Chapter 588 Going to the front line barefoot
Due to their slow movement, the Austro-Hungarian troops actually did not put much pressure on the Kingdom of Serbia.
The situation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire is very special. The situation in this country is so complicated that people don’t know where to start.
Although Conrad was ambitious and talented, he had a profound understanding of the empire. Regarding the national conditions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Conrad once said: The Hungarians are moths, and they are eating away at the foundation of the empire all the time.
After the Austro-Prussian War, Hungary made a proposal to Joseph I. If the Austro-Hungarian Empire allowed Hungary to join the Austro-Hungarian Empire as an independent kingdom, then the Hungarians would recognize Joseph I as the emperor of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Joseph I agreed to this suggestion, and the Kingdom of Hungary became a state within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In 1873, the Hungarian Parliament obtained a veto power. From then on, the internal affairs and foreign affairs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and even military bills, had to obtain the consent of the Hungarian Parliament before they could be implemented in the Kingdom of Hungary.
After getting a veto, Hungary ran all the way on the road to death, brutally implemented their "Magyarization" policy, and acted more and more extreme. In the end, it was so serious that, in Hungary, It was illegal to call Joseph emperor and he would be tried for treason.
Whose country is this judged for?
The Kingdom of Hungary occupies one-third of the empire's land with one-ninth of the empire's population.
Since 1889, the Hungarian government has refused to undertake military service and drastically cut military expenditures. This has resulted in the war mobilization of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which can only be carried out within Austria, and the Kingdom of Hungary is simply indifferent.
Even without the constraints of the Kingdom of Hungary, Conrad had enough troubles.
Conrad's battle plan for the Serbian campaign was for the Austrian army to directly cross the Danube River and launch an attack on Belgrade.
For the sake of safety, Joseph I appointed the Governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Oscar Potiorek, as the commander-in-chief of the Austrian army on the southern front. So since the war, the Austrian army has been trudging through the mountains of Bosnia, perfectly wasting the time lost due to the war. Advantages brought by the suddenness of the outbreak.
The so-called suddenness only exists between big countries.
The Kingdom of Serbia mobilized for war earlier than the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was more fully prepared.
Crown Prince Alexander, who performed well in the Balkan War, personally served as the commander-in-chief of Serbia, and the actual control of the army was in the hands of Radomir Putnik, who served as the chief of general staff.
Putnik was able to return to Serbia thanks to the gentlemanly demeanor of Joseph I.
Putnik was on vacation in the Austrian province of Bohemia when the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on the Kingdom of Serbia.
Putnik was arrested as soon as the war broke out.
Joseph I did not detain him, but arranged a train to take Putnix back to Belgrade.
This behavior may be a bit pedantic, but in a world filled with lies and violence, Joseph I is like a breath of fresh air, bringing a touch of color to this dark world.
But there is no need to praise Joseph, because before long, he will know how much trouble he will bring to the Austro-Hungarian Empire because of his gentlemanly demeanor.
Although the morale of the Serbian army is high, it lacks weapons and equipment. Many soldiers have to provide their own clothing. The Serbian government even goes door-to-door to search for hidden weapons and any other useful supplies.
Putnik was in poor health and could only stay on the train and use the map to direct the battle.
After the initial panic, the Serbian army finally withstood the Austro-Hungarian attack at the Yalda River.
The next step is Putnik's counterattack.
The population of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was more than ten times that of the Kingdom of Serbia. Even so, the Austro-Hungarian Empire could not occupy Belgrade without the help of Germany.
So George is not in a hurry at all. He must make full use of this time to integrate the Balkan Alliance, not to mention to the extent of being able to do everything at once, at least not to do it in disguise.
After the mobilization began, the army recruited by the Kingdom of Serbia was about 400,000 people, which was not easy for a country with a total population of only 4.5 million people.
The Kingdom of Bulgaria has recruited more than 200,000 troops. Most of them are veterans who have participated in the Balkan War. They can go into battle without receiving much training.
The Kingdom of Romania also recruited 400,000 people, but like the Kingdom of Serbia, the Kingdom of Romania also faced the embarrassing situation of lack of weapons and equipment.
Greece is still in a stalemate. Georgi demands that the military alliance immediately transfer military command to George. Venizelos is still hesitant. He is worried that he will be dismissed after losing control of the army. .
However, the situation cannot help Venizelos to hesitate. The 13th Army led by Andre has arrived at the border of Greece and Bulgaria, and the Mediterranean Fleet has also arrived off the coast of Thessaloniki. If Venizelos continues to hesitate, If he doesn't decide, his end will be miserable.
When George was reorganizing the Balkans, the deadline for the "double ultimatum" finally passed.
Wilhelm II did not wait for Nicholas II's reply, so he signed a declaration of war at one o'clock in the afternoon: Due to the Russian Empire's continued war mobilization, from this moment on, Germany and Russia were in a state of war.
At six o'clock in the afternoon, the letter of challenge was delivered to Russian Foreign Minister Sasonov through Frederick Putales, the German Ambassador to Russia.
Also at noon that day, the ambassador in Paris called French Prime Minister Viviani to inquire about France’s decision.
Vivianni responded coldly: France has its own interests to consider.
An hour later, France announced general mobilization for war.
Fifteen minutes after France announced its mobilization, Germany also officially began its general mobilization.
On August 11, St. Petersburg newspapers published a declaration of war, and people poured into the streets, singing "God bless Russia" and shouting "Fight Germany." Major cities such as St. Petersburg and Moscow have established organizations such as the "Loyalist Association" to call for donations for the empire and encourage people to respond to the empire's call and fight for the Tsar and the empire.
At 10 noon, Nicholas issued a declaration of war on the balcony of the Winter Palace.
When Nicholas and Alex appeared on the balcony of the Winter Palace surrounded by the imperial ministers, tens of thousands of people gathered in front of the Winter Palace fell to their knees.
Nicholas shouted in a slightly emotional voice: The war will not stop until the last enemy is driven out of Russian soil!
Tens of thousands of people waved flags and chanted "Ula!"
Someone pulled up a banner on one side of the square: Help our younger brothers, the Serbians!
A commercial company used a camera to record this scene for subsequent war propaganda.
After Nicholas’s speech ended, he found that many people around him were crying.
Grand Duke Sergei's widow Elizabeth hugged Alex and whispered to comfort her. Alex cried especially hard.
Germany and Russia are at war, and the most miserable person in the entire Russian Empire is Alex.
Nicola has no time to comfort Alex. During the next period of time, Nikolay will be very busy, with countless meetings waiting for him.
When Nicholas gave a public speech, neither Nicholas Jr. nor George were with Nicholas.
Little Nicholas is supervising the war in Warsaw. The situation he faces is more dangerous than George.
Although George did not have many soldiers, he faced little pressure, and with the Kingdom of Serbia in front, George could prepare for the war calmly.
Germany declared war on Russia, and the Russian Empire declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the same time, and the battle began.
The troops deployed by the Russian Empire on the Russian-Austrian border are the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th Army.
Because Conrad mistakenly assigned the 2nd Army to the Southern Army in the early stages of the war, the strength of the Russian army at this time was twice that of Group A of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Under pressure from Germany, Conrad had to transfer the 2nd Army to Galicia.
There are also problems with Russia's progress. When the 8th Army rushed to the front line, more than half of the military boots had quality problems, resulting in nearly half of the soldiers having to go barefoot.
Nicholas was furious and questioned General Danilov, who was in charge of logistics.
Danilov doesn’t know why this is the case. The procurement system of the Russian army is very complicated. Some of it comes from the Russian and European regions, another part comes from Amur, and some of it is purchased from abroad.
In any case, when this kind of problem should not occur, accountability is secondary. The key is to get enough boots for the soldiers in the shortest possible time.
Danilov suggested increasing procurement from Amur, because historical procurement results have proven that the quality of armaments produced by Amur is the best.
"Then do it like this, I can't let my soldiers go to war barefoot."
Nicholas was furious. Since the war broke out, Nikolai's spirit has been in an extremely excited state.
After the declaration of war, Nicholas was prepared to appoint himself as the supreme commander of the Russian Empire and command all the armies of the Russian Empire.
This decision was strongly opposed by all the imperial ministers.
The Tsar is sacred and his image cannot be damaged.
Now George and Nicholas Jr. are in charge of the front line. If the battle is won, the honor belongs to the Tsar; if the war goes unfavorably, then George and Nicholas Jr. are incompetent.
Once Nikolai goes into battle in person, it will be okay if he wins. If he loses, it will have an irreparable impact on Nikolai's image in the minds of Russians.
Although Nikolay took back his life, his regrets grew bigger and bigger.
After the Russo-Japanese War, Nikolai repeatedly expressed to those around him that he deeply regretted missing the Russo-Japanese War.
This is understandable, after all, it seems that George has done nothing.
Danilov had a headache. Even if Amur had enough military boots, it would take at least half a month to load them from Amur.
It will take at least another week to send from St. Petersburg to Warsaw.
So for at least a month, the 8th Army may have to fight barefoot.
Be content.
Without George's help, the soldiers of the 8th Army would not only have to go to the front line barefoot, but they might also be empty-handed.
(End of this chapter)