Each Displays Their Prowess

On July 16, 1880, after ten months of bitter fighting and hundreds of thousands of casualties, the Russian Army finally captured Smolensk, sending shockwaves through Europe.

That night, Europe's politicians collectively lost sleep. Franz was among them. Had it not been for the tempering of his many years as emperor, he might have been unable to resist convening an emergency meeting overnight.

Smolensk's geographical location determined the extraordinary significance of this battle. By taking this fortress, the Russian Army had gained the strategic initiative.

The scales of war had begun to tip. The Russians, already advantaged in national strength, had magnified that advantage still further.

After allowing one night as a buffer, Franz convened a high-level government meeting at Vienna Palace the following day.

To make the right judgment, they first had to understand the true situation on the Prusso-Russian battlefield.

After so many years as emperor, Franz no longer took the historical records from his previous life seriously. He preferred to let facts speak for themselves and would not make assumptions based on personal preferences.

Chief of Staff Albrecht said, "In their struggle for Smolensk, Prussia and Russia committed a total of as many as 1.87 million troops. The Prussian Army deployed 720,000 men, while the Russian Army deployed 1.15 million.

"According to the preliminary analysis of information provided by the military observer corps, total casualties for both sides in the Smolensk region alone exceeded 700,000, with deaths accounting for roughly one-quarter of that number. The casualty exchange ratio between the Prussian and Russian armies was approximately 1:1.3.

"It can be said that both Prussia and Russia threw everything they had into this battle. The fighting was exceptionally brutal. Smolensk's defensive fortifications were extremely complete; its sudden fall was entirely beyond our expectations.

"Our information is incomplete, so