Chapter 755 - 347: Surrender (Part 2)

Austria-Hungary also generously accepted these surrendering soldiers and provided them with relatively abundant meals three times a day.

This was one of the ways Austria-Hungary sought to win hearts and minds. Serbia, akin to a nail, severely hindered Austria-Hungary’s steps toward expansion in the Balkan Peninsula.

This meant that if Austria-Hungary wished to expand southward, it must resolve the biggest trouble posed by Serbia.

Attributing all the responsibility and impact of this war to the Serbian Cabinet Government, thereby shedding Austria-Hungary of the crimes it committed against the Serbians during this war, was considered a rather good way.

Although a portion of Serbians would resent Austria-Hungary, at least there was the Serbian government to share the blame.

Moreover, letting the Serbian government take the blame served other purposes. The war broke out because of the pro-Russian Serbian government’s intense hostility toward Austria-Hungary.

The pro-Russian Serbian government harbored significant ambitions for Bosnia and Herzegovina occupied by Austria-Hungary, and with Russia’s support, they even undermined the pro-Austria King of Serbia, Milan Obrenovic.

If the responsibility for this war could be shifted to the pro-Russian Serbian government, allowing the pro-Austria Serbian King to regain power, it would be good news for Austria-Hungary.

A Serbia that realigned with the pro-Austria faction would not hinder Austria-Hungary’s continued expansion and could even be a strong ally against Russia.

Countries like Serbia and Bulgaria in the Balkans, though small in territory and population, undoubtedly have formidable combat capabilities.

This area has been a battlefield since ancient times; after the fall of the Byzantine Empire, it became the frontline for European countries against the Ottoman Empire.

Although the Ottoman Empire has weakened, this area has become the frontline for the confrontation between Austria and Russia. Such experiences have shaped these nations into possessing fierce and martial characteristics.

A Serbian army of equivalent size can perform admirably against the Austria-Hungary army. If not for their poor weaponry and logistics, Austria-Hungary wouldn’t have won this war so easily.

For Austria-Hungary, equipping 100,000 Serbian troops could be equivalent to 100,000 of their most elite forces.

These 100,000 could hold back at least 200,000 Russian troops, and if there are future wars with Russia, the role of the Serbians would clearly be crucial.

The news of Serbia’s surrender caused a sensation in Europe, drawing the attention of almost all countries to the ongoing war on the Polish Plain.

In fact, the trio of Germany, Austria, and Russia had no intention of exhausting all resources in this war.

This made the war on the Polish Plain more of a live drill, with the three countries deploying a certain number of troops, testing newly developed weapons, and exploring various formations and tactical ideas.

The Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War thoroughly discarded the line infantry, but clear conclusions about the latest strategic deployments and tactical ideas in Europe were yet to be made.

This war among the three major powers was undoubtedly a good way to explore, as the battles on the Polish Plain drew many powers to send military observation teams, meticulously recording each battle’s details, fearing they might miss critical moments.

After Serbia declared defeat, the three countries knew this war would not last long.

There was no need for them to fight to the death, as the primary focus of this war lay in the Balkan Peninsula, where hostilities had already concluded.

On the fifth day after Serbia’s surrender, an envoy from Tsar Alexander III arrived in Berlin, the capital of Germany, formally proposing peace negotiations for this war.

For Germany at this time, the war served its purposes.

Since the Franco-Prussian War, Germany had not experienced a large-scale war, and this war with the Russians was an excellent trial by fire.

Evidence showed that even after nearly 20 years, the German army remained one of the most powerful forces.

In the limited-scale war on the Polish Plain, the German army achieved the greatest results with the least soldier loss, proving their formidable combat capability.

In the loss ratio among Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, the German loss ratio was as high as 1:3, with each German soldier taking down three Russian soldiers on average.

The most elite troops of Austria-Hungary could achieve a 1:2 loss ratio, while ordinary troops could only manage 1:1 or 1:1.5.

The Russian army had the weakest combat capability. While there were elite units in the Russian army capable of achieving a 1:1 loss ratio with Germany and Austria, their scale was quite limited.

Most units’ loss ratios were abysmal, with those emergency mobilized troops having even worse ratios.

It was the drag of these less capable troops that made Russia’s loss ratio seem so poor.

Nonetheless, this was not entirely unfavorable for Russia. After all, Russia’s population is many times that of Germany and Austria, making the loss ratio not terribly severe for them.