Chapter seven hundred and sixty-two army deployment
However, William paid great attention to the plan proposed by the Continental Congress, especially Washington, to emancipate the black slaves.
During the American Civil War, in terms of strength, the South even surpassed the Northern federal government. However, after Lincoln's order to emancipate the black slaves, the entire war situation changed drastically.
The economy of southern North America mainly relies on farm economies such as plantations, and the most indispensable part of this farm economy is manpower. After all, current machines have not yet developed to the level of later generations. Under this situation, it can be said that the south
The number of black slaves reached a considerable number.
After the Emancipation Act was passed, the black slaves on these farms revolted against the farmers who ruled them and cooperated with the attack of the Northern Federal Army, which ultimately led to the defeat of the Southern Army.
Smart people often learn from history, and William is no exception.
You must know that most of Prussia's colonies in North America had a farm economy, and plantations still accounted for the majority of the colonies. Under such circumstances, the number of black slaves in Prussia's colonies was also very large.
After putting forward the slogan of liberating the black slaves, no matter what Prussia's previous position was, it must now deal with the Continental Congress. After all, once the Continental Congress defeats the British, their target will definitely be the Prussians. William does not want to
The colonies that were painstakingly obtained were lost amid internal and external attacks by the Continental Congress and the black slaves.
However, there is also a problem of degree.
William wanted the British to suffer a big loss, but at the same time he did not want the Continental Congress to become too big to hinder the development of the Prussian colonies. In this way, he naturally had to control the timing.
However, William was very relieved about Bruneck and Scharnhorst. Bruneck had been in North America for more than ten years. It can be said that Prussia's development in the North American colonies was inseparable from Bruneck's efforts. In this case
Therefore, William naturally believed that Bruneck could seize the opportunity.
As for Scharnhorst, William initially promoted Scharnhorst because of his reputation in history. However, it is clear that Scharnhorst did not disappoint William. He was regarded as the division commander.
He is quite competent.
In fact, William originally planned to let Scharnhorst stay in Prussia and continue to be re-employed, but Scharnhorst lacked a qualification. At the same time, Scharnhorst had an affair with Dafilia during the Mainz War.
Some minor conflicts broke out over the command, causing William's ideas to change.
Prussia currently has no shortage of high-level local generals with real power. It is obviously impossible for Scharnhorst to make further progress in a short period of time. In this case, it is better to take advantage of this opportunity and let Scharnhorst go to North America.
On the one hand, there is a big difference between the wars in North America and the wars in Europe. At least the wars in North America attach great importance to guerrillas, but in Europe, the outcome of most wars depends on the direct confrontation between the king and the king.
Moreover, in the North American colonies, Scharnhorst had Bruneck who could teach him, which was much better than Scharnhorst trying to figure it out on his own.
In addition, Scharnhorst can better qualify by going to North America.
It was out of this idea that William sent a general like Scharnhorst to North America, and also instructed Bruneck to train Scharnhorst.
Of course, in William's mind, after Scharnhorst grows up, Bruneck can be transferred to the mainland. Bruneck, who has prestige and outstanding military exploits, will undoubtedly become a very important figure in William's plan.
One ring.
"Let Bruneke make his own decision. I believe in his decision, and I will also send someone to tell him. After this matter is over, I will leave the position of the Military Department to him!"
After William finished speaking, Locks was temporarily absent-minded, and besides Locks, the same was true for everyone else in the palace.
Originally, from the perspective of Prussian senior officials, the two military chiefs of the Ministry of War and the General Staff were the most prominent positions in the Prussian military. Only Dessau, Dafilia and Ferdinand were eligible to compete. After all, these three
Not only has he accumulated illustrious military exploits, but he also has an illustrious family background.
Before that, William had indeed deliberately created this kind of atmosphere among the top management.
But now, what no one expected was that William had already made a decision in his mind about the candidate for the head of the Military Department.
It is obviously unrealistic to say that Bruneck is not qualified to serve as the chief of the Military Ministry, and no one dares to say it. Although Bruneck's background is not as good as the other three, he had previously served in the Prussian army.
His qualifications and his dedication to developing Prussia's most important overseas North American colony for more than ten years were enough to silence anyone who wanted to raise objections.
Prince Henry is already 68 years old. Since last year, Henry has asked William to resign, but William has never agreed.
But at this moment, Rocks, who suddenly lost his mind, had other thoughts in his mind.
Now that William already has a candidate for the Military Department in his mind, there is no doubt that the chief officer of the General Staff Department will become the target of competition among the remaining three people. If this happens, there will undoubtedly be an open and covert fight among the top military officials.
, this is inevitable.
Not only Rocks, but also Prince Henry felt relieved after William finished speaking.
William had not previously communicated with Henry about the candidate for the next head of the Ministry of War, which also made Henry feel a little worried about the future development of the Ministry of War. After all, Prince Henry was optimistic about the appointment of Prince Dessau as the head of the Ministry of War. It was not a big deal among Prussian senior officials.
secret.
However, because of Anna's assassination, Henry also understood that it would not be so easy for Dessau to successfully become the next chief of the military department.
Fortunately, Prince Henry was a pure soldier, and he was indeed optimistic about Dessau, but this did not mean that Prince Henry was opposed to the candidate proposed by William.
Bruneck, Henry also knew that although they had not seen each other for several years, Bruneck still had a very good impression on Prince Henry. Furthermore, Bruneck could develop in North America for more than ten years with peace of mind. At the beginning, it was only two years ago.
The state's North American colonies expanded more than three times under Bruneke's painstaking efforts.
These achievements not only show that Bruneck is a military talent, but also show that Bruneck is also a very mature official in government affairs.
Therefore, although he felt a little regretful about Dessau's defeat, Henry had no objection to Bruneck proposed by William.
But Henry sees it this way, but that doesn't mean Rocks sees it this way too.
In the military, the person Rocks relied on the most was Dessau. The two of them had intersections in many ways. It was precisely because of this relationship between the two that Dessau mobilized the army to help Rocks ambush Anna.
But who could have known that Anna was so lucky that not only did she survive, but her status also increased as Eric was appointed crown prince.
Although William did not hold Dessau and Rocks accountable, it must be said that this incident still caused Dessau to lose a lot of respect in William's heart.
In addition to the Ministry of Military Affairs, if Dessau competes for the chief of the General Staff, he will have almost no advantage. Don't forget that the former chief of the General Staff is Ferdinand's uncle, Prince Ferdinand the Elder. It can be said that
Ferdinand the Younger had an advantage that no one else could match when it came to competing for the position of Chief of Staff.
Ferdinand Sr. is not dead yet. Moreover, Ferdinand Sr. was responsible for the establishment of the General Staff Department. Although Ferdinand Sr. has retired now, because the chief officer of the General Staff Department has not yet been appointed, Ferdinand Sr.
He also received instructions from the staff department.
Fortunately, Rocks was not absent-minded for too long, and William also knew that the nobles in the palace would definitely have mood swings after his shocking words, so William did not mind Rocks's absence.
.
"By the way, there is one more thing. Dafilia, Dessau and Ferdinand stayed in their respective stations for too long. I decided to swap the defense areas of the three of them. Dessau will be responsible for the western territory of the empire.
The headquarters is located in Dortmund on the Rhine.
In addition to the three divisions of the Imperial Army, its subordinate units also include nine divisions in total: the Prussian 5th, 6th, 13th, 19th and 20th divisions.
Dafilia is responsible for the eastern territory of the empire. Its headquarters is located in western Lithuania. The troops under its jurisdiction are: 1st, 2nd, 7th, 11th and 18th divisions, a total of five divisions.
Ferdinand was responsible for the southwestern territory of the empire, with his headquarters in Stuttgart. The troops under his jurisdiction were: the 3rd, 10th, 12th, 14th and 22nd divisions, a total of five divisions.
Blücher was responsible for the southeastern territory of the empire. His headquarters was located in Brno. The troops under his jurisdiction were the 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th and 17th divisions, a total of five divisions.
The fourth division was stationed in Brandenburg, and the remaining four divisions were stationed in their respective stations."
William's words were equivalent to dividing the Prussian border into four parts, garrisoned by Dessau, Dafilia, Ferdinand and Blücher respectively.
For William, such an arrangement was a last resort. You must know that the newly occupied territory of Prussia was quite large. Under this situation, stabilizing these territories became a top priority, and mobilizing heavy troops to intimidate was the only way.
Although there is a risk of overpowering the army and weakening the army, William also believes that these armies can be controlled by him.
Compared with the other three people, Dessau undoubtedly has a heavier task, for no other reason than that the western and northern territory of the Holy Roman Empire that Cologne is responsible for not only borders the Netherlands and France, but also has the evil neighbor of Britain.
It was precisely under this situation that William assigned the troops of nine divisions to Dessau.
William's arrangement had been made by Henry before, so Henry was not surprised by it, but it was not that simple for others.
Who would have thought that just a moment ago, when William revealed that he was planning to promote Bruneck to be the head of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and when all the nobles thought that Dessau would have no chance, William actually gave Dessau the most powerful position at this moment.
important task.
At this time, these high-level officials naturally see clearly that the enemy Prussia is most likely to face is the British, and the British territory happens to be in the northwest of the empire. In this way, the position of Dessau has changed from four people
stand out among them.
Some nobles in the palace cast their eyes on a person in the palace, and this person was Ferdinand the Elder.
Everyone knows that Ferdinand Jr. had no intention of competing for the position of Chief of the Military Department from the beginning, and the Brunswick family's energy was also focused on strengthening their influence on the General Staff. Under such circumstances
, Dessau has not fallen out of favor, which is naturally not good news for the Braunschweig family.
Watching the nobles below gradually begin to whisper, William sitting at the top pretended not to see and turned a deaf ear.
Adjusting the scope of responsibility of the generals and the troops under their command was a major means for William to strengthen his control over the army.
It is undeniable that during William's adjustment, the four generals have left their developing stations, and the armies they will command in the future will be completely different from the armies they commanded before. In this way, these armies can be ensured to the greatest extent.
It is directly in William's hands rather than in the hands of some generals.
Of course, in order not to affect the combat effectiveness of the army, William specially arranged for these generals to take away one or two divisions that could be used easily. This was also to prevent any emergencies.
After a while, William, who was sitting at the top, said:
"Okay. Since everyone has no objections, let's leave. However, there is a grand banquet in the palace tonight. I hope everyone can attend!"
After saying that, William left the palace surrounded by Horned.
After William left, Rocks walked to Henry's side immediately and said:
"Your Highness, what do you think of His Majesty the Emperor's arrangements?"
Who knew that after hearing Rocks’ words, Prince Henry smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister, you are thinking too much. Your Majesty is your Majesty, and we, as ministers, just obey orders!"
After saying that, Henry had a laugh with Rocks and left the palace.
Looking at Henry's back, Rocks secretly cursed the old fox in his heart, and then before Rocks could take action, some government officials gathered around Rocks' identity, and one of Rocks' confidants asked:
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister, what is your Majesty's intention? Since Bruneker has been confirmed as the head of the Ministry of Military Affairs, he has specifically focused on strengthening Marshal Dessau. What is your intention?"
............................
After leaving the palace, Henry did not go far, but came to a side room. He saw a person waiting in the side room, and this person was Ferdinand the Elder.
"Ferdinand, are you surprised today? How do you feel? Tell me and I will listen!"
Henry smiled at Old Ferdinand, who had arrived before him. But upon hearing Henry's words, Old Ferdinand rolled his eyes and said:
"Is this still the Prince I know? Why has his speech suddenly become so slippery!"
After Ferdinand finished speaking, the smile on Henry's face also disappeared and he sat on a chair nearby and continued:
"Your Majesty's arrangement was something I had been angry with before. In my opinion, this arrangement is also the best one. After all, you originally intended to support your nephew to rise to power, and I also preferred Dessau, but the matter about Her Royal Highness the Queen
It has indeed caused Dessau to lose points. When you called me here, you didn't mean to ask me to signal Dessau to withdraw from the competition, right?"
"This kind of thing is fair competition for everyone, but His Majesty's arrangement has indeed overturned my previous plan. The worst thing is fair competition. I don't think Ferdinand will lose to Dessau!"
Hearing Ferdinand's words, Prince Henry smiled again and said:
"Old man, your temper is still so unyielding. Your nephew does have great shortcomings compared to Dessau. Moreover, I think you have not forgotten the care that the old Marshal Dessau took for us back then!"
Hearing Henry mention the old Marshal Dessau, the old Ferdinand suddenly became short of breath.
The Dessau family can be said to be meritorious ministers in the history of Prussia, with four marshals in one family. This is not an ordinary honor. The old Prince Dessau was one of the generals under Frederick the Great. The Dessau family held the throne of Austria
He made great contributions in both the Succession War and the Seven Years' War.
Both Prince Henry and Ferdinand, who were still young at that time, had served as Prime Minister of the old Marshal Dessau, and the old Prince Dessau also took good care of them, so they also had a warm affection for the Dessau family.
Maybe simple politicians won't think so much, but in the military, this kind of love has to be talked about.
Just like Dafilia, if the old Marshal Saito had not been the number one general under Frederick the Great, and if Dafilia had not been the son-in-law of the old Marshal Saito, would he have achieved what he has today?
"Besides Blücher, there is Dafilia. Don't forget. Although old Saito is dead, the prestige of the Saito family in the army is still there, especially when Marshal Saito was
There are not a few people who have served as deans of the Brandenburg Military Academy, including their disciples and former officials!”
After a moment of silence between the two, Henry spoke first.
After Henry finished speaking, Old Ferdinand struggled for a moment, and then said:
"I also know this, otherwise I wouldn't have sent someone to invite you here! To be honest, this is what I'm worried about. Marshal Qi Teng didn't have the same affection between you and me as Prince Dessau.
Love, had it not been for the strong guarantee of the old Prince Dessau, I would have been executed by Marshal Qi Teng under military law!"
While speaking, Old Ferdinand seemed to recall the situation back then, with an extremely ugly expression on his face.
And after hearing Ferdinand the Elder's words, Prince Henry's face didn't look good either.
It is undeniable that old Saito did make a significant contribution to Prussia, but one thing that has also been criticized by the world is that old Saito is not only drunk but also has a bad temper. (To be continued...)