The Fading Halo

The changes on the Prusso-Russian battlefield drew Franz's close attention. Though he did not believe the Prusso-Polish Federation could turn the tables, war was something no one could predict with certainty.

A glance through the history books made it clear: records were made by people. There had been countless classic cases, throughout history and across the world, of the few defeating the many:

The Battle of Julu, the Battle of Wei River, the Battle of Guandu, the Battle of Red Cliffs, the Battle of Yiling, the Battle of Fei River, the Battle of Salamis, the Battle of Issus, the Battle of Agincourt, the Battle of Crécy...

There were simply too many. Yet the victors in these classic battles all shared one trait—"famous generals."

Though the Prussian Army was at a disadvantage, it was not without the strength to fight. With a genius commander like Moltke at its helm, victory was genuinely possible.

Franz's concerns did not last long before he talked himself out of them. The reason was very simple: "There is only one Moltke, but Ivanovs can be mass-produced."

Within an army, both "fools and geniuses" were minorities. Most officers were ordinary people. So long as the commanders above did not stir up trouble and allowed them to fight conventional battles step by step, they would do just fine.

Moltke might have been able to scheme against the Fourth Army, but could he possibly scheme against every division and every regiment beneath it?

Along a front stretching thousands of miles, command was usually handled by officers at the division and regiment level. The Prussian Army's officers might have been slightly superior, but that edge was erased by the Russian Army's advantage in manpower.

A commander-in-chief could only coordinate and direct major campaigns from the center. The smaller battles within