Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Chapter 114 Countdown (2)

the deployment includes four dedicated combat corps operating at the front, with a crucial strategic element in the form of two additional guard corps specifically drawn from the petersburg military district to reinforce and support the 8th army's operations. these guard corps serve as a vital strategic reserve force.

the positioning of these two guard corps in the rear serves multiple critical functions: they provide a secure fallback position should a tactical retreat become necessary, offer comprehensive logistical and combat support to the forward units, and maintain a steady pipeline of fresh troops to replace casualties and maintain combat effectiveness in the frontline corps. this depth in force structure reflects classical russian military doctrine of maintaining substantial reserves to ensure operational flexibility and sustained combat power.

this is just one army.

and there are eight such field armies.

nevertheless, brusilov had no intention of recklessly charging ahead full of groundless confidence.

however, by this point.

'did the enemy really abandon poland?'

the general staff judged at least 70% of enemy forces headed west after belgium's invasion.

also, the austro-hungarian empire is desperate to somehow occupy belgrade, attempting initial decisive battle.

looking at these points, the eastern front is truly like an empty house.

no, actually brusilov wanted to know the answer to a question he'd held much longer.

'a mere cavalry lieutenant general rose to commander-in-chief.'

why? there were plenty of generals with better careers and more brilliant records.

among over ten infantry generals, was there really no one to sit in the offensive commander-in-chief position?

'that can't be. without the general staff's support, this position should normally have gone to someone else.'

general ivanov or general alekseyev who knew polish geography well should have come.

general aleksandr samsonov, called the soldier's standard, or general keller who commanded excellently during the russo-japanese war could have come too.

in the end, there was one reason brusilov could guess.

'...general sergei dukhovskoy.'

yes. must be that war hero who put him in this position.

the retired old general who raised a mere corps commander to commander-in-chief in just a few years.

'just how far ahead did you see?'

the tsar's order was just one.

occupy poland.

it takes just about 5 days by rail for the enemy to move forces from west to east.

and his solo run reached its peak in summer 1916.

the battle called the brusilov offensive by later generations, and the lutsk breakthrough at the time.

'leading 500,000 weak russian troops to charge at 2 million german-austro-hungarian allied forces and erase 1.9 million enemies from the front.'

if 95% of forces were lost, this means they fought and lost without even being able to flee.

how was this physically possible?

the answer lay in brusilov's insane operation plan.

brusilov split the insufficient troops into four, then ordered each to break through toward specific regions.

naturally this scattered russian forces into four, but amusingly, they all succeeded in breakthrough so the enemy couldn't devour the scattered russian forces.

looking at the map, it's like ant colonies cutting a huge elephant into four pieces then eating it.

of course, brusilov's army was also annihilated with nearly 80% casualties. add to that poor communications and frequent engagements leading to missing in action in tens of thousands.

however, with just one offensive brusilov changed not only the eastern front, but the balkan front and western front situations.

to such a brusilov, i requested.

the schlieffen imitation plan.

what would happen if this man was given sufficient troops and materials?

'wouldn't bydgoszcz easily fall into my hands too?'

if someone must sit in the offensive commander position in this country, i dare not think of any name besides brusilov.

actually after the brusilov offensive, the austro-hungarian empire switched the eastern front to defense while germany blocked the east with trenches.

if he had just a bit more troops.

if he had just a bit more time.

if he had gained command authority just a bit earlier.

wouldn't history have been different then?

changed history. even i who've ruled the empire for nearly twenty years sometimes feel history's weight is hard to change.

"your majesty, large-scale engagement with the enemy has begun at tannenberg."

"the beginning?"

however, sometimes.

one person's ability can change history.