As soon as the teaching time came the next day, William hurried to the study room, opened the door and saw old Hans sitting on the wicker chair rocking and shaking.
Old Hans looked up and when he saw it was William, he pointed to the chair next to him and started talking again:
“On April 11, Britain, encouraged by a series of victories, promised to give His Majesty the King an additional subsidy of 670,000 pounds in October and promised not to negotiate one-sidedly.
At that time, His Majesty could no longer collect larger taxes in our territory. His Majesty began to collect taxes in Saxony, issue currency, and hire Jewish bankers to exchange foreign currencies. In the spring of 1758, he re-raised an army with a total of 140,000 people.
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In April, His Majesty once again led 70,000 troops southward, aiming directly at Vienna. However, he encountered a thorn in the side of the city of Olmitz in Moravia. His Majesty surrounded the fortress, but insufficient engineers and soldiers prevented him from storming it.
The 4,000 carts transporting supplies were completely captured by an army rebuilt by Marshal Daun of Austria. After a futile confrontation with the Austrians until July, they heard that a new Russian army commanded by Fermor had joined forces.
The Swedes were sweeping through East Prussia and were only a few days away from Berlin.
His Majesty had no choice but to give up his attempt to go south and led 15,000 elite troops to the north for rescue. On the way, he joined two troops, bringing the total army to 34,000, enough for a battle.
On August 25, His Majesty once again used his favorite diagonal tactics in the Battle of Zorndorf that broke out. However, the actual combat was unfavorable due to the terrain. The tenacity and bravery displayed by the Russians in the battle were something we have never seen before.
, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz and his cavalry won for us all the honors that can be won by fighting in a day's war. In the evening, the Russians retreated in an orderly manner.
In this battle, the Russian army suffered 18,000 casualties and prisoners, but we also suffered 12,000 losses.
While His Majesty was fighting in the north, Field Marshal Daun of Austria was advancing steadily in the south, encircling the army of His Majesty's brother Prince Henry in Dresden, Saxony.
When His Majesty learned about it, he immediately led his troops to return for reinforcements. Daun's attack changed its target due to His Majesty's rapid reinforcements. At the same time, the second Austrian army began to enter Silesia and surrounded Nice.
Your Majesty left Dresden on September 26th, eager to relieve the siege of Nice. However, the Austrian Daun held an impregnable position and blocked our army's path. His Majesty did not want to retreat, so he camped not far from the enemy.
They waited for supplies from the rear for four days.
At 5 o'clock in the morning on October 14, our army's camp suddenly suffered an unknown attack. It soon became clear that it was the entire main force of the Austrian army led by Daun who launched the surprise attack in the thick fog. His Majesty the King risked his life and death.
In the fire net, we tried to reorganize the front, but the situation between the enemy and ourselves was very unoptimistic. With 37,000 troops against 80,000 troops, we had no chance of winning anyway.
In the end, it was all thanks to Marshal Keyes and his men who died in battle to hold back the enemy, so that our army could break out of the encirclement. After the war, our army left 9,450 corpses on the battlefield. Fortunately, Austrian Daun
The marshal was also concerned that the formation was scattered and did not pursue it, so our army was able to escape."
Earl Hans touched the small table for a long time as if his heart was palpitating. He touched the teacup, picked it up, took a sip and then said:
"In that battle, our army fought so fiercely that His Majesty considered committing suicide. The quantity, quality, and training of our army were all declining, and any losses suffered by the other side could be quickly replenished. In addition, with Marshal Daun like this
With capable generals leading the Austrian army, it is obvious that our army cannot win unless a miracle occurs. And His Majesty does not believe in miracles at all.
At that time, our army was full of failure theories. From the generals to the soldiers, they were all pessimistic about our future. On the second day of the Battle of Hokki, His Majesty's sister, Countess Wilhelmina, passed away.
He is dead. He wrote an article "Justifying Suicide" that day and said: Once I choose to do this, I can end this tragedy. The war in 1758 ended quietly in the thick snow.
Spring arrived and new French troops entered the battlefield.
On April 13, 1759, at Bergen near Frankfurt, a French army commanded by Duke II of Broglie gave Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick his first defeat.
But on August 1, at the Battle of Minden, Prince Ferdinand regained his prestige and decisively defeated Marshal Broglie and the Marquis of Contadez with a force of 43,000 German, British and Scottish troops.
He commanded 60,000 French troops, but his own losses were very slight, allowing him to allocate 12,000 to support our army to make up for His Majesty the King's heavy losses in the eastern campaign.
The role of this reinforcement was huge. It helped our army's morale, which had hit rock bottom, begin to rise, and it also gave His Majesty a sense of optimism about the prospects of the war.
On July 23, Russian General Peter Semyonovich Saltykov led a force of 50,000 Russian and Cossacks to defeat a 26,000-strong Chinese army at the Battle of Parzig.
This was purposely left by His Majesty the King to defend the road from Poland to Berlin. In this way, there would be no more obstacles on the way for the Russians to advance straight into the Prussian capital. His Majesty had no other choice but to rely on his brothers to hold Drei
Stern, to resist the Austrian army of Marshal Daun; while His Majesty himself led the army against the Russian army.
After replenishment on the way, our army returned to 48,000 people. However, the 18,000 Austrian cavalry led by Laudon left Marshal Daun's military camp at this time and joined the Russian army. Saltkov's
The Russian-Austrian coalition forces numbered 68,000.
On August 12, 1759, our army and the Russian and Austrian allied forces launched the most brutal fighting since the War of Spanish Succession. For His Majesty, it was also the most tragic war.
In the early 12 hours of the Battle of Küllersdorf, His Majesty had a slight advantage, but then the enemy's reserves, 18,000 Austrian cavalry led by Ernst Gideon von Laudon, rushed out and defeated the exhausted troops.
Our army was defeated.
His Majesty went crazy on the battlefield to prevent our troops from retreating. He charged three times and his mount was killed three times. A small gold box placed in His Majesty's pocket blocked a bullet that might have ended his life. Your Majesty was confident that he could escape death.
Doom was deeply dissatisfied. He shouted: Why didn't a bullet hit me?
Our soldiers asked His Majesty to retreat to safety. Many of them were immediately shot and killed. His Majesty cried out imploringly: "Children, please don't leave your king now, your father - me!" But
, our army really had no way to advance. Many soldiers in our army fought for 6 hours under the scorching sun without taking a sip of water. Finally, the soldiers began to retreat, and His Majesty was forcibly taken away by us. Post-war statistics
There were more than 20,000 soldiers who were not able to evacuate and were killed or injured, while our enemy, the Russian-Austrian coalition, lost only 15,700 soldiers.