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

Chapter 1943 The Battle of Knigretz (Part 2)
In Moltke's view, Kniegetz was actually a death trap for the Austrian army, because conditions unfavorable to the Prussian army should theoretically also apply to the Austrian army.

Moreover, based on the reports from reconnaissance balloons and the intelligence from within the enemy ranks, the Austrians had formed an inverted V-shaped formation.

This formation is clearly a trap, and coupled with the advantageous terrain already occupied by the Austrian army, it can easily deal with attacks from the front.

But Moltke could only say that the Austrians were still living in the 18th century; their tactical thinking was too outdated, still relying on concentrated forces and formations, and they wished they could have their soldiers line up in rows and shoot at each other again.

At this moment, the inverted V-shaped formation that the Austrian army had set up at Knigrenze seemed impregnable, but if attacked from both sides, it would instantly become unable to defend itself from both ends.

As for the advantages that the two hills of Hrum and Lipa can offer, they are very limited. As long as you insert yourself in the middle, you can immediately turn the situation from being surrounded to dividing and surrounding the enemy.

In the end, war is still a contest between people. The Austrian army's supreme commander in Bohemia was Count Latour. Moltke knew very well that this man was ambitious and obsessed with the philosophy of offense.

His sudden shift to a defensive strategy, contrary to his usual practice, is quite telling; it indicates that the main force of the Austrian army was not in Bohemia at all.

Otherwise, given Count Latour's personality, he would have already rushed out to fight to the death, and he would never have voluntarily given up the outer fortress.

Of course, there is another possibility: Austria may already be facing internal strife.

Bismarck would not actually agree to the plan to attack Austria based on the mere 20% chance that Moltke mentioned.

In fact, Bismarck also had his own plans. While the Austrian Empire was infiltrating Prussia, Prussia was also infiltrating Austria.

Prussia might be helpless against Vienna, but it would be a different story with Bohemia.

In particular, Franz frequently targeted Bohemia, so the surviving opposition members were all staunch anti-Austrian elements.

This group of anti-Austrian elements who call themselves Czech nationalists want independence, which is seen as a complete fantasy by other countries. The surrounding German countries also do not want to see a Slavic country suddenly emerge in the middle.

Prussia, however, was different. Prussia not only did not oppose the establishment of a Bohemian state, but on the contrary, it strongly supported it.

This is because it effectively created a natural barrier between Prussia and Austria that favored Prussia.

Bohemian independence would severely damage the existing system of the Austrian Empire and would make it a natural ally of Prussia.

Moreover, these Czech nationalists wanted nothing but a promise—that Prussia would recognize Czech independence.

Wilhelm I readily agreed to this, but Bismarck intended to make a real deal.

If the Czechs created chaos behind Austrian lines and coordinated with Prussian operations, then Prussia would be willing to formally recognize Bohemia's independence after the war.

Bismarck's words were vague, but the implication was clear, and for the desperate Czech nationalists, it was absolutely the last straw.

Because Franz always thought of Bohemia whenever something bad happened, those of them with tainted pasts suffered more and more each year, living in constant fear.

At this time, the Austro-Prussian War was definitely the best opportunity for them, since they alone could not defeat the Austrian Empire.

If this continues, Czech nationalism will eventually die out.

In fact, the new generation of young people are no longer interested in Czech nationalism, and officials and nobles who have sided with the Austrian imperial government avoid it like the plague.

As for those damned peasants, they have no idea what Czech nationalism is, and they spend all their time studying German in schools established by Austrians, learning it better than anyone else.

For them, the moment of no return has arrived, otherwise their future situation will become increasingly difficult.

Although the British did not provide financial or military support, they did send a man named "Kosuth".

This Mr. Kossuth claimed that he had contacted his former subordinates and that as soon as war broke out, he would launch an uprising on the former territory of the Kingdom of Hungary and carry out sabotage within the Austrian Empire.

This Mr. Kossuth's demands were so great that even the Kingdom of Prussia could not accept them.

Fortunately, Bismarck suggested that the Hungarians prove their worth first before discussing anything else.

Because Kossuth's words were so grand and numerous, Bismarck was very skeptical of their veracity.

Bismarck's real bet was on the Czechs in Bohemia. As a neighbor of the Austrian Empire, Prussia was well aware of what had happened in Bohemia.

He knew very well that given the chance, those Czech nationalists would definitely fight for it.

Once internal strife erupts in the Austrian Empire, coupled with external pressures, it will inevitably follow in France's footsteps, or even face greater chaos.

Based at least on the intelligence currently available in the Kingdom of Prussia, Bismarck felt that his speculation was reasonable.

His idea was shared by many other European countries, given the apparent instability within the Austrian Empire.

In this way, the Prussian Kingdom's chances of winning would increase exponentially. Even though Bismarck was not a military strategist, he knew that the real outcome would be decided on the battlefield.

The German Confederation, comprised of numerous small countries, sent only a few thousand reinforcements.

The combined forces of Britain and France, despite their formidable presence, numbered less than a thousand, and these were supposedly British and French volunteers. These men were completely uncooperative and only caused trouble.

However, Bismarck knew where he could find reinforcements—the Kingdom of Hanover, a staunch ally of the Austrian Empire that would now become the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Moltke didn't care which possibility it was; he had his own strategy.

Compared to the static game of chess that traditional military strategists advocated, many generals at the time were skilled in this art.

Moltke believed that the battlefield was dynamic, and battlefield information was chaotic and unknowable. He argued that adaptability on the spot was more important than troop deployment.

Moltke the Elder did not even agree with the theory that one can only strike by clenching their fist; he believed that the battlefield was divisible.

Soldiers and officers were unable to see the full picture of the battlefield, so they could only complete the tasks at hand.

Traditional commanders are extremely inefficient in utilizing their forces; often, most of them neither know how they won nor how they lost.

Therefore, Moltke believed that the key to victory or defeat lay not in the number of troops, the quality of equipment, or the advantages or disadvantages of the terrain, but in who could make the more accurate judgment faster.

The Austrian army's left wing commander, Gablenz, was good at attacking, while the right wing commander, Benedek, was good at defending. Count Latour, who was in the rear guard, was, to put it nicely, an all-rounder, but to put it bluntly, a mediocre man.

The Prussian army only needs to launch an attack from three directions simultaneously, and the battlefield will be naturally divided into three parts.

The Austrians' original formation and plans would be completely disrupted, and in the chaos of the battlefield, Count Latour, as the commander-in-chief of the Austrian army, would be unable to effectively command.

In the chaos of battle, the Prussian army's advantage becomes apparent. Prussian generals can act without orders from their superiors, while the Austrian army either holds its ground and waits for orders or launches a counterattack driven by sheer willpower.

However, their previous advantages will be completely lost, and without unified action and cooperation, they can easily be defeated one by one.

Of course, Moltke's chosen target was Count Latour. Although the Austrian army's flanks were relatively weak, they had the advantage of terrain and were less prone to making mistakes in decision-making.

But Count Latour, who was in the middle, was completely different. As the supreme commander, the fact that he could not command on the spot was a huge pressure in itself.

Coupled with the pressure from the Prussian army on the front and the uncertainty about the situation on the flanks, Count Latour found it difficult to make the right decision. Ultimately, it would most likely become the Prussian army's breakthrough point, and once the center was breached, the remaining Austrian troops would either surrender or await forced surrender.

Although Moltke told Bismarck that the probability of winning was only 20%, in his mind, his chances of winning were always 100%.

However, convincing the prince before him requires more than just speculation and modern tactical theories.

We need to cut off his escape route before telling him.
"Your Highness, this is the latest intelligence: a riot has broken out in Prague, and the Austrian commander-in-chief, Count Latour, has been assassinated."

Although the assassin never actually saw Count Latour, it wasn't necessary to be so explicit when trying to persuade someone at that moment, and the fact that the assassin was carrying explosives did indeed cause quite a commotion.

"Really? That's great! What are we waiting for? We should launch an attack now! We can't let the Austrians get away! Such opportunities are rare!"

The assassination of the head coach is not as simple as just losing one person; even with existing backup plans, a brief vacuum is inevitable.

In the ever-changing world of war, such a flaw is fatal enough, which is why the prince was so eager to act.

Moltke the Elder would naturally not let this opportunity pass by; in fact, military operations had already begun before he even gave instructions to the Prince of the Blood.

The Elbe Army and the Second Army have already begun their offensives on the flanks of the Austrian army. The stage is set, and now it's just a matter of waiting for the First Army, the main character, to make its appearance.

The Prussian Elbe Army and the Second Army initially committed a large number of troops to launch a fierce attack on the Austrian army's positions.

The course of the war unfolded much as the Prussian General Staff had predicted before the war. Gablenz's army did not intend to defend, but rather to engage in a direct offensive against the Prussian Elbe Army.

In fact, the Prussian General Staff had initially targeted Gablenz as its primary objective.

Because his fighting style was very easy to exploit, although he performed well in the Near East wars, the Prussians considered him of limited value in dealing with the Ottomans, believing that the Prussian army was by no means as incompetent as the Ottomans.

The problem is that this time, Gablenz's army has been retreating against the norm and has already gained the advantage of terrain.

It would be somewhat inappropriate to prioritize attacking Gablenz's forces as originally planned.

Furthermore, during the Prussian army's priority attack on Gablenz, the remaining two Austrian forces, whether they chose to provide support or join forces, would cause significant trouble for the Prussian army's subsequent battles. It would be more worthwhile to directly attack Latour, the central hub.

Moreover, time did not allow Moltke to gradually eliminate the Austrian army, the Austrian Empire's reinforcements, and Albrecht's forces, which could return to reinforce at any moment.

Without a doubt, for the Prussian army at this moment, time was life, time was everything.

On another front, Crown Prince Frederick William's troops also began their attack on Benedek's army. Having witnessed the strength of the Austrian army before, the Prussian army advanced very cautiously.

Three days of forced march left Captain Hans Zellgen exhausted, but he could not rest because the battle was about to begin.

The soldiers were exhausted, but also excited—or rather, a mixture of fear and excitement. It's a feeling difficult to describe; only those who have been on the battlefield can understand.

Captain Hans Zellgen is 43 years old today. He has fought for Prussia for 25 years, which is a long time, even longer than many people's entire lives.

Poland, Silesia, Belgium, France, Denmark—his footprints have covered almost half of Europe, but he has never felt as tense as he does today.

This time, the enemy was different. Captain Hans Zellgen was unsure whether the enemy was a national hero or a foe.

However, he could sense the difference. Like an animal's instinct to sense danger, he felt the air pressure was very low, so low that even breathing became difficult.

However, looking at the endless ranks behind him, and seeing all kinds of cavalry, infantry, artillery, dragoons, and rocket troops rushing towards the same battlefield, he felt much more at ease.

"Captain, if you're scared, you can go to the doctor and pretend you've seen God, and he'll tell you you shouldn't participate in this war of fratricide."

This excuse is very popular now.

The speaker was Sergeant Tallinn, an old comrade-in-arms of Captain Hans Zörgen. The two had been through thick and thin together for over twenty years, but Tallinn was Polish, so his promotions were extremely slow despite his rapid progress.

If it weren't for Captain Zergen's persistent efforts, Sergeant Tallinn wouldn't even have an Iron Cross on his chest.

"Give me the wine."

Upon seeing his old friend arrive, Captain Zermeng unceremoniously took the wine jug.

"This is a water bottle!"

Sergeant Tallinn emphasized.

"Yes, I want to drink water!"

"Aren't you Prussians the most disciplined people?"

Captain Zermund tilted his head back and drank the fiery liquor.

"Look at this display, what does it remind you of?"

Sergeant Tallinn hesitated for a moment.

"I don't know. I've never seen such a big scene before."

"Doesn't this resemble what happened in Luxembourg?"

The war of 1842 was still fresh in their minds.

"Do not worry."

Sergeant Tallinn offered words of comfort.

"We are no longer the Prussian army that was wiped out by the French in one night."

That night was almost a shadow over Captain Zergen's life; the chaos and humiliation he suffered at the hands of the French shattered his dignity.

"Hopefully we won't become like the French, swept away by the Austrian army."

"Captain Zegen murmured."

"Don't be too pessimistic. You won't be the only one who dies."

Sergeant Tallinn's words clearly did not comfort Captain Zergen.

"If you can't speak, you can shut your mouth."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp whistling sound came from afar. He knew it was the sound of a rocket launching, and that the rocket would land and explode in about a second.

Captain Zergen quickly tackled his old friend to the ground. The rocket exploded in mid-air, and the huge shockwave made him dizzy.

Without a doubt, the war has begun.