yboxman
Banned
#17b: The gates of Vienna
From: Nicholas Milyutin
To: Dmitry Milyutin
Dated: August 29th
Dear Dima,
I know not whether you have yet been appraised by official channels but a development has taken place which has the utmost significance to your campaign. Prussian troops, using underhanded and unscrupulous methods have more or less annexed all German states north of the main to their military control. This was apparently accomplished by rapid rail transport of armies directly into the capitals of each state under the cover of the ongoing Prussian mobilization. In some cases it appears the sovereign rulers themselves are more or less being held hostage to the good behavior of their soldiers.
Bavaria, while denying any foreknowledge of the Prussian action is itself engaged in the project of subordinating the rulers of the Southern German states to her own rule.
This news fills me with the greatest trepidation. No doubt, for a time, Prussia's strength will be consumed in digesting her new conquests and safeguarding htem from rebellion. But once this is done, and I suspect it is a matter of weeks, rather than months or years before the deed is accomplished then we will face to the West not a Prussia distracted by German competitors but a mighty state stretching unbroken from the Tislit to the Moselle, commanding a population more than half again as great as Prussia previously contained.
Gorchakov, in his wisdom, to which the Tsar is most attentive, submits that this is all to the good as such a state cannot but balance the ambitions of France. He believes that France shall be driven to ongoing conflict on the Rhine with both Prussia and Bavaria, leaving the spoils of Europe to the Rodina. Already, contacts between Gorchakov and Bismark have been initiated with the view of achieving an understanding between Russia and Prussia. While Gorchakov vision is driven purely by devotion to Tsar and motherland (1) it cannot be doubted that uncle's Pavel's success in negotiating an alliance with France has aroused great controversy and jealousy in court (2).
Whether Gorchakov's vision shall be proved true shall prove true or not I do not know. But for your own purposes you face a brief period of Prussian distraction followed by a hideous strength. News from Paris is likely to be further delayed by these events as Bismark has taken the drastic step of curtailing all Telegraph communication across Prussia.
I am attaching however, the latest report from uncle Pavel. I feel that it does not bode well.
From: Pavel Kislyov
To: Dmitry Milyutin
Dated: August 25th
My dearest nephew,
I trust that this message finds you well and honorably carrying out your duty to the motherland and the Tsar. I fear however, that that duty is about to become far more difficult. I have it on reliable information that the Austrian forces in Italy have effectively broken out of the mousetrap into which our allies had forced them. While official forces have reassured me that they have merely ensured their destruction unofficial forces from Italy have informed me that the Austrian forces are very nearly at Riva del Garda and show every intention of continuing their withdrawal from Lombardia and Venetia into the Austrian alps. All that stands in their way is an irregular brigade of Italian Franc-Tireurs and I view it as highly unlikely that they should hold up the Austrian retreat to any great length. I fear that within a week the Austrian forces commanded by Franz Josef will be in Trento. You shall have some more time before they recover their strength from the forced march but within 20 days you may expect to face 90,000 additional first class Austrian troops.
Unfortunately, I have been less than fully successful in negotiating any sort of concrete guarantees on the part of France to continue their advance into Austria proper should the Austrians turn their full strength to retake Hungary. The primary concern of France at this time is to ward off the gathering armies of Prussia and the German confederation on the Rhine and the thoughts of Louis Napoleon are increasingly turning to recalling their armies from Italy to the Rhine rather than pressing into the Alps. Should the reports of Prussian troops movements however be accurate you may at least be secure that it is not Russia which will bear the brunt of the German Assault(3). So many soldiers are being moved to the Rhine frontier that it seems that only Landwher must remain on our own borders(4), so should the worst happen and the war expand it will be a matter of months before Poland will be threatened with invasion (5).
I remain confident that with God's aid you shall find yourself capable of slicing through the Gordian knot you face.
From: Nikolai Sukhozanet, Minister of war (6)
To: Dmitry Milutin, Fieldmarshal of Austrian front (7).
I wish to convey the heartfelt congratulations of the Tsar and of myself to carrying out the advance approved by the ministry (8) within adequate parameters. However, at this fateful juncture in the fortunes of the Rodina, it is absolutely imperative that you press forward to utterance, and drive the enemy all the way to Vienna with no further delay (9). It is to our sorrow that no news of further advances have come in the past weeks. Needless to say you have my full confidence that you will appreciate the diplomatic constraints under which Russia must operate and apply your discretion as need be (10).
Milyutin took a deep sip from the lukewarm tea and then stepped outside his tent to his staff meeting. A familiar, sour feeling churned it's way in the pit of his stomach. Instead of the ranks of tents and trenches facing the Austrian defenses he saw endless highland forests, crawling with the shadows of Chechen skirmishers. He saw an endless parade of faces through a hazy red mist. Men dead under his command in the endless Caucasus campaigns. Campaigns which had lasted for two generations instead of a year or two. And beyond them classmates who had died in the pointless and ill thought Crimean war, lost because of indecisiveness at its inception (11).
Slowly the haze cleared and he examined his assembled staff.
Not here. Not now.
"Eduard" (12) he said, turning to the foremost of his generals. "How would you like to be the Russian General who takes Vienna?"
Eduard chuckled at his commander's joke. "Vienna? And where will you be marshal?"
Milyutin released a steely grin. "I? I will be riding to Krakow as soon as this meeting is concluded".
(1) code for: he's a rotten manipulative bastard trying to ruin you and the family.
(2) Watch your back!
(3) This is actually contrary to Moltke's default plan at the time. He planned, in case of a two front war, to hold France at the Rhine, and deliver a knockout blow to Russia, whom he viewed as the weaker opponent. However, only Prussia borders Russia and France is the traditional enemy. Getting Bavaria and German public opion onboard requires concentrating in the West. Furthermore, With French Armies south of the Alps France is viewed as more vulnerable.
(4) An exaggeration but not by much.
(5) Again, Kislyov does not fully comprehend the efficiency of the Prussian railway system. But his basic premise is sound.
(6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolay_Sukhozanet
(7) Technicaly, Dmitry Milyutin has overall command of the entirety of the forces facing Austria and is responsible only to the minister of war and the Tsar. In practice court politics and the fractured nature of the Russian armies (no territorial command system. Or differentiation between staff, logistics and field command) means that it's a bit more murky than that.
(8) Taking credit….
(9) I'll be sure to blame you if you don't.
(10) This is so ambiguous that if anything goes wrong I'll be able to say that I instructed you to do the exact opposite of whatever it is you did wrong.
(11) Milyutin wrote a scathing analysis of the Crimean war which analysed the causes of failure. His conclusion was that the mistake was to occupy the Danubian principalities without threatening wider war at the outset.
(12) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Ivanovich_Totleben
From: Nicholas Milyutin
To: Dmitry Milyutin
Dated: August 29th
Dear Dima,
I know not whether you have yet been appraised by official channels but a development has taken place which has the utmost significance to your campaign. Prussian troops, using underhanded and unscrupulous methods have more or less annexed all German states north of the main to their military control. This was apparently accomplished by rapid rail transport of armies directly into the capitals of each state under the cover of the ongoing Prussian mobilization. In some cases it appears the sovereign rulers themselves are more or less being held hostage to the good behavior of their soldiers.
Bavaria, while denying any foreknowledge of the Prussian action is itself engaged in the project of subordinating the rulers of the Southern German states to her own rule.
This news fills me with the greatest trepidation. No doubt, for a time, Prussia's strength will be consumed in digesting her new conquests and safeguarding htem from rebellion. But once this is done, and I suspect it is a matter of weeks, rather than months or years before the deed is accomplished then we will face to the West not a Prussia distracted by German competitors but a mighty state stretching unbroken from the Tislit to the Moselle, commanding a population more than half again as great as Prussia previously contained.
Gorchakov, in his wisdom, to which the Tsar is most attentive, submits that this is all to the good as such a state cannot but balance the ambitions of France. He believes that France shall be driven to ongoing conflict on the Rhine with both Prussia and Bavaria, leaving the spoils of Europe to the Rodina. Already, contacts between Gorchakov and Bismark have been initiated with the view of achieving an understanding between Russia and Prussia. While Gorchakov vision is driven purely by devotion to Tsar and motherland (1) it cannot be doubted that uncle's Pavel's success in negotiating an alliance with France has aroused great controversy and jealousy in court (2).
Whether Gorchakov's vision shall be proved true shall prove true or not I do not know. But for your own purposes you face a brief period of Prussian distraction followed by a hideous strength. News from Paris is likely to be further delayed by these events as Bismark has taken the drastic step of curtailing all Telegraph communication across Prussia.
I am attaching however, the latest report from uncle Pavel. I feel that it does not bode well.
From: Pavel Kislyov
To: Dmitry Milyutin
Dated: August 25th
My dearest nephew,
I trust that this message finds you well and honorably carrying out your duty to the motherland and the Tsar. I fear however, that that duty is about to become far more difficult. I have it on reliable information that the Austrian forces in Italy have effectively broken out of the mousetrap into which our allies had forced them. While official forces have reassured me that they have merely ensured their destruction unofficial forces from Italy have informed me that the Austrian forces are very nearly at Riva del Garda and show every intention of continuing their withdrawal from Lombardia and Venetia into the Austrian alps. All that stands in their way is an irregular brigade of Italian Franc-Tireurs and I view it as highly unlikely that they should hold up the Austrian retreat to any great length. I fear that within a week the Austrian forces commanded by Franz Josef will be in Trento. You shall have some more time before they recover their strength from the forced march but within 20 days you may expect to face 90,000 additional first class Austrian troops.
Unfortunately, I have been less than fully successful in negotiating any sort of concrete guarantees on the part of France to continue their advance into Austria proper should the Austrians turn their full strength to retake Hungary. The primary concern of France at this time is to ward off the gathering armies of Prussia and the German confederation on the Rhine and the thoughts of Louis Napoleon are increasingly turning to recalling their armies from Italy to the Rhine rather than pressing into the Alps. Should the reports of Prussian troops movements however be accurate you may at least be secure that it is not Russia which will bear the brunt of the German Assault(3). So many soldiers are being moved to the Rhine frontier that it seems that only Landwher must remain on our own borders(4), so should the worst happen and the war expand it will be a matter of months before Poland will be threatened with invasion (5).
I remain confident that with God's aid you shall find yourself capable of slicing through the Gordian knot you face.
From: Nikolai Sukhozanet, Minister of war (6)
To: Dmitry Milutin, Fieldmarshal of Austrian front (7).
I wish to convey the heartfelt congratulations of the Tsar and of myself to carrying out the advance approved by the ministry (8) within adequate parameters. However, at this fateful juncture in the fortunes of the Rodina, it is absolutely imperative that you press forward to utterance, and drive the enemy all the way to Vienna with no further delay (9). It is to our sorrow that no news of further advances have come in the past weeks. Needless to say you have my full confidence that you will appreciate the diplomatic constraints under which Russia must operate and apply your discretion as need be (10).
Milyutin took a deep sip from the lukewarm tea and then stepped outside his tent to his staff meeting. A familiar, sour feeling churned it's way in the pit of his stomach. Instead of the ranks of tents and trenches facing the Austrian defenses he saw endless highland forests, crawling with the shadows of Chechen skirmishers. He saw an endless parade of faces through a hazy red mist. Men dead under his command in the endless Caucasus campaigns. Campaigns which had lasted for two generations instead of a year or two. And beyond them classmates who had died in the pointless and ill thought Crimean war, lost because of indecisiveness at its inception (11).
Slowly the haze cleared and he examined his assembled staff.
Not here. Not now.
"Eduard" (12) he said, turning to the foremost of his generals. "How would you like to be the Russian General who takes Vienna?"
Eduard chuckled at his commander's joke. "Vienna? And where will you be marshal?"
Milyutin released a steely grin. "I? I will be riding to Krakow as soon as this meeting is concluded".
(1) code for: he's a rotten manipulative bastard trying to ruin you and the family.
(2) Watch your back!
(3) This is actually contrary to Moltke's default plan at the time. He planned, in case of a two front war, to hold France at the Rhine, and deliver a knockout blow to Russia, whom he viewed as the weaker opponent. However, only Prussia borders Russia and France is the traditional enemy. Getting Bavaria and German public opion onboard requires concentrating in the West. Furthermore, With French Armies south of the Alps France is viewed as more vulnerable.
(4) An exaggeration but not by much.
(5) Again, Kislyov does not fully comprehend the efficiency of the Prussian railway system. But his basic premise is sound.
(6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolay_Sukhozanet
(7) Technicaly, Dmitry Milyutin has overall command of the entirety of the forces facing Austria and is responsible only to the minister of war and the Tsar. In practice court politics and the fractured nature of the Russian armies (no territorial command system. Or differentiation between staff, logistics and field command) means that it's a bit more murky than that.
(8) Taking credit….
(9) I'll be sure to blame you if you don't.
(10) This is so ambiguous that if anything goes wrong I'll be able to say that I instructed you to do the exact opposite of whatever it is you did wrong.
(11) Milyutin wrote a scathing analysis of the Crimean war which analysed the causes of failure. His conclusion was that the mistake was to occupy the Danubian principalities without threatening wider war at the outset.
(12) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Ivanovich_Totleben
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