The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1937 Moltke's Logic
History sometimes repeats itself in a striking way, yet everything has its inevitability.

"Isn't General Moltke taking too much risk?"

Actually, Ron shouldn't have been involved in this kind of thing. Although he wasn't a military genius, as a logistics expert, he could see through the trickery at a glance. After all, no large-scale military operation could be kept secret from logistics.

Moltke's reaction to Ron was not surprising. As for why he wasn't notified beforehand, it was because there were too many Austrian Empire spies within Prussia. For the sake of secrecy, only three people truly knew the entire plan.

“General Ron, look at our border with the Austrian Empire, which is over a thousand kilometers long. There are eighteen large fortresses alone, and the Austrian side has twice as many fortresses as we do.”

At this moment, Ron interrupted old Moltke.

"Don't you understand what the Prime Minister is saying? If we can hold out for at least two to three months, we will be the ultimate winners."

We don't need to launch an attack; we can simply wait and see.

Old Moltke's expression remained unchanged.

"Minister, are you finished speaking?"

Ron nodded reluctantly.

“Minister, the Prime Minister certainly has a good eye, which is why he chose me.”

Moltke made no attempt to conceal his talent or his self-confidence.

However, this is also what Bismarck valued in him. If it were an ordinary genius, he would have already lost some courage in the face of a powerful enemy like the Austrian Empire, but Moltke would not.

"But I would like to say that the Prime Minister is not a professional soldier, and his idea of ​​waiting for the enemy to tire himself out is too idealistic."

Real warfare is not a rigid sketch, but a true art.

Besides the main roads alongside the eighteen fortresses, we had 33 ferry crossings on our border with the Austrian Empire.
There are over a hundred potential battlefields, from which the Austrians could launch an attack.

We currently have 48.2 troops, divided into 40 divisions. After the final mobilization, we will have 65 troops.

But if these people are deployed along this more than 1,000-kilometer-long defensive line, what can they possibly do?

The Austrian Empire had a standing army of 60 before the war, and after mobilization, it would have at least more than one million troops.

This is just the most conservative estimate.

Because the Austrian Empire had never before fully mobilized its war machine, some of us said that this was the limit for the Austrians; if they devoted all their energy to the war, the entire country would immediately break down like an old machine.

This possibility cannot be ruled out, but what if this was not the limit of the Austrian Empire, or what if the Austrian Empire did not collapse?

We will then face an enemy force of 1.5 million, or even 2 million, continuously converging from all directions, with attacks coming wave after wave, leaving us no chance to catch our breath.

What will happen if the British, the French, and those fence-sitters within the Confederation don't keep their promises?

In fact, Moltke the Elder was also in the Prussian military observer group during the Near Eastern War.

He had personally trained the elite Ottoman troops opposite him, and he knew their combat capabilities better than anyone.

All the soldiers in the regiment came from wealthy families or military families. They were idealistic, ambitious, hardworking, disciplined, and believed in a religion that glorified martyrdom.

They absolutely live up to their reputation as elite.

However, this elite force failed to make a ripple; they were simply suppressed, worn down, defeated, and ultimately annihilated.

In fact, according to the observations and analysis of the Prussian military, the Austrian army was clearly more adept at offensive operations and had a very strong desire to take the initiative in attacking.

The Austrian army often seemed to be in a daze on the battlefield, mainly due to outdated thinking. They were even frequently subjected to orders from the rear that interfered with frontline command, requiring them to remain in place or hold their positions.

Therefore, the officers of the Austrian Empire developed their own unique war philosophy. They would first send out a small elite force to lure the enemy to surround them from the front, and then send out a large force to encircle them, annihilating the enemy's elite forces in one fell swoop.

Ron had to admit that Moltke was right; the two sides were simply not on the same level in terms of troop strength and size.

This is why Ron has always opposed going to war with the Austrian Empire, because Prussia has no chance of winning in terms of military strength and logistics alone.

As for his views on England, France, and other German states, he was in complete agreement with Moltke: those guys were not trustworthy at all.

However, he also wholeheartedly agreed with Bismarck's theory of greed. The Kingdom of Prussia was not betting on their ability to understand the greater good, but on the greed of human nature; they wanted to win more.

"But by abandoning our defenses and launching an attack, aren't you giving up our only advantage?"
"Our forces are already outnumbered. If we abandon the defense of the fortress and actively seek out open battles with the Austrians, wouldn't we be even more at a disadvantage?"

From Ron's perspective, soldiers have a greater advantage when they can fight in their own bunkers than in the wilderness.

This is actually a classic mistake often made by those who don't really understand the subject: they like to make one-sided comparisons of so-called attack power and defense power.

If we also consider cost-effectiveness, then each soldier should have a sandbag in one hand and a chain hammer in the other.

“Minister, I have made myself very clear.”

Our battle lines are too long, and with our inferior forces, it is simply impossible for us to hold them.

Moreover, you should know better than I about the gap between our two sides in the development of weapons of war.

In the previous wars, the Austrian Empire had produced a plethora of new weapons, and the introduction of the concept of an air force in particular had left many military experts scratching their heads.

Actually, flying vehicles are nothing new. After all, hot air balloons were already used for military purposes during the wars of the last century.

But that was limited to observation from a fixed location; it was more like a watchtower that could be dismantled at any time.

Although the airship was advanced, military strategists initially thought of it as just a mobile hot air balloon.

However, a war changed people's views. According to the explanations of both Britain and Austria, it seems that the Austrians really did seize an island by air transport using airships.

This directly changed the basic logic of warfare, since there had never been a way to directly send troops to the enemy's rear regardless of terrain.

Ron also expressed his helplessness, at which point Moltke continued to speak.

"In fact, the Austrians were quite lax in translating technology into war potential."

If they didn't use those semi-dual-tracked vehicles for agriculture and transportation, but instead used them for military purposes.

Do you think our armed wagons are still necessary?

Moltke's words made Ron blush. In fact, Prussia had always paid close attention to Austria's technology and had sent many technical spies.

However, the Prussian government assembled a large number of brilliant engineers to create something that couldn't even start up; it would have been better to just use a steam engine.

A steam engine is not as efficient as simply finding a few strong draft horses and putting an iron shell on a carriage.

Finally, William I secretly reviewed the first chariot force of the Kingdom of Prussia since the 19th century in East Prussia.

This armored wagon corps was one of Prussia's secret weapons, capable of high-speed mobility while also providing the army with a good ability to engage in skirmishes.

The only problem was that having to face the enemy with one's backside during combat was somewhat unseemly, though Prussian breech-loading rifles were considered quite unseemly weapons by many countries. That didn't matter; what mattered was winning the war.

Ron just smiled wryly. In fact, there was some intelligence that most of the Prussian military was unaware of.

Evidence suggests that the Austrian Empire possessed a new type of weapon capable of providing formidable firepower in a short period while maintaining strong defense and superior mobility.

It can slaughter thousands of people in a very short time, and then disappear from people's sight overnight.

Although the form of this weapon is unclear, Prussian weapons experts speculate that it most likely relies on railways for movement, which is why the Austrians briefly blocked the railway.

However, this also provided Prussia with a way to respond, namely, to block the railway.

Even without this mysterious weapon, Prussia would have blocked the railway.

Because of the highly developed railway network within the confederation, the Kingdom of Prussia had previously witnessed the Austrian Empire using railways to transport troops and overthrow its regime overnight.

Although in theory the Kingdom of Prussia could do the same, they themselves did not believe that this approach would be effective for the Austrian Empire.

"Alright. I admit that taking the initiative is necessary. But is it a bit inappropriate for us to launch such a rash attack on Saxony?"

In fact, Ron had considered many things, because although the Saxon royal family supported the Habsburgs, there was a lot of public opposition to the Austrian Empire.

This can only be blamed on Franz's aunt's appalling behavior, which led to the country being rich but the people being poor.

That's not entirely accurate. To be precise, a small group of people are very wealthy, but the general population of Saxony feels increasingly poor.

The situation was fine initially because of the German Customs Union, but the price war following the subsidies directly triggered internal conflicts within Saxony.

At this time, King John I of Saxony was not a particularly capable king, and after being sidelined by Franz's aunt, he became somewhat unruly.

The Crown Prince of Saxony had a good reputation and some military talent. He had studied in Vienna and Berlin and received good reviews. He was considered one of the best among European royal families at the time.

However, they still appear inexperienced compared to legendary players.

“Minister, this is a prepared attack, just like it was a hundred years ago.”

Frederick II did something similar in 1756, with a similar purpose: to defend against an attack.

When Moltke brought up Frederick the Great, Ron naturally didn't say anything more. As a Prussian, how could he not be proud of the glory of the past?

(Prussia frequently beat Saxony and almost always profited handsomely from the wars, making it Prussia's own "Russo-Turkish Wars.")
The war proceeded exceptionally smoothly. Only a few patrols were stationed on the Saxon border, and they surrendered without firing a single shot in the face of the overwhelming Prussian army.

The railways in Saxony were still operating normally, and Prussian troops entered Dresden by train, with unsuspecting Saxons even gathering on the streets to watch.

This time, the Crown Prince of Saxony was not even able to escape to Austria with his country's army as he had done in history; his entire family was surrounded in Dresden.

Saxony surrendered before the war even began, which should have been a huge blow to the Austrian Empire.

However, the Austrian imperial leadership, including Franz, remained completely unmoved.

After all, given the precedent, Franz had already informed Saxony and offered to send troops to help Saxony defend.

However, John I remained tight-lipped about this. Although he supported the Greater Germany plan, he did not want Austria to interfere in Saxony, since the two were two different things.

The Austrian military had also considered this situation; in the eyes of Austrian generals, Saxony was a strategic point.

It was better for this strategic point to be in the hands of the Prussians than in their own, and the group devised a plan to quickly support Saxony.

However, the Kingdom of Saxony was occupied so quickly that the Austrian military's contingency plan was halted as soon as it was initiated.

Vienna, Hofburg Palace.

"The start seems to have been a bit off."

Archduke Friedrich strongly disagreed with Franz's statement.

"This doesn't sound like something someone who dares to go against the world would say."

Besides, it wasn't us who lost. How arrogant Abelt is, just like his father! Do they really think the Prussians won't come again?

Franz must correct this.

“Alberto is too young and inexperienced. Although he is the Commander-in-Chief of the Saxon Army, no one will take this greenhorn seriously.”

Friedrich shared the same sentiment; back then, even in the Austrian navy, which was treated like a toy, nobody took him seriously.

Fortunately, Franz carried out a major reshuffle without any explanation, which allowed Archduke Frederick to truly take control of the navy.

Imagine if the navy back then had been full of lazy, incompetent old men like those in the Saxon army; even the most perfect plan would have been difficult to implement.

However, Friedrich was still quite uncomfortable with Franz's old-fashioned demeanor.

"Albert is two years older than you. People who don't know would think you're already in your seventies or eighties."

Franz was already used to Archduke Frederick's way of speaking.

"Uncle, you said that age doesn't matter."

Friedrich snorted coldly.

"In the military, on the battlefield, it doesn't matter. But in family settings, seniority is what matters."

"Do you dare to call my father your brother?"

Franz was speechless for a moment, and Friedrich also realized that he had misspoke. As he grew older and his status rose, he sometimes realized that he was too indulgent and frivolous, but as the saying goes, it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature.

"Frantz, why are you keeping our navy cooped up at home?"
If the British take this opportunity to send their fleet to the Mediterranean, wouldn't we be in a very passive position?

Franz, on the other hand, was very confident.

"Uncle Friedrich, times have changed. If something happens in Portsmouth, Vienna will receive a telegram within fifteen minutes."

The British fleet will take at least a week to reach the Mediterranean; you have ample time to make adjustments.

In fact, the reason Franz kept the main force of the Austrian Empire's navy in port was because he was afraid that the British would launch a surprise attack.

However, as long as the main Austrian navy remained in the Adriatic Gulf, the success rate of a British surprise attack would be virtually zero.

"Why don't we attack? The theories you told me before were all about offense."

Why has your navy become more timid and hesitant now that it has become stronger?

"Of course, we don't want the war to escalate."