Chapter four hundred and sixty-eight wartime command without an inch
"Major General Niel!"
Baron Raglan called Nielsen's name in an easy and friendly tone.
"Sir, what do you say?" Niel nodded and responded to Baron Raglan in a relaxed manner.
"Let me take the liberty of asking, where did the map behind you come from?" Baron Raglan pointed to the map hanging on the background board behind Niel. Obviously, he was more concerned about the map than the landing plan.
It took nearly four years to complete the military map of the Near East.
Niel said nothing and turned to look at Jérôme Bonaparte.
"I ordered the Ministry of War to look for the map of the Ottoman Empire that remained from the previous First Empire. I didn't expect that I would actually find it!" Jérôme Bonaparte said perfunctorily to Raglan, and he would not admit it.
I have long had ambitions for the Near East.
Of course, Baron Raglan did not believe what Jérôme Bonaparte said in his heart.
At that time, Emperor Napoleon had no intention of making a military map of the Near East.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to make a small request to you!" Baron Raglan respectfully requested Jérôme Bonaparte.
"Please speak!" Although Jérôme Bonaparte had already guessed Baron Raglan's request, he still continued.
"I hope that the French Imperial Army will provide the British Army with some of the maps you pulled out of old papers!" Baron Raglan said to Jérôme Bonaparte in a particularly amplified voice, which meant nothing.
It goes without saying.
"This..." Jérôme Bonaparte knew that the old general in front of him had already guessed it, but he did not want to destroy the cooperation between the British and French allied forces because of this trivial matter.
So Jérôme Bonaparte could continue to pretend to be confused. He pretended to hesitate for a while, and then gritted his teeth and said: "Okay! I will order the French army to provide you with some help within my ability!"
"Thank you very much!" Baron Raglan responded to Jérôme Bonaparte with a smile, and then turned back to the topic: "Major General Niel, according to your plan, you want to ignore it.
Is it right that the Russian Imperial Army in Wallachia and Moldova besiege the capital of Odessa with all their strength?”
"Yes!" Niel nodded and said calmly: "Instead of engaging in a pursuit battle with the Russian Empire in the Danube Principality, it is better to conduct a vigorous annihilation battle directly in the Odessa area!"
As Niel spoke, he pointed at the capital of Odessa: "Part of the Russian Empire's food in the Danube region, as well as the Russian Empire's transshipment military food in the Caucasus will be concentrated here! This means that as long as we occupy
Here, the Russian troops in the Danube region and the Caucasus will inevitably be forced to return for reinforcements due to food shortages! The food shortage will inevitably cause the morale of the military to be disorganized, and then we can wait for work and completely annihilate them around Odessa!"
Landing in Odessa and annihilating the Russian reinforcements is the easiest plan for the General Staff to achieve results in the war against Russia in Crimea, and it is also the most difficult plan to achieve. If the landing in the capital of Odessa goes smoothly, it means
The Crimean War has been more than half won.
As the richest region in Ukraine now, Odessa and its surrounding areas can be said to be the granary of the entire Ukraine, and even the granary of the entire Europe. As Niel said, losing Odessa means that all the Russian troops on the southern front will be destroyed.
Without supplies, we can only face the situation of being passively beaten.
However, the reason why it is called the most difficult plan to implement is because the tsar and the military staff around him (Jomini has returned to the tsar's staff), as long as they are not idiots, can understand the importance of Odessa's chief minister, and
After the British and French coalition forces gain control of the Black Sea region, they will inevitably strengthen the defense capabilities of the Odessa capital and its surroundings in response to the threat from the capital of Odessa, even if they weaken the forces on other fronts!
"You are right, occupying Odessa will indeed help our army win a quick victory, but I don't think the Tsar and his staff did not think of this! They will definitely deploy heavy troops in Odessa and wait! We
Plunge in," Lord Raglan responded to Niel.
"So my suggestion is a probing attack! If Odessa's defense capabilities are weak, our army troops will conduct landing operations! If that doesn't work, we will retreat immediately and seek a decisive battle with the main force of the Russian army on the Crimean Peninsula!
Of course, before leaving, we must also teach the navy docked at the port of Odessa a profound lesson!" Niel said eloquently.
After hearing Niel's explanation, Baron Raglan was already leaning towards the plan drawn up by Saint Arnaud and his staff. His impression of Saint Arnaud also changed from a simple person to a general with a little bit of ability.
However, Baron Raglan did not know that this combat plan was formulated and decided by the entire General Staff. All processes were submitted to Jerome Bonaparte after repeated deductions, and then Jerome
M. Bonaparte led the members of the General Staff, and after repeated war games and summarizations, the content of the current version was arrived at.
It was definitely not a plan decided upon by Saint-Arnault and his mid- to low-level staff and adjutants.
After all, it is difficult for the current French army to have a genius like Emperor Napoleon, and even the vast majority of officers in the army are mediocre and idiots.
Smart people have smart people's solutions, and mediocre people naturally have mediocre solutions.
Although the French army in the post-Napoleonic era no longer has the military command genius like Emperor Napoleon, it is still possible to find one or two military commanders who shine.
Gu Buddha
Nières, Canrobert, Leboeuf, Trochu, Bazin...these precious alliances of the Second Empire in history are now beginning to learn to think under the spur of Jérôme Bonaparte.
and summary.
It can be said that among all the armies in the post-Napoleonic era, only the French army still maintains an upward momentum!
Of course, Prussia next door, under the leadership of the new Chief of General Staff Moltke, gradually brought the army out of the trough.
Baron Raglan, whose mind is still stuck on the Napoleonic Wars, is now gradually unable to keep up with the times!
"Why do you want to set the second battlefield in the Crimean Peninsula? As far as I know, that is not an area heavily guarded by the Russian Tsar!" Baron Raglan asked again.
"The Crimean Peninsula is the forward position of the Russian Empire in the Black Sea! Once the nail in Crimea is removed!, then every inch of land along the Black Sea will be completely exposed to the muzzles of the British and French coalition forces.
!The Russian Imperial Army in the Caucasus will also face serious threats, so the Tsar and his military staff will never leave Crimea alone!
And a few months ago, the troops that defeated the Turkish Navy in the Battle of Sinop were also in Crimea! If the Tsar did not want this honorable army to be destroyed by our cannons! He would definitely dispatch troops for rescue!
By that time, we can completely defeat them and force them to sue for peace!" Niel said to Baron Raglan word by word, his eyes never leaving Baron Raglan for a moment.
"Wonderful plan!" Baron Raglan said, applauding Major General Niel, and then complimenting Jérôme Bonaparte: "Your Majesty, you have shown me a perfect deduction!"
"This is thanks to all the commanders who participated in this holy war!" Jerome Bonaparte responded immediately.
Later, Jérôme Bonaparte asked Baron Raglan if he had any other opinions on this plan.
Baron Raglan stated that he had no other objections. As long as he went to the Near East to reorganize the British Army, he would execute the order together with Marshal St. Arnaud.
"That's great!" Jérôme Bonaparte said to Baron Raglan with a smile.
Then Jérôme Bonaparte euphemistically stated: Since Baron Raglan has agreed to the plan drawn up by the French army, the British troops should complete the plan in accordance with the French army's plan.
Naturally, the right to command the joint armies of Britain and France should be given to Marshal Saint-Arnaud, the current commander of the French expeditionary force, and Britain only needs to manage the navy for joint operations.
"Your Majesty, I think Britain and France are two teams fighting side by side! We should not pursue the issue of subordination too much. I don't want our country's newspapers to treat us as people who betrayed our country's dignity!" Baron Raglan shook his head and refused.
Jérôme Bonaparte requested to form a joint headquarters and hand over the army to the command of the French army.
After all, who is the master and who is the auxiliary between the two armies is not just a purely military issue, but also interspersed with some political issues.
After handing over the command of the army to France, Baron Raglan could not accept anything he said.
If Baron Raglan does this, then he will have to obey the command of someone who is more than ten years younger than him.
For a general who followed the Duke of Wellington on his northern and southern expeditions, Baron Raglan would rather not be the commander of the expedition than lose his dignity as a member of the British Army.
"Mr. Raglan, our troops are much larger than yours!" Jérôme Bonaparte reminded.
"Your Majesty, our army is actively helping your army win back its lost honor!" Baron Raglan responded in the same way.
All the French generals present showed a hint of anger on their faces. Baron Raglan was insinuating the defeat their fathers suffered when they conquered the Russian Empire.
"During Waterloo, if the Prussians hadn't been so fast, I think we wouldn't have met..." Jerome Bonaparte glanced at Baron Raglan and choked back.
"Yes! Your Majesty, if the Duke of Wellington had listened to the advice of the Czar and Blücher, we might not have met!"
The two stared at each other without giving an inch. After a while, Jérôme Bonaparte laughed heartily, and Baron Raglan also laughed.
"I understand, Mr. Raglan! We just have to fight together!"