"Mr. Xiao. I don't think I need to repeat it again. You are a statesman in the East outside the battlefield. You are an envoy from Ryukyu. You will get the respect you deserve. But...but you have to remember. Here is The battlefield. There is only one commander-in-chief on the battlefield. That is me. Chief of Staff Moltke. Even the king must obey my command."
A very ordinary hilly land with no features in Crimea and Sadova region. A huge canvas tent stands here. The faint roar came from here.
This was the main battlefield of the Austro-Prussian War. This is the general headquarters of the Prussian side. The command center of the Elbe Army and the First Army, totaling 120,000 Prussian troops, is hidden here.
The southern battlefield is now in a stalemate. The muffled thunderous sound of cannons in the distance has become a continuous sound. That was fire preparation for the upcoming infantry charge. Outside the general headquarters, the horses galloping like dragons in all directions. The thick smell of gunpowder smoke spread several miles away with the breeze.
The sentry outside the headquarters did not know why the chief of general staff was swearing in blunt English. But they knew that this must have something to do with the Chinese who had just entered the military tent.
Yes. The person being scolded by Old Maoqi now is someone other than Xiao Letian. Only he can make the chief of general staff yell in blunt English.
This is a big battle related to the fate of the country. No one is feeling much better with such a heavy weight on their shoulders. Even his character is strict. Old Moltke, who abides by aristocratic etiquette, has now lost his composure.
Within the headquarters. Xiao Letian was wearing a light blue military uniform. In a military posture, he straightened his chest and raised his head to look at Old Mao Qi. Update as soon as possible no matter how angry the legendary general is. The roar was so loud that Xiao Letian's momentum did not waver at all.
"Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff. Since I have applied to join the war order, then during the war, I will be an ordinary officer under you. I will forget all other identities on my body... But. I hope that Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff, can consider the Eastern A petition from hundreds of brothers in the legion. We demand the same treatment as the Prussian soldiers..."
"We don't want specialization. We need missions. We need to go to war..."
"Shut up." Old Mao Qi punched the map with a thud. The heavy oak table nearly knocked him over. Bismarck was so frightened that he almost fell to the ground.
"You guys from the East. Don't you know what it means to abide by the rules? You keep saying don't be special. Could it be that you rushed into my headquarters and asked me for tasks face to face. This is what you said You must obey the rules. Do you still look like a soldier..."
Speaking of which. Old Moltke turned around and spit on Bismarck's face. "Politics, politics, politics... now is a battlefield of life and death. This is not the negotiating table for your politicians. I really regret it. I regret agreeing to you." Conditions. I shouldn't let these Chinese and Prussian new troops be mixed. This is a huge trouble..."
Don't look at Bismarck's overwhelming power in Berlin. Everyone, even kings, must respect him very much. But Bismarck was a quintessential Prussian. He absolutely understands that laymen cannot interfere with experts.
in foreign policy. in the internal affairs of the empire. on financial expenditures. He can be arbitrary. But once you enter the battlefield, especially a battlefield where hundreds of thousands of people are strangled. Bismarck knew that his level was far inferior to Moltke's. Here he will always be a student.
In real history. The Battle of Sadowa reached its most dangerous moment. Bismarck didn't even dare to speak and ask questions. He could only peek at Old Moltke's face to judge how far the battle situation was developing.
"Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff. Although Mr. Xiao's request does not comply with the empire's military system... but they are friendly forces after all. I hope that the Chief of Staff can properly consider the requirements of friendly forces..." Bismarck did not show any arrogance at this time. Some people just apologize cautiously.
"Oh. My God. Can you let me fight this battle well? Please come to more and faster chapters. Don't give me any more trouble. I don't think I need to repeat too much about how serious the war situation is now. The Austrian troops are superior to ours. Their training is not inferior to ours. And most importantly, the number of Austrian artillery pieces is far greater than ours..."
"This is a battle for the fate of the country. If we lose, we will be doomed and never have a chance to make a comeback. I am responsible for the empire. I cannot allow any accidents on the battlefield..."
At this point, Old Maoqi looked deeply at Xiao Letian, who had a standard military posture, and the officers behind him. He said earnestly, "I'm sorry. I am a commander. Every unit under my command is a chess piece that can determine the outcome of the battle. I must understand the pros and cons of each chess piece. Only in this way can I put them in the most appropriate position." Location……"
"But it's a pity. I don't know you. I don't understand the use of your hard-working civil engineering training. In the end, you are just an engineering unit... Go ahead. I will give you some repairs later. The task of building roads and bridges.”
What an insult. This is a great disgrace. Xiao Letian's face turned red. The faces of Xiao Hexin and Sima Yun behind him also turned red. When had the New Army been so insulted?
The Japanese had insulted them. That's why there was a national war in which 100,000 Chinese fought bloody battles in Naha. The Manchu Green Camp had insulted them. That's why there was such a devastating massacre. The French had insulted them. That's why there was a great confrontation between infantry and cavalry on the French-Swiss border that shocked the whole of Europe.
"Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff, you can question my military level, Xiao Letian. But you cannot question my elite military quality and courage to fight. We came to Europe from Asia. We are not here to build bridges and roads. We are not here. I am your servant. We destroyed the French’s majesty. We can also destroy the Austrian army’s spirit today..."
"I, Xiao Letian, swear here. As long as the command headquarters gives us a military order, I, Xiao Letian, will be at the forefront. I am willing to issue a military order."
Bismarck's face turned bitter when he heard this. My heart says Xiao Letian. How can you say these things to old Moltke? The more you say that. The less you have a mission.
Old Moltke took out his handkerchief and wiped his cheek gently. There was spittle from Xiao Letian just now. But the old general was not angry at all. Instead he laughed.
"Haha. Mr. Xiao, the first update. After all, you are still a politician. You are not a qualified soldier. What era is this? You still use the military motivation methods of the medieval era. Modern warfare has long changed. It has become an extremely precise science. The establishment of the general staff system is to conform to this trend..."
"Return the military order. Why risk your own life? As the prime minister of a country, you have to lead the charge. This shows that your battle has been defeated and there is no possibility of a comeback. That's how you think. I can't rest assured. You've completed your mission. You'd better go down and rest."
Xiao Letian's face is now as red as a purple eggplant. At this time, a middle-aged general in his thirties stood up. To smooth things over for Xiao Letian.
"Mr. Xiao. I am Prince Karl, the commander-in-chief of the First Army. I hope you will stop being stubborn. You should consider the difficulties of the Chief of General Staff..."
Jonas who was beside Xiao Letian quickly came over and introduced Xiao Letian in a low voice, "Sir. This is the uncle of the Crown Prince. Prince Carl of the Empire. He is also the commander-in-chief of the First Army... I know the names of the royal families in Europe. It's very confusing for you. But please remember. Prussia now has two Prince Karl..."
"Two Princes Karl. You mean that the Karl who I had a conflict with before is the crown prince of the kingdom. And this Prince Karl and that Prince Karl are related by the same grandfather. Oh. It's really confusing..."
Old Prince Carl could understand Xiao Letian's confusion. Europeans do have very long names anyway. Sometimes even Europeans themselves get confused.
"Mr. Xiao Letian. I will keep the story short as soon as I update. The current First Army in Sadowa and the Elbe Army under the command of General Bittenfeld. Together, there are only 120,000 troops. And on the opposite side of us. How many troops does General Benedek of Austria have? A full 210,000 people..."
"Not only that. The Austrians on the opposite side had received military assistance from the French before. The number of artillery pieces was twice that of ours... War has never been a game. You can never imagine how much pressure the Chief of General Staff bears on his shoulders... "
Speaking of which. Old Prince Carl smiled friendlyly, "If you don't mind, I can invite your army to join my Guards Division. This way you can also get close contact with the war..."
Xiao Letian sighed. He knew that he was encountering the iron-clad Prussian military system. This can't be broken through with a lot of enthusiasm. It seemed that his and his brothers' wish to join the war were about to come to nothing.
Not willing to give in. I really don’t want to give in…wait a minute. It seems that old Prince Carl's introduction missed an important link.
"Dear Your Excellency the Prince. As far as I know, the Prussian Empire should have formed three corps. Where is the army of Crown Prince William Karl. Why not here."
Xiao Letian's question made everyone in the command center change their expressions. Just when Prime Minister Bismarck was about to change the subject. Suddenly there was a loud report outside the headquarters.
"Report... The Second Corps is still unable to make contact. The engineers have been investigating for three consecutive hours. They still can't find where the destroyed telegraph line is... Now the Engineer Corps is preparing to re-lay a telegraph line..."
There was a snap. The red and blue pencils in Old Moltke's hand were broken. "Oh God. Are you going to give up on Prussia? At such a critical moment, we have lost contact with the Second Army. It seems that Lady Luck is not on our side..."
Xiao Letian's heart skipped a beat. A set of numbers appeared in my mind. The total strength of Crown Prince William Karl's Second Army reached 120,000. It is the most powerful among the three legions. Moreover, the most powerful cavalry in the Prussian Empire are in the hands of the Crown Prince. This shows the king's love for his own son.
Now the war is imminent. The Second Legion mysteriously lost contact. Let me think. Previous battle reports stated that the Second Army was sweeping through the eastern states of Sadowa. It is impossible that such a powerful force cannot deal with those small countries.
It seems there is only one answer. It is Austria that has seized this opportunity. General Benedek just wanted to make a time difference. He wanted to destroy the Elbe Army and the First Army before the Second Army arrived. In other words, the reason for poor communication is man-made. It was the infiltration of enemy spies.
Thinking of this, Xiao Letian stood at attention and saluted. Asked Old Moltke again, "Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff. The Eastern Special Mixed Battalion requested this mission. Our unit is best at running away. As long as we take action, we will definitely be able to restore contact with the Second Army..."
"My lord, please don't forget. In Besançon, we didn't have horses. We created a miracle of a forced march with just our legs. This is not bragging. There are real examples of this."
"General Moltke. Didn't you just say that war is about placing the most suitable chess pieces in the most suitable position? Is our example of the forced march false? Please give the order to the Chief of General Staff."
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