Boom Boom

Twelve Russian sailboats flying the flag of double-headed eagles, lined up in a single column, are bombarding forts and cities on the shore with 24-pounder and 36-pounder side-chord guns.

Through the telescope, you can see that the walls of the fortress filled with gunsmoke are in tatters everywhere, and it is obvious that it will not last long.

"With the support of the Baltic Fleet, I believe that Marshal Apleeksin Jr. will soon be able to conquer Königsberg, the last stronghold of East Prussia, Your Majesty"

At the beginning of September 1757, at a secret meeting at the Imperial Palace, Prime Minister Bestuzhev was briefing Empress Elizabeth on the current situation and the state of the war.

“... In addition, the forces of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Marshal Daun, have begun to lay siege to Prague, and if Frederick II does not withdraw his troops from Vienna, I think Bohemia will soon fall, and King Frederick's army will be completely blocked from retreat, leaving only surrender and begging."

"Hmph, it would be best if the dead could surrender very simply"

Because it is rumored that Frederick the Great's court was full of handsome and beautiful young men, it was rumored among the upper nobles of various countries that Frederick the Great liked to engage in the base, and Empress Elizabeth, one of the three skirts of the anti-Prussian alliance, naturally liked to ridicule her opponents in this way.

“... It's just that how did I hear that it wasn't going well on the French side? ”

The Empress asked.

"Well, the French really haven't made any big breakthroughs lately"

Bestuzhev replied rather helplessly.

"The French army under the command of the Duke of Richeleux had been counterattacked by the landing British forces after entering the Marquis of Hanover, and had now retreated to the west bank of the Weser River. Prince Subiz's army invaded the kingdom of Hesse-Kassel, but it was never able to capture the city of Kassel. As it stands, it will be difficult for the French army to enter the Duchy of Braunschweig and Prussia from the west before this winter."

"Could it be that all the marshals of France became by sycophants?"

Queen Elizabeth roared angrily.

It is rumored that the Duke of Richelieu was able to become the commander of the French army because he bribed Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of King Louis XV of France, so there is some basis for Empress Elizabeth's doubts.

"The Duke of Richeliu has 80,000 men, the Prince of Subiz has 30,000 men, a total army of more than 110,000 men, while the British have less than 30,000 men in Hanover, and Prussia has only 25,000 men in Braunschweig, and nearly twice as many troops can't take it, so what kind of war is there to fight?"

The Empress's hand holding the golden scepter was trembling, obviously furious.

"No! This will not work, if the performance of the French army has been like this, it will inevitably drag us down, and it will be difficult for the war to end within this year, hum! ”

Seeing that the empress was angry, Bestuzhev glanced at Razumovsky, only to see Razumovsky cautiously shake his head slightly in response, and couldn't help but raise his head and roll his eyes.

"What about the Swedes? Isn't it said that the Swedes are also ready to send land forces? ”

"Your Majesty, the Swedes were going to send their troops through the Danish Channel and then land at Bremen, west of Hanover, to meet the French army. However, the Danes don't seem to have allowed the Swedes to use the strait, so..."

Bestuzhev carefully explained.

"So what?"

"So the Swedes want us to send troops and land with them in Trans-Pomerania..."

"Then send troops! Is there anything else I need to ask for? ”

"But Your Majesty, the Baltic Sea will freeze in less than two months, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to replenish the landing army by then, so..."

"So this year is over? There's no way to force the dead to surrender? ”

The Empress questioned sharply.

"Your Majesty, if nothing else, I'm afraid it can only be like this"

Bestuzhev glanced at Deputy Prime Minister Volyntsov, who seemed to be nobody, and replied with a frown.

"Oh, I want to ask."

Razumovsky saw that the empress was about to burst, so he quickly interjected.

"Why didn't the Danes allow the Swedes to use the strait? Could it be that the Danes have some ideas? ”

"Hehe, maybe the Danes are worried that Sweden will become bigger and threaten their own position."

Bestuzhev said sarcastically.

"Well, can't you just give the Danes some favors and let them go?"

Razumovsky asked.

"In addition to wanting to disgust the Swedes, the Danes actually want the Duchy of Holstein the most, so..."

"Shhh

Razumovsky was startled, and quickly glanced at the empress, who was listening coldly, and then shut up.

"Let's not discuss the affairs of the Swedes, on the Austrian side, has Saltykov made any progress recently?"

The Empress knew that the conflict between Denmark and Sweden could not be resolved for the time being, so she asked again.

"Duke Saltykov's side has rushed to Bohemia as ordered, and the latest news has not yet been transmitted"

"How many people did Saltykov bring this time? I think he seemed to stay part of it in Vienna? ”

"Well, that's right, Saltykov left 10,000 men in Vienna to continue assisting the Austrians against Frederick's army, and he himself led the remaining 50,000 men to Bohemia"

Bestuzhev thought for a moment, and then replied.

"Will he be able to fool the eyes of the dead?"

The Empress asked disdainfully.

"It is said that Saltykov exchanged uniforms with the Austrians this time, so even if the Prussians found out, they would be mistaken for an Austrian army."

"Hmph, I hope so! However, the dead's spies are very powerful, and they won't be fooled so easily."

"Then I have to hope that Duke Saltykov can start victorious"

The corners of Bestuzhev's mouth turned up slightly.