Vogel was a veteran from the Napoleonic era. He had followed Blücher through countless campaigns and rendered many services, but he had always been regarded as lacking creativity and initiative on the battlefield, knowing only how to obey orders blindly.
At this moment, however, King William IV of Prussia needed precisely that kind of man. After all, he was genuinely afraid that one careless move might lead to an exchange of fire between the two sides, bringing disaster down upon Prussia.
The Danish-Swedish alliance was certainly frightening, but the British threat could not be ignored either. Most frightening of all was the attitude of the Russians.
Although Nicholas I had not sent a single soldier to Schleswig, he was still like a massive stone weighing on William IV's chest, leaving him gasping for breath.
Yet the nationalists at home refused to let him off the hook. William IV's spirit was worn away amid this constant wavering.
In fact, Nicholas I had no time to concern himself with Prussia. With a little help from Franz, Imam Shamil's rebellion had become almost impossible to contain.
Even Franz had never expected the Chechen rebellion to last so long. It seemed the problems within Russia really were serious; otherwise, the weapons and supplies for those ten or twenty thousand men would never have had such an impact.
But compared with the rebellion at home, Nicholas I was more eager to realize the glory and dream of the Third Roman Empire. He just needed a little help.
After signing the order replacing his younger brother, Prince Karl, with the veteran Vogel, William IV slumped into his chair.
"If Frederick the Great were here, he would surely mock this incompetent descendant of his. But I have no choice. I must do this if I want to