Chapter 317 As if facing an enemy (seeking a monthly ticket)

Belarus, Stevka, General Command of the Russian Army. Because the occupation was not going well, Grand Duke Nicholas, the commander-in-chief of the Russian Army, had already arrived here from St. Petersburg, and personally took command of the Russian army's battle on the front line.

However, the losses of the Russian army on the front line are still very astonishing. The Northwest Front Army lost four successive armies, more than 900,000 people, and they were all elite standing troops. Such a heavy loss has reached the point where the Russian army is shattered. If it weren't for the gradual mobilization of the Russian army, the Russian army might have failed long ago.

Although the Russian Southwest Front Army still holds the upper hand. But the loss is also not small. If the losses of the two front armies are added up, the Russian army has lost more than one million people in this war. Even if the Russian army has more troops, it will not last long under such a loss!

"General Ivanov, according to the exact information we have received, the German 8th Army has already moved south and will soon arrive at the battlefield to launch an attack on the Southwest Front Army. The Southwest Front Army is ready to meet the Germans. Is it?" Grand Duke Nicholas looked solemn.

Although the German 8th Army was only a force of less than 200,000 people, the heavy casualties they caused to the Russian army made the generals of the Russian army terrified. If it is said, what opponents these Russian generals are most afraid of fighting, then the German 8th Army is definitely the first to bear the brunt. The four Russian armies were successively defeated and annihilated by the German 8th Army. Such a record is enough to scare these generals.

"Your Excellency the Grand Duke, when will the 13th Army arrive on the battlefield?" Admiral Ivanov asked.

Originally, the Southwest Front Army had five armies under its jurisdiction, namely the Russian 3rd Army, 4th Army, 8th Army, 9th Army and 11th Army. However, because of the disastrous defeat of the Northwest Front Army, the Russian army had to transfer the 9th Army to the north to reinforce the Northwest Front Army. But I didn't expect that letting the 9th Army go north would be death. Now, there are only 4 army groups left in the Southwest Front Army. Relying on the strength of these four armies, Admiral Ivanov is confident of defeating the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If he receives further reinforcements and the logistical support can keep up, it will definitely not be difficult to defeat the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, when he met a German 8th Army that wiped out nearly a million Russian troops, he felt a little uncertain.

After the defeat of the Northwest Front Army, General Ivanov also organized staff to evaluate the combat effectiveness of the German 8th Army. In the end, it was concluded that if the Russian army wanted to resist the attack of the German 8th Army, at least two full-staffed main army groups would be needed, which would be 600,000 people! It is more than three times the size of the German 8th Army. Another double would be needed if the German 8th Army was to be defeated. You know, even the Russian Southwest Front Army, there are only so many troops in total now. Obviously, it is impossible to use all of them to deal with the German 8th Army. The Austro-Hungarian Empire still has several armies deployed on the front line, which is not for show. Although the combat effectiveness of the Austro-Hungarian Army is not strong, if the German army restrains the main force of the Russian army, the Austro-Hungarian Empire will definitely not let go of this good opportunity to defeat the Russian army. After all, the weapons and equipment of the Austro-Hungarian Army are still very sophisticated, even better than the Russian Army. The industrial strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was already much stronger than that of Russia.

"The 13th Army, I have ordered them to speed up. However, it will take half a month at the earliest to reach the battlefield. Moreover, because the 13th Front Army is a newly formed force, many weapons and equipment are not in place. The artillery only Half, and the machine gun is only two-thirds." Grand Duke Nicholas said helplessly.

Although Russia can mobilize millions of troops, it is undoubtedly very difficult for them to arm these millions of troops. If you have enough time, maybe you can slowly equip. But it is a pity that the military situation is urgent now, and there is not so much time for them! It is precisely because of this that Grand Duke Nicholas had to send many unarmed troops to the battlefield. Although he knew that this was to send those Russian soldiers to die, he had no other choice!

Admiral Ivanov nodded, but the expression on his face became more serious.

"General Ivanov, the situation in the country is very bad now. Because our army has suffered heavy losses on the front line, the people in the country are excited. Many people blame the imperial government for this. Therefore, we cannot continue to fail. This time, In the face of the joint operations of the Germans and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Southwestern Front Army must find a way to win. Otherwise, the consequences will be very serious. I will do my best to help you." Grand Duke Nicholas said.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Grand Duke. I will definitely do my best. I hope that in addition to the 13th Army being able to arrive at the battlefield as soon as possible, our logistical supplies must be guaranteed. The Germans are very powerful. They not only The firepower is strong, and the assault capability is abnormal. If we can't even guarantee logistical support, we will be even more unable to fight against them!" General Ivanov said.

Grand Duke Nicholas nodded. The poor logistics support system of the Russian army has always been criticized by people. In a fierce battle, if the army's logistics cannot be guaranteed, there is no way to fight this battle.

"General Ivanov, you must be very clear about our actual situation. Regarding logistical support, I am under a lot of pressure. However, in view of the current situation, I will do my best to provide logistical support to the Southwest Front Army." Nico Grand Duke La said.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Grand Duke." Admiral Ivanov nodded.

"By the way, Your Excellency the Grand Duke. The German 8th Army has gone south. Why don't we send troops to attack East Prussia? This is a good opportunity!" Ivanov said. It would be great if it could be used to force the German 8th Army back.

Grand Duke Nicholas shook his head: "Because of the heavy losses, we don't have any extra troops to rebuild the Northwest Front Army. It is estimated that the Northwest Front Army will not be rebuilt until next spring. In addition, the Germans have long been prepared. A large number of armies are gathering towards East Prussia and the Kingdom of Poland to fill the gap left by the 8th Army going south."