ministry of Finance naturally increased.
Nicholas I nodded, and it was effective to prepare for the war in advance. At least in 1852, the Tsarist government did not have to worry about financial issues.
If the war goes on, that's not necessarily the case. The cost of war in the age of hot weapons has far exceeded the age of cold weapons.
"Then find a way to make a quick decision and try to defeat the enemy within the year as much as possible without leaving opportunities for Britain and France!
My army secretary, how much more troops do I need to end the war within the year? "Nicholas I asked with concern
After pondering for a while, Aceh Nicholas slowly responded: "Your Majesty, at least 300,000 additional troops are needed, and it is best to add 400,000 troops for insurance purposes."
In fact, there is no bottom in Asser Nicholas. The battlefield is ever-changing, and the strength of Britain and France is not weak. There is also a livery Ottoman Empire. Who knows how many troops can end the war in a short time?
But since Her Majesty Tsar asked, he had to answer, otherwise he seemed incompetent.
Asse-Nicholas is still a bit of a level. He is not optimistic that the Russian army can end the war within the year and directly stated an impossible number.
Prior to investing 300,000 troops in the Balkans, the Russian Empire did its best. If this number was doubled, soldiers and Russians would be in short supply, but logistics supplies would be over.
Even with the addition of Austria, the combined efforts of the two countries can hardly guarantee the 600,000 to 700,000 troops fighting in the Balkans.
This is not a lack of supplies, but transportation support. If fighting in the Danube, logistics supplies can also be guaranteed.
However, with the passage of the war, the supply line of the Russian army is getting longer and longer, and the distance from the Danube River is getting longer and longer. The distance that needs to be transported by animal power and manpower to carry it back is also increasing, and the pressure of logistics supply naturally increases greatly.
Nicholas I was not a military officer. As soon as the words of the Army Secretary came out, he knew that it was impossible to end the war within the year.
Britain and France have sea power. Even if the Russians occupy the Balkans, they can land at any time as long as they are willing. Is it so easy to end the war?
Moreover, although the Ottoman Empire was decaying, the rotten ship still had three pounds of nails, and the combat power erupted at the moment of life and death should not be underestimated.
Foreign Minister Karl Wollsell said with a wink: "Mr. Ase, the reality does not allow us to invest so many troops in the Balkans. This plan looks feasible, but there is actually no operability.
If the war cannot be won in the Balkans, can we make a breakthrough in the Caucasus?
Victory in either direction can undermine the confidence of the Ottoman Empire. As long as this decaying empire collapses, we will win this war. "
Make a breakthrough in the Caucasus, no problem! It's just that one hill was conquered, and the next one.
Persevering efforts will continue for three years and five years, and as slow as ten or eight years. As long as they persist, they can wear off the Ottoman Empire sooner or later.
The prerequisite is that the Tsarist government can support it. Don't put yourself in before the war ends.
Although the reality is cruel, there are ideals.
At the same time that the Bulgarian campaign was launched, the Russians did not ignore the Caucasus, but because of geographical constraints, less effort was invested there.
As the situation in the Balkans continues to deteriorate to the Ottoman Empire, the Sudanese government will definitely draw a large number of reinforcements from the Asia Minor Peninsula. By then, the number of troops capable of reinforcing the Caucasus will decrease.
This was also an opportunity for the Russians. It is difficult to reach the Bosphorus from the Caucasus all the way, but it may not be possible to reach the Asia Minor Peninsula.
Successive defeats on the front lines of any country will affect domestic stability, not to mention the decaying Ottoman Empire?
With the influence of the Russians among the Orthodox Christians and the unpopularity of the Ottoman Empire, it seems that it is not too difficult to plan several national uprisings with the continuous failure of the front line.
If the national uprising is successful, the Ottoman Empire will be dead. Without this ground snake, Britain and France want to defeat Russia in the Near East. It is simply a dream.
Since it is idealism, it is naturally impossible to pursue perfection. As long as it is theoretically feasible, Nicholas I approved Carl-Wasser's proposal.
The success was, of course, her Majesty the Tsar's wise, the failure to lose a lot of gray animals, and the Tsar government is not short of.
Nicholas I did not justify doing low-risk high-reward things.
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