With the defeat of Mannerheim's Dresden Army, the Russian front in southern Germany completely collapsed.
The German army's pursuit was extremely relentless, and in response, the Austrian army also attacked. Caught between the German army moving south and the Austrian army moving north, the Russian Empire army suffered unprecedented heavy losses since the start of the war.
However, it was thanks to Mannerheim's fierce efforts that many soldiers were able to escape the siege and were not completely surrounded and annihilated.
Of course, they had no attachment to the occupied Austrian land. Instead, they wanted to buy themselves a little more time and allow as many soldiers as possible to escape... Mannerheim's bold decision came in the form of conserving military strength and buying time in exchange for the loss of territory.
but....
"Why did you retreat?!"
The angry shouts of Emperor Nicholas II echoed through the Imperial Headquarters in Mohilyo, eastern Belarus. Mannerheim was summoned on an emergency call, and it was Nicholas II, his face red with blood, who greeted him.
"I told you at the start of the war! Don't back down even one step!"
The reference was, of course, Order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR No. 227. During the Great Patriotic War, Stalin had used this order to forbid retreating without orders, and any violators were court-martialed.
"But Your Majesty, if things continue like this there will be unnecessary damage..."
"I know that!"
When Mannerheim tried to explain himself, Nicholas II loudly scolded him, foaming at the mouth and his eyes about to pop out of his head.
"This is a political issue! You, a mere commander, have unilaterally ordered your subordinates to retreat!
In other words, what should be blamed is the question of whether or not unilateral action was appropriate...in order to maintain order in a top-down organization such as the military, "orders from superiors" are absolute, and "unilateral action on the ground" is never permitted.
This "plan-oriented" approach contrasts sharply with the American and German militaries, which emphasize "flexibility," but when you consider the difference in educational levels, it's clear which approach is more appropriate for Russia. In most cases, it's better to follow orders and manuals than to leave it to the discretion of an incompetent commander.
Since the abilities of the soldiers and commanders could not be trusted, it would be better to sacrifice tactical success in order to strengthen unity and order as an organization... that was the thinking of the Emperor and the army.
(Above all, this is the perfect opportunity to purge Mannerheim, who humiliated me during the Winter War. I won't let you say you've forgotten the grudge from the Winter War...)
In 1917, before the Soviet Union, let alone Finland, had even been born, Nicholas II, aka Stalin, was eager to take out his 13-year-old grudge against Mannerheim, who knew nothing about it.
There was no thought given to the fact that there was a limit to their vindictiveness, or that even if they were to purge them someday, now was not the best time. If they were winning, they might show mercy with the confidence of the winner, but when they lose, it is human nature to lose their cool.
However, his opponent was Carl Gustav Mannerheim, who would later become the hero of Finland's national salvation. He was not the kind of person who would be purged so easily, and he boldly and unashamedly held out against the angry Tsar.
"I assure you, Your Majesty, that is not a retreat."
"Don't lie!"
In a fit of rage, he slammed his fist on the table, but Mannerheim did not back down. He rallied his strength to push forward, and took a step forward.
"I swear to God I'm not lying."
This was a gamble for him too. If he failed, his life would be lost.
"We have half our forces pinning down the enemy and the other half securing the bridgehead."
"...Continue."
Nicholas II stopped yelling and urged Mannerheim to go ahead and try.
"In other words, we were simply moving our forces to a more advantageous position in preparation for the upcoming counterattack."
Due to the aggressive nature of Nicholas II, the Russian army has various restrictions on retreat, but is very aggressive in attacking. Therefore, there is a precedent that allows arbitrary decision-making on the ground to expand the results of the battle, but only for attacks.
A typical example is the Brusilov Offensive, in which the cavalry commander had the authority to attack and move his troops for that purpose at his own discretion.
In other words--.
"When I had my troops withdraw, it was not a 'retreat'. I was simply 'redirecting' my troops to a more advantageous position in the event of an attack."
"Wha...?"
It was all sophistry, wordplay, and Imperial Headquarters announcements, but Mannerheim had no choice but to cling to it.
but--.
"Call the guards!"
The result was unfavorable. Nicholas II was furious, his lips trembling, and he looked as if he was about to strike out at any moment.
"Put this fraud in jail!!"
The guards frantically tried to restrain Mannerheim, but a low baritone voice rang out, interrupting them.
"Please wait, Your Majesty!"
It was Brusilov who stepped forward to protect his subordinate.
"There is something I would like to say to Your Majesty."
"Brussilov...what's wrong?"
The deadly glare of his eyes was now aimed at Brusilov, who hesitated for a moment, but then he pursed his lips and began to speak to calm Nikolai.
"Moving to the rear in preparation for an attack... prohibiting this would severely restrict the freedom of our troops. Please reconsider."
Even if an attack is ultimately launched, it is not uncommon for a force to have to defend temporarily. It is common for an advance force to buy time when the main force is delayed.
Especially at the strategic level, it is necessary to conserve forces in other areas in order to concentrate on the decisive point.
However, at this time, what is required in areas other than the final point is not to "maintain occupied territory" but to "buy time" and, if possible, to "conserve military strength". If you try to defend at such a time, you will waste your military strength, which will lead to a depletion of your military strength in the long term.
"The front against Germany is now larger than ever before. We must consider the entire vast front consisting of multiple theaters and think about how to link and utilize them efficiently. Allowing front-line commanders to "change course" at their own discretion should contribute to a significant improvement in command efficiency."
"...So you're saying we should adopt Mannerheim's opinion?"
"It is for the sake of our empire and victory. I would like to ask you to acknowledge his words and not hold him responsible for this matter - would that be acceptable to you?"
After he finished speaking, Brusilov bowed deeply and rubbed his head on the ground.
"I'd like to ask you to do the same!"
"If General Mannerheim is to be punished, so am I!"
"Then me too."
Then Kuropatkin, Wrangel, Kornilov and the other generals joined in. While the powerful commanders all bowed their heads and pleaded, Nicholas remained silent without saying a word.
(Mannerheim holds a grudge against him over the Winter War. I would like to execute him here and there if I could...)
If the punishment was to be carried out, a backlash from the military would be unavoidable. This could lead to a further deterioration of the war situation, and in the worst case scenario, the military could stage a coup and depose the emperor.
(I could purge them all at once, but they're too precious to lose... at least, for now.)
In addition, I gradually came to understand that Brusilov's opinion was reasonable. Executing Mannerheim would be easy, but it would be troubling if this incident caused the soldiers to become intimidated and they would be unable to make efficient operational plans.
When it comes to the Soviet army, there is an image of it being an army with rigid command that did not allow unilateral retreat, as stated in the famous slogan "Never back down a single step!", as stated in the Soviet People's Commissar of Defense Order No. 227. However, in reality, this was not a problem if a favorable situation could be created by retreating.
In other words, the Soviet army's retreats could be criticized or praised depending on the "results of the battle," and there were aspects of it that were more flexible than those of the French and German armies, which clearly stated "defend to the death" in articles and Führer orders, and the Japanese army, which prohibited arbitrary decisions by field commanders.
(Well, I guess there's no other way... this time it would be to my advantage to listen to Brusilov's plea. I'll find another reason to execute Mannerheim at some point.)
Stalin was a man of tenacity and even more of patience. He was able to weigh the pros and cons, and suppress his personal likes and dislikes if the former outweighed the latter. That is why he was able to oust Trotsky, take Lenin's place, and win the Great Patriotic War.
"...I understand. I will let this matter go unpunished."
"thank you!"
Mannerheim and Brusilov bowed deeply. Mannerheim in particular was grateful for the good fortune of having survived, as he had half expected nothing to happen.
**
Ironically, this trial led the Imperial Russian Army to take a lead over other nations in the tactical philosophy of "defense."
In modern warfare, there are three types of "defensive tactics": "defense" to maintain territory, "retreat" to maintain military strength, and "delay" to buy time.
However, in the classical idea of "defensive tactics," the concept of "delay" does not exist among the three above. In actual history, it was necessary to wait for the completion of the theory by the Soviet Red Army, but Nicholas unexpectedly brought it to the Russian Empire ahead of time.
However, it must be added that this only applied to some veteran and elite units, and the majority of units newly recruited after the war began continued to be ordered to "defend to the death."
--- It is easy to replace new recruits, but it is impossible to replace veterans.
Although this is a very rational reason, it is hard for those who were conscripted to accept it. Still, they cannot be picky about the means in order to win. Those who were fortunate enough to be on the "choosing side" were grateful that they were not "those chosen," and continued to sacrifice promising young people who had just been conscripted with the justified logic of "a necessary evil."