Under the central authoritarian feudal system, the Tang Empire acted very efficiently, and under the emperor's order, all departments of the imperial government immediately accelerated their operation, tacitly promoting the Yukon Dominion to prepare for the referendum and the immigration of Central Plains Province.

Just wait for the outbreak of war in Europe, and then take advantage of Britain's lack of time to take care of other opportunities, and complete the great cause of the empire's North American territory in one go.

At that time, from the cold Alaska all the way south along the Pacific coast to the northern border of Colombia in South America, a total of more than 9,670 kilometers of coastline will be owned by the empire, what a magnificent cause?

As a result, the empire would increase its territory by about 173 square kilometers, from 10.82 million square kilometers after the North American War to 12.55 million square kilometers in 1866.

Early May

The emperor took a train to inspect the provinces of the Great Plains in central North America, and although this year was exceptionally early, it was the same every year, and it did not attract special attention from public opinion at home and abroad, and was only a routine report.

Mid-May

No one linked a small delegation of senior officers from Detroit to the Kingdom of Prussia on the high-speed cruise ship "Scud" from Detroit.

The "Scud" high-speed cruise ship is a 3,200-ton steam-powered ship, just launched for a year and a half, with an average speed of up to 18 knots, which is one of the fastest steamships in the current transoceanic liners.

The Scud high-speed cruise ship, which can only carry 327 passengers at full capacity, is mainly engaged in transatlantic parcel transportation and business travel for the aristocracy and the upper middle and upper middle classes.

After only 11 days of transatlantic voyage, the high-speed cruise ship "Scud" landed firmly in the port of Holtenau, and the passengers who got off the ship quickly left in horse-drawn carriages on the docks.

After arriving at the dock, General Chen Chuan, deputy chief of staff of the Tang Imperial Army, and his party of 17 people were greeted by Lieutenant General Kirsibach von Mecklenburg, who was sent by the General Staff Headquarters of the Kingdom of Prussia.

After a short exchange of pleasantries, the group boarded seven carriages and galloped away in the direction of Berlin.

The Kingdom of Prussia is the country that attaches the most importance to road traffic and infrastructure in Europe, and the road traffic is well connected in all directions. The more than 360 kilometres of road from the port of Holtenau to Berlin are wide and flat and can be reached in just two days.

Tall street trees are planted on both sides of the road, and a horse-drawn carriage ride is a pleasant treat in the cool early summer.

on the carriage

Admiral Chen Chuan and the tall colonel's adjutant were in the same carriage, but they looked a little cramped and uneasy, and after holding back for a while, they saluted respectfully and said; "Your Majesty, Wechen ......"

"My Deputy Chief of the General Staff, there is no Your Majesty here, lest you get used to showing your feet again. If you want to persuade me or something, just shut up, this has already reached Europe, how can you do it without looking at the excitement? ”

"Alright then, but I beg your Majesty...... Well, Brother Guanjing must not act without authorization, let alone go to the front line of danger and be involved in danger in person. If you can't agree to Wechen's request, the matter is serious, even if it is to resist the holy will, Wechen will never dare to obey. ”

"Stop chattering, bothered like a mother-in-law?"

This tall colonel adjutant is the emperor Richard after the disguise, alias "Li Guanjing", and his identity is the colonel's adjutant, and he is sitting comfortably on the soft seat with Erlang's legs crossed at the moment.

In the crystal glass in his hand is the top French red wine, and he takes a leisurely sip from time to time.

After scolding Admiral Chen Chuan, Richard turned his face in the direction of the window, obviously not wanting to deal with Chen Chuan, the former commander of the Royal Praetorian Guard.

This micro-service tour is not the past to go out for a day or two and go around and return to the palace, and the trip to Europe is at least two or three months, which makes Admiral Chen Chuan feel pressure.

Only a few high-ranking officials in the Tang Empire know about this, Prime Minister Liu Xianjun counts one, Field Marshal Dai Changfu counts one, Navy Marshal Pan Hengchen counts one, General Liu Wu, commander of the Royal Praetorian Guard, counts one, Director of Security Hu Baili counts one, plus Zheng Yuan, director of the Royal Secretariat, and Liang Bojun, deputy director, by the way, there are also Admiral Chen Chuan, who are less than 10 people in the full fight, and even the crown prince is hidden in the dark.

As a cover-up action

Director Zheng Yuan will accompany the emperor to live in Detroit for a period of time, and the royal train will also plan to patrol the Indiana border......

Outside the carriage window

The green wilderness and villages quickly receded, and between the cottages, the Prussian militia could often be seen training, as few as one or twenty men, and as many as forty or fifty, which invisibly cast a shadow of war on the land.

At the end of May, war clouds were gathering over the land of Europe.

The large-scale military movements of the Kingdom of Prussia could not be concealed, and the Austrian Empire and its allies reacted quickly by gathering troops as best they could to prepare for the impending war.

The situation in Europe took a turn for the worse and caught Britain, France, Tsarist Russia and other powers off guard, and could not do anything effective to deal with it other than publicly calling for restraint on both sides.

In the subconscious of most people, they do not think that a big war will break out between the two sides, at best, it is just a show of muscles.

Richard knew they were all wrong, and they couldn't have been more wrong.

Bismarck, the prime minister of the Kingdom of Prussia, seized the hesitation of the major European powers and decisively launched a war against the Austrian Empire, launching a large-scale war of "brotherhood".

"Mr. Admiral, what do you think of this war in Europe?" Richard drank the red wine in his glass in one gulp, put the wine glass in the small wine cabinet, and asked casually,

Admiral Chen Chuan thought for a moment with a serious expression, and bowed back;

"Mr. Guanjing, the best example of this war that took place within the German nation is the North American War, which ended just a few years ago, and it is bound to have a profound impact on the situation in Europe.

I have the impression that the Germans, with their strict and rigid personalities, are focused and are among the best sources of white soldiers.

This war

The Kingdom of Prussia was prepared to fight unprepared, and the chances of winning were greater.

However, considering the intricate relations between European countries and the many variables that exist, once the war cannot be won in a short period of time, it will be extremely unfavorable for the Kingdom of Prussia for the intervention of the European powers if it drags on.

It can be said that this is a military adventure that gambles on the fortunes of the country.

I myself was well prepared for the brutality of the war, and on paper the strength of the Prussian Kingdom was not obvious, and this was what I feared most.

The total number of troops that the Prussian side can gather is about 60~630,000 people, while the total number of troops assembled by the Austrian Empire is about 600,000, which may be a little more or a little less, roughly in this range.

As an attacking side, the Prussians were able to draw a little less troops, which was something I was more worried about. ”

Sun Tzu's Art of War said; "Ten are to surround it, five to attack it, to fight it twice, the enemy can divide it, if it is less, it can be defended, and if it is not, it can be avoided."

In modern warfare, the superiority of troops is still the most important aspect of front-line generals, taking the North American war as an example;

In all the battles

The senior generals of the Tang Empire always tried their best to mobilize troops to form a local military advantage. And a large number of white prisoners made up of servant army cannon fodder, constantly attacking the US position, through repeated tug-of-war to consume their vital strength and combat effectiveness, in order to finally win the battle.

As the first to attack, the army of the Kingdom of Prussia did not have a superiority in strength, which was an aspect of General Chen Chuan's deep concern.

Moreover, the Austrian Empire and its allies were fighting on the inner line, occupying a natural geographical advantage, which could easily mobilize troops to supplement the front, which was not good news for the Kingdom of Prussia.

"That's true!" Richard didn't say much, but looked at the long procession outside the carriage.

This is a Prussian army marching towards the Silesian border, about the size of several thousand, and is moving along the road.

The soldiers maintained high morale, marched in full armor with their heads held high, singing songs full of German national style along the way, and the iron was rolling all the way forward.

The carriage overtook the line of soldiers on foot, and Richard withdrew his gaze, sat back in his soft position, and said with a deep groan;

"My Mr. General, you can't look at things purely from a military point of view. The Kingdom of Prussia had waited too long to prepare for this war, and the whole country, from top to bottom, was fighting with high spirits and did everything in its power to win the war. And in Austria and his allies, undoubtedly underestimated the determination of the Prussians. ”

Hearing His Majesty's high opinion of the army of the Kingdom of Prussia, Admiral Chen Chuan looked out the window with a solemn expression, and then fell silent......

At the end of May, war clouds were gathering in Europe, and all countries were in the process of deploying troops.

The Austrian Empire and its allies were in an inner position, and their cavalry and artillery were numerically superior and convenient for maneuvering on the interior.

Based on this

The Austrian Empire was prepared to wait for the enemy to attack with a passive defense, and to give the Prussian army who dared to attack head-on through a strong defense, so as to consume the enemy's strength and win itself more time for military mobilization.

The General Staff Headquarters of the Austrian side believes

This would slow down the course of the war and bring it to a stalemate.

During this period, the Austrian Empire and its allies could accelerate the build-up of forces, accumulate strength, and then launch a counterattack to defeat the Prussian army in one fell swoop.

As a result of the substantial military alliance between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Kingdom of Italy, the Austrian army was forced to engage in a two-front operation.

The Austrians divided their forces into 2 corps:

One of the partial armies was the Southern Army, which was formed with 80,000 men, to deal with the Italian army.

The rest of the main forces of the Austrian army were organized into the Northern Army, which concentrated on dealing with the powerful Prussian army, and striving to deal a heavy blow to the enemy in defensive operations.

Reinforced by the Saxon army, the Northern Army of 289,000 men, under the unified command of General Benedek, quickly assembled in Moravia in northern Austria to defend against the Prussian attack from Silesia.

Until June, Yin began

The armies of the two sides gathered on the border, and the black and oppressive field camps could not be seen at a glance, and the sabre-rattling confrontation was tense, and the atmosphere of war was so strong that it could not be increased.

On the main frontal battlefield in northern Bohemia, which was 250 kilometers wide, three corps of the army of the Kingdom of Prussia were lined up, with a total of nearly 300,000 men.

Among them

The Elbe Corps, commanded by General Helwatt Bittenfeld, numbered about 56,000 men, was deployed on the eastern and western lines of Lepzig, waiting for an opportune attack.

The 1st Army Corps, commanded by Prince Frederick Karl, with a total strength of about 93,000 men, was to be deployed east of the Elbe River to the second line of Görley, and was to strike at the Allied forces of the Austrian Empire, removing them from their wings.

The main force of the 2nd Army Corps, commanded by Dauphin Frederick William, with some 167,000 men, was massed east of Gerritz to the Oder River, and was the main direction of the planned assault.

"Your Excellency, General Chen, this will be a battle for the unification of the German nation, and it will be of great significance, and I would love to hear your advice." General Moltke said, standing on a high mountain ridge overlooking the enemy camp in the distance.

Hearing this, Admiral Chen Chuan put down the monoculars in his hand and said with a serious expression;

"Your Excellency the Chief of Staff;

Now that your army has made up its mind to fight, the goal is clear, and the movement of the main army is in place, what are you waiting for?

Now is the time to take advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold to decisively launch a fierce and uninterrupted attack, so that the Austrians can taste the might.

In my opinion;

The Elbe Corps took the lead in launching the offensive when it was in place, and there was no need to wait for the echo of the First and Second Corps, and it was completely capable of opening up an independent battlefield.

The same was true for the First and Second Legions, who did not have to be obsessed with the pre-war time for the start of the battle, and launched an attack as soon as the Legion was in place, the sooner the better.

The sooner you start the battle, the sooner you can get the first move.

If the armies of the Kingdom of Prussia were not ready, then the armies of the Austrian Empire were not ready, and this was an important opportunity.

The above is only a little bit of my opinion, and I would like to ask your Excellency the Chief of Staff to consider it. ”

General Chen Chuan's words made the eyes of a group of high-ranking generals of the Kingdom of Prussia, including General Moltke, brighten up, and their eyes silently touched each other, obviously agreeing with his opinion from the heart.

It was not that the Prussian generals did not fail to understand this, but the usual rigid dogma of the German character kept them waiting for orders from His Majesty King Wilhelm, who had not yet arrived at the front.

General Moltke apparently listened, and he nodded heavily;

"Thank you very much for your advice, Your Excellency, and I will immediately send an urgent telegram to His Majesty upon my return, requesting that the right to arbitrarily control the front-line battlefield.

Judging by the current situation

Armies of the Austrians and their allies were arriving in Morvia to strengthen their defenses with the help of castles and defensive lines in the border areas.

But judging by the deployment of the Austrian army, the signs of confusion are clear, and your advice reminds us that we should seize the opportunity to launch a decisive attack.

Thank you very much for your advice, it is a thank you from the bottom of my heart! ”

"It would be a great pleasure for me to be able to help." Admiral Chen Chuan responded humbly, but his eyes couldn't help but look at the tall colonel adjutant on the side.

The colonel's adjutant didn't care, holding a telescope in his hand and carefully observing the enemy camp as if nothing was happening.