The outcome of the war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia was quickly decided. In fact, from the moment Russia did not declare war immediately, there was no suspense about the outcome of this duel between two opponents of different levels.
In just half a month, the Serbian defense line was completely reduced to rubble by Skoda siege guns, and the entire Belgrade was almost wiped off the ground.
In order to defend their capital, the Serbians paid more than 150,000 casualties, which did not include civilian casualties. Their opponents also suffered losses of more than 100,000. After all, the Serbian army has experienced actual combat, and
The Austro-Hungarian army has no actual combat experience. Although it has super large-caliber cannons, this number is not surprising as an attacker.
However, the resistance of the Serbians only ends here, because their young and middle-aged men have basically been killed and injured. Now the lower limit for conscription in this country has been lowered to fifteen years old, allowing those half-year-old children who are not as tall as a rifle to embark on the journey.
On the front line to resist the invaders, one can imagine how far this country has reached. It is no exaggeration to say that it is at the end of its rope.
It is simply a joke to continue to hold on to Belgrade under such circumstances. As the Hungarian army crossing the Danube River from the lower reaches and the Austrian army pressing over from the western front gradually closed two huge iron pincers, the remnants that had been squeezed to the outskirts of Belgrade
The Serbian army of less than 150,000 people completely collapsed in a cold night filled with snow. The hastily recruited farmers abandoned their weapons, their homes, and everything in despair and ran like crazy toward the southern mountains.
Pursued by the Austro-Hungarian soldiers, they kept running wildly. Even King Peter I of Serbia took a train and fled to Bulgaria in a hurry. In this great rout, the last bit of strength of the Serbians was exhausted. More than seven
Thousands of corpses stretched on the white snowfield, and bright red blood seeped into the land of their hometown.
By this time, the blood of the Serbs could be said to have been basically drained. They had lost almost an entire generation in two wars. The Tyrannosaurus rexes hiding behind their wishes finally stretched out their claws lazily.
On the third day after the fall of Belgrade, the Russian Empire declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
On Christmas Eve 1904, on the Russian-Austrian border in Galicia, four Russian armies, the 8th, 3rd, 5th and 4th armies, arranged in sequence from south to north, simultaneously marched from the Dniester River to the Vistula.
A full-frontal attack was launched on the 300-kilometer long front between the rivers. The roar of thousands of cannons instantly tore into pieces the cold snowy night, the hard Eastern European permafrost, and the Europeans' illusions of peace.
Tracer shells streaked across the sky in dense numbers, and the explosions of fire continued as if the entire earth was burning.
The Austro-Hungarian soldiers in the trenches huddled in the artillery holes with their heads in their hands. They screamed in fear and waited for death to come. Sharp whistling sounds and earth-shattering explosions filled their world. In their world
There was only blood and fire. The blasted frozen soil was mixed with the remains of countless human bodies, and even a handful of dirt could squeeze out blood.
Opposite them, amid the counterattack artillery fire of the Austro-Hungarian army, a group of Russian troops were waiting in front. Orthodox priests were sprinkling holy water on the soldiers, telling them that they would fight for the Tsar and that they would ascend to heaven after death.
To be honest, Nicholas really didn't know who to let his gray animals fight for. Fortunately, the Russian farmers were still very devout in their faith. Having these priests fool them would at least be more effective than letting them fight for the motherland.
After the prayer ceremony, in the dim light of dawn, one officer after another pulled out his pistol. The Russians, who were already familiar with the modern battlefield, had long abandoned their flashy sabers, and even their pistols were no longer the old-fashioned Nagant revolvers.
, now the standard weapons of Russian military officers are all Bofors rapid-fire pistols, which are the Mauser C96 plagiarized by Yang Feng.
"For the Tsar, for Russia! For victory!" With fanatical roars, one officer after another took the lead in jumping out of the trench, followed by countless gray animals holding water rifles with spikes in their hands, roaring and following.
Behind them, they rushed towards the Austro-Hungarian army's position like a flood that broke a dike. Behind them, mortars sprayed flames crazily, heavy machine guns sprayed dense bullets, and the light machine guns accompanying the charge quickly found
They positioned their respective positions to provide cover for the charging infantry, and the grenade launchers aimed at the fire points ahead and destroyed them with grenades at any time.
The Russians, who have followed the Chinese in many aggressive wars, are also extremely skilled in this set of infantry offensive tactics. Moreover, most of the officers in the attacking troops have actual combat experience, and they have no doubts about the victory of the Russians.
At this time, opposite them, countless Austro-Hungarian officers were also blowing sharp whistles desperately to wake up the soldiers who had been stunned by the shelling, using leather boots and slaps to remind them of their duties.
Pull out your buried comrades, check your weapons, and amidst the explosion of roaring mortar shells and the dense machine gun bullets flying overhead, you bravely lie down on your post, using machine guns, rifles, and other weapons.
Submachine guns, using all weapons at their disposal, fired desperately toward the front, and kept shooting, even if the enemy was already in front of them, they had to keep shooting.
In the falling snowflakes, the charging gray animals kept falling one by one, but the rest kept running forward amidst the sound of urrahs, shooting, throwing out grenades, and cutting through the barbed wire, even if the shells were beside them.
Explode, even if the bullets tear apart the bodies of your comrades, even if the mines explode right under your feet, you must keep moving forward until your life is ended by a bullet.
At this time, the most feared weapon of the Russian army came into play, the Cossack cavalry carrying a three-meter spear, wearing their iconic leather hats and their iconic cloaks, just like those who have created countless victories.
Like their ancestors, they urged the Don hippopotamus on their crotches, and with the roar of Ula, they rushed towards the Austro-Hungarian position like a tsunami of indomitable momentum.
Although the era of cavalry is over, even Nicholas understands this. After all, from the Sino-Japanese War to the present, the cavalry has staged countless tragedies in front of machine guns. However, in the absence of effective assault force, the cavalry in various corps has
There are still a large number of cavalry retained, especially in Russia. The proud nature of the Cossacks makes them unwilling to accept their decline. Moreover, the vast territory and backward transportation system of the Russian Empire also make Nicholas inseparable from this high mobility.
As a unique branch of the military, the number of cavalry in the Russian army is still astonishing. Now is the time for the Cossacks to defend their dignity.
It's a pity that they can never regain their dignity in front of machine guns. Compared with infantry, these guys on tall horses are obviously easier to aim, especially for machine guns with a relatively large spread area.
War horses make their bullets more efficient. As for the cavalry's advantage of being fast, in the face of a firing rate of hundreds of rounds per minute, no matter how fast it is, what can it do?
The charge of the Cossacks turned into a tragedy in an instant. When the Russian infantry were pressed to the ground by the intensive firepower of the Austro-Hungarian soldiers and fired at each other, they fell one by one, with the screams of the horses and the cavalry.
The same roar of grief and anger resounded through the snowfield, the corpses of people and horses were piled up layer by layer, the hot blood melted the cold snow, and the earth was blood red. The blood red of death marked the end of an era.
While the Russian and Austrian armies were engaged in a bloody battle in Galicia, the German Empire's Minister to the Russian Empire formally submitted a declaration of war to the Russian Prime Minister, or as he is now called, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Count Witt, and the German Empire declared war on the Russian Empire.
Five hours later, the French Republic declared war on the German Empire, and the war officially began.
"Haha, it's just a kid's birthday. I didn't expect that your majesties would be thinking about it. In fact, I didn't want to celebrate it, but you also know that women like to have fun, especially because of their special status, and generally there are few
They were invited to a dance. Speaking of which, now that I have become an emperor, I am not as comfortable as not being an emperor. Now I want to go out and walk around the streets. Those guards have to go and occupy the whole street in advance. Do you think I am?
How can I talk to my own people about everyday things if they do this?
Sometimes I really want to just abdicate one day. You see, many emperors in history passed the throne to their sons early and found a comfortable place to live in peace and stability. But I can’t do that, son.
He's only six years old, it would be too irresponsible to leave the world to him now." Emperor Yang said nonchalantly, holding up his wine glass as if he had drunk too much.
Damn it, when are you going to step down? Do you know that the whole world is looking forward to this day! The target of his words, the British Minister Sa Daoyi, couldn't help but cursed. Looking at this guy's gloating expression, he had a feeling.
He spat with a face full of saliva.
Even if you are happy about the war in Europe, there is no need to be so unbridled, right?
However, today is indeed the birthday of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of China. Although the previous birthday balls were not so grand, considering the current mood of Emperor Yang, it is understandable to have a larger scale. After all, this His Highness the Crown Prince, if nothing unexpected happens,
What he will inherit is a huge empire of more than 10 million square kilometers. No matter how large the scale of the ball is, it is reasonable.
Looking at the Chinese crown prince who was bullying the toddler King of Vietnam, Sa Daoyi couldn't help but sigh. I'm afraid this guy won't be a good bird when he grows up! (To be continued...)