African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 1154: Chapter 163: Learning

Austro-Hungarian Command Headquarters.

At this moment, the command headquarters had become like a marketplace, with telegraphs and telephones ringing incessantly from all directions. Reporters and telephone operators were shouting to report information from various fronts.

Movements on the front lines, requests for artillery support from the troops, certain places being pushed back by Serbia, and even urgings from the Vienna direction regarding the war, all kinds of chaotic information were converging in Potiorek’s command headquarters.

It could be said that Potiorek was receiving new information every moment, and he needed to make corresponding judgments in a short time, then issue orders.

The atmosphere inside the entire Austro-Hungarian military command was very tense, and with the sound of artillery fire occasionally reaching their ears, the command was even more oppressive.

”Report to the general, the 104th Infantry Brigade directly under the 5th Army Group has captured Antala Town and is advancing towards Moka Village.”

Potiorek: ”Very well, have them take Moka Village before ten o’clock and advance towards Zladibor.”

”General, a telegram from the Vienna direction, His Highness the Crown Prince is inquiring about our battlefield situation.”

Currently, the entire Austro-Hungarian army is mainly under the responsibility of Crown Prince Rudolph. Today, the situation is quite different from the past; previously, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had to be overseen by Franz personally due to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, which was evidently not friendly to an elderly man over eighty years old.

In this time and space, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is much stronger. Crown Prince Rudolph can share Franz’s burden. Although Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, he did not die. Although he cannot directly participate in the war, he can still participate in military decisions from the rear.

Potiorek said to the telegraph operator: ”Reply to His Highness the Crown Prince that our army is moving smoothly within Serbia, ensuring that within three days, we will be at the gates of Belgrade.”

Up to now, the war is still under Potiorek’s control, developing in the direction he envisioned.

At this stage, the Austro-Hungarian Empire has a complete advantage. Besides the local Bosnian corps, Potiorek also has two relatively elite army groups from the Empire under his command.

These are the Second Army Group and the Fifth Group. The Second Army Group consists of four armies and five divisions, while the Fifth Army Group includes two armies and three brigades.

The weapons, equipment, and material reserves of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are far superior to those of the Serbian army.

Of course, there is a considerable gap between the Fifth Army and the Second Army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, especially when dealing with the Serbian army, which shows a clear lack of experience.

The commander-in-chief of the Serbian campaign is Marshal Putnik, a traditional Serbian soldier who participated in the Serbo-Turkish War twice, later joined the Serbo-Bulgarian War, and had just experienced the First and Second Balkan Wars, boasting an outstanding resume, honed by numerous major battles.

In contrast, Potiorek seems rather ordinary, primarily noticed by Franz and Austria-Hungary’s Chief of Staff Conrad. As for the war aspect, he first gained experience working in the general staff and later became the imperial artillery general.

And he joined the Austro-Hungarian general staff in 1879, at a time when the Austro-Hungarian Empire simply had no major wars for him to participate in, so this is Potiorek’s first time commanding a large-scale war.

Now it seems that Potiorek has performed reasonably well. With the cooperation of the Second Army and the Fifth Army, the Austro-Hungarian army has entered Serbia and captured some strategic points.

An already parched Potiorek picked up the tea on the table and took a sip to wet his throat.

This cup of tea clearly used tea leaves imported from East Africa. Since East Africa began mass production and export of tea leaves, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and other Central European countries have obtained a source of high-quality, affordable tea.

Moreover, thanks to the advantages of distance and advancements in preservation technology, Europe can now enjoy quite nice-quality green tea.

Now, it’s August, the summer in Europe. A sip of bitter green tea can greatly alleviate inner anxiety, and also has a good refreshing effect. The entire Austro-Hungarian army is now following a new trend of drinking tea in the summer and coffee in the winter.

Both tea and coffee within the Austro-Hungarian Empire are mostly imported from East Africa. The quality and taste of East African tea are just slightly lower than the Far East Empire, superior to India, making it a mid-range product. As for coffee, East Africa has the world’s best coffee-producing areas, which are in demand worldwide and never lack a market.

Of course, this is also related to East Africa’s advertising promotion. East Africa controls many newspapers and other news media in Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, providing a huge convenience for promoting East African products.

Putting the teacup down, Potiorek picked up the flag representing the 104th Infantry Brigade and placed it in front of Moka Village’s position.

Only then did he notice the members of the East African Military Observation Team still nearby. He said to Wang Lade: ”How do you feel?”

Wang Lade: ”I really learned a lot, things you can’t learn in a classroom. Or, without experiencing a real war, many things are easily overlooked.”

Potiorek nodded, showing a ’pupil who can be taught’ look, casually saying: ”War command is not a simple thing, but a complex art. I think you’ve discovered through this half-day observation that just processing the information is enormous, and you have to thoroughly understand the battlefield environment, try to remember every place name, terrain, fortifications, traffic, and the opposing army’s situation on the battlefield. Any oversight may lead to a huge change in the battlefield situation...”

As someone coming out of the Austro-Hungarian General Staff, Potiorek’s skills are quite good, handling battlefield information very effectively, remembering a lot of battlefield information quite accurately.

And through this information, he flexibly thinks about changes in the battlefield situation and makes corresponding decisions, which indeed greatly broadens the horizons of the cadets in the East African Military Observation Team.

Of course, to put it bluntly, Potiorek’s ability to theoretically discuss military affairs is strong; he can make many issues sound so reasonable, which is probably the main reason why he could gain Franz’s and Conrad’s trust.

However, the young cadets of the East African Military Observation Team are not aware of this. They are just rookie students, their horizons are not very broad, so they can be taken in by Potiorek’s words.

However, if it were some of the experienced old generals of the East African army, this problem wouldn’t occur. Although Potiorek speaks fluently, it doesn’t mean he can convince many peers.

After all, battlefield outcomes still depend on the correctness of decisions — although Potiorek gives reasonable explanations, it may not be the best choice, especially since the Serbian army across has extensive combat experience, and the command level of those Serbian veteran generals is very high.

In such a situation, even if the decision is correct, the enemy cannot completely be led by Potiorek. In fact, through rich experience and strategic vision, they can gain advantages on the battlefield. At this time, it’s not about who makes fewer mistakes, but who has a keener insight.

The Serbian veterans have all been battle-tested, rising to their current positions with solid military achievements, so the possibility of making stupid mistakes is almost nonexistent. In contrast, Austro-Hungarian army commanders fall short in comparison.

Of course, in the current situation, this hasn’t been reflected on the battlefield yet. After all, the war has just started, no matter how strong the Serbian veterans are, they can’t immediately judge Austro-Hungarian tactical intentions, plus the Austro-Hungarian powers being stronger, they can adopt tactics more aggressive than those of the Serbian army.

Of course, this is still quite distant from the members of the East African Military Observation Team. The skills Potiorek is currently demonstrating are enough for them to study for a while.

Potiorek said: ”Watching alone certainly lacks the experience, now that the war is going smoothly, you can get involved. I can also offer more suggestions based on your performance.”