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

Chapter 1942 The Battle of Knigretz (Part 1)
Moltke was not much surprised by the defeat of the first team.

Or rather, this was more in line with his expectations; the so-called chariot legion and cavalry were far too arrogant, and they didn't consider the Austrians as opponents at all.

The Prussian skeleton cavalry did indeed create many miracles, a self-identity forged by generations of cavalrymen through blood and lives.

Many proud and arrogant young nobles would join them, and their energy and passion would further exacerbate this arrogance.

They lived arrogantly in the 18th century, but now it was the 19th century. This arrogance made them ignore the victories and changes of the Austrians, and made them stubbornly continue to use the line charge.

In the past, charging in a line formation was a display of courage, with cavalrymen sacrificing themselves for maximum victory. But times have changed, and the firepower of infantry has exceeded the limits that cavalrymen can withstand.

Moltke needed a defeat to bring them back to their senses, but he couldn't afford to lose his valuable cavalry, since victory on the battlefield still depended on them.

Thus, that flashy but impractical tank unit became the perfect sacrifice, though Moltke had to admit that the advance was going much more smoothly than he had imagined.

In fact, in order to conserve precious troops, Moltke's initial plan was to bypass the border fortresses of the Austrian Empire and only capture the most critical points.

But he didn't expect the Austrians to abandon the fortress and flee, which greatly helped Prussia.

If the Austrian border troops hold their fortresses and refuse to give up, then Moltke will have no choice but to use his secret weapon ahead of schedule.

Although this weapon was only suitable for sieges, he still hoped to save it for use under the walls of Vienna. Unlike the smooth progress in Bohemia to the north, the battle in Silesia to the northeast was far more brutal.

Benedek's army was deployed along the Oder River, supported by Austrian river patrol boats. This made it extremely difficult for Crown Prince Frederick William's Prussian Second Army to advance.

Frederick William Nicholas Karl, the crown prince of Prussia, is just 28 years old and is eager to make a name for himself.

At least he can't bring shame to his father and wife.
Crown Prince Frederick William was a highly capable military leader. He distinguished himself in two wars that determined the fate of Prussia, and the army he led was among the elite of the Prussian forces.

In fact, both he himself and the high-ranking officers in the Prussian army at the time liked to compare him to Field Marshal Albrecht of the Austrian Empire.

They even thought that if Crown Prince Frederick William had been born a decade or so earlier, he might have been able to replace Albrecht as the Allied commander.

The Prussian soldiers were convinced of this, but the reality before them dealt them a heavy blow.

Benedek was not particularly outstanding in the Austrian Imperial Army at this time, and at least he did not have enough fame to be known by the Prussians.

Yet this unknown soldier led a force that rendered the Prussian elite troops helpless.

The Prussian army tried everything they could think of, but the Austrian defenses remained impregnable, and they suffered heavy losses.

"What's going on?!"

Crown Prince Frederick William slammed his riding whip heavily on the table, causing the surrounding utensils and documents to scatter all over the floor.

"The Austrian artillery fire is too intense! And the enemy is certainly not some nobody; it's very likely that Archduke Albrecht is personally commanding them, and perhaps even Emperor Franz Joseph I himself is present."

Major General Blumenthal, the chief of staff, wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Although the battle has just begun, the Second Army's losses have already exceeded expectations."

This was definitely not due to the soldiers shirking their duties; otherwise, such heavy casualties wouldn't have occurred. In fact, there was a great deal of war-weariness within the Prussian army beforehand, largely due to the influence of some nationalists.

In addition, the Austrian Empire has indeed been the representative of the German nation and the ideal country in the hearts of German nationalists over the years.

Many of the soldiers who were temporarily conscripted were not willing to fight the Austrian Empire to the death, especially since the Austrian Empire's record of victories was well-documented.

Those victories weren't won for nothing, and those at the bottom were more easily influenced by propaganda. Even when Prussian officers told them victory was a sure thing, no one was willing to believe it.

However, even though William I was at odds with the liberal-minded crown prince, he still harbored selfish motives towards his only son, Frederick William, and assigned his best and most loyal troops to him.

Frederick William was actually deeply moved by William I's decision to go to war with the Austrian Empire to protect the private property of citizens within the Confederation and the freedom of trade.

Frederick William felt that his father finally understood him. Perhaps he had misunderstood his father; William I was the greatest liberal in Prussia, which was why he was so eager to prove himself.
As for what Chief of Staff Major General Blumenthal said, he didn't believe it. Prussia also had its own intelligence network, and Frederick William knew very well who the other party was—just a nobody from a common background who had even been defeated by partisans in Italy.

"Grand Duke Albrecht is in Saxony! Franz Joseph I was attending a ball in Vienna yesterday, and today he's on the front lines commanding the battle?"

Are you insulting Austrians, or are you insulting our soldiers?

Chief of Staff Major General Blumenthal was indeed trying to reassure the Crown Prince, as he did not want the Crown Prince to be provoked into doing anything more outrageous.

It wasn't just because the crown prince was closely related to their future, but also because the enemy before them was clearly not ordinary. A rash attack would only increase casualties and would be of no value.

However, Major General Blumenthal was unsure what to say at the moment.

Benedek's performance in the Austro-Prussian War was extremely poor. He played no positive role whatsoever, or even had no role at all. He was simply defeated in a very uneventful way and became the backdrop for the rise of Prussia.

In fact, purely from an ability standpoint, Benedek shouldn't have lost so easily. At the time, he was suddenly transferred, unfamiliar with the terrain, unprepared, and unable to mobilize those arrogant and fierce soldiers from noble families.

That's why he was practically useless, because nobody obeyed his orders.

However, Benedek had already been transferred to Bohemia for several days and had gained some understanding of the situation there. After all, Franz could not allow Heinau to remain in such an industrial center, and Heinau was not suitable to participate in the civil war against the German Confederation.

At this time, Benedek was not the supreme commander, but was assigned by Count Latour to be in charge of the flank defense. Count Latour had served as Minister of War for many years, and his prestige among the military and nobles was sufficient to qualify him as the supreme commander; no one would deliberately cause him trouble.

The reason why the army sent to rescue Saxony was led by Albrecht was the same. It was not that Franz liked nepotism, but that Archduke Albrecht's ability, status, and position just happened to be suitable.

Moreover, the nation, the royal family, and the people all need heroes.
In fact, seniority, background, and ability were all very important in the Austrian Empire. Even Franz could only change this deeply ingrained concept little by little.

Crown Prince Frederick William also participated in Prussia's military observation mission during the Near East War, at which time he felt he had a full understanding of the strength of the Austrian army.

Since then, the Prussian army has always regarded the Austrian army as its hypothetical enemy, but the enemy force in front of them has clearly exceeded his expectations.

They were far more formidable than the Austrian army he had imagined, and their fighting style was completely different.

In fact, on the one hand, it was Franz's deliberate misleading that the Prussians saw the real elite troops, and on the other hand, there were huge differences in style within the Austrian army itself.

For example, the Italian legion in front of us is a dedicated defensive force. Their hypothetical enemy has always been the French, and their tactics are designed specifically for the French.

The army that Frederick William had encountered on the Near Eastern battlefield was not, strictly speaking, the main force; it was merely a decoy used to attract the enemy's attention.

"Let's take a detour!"

Frederick William seemed to have made a great decision, which was indeed true for someone as proud as him. "We will attack from their flank."

Giving up a direct confrontation made him feel somewhat humiliated.

However, Major General Blumenthal breathed a sigh of relief; he had been truly afraid that the Crown Prince would recklessly fight to the bitter end. Choosing not to engage the enemy when they held a favorable position was the right decision.

Of course, taking a detour takes time, but fortunately, Moltke's First Prussian Army's advance was not too smooth either.

Surprisingly, after Frederick William's Prussian Second Army bypassed the Oder River, Benedek chose to retreat.

This puzzled the Prussian officers greatly, as it was clear that the Austrian army was absolutely capable of fighting.

"How is this going?"

Crown Prince Frederick William asked himself, having read all the war histories of recent years, he had never seen anyone voluntarily abandon their defenses and retreat.

This war had an inexplicable eeriness about it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

"It's possible that General Moltke's troops have already broken through the Austrian defenses, which is why they were forced to retreat to avoid being surrounded by us."

Major General Blumenthal, being a true professional, naturally provided a very insightful analysis.

Moltke the Elder encountered the same situation; the Austrian army seemed to have lost the will to fight. This puzzled Moltke the Elder and a group of high-ranking Prussian officers, but ordinary Prussian soldiers saw it as a sign of victory, because they had been in pursuit while the Austrians had been "fleeing."

"What exactly is going on? What is the Austrians' purpose?"

Old Moltke voiced his doubts, but the generals around him could only look at each other blankly.

Frederick Karl, William I's nephew and commander of the Prussian First Army, suddenly remembered something and pushed aside the clutter on the table, leaving only a military map.

"Your Highness, what are you doing?"

“General Moltke, the Austrian Emperor was right when he said that battle lines do not lie. We can see their intentions as long as we connect the battle lines.”

After being reminded by the Blood Prince, Old Moltke also realized the crux of the problem and immediately picked up a pen to mark up the map based on the battle reports that had been sent.

"Knigretz".

The two war geniuses quickly concluded that the Austrian Empire's army was retreating towards Kniegeretz and would soon join forces with it.

Prince Frederick Karl frowned.

"The Austrians want to ambush us. General Moltke, look at this place, naturally backed by water. Once we are defeated, it will be extremely difficult for us to escape."

The Helmholtz and Lipa Heights were both in Austrian hands. If our army wanted to enter the battlefield, it either had to launch a strong attack on the high ground or advance under Austrian artillery fire.

Our flanks also lack adequate protection. If the Crown Prince doesn't arrive in time, our situation will be very difficult. I propose a temporary retreat.

Although the Prussian First Army, led by the Prince of Prussia, was winning every game, it did not achieve any major or overwhelming victories as it had in history, so he remained somewhat cautious.

In fact, Benedek won the tactical battle during the Austro-Prussian War, successfully leading the Prussians into a trap that the Austrian army had already set up.

Although the plan was hastily formulated, it still demonstrated considerable ingenuity. However, precisely because it was a hastily formulated plan, coordination within the Austrian army was extremely poor.

Coupled with the existing problem of his growing power and the unexpected emergence of Crown Prince Frederick William, Benedek's plan ultimately failed. This not only cemented Moltke's reputation as a tactical mastermind but also brought credit to Crown Prince Frederick William and enhanced the prestige of the Prince of Wales.

In fact, during the Battle of Knigretz, the Prussian First Army, led by the Prince of Prussia, suffered heavy losses in the early stages, but he refused to retreat and watched his soldiers die. This is how the Prince of Prussia got his name.

It was still the same trap, but because the officers and soldiers were so well-trained, it didn't seem realistic enough.

"Your Highness, if we retreat now, it won't just be a matter of all our efforts being in vain. The Austrian army is increasing in number every moment, and we..."

Old Maoqi walked in and said in a low voice.

"Indigenous uprisings have already broken out in the country; workers have smashed machinery, and farmers have burned granaries. Citizens have taken to the streets to protest, and riots have broken out in Cologne."
We have no reinforcements left.

Upon hearing this, the prince felt his blood boil and clenched his fists.

"These damned scoundrels! How dare they!"

Old Mao sighed.

"It must be the Austrians pulling the strings behind the scenes."

"Damn Austrians!"

The prince was still cursing, but he had already understood what old Moltke meant; he too was a witness to 1848.

"Then shouldn't we go back even more?"

The prince's expression was grave; clearly, he considered internal strife more terrifying than war. Especially one initiated from the lower classes—he knew all too well that those people had no principles.

What happened in France was a lingering shadow for any European nobleman.

After all, even if they were defeated, the Austrian Empire would not, in principle, execute them or even seize their family property; they could still live a decent life.

But if the civilians win, they might be hanged or beheaded.

Of course, during the French Rebellion, nobles died in all sorts of ways. It was not impossible that they were shoved into latrines and choked to death, or thrown against a wall like bowling balls.

Old Moltke shook his head.

"If we win, there won't be any problems, but if we lose, all sorts of problems will follow."

If we retreat now, we will be attacked from both sides.

Our allies are a bunch of useless people who neither work nor intend to contribute. The British and French are just looking to take advantage of our misfortune; we have nowhere to retreat.

Only victory