Upon receiving the order from home, General Brusilov was dumbfounded. He truly wanted to send the entire family of whoever had issued this bizarre order his regards, but when he remembered that Russia's supreme commander was the "great Tsar," His Majesty Nicholas II, he decisively shut his mouth.
After the outbreak of the World War, Nicholas II was far from the only monarch to personally assume the role of supreme commander. Ferdinand had been the first to lead the way; later, Nicholas II had followed suit, believing it would help strengthen his control over the military.
However, Ferdinand's appointment as supreme commander had met with universal approval, whereas Nicholas II's appointment had drawn resistance from the military. The Minister of War, for instance, was among the opponents.
There was no helping it. An inherited throne could never compare with the prestige of a founding monarch. Worse still, Nicholas II's military aptitude was nothing remarkable, yet he loved to point fingers and meddle. This, more than anything, left many military commanders deeply dissatisfied.
History had already proven how grave the consequences of such reckless interference could be. Leaving aside the defeats suffered by troops at the front, the most fatal thing was that when the revolution erupted, Nicholas II had already lost the army's support, ultimately reaching the end of the road!
Unlike the other Russian officers, Brusilov had at least a slight political instinct. He knew some things could not be said aloud, though in his heart he had already sent Nicholas II's entire family his regards.
Having just gone through a major battle, the Southwestern Front was still licking its wounds, training recruits and rebuilding its strength.
Not to mention that Russian military logistics were currently insufficient. Even at its peak, the Russian army would not have had the