February 1, 1864.

The Prussian and Austrian forces reached the south bank of the Ida River, taking advantage of the darkness of the night, under the cover of the vast mist rising from the river, the silent and winding people and horses of the Ida River passed through.

The headquarters of the United German Army on the south bank, mobilizing all available ships and bridges at their disposal, hurried through the icy Ida River.

Tens of thousands of troops, marching eagerly in front of the narrow and calm Ida River, brought no small movement.

Even if the army was fully prepared before departure, a large-scale troop movement could still be observed as long as the Danish scouts were not blind and deaf.

But the Danes could only watch everything happen, the allied forces were overwhelmingly superior, and the coalition forces scattered over the narrow terrain of Jutland were simply overwhelming for a small country like Denmark.

The Ida River is meandering, and there are many places where you can land, which is difficult to defend. What's worse is the Ida River, which originates in the hills south of Kiel, has a gentle flow and is not wide, and it is destined to be unable to hold on.

Unless the whole country builds a defensive line along the Ida River for 100 miles, it will naturally be impossible for Denmark, with a population of only a few million, to do so in a short time.

Soon, the vanguard of the coalition forces had landed on the north bank and began to build coastal positions.

The Danish army did not dare to act rashly for the time being, but watched from afar, and the scout cavalry wandered around the edge of the coalition troops.

In this eerie environment, the two sides stare at each other and strike a delicate balance.

The Danish military did not dare to slack off, and while shrinking its forces and confronting the coalition forces, it quickly sent the news of the German coalition army crossing the Ida River to the royal capital.

Waiting for the government's instructions to make countermeasures, as a defender and at the same time a disadvantage, the Danish Army did not dare to act on its own.

Exaggerate the problem as much as possible, and convey the dangerous situation to the rear as much as possible, so that even if you lose later, you can push the blame to the enemy.

It's not that the soldiers are slacking off, it's that the Germans don't talk about martial virtues, and two rogue countries are pulling a bunch of juniors to attack me.

Even if I fail, it will be a failure of the government's own politics, the enemy is so strong, you can't pull the allies to the end, wait to step down!

The Danish government, of course, could not sit still, and the Foreign Office urgently contacted the British ambassador.

The Prime Minister personally led a team to ask the British ambassador for help, while the government sent ministers to Russia, France, and even Sweden.

It's a pity that the ministers of various countries are vague, but Britain still clearly supports Denmark, but when it comes to sending troops, the British said that they are waiting for domestic news, don't worry, I believe the kingdom will respond soon.

February 2nd.

Prussia spearheaded a tentative attack on Danish positions, trying to outflank the Danes.

……

Half an hour ago

The winter day on Jutland was still cold, and the cold wind blew across the faces of the soldiers holding steel spears, and the cold breath exhaled from their mouths instantly formed a white mist in front of them.

The officer leading the team pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his bosom, and the cigarette case was printed with the delicate mark "Cornflower", which was the trademark of the Ernst Tobacco Factory.

Open the paper lid on the cigarette case, pull one out of it and put it in your mouth.

He took out a kerosene lighter from his pocket, and in the tunnel, leaning against the earthen wall, he shrank his head, protected the tuyere with one hand, and turned the flint pulley with the other hand, and a burst of sparks shot out fiercely, instantly igniting the oil-soaked cotton core in front of him.

The young officer, with his mouth to the flames, lit the cigarette in his mouth. The tip of this cigarette began to emit a flickering red flame,

Take a large puff of smoke, pass through your throat, flow through your lungs, and exhale a large puff of smoke as you breathe.

The young officer felt refreshed, and his inner anxiety seemed to be relieved. Began to calmly wait for the order to charge.

……

With the order given by the command, the Prussian army began to attack, and the soldiers, led by officers, charged towards the Danish fortifications.

Accompanied by the roar of artillery fire, the Prussian soldiers, who had experienced a hundred battles, steadily advanced to the front, and no one dared to retreat.

Only the offensive and the guns in the hands are the support of the soldiers, reloading, aiming, shooting, all in one go.

The artillery fire was intertwined, smashing one pothole after another on the ground. The dust was filled with smoke, and only the light of enemy guns and artillery fire guided the way.

"Bang... Bang... Bang......"

In the midst of a fierce burst of gunfire, the Danes, relying on their fortifications and location, managed to hold back the Prussian attack.

Although the Prussian soldiers were still attacking, it was noticeable that the gunfire was a little sparse.

The first wave of the offensive did not achieve the desired effect, and the charging troops, with heavy casualties, did not crush the disciplined Prussian army. As a temptation, the rear command post decisively ordered the attacking troops to withdraw in an orderly manner.

Thus ended the first exchange of fire between the coalition forces and Denmark, and for the Danes the Prussian barbarians were nothing more than that.

The rear commander of Prussia didn't care, this was just an appetizer, where to go! The artillery in the rear had not yet been put in place, and the previous attack was just a test of the Danish Army's strength.

The Danes were still somewhat destructive, but in the eyes of the Prussian officers they were far from enough.

The Prussians were the least afraid of a tough battle, and as the country with the most martial virtues in Europe, they had never seen any battles.

And this time it was only Prussia alone, the German Confederation and the Austrian Empire had not yet made a move!

The strength of several parties can be said to be several times that of the Danes, and for the Kingdom of Prussia, which dealt with France, Russia, Austria and other powers, it used to erupt in adversity.

A country like Denmark, which has declined, is completely unsightly, and this kind of tailwind is simply not full of confidence.

The Danes were able to win the last time (the First Schleswig War) relied more on international power, and this time the Danish government showed political sluggishness.

There was no timely rally in with other countries on the continent to cheer them on, such as Britain, which had already warned Prussia.

At present, the British have not made a big move, and as a naval power, it is impossible for the British to act alone and show off their might on the European continent.

As for France, it would have been possible to interrupt Prussia's plans, but Bismarck had already figured out the diplomatic sphere and exchanged other interests for the silence of the Napoleon III government.

The British hoped to win over Tsarist Russia into the water, but the last Crimean War Britain and France jointly inflicted heavy losses on the Russians, and Russia naturally could not interfere in the European land situation at this time.

This made it difficult for the British, it was impossible for the navy to go ashore and fight the Prussian barbarians!

Therefore, the British could only pay lip service to the Danes with all their support, but they had no sincerity in sending troops.

Of course, it was the national policy of Britain to maintain the balance of power on the European continent, and the loss of two principalities in Denmark did not have any impact on the situation on the mainland.

At most, the Danes withdrew to Jutland, losing some land, and the defeated Danes would inevitably intensify their hatred of Prussia and stand more firmly on the side of the British, laying the seeds for Britain on the continent in the event of the next continental upheaval.

Of course, the British had other tricks at their disposal, which were far from the demands of the war, and the Danes did not use all their strength!

You must know that although Denmark is a small country, it has also developed in history, and the last Schleswig War alone showed good strength.

The Danes controlled the Baltic Sea outlets, were strategically located and economically developed, and were able to raise a considerable army even now.

Wars are always full of uncertainties, what if the Danes survive? Moreover, the Danish government had shown extraordinary self-confidence before the war began, otherwise it would not have been able to get to this point.

Although I don't know where the Danish government got its confidence (at least Ernst thinks so). But this does not prevent the Danish government from being sluggish in the field of diplomacy.

Now Prussia has stabilized most of the great powers by merging vertically and horizontally, and has also co-opted Austria and the German Confederation.

The pressure of public opinion and diplomacy is gone, and as long as there are no major setbacks militarily, Schleswig and Holstein are meat in a bowl. However, the premise was to deal with Austria after the war, but Bismarck had already made up his mind.