It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 175 (Part 170) | If you're not good enough, don't blame the road for being uneven.
“There will be a day when we storm Bucharest,” Shank comforted her. “That will be the day of revenge.”

The Romanian army played a supporting role in the siege of Budapest, and Ivanros's army did not think highly of them.

Compared to their lackluster war achievements, these guys were most notable for their war crimes.

In addition to the rampant rape of civilian women, large numbers of Romanian soldiers engaged in a frenzied looting spree, plundering various gold ornaments and artworks that had not yet been evacuated from museums.

On the eve of their defeat, the Romanian army set fire to several neighborhoods, burning civilian buildings and directly causing the destruction of many classical buildings.

During the nearly two months of the first phase of the battle, more than 100,000 civilians stranded in the city were killed or wounded. In addition to the collateral damage caused by the fierce fighting between the two sides, organized massacres were also a major source of civilian casualties.

In contrast, the war crimes of Ivanrod's army were somewhat downplayed, because although looting was also very common among Ivanrod's army, it was much better than that of the Romanian army.

The first day of late December.

After several days of continuous fighting, the Hunnic army and Mariana's expeditionary force ceased their pursuit and encirclement.

The second phase of the Battle of Budapest has now come to an end. Ivan Ross's 10th Army suffered a devastating blow, losing 7.5 men in the second phase of the battle and having to abandon a large amount of heavy weapons and equipment during the retreat.

Ultimately, only three division-level units and two brigade-level units managed to retreat as a whole. Most of the remaining troops were scattered and retreated in regiment units, while the more unlucky ones even managed to break through in small, fragmented groups.

Tukhachevsky, however, was swift in his retreat. Realizing that the battle situation was rapidly deteriorating and difficult to contain, the army group headquarters, under his command, quickly withdrew eastward.

Veronica was furious upon learning the outcome of the battle.

This was one of the few times she got so angry that she lost control and overturned the table.

The Imperial War Council and the Imperial Internal Affairs Council joined forces and dispatched a special joint team to Hungarian Miskolc to earnestly "invite" Tukhachevsky to return to St. Petersburg to explain the situation.

Tukhachevsky argued that he had not made any military mistakes and that the fault did not lie with him as the commander.

However, Veronica was unwilling to listen to his explanation.

If you're not good at it, don't blame the road for being uneven!

The fact is that during the battle, you complained and begged for help. I gave you soldiers, equipment, and planes. I even agreed to release poison gas. But in the end, you still lost, and lost in a very disgraceful way, bringing shame to the motherland.

What's the situation on the main battlefield?
The four Alexandrovna Offensives left the Walland army breathless, and the once mighty Walland Empire, which dominated Europe, was being overwhelmed. Meanwhile, the million-strong army of the great motherland was besieging Berlin, and the arrogant Kaiser Wilhelm had fled the capital in disarray.

What was the situation on the Hunnic-Swiss battlefield?
Two hundred thousand troops plus four hundred thousand auxiliary troops were fighting a defeated country that had only recently rebuilt its military. They were suffering heavy losses and were saying they were only one step away from victory just last week. But in the blink of an eye, the tide of battle turned and the entire army group was wiped out.

Is this reasonable?

Although more than 100,000 people escaped, most of these remnants were disorganized, many officers were killed or wounded, and all heavy weapons were lost. Strictly speaking, it was no different from being completely wiped out.

Now is the decisive moment, and the annihilation of an entire army group would have an unimaginable negative impact on the morale of the military and civilians across the country.

It was obvious that Veronica was ready to kill, or rather, she was already determined to kill.

“Some people praised him as a genius, and I believed that praise, so I defied public opinion and released him from prison, but he disappointed me time and time again…”

Veronica confided her anger and disappointment to Ulyana, who comforted her, saying, "Perhaps he is overrated, Your Majesty. You have done what a benevolent monarch should do."

Looking back, some of the ideas and forward-thinking concepts that Tukhachevsky wrote down while in prison were recognized by certain generals. As a result, Veronica personally granted him a pardon, allowing him to refine the theory of large-scale mechanized tactics. He did this very well, undoubtedly becoming a groundbreaking figure.

However, Tukhachevsky's experimental reorganization of the troops resulted in a complete mess, almost tearing a mechanized army apart. Now, he has led an army group to defeat in Budapest, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of soldiers.

Is this what they call a genius?

Resentment and disappointment lingered in Veronica's heart, quickly transforming into a strong murderous intent.

She clenched her fists, her sharp gaze fixed on the myriad lights outside the window, and said bitterly, "He has failed me time and time again. I don't need a general like that, and the country doesn't need someone like that to exist."

A moment later, she made a decision and summoned the palace attendants.

the next day.

After recounting his experiences and observations over the past few days to the Imperial War Council, Tukhachevsky returned home with trepidation.

He requested an audience with Veronica at Catherine Palace, but received no response.

That afternoon, in the pitch-black night, three black cars stopped outside the courtyard, and several members of the Imperial Internal Affairs Committee walked in.

"General Tukhachevsky, we have come to inform you of Her Majesty the Empress's instructions. Your Excellency, we are truly sorry."

"Your grave mistake led to a severe setback in the strategy of occupying Hungary and annihilated the armed forces of the motherland, which is unforgivable."

"Now you must make a decision: commit suicide or face trial by the Provisional Court of the Imperial War Council. These are the only two options."

"If you commit suicide, in view of your past contributions, Her Majesty the Queen will mercifully forgive your mistakes, your family will be treated well, and your honors will be preserved."

"If you choose to go to trial, everything will be carried out fairly. If the court finds you guilty, you could be sentenced to death and stripped of your honor."

silence.

Tukhachevsky slowly began to speak: "I did not give wrong orders, I am innocent, suicide is an escape, I will not do that."

The leader of the group was somewhat surprised and confirmed again: "I think you should seriously consider this. If you commit suicide, your image will be that of 'a general full of patriotic fervor, filled with shame for the defeat caused by his mistakes, and committing suicide out of shame and indignation.' People will regard you as the tragic hero of Ivanlos."

“I told you, I didn’t make any mistakes,” Tukhachevsky refused outright.

The intelligence chief gave a wry smile, inwardly expressing his sympathy, and nodded, saying, "Then please come with us."

Several agents stepped forward without explanation to arrest Tukhachevsky, but he calmly said, "Give me ten minutes. I need to say goodbye to my family."

The chief agent hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Only then did the other agents release their grip and take a few steps back.

(End of this chapter)