The issue of spies has always been unpredictable. Just like France has placed countless spies in Prussia, Britain, and Russia, those three countries must have placed a lot of spies in France, but most of them are hidden deep. It may take a lot of work to dig out these people, and the anti-espionage methods in this era are relatively backward. It is these factors that make spies in all countries so rampant. Xiao Jie knew that Bessières, chief of the general staff, controlled most of the French spies in various military forces. The spy network in the hands of the Secretary of the Interior is even more terrifying. These are the areas where Xiao Jie still lacks. Compared with his foundation, he is still too shallow. All he can use is the commercial espionage network in the hands of the Jews.
"Then can we force an attack on Kutuzov's army first?" Davout asked. He has always been a commander with a strong desire to attack.
Everyone knows that the Cossack cavalry has a very terrifying impact. If they know that the current French army is relatively empty, then they will definitely launch an attack on the French army without any scruples. For most of the troops who are now performing combat missions outside For the French army, this is the last thing they want to see.
"I'm afraid not," replied Berthier. "Let's not say that we are nearly 400 kilometers away from Poznan. Long-distance marching is not our advantage. Besides, the Cossack cavalry of the Russian army has strong mobility. Once we attack, they can immediately Dodging and then attacking us will put us in an extremely disadvantageous situation. Besides, our current army is basically infantry, so asking the infantry to fight the cavalry in the wild is not courting death?"
"Yes, our current advantage is that our weapons are much more advanced than the enemy's. If we take the initiative to attack the enemy's cavalry who come and go like the wind, it seems a bit to attack the enemy's strengths with our own shortcomings. Besides, I think, If it is a defensive operation, with our new tactics, defensive offensive and weapons, we can completely block the enemy's Cossack cavalry attack. I dare not say other legions, but the 88th Legion can definitely resist the same amount or even more than double Cossack cavalry. But the condition is that the ammunition and supplies must be guaranteed, otherwise the battle will be impossible.” Xiao Jie also put forward his own opinion.
Napoleon glanced at the crowd and said: "Andresi, since you are so sure, can you tell me about your tactics? If it is really feasible, I think I will agree."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiao Jie walked to the military map hanging on the wall and said: "As far as the current situation is concerned, a total of 50,000 powerful Cossack cavalry from the Kutuzov Department of the Russian Army are stationed in Poznan. Launch an attack on Berlin, and judging from our current situation, it is basically impossible to block the Russian army's attack. But fortunately, the Russian army does not know our specific situation yet, so it has not launched an attack on us. attack, but once they figure out our details, I am sure that the battle will start immediately. So I think we should immediately establish a defensive line to prepare for the fierce Russian attack. As for where to establish the defensive line, I have previously I've already thought about it."
After finishing speaking, Xiao Jie pointed to a small city named Frankfurt on the map (there are two Frankfurts in Germany, one is the European transportation hub in central Germany, and the other is a small city on the border with Poland. The Frankfurt mentioned here is exactly this small town). Then he said: "Pozland is directly east of Berlin, and the best route for the Russian army to attack Berlin is to attack from Poznan to the west. Since the northern part of Prussia is basically an endless plain, it is very suitable for cavalry operations. And This offensive line is right in the middle of the Oder River and the Warta River, which is very beneficial to us who are seriously understrength. We only need to establish a line of defense about 50 kilometers in the middle of the two rivers. And Frankfurt is at the center of this line of defense, so it must be the focus of the Russian army's offensive. So I chose to build the line of defense here."
"His Royal Highness, are you so sure that the Russian army will attack from Frankfurt?" Lana asked. You must know that the strength of the French army is already seriously insufficient. If this 50-kilometer line of defense is to be established, it is estimated that all the remaining legions will have to be pulled up. So if the Russian army attacks from other places, the French army will collapse across the board.
"Yes, I am very sure, Marshal. There are two reasons why I am so sure. The first is the terrain. Although the north is also a plain area, it is already close to the Baltic Sea. There are dense rivers and lakes, so it is not suitable at all. Cavalry combat. And if the Russian army wants to attack from the south, then they have to go around a big circle. Similarly, the southerly terrain is higher and more hilly, which will also affect the cavalry operations. And if you attack from the middle, except for one Oder River, it is basically a plain, and this season is the dry season of the river, and it is in the uppermost zone of the Oder River, and the deepest part is not To two meters, this is no obstacle at all for the cavalry. Secondly, it is well known that the Cossack cavalry is one of the strongest cavalry in the world, and Kutuzov must have believed in this very much. Then if we If Frankfurt builds a line of defense, he will definitely think that we are afraid of his Cossack cavalry, and he also knows that our troops are empty at that time, so he will definitely not give us extra time to gather troops. The above two points, so I am sure Kutuzov will make a breakthrough from Frankfurt." Xiao Jie explained to everyone.
After listening to Xiao Jie's analysis, everyone nodded in agreement. There was even a look of praise in Napoleon's eyes.
"Then how many troops do you plan to put in Frankfurt's defense?" asked Napoleon. This is the most important thing. The biggest problem for the French army now is the emptiness of troops.
"Because we don't have many troops now, I'm going to put the Guards Corps, the 5th Corps and the 88th Corps into this line of defense. It's probably about the same." Xiao Jie replied.
"Isn't this too small? The Guards Legion now has only more than 15,000 people left, and the 5th Legion also lost some in the previous battle, so the three legions add up to only 70,000 people , Is it too thin to guard such a long line of defense?" Napoleon asked after thinking for a while.
"But there's nothing we can do about it. Why do we have only this little force now?" Xiao Jie said with a bitter face.
Berthier thought for a moment and then replied: "There are no more troops on the front line. Only Marshal Augereau's 8th Army can be mobilized in the country."
"It's too far to transfer troops from China, and we can't wait that long," Napoleon said.
"By the way, didn't the Rhine Alliance organize two legions? Where are they located? I think the 100,000 troops will be very helpful to us." Besières suddenly said.
Everyone's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again, because although the two legions were trained by judges, their combat effectiveness was indeed not very good. It is estimated that it is a little stronger than the soldiers of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
Forget it, something is better than nothing. Xiao Jie thought so. So he said: "Although their combat effectiveness is really not flattering, but in this case, we can't take care of that much. We can let them deploy some people to defend the north and south of the defense line, and the rest can be used as a reserve team." .Even with them we can build up our defenses faster when digging trenches."
Seeing that Xiao Jie planned to use those two legions as free laborers, there was a hint of smile on the corners of everyone's mouths, they should be used as waste.
Next, Napoleon announced the combat order: the Guards Corps, the 5th Corps, and the 88th Corps will immediately go to Frankfurt tomorrow to build a line of defense to block the upcoming Russian attack on Berlin and buy time for the troops to gather. The First Rhine Army deployed 20,000 people to defend along the upper reaches of the Warta River, and the Second Rhine Army deployed 30,000 people to defend along the Spree River to prevent possible Russian attacks. Other legions that are executing combat orders must speed up their progress, complete their respective combat tasks as soon as possible, and participate in the war against Russia. The Reichsguard guards Berlin and stands ready to support the front.
Napoleon finally said: "Now I appoint the Crown Prince of France, Brigadier Andresi, as the commander of the Eastern Front, with full authority to command the armies' operations against Russia."
With a "poof", after hearing Napoleon's final appointment, Xiao Jie spit out all the coffee he drank in his mouth: You won't play tricks on me, let me, a little brigadier general, command these marshals, generals. Others were also very surprised to hear of Napoleon's appointment. Although Xiao Jie's status is noble enough to command them, the army is a place that depends on qualifications and abilities. It is somewhat unexpected for UU Reading www.uukanshu.com to let a quasi-future command these marshals and generals.
"Well, His Majesty the Emperor, should you reconsider? How can I assume this position?" Xiao Jie said with a bitter face. As the saying goes, the greater the power, the greater the responsibility, and this Eastern Front commander is not so easy to be.
"Have you no confidence in yourself?" asked Napoleon.
"No, but I'm still too young, I'm only 15 to 16 now."
"Age is not a problem, the key is that you have that ability. Since you proposed this battle plan, who else is more suitable for this position than you?" Napoleon continued to ask.
"Yes, I also think His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the most suitable candidate." Berthier first agreed. With his lead, the others all agreed.
Therefore, Xiao Jie's role as the commander of the Eastern Front was settled in this way.
(to be continued,)