The Rise of the Empire

"Even if the Austro-Hungarian fleet only sends two capital ships and a small number of other warships, at least the situation in the Black Sea will be completely different!" Ruprecht thought in his mind.

What is the greatest strategic advantage of the Russians? Industry is scumbag level. Although the population has an advantage, the actual effect is the same. The biggest advantage is the strategic depth, especially when attacking eastward. It is a troublesome matter for Germany!

But Ukraine and even the Caucasus region are regions that Germany must acquire. These regions may not be included in the empire's territory, but they must be controlled by the empire. If the army is used to advance, the cost will undoubtedly be high. Land Large-scale mobile operations require railways, and during the war, it is obviously impossible to improve the railway transportation in Ukraine, so the only other way is the waterway, and it is a coincidence that whether it is the granary of Europe or the oil depots of the whole of Europe Transcaucasus can be reached via the Black Sea route!

If you take a longer-term view, after occupying the Transcaucasus region through the Black Sea, it is actually tantamount to projecting troops to the most vulnerable part of Russia. The oil fields in Baku have already been taken, and the Caspian Sea oil fields are right next to them! Down south is Iran! The transnational Caspian Sea is Central Asia! The oil poles of the whole world are in the hands of Germany!

For the subsequent strategy against the Soviet Union, it is also quite useful to get the Caucasus region. The Caucasus region is a little north, which is the famous Stalingrad in history! This is an important area located at the confluence of the three major confluences. If the Caucasus region can be controlled, once it goes to war with the Soviet Union again, it will be equivalent to an extra front. The Soviet troops that have been greatly weakened need to allocate considerable managers to defend this area. After crossing the Caspian Sea, it can pose a certain threat to the Soviet Union's rear area in Central Asia! The strategic depth of the Soviet Union's greatest advantage will be greatly offset!

Let's put it this way, just from the perspective of World War I, if you want to realize the grand plan of controlling Ukraine and the Caucasus region, you only need to let the Austro-Hungarian Empire deploy two capital ships and some auxiliary warships to the Black Sea! This project is only half done! Is there any navy with better price/performance ratio than this?

As for the strategic significance after World War I, whether it is entering Central Asia, going north to the confidant of the Soviet Union, or going south to the Middle East, the Transcaucasus and the Black Sea region must be controlled. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the intersection of the entire Eurasian continent. ! This is completely the basis for achieving global hegemony!

According to the prince's speculation, the strength of the Russian navy should not be stronger than history, especially the Black Sea Fleet is even less likely to be stronger, because according to the schedule, Germany will go to war in 1912 at the latest, and Russia's shipbuilding for the Fortress of Selstopol Plant construction and renovation work has not started, not even planned! In history, the construction of the four dreadnoughts of the Black Sea Fleet started in 1911. Even if the Russians have reached the historical level, what is the use of starting the construction of the four dreadnoughts in 1911? Basically, it can't be completed, because it took 4 years for Russia to build this class of warships in history! And Russia can't survive the war for 3 years!

Even the Allied Fleet can go directly to the outskirts of Sevastopol to carry out offensive mines! If nothing else, the entire Black Sea will become the inland sea of ​​the Allies. When the Bavarian Austro-Hungarian Army pushed to the front line of Ukraine, it was even possible to directly launch a landing operation, destroy the Ukrainian granary, and accelerate the collapse of Russia. After all, the Russians' Donetsk coal mines and Ukraine's grain are the fundamental pillars that support Russia's fight. Even if Germany can't get it, as long as the Russians can't get it,

It is enough to ruin this huge empire!

And this is only the strategic interests in the Black Sea region. If the fleet can be concentrated, it is not impossible to cooperate with the army to create a new situation in the Mediterranean! In any case, Italy has been greatly weakened by the Italian-Turkish war. The military losses are actually not too great, and the prestige and economic losses are the most deadly. A war will definitely take a more cautious attitude.

If Italy does not participate in the war, although the total tonnage of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Turkish Navy is far inferior to that of France, relying on capital ships of better quality can still put a lot of pressure on Britain and France. If you can go to Greece, if the navy moves in the direction of the Aegean Sea, it is possible to eventually occupy Greece.

Historically, the fundamental reason why Germany did not push to Greece was that there was no time to manage Greece. As soon as the Eastern Front ended, a large number of German troops were transferred to the Western Front, and then launched the famous St. Milga Offensive. And on this plane, if Ruprecht's calculation is correct, Russia can be killed within 2 years, and then you can choose to go south to fight Greece. And to obtain an important foothold in the Mediterranean for post-war Germany. Going south can threaten the Suez Canal, and going west can reach the Western Mediterranean. It is also a very important area.

If Italy participates in the war, the situation will be more complicated, but it is not without chance. At least one thing is certain, if part of the main force of the Austro-Hungarian fleet merges with the two Turkish dreadnoughts, it will definitely put great pressure on the Allied Powers, and It will draw down their enormous energy. Reduce the pressure on the western and eastern fronts in disguise. In short, the prince thinks his plan is very good, the only problem is how to convince the Austro-Hungarian Empire!

Thinking of this, the prince decided to personally write a letter to the Kaiser. The content is very simple, that is, in exchange for providing technical and even economic assistance to the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the combination of the Austro-Hungarian fleet and the Turkish fleet, and a plan for deployment in the Black Sea. The navy is a system problem. It doesn’t mean that you can just find a port if you have a fleet. Historically, the battlecruiser Goeben, which hastily passed by, was troubled by port problems. After being hit by a mine, you can only make do. nothing! It was not until later that it went to the shipyard in Sevastopol for repairs.

"The Allies fighting on two fronts is very dangerous, so we must do our best to solve one side first. The Imperial General Staff requested to attack France first. Although I do not support it, I still remain silent, but when it does not affect this plan , I hope that the empire will launch more proactive actions on other fronts." The prince wrote at the beginning of the letter.

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