I don't know how to define them, they are patriots, but so are all of you here. The interests of the officers were aligned with those of the state, and they maintained the rule of the empire. Soldiers on the battlefield, workers in factories, farmers in the fields, they are also patriots. They were forced to go to war, but they were destined to give everything for it.

Therefore, it can only be said that they are people who have been annihilated by their ideals, and if they follow their wishes, the reality will only run counter to their ideals.

War has traumatized those who think, and some have been crushed by reality. This minority group does not support military action, leaving their hopes to diplomacy or allies. Some people want to sign an agreement and withdraw from the war, but this idea is unrealistic, and the war has been fought so far, and the only option is victory.

Defeatists are not only capitulators, but also helpers. Seeing that everyone was insisting on their own words and could not come up with a proper plan, Archduke Friedrich, who had been thinking about it for a long time, threw out a sentence, "We should ask Germany to actively fulfill its obligations as allies." ”

The atmosphere instantly quieted down, as the grandson of Archduke Karl and the nephew of Archduke Albert, the victor of "Kustoza", the main job of this grand duke was to coordinate the front-line generals, manage the logistics supply, as the commander-in-chief of the Austro-Hungarian army, he really failed the great achievements of his ancestors.

The commander-in-chief, as if trying to show his military prowess, continued: "The Germans could reinforce their Eighth and Ninth Armies, launch an offensive in East Prussia and Poland, and relieve us of the pressure. ”

The crown prince seemed to be moved, and most of the people in the room were unable to raise objections. The Germans showed amazing combat effectiveness on the Eastern Front. They had successes at Tannenberg and Lake Masuria, and although they had recently been encircled in their raid on Lodz, they not only broke through, but also took the opportunity to annihilate a Russian army.

General Offenberg, who had just returned from the front, kindly reminded: "The continuous rain and snow have turned all the land into mud, my army group has begun to run out of supplies on the front, and the Russian offensive has become weak, and they are not even using artillery." ”

Archduke Eugen conveyed the message of the Germans, "Falkingham told us that the Eastern Front has moved to the defensive, and they will solve the problem on the Western Front first. Ludendorff's strategy on the Eastern Front had already come into conflict with him, and the main plan of the Eighth Army was withdrawn. ”

When the obligations of the allies were not fulfilled, the focus turned back to how to fight independently. Knowing the pressure he was facing, his enthusiasm for recovering the lost ground immediately diminished, after all, no one would want to die on their own initiative.

Rudolph didn't say a word, looking at the loss. I can't help but think about what kind of apocalyptic scenario it would be when the army collapsed in 1916.

It can be seen that the crown prince's expression is a little dazed. He looked at Rudolph, and saw that Rudolph seemed to see through the red dust, like a master of the world, staring up at the chandelier, his face was neither happy nor sad.

"Rudolph, don't be restrained if you have any thoughts for the future."

Rudolph slowly got up and looked down at the entire conference hall. Although he was at the end, he had the feeling of looking down on all beings. The scene was quiet for a minute, and people usually had respect for those who returned from the battlefield, especially the heroes of the country. Distinguished officials and elders, quietly waiting for Rudolph to speak.

"In this battle, our army suffered 300,000 dead and wounded, and about 50,000 were taken prisoner by our negligence. We lost 300 artillery pieces, and the railways in Galicia fell into the hands of the Russians. It has become an established fact that Russia will launch a new offensive against our country. The battles of Komarów and Lemberg have become regrettable for the ages. Although we lost this battle, we will never surrender, we will never give in, we will fight to the end. ”

"The fact that we now have forces that are many times greater than we have at any time in this war or in any war we have in the past certainly has the advantage of resisting the invasion. But it can't go on like this. We cannot be satisfied with fighting a defensive war, we have an obligation to our homeland and allies, and we must regroup again and launch a counteroffensive. ”

"The Russians are not doing well either, in the battle they lost at least 350,000 men, another 40,000 were captured by us, we captured 124 guns, conservative estimates, the Russians lost 500 guns, this is at least the equipment of one of their army groups"

"What is our goal? I can answer in one word, and that is: victory. Win at all costs, win without fear of all terrors, no matter how long and hard the road ahead. ”

"We will fight in the mountains, we will fight in the fields and in the streets, we will fight where the enemy appears. We will not surrender. ”

"We will fight to the end. We will fight in Galicia, we will fight in Serbia, we will fight in the Adriatic, we will fight in Russia with more and more confidence and more and more power. ”

"A country that insists on fighting will turn defeat into victory, and a country that bends its knees and surrenders will be doomed!

If the long story of our country is to come to an end, let us all fall to the ground and shed the last drop of blood, and then let it end. ”

"Until the new world, as God thinks fit, will bring out all its power to save and liberate this old world."

The officers fell silent, pondering whether they really had the courage to do so.

After a long silence, General Straussenburg gave an account of the current situation. "We didn't collapse there, and it turns out that our military reform has given us an advantage at the technical level."

"In the early stages of this campaign, we were victorious, but we failed to hold out and ended up with a strategic defeat. In the course of the battle, we strictly followed the regulations and adopted new tactics, so our losses were not serious, and our weapons and equipment were basically preserved. Our non-commissioned officers and officers are still there, and they are the most basic framework of the army. For this battle, please observe a moment of silence for our heroic soldiers and the fallen land. ”

"Allow me to say something disrespectful, I don't mean to put the blame on anyone else. It's just that the Third Army was dealt a devastating blow, for which we are all responsible. It is all the more important to learn that their commander, Rudolf von Brudemann, who had almost no knowledge of new weapons, demanded that his cavalry actively charge the enemy, using sabers and cavalry to crush them. For the sake of heroic heroism, he refused to change the cavalry into new uniforms in camouflage. ”