Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 111 For the Tsar, Heading Straight to Budapest! (A long chapter of 7,000 words)

April 30, morning, at the Rzeszów railway station, located 55 kilometers west of the Przemeshir Fortress.

Several divisions of Lusa troops were transferred from the eastern fortress area through here, and then turned south towards the town of Crosno.

The railway line entering Rzeszów railway station from the east is usually divided into two branches. One branch runs due west to Krakow, which is the main road and trunk line. The other branch runs due south to Krosno, which is a very inconspicuous branch line and a dead end.

Because further south of Crosno lies the treacherous Carpathian Mountains, making it impossible for railways of that era to extend further. Only later, advanced railways capable of tunneling through mountains could traverse such formidable terrain.

But now, all the railway switches at the Rzeszów railway station have been switched to branch lines turning south. Because further east, all the way to the Krakow region, is occupied by the Austrian army, and the Russa army is too weak to advance anyway, so there is no need for the railways in its controlled area to be connected to the enemy's railway network.

It would be better to turn everything south to Crosno, allowing the troops and supplies crossing the Carpathian Mountains to travel as much as possible by rail, even if it's just one kilometer more.

The cost of railway transportation for the same distance is only a fraction of that of mule and horse teams in mountainous areas and one percent of that of human pack animals.

After arriving at Crosno, the soldiers disembarked, carrying their weapons, ammunition, and rations. They then trekked for about two days across the Dukla Pass, a journey of over 40 kilometers, to Svidnik on the southern slope of the Carpathians. Only then could they see the train station again, and from there, they would take a train down the southern slope to continue south.

Of course, this is on the premise that the Lusa Army can capture more cities along the railway line on the southern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains.

From at least the beginning of this year until just a few days ago, the Lusa Army only controlled the bridgehead of Svidnik on the southern slope of the Carpathian Mountains; the other strongholds further south were previously in the hands of the Austrian Army.

Because the Przemeshir fortress was still in Austrian hands at the time, the trains from Lviv to the Lusa army could not reach the western part of the Przemeshir fortress. They had to stop 15 kilometers east of the fortress to unload the cargo and people, and then walk the entire way.

At that time, the total distance the Lusa army traveled on foot to reach the town of Svidnik was an astonishing 120 kilometers (if they were lucky, they could hitch 80 kilometers by donkey cart/horse wagon, but the last 40 kilometers could not be covered by horse wagons and they had to hike over the mountains). Therefore, from the beginning of March to the end of April, the farthest the Lusa army could advance was Svidnik, and it was simply impossible to keep up with the supply to go further south.

Now that the Puremeshir Fortress has finally changed hands, the Lusha Army's trains can travel all the way to the last railway station in the north of the mountain. The logistical bottleneck has been largely cleared, and the risk of being attacked from both sides has been eliminated. They can finally unleash their full power and launch a fierce attack!
Yesterday, the southward-bound troops of the Lusa Army captured Laslavice, 25 kilometers south of Svidnik.

Now, orders have been issued that we must advance another 20 kilometers along the railway line by May 5th to reach the next train station, Preshov.

Before May 15th, they would need to advance another 40 kilometers south from Preshov to reach Košice.

Once you reach Košice, you can essentially break out of the Carpathian Mountains. Further south lies the flat Hungarian Plain, and Budapest, the final target, is just 200 kilometers away. Košice is likely the largest city before reaching Budapest and is also the provincial capital of the Carpathian Province of Hungary. It has abundant supplies, and capturing Košice will provide you with resupply, allowing you to sustain your advance through warfare.

In the black soil plains of southeastern Europe, the spring ice jams and muddy conditions that cause frost heave occur between March and May.

The situation only became serious in the latter half of March, with the entire month of April being the worst period. In May, the first half remained severe, but the situation gradually improved in the latter half.

Lusa's high command had a good plan: even if they couldn't reach Budapest before the frost in the northern mountains improved, they should at least take Košice before the frost improved, ensuring they could leave the mountains and enter the Hungarian plains.

Once we've secured our position in the plains, we won't need to gamble so heavily anymore. We can dedicate fewer troops to the main attack and allocate more to defend our rear, preventing a potential counterattack from the enemy north of the mountains. The southern battlefield can then be left to the Cossack cavalry for looting and destruction.

Once they enter the plains, on the vast and sparsely populated battlefield, cavalry can easily find weak points, maneuver around them, and plunder.

……

"Hurry up! Run! Try to get over the Dukla Pass before spending the night, otherwise you'll have to sleep in the narrowest part of the mountain path tonight!"

At the Crosno train station, officers from the Lusa were blowing whistles, urging the soldiers to run as fast as possible to avoid delays and spending an extra night on the mountain.

Although the distance from Krosno to Svidnik is only about 40 kilometers, it is a treacherous road in the Carpathian Mountains. It would be quite an achievement to cover 40 kilometers in two whole days, so we can't afford to waste any time.

If any soldier dawdled, the supervising officer would immediately lash them with a whip. The beaten soldier could only grit his teeth and speed up, daring not to resist at all.

Even more arduous than these Lusa soldiers were the Hungarian prisoners of war (Magazines) who had just surrendered from the Przymehir Fortress a few days earlier.

After four or five days of sorting, the 13 prisoners at Przemehir Fortress were roughly divided into three groups.

Some of the Czechs were taken to work on roads. The rest, like most Dmanian prisoners of war, were transported back to Lviv, a little further back, placed in a prisoner-of-war camp for a while, and then taken even further back to Xianbeili to grow potatoes.

Nearly 30,000 to 40,000 Hungarians were forced by whips to repair roads and carry supplies over the mountains near the Dukla Pass.

Lusa's army made many baskets from tattered burlap, each capable of carrying six 75mm field artillery shells or two 122mm shells, both of which weighed over 100 pounds in total.

Therefore, each Hungarian prisoner of war had to carry more than 100 pounds of supplies up the mountain, traversing more than 40 kilometers of mountain roads over two days, from the last train station on the north side of the mountain to the first train station on the south side, and then load them onto the train. What they carried was not necessarily artillery shells, but could also be other military supplies of equal weight.

In Laslavice, south of the mountains, a Hungarian soldier carried 122mm artillery shells for two days. A 122mm artillery shell only needs to be fired twice to use up the shells, and the Hungarian soldier still had to travel light for two days to return to the city.

On average, a porter could only transport one and a half 75mm shells or half a 122mm shell to the front line per day.

With artillery shells so difficult to transport, the only way to quickly break through the situation on the southern battlefield was to rely on massive human waves and sacrifice lives.

Lusa's army committed wave after wave of divisions, launching relentless attacks day and night, pushing the Austrian defenders' lines to the brink of collapse, and victory seemed imminent.

On April 30th, the Russa people launched a relentless attack on the defensive line between Laslavice and Preshov for an entire day. Although they left behind thousands of corpses, they advanced several kilometers further; those Austrian troops were truly pathetic.

The bloody battle raged until the wee hours of the morning, and the wheels of history turned into May 1915.

At 4 a.m. on May 1, the offensive had not yet ceased. However, the phone lines in the frontline command post in Laslavice were inundated with calls from the rear.

"Jingle Bell"

The shrill ringing of the bell reluctantly woke up General Nikolai Yudovich Ivanov, commander of the Southwestern Front of Russa, who had just fallen asleep.

"Who is it? Is the attack not going well? Then increase the investment!" General Yudovich Ivanov was in a bad mood and shouted loudly without even figuring out the identity of the caller.

It turned out that the call was not from a frontline general, but from General Alexei Alexeyevich Brusilov, commander of the 8th Army of the Rusa Army stationed in the northern mountain region.

Both men held the rank of general, but there was actually a difference in their ranks.

General Yudovich was the commander of the Southwestern Front, which consisted of three fully-staffed armies: the 3rd, 8th, and 11th Army Groups, plus some scattered units.

General Brusilov was merely his subordinate, commanding one of the army groups, the 8th Army.

Considering that the two men held the same rank, Brusilov was quite bold enough to offer advice. He pleaded earnestly, "Commander of the Front, I heard that you have dispatched another army from the 11th Division south today? Isn't that a bit too reckless?"
Our troops are facing supply difficulties in Shannan. Deploying too many men at once has actually increased our daily food and drink consumption. If we send fewer men, the pressure on food transport will be much less, and the surplus transport capacity can be used to carry more artillery shells and concentrate firepower for a fierce attack. Although the fighting will be slightly slower than it is now, it will be more stable and we can also cherish the lives of our soldiers..."

Yudovich abruptly and rudely interrupted, "Brusilov! Don't forget your place! Accelerate the attack, take Preshov by May 5th and Košice by May 15th. This is a death order personally issued by His Majesty!"

In episode 11, the commander of the 28th Army, Hohenkov, and its chief of staff, Major General Brerunov, were both dismissed and sent back to St. Petersburg to face a military court for disobeying orders and missing crucial battle opportunities! Do you also want to be dismissed and put on trial?

Brusilov was speechless and could not refute it that day, so he had no choice but to let the army commander do as he pleased.

……

Over the next five or six days, General Yudovich's orders were further implemented, and on May 6th, although it was a day later than the deadline set by His Majesty the Tsar, Yudovich still managed to capture Preshov.

Thus, only one obstacle remained before he could break out of the Carpathian Mountains and fully enter the open plains: Košice, the provincial capital of the Carpathian Province of Hungary.

The dawn of victory is just around the corner! Although the supply lines have been stretched further, the troops are becoming increasingly exhausted, and the casualties are becoming more and more severe, it is all worth it!
From May 1st to 6th, General Yudovich continued to withdraw troops south at a rate of one corps or one division per day. Soon, he had also withdrawn most of the 11th Army's troops to the south of the mountains, and he was about to begin using the last of his general reserves and the 8th Army, which was defending the home base.

General Brusilov, commander of the 8th Army, couldn't hold back any longer and called the front commander again that day: "Your Excellency Yudovich! You have transferred too many troops to the south of the mountains, which has created a great gap in the defense line on the north side of the mountains."

Currently, you have pulled the entire 3rd Army to the south of the mountains, and you have also pulled almost all of the 11th Army. Now you want to pull people from my 8th Army. My 8th Army is not only responsible for dealing with the enemy forces that may appear in the Krakow direction, but also for guarding the long rear supply line. I also need to divide troops to guard the railway line from Przemyshir to Lviv.

The force I can leave on the Krakow front is now less than half an army group. If the Dmanians reinforce Austria and advance eastward from Krakow along the railway, the situation will be dangerous! We must guard against this possibility; our troop deployment cannot be top-heavy.”

This time, General Yudovic's answer was slightly more earnest than before, but his attitude remained firm and unquestionable:
"His Majesty's order is to capture Košice by the 15th! His Majesty's decree is firm: the Empire cannot withstand prolonged attrition. The Demanians are under naval blockade by the Britannians, but the Empire is also under naval blockade by the Demanians!"
The Empire's Arctic port of Murmansk is still under construction and not yet completed, making it impossible to import supplies from Frankish and Britannian countries year-round via the northern shipping routes. The Baltic and Black Sea shipping routes have been largely blocked by the enemy. Many people froze to death and starved to death in the rear last winter.

Therefore, the Empire must completely force Austria to withdraw from the war within this year! This is the bottom line and cannot be delayed any longer. If even a weakling like Austria can be dragged out until the new year, how many years will it take to defeat Demania? To eliminate Austria this year, the entire Hungarian Basin must be seized during the summer offensive.

Let the Imperial Empire take control of all the autumn grain in Austria's granaries. This way, the Empire will not suffer famine this winter, while Austria will. In this way, when the winter offensive begins, we will surely be able to seize Austria's core territory and invade Vienna! This plan is beyond question; we must take advantage of the remaining time before the flood season ends to expand our gains as quickly as possible!

Moreover, I can give you some more insider information: His Majesty recently had the Grand Master Rasbukin make a prophecy again. The Grand Master said that His Majesty's plan will definitely succeed. He has already seen the future. As long as the front-line troops do their best to accelerate the offensive, the summer offensive will definitely capture Budapest! The winter offensive will definitely capture Vienna! 'You can believe the words of that charlatan?!' Brusilov was almost bursting with anger, but he only dared to think about it in his mind and never dared to say it out loud.

When he heard the term "national advisor" from General Yudovich, he knew that this time there was probably no way to turn the tide.

The Tsar, that incompetent ruler, and Fedorovna, that treacherous Empress, both placed great trust in certain charlatans within the court. One such charlatan, supposedly able to alleviate the Tsarevich's hemophilia, enjoyed Empress Fedorovna's extreme trust, even being allowed free access to the harem and engaging in debauchery. His Majesty the Tsar also frequently consulted him for divination and predictions regarding the fortunes of military decisions.

If a charlatan says that a full-scale attack is auspicious, the Tsar will decisively order the frontline generals to launch a full-scale attack, and anyone who disobeys will be dismissed and brought to a military court.

Brusilov was furious, but he could only suppress his anger and try to offer some technical advice: "But... Commander, I still feel that you are underestimating the potential threat from the enemy in the Krakow direction."

Even if the enemy isn't reinforcing in that direction now, as long as you further deploy troops south of the mountains, they will eventually reinforce Krakow. I must ensure the security of our northern flank..."

General Yudovich interrupted rudely: "It's the thaw season now! Isn't it enough to give you an army to block the railway line between Krakow and Przemyshir? I'll leave you two more divisions to fill in the defense lines in the wilderness far from the railway line. Five divisions in total, isn't that enough?"

Brusilov: "Not enough. I think we should not only focus on defending the railway, but also leave at least one corps line on each of the hilly and gentle slope areas on both sides of the railway. One division is too few!"

General Yudovich: "You idiot, have you forgotten that it's the frost season? The areas far from the railway line are either rugged or muddy, and the enemy can only attack by wading through the mud with their infantry! Isn't it enough to leave two divisions to fill in this mess? The enemy doesn't have heavy firepower—oh, at most they have some grenade launchers!"

"Besides, I'm not completely unprepared for the northern front. Once May 20th—okay, I'll give you some face, once May 15th—and the frost-prone terrain shows signs of easing, I'll rotate some of the exhausted troops back to the northern second line for rest and recuperation. How about that?"

Brusilov continued to argue his case, but there was no decisive breakthrough. In the end, these piecemeal bargaining efforts only resulted in General Yudovich making some slight concessions regarding the composition of the remaining troops.

"You still think the rear isn't safe enough? Fine, I'll compromise. Here's what we'll do: you face Krakow and leave five infantry divisions to fill the gap. Meanwhile, our army currently has eight cavalry divisions, and the southern mountain front hasn't broken through Košice yet. The main force hasn't entered the plains, so leaving too many cavalry divisions won't be of any use, since they're stuck in the mountain passes anyway."

I can leave some cavalry divisions with you first; you can then deploy your forces along the rear railway lines and at various key points. Keep only seven infantry divisions from the 8th Army: five in the west, one in Przemyshir, and one in Lviv. Send the rest to me; I'll try to leave you as many cavalry units as possible.”

After some haggling, the final conclusion was:

The Southwestern Area Army of Rusa consisted of a total of 49 divisions, including 41 infantry divisions and 8 cavalry divisions.

留下7个步兵师（西线5、普热梅希尔1、利沃夫1）、6个骑兵师，总计13个师，在山北战区。交由第8集团军司令布鲁西洛夫统帅，负责保护后方。

The remaining 34 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry divisions, totaling 36 divisions, were gradually deployed to the southern part of the region to further breach Austria's defenses. The plan was to break through Košice in the coming days and then advance on Budapest.

However, if the muddy conditions during the frost-prone period ease after May 15, the front commander Yudovich promised to send eight more battle-weary and heavily wounded divisions to the rear for rest and recuperation, and also to fill in the gaps in Brusilov's lines.

This was the only condition that Brusilov could ultimately secure.

During this world war, the size of the Lusa army was actually larger than that of the western countries. Lusa never lacked population, and a division could even reach 22,000 people (Demania and Britannia each had 18,000 people per division).

The problem was that Lusa's industrialization was too poor, and it was too impoverished, resulting in an extremely low rate of weaponry and equipment availability. It was common for two soldiers to share a single rifle, with the soldier in front dying and the one behind picking up the weapon to continue fighting. A company didn't even have a single heavy machine gun; machine guns were only issued at the battalion level, and a division was only issued one radio.

Therefore, the Southwestern Area Army's 49 divisions theoretically had nearly a million troops, but in reality, because the cavalry divisions only had half the number of infantry divisions, the theoretical total strength was more than 90.

However, after the Galician campaign last year and the fierce fighting in the first few months of the Carpathian campaign this year, even with the subsequent replenishment of troops, Yudovich's actual troop strength was still more than 20% less than when he was at full strength.

The actual remaining troop strength should still be over 70.

He dispatched 36 divisions south, which actually numbered about 54 men.

The 13 divisions that remained on the northern front numbered approximately 17.

Of the 17 troops on the northern front, 8 were deployed on the western front, 2 were deployed in Przemyshir, 2 in Lviv, and 5 cavalry patrolled along various railway lines as mobile reinforcements.

This deployment plan was implemented from May 5th, and the deployment was basically completed by May 9th. The troops that needed to rush south had been deployed.

Moreover, especially on May 11th, a piece of amazing news arrived: under the continuous and desperate attack of General Yudovic, the commander of the front, Košice, the provincial capital of the Carpathian Province of Hungary, was finally captured by Luzá's army! Even a few days ahead of schedule!

Although Yudovich's troops suffered tens of thousands of casualties during the siege, and tens of thousands more had been killed or wounded in previous battles, when Košice was captured, only 54 of his 45 troops in the southern mountains were still able to fight.

The Austrian army and the German army that came to defend the city abandoned Košice, but before being forced to retreat, they carried out a scorched earth policy, leaving nothing for the Russa people.

However, Yudovic felt that this was no longer important! Having broken through Košice, Lusá's army finally entered the Hungarian Plain.

Although the Demanians and Austrians are very likely to set up another defensive line behind Košice, these plains defenses are definitely much easier to attack than those in the mountains, and we can focus our efforts on breaking through from one direction, so it shouldn't be a big problem!

At least General Yudovic felt that there was no major problem.

After General Yudovich confirmed the victory over Košice, the news immediately appeared in the St. Petersburg newspapers that evening, and was touted as another epic victory.

His Majesty the Tsar was overjoyed and told everyone he met, "This proves that our all-out offensive strategy was correct! We have now broken through Košice and entered the Hungarian Plain. Further ahead to Budapest, it's all flat land! Those makeshift defensive lines on the plain are nothing to fear! The great Empire will surely be able to completely conquer Hungary in this summer offensive!"

Lusa's aggressive demeanor finally emboldened his potential allies.

As early as April 26, the day Lusa's army announced the capture of the Przemysir fortress and the surrender of 130,000 Austrian troops inside, they were elated and began preparing to send troops north to attack the enemy in the Hungarian region from both sides.

By May 11, exactly half a month had passed since the Przemehir fortress changed hands, and the preparations of the Seville and Romanians were finally completed in a hurry.

Seville has more than 40 troops. They were originally just defending their homeland and fighting a protracted war with Austria. But now that they have seen the Luza army advance into the Hungarian plains, they finally dare to emerge from the mountains south of Belgrade, cross the Danube River, and go upstream along the Danube to attack Budapest from the rear!

Of course, Seville couldn't possibly send out all 40-plus army troops; they also needed to leave some to defend their homeland. But they were still quite sincere, deploying a full 33 troops, accounting for 75% of the country's army strength, all of which were used for the offensive and pincer attack!

On May 11, the Serbian army crossed the border and headed north.

On May 12, Romania officially declared war on Austria and Bulgaria, and then dispatched an army of 110,000 men, consisting of eight divisions, to sail up the Danube River and join forces with the Seville army.

200 kilometers northeast of Budapest, in the direction of Košice, 45 Russa troops slammed into Budapest like an iron fist.

200 kilometers south of Budapest, in the direction of Belgrade, 44 allied troops (33 Serbs + 11 Romans) slammed into Budapest like another iron fist.

Two iron fists marched towards each other, a massive army of 90 men, like twin peaks piercing the ears. If they could strike solidly in Budapest, the combined German and Austrian forces would seem doomed.

……

But on the same day, May 12, the Demacian army, which had been holding back for a long time, also made its move.

The previous evening, in Krakow, Colonel Lelouch reported the latest intelligence to Field Marshal Leopold, commander of the 10th Army:
"According to aerial reconnaissance evidence before sunset today, after the Lussa people made a breakthrough in Košice, hundreds of thousands of them poured into the open plains near Košice. They can't turn back in a short time, and even if they do, it will cause huge chaos."

It won't be easy to squeeze back through the Dukla Pass and cross the Carpathian Mountains. The pass is so inefficient; it took them more than ten days to get there, and it will take them at least that long to get back.

Between Krakow and Przemyshel north of the mountains, there are now only five enemy divisions, three of which are positioned along the railway line. There is only one division in the muddy Gollitze region north of the railway, and only one division south of the railway.

I suggest that tomorrow morning our army, according to the pre-arranged plan, launch a major breakthrough on the town of Gorlice, located in the muddy area north of the railway, and tear apart the division stationed there!

"I approve the execution of this plan," Marshal Leopold finally decided.

Lelouch is now nominally a staff officer of the 6th Army, not the 10th Army, so he shouldn't be in charge of matters here.

But who could blame him when both the old and middle-aged marshals of the Baria royal family trusted him so much? Moreover, the uncle and nephew commanders of the 10th and 6th Armies had to cooperate closely in combat, one flanking the enemy's rear while the other held the front and launched attacks from the center.

Therefore, Lelouch had no choice but to work hard running back and forth, first helping the 10th Army on the northern front to coordinate and act as the initiator of the overall situation.

After Marshal Leopold completes the first step, Lelouch will rush back to Budapest to help Marshal Rupprecht initiate the second step of the plan.

In the early hours of May 12, hundreds of light, short-barreled 105mm field guns were towed ahead of time to the front lines of the Gorlice Lowlands, far from the railway, by newly equipped diesel-powered half-track vehicles.

When the time comes, these heavy cannons will fire, blasting through the Lussa people's defenses in places they never imagined.

(End of this chapter)