Chapter 183: Advance and Retreat Are Both Difficult
On June 12, 1852, the British Parliament passed the “Army Expansion Act”.
The 120,000 expansion proposed by Maule-Ramsay was still reduced in the end. Shrewd parliamentarians limited the final expansion number to 80,000. The rationale was naturally arming based on actual needs, and not wasting taxpayers’ money.
This frugality directly caused the British army to drag allies down in the Near East War.
Compared to the sluggish British, the French were far more efficient. After confirming reinforcements, Napoleon III embarked on explosive expansion of the military. The French army’s total strength quickly increased to 620,000.
It was as if the France that rampaged through Europe long ago had returned. Apart from the Russian Bear, their standing army was the largest in Europe.
To expand France’s international influence, Napoleon III performed very actively this time. Alongside massive expansion, French reinforcements had already departed from the homeland.
At this point, the military strength of mainland France had dropped to its lowest point. Although the number of troops had increased, veteran soldiers and new recruits were entirely different concepts.
After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the House of Orleans, in order to alleviate international pressure, slowed down the development of the French army, retaining only a small number of elite forces, which only fully recovered after the French Revolution.
Napoleon III’s talents did not lie in the military. During the expansion of the army, he overlooked the development of reserve forces and the rational reforms of mobilization mechanisms.
In the historical Franco-Prussian War, the French surrendered after one defeat. This was because France’s mobilization mechanism was imperfect, and they couldn’t mobilize enough troops in time to defend Paris.
This is a weakness of the French development model, concentrating the core industries mostly around Paris. Once Paris falls, it becomes challenging to make a comeback.
After the Battle of Bulgaria, the Russian army pushed the front line to the Balkan Mountains, and it was now time to test the Russians.
At this time, diverging opinions emerged within the Russian Balkan expeditionary force. The faction led by General Bakh-Ivanov advocated first capturing Sofia. The faction led by General Gorchakov advocated crossing the Balkan Mountains and taking Edirne directly.
The ultimate strategic goal for both factions was the same: to capture Constantinople and blockade the Bosporus Strait.
The reason for advocating the capture of Sofia first was that the Ottoman Empire had just suffered a major defeat, and the military presence in this area was weak, making it militarily less challenging.
Sofia was the most influential city in Bulgaria. Capturing it was very meaningful politically, able to spur even more Bulgarians to rise up against Ottoman rule.
Another unspoken reason was that by capturing Sofia, even if the Russian army cannot capture Constantinople, it would still occupy most of Bulgaria, laying the groundwork for the next war.
This was the power of tradition. This is already the 9th Russo-Turkish War, and many believe that if the Ottoman Empire is not completely defeated, there will definitely be a 10th Russo-Turkish War in the future. Being prepared for the future is crucial.
The idea of swallowing the Ottoman Empire in one gulp is idealistic. There aren’t many who truly believe that Russia can swallow the Ottoman Empire in one gulp.
Politically, shouting slogans is enough. The slogan of overthrowing the Ottoman Empire has been shouted by the Russians for nearly a century, and yet the Ottoman Empire still stands strong.
The reason for advocating a direct advance to Edirne is to save time. This is the shortest route to capture Constantinople. By taking advantage of the fact that the main forces of the British and French reinforcements have not yet arrived, it would increase the chances of attacking Constantinople successfully.
Of course, while the chances of success are higher, the risks are also greater. By not occupying the surrounding areas, Ottoman forces could potentially encircle the Russian army. If Constantinople is not captured, there is a risk of the entire army being annihilated.
Franz was unconcerned about the troubles of the Russian forces. Whether the Russian army will be annihilated or not is not something he worries about.
Considering the situation of the Ottoman Empire, even with the best tactics, they are likely to face difficulties in execution.
Theoretically, cutting Russian supply lines at any critical point along the way would let them win this war.
However, the force responsible for executing this mission must also have sufficient combat power; otherwise, they could be easily defeated by the Russian army in a few moves, rendering the effort useless.
Moreover, close coordination with the surrounding Ottoman forces and local governments is essential. If any link in this chain encounters a problem, it would be impossible to successfully do this.
It was best not to expect the Ottoman Empire capable of such a high-difficulty task. At most they could harass supply lines to force Russian withdrawal, and then both sides would straightforwardly begin a war of attrition.
……
Prince Windisch-Gr?tz smiled and said: “Your Majesty, the Ottomans withdrew forces from Serbia. It seems that the pressure from the Russians was too much for them. Now, they are preparing to concentrate their forces to confront the Russians and have no time to deal with these regions.”
His mood was evidently very good. The House of Habsburg’s grudge with the Ottoman Empire spanned centuries. Naturally, seeing their enemy meet misfortune raised his spirits.
Of course, what’s more important is the political aspect. Despite Marshal Radetzky serving as the Chief of the General Staff now, without any reaction from the Minister of War, in reality, Prince Windisch-Gr?tz has been constantly seeking opportunities to break through politically.
A military expert does not necessarily transition to a political expert. Archduke Charles is a case in point, as he quietly returned home to write books after his military career.
In fact, Marshal Radetzky, who is highly esteemed in the Austrian army, did not have a remarkable career in Austria before. He had long served in local positions and was not valued but rather excluded from the core of power.
However, the situation changed after Franz ascended to the throne. In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the westward strategy, Marshal Radetzky was brought back to the central command as the Chief of the General Staff.
In this context, Prince Windisch-Gr?tz, no matter how many reasons he might have, was powerless. Regardless of the reasons, Franz was not going to abandon his support for Marshal Radetzky at this critical moment.
Realizing this, Prince Windisch-Gr?tz naturally did not make trouble. His deteriorating relations with Radetzky actually stemmed from authority clashes between the General Staff and the Ministry of War.
Position determines one’s standpoint, and the General Staff and the Ministry of War were originally entities meant to balance each other. If their relationship improved, Franz would have to make changes.
Suppressed by Radetzky, Windisch-Gr?tz was helpless. But an opportunity came. The Ottoman withdrawal from Serbia meant Austria could gain vast lands effortlessly.
The military’s war faction, which is not so easily suppressed, was unaware of Austria’s true strategy. When an opportunity for action arose, they naturally wanted to participate.
At this moment, if Marshal Radetzky couldn’t control his subordinates and let the situation escalate to the Emperor’s attention, it would be a major loss of face. Even if he managed to control them, it would still lead to dissatisfaction among military leaders.
Franz naturally saw through such petty schemes. But he did not plan to intervene. These struggles were just child’s play. Windisch-Gr?tz used overt methods, which fell within bounds of what’s acceptable.
Struggles among ministers were preferable compared to them conspiring together and openly challenging the Emperor. As long as state affairs were unaffected, Franz pretended not to see both overt faction building and covert struggles.
Where there are people, there are factions. Franz didn’t expect the bureaucratic group in the Austrian government to be immaculate.
Franz asked: “What about Belgrade? Have the Ottomans abandoned it?”
Belgrade was traditionally seen as the gateway to the Balkans. Controlling it meant no one could ignore Austria’s opinion on future Balkan affairs.
But Austria was not focused on the Balkans now. With the Ottoman’s heavy troop presence, Austria did not take Belgrade yet.
If the Ottomans voluntarily abandoned it, sending just 8,000-10,000 troops could occupy it. Franz would not give it up either, Austria had sufficient manpower for such actions.
The more chips one has in hand, the greater the benefits that can be obtained after the war — this simple logic is understood by all.
Wanting to annex Balkan interests while unifying Southern Germany, Austria lacked such appetite currently.
Unless Russia went god mode and took Constantinople, forcing Britain and France to acknowledge Russo-Austrian domination, Austria could then take these fattened morsels.
“No, but the Ottomans did withdraw some forces from Belgrade. The garrison there has now dropped to 20,000 men.” Prince Windisch-Gr?tz replied.
After some hesitation, Franz called out: “Jenny, send word to the cabinet and Marshal Radetzky to convene for a meeting.”
Plans always lag behind rapidly changing circumstances. Austria seizing the two Danubian principalities then stopping could still be explained as sitting on a mountain and watching the tigers fight.
But now, with the Ottoman withdrawal from Serbia, Austria not seizing territory was too suspicious. Not just Russia, even other European countries would be doubtful.
Yet occupying all the way meant Austria controlled increasingly more Balkan land. Then problems emerged — the original southern strategy was just to cloak the westward strategy, but it somehow became real.
Don’t think that having more meat is always a good thing; it might just make you fat, and dealing with weight loss is the most headache-inducing thing.
Austria now faced similar problems. Taking more land now, could Europe agree postwar?
Jealousy can make people’s minds twisted, and if everyone becomes jealous, Austria could end up isolated. Franz doesn’t want to face such a passive situation.
But the problem now was the situation completely exceeded Franz’s control. The Ottomans are too timid, lacking the fighting spirit of their ancestors.
Even if they just symbolically organized some militias for show, Franz could have pretended to be deceived, failing to discover the enemy’s plot in time and missing the opportunity.
Yet now, the Ottomans withdrew forces blatantly, leaving Franz at an impasse over whether to advance or retreat.
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