Chapter 187： 1st battle begins

Genius remembers the address of this site in one second: (Vertex Chinese), the fastest update! No ads! On July 25, Tsar Nicholas II held the Privy Council meeting in Tsar Village. This meeting was held by Nicholas II. In principle, the local military mobilization of the previous day was approved. And the decision to mobilize only four military regions and two naval fleets. But in fact this military mobilization eventually covered the entire European part of Russia, including 6 military regions (not 4); Warsaw, Vilnius (Baltic region), Kazan, Moscow, Kiev, Kazan, Osad .

The Russian pre-war preparation period was divided into several stages. In the first stage, the reserve soldiers need to be recalled, the navy ships return to the port to prepare for combat, the troops suspend their holidays, and the cavalry must give the horses a hand. Arrest the suspected spy and transfer valuable items from the border area. The most important task is to deploy troops and weapons to border posts and provide combat orders to frontline forces. This measure only requires the Minister of War to sign an order.

In the second stage, the scope of the recalled reserve soldiers will be expanded. Then Russian ports need to deploy mines, buy more horses and vehicles to transport supplies, and the families of military officers will move from border areas to safe areas. Recruiting narrow-gauge rolling stock (that is, the European standard gauge, Russia uses a 5-foot wide gauge), and Russia needs to implement news control, which only requires the signature of the Minister of War.

At the time of Russia's secret military mobilization, the French government, as an ally, was of course clear. For this reason, the French ambassador to Russia, Pareolog, sent a telegram to Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pienfaniu Martin, about Russia's secret mobilization of Austria-Hungary in its attack on Serbia. He also informed the Embassy’s military attache Dragish that he had moved into the Red Village and served as a liaison officer for War Minister Sukhomlinov and Grand Duke Nicholas.

Also on this day Dragis received a secret instruction from the French General Staff, requesting to communicate with Russia on the principle that the European war is inevitable. Therefore, the head of the French government is still sailing in the sea, and the diplomatic and military liaison officers stationed in Russia have entered a state of war. They have maintained contact with Paris during Russia's secret military mobilization.

At 3 pm on the 25th, the Serbian government ordered military mobilization against Austria-Hungary, and Serbia began to transport central bank reserves and documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the interior. The capital garrison has entered the field fortifications, and the munitions warehouse near Belgrade has also been moved. These were all seen by the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador Gisr. He knew that Serbia would not agree to the ultimatum, nor did Austria-Hungary think that they would agree to it.

At 5:55, Serbian Prime Minister Pasic arrived at the Austro-Hungarian Embassy. Pasic handed the diplomatic note to Gisl and spoke in intermittent German. "We can only accept some of your requests... For those remaining requests, we can only count on the noble and noble qualities that you should have as an Austrian general." (This is the original story of history)

Gisr looked at this reply unceremoniously and immediately made a judgment. Serbia’s reply was not sincere. Serbia did not even apologize publicly in this diplomatic note. He returned the documents to Pašić, and then he notified Serbia that he had not received a reply that met the requirements. He will leave Belgrade in the evening with all the staff of the Austro-Hungarian Embassy.

Jisle didn't scare anyone. His staff burned the diplomatic code in a few minutes. Gisr took his wife and the entire diplomatic mission to evacuated the embassy at 6:15 pm. On the way to the train station, he saw soldiers everywhere on the street, but the Serbian army did not detain him. He left Belgrade by train at 6:30, and at 6:45, Giesl and his party entered the territory of Austria-Hungary. American historian Sidney Fay said this set a record for the speed of severing diplomatic relations.

The Austro-Hungarian government received news from Gisl at 7:45. The military mobilization for the war was also after the foreign minister Berthold and the war minister Krobatin arrived at the palace to meet Franz Joseph. The elderly emperor agreed to mobilize for war, and at 9:23 a military mobilization order was issued by the Minister of War Crobatine.

In fact, with the efficiency of the Austro-Hungarian government, according to the words of the Chief of Staff Conrad. "It won't start until the 28th."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Berthold also discussed the military mobilization plan with him before, but because of the summer holiday (the Austro-Hungarian army released people back to collect food in July), the chief of the Austro-Hungarian army could not make the army advance. End of vacation (you can see the confusion in the management of the Austro-Hungarian army).

Moreover, the Austro-Hungarian military mobilization order is also aimed at two actual situations, the "B" plan is for fighting in the Balkans, and the "R" plan is for fighting against Russia. The two plans are actually mutually exclusive because the battlefield is in opposite directions. Now it is reasonable to say that the "B" plan should be used to fight Serbia. However, if Russia advances military mobilization, then it must turn to the "R" plan. This will also cause confusion in the Austro-Hungarian army, and it will also become the Austro-Hungarian attack on Serbia. Shortage of troops.

In Conrad's plan, UU read www.uukanshu. com needs the second week, August 12, to prepare for the invasion of Serbia. Now the Minister of Foreign Affairs Berthold cannot wait. He believes that by then the issue of Salvia will not be localized, and Russia will definitely intervene. In fact, Russia has already begun secret military mobilization, and his vision has failed.

Germany, which was the biggest support behind Austria-Hungary, did not return to Berlin until July 27, when the Kaiser, the Chief of Staff General Maurchi and the Minister of the Navy Tirpitz returned to Berlin. Prime Minister Holwig, who had returned two days earlier, introduced them to the terrible situation in Austria-Hungary. Faced with the violent Russian reaction caused by the Serbian problem, William II ordered the naval ships to return to the port of Kiel in response to part of the Russian mobilization.

In fact, German intelligence personnel have discovered the Russian military mobilization. In Kiev, they saw an artillery division heading west. Intelligence personnel in Riga also reported that the local army had begun planting mines outside the port. The most important thing is that the German consul in Warsaw sent back a telegram; all the troops were recalled from the training grounds, and a large number of infantry and cavalry were transported from Brest to Lublinko and Vele (towns near Warsaw). In the evening, hundreds of military trains ran back and forth on the road between Brest and Litaowusiq. All these make the German government believe that Russia is not only targeting the Austro-Hungarian Empire for military mobilization, but also targeting Germany.

At 11:10 am on July 28, the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia. The diplomatic note of the declaration of war stated that the Serbian government did not meet the requirements of the note submitted by the Austro-Hungarian side on July 23, 1914. The Austro-Hungarian empire could only protect its rights and interests through its own strength and had to take military measures to this end.

This is also the fact that Austro-Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Berthold hopes to be fulfilled, but he does not know that a European war that has lasted for four years has been ignited by him.