Holy Roman Empire

Under the roaring artillery fire, the sky gradually darkened, and the screams and shouts of killing echoed incessantly in the distance, perhaps by morning there would be thousands more corpses.

Marshal Maoqi, who had just arrived at the front, picked up the binoculars and stared intently at the battlefield. Due to the distance, he could only see the thick smoke from exploding shells.

A moment later, Maoqi sighed. The situation was far worse than he had anticipated. From the bombardment, it was clear the Russians had greatly improved since the past.

As night fell, both sides tacitly ceased fighting. A chilling wind began to howl, as if to awaken the souls of the dead.

Inside the Prussian Army headquarters, the newly arrived Marshal Maoqi began to rage.

"One week since the outbreak of war, and we haven’t even taken the small fortress of Brest, what a bunch of incompetents.

Speak up! In peacetime, aren’t you all very capable? Proud and dismissive, boasting about defeating Russia in three months, parading through St. Petersburg in half a year.

Now what? We can’t even take Brest. Never mind parading in St. Petersburg, if this continues, our strategy to sever the Dnieper River will be bankrupt."

Everyone bowed in a posture of listening to a lesson. There was no denying that the battle was indeed going poorly.

According to the General Staff’s plan, the Prussian Army should have captured Brest within three days and then moved south along the Dnieper River to seize Kiev, cutting off the Russian Army’s aquatic supply routes.

The key to this strategy was speed. The Russians lacked everything but soldiers. Once the Tsarist Government reacted, with a massive influx of reinforcements, the war would become much more difficult.

This was a lesson from history. During the first Near East war, the bloodshed experienced by the Anglo-French forces taught the world that the fully armed and logistically supported Russian Army was tough to crack.

As long as the Dnieper River remained in Russian hands, Austria’s supplies could flow without interruption, and the war would evolve into a war of attrition.

Southwestern Army commander Hoenlohe Engelfingen stiffly replied, "Your Excellency Marshal, the enemy is much more stubborn than we imagined. Over these seven days, we’ve engaged in numerous direct confrontations.

Although we’ve had the upper hand most of the time, the overall situation is still not optimistic. Russian reinforcements are arriving quickly, and the forces we’re fighting against have already been rotated three times.

You may not believe it, but they are not only holding their positions staunchly, they also frequently launch counterattacks.

According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, there are eighty thousand Russian troops defending the front lines of Brest, and another hundred thousand in the Volen Region, not to mention the unending stream of reinforcements in the rear.

The Russian commanders opposite us are a bunch of madmen who don’t give a damn about soldiers’ lives, often deliberately engaging us in tough battles.

In just one week, our Southwestern Army has lost the equivalent of two divisions’ worth of soldiers. To achieve a breakthrough here in a short time is nearly impossible."

There’s no helping it; strategic matters simply can’t be kept secret. If the Prussian Army wants to sever the Dnieper River, the Russian Army naturally won’t comply.

As the enemy, they have to keep a close watch on us. Especially since the advent of airship troops, every day there are Russian airships breaching our borders for reconnaissance, making it very difficult to keep large troop movements secret.

Maoqi’s brows were tightly furrowed, and he knew that failing to take the fortress of Brest wasn’t mainly the fault of these officers. The battlefield was a place where strength spoke loudest, and it was natural for the Prussian Army, without an overwhelming advantage, to reach a stalemate.

The General Staff’s strategic plan: feint an attack on Estonia, making a posture of advancing to St. Petersburg to attract the Russian main force, thereby creating an opportunity to seize Kiev.

However, plans never keep up with changes. The goal of attracting the Russian main force was achieved, but taking the first step towards capturing Kiev was stuck.

No matter how good the strategy, it can’t contend with the Tsarist Government’s troop numbers. The Russian defenders outnumber the attacking Prussian Army, which is quite awkward.

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Not just here, but across the entire battle line, the Russian forces have the upper hand. The Prusso-Polish Federation, with all their effort, managed to assemble seven hundred fifty thousand soldiers for the battlefield, while the Russian Army’s numbers had already surpassed one million.

Maoqi shook his head, "We don’t have that much time. If we can’t capture Kiev before winter arrives and sever the Dnieper River’s transport line, things will be much more troublesome next year.

No matter how difficult, we must complete this strategy. Otherwise, the enemy, with their superior numbers, will simply exhaust us to death.

I’ll tell you the truth, it’s not just the offensive at the Brest frontline that’s stalled, it’s the same across the whole battlefield.

In the past decade, the enemy has built a large number of defensive fortifications. With so many lines of defense, how could we possibly break through them in a short time?"

At this point, Maoqi let out a cold laugh, mocking, "What, scared now?"

"Not scared!"

"Not scared!"

…

As a group of war profiteers, how could they be so easily frightened? The war had only just begun, and encountering difficulties was normal. Even the most optimistic person wouldn’t expect to defeat the Russian Army in just one week.

Compared to the last war, the current situation was already much improved. At that time, once the war broke out, the Russian Army pressed hard against the Prussian Army, but in the end, they managed to turn the tables.

"Since you’re not afraid, then stop making excuses. Pull yourself together and figure out a way to tear through the enemy’s defenses.

If the enemy has deployed heavy forces in the Brest region, then find a way to bypass them. If the main army can’t get through, can’t a small unit manage it?

At the very least, you could arrange for someone to blow up the channels of the Dnieper River. As long as the strategic objective is achieved, I don’t care what methods you use."

In order to win the war, Marshal Maoqi was ready to stop at nothing. It might sound easy when he said it, but if a small unit was sent deep into enemy territory on its own, they were essentially on a one-way trip.

Hoenlohe Engelfingen, "Your Excellency Marshal, the enemy has deployed heavy forces in the Brest region, which is not suitable as a breakthrough point. It would be best to choose another direction.

Unlike the last war, the Russians have made ample preparations this time, and the Russian Army won’t be lacking in supplies anytime soon.

Even if we cut off the Dnieper River, they can still transport supplies via the railroads in the eastern Ukraine Region, unless we can occupy all of Ukraine.

Strategically speaking, this is much like chicken ribs—tasteless and of little value. The Ukraine Region is not the core of Russia, even if they lose this place, the Russians won’t surrender.

They have already obtained the understanding of the Nordic Federation, and besides Austria, Russia can also get supplies from the Nordic Federation.

Before the Tsarist Government spends its last Gold Coin, it will be difficult for us to exhaust their supplies.

To defeat the Russian Empire, we must occupy Moscow and St. Petersburg. Compared to these two strategic locations, other places should only serve as secondary objectives."

Marshal Maoqi slammed his hand on the table, "Your proposal, I will consider it seriously. Right now, what’s needed is to carry out orders, do you understand, General!"

It was not that the proposal was bad, nor was it that Marshal Maoqi could not tolerate differing opinions. On the contrary, if there hadn’t been preparations to attack Moscow, the Berlin Government would not have insisted on holding Smolensk in the last war.

If the strategic locations for the assault on Moscow were in hand, how could Marshal Maoqi possibly overlook them?

The problem was that the Russians had seen it too, and right at the outbreak of the war, they had assembled heavy forces to besiege Smolensk.

Under such circumstances, Marshal Maoqi naturally would not choose to directly clash with the Russians, hence the battle for Brest.

As for Smolensk, let it be used to deplete the enemy’s forces. The Berlin Government had already established a complete defense fortification there, perfectly attracting Russian firepower.

…

After the meeting, Marshal Maoqi kept Hoenlohe Engelfingen back for a confidential discussion.

"Marshal, why not speak up at the meeting?"

Marshal Maoqi: "That’s right, it’s just as you’re thinking. Of course, I’m not saying there’s an issue with anyone who attended the meeting—the Russians are not yet capable of buying off high-ranking military officers.

But with the lower ranks, it’s hard to say. In recent years, we’ve caught no few spies, many of whom leaked information to the enemy without even knowing it. At such a crucial juncture, we must be cautious."

Hoenlohe Engelfingen looked thoughtful. Catching spies was never a harmonious affair, and although the Berlin Government didn’t engage in guilt by association, several officers got entangled in the process.

Where there are people, there’s conflict, and the military is not a monolith. Because of power struggles, anyone who got involved, guilty or not, would end up ignominiously retiring.

"Alright, in principle, I do not oppose this battle plan. The Southwestern Army will do its best to draw the enemy’s attention, but I still have some concerns about breaking through from the Volen Region."

Conquering Kiev isn’t just about following the course of the Dnieper River downstream—advancing directly from the Volen Region is also a possibility, though not as convenient.

Marshal Maoqi smiled slightly, "It’s good to be concerned. If even you think it’s not feasible, it’s even less likely for the enemy to imagine it.

Moreover, who has set a rule that we must drive straight to Kiev?

After achieving a breakthrough in the Volen Region, we can completely turn our guns around and encircle the Russian forces in Brest.

The war has already begun, and the strategies planned in advance can only be plans. Whether to implement them and how to implement them must be based on the actual situation.

No matter how we fight, as long as we win this war that’s what matters. Right now, what we need to do is to destroy as much of the main Russian force as possible. Once we’ve dealt with this batch of troops, the battles that follow will be easier."

For one general’s success, a thousand bones dry in the sun—everyone cares only about winning the war, with no one paying attention to the sacrifices made behind the scenes. The nameless heroes are the greatest, and also the most tragic.

Marshal Maoqi would rather exert pressure on the officers, forcing them to attack rather than reveal the truth about the feint operations, also considering these factors.

If everyone knew the truth, would they still fight so desperately? If they weren’t desperate enough, how could we create enough pressure to force the surrounding Russian forces to send reinforcements?

Even for political reasons, this feint might even be deliberately erased. If there is no breakthrough on the battlefield, the forces responsible for the feint won’t receive any credit for their efforts, and instead, may bear the brunt of disciplinary action.

An outstanding commander must consider military and political aspects, as well as human nature."