Knowing What to Give Up

While the Prussian army was on the move, the Russian army had not been idle either. Perhaps having learned the lesson of the last war, the Russians were much more cautious this time.

No matter how the Prussian army fought, the Russians kept their eyes fixed on Smolensk. In every other region, they relied on the fortifications built earlier and held their ground.

From an observer's standpoint, the Russians were somewhat conservative strategically, but one had to admit that this was the safest choice.

Smolensk was the gateway to Moscow. Without taking it, the Russian army simply could not advance westward with peace of mind.

Anyone who had studied the Prussian army knew that they loved concentrating superior forces on a local battlefield for decisive engagements—advancing separately before converging to strike, breaking through quickly. External-line operations and swift battles were both their strengths.

The Russians had suffered a terrible loss from this in the previous war, so naturally they had learned their lesson.

Advancing steadily and fighting steadily was undoubtedly the best choice. Concentrate forces on one front for a key offensive, while relying on fortifications to defend everywhere else. Even if the Prussian army gathered superior forces, it would be difficult for them to break through in a short time.

Defense always held more advantages than offense. With bunkers and fortresses to rely on, breaking through was simply impossible under normal circumstances without a two- or threefold superiority in troop strength.

Vienna Palace. As Franz studied the Russians' deployment map, his brows were tightly furrowed. The Russians had settled into a stable position—but what was the Prusso-Polish Federation supposed to do?

A battle between evenly matched opponents was what Franz wanted to see. Yet the Russian army's current tactics contained no technical finesse whatsoever; they were simply competing with