War is never what it used to be!
Xiao Letian said more than once in a secret meeting with his officers before the war that this Franco-Prussian War would completely change mankind's understanding of war!
The Franco-Prussian War was actually a key transition in the evolution of medieval war thinking to modern war thinking!
Although mankind had entered the political era before the Franco-Prussian War, and new weapons such as rifles, cannons, and battleships were widely used, but from the perspective of the structure of war and the perspective of the ruler's strategic thinking!
Before the Franco-Prussian War, the strategic thinking of all countries in the world still maintained the same old habits of the past!
War in the Middle Ages was more like a gladiatorial battle between knights, and military conflicts between countries were more like using war to resolve conflicts, rather than a life-and-death battle!
At that time, human wars still had some simple ancient customs!
Soldiers and civilians are relatively separate. Farmers and workers just pay taxes. The war has little direct relationship with them!
The war is just a war between kings, nobles and knights. All armies are basically professional armies!
At that time, a war broke out between the two countries. In fact, there was little difference between life and death. They were all fighting for an agreement!
The combined strength of both sides rarely exceeds 100,000. These professional soldiers use short-term and violent wars to determine the winners and losers, and then redistribute benefits based on the results of the war.
The national borders changed in these wars, and each treaty was finally preserved in the historical archives!
As for the common people? In those days when people didn’t know what a nation was, and the national enlightenment movement hadn’t even begun, who would the people pay taxes to and not pay them? They don't care what happens to the ruler above them!
This is the war in the Middle Ages. It was completely a game for the big shots. The Franco-Prussian War completely changed everything!
Because of the widespread popularization of national ideas, and because people in various countries have an unprecedented sense of national identity, this has given ordinary people a sense of identity with the war.
Winning or losing is no longer a matter of paying taxes to another owner, winning or losing is already a matter of national life and death!
Under the influence of this emotion, the rulers could finally launch a general mobilization. They could finally make the farmers and workers who were waiting for death join the war with righteous indignation!
Theoretically, this is a kind of army for all the people!
It is precisely because of this kind of all-people soldiers that the so-called concept of large corps in modern warfare comes into being!
A large corps of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people launches an attack on the enemy at a distance of tens of kilometers. What a spectacular scene it is!
This is a horrific scene that people in the Middle Ages could not even imagine!
The Franco-Prussian War was an important period of excessive thinking for these two wars, and Prussia went further than France and mobilized better!
A fierce battle broke out in the Vosges Mountains from around five o'clock in the evening, and until three-thirty in the morning, Prince Karl had mobilized 70,000 people to attack the French army.
The 120,000-strong army has already fought 70,000 in turns, and he still has 50,000 fresh troops on hand who are drinking broth, recharging their strength and waiting for battle orders!
And the 40,000 French troops under McMahon were already exhausted, and everyone had been involved in the bloody battle!
The war has continued until now, and the French army has lost 10,000 men, while the Prussian army has lost 25,000 men!
With so many people dead, the commander would have considered a ceasefire in the past, but at this moment, Prince Carl is getting braver and braver, and has no intention of suspending the war at all!
"Continue the attack and let the reserves come in!"
"Saxony's 3rd and 4th Divisions are ready for battle! After the next round of shelling, let them launch a general attack!"
Prince Carl looked at the five French defense lines that had been breached on the map, and smiled coldly, "McMahon... don't think that because you have a geographical advantage, there is nothing I can do for you!"
"This time, I will let you realize what the future national war is!"
"You are just a bunch of antiques that should have been thrown into the garbage a long time ago! The future era belongs to us!"
"Pass my order and inform the whole army that the fighting will not stop. When will the Vosges Mountains be completely captured, when will we be able to rest!"
"The Empire needs victory! Victory is the only one!"
The prince's order spread throughout the entire army. People had long forgotten their fatigue. Everyone was excited by this super fight. The two heavy armored divisions of Saxony were named. All commanders went down to the first place. Line, go and boost morale in person!
"Soldiers of Saxony! Warriors of my homeland!"
"The fruits of victory are before your eyes, fight for the empire!"
"All officers will stand by your side, and all nobles will be on the front line with you!"
"All our suffering will explode today! For the empire! For the future of our descendants!"
"Good boys from Prussia! Fight till the end!"
The heavily armored division of more than 20,000 people roared like a mountain and a tsunami, "Attack! Long live the Empire!"
At 4:10, another 20,000 Prussians shouted slogans of victory and killed the extremely exhausted French soldiers!
War! What a place where we strive for national strength but cannot play tricks! Just when the two divisions began to charge, a report suddenly sounded from Prince Karl's headquarters.
"Reporting to the commander! Nineteen military columns have arrived from the north, bringing our reinforcements and artillery shells!"
"Oh? Where are you?"
"Reporting to His Highness the Prince! The first and fifth divisions of the Hanover Army, totaling 24,000 men, have arrived! Please give the battle order, sir!"
Hahahaha...Prince Karl looked up to the sky and smiled. "Reinforcements, our reinforcements! Another 24,000 reinforcements have arrived! Hanover's army has also arrived!"
"Napoleon III! Now do you know what a modern railway network is? Now you know what all the people are in the army? Now do you know what a war of nations is?"
"I have an inexhaustible supply of troops! Do you have one?"
The domineering Prince Carl waved his hand, "Are my soldiers tired? Can they still fight after sitting on the train for so long?"
The two division commanders who came to report had chests that were higher than women's breasts. They loudly replied, "Fight, we are here just to fight!"
"Brothers on the front line are not afraid of death. Are we going to avoid fighting because of a little fatigue? There are no cowards in Hanover!"
"Very good! The Saxon warriors are attacking the enemy's sixth line of defense, and their secret weapon has been almost destroyed by our cannons!"
"You guys go up with support immediately. Don't stop after attacking the sixth line of defense. Continue to attack the seventh line of defense!"
"Yes, sir!" The two division commanders turned and left the headquarters. After a while, tens of thousands of people shouted for death from the north!
McMahon was already losing this battle. The bigger Prussia was, the more men it had. In one night, more than 20,000 troops and 200,000 artillery shells were sent to the front line.
Not only that, there are countless dispatchers on the rear railways coordinating transportation, and more military trains are heading south, bringing countless fresh troops and supplies from the hinterland of Prussia!
At 4:20, reinforcements from two divisions of Hanover arrived. At 5:30, a division from Holstein arrived on the battlefield. At 6:00, Bavaria sent two more brigades of mountain infantry!
After the sun began to show its white light from the east, the number of combat troops under Prince Carl miraculously increased to 160,000!
Excluding the 25,000 combat attrition, he actually still has more than 130,000 available troops!
McMahon finally cried!
