"If this is the case, will the siege of Brno by the army of Duke Saltykov lead to the return of the main forces of the Prussian army, thus creating an opportunity for the Austrians to counterattack? The Austrians have been deceived once, so they shouldn't be fooled a second time, right? ”

Bestuzhev asked rhetorically.

"No, just say bad things about the virtue of the Austrian army, hehe. Of course, I also think that thinking from the point of view of limiting the main forces of the Prussian army is a bit of a deviation. It's better to think about it from a different perspective, if it was Frederick the Great, what would he do? Was he preparing for the winter in Vienna or how was he going to do it? What could he do to ensure that he won the war? ”

Peter quickly switched his mind.

"If it was King Frederick... There were only two options before him, either to capture Vienna or to retreat to Saxony and Silesia. At the moment, the Prussian army has removed the threat from the Bohemian direction, and the only thing that can still pose a threat to their supply lines is the Russian army on the southern front in Moravia. If King Frederick chooses to capture Vienna, on the basis of securing the supply line, he will have to defeat our miscellaneous army of Russia, Austria and even Shinra, and if he wants to defeat an army that is almost twice the number of his own, in addition to a direct head-to-head battle between the two armies, he can also disperse the number of the opponent's main forces by cutting off the supply line and attacking from other places. Prussia has the most powerful army in Europe, and its numerical disadvantage can be compensated for in terms of combat effectiveness and command, so the possibility of a head-to-head duel is not low, especially now that the Russian army on the southern front is still in Moravia. But the Austrians were obviously prepared for this, so they were likely to bring in more conscripts or mercenaries from elsewhere. Therefore, it is likely that King Frederick would also choose to divide and defeat the supporting army, such as the battle with Field Marshal Daun in August. In addition, given that the French army has withdrawn from Hanover, there may not be much offensive this year, so I suspect that King Frederick will probably draw troops from other fronts to strengthen the main force in Vienna in preparation for the final decisive battle. As for the Eastern Front, I think King Frederick should not have reduced the number of troops, otherwise we would have attacked from East Prussia. To the southeast, Silesia will most likely not lower its vigilance, after all, we crossed Poland to aid Austria at the beginning of the year. As for the other option, I don't think King Frederick would have chosen to retreat and defend himself."

"Well, the Count has a good analysis"

Peter said as he banged on the table.

"If, then, we send another part of our troops stationed in East Prussia to Austria before winter? Or instead of Austria, go straight to Silesia, I think Silesia should be able to have what we want and the Austrians are not willing to give. Of course, I'm not trying to relieve the Austrians, and it's better to wait until Frederick the Great has moved both Saxon and Silesia to Austria. As for Vienna, go to it, who cares if the Austrians live or die, nothing without money! ”

Apparently Peter was very dissatisfied with the performance of the Austrians.

"However, in this case, the Russian army on the southern front led by Duke Saltykov will be quite dangerous, and King Frederick will definitely give priority to relieving the worries of the Moravian direction before launching a general attack on Vienna"

Besturzhev suddenly understood what Peter's true intentions were, so he spoke in a calm tone, trying not to touch Peter's sensitive nerves.

"Not necessarily, if Brno is left alone, the Austrians will not necessarily come to the rescue, so Frederick the Great can safely transfer troops from both Saxon and Silesia. Saltykov, on the other hand, had only 50,000 men, and if he really wanted to run away after learning about the Prague accident, he would either retreat south to Vienna or east to Slovakia. However, Saltykov was a very bold man, so he would have stayed in Brno and continued the siege, so Frederick the Great might have used this to deceive the Austrians into believing that he wanted to destroy the Russian army on the southern front in Brno first, and then besiege Vienna with a three-way army. I don't think it would be a problem to take Vienna if Prussia had a total of 120,000 troops."

As Peter said his last words, the hand that was knocking on the table suddenly stopped in mid-air.

"So, Your Highness has decided to do this, hasn't you?"

Bestuzhev glanced at Volyntsov, who looked uncertain, and Mr. Silence Razumovsky, and then turned to look at Peter.

"However, there are many uncertainties that will affect the final outcome of the war, just as I thought the Battle of Veliky Jägersdorf would be a draw. That's why I said that we could mobilize the Russian troops in East Prussia to the south, and at the right time we could also meet the Russian troops on the southern front. However, the premise is that we must control the pace of the war, not the Austrians or the Prussians and the British, and that changes on the battlefield must be visible to all, so as to conceal the covert and covert operations. This time Frederick the Great had already taught the Austrians a good lesson, and I think it is worth warning everyone to do."

Peter said to the group with a smile on his face.