Chapter 10 Responses from countries
As the war progressed, the battlefield began to become bloody. After Prussia began its first performance, the Austrian Empire also began to show the strength that a great power should have.
On the second day alone, the Austrian army launched the larger-scale Battle of King's Mountain. Relying on the army's fierce offensive, it successfully pulled the front line into the near end of the Danish fortifications.
The Danish line of defense immediately appeared precarious. If other German states also join in, Denmark's defense is likely to face greater difficulties.
In the battlefield filled with gunpowder, the number of heavy weapons of the German countries continues to increase, and the number of artillery continues to increase.
Hundreds of artillery pieces fired at the same time, intensifying the pressure on the Danish defense line. The flames illuminated the night and the weather began to turn bad.
However, the Danes' positions were obviously unable to fully cope with such a strong artillery attack, and their morale dropped significantly after being baptized by the artillery.
Seeing the danger of the line of defense and the possibility of being outflanked, the Danish commander-in-chief, General Mesa, has already begun to consider abandoning the position here.
On the fourth day, Mesa held an emergency meeting, and the Danish generals present at the meeting looked solemn.
The commanders of all the troops are complaining about the difficulty of the war. There is overwhelming firepower and countless troops on the opposite side, and the soldiers haven't shot yet! He was wounded by flying shells.
At the same time, they complained about the incompetence of the domestic government. Not only did the British stand still, but the expected Nordic coalition was not formed.
Denmark is now in a state of isolation and helplessness. If the troops are buried here, they will simply surrender later.
"Okay, I didn't call you here to listen to complaints. I also know the difficulties we are facing, but we have no way out!" General Mesa scolded, and then said: "Now there are two roads before us. One, stick to the position and fight the enemy to the end."
As soon as the voice fell, some people began to object: "Shopping! How to fight? This place is obviously untenable, even if we double the number of people, we can't do it."
The others immediately agreed, and it was really hopeless to rely on this line of defense to complete the defense.
Mesa looked at the noisy soldiers under him, and reprimanded with a blank face: "Enough, I didn't call you here to quarrel, do you still look like soldiers, if quarreling can solve the problem, go to the enemy to quarrel!"
The venue immediately fell silent, and Mesa went on to say: "Now, the second point is to retreat from the current fortifications, delaying the enemy's attack, so as to find the enemy's flaws later. Now it's time to choose and start speaking."
Immediately, a military officer said, "Commander, I think the retreat can save a chance of survival. If we can persuade the governments of other countries to intervene in the follow-up, we still have a chance of winning. Blindly defending this place will inevitably lead to death."
Most of the officers nodded in approval, but General Mesa did not dare to make a decision lightly.
"What you said is very good, but evacuation is also risky. In terms of weather alone, it is now winter. How to ensure an orderly evacuation of troops is a big problem. However, we really have no other choice, but after careful consideration, let's vote! "
Subsequently, General Mesa asked his generals to vote anonymously. The main reason was that Mesa was not optimistic about the trend of the war.
Adopt the most democratic way, even if there is a problem, the collective decision can be used as an argument.
Anonymous voting is used to prevent investigators from saying that they manipulated the meeting and acted arbitrarily.
With the announcement of the voting results, the withdrawal of the protection of the vital forces was unanimously approved, with no negative votes.
So, the Danes began to retreat that night, but the weather conditions were beyond expectations, and the retreating Danish army encountered a blizzard.
The sudden blizzard disrupted the plans of the Danes. On winter nights, the wind was already bitterly cold, but suddenly snowflakes floated in the sky, and then the cold wind mixed with goose-feather-like snow quickly dyed the ground white.
The marching team in a single line stepped on the white snow and pulled into a long black dragon, but tonight's moon is hiding behind the black clouds.
The troops who hadn't turned on the lights at all, and the eyes were dark. The military boots step on the snow, and the white snow under the feet gradually turns into black and muddy snow.
Without railway assistance, the Danish army could only trek long distances in the snowstorm. The low morale made the march more difficult. The team slowly began to lose control of the commander from the initial order.
The chaos aggravated the turmoil of people's hearts, the sound of abuse gradually rose, the neighing of men and horses mixed together, and the mules and horses also slacked off in the snow, the sound of whipping and cursing were intertwined in the night sky, and it was dignified and bleak with the roar of the wind and snow .
Sitting in the rear, General Mesa, who had not yet evacuated, looked at the blizzard outside the fortifications, and his uneasiness intensified in his heart, and dark clouds filled his heart.
However, it is no longer possible to take back the order, and the large army has been on the way for a long time, so it is naturally difficult to stop halfway.
General Mesa can only hope that the God of Destiny will bless Denmark, but from Mesa's gloomy complexion that he can't squeeze out a drop of water, it can be seen that his heart is not that peaceful.
In the early morning of the next day, following the light of dawn, the Danish army began to inspect the losses. Affected by the weather, a large number of supplies and weapons were left behind in the wind and snow, and the hasty retreat also increased the non-combat attrition of personnel.
There are also unlucky ones who got separated from the main force at night, and I am afraid it will be difficult to gather again.
It was a less than ideal retreat, even catching up with the losses of a small battle.
However, the Danish army completed its retreat in the early morning of the sixth day, preserving most of its vital forces and continuing the war.
Poor General Mesa still did not escape his guilt. When the news of the failure of the retreat came back to China, angry people took to the streets and marched. Mesa was dismissed because of his failure to command the retreat.
The Danish government still has no intention of surrendering and negotiating a peace. Although the front line is temporarily defeated, the main force is still there, and you can still give it a go.
The remaining Danish troops withdrew to Flensburg to continue to resist the attack of the coalition forces, and the war continued.
Although the government does not intend to surrender, its heart is still cold. The expected interference from various countries has not come, and the most abominable ones are the British and Sweden.
Denmark is the fulcrum of British control of the Baltic Sea, and Sweden and Denmark are even more bitter, although there are some old things in history and these two countries.
But Denmark is no longer the small power that could disrupt the situation in Europe. Countries allow Denmark to fail, and Denmark's decline will go further.
The Danish government is already in a hurry, the United Kingdom has not responded for a long time, and other countries are even desperate.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs almost "occupied" the British Embassy, and the British Minister in Denmark sent the news back to China in detail.
However, the United Kingdom has not yet reached a unified consensus. The royal family, the government, and the army compete with each other, but there is no detailed plan for sending troops.
Britain can only send a message to the ambassador to Denmark, one word "Trust". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively traveling to the Nordic countries and the Russian Empire, but there is no major progress.
(end of this chapter)