Chapter 553: Other People’s Children
George remembers a world war in another time and space. It seemed that Greece joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers.
Now Bulgaria is certain to join the Allies, but Greece has the possibility of joining the Allies.
George Regardless of the interaction between Constantine and William II, at least on the surface, the Kingdom of Greece has not yet betrayed the Balkan Alliance.
Like the Kingdom of Romania, the Kingdom of Greece also sent a regiment to participate in the Rivno exercise, led by Danglis, who served as chief of staff during the Balkan War.
Danglis was an outstanding general. He was also an artillery expert and improved the Schneider artillery to make it more suitable for mountain warfare.
After the exercise began, Danglis became very interested in the rocket launchers of the Russian Empire, made purchase requests on behalf of the Greek military, and hoped that the Russian Empire would transfer rocket launcher-related technologies.
George is very cautious about this. The position of the Kingdom of Greece has not yet been made clear. George is worried that selling the rocket launcher to the Kingdom of Greece will lead to the leakage of rocket launcher technology.
With the technical level of the Greek Kingdom, it is not easy to make rocket launchers.
However, the Kingdom of Greece and Germany have very frequent military exchanges. The technical content of rocket launchers is actually not high. With Germany's technical level, it can be mass-produced.
Due to the participation of Balkan countries, this year's Rivne exercise has changed a lot compared to previous years. Almost all confrontation-related projects have been cancelled, and only military coordination training will be conducted.
The Balkan countries are still very interested in the results of the military reform of the Russian Empire.
George and Nicholas Jr. did not hide their secrets and sent the most elite Guards to participate in the exercise. While showing off their force to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they also showed their power as big brothers to the Balkans.
After the reform, the Guards Infantry Division has been motorized. The soldiers all ride in trucks when marching, and the speed is faster than the previous cavalry division.
The cavalry division is evolving into an armored division. In addition to heavy armored fighting vehicles, a large number of light armored vehicles used for reconnaissance and surveillance are also equipped. The average number of armored fighting vehicles per division exceeds 150, which makes everyone All intimidated.
In the past, various countries mobilized and conducted simple training for soldiers, and then went directly to the battlefield with one gun and one person to serve as cannon fodder.
The regular army of the Russian Empire is evolving into a professional soldier. The cost of the cavalry division after the reform alone is equivalent to a full heavy artillery battleship, so even with the wealth of the Russian Empire, it has already There are only three armored divisions that have completed the transformation.
However, armored fighting vehicles are indeed useful. When the crown princes and generals from the Balkans realized the power of armored fighting vehicles, the last trace of dissatisfaction in their hearts disappeared.
In the Balkan War, the Russian Empire used the Balkan Alliance to consume the Ottoman Empire. It is impossible to say that the Balkan countries had no objection at all.
Now you can only hold back your opinions. If anyone is dissatisfied, please refer to Valdemar's fate.
Valdemar did not return to the Kingdom of Bulgaria, but returned directly to his hometown in Germany. It is said that he is writing his memoirs.
There are also military observers from various European countries who are interested in armored fighting vehicles.
In the Russo-Japanese War, the armored fighting vehicles performed exceptionally well and attracted the attention of various countries. After the war, various countries began to research armored fighting vehicles.
So far, the only country in the world that has established armored forces is the Russian Empire.
The reason is simple, the cost is too high.
Germany and Britain were engaged in an arms race and were unable to form armored forces.
Although France has the funds and strength, in order to form an armored force, it first needs appropriations from the three-level parliament.
The French army was also very curious about George's reform results. The person who led the team to participate in the Rivne exercise was Chief of General Staff Joseph Joffre.
Xiafei was born in 1852 and began serving in 1870. He participated in the Franco-Prussian War and the Sino-French War, and led the formulation of the famous Plan No. 17.
This plan was a combat plan formulated against Germany. Its main content was to send the main force of the French army directly to Alsace and Lorraine, which happened to fall into the trap of the Schlieffen Plan.
Schlieffen's evaluation of Joffre is: A successful Battle of Cannae requires not only the clever Hannibal, but also the cooperation of a stupid opponent like Farrow.
Whether Joffre was stupid or not, George didn’t know yet.
However, Xiafei has a habit. He takes a nap every day, and once he falls asleep, even if the Germans attack Paris, his attendants cannot wake him up.
So Xiafei missed the infantry combat coordination drill of the Guards Armored Forces.
“The damn Russians must have done this on purpose. Why did they conduct an infantry-artillery coordination drill while I was taking a nap!”
Joffre was angry and thought that little Nicholas and George were targeting him.
“It’s not infantry and artillery coordination, it’s infantry and combat coordination.”
Ferdinand Foch, who was also a member of the French military delegation, had no alternative, and French Army Minister Adolf Mesimi Xiafei was chosen as chief of general staff because Xiafei was relatively young and politically moderate.
Messi was mistaken. Xiafei's age was indeed young compared to his status, but in fact Xiafei was already an old man.
Xiafei is not a moderate, he should be a moderate.
When Xiafei joined the army, George was not yet born.
Looking at George and then at Joffre, Fuxi was pessimistic about the future of the French army.
"Infantry combat coordination - what is that? Do the Russians understand infantry and artillery coordination?"
Xia Fei's impression of the Russian Army is still in the Napoleonic era. Later, Nicholas Jr. held a thank you meeting to thank the observers from various countries who came from afar and the generals from the Balkan countries who were invited to participate in the exercise.
As part of the show of strength, the thank-you party was full of Russian Empire-style luxury. Caviar was served on silver plates to the top, snacks and kebabs were made on site by the palace chef, and even the band accompanying the banquet was From the Royal Theater in St. Petersburg.
Xia Fei and Fu Xi couldn’t help but twitching at the corners of their mouths when they looked at the champagne served in iron buckets.
No need to ask, these champagnes must come from the Champagne region of France.
The French are also stingy when drinking champagne. No matter how big the glass is, they only pour a little bit, which is called style.
Watching Russians drink champagne, you always feel like a pig has swallowed a good cabbage.
Whose champagne is served in military iron barrels?
Xiafei and Fuxi always feel that the Russians are deliberately ruining the good things of the French.
Neither George nor Nicholas Jr. had this awareness.
Rovne is not a palace, so it is not so particular. It is more serious to let the guests eat and drink well.
In this year's Rivne exercise, little Nikolay stole the show as the exercise commander.
But everyone knows that the real boss in the Russian army is the low-key and introverted George.
The Marine Corps of the Black Sea Fleet has also attracted the attention of various countries.
Coordinated operations between the army and the navy are a complex problem for all countries. Britain and France have always prided themselves on being maritime powers. In the Ninth Russo-Turkish War, almost their entire army was wiped out in the landing operation, which was a great example for the whole country. The world has put on a poor show.
In the Balkan War, the Marine Corps of the Black Sea Fleet successfully landed behind the Ottoman army's defense line, cooperated with the frontal attack on the Balkan coalition forces, and completely defeated the Ottoman army's defense line, which amazed the world.
The exercise will end tomorrow and observers from various countries will soon leave Rivne.
Foch seizes the last chance to discuss the value of the Marine Corps with George.
“It is too risky to send an army to land behind the enemy’s rear. If you are not careful, you will be surrounded by the enemy, which will be a disaster for the landing troops.”
Fuxi did not approve of George's adventure.
“Sometimes in order to win, we have to give up something.”
George half-hidden, the key is timing.
If George had ordered the Marines to land at Marsa at the beginning of the Balkan War, he would have really sent the Marines to their deaths.
When the Marine Corps landed, the Ottoman army was already on the verge of collapse. At this time, the Marine Corps was the straw that broke the camel's back, and there was no danger at all.
Even if surrounded, with the help of the Air Force and Navy, the Marine Corps can stabilize the beachhead.
Fuxi looked at George with worried eyes. It was very dangerous to be an ally with someone like George.
George was so cruel to his own people. If France needed help from the Russian Empire, Foch now doubted whether George would fulfill his duties as an ally.
France's mistakes in the Russo-Japanese War actually had nothing to do with the French government and were the spontaneous actions of French capital.
After the Russo-Japanese War, in order to repair the rift with the Russian Empire, France not only agreed to lend money to the Russian Empire, but also increased its investment in the Russian Empire.
This has changed some Russians’ impression of France to a certain extent.
But it is hard to say what role a combination of princes and capitalists like George will play.
French investment in Russia is not free, the purpose is profit.
From this perspective, French investment is actually stealing money from the Russian elite.
Foxi can only hope now that the Russian Empire and Germany have not reached an agreement privately.
Nicholas and William II were relatives. During the Russo-Japanese War, they almost formed an anti-British alliance, scaring the British into a cold sweat.
After the Russo-Japanese War, the relationship between the Russian Empire and Germany remained close. Some time ago, the Russian Navy and the German Navy conducted joint exercises, which made Fuxi feel worried.
Nicola and George’s wives are both from Germany.
The person leading the German team to participate in the Rivne exercise this time was Crown Prince Friedrich Ernst.
Frederick followed the royal tradition and received military education in Postan at the age of 18, and then began serving in the German army.
As both members of the royal family, Frederic was often compared with George, so when George met Frederic, he vaguely felt that Frederic was a bit different. hostility.
This, this is too baffling.
(End of this chapter)