Chapter 666: Russian counterattack

The general forces' intention to open the situation in the southwest has not affected the strategic layout of the Tsarist government, and Marshal Ivanov continued the previous strategy.
For a war involving millions of people, gains and losses on the local battlefield are not so important.
As long as the southwest front has not completely collapsed, all are within the tolerance of the Tsarist government, and now they have a more important goal-Smolensk.
No matter how well prepared the generals are, war is always dead.
Smolensk has become a meat grinder, with thousands of people falling every day. The brutal casualties are a difficult test for the Russian army and the general army.
One month into the war, the Russian army's casualties had exceeded 100,000 in order to compete for Smolensk; the general army, as a garrison, did not take much advantage, and the casualties were as high as 70,000.
Half of them were killed or disabled and left the battlefield permanently. It can be said that both Russia and Russia suffered heavy losses.
The cold numbers on the battle report did not shake the will of Marshal Ivanov, but strengthened the previous judgment.
The war of attrition is the cruelest, but also the most secure. According to the current situation, it will definitely not be Russia.
Marshal Ivanov was able to accept it, but it did not mean that others could also accept it. The heavy casualties still caused questions within the tsarist government.
Hermitage, high-level government meeting
The Minister of the Interior Mikhail took the lead: "Marshal, it has been more than a month since the war began, and we have paid hundreds of thousands of casualties, and the front has hardly moved forward, should you explain it?"
Ivanov was unmoved: "Sir, to be precise, we have killed 65,863 people and injured 97,684 people since the war began.
Oh, this is the statistics two days ago, and now this number should increase a lot. The total number of casualties in this month exceeded the 200,000 mark without any problems.
However, you cannot just see our losses, and the enemy's losses are not small. Judging from the statistical data, the number of killed in the general army was also close to 60,000. "
The "Kameyan victory", which is full of water, contributed a quarter of this figure, which directly brought the exchange rate between the two sides.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Kristanval: "Honest Marshal, no one denies your record. The problem is that our losses are too great now, and the war has only begun for more than a month!"
Ivanov sneered: "Where there are undead in war, as long as you can win, any sacrifice is worth it.
Of course, it is not impossible to end this war as soon as possible, but it will do great damage to our international reputation. "
It's all this time, still thinking about fighting for power, Ivanov hates these politicians, and doesn't give them any face.
Whether it is really dissatisfied or to show it to the Tsar, this question requires the benevolent to see the wise and the wise.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Kristanval asked with excitement: "What is the way, as long as we can fight this war, we can slowly restore our international reputation."
It is not that Kristanval doesn't pay attention to international reputation. It is actually that their international reputation is the bottom of Europe. If a jar is broken, no matter how bad it can be.
Everyone set their sights on Ivanov, looking forward to his answer.
After a pause, Ivanov pretended to be relaxed and said, "It's very simple. You can imitate Tatars. Send troops to the enemy's territory to do damage and minimize their war potential."
The crowd took a sigh of relief. Where was the destruction?
Foreign Minister Chris Basham hurriedly opposed: "No, this will give Britain and France an excuse to interfere in this war. I am afraid that even Austria will not support us."
It is now the nineteenth century, and it is no longer appropriate to play the Holocaust on the European continent.
Through the eyes of everyone, Ivanov knew that no one supported the plan. It is not that everyone does not want it, mainly because they dare not. Russia cannot afford the consequences of the massacre.
Ivanov: "If this is the case, then we can only ease it, just destroy it and not kill people."
When I said this, Ivanov himself did not believe it. It's totally idealistic to only do destruction and not kill.
During the actual operation, the enemy will definitely resist. How can it not be killed after a conflict? Red-eyed on the battlefield, the military discipline of the Russian army couldn't hold it.
Moreover, Ivanov was preparing to send Cossack cavalry to carry out this plan, and the situation was even more uncontrollable.
Alexander II shook his head: "It is impossible not to kill people, but to kill them selectively. We must resolve the enemy's youth and leave the old and weak, and give the international community an explanation.
Talk about your plans. The enemy is not a fool. It is not so simple to go into the enemy's realm alone. If it is bitten by the enemy, it will be very troublesome. "
The reputation of Alexander II didn't care anymore. Since he was already an enemy, he naturally weakened as much as possible. He wouldn't mind a massacre if he hadn't taken into account the reactions of European countries.
Ivanov: "Your Majesty, this plan is to move together by sea and land. On the land, saxophone cavalry is dressed as a robber and it crosses the border to destroy it.
The sea attack is the same as the last war, except that this time our mission is special. In order to avoid unnecessary troubles, some troops may need to act as pirates.
We can issue a private plunder permit to encourage civilian armed forces to participate in the robbery of the enemy's coastal areas, and it would be even better if it could attract real pirates.
Taking into account the position of the Vienna government, the hostages plundered by the pirates can be sold to Austrian colonial merchants. "
Compassionate, in order to win the war, Ivanov has given up his temper.
After weighing the pros and cons, the room was quiet. There is neither support nor opposition. Obviously everyone is an elite in the bureaucracy, and they are reluctant to take the lead in matters of responsibility.
Alexander II stared hard at the crowd: "Why is it dumb? Whether it is support or opposition, we must have a clear attitude today."
After a pause, he added: "If there is an objection, come up with a better plan. The situation on the battlefield is in crisis and there is not so much time for you to waste."
As a last resort, Chancellor of the Exchequer Kristanval stood up: "His Majesty, Marshal Ivanov's proposal is very good, but some details need to be improved.
It is not easy to penetrate the enemy's territory, and the entire army will be wiped out if we are not careful. How can we ensure the safety of our troops? "
agreed. No way, Kristanval is not good at fighting, and it is embarrassing for him to come up with a combat plan.
Ivanov said with confidence: "This is very simple. On the front battlefield, we have restrained the main force of the general army. The enemies in the rear will not be too strong.
Moreover, there is also airship reconnaissance, which can grasp the movement of the enemy's large army and make timely adjustments.
As long as the troops attacked by land and sea are not too far into the inland areas, they can withdraw before the enemy comes. We just do destruction, we don't need to occupy the place.
Cossack cavalry is mainly on land. The only thing that can threaten them is the Polish cavalry, but their number is too small.
Because of the logistical relationship, we will control the scope of activities and will not stay away from the main force. "
This is all theoretical. In actual battles, Ivanov is certainly not as simple as that. Not to mention, as long as the General Army operates at night, the airship will not be able to detect it.
Even if general movements were discovered, high-altitude reconnaissance could not distinguish between the main force and the cannon fodder. If the general forces are willing, civilians can be impersonated by imposing military uniforms.
These problems, Marshal Ivanov naturally would not say, otherwise there will be a moth. He has no expectations at all about the military level of his colleagues.
...
Ivanov breathed a sigh of relief when the resolution was passed. Once this plan is started, blood will flow into the river and the reputation of the Russian Empire will once again fall to the bottom.
No matter how beautified, this will be a dark history.
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