Chapter 29
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Chapter 29: Battle of the River Eider
Miss Anna was busy outside, Leader One was busy at home. In preparation for the Danish-Prussian War, during this time the prince regent traveled around Germany giving speeches. He wanted to create a somber atmosphere, yet keep it under control, to prevent the war fervor from getting out of hand.
But they pushed too hard, without restraint.
Six hundred thousand people nationwide in Prussia volunteered to join the war effort. Many people rushed to sign up at more than ten recruitment centers, causing chaos. The whole country, even all of Germany, was swept up in a frenzy of war excitement.
Previously, when Anna delivered her passionate speech against war, most people opposed it. But now, the tide had turned. Those who had been against war were now pushing their way forward, eager to see the king of Denmark conquered immediately.
All the hatred and humiliation became secondary, the main reason was simply that Denmark was so weak.
Ten years ago, Prussia was still a bit fearful of Denmark, but now Prussia could defeat Denmark with just one punch. Especially when it was all of Germany against Denmark, it seemed even easier. The citizens eagerly signed up to join the army, having both patriotism and a weak opponent – it was almost like gaining glory for free on the battlefield.
At this moment, during the military strategy meeting convened by the prince regent, the core issue raised was:
"How can we make Denmark die a bit slower?"
The attendees included Minister of National Defense Ron, Chief of General Staff Moltke, Director of Cavalry Affairs Catherine, Commander of the First Army Hans, and a group of seven veteran commanders from the Napoleonic Wars led by Marshal Wrangel, alongside ten top military commanders from the prince regent’s own army.
During the whole meeting, Catherine didn’t speak, and Hans didn’t speak.
Ron and Moltke agreed with the prince regent to do their best to make the war slow and long-lasting, instead of quickly destroying Denmark.
An old man from the Napoleonic Wars era stroked his beard, banged the table, and said, "What a useless opponent! I could defeat him in a month, why drag it out? You young people always complicate simple issues."
These old men all think very highly of themselves. They were just low-level commanders during the Napoleonic Wars era, now they rely on their reputation to boss everyone around. Even the prince regent can’t control these old veterans since he’s taken away all their power. He can’t stop them from chattering on.
To control the old men, they have to bring back the old masters from the past, like Leader One’s teacher Gneisenau, and Catherine’s grandfather Bittenfeld, the old marshal… Oh, all the great leaders from the past are gone now, leaving these old subordinates flaunting their experience and making a fuss.
The old men may talk nonsense, but even the elite young officers promoted by the prince regent follow suit, eager to show off. The generals and commanders all volunteer themselves.
"I’ll do it. I’ll go to Copenhagen in a month."
"Let me do it. I can conquer the Jutland Peninsula in three weeks."
"Your Highness, you can trust me completely. I can defeat Denmark with just one army."
Leader One was so mad that he almost burped. Is it time to find a famous and powerful general now? If I really want to crush Denmark like lightning, I could just let Moltke lead the attack. Do we really need you bunch of mediocre generals?
Only Ron and Moltke could understand what the prince regent meant, and only these three could decipher the message left by Prime Minister Bismarck.
First: The war must end in 8-10 months, and it must be fought fiercely and difficultly.
Second: The Austrian army will be in the forefront to gain more credit and to assess the actual combat abilities of the Austrian forces.
Second: Denmark must be rendered completely incapable of waging war from now on.
Throughout history, Prussia and then Germany have produced numerous tactical geniuses, but exceptional strategists are rare.
The difference between them is that tactical geniuses only focus on the present moment, striving for quick short-term victories, while outstanding strategists consider the bigger picture, planning the next move in advance, aiming for long-term triumphs.
All the tactical plans proposed in this military meeting could easily defeat Denmark, but if executed, the Austro-Prussian War would be jeopardized.
Bismarck, Ron, Moltke, and Leader One, the four strategists, have devised a comprehensive plan for the unification of Germany. In this stage of the Danish-Prussian War, Prussia needs to appear weak and Austria hesitant in order to move forward successfully.
To be honest, it’s a bit difficult.
Because when Prussia puts in a little effort, Denmark easily loses… Denmark is the kind that lacks ability but enjoys jumping around.
Ron and Moltke thought about it, they needed to make the new recruits appear as if they were the elite troops in the battle. They had to restrict the use of any new equipment, and even secretly help Denmark.
Let the new recruits and new commanders gain experience on the battlefield, then clean up the stock of old equipment and ammunition, and use the old cannons and guns from the Napoleonic Wars era stored in the warehouse.
It shouldn’t be too fake, it has to be very realistic to make countries around the world believe that Prussia is not very capable, especially Austria.
Thinking about this, Leader One scolded General Franziski, the commander of the Second Division in the Crimean War, do you know how much trouble you caused the country’s strategic planning by messing with the Russian army.
Franziski, "Your Highness, didn’t you say you wanted to test the combat effectiveness of the elite troops…"
Leader One waved his hand, "Never mind, the war plan will follow Ron and Moltke’s decisions, the participating troops must comply. Marshal Wrangel will be the overall commander of the German coalition forces, and even military academy students should be involved for training, use more new recruits."
At the same time, the German Confederation Congress is taking place in Frankfurt.
The Prime Minister of Prussia, Anna, suggested that Denmark should follow the London agreement.
The London agreement after the first Schleswig War stated that the King of Denmark personally possessed control over the two duchies.
Anna’s proposal was angrily rejected by the furious nobles, who said forget about the London agreement, the German Confederation should directly reclaim the two duchies. This is Germany, let the people of Denmark leave.
Anna smirked triumphantly and succeeded in her plan.
On October 31, 1841, the Hanoverian army occupied Holstein, while the Aldenburg army of the Duke of Schleswig occupied Schleswig. Tensions escalated, but the German and Danish armies had not yet clashed. The Danish army kept retreating.
The German coalition forces swiftly mobilized towards the disputed areas. The Danish reaction was peculiar – their regular army kept withdrawing, but the Danish cabinet was clamoring for war! War! The Danish king declared a national mobilization.
The Danish regular army knew they couldn’t match the German forces, but the king was irrational, mobilizing more and more people to join the military. New troops were sent to the front lines in large numbers.
The Danish king said, "We just need to show that we are ready to fight, then wait for international mediation. I know France, Russia is a good friend, Sweden is like a brother, and the UK will support me. With Europe on our side, my reputation is strong."
The Danish people were also fired up by the call to arms. In their eyes, Schleswig-Holstein was their own land, long held under the nominal control of the German Confederation. Now that they were taking it back, the evil German army dared to try and take it from them.
The Schleswig-Holstein issue is a long-standing disagreement in history. The people of Germany and Denmark both think that these two areas belong to them. Legally, they are part of the German Confederation, but they have been under the control of the Danish royal family for a long time. The population there is half German and half Danish. It’s hard to say who it really belongs to.
In this war, both the German Confederation and the Danish people were very enthusiastic. By mid-November, both sides had gathered large armies.
200,000 German troops, led by Marshal Wrangel, were stationed on the south bank of the Eider River.
230,000 Danish troops, commanded by the Danish Minister of National Defense as Marshal Demesa, were stationed on the north bank of the Eider River.
The two armies faced each other across a ditch, without firing a single shot for a whole week. They continued to transport supplies. Sending these troops was not a big deal for the German Confederation, as it had a total population of 35 million. Prussia and Austria provided 140,000 young men, while the other princes added the rest.
Denmark had already mobilized all its strength. With a total population of only 2.6 million, and even fewer young men of fighting age, Denmark had already sent one-third of its eligible men to the front lines. Normal social activities in the country had come to a halt.
The war didn’t even need to be fought. After a year of confrontation, Denmark declared itself defeated right there.
The Danish king also thought so. He refused the final ultimatum from the German army, declared war on Germany himself, and ordered the Danish army to attack. He thought that by making a show of resistance, and with international pressure, the war would end.
Such a confused decision almost led the Kingdom of Denmark to ruin.
On December 8th, the Battle of the Eider River began.
Marshal Wrangel thought he was seeing things when Denmark unexpectedly launched an attack. They not only refused to surrender but also dared to attack the German forces?
The old marshal ordered a full counterattack, but the Chief of General Staff Moltke, standing nearby, altered his orders, demanding to hold the line and repel the enemy without crossing the Eider River.
And then…
A unit of cavalry troops altered the altered orders, pursued and defeated the Danish forces, and crossed the Eider River to continue the pursuit, escalating the conflict into a heated phase.
Moltke erupted in anger at headquarters, "That insubordinate cavalry captain, I’ll have him shot! What? You say he’s a Junker officer? Then I’ll have him shot too. Put a stop to these Junker antics, I, Moltke, will not tolerate such behavior."
After enforcing military discipline with a warning, the situation of the German coalition forces began to improve. Regardless of what orders the old marshal issued, Moltke followed the war plan to control the pace.
Ron and Bismarck were busy with diplomatic activities during the war. The prince regent went to London to accompany the queen for childbirth. Catherine and Hans infiltrated the Austrian army as advisors to assess the Austrian military’s combat capability.
War was a celebration for the big shots who didn’t have to worry about danger or death, or endure the suffering of war. It was the small figures on the battlefield who truly saw the essence of war.
The story begins with Acting Platoon Leader Norman Liszt of the Ninth Division’s Dragon Cavalry Reconnaissance Platoon.
