The Prussian army intended to open up the situation in the southwest, but did not affect the strategic layout of the Tsarist government. Marshal Ivanov continued his previous strategy.

For a war that has participated in millions, the gains and losses on the local battlefield are no longer so important.

As long as the southwestern front does not collapse completely, it is within the scope of the allowable of the Tsarist government, they now have a more important goal - Smolensk.

No matter how well the Pu army prepared, war always kills people.

Smolensk has become a meat grinder, with thousands of people falling down every day. The cruel casualties are a difficult test for both the Russian army and the Prussian army.

After one month of war, in order to compete for Smolensk, the number of casualties of the Russian army exceeded 100,000; the Pu army, as the defenders, did not gain much advantage, and the number of casualties reached more than 70,000.

Half of these were killed or disabled, and permanently left the battlefield. It can be said that both Pratt and Russia suffered heavy losses.

The cold numbers in the battle report did not shake Marshal Ivanov's will, but instead strengthened his previous judgment.

The war of attrition is the cruelest and the most reliable. If it continues to be consumed according to the current situation, Russia will definitely not be the first to be unable to hold on.

Marshal Ivanov's ability to accept it does not mean that others can accept it. The heavy casualties still aroused doubts within the Tsarist government.

Hermitage, at the government meeting

Home Secretary Mikhail took the lead in attacking: "Marson Marshal, it's only been more than a month since the war started, and we have suffered more than 100,000 casualties. The front line has hardly advanced forward. Shouldn't you explain it?"

Ivanov said unmoved: "Your Excellency, to be precise, from the start of the war to the present, we have killed a total of 65,863 people and injured 97,684 people.

Oh, this is the data counted two days ago, and now this number should have increased a lot. The total number of casualties this month exceeded 200,000, and there is no problem.

However, you can't just see our losses, the enemy's losses are not small. Judging from the statistical data, the number of casualties in the Pu army has approached 60,000."

The "Kamen Victory" that was full of water contributed a quarter of this number, directly bringing the exchange ratio between PAS and Russia closer.

Chancellor of the Finance Minister Christenval: "His marshal, no one denies your achievements. The problem is that our losses are too great now, and the war has only started for more than a month!"

Ivanov sneered: "There is no immortal in the war. As long as you can win, any sacrifice is worth it.

Of course, it is not impossible to end this war as soon as possible, but it will cause great harm to our international reputation."

It was now time and I still wanted to fight for power and profit. Ivanov hated these politicians and did not give them any face.

Whether it is really dissatisfied or to show it to the Tsar, this question must be different from one's own opinion.

The Chancellor of the Finance Minister Christaval asked excitedly: "What method? As long as we can achieve this war, we can slowly restore our international reputation."

It’s not that Christaval doesn’t value international reputation, but that their international reputation is originally the bottom of Europe. If you give up, how bad can it be?

Everyone turned their eyes to Ivanov, looking forward to his answer.

After pausing, Ivanov pretended to be relaxed: "It's very simple. You can follow the example of Tartars and send troops to the enemy's territory to carry out destruction and minimize their potential for war."

Everyone took a breath. It was not a destruction, it was clearly a massacre.

Foreign Minister Chris Basham hurriedly opposed: "No, doing so will provide an excuse for Britain and France to interfere in this war. At that time, even Austria will not support us."

It is now the 19th century, and it is no longer appropriate to play a massacre on the European continent.

Through the eyes of everyone, Ivanov knew that no one supported this plan. It was not that everyone didn't want to, but mainly because they didn't dare to do so. Russia could not bear the consequences of the massacre.

Ivanov: "If this is the case, then we can only ease it, just sabotage and not kill people."

When I said this, Ivanov himself did not believe it. It was completely idealism to only engage in destruction and not kill people.

During the actual operation, the enemy will definitely resist. How can it be possible to not kill people after a conflict? The battlefield was full of eyes, and the Russian army's military discipline could not be restrained at all.

Moreover, Ivanov was preparing to send Cossack cavalry to implement this plan, and the situation became even more uncontrollable.

Alexander II shook his head: "It is impossible not to kill people, but you must kill them selectively. Solve the enemy's young and strong, leave the old and weak, and give the international community an explanation.

Talk about your plan. The enemy is not a fool. It is not that easy to go deep into the enemy's territory alone. If you are bitten by the enemy, it will be a big trouble."

Alexander II no longer cared about fame and other things. Since he was already an enemy, he naturally had to weaken it as much as possible. If he had not taken into account the reactions of European countries, he would not mind a massacre.

Ivanov: "Your Majesty, this plan is to move sea and land together. The Cossack cavalry dressed as robbers on land, crossing the border to carry out destruction.

The sea attack was the same as the last war, except that this time we had a special mission. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, some troops may need to dress up as pirates.

We can issue privateing permits to encourage civilian armed forces to participate in robbery on enemy coastal areas. It would be even better if real pirates can be attracted to participate.

Considering the position of the Vienna government, the hostages plundered by the pirates could be sold to Austrian colonial merchants.”

Ci was not in charge of the army, and in order to win the war, Ivanov had given up his moral integrity.

After weighing the pros and cons, the room became quiet. No one supported or opposed it. Obviously, everyone is an elite among the bureaucrats and refuses to stand up for the responsibility.

Alexander II glared at everyone fiercely: "Why are you all mute? Whether you support or oppose, you must have a clear attitude today."

He paused and added: "If you object, come up with a better plan. The situation on the battlefield is in crisis, and there is not so much time to waste it for you."

As a last resort, the Chancellor of the Finance Minister Christaval stood up: "Your Majesty, Marshal Ivanov's proposal is very good, but there are some details that need to be improved.

It is not easy to go deep into the enemy territory. If you are not careful, you will be wiped out. How can we ensure the safety of the troops we sent?"

I agreed. There was no way. Christaval was not good at fighting, so it was completely embarrassing for him to come up with a combat plan.

Ivanov said confidently: "This is very simple. On the front battlefield, we have already restrained the main force of the Prussian army, and the enemies behind will not be too powerful.

Moreover, there are airship reconnaissance, which can grasp the enemy's large-scale troops and make timely adjustments.

As long as the troops attacked by sea and land do not go too deep into the inland areas, they can completely evacuate before the enemy arrives. We are just doing destruction and do not need to occupy the land.

The main ones were Cossack cavalry on land, and they came and went like the wind. Only the Polish cavalry could pose a threat to them, but their number was too small.

Because of logistics, we will control the scope of activities and will not stay away from the main force."

This is all theoretical. In actual combat, Ivanov is definitely not as simple as Isainov said. Not to mention anything else, as long as the Prussian army takes action at night, the airship will not be able to detect it.

Even if the Pu army was mobilized, high-altitude reconnaissance could not distinguish between the main force and cannon fodder. If the Pu army was willing, it could completely put on military uniforms to impersonate the army.

Marshal Ivanov naturally would not say these issues, otherwise something would happen again. He had no expectations for the military level of his colleagues.

...

Ivanov breathed a sigh of relief when the resolution was passed. Once this plan was opened, it would be bloody and the reputation of the Russian Empire would fall to the bottom again.

No matter how beautify it, it will be a dark history.
Chapter completed!