Holy Roman Empire

God did not favor the Russians, and time sided with the enemy. By the time the Russian Army relayed the message to St. Petersburg, it was already deep into the night.

The officer in charge of drafting the telegram was a seasoned bureaucrat, who spent the beginning of the message detailing the battle outcomes, emphasizing the bravery, good fighting, and fearlessness of the Camian defenders’ sacrifices etc., only getting to the report later on.

The duty bureaucrat, just coming down from a party and still in a foul mood from not having had his fill, quickly scanned the beginning and mistook it for a message seeking commendation, so he did not read on.

The great victory at Camian had already been reported two days prior, and celebrations had been held then. The details of the second report were naturally not as pressing and queued normally, with no need for urgency.

It was only the next afternoon when Marshal Ivanov, who was in charge of the department, saw the message that he discovered its later content.

By that time, it was too late, and a stream of urgent telegrams from Brest arrived one after another even before Marshal Ivanov could make a decision.

Two urgent messages collided, and Marshal Ivanov was furious. On the battlefield, time was life; if they had received the message last night and reported immediately, reinforcements would have already been dispatched.

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"Who was the bastard on duty last night? I’m going to have his head!"

Upon hearing this, the aide-de-camp replied in a panic, "Yes, it was Georgy."

Hearing the name, Marshal Ivanov’s anger intensified: "Which idiot arranged for this playboy to be on duty? Doesn’t he know that this waste is good for nothing but causing trouble?"

There was no way around it, nepotism couldn’t be dealt with. Even though Alexander II had already reformed the army, connections still hadn’t been completely resolved.

Georgy came from high nobility; his father was the current Finance Minister, and he used his family background to enter the military for prestige.

Similar examples were not unusual in the Russian Army, and normally Ivanov didn’t care—as long as they didn’t cause trouble. Apart from a few who might have potential, the rest were typically tasked with simple jobs for "training."

Receiving telegrams was undoubtedly one of those jobs. The most important requirement was reliability; the rest of the job was simple, categorized by the urgency of the telegrams.

The nobility was undoubtedly reliable; their fate was tied to that of the Russian Empire. They would not leak secrets to the enemy.

It wasn’t a busy job, and it was easy to get credit; naturally, it was popular with everyone.

Seeing no one answered, Ivanov knew this probably involved someone influential and didn’t bother asking further. He slammed the table, "Immediately have that idiot sent home. I don’t want to see him in front of me again."

Execution was out of the question, but sending him home was possible. Not seeking responsibility for such a big matter, Ivanov was already showing great leniency.

It was just that the matter hadn’t blown up yet, and it could still be handled internally, the lid kept shut—if not, Georgy would have been done for. Failing at a critical moment, Alexander II wouldn’t hesitate to kill the chicken to scare the monkey.

The aide-de-camp answered in terror, "Yes, Marshal."

If anyone came close enough, they’d see that the sweat had already started to trickle down his forehead, and his heartbeat was accelerating.

There was no helping it; when gods clash, the mortals suffer first. Many things can’t withstand scrutiny; once taken seriously, it becomes a bloody storm.

Still, Marshal Ivanov had a view of the bigger picture; he knew this moment was critical and the government couldn’t fall into disarray. He had to downplay major issues and overlook minor ones.

As for the telegram, it would have to sink like a stone in the sea, as though it had never been received.

...

Of course, the strategic vision of General Olivier Sornfield was useful. When reporting to headquarters, he also sent a warning to the defenders of Brest.

The bureaucrats above might take things lightly, but the officers on the front lines dared not slack; even when messages arrived in the middle of the night, the defenders reacted immediately.

But time was still too short; adjusting the strategic deployment was no longer possible and they could only strengthen their guard to ensure there would be no surprise attacks.

Since the Prussian Army divided its forces, the defenders of Brest had been on alert, but their preparations were only for a single division of the Prussian Army. Now that the enemy forces had doubled, the original preparations were clearly insufficient.

The Battle of Brest fully erupted, and the Prussian Army launched attacks regardless of cost, while the Russian Army also fought desperately. Airships, artillery, and machine guns, filled the entire battlefield.

The cruelty of modern warfare left one dumbfounded. Seeing photo after photo coming from the front lines, Franz was shocked as well. Human life at this moment, was worth nothing.

At the Vienna Palace, Chief of Staff Albrecht said, "Your Majesty, from the current situation, the Russians are going to be in trouble.

The actions of the Prussian Army have disrupted the Russians’ deployment, and the defensive line painstakingly established by the Tsarist Government now exhibits clear weaknesses.

Brest being encircled by the Prussian Army from both sides—whether the defenders can hold, no one knows. The Tsarist Government cannot afford to take this risk.

General Maoqi picked a very good time. The inland regions of the Russian Empire have already entered winter, temperatures in many places already dropping to below minus ten degrees.

Under such harsh weather, sending reinforcements from the rear to Brest is already out of the question.

In terms of time, transferring troops from the flanks would be fastest. The Ukraine Region hasn’t entered winter yet and reinforcing Brest would only take three to five days.

But by doing so, the forces on the flanks would become weakened. No one can guarantee that the Prussian Army wouldn’t repeat its trick, using sacrificial troops to divert attention while their main forces have already moved.

The Russians should be having a headache right now. No matter which option they choose, it’s a gamble. If they choose wrongly, the entire Southwest battlefield will collapse."

Collapse?

Franz shook his head, "Not so dire. It’s November now. Even if the Prussian Army takes Brest, they don’t have time to expand their conquests.

If pushed to the brink, Alexander II could still barter with the Prussian Army. Completely disregarding the threat in the Southwest, concentrate forces to strike from the coast and attack East Prussia.

Even if they lose all of Ukraine, the Russian Empire is still the Russian Empire. How large is the territory of the Prusso Federation? Just one Russian Army causing havoc in the rear would mean that, even if Berlin Government were to win, they’d still be the loser."

No matter how ineffective the Russian navy may be, it is still somewhat stronger than the Prusso-Polish Federation. During the last war, it was able to attack the coasts of the Prusso-Polish Federation, and if it weren’t for lagging logistics, the outcome of the war would have been reversed long ago.

Experience is a hard teacher; it gives the test first, the lesson afterward.

This time, the Tsarist Government stocked up quite a lot of supplies in St. Petersburg. The reason they did not attack the coasts of the Prusso-Polish Federation is more because the Berlin Government was well prepared and deployed a large number of coastal guns.

These are minor issues, as long as one is willing to sustain casualties, landing is always feasible.

Of course, the premise is that England and France do not interfere; otherwise, the Russian navy truly won’t be able to complete the mission.

Frederick proposed, "The Russians actually have another option. After the great victory at Camian, the defensive pressure on the local garrison has greatly decreased.

If the Tsarist Government dares to take risks, they can disregard everything and directly order the local troops to launch a surprise attack on Warsaw.

No matter whether they succeed or not, they can disrupt the Prussian Army’s deployment and cause them to be in a flurry for a while. If they succeed, that would be a tremendous gain."

Franz shook his head. He had always despised such gambling tactics. Success would certainly be good, but what if it failed?

"Albrecht, explain it to him!"

Franz was aware that he was quite adept at strategic play, but when it came to tactics, it was truly a test of endurance, thus he did not choose to enter the fray but instead left it to a professional.

Albrecht nodded, "Your Highness, before implementing this plan, you need to understand what kind of troops the Russian Army guarding Camian is.

Don’t be misled by their decent military achievements into thinking they are strong in combat; the reality is that there’s much inflation in their record.

According to our intelligence, half of the Camian garrison troops are newly mobilized recruits. They can defend and fight with the wind at their back, but they will collapse immediately if they encounter a tough battle.

Asking them to sneak attack Warsaw, I’m afraid more than one-tenth of the personnel would fall behind during a forced march before even reaching the battlefield.

Even if we disregard these internal factors and assume all these Russian soldiers are elite and that the Prussian Army does not intercept them halfway, they still won’t be able to accomplish the task.

Simply the citizens of Warsaw alone could cause them to return defeated. The Polish have a deep-seated hatred for them, and such a support-less army, once in, would not be able to come out again."

Frederick’s face turned red, with his pride somewhat wounded. Such a simple issue was overlooked, severely impacting his confidence.

Franz smiled slightly; to him, this was a good thing. Perhaps it was due to his frequent interactions with the staff, Frederick had lately been excessively overconfident.

As a Crown Prince, it was sufficient to study strategic layouts; wasn’t delving into command of troops tantamount to having water in his brain?

...

Camian, Russian Army Command

Chief of Staff Larson: "Commander, headquarters has sent a telegram, ordering us to immediately detach two regiments to reinforce Brest."

Major General Olivier von Sonnenfeld’s complexion changed drastically as he looked at the map, his brow furrowed, "Drawing troops just from us, ask if it’s only us being asked to detach troops or if other regions are also reallocating forces."

Chief of Staff Larson: "I’ve already asked about that. Including us, troops from nearby units are all being moved.

However, the number of troops drawn from each is not significant, and it appears that the most are being taken from us. It could be due to considering our recent major victory, anticipating that a large battle would not break out soon."

Olivier hesitated, sensing something amiss but unable to pinpoint the problem.

"If that’s the case, then carry out the orders! And yes, try to move together with surrounding units as much as possible; sending just two regiments alone is too risky."

Caution was Olivier’s greatest strength, a lesson learned from the last Prusso-Russian War. Guided by this principle, Olivier often fought cautious battles.

With no significant victories, but also no crushing defeats, he could be considered a highly consistent commander, reassuring his superiors.

...

In the Prussian Army Command at the Brest Frontline, Maoqi had taken over the operations room.

A middle-aged officer whispered, "Marshal, the Russians are on the move."

Maoqi stood up, walked briskly to the sand table, and ordered, "Hans, mark the movements of the Russian troops for me."

"Yes!"

Upon finishing, the middle-aged officer acted swiftly, proficiently completing the task.

Maoqi’s face broke into a joyful smile, "That’s good. Excellent, we’ve already won half this battle, and the size of our victory now depends on how generous the Russians are.

Tell Demacia, the Russians have taken the bait, and however much they can capture is a testament to their ability.

Order the Seventh and Eleventh Divisions to intensify their offensive. From now on, attack Brest day and night, causing the Russians to run ragged.

Order the Thirteenth and Twenty-Fifth Divisions to be battle-ready; whether they can capture Volhynia or not is up to them."

As a military expert who excels in external operations, Maoqi’s least favorite thing was to conduct siege warfare. If the Russians were to hold their ground, it would be a matter of pure strength, leaving him no room to apply his myriad skills.

Now that the Russians had moved, the situation had changed. Facing the Russian Army in the field would certainly be easier than dealing with them in fortresses and bunkers.

Although the Prussian Army had paid a heavy price in the early stages of combat, it would all be worth it to mobilize the Russian forces and break the deadlock on the southwest battlefield.