Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 394

Chapter 394: Chapter 81: The Turning Point Battle
After entering October, the Prusso-Russian War entered a new phase. Both sides were engaging in a fierce struggle, fighting so intensely that the sky darkened and the ground turned to rivers of blood.

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In the East Prussian region, the Prussian Army had the upper hand; in the Polish region, the Russian Army was putting pressure on the Prusso-Polish Coalition Forces.

Austria also sent military observers to analyze intelligence gathered from the battlefield, which made Franz secretly very relieved.

Indeed, the reputed might of the Russian Empire as the hegemon of Europe was not unearned—their military strength at this time was among the world’s elite.

In the original timeline, even as the Russian Empire stumbled along, it was still feared by all nations, and not just for the reasons jokes suggest—winter and vast territories.

The strategic advantage brought by geography only comes into play during defense. War primarily relies on people; geographical conditions are only a secondary factor.

The Prussian Army had risen to the forefront of the world, yet on the battlefield, the advantages they gained were not significant.

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Even with inferior weapons and equipment, the Russian Army could use their flesh and blood to stop the Prussians. Once re-equipped, the casualty rate between the two sides gradually narrowed.

The Prussian Army only had a slight edge thanks to their superior training, and when facing certain elite Russian forces, they were even at a disadvantage.

The Near East War was not fought in vain, with the loss of nearly a million soldiers, the Tsarist Government still harvested a formidable military force.

At Belvedere Palace, during a high-level military conference.

“You’ve all seen the data, based on the intelligence we’ve gathered so far, who do you think will win this battle?”

Franz only asked about this battle, not the outcome of the entire war. The strength disparity between Prussia and Russia was too great, and as long as the Tsarist Government was willing to push hard, the eventual victor was obvious.

Not to mention Prussia, faced with the desperate Russian Empire, there wasn’t a country in the world that could assure victory.

Even if Austria and Russia were to confront each other, Franz would have to resort to extraordinary tactics to possibly emerge victorious.

Otherwise, if the two sides were to fight bitterly with their current strengths, suffering millions of casualties, what victory could there be?

People of this era could not imagine a war with millions of casualties at once, but Franz understood it all too well.

The Russian Empire was so vast that it couldn’t be subdued with just one push; in the end, it all boiled down to a battle of attrition. In such a scenario, where could one find a victor?

Marshal Edmund, the Army General Staff Chief, replied, “Your Majesty, from the current situation, I favor the Kingdom of Prussia.

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They seem to be preparing a grand plan, and judging by the troop deployments, the Prussian Army is getting ready for a decisive battle with the Russian Army in the East Prussia region.

If they succeed in completing their plan, at least half of the more than three hundred thousand Russian troops in East Prussia will be left behind.

The Russian commanders are too arrogant. They only think of pressing forward and have not considered the danger. Even when at a disadvantage, they still do not shorten their lines.”

This can be understood; the difference in strength between the Prussian and Russian forces was not vast. Just suffering more casualties didn’t deter the Russian commanders.

Lives of common soldiers were not held in high esteem; engaging in a war of attrition with the Prussian Army was a cost the Tsarist Government was willing to bear for victory.

The Russian forces dared to fight even with a casualty exchange rate of 2:1 or 3:1—now that the death toll has dropped to 1.3:1, occasionally even gaining the upper hand, why wouldn’t they dare to fight?

Army Minister Albrecht analyzed, “Prussia’s recent moves are a bit unusual. A large amount of strategic materials has already reached the front lines ahead of time, exceeding the current needs of the front lines.

Storing extra food and ammunition is somewhat understandable, but the surplus of tents and personal belongings is definitely concerning.

A preliminary estimate suggests that their supplies would be sufficient even if they were to suddenly increase their forces by two hundred thousand. I surmise that the Prussians are about to reinforce the East Prussia front; these are just preliminary preparations.

Currently, the chaotic forces of the Kingdom of Prussia add up to approximately one million two hundred thousand.

Among them, the main force is about four hundred thousand strong, the second-line reserve force is about one hundred and fifty thousand, and the rest are newly conscripted soldiers.

The main forces are battling the Russians on the front lines, and the second-line forces are in the Polish region, jointly resisting the Russian advance with the Polish Revolutionary Army.

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The remaining newly conscripted forces, lacking in combat strength, are currently undergoing military training while guarding the coastal areas.

After so long at war, a part of these new forces has completed initial training and is now capable of fighting.

With the opposing forces evenly matched, deploying them to the battlefield could change the outcome of a war.

This is something Russia cannot compete with, limited by their logistics, they can only maintain their current troop strength.”

In history, the Kingdom of Prussia achieved a comeback not because their army was much stronger than the enemy, but the most crucial element was the concentration of superior forces to fight against the enemy.

In both the Prusso-Austrian War and the Franco-Prussian War, victory was achieved through absolute superiority in force. If the forces were equal, it would have been a tough battle—how could there be an overwhelming victory?

The Prusso-Russian War had been going on for so long, yet they had not utilized such tactics. The main reasons were two-fold: first, the Tsarist army was too large; second, the transportation within Russia was terrible, and initiating an offensive posed a significant logistics problem.

Now that the Russian Army had entered the East Prussia region, the situation had changed. In a domestic battle, the advantages of Prussia’s railways could be exploited.

This meant that the Prussians had the capability to reinforce a certain area with troops in the short term, establishing regional superiority in forces and increasing the chances of winning the war.

Franz was no longer a military novice. He already possessed the ability to discuss military matters on paper; what he lacked was the final capability of actual combat experience.

There was no way around it; small battles did not require the Emperor’s personal command, and Franz did not dare to command in a major battle, so this shortcoming remained unsolved.

After looking at the simulated battlefield sand table, Franz quickly felt reassured. The exercise had not collapsed, even though the combat strength of the Russian Army had been increased, their high-level officers’ command abilities were not enhanced.

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The Kingdom of Prussia hadn’t reached the end of its rope. It was, after all, a nation of fifteen million people, and there was still potential to tap into.

As a semi-industrial nation, the Kingdom of Prussia’s mobilization capabilities had increased significantly. Now, with financial backers’ support, completing a maximum mobilization was not a dream.

Although the newly mobilized troops lacked combat strength, when these forces suddenly appeared on the battlefield during a decisive battle, they could still be the last straw that changed the outcome of the war.

As for the Russian Army’s surprise attacks, the worst-case scenario would be the loss of a few coastal cities; ships can’t advance onto land, so could the navy possibly advance deeply alone?

Insiders are blind; bystanders see clearly. As a bystander, knowing is one thing, but Franz had not the slightest intention of warning the Tsarist Government.

The Russian Empire was large, and they could afford such losses. The Kingdom of Prussia had limited power; they could at most defeat this Russian force, not swallow tens of thousands of Russian soldiers in one gulp.

…

While Franz was engaged in military simulation, the ready Kingdom of Prussia also began to move.

Trains across the nation were quickly set into motion, transporting scattered soldiers to the front lines. Within just two days, they had sent 150,000 troops to the East Prussia frontline.

The decisive battle officially erupted, and the sudden appearance of fresh forces immediately bewildered the Russian commanders.

Normally, moving such a scale of troops would take at least ten days to half a month, giving them enough time to adjust their deployments.

However, within a mere two days, the Prussian reinforcements arrived. The Russian Army did not have a way to adjust the battle lines stretching hundreds of kilometers within two days.

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In certain areas, the Prussian Army even established a four to five times force advantage and launched an attack on the Russian Army.

The result, of course, held no suspense. Despite the valiant resistance of the Russian Army, their fate of defeat could not be changed.

The East Prussia region was the homeland of the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Prussian Army was very familiar with the local terrain. After breaking through the Russian defense line, they immediately executed flanking maneuvers.

At the same time, the Prussians also formed a special forces squad made up of troops from the East Prussia region to destroy the Russian Army’s telegraph lines.

For an army of several hundred thousand, the telegraph was their greatest technological advantage. With no telegraphs to convey orders, relying on messengers was far too inefficient.

Due to the lack of preparedness, the Russian Army soon suffered a significant setback. Without telegraph communication, the Russian forces at the frontline quickly fell into disarray, fighting independently.

Especially for the defeated units, they became like headless flies, scrambling around the battlefield. The messengers’ effectiveness was too low, unable to keep up with the rapid changes on the battlefield.

Many units experienced a breakdown in communication, unable to contact their regiment headquarters from their brigade, or their brigade from their army headquarters, resulting in the entire Russian force in the East Prussia region being thrown into chaos.

This scenario was naturally within the expectations of Maoqi. Now that the difficult battle had turned into a breeze, he decisively deployed the newly recruited soldiers from the rear to the fight.

Leveraging its superiority in numbers, the Prussian Army quickly gained control of the battlefield. The Russian Army retreated in disarray, halting at the Vistula River (present-day Daugava River in Latvia) only with difficulty.

By then, the Russian force had dwindled from 386,000 before the battle to merely 112,000, and they had lost a large amount of strategic resources and nearly all their artillery.

The Prussian Army did not dare to pursue further. Winter had arrived in the Baltic region, and they needed to quickly eliminate the Russian forces within their territory and consolidate the gains already made.

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The situation on the battlefield affected everything. As the Lithuanian Region fell, the Belarusian Region became exposed.

After the flanks were threatened, the Russian Army, who were still attacking the Prusso-Polish Coalition Forces, had to contract their defense line. However, it was already too late by the time they made the decision.

After concluding the Battle of East Prussia, the Prussian Army quickly reinforced the front, biting off a piece of flesh at the Russian Army’s retreat.