The counterattack has begun.

On June 17, 1916, the 3rd Army of the Austro-Hungarian Romanian Front and the Romanian Army launched the first attack from Galaz, followed by the 6th Army in Delansyvania, and the 4th Army also launched a full-line attack in Bukovina. The 11th Army as a strategic reserve team gathered in the area of ​​Iasi.

The 14th Austro-Hungarian Army crossed the Prut River in Kahul and, with the cooperation of the 1st Army in Sochi, Ukraine, advanced towards Kirsinau, the capital of Moldavia.

The 3rd Galician Lancer Division began crossing the river near Leova, and the Danube fleet sent four gunboats to cover the troops across the river. On the turbulent Prut River, these gunboats dragged several barges behind them, and then transported soldiers and equipment to the opposite dock to land.

The troops gathered in Leova and then replenished ammunition, each soldier was 120 rounds and 4 grenades.

The field cook cart drove over, and the soldiers filled the rice and squatted on the ground and started eating voraciously.

The 2nd Armored Brigade and the 3rd Lancer Division, which belonged to the 3rd Army, were also with them. In order to commend the division's bravery and inspire the Ukrainian enthusiasm during the Battle of Balkhatian, their military flag read "Ukrainian Lions".

The Russians put all their main forces on the Brest-Warren line, and there are now only three armies on the Moldavia and Galicia line, and the troops seem to be insufficient. After the Austro-Hungarian army launched a counterattack, they began to retreat, but only used the Cossack cavalry units to continuously harasse frequently to delay the Austro-Hungarian army's advance.

After the 14th Army conquered Chimishlia, the Russians gave up Bisarabia and set up a formation on the left bank of the Transnistria River to build a solid line of defense. The follow-up troops of both sides gathered towards the river bank, preparing for a war.

However, the combat plan in Ukraine was immediately cancelled.

After Germany pulled back three armies from the Western Front to support East Prussia, the German and Austrian coalition forces worked together to lift the Russian siege of Brest Fortress, and the Russian attack was forced to stop. However, the surviving German 8th Army also suffered huge losses, and now they only have 110,000 people, less than half of the year.

Rudendolf advocated continuing to launch a counterattack on the Eastern Front, while Li Haidn advocated a temporary rest. He knew that the Russians would evolve into a major turmoil at the beginning of next year, and instead was unwilling to consume valuable troops on the Eastern Front. Without the support of the Austrians, the Germans could not act on their own. Rudendolf had decided to take a defensive position on the Western Front, and now, the land has calmed down.

The Austrians and the Turks had many conflicts. The Turks wanted to take back Rhode Island, but Lee Haydn would not agree at all. This was the compensation received by the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the Italians. What a joke.

So the Austro-Hungarian fleet simply left Constantinople and stationed on Rhodes Island, using it as a naval base, tightly hindering the sea outlet of the Sea.

Sorochin formulated a feasible combat plan: sail out of the Dardanelles, go to the Palestinian coast, and attack the British fleet there.

The Levant is now trapped in the hands of Britain and France. Under the instigation of the British, riots in the area where the Arabs were located frequently occurred, and almost all the entire Asia Minor Peninsula had fallen into the hands of the British army. In Mesopotamia, the British army marched along the Tigris River, heading straight to the heart of the Ottoman Empire, and has been providing military assistance to the Russian army in the Transcaucasus through Persia.

If the army does not receive German reinforcements, the Turkish army will not be able to defeat the British or Russian troops, but in the Levant region, the navy still has great potential, especially when the British Mediterranean fleet is greatly weakened.

This contributed to the power struggle between Jemal and Enville.

The two attacks by Sorochin's fleet on Beirut and the port of Tel Aviv were effective, sinking four shallow water gunboats and two destroyers of the British.

After losing sea power, the British reluctantly withdrew from their troops in the Levant and focused their main ideas on defending Egypt and the Suez Canal. However, so far, the German and Austrian coalition forces in North Africa seem to have been focusing their attention on the direction of French colonies in Tunisia and Algeria.

This made the British feel a little relieved at the moment.

North Africa or Turkey? Lee Hayden is weighing the current two battle directions. The oil in the Persian Gulf is mouth-watering, but what if the Ottomans drove away the British and calmed the Arab rebellion, they would eventually drive themselves away?

A powerful Ottoman Empire was by no means what he wanted to see. Although the Germans wanted to turn it into their colony, it was the German business and had nothing to do with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

This required a deal when the Ottomans decided to give up the land.

It looked good to take over the Italian colonies and then fight against the British.

This is what Lee Hayden wants to do most. The problem is that he needs the support of the Germans. An Austro-Hungarian army is not enough to support the entire North African battlefield, and logistics support is a big problem.

If there is another German army support, Lee Haydn is definitely sure to drive the British out of Egypt. The real interests are in the East. The vast Indian Ocean, you will lose them from the hands of the British and fall into the arms of the Austrians. This requires a plan with Rudendolf, and of course, you must give William enough benefits to impress him.

However, no mistake is allowed, any failure may cause the empire to collapse.

Lee Haydn rushed to the German General Staff and discussed with Rudendolf's plan to take action in North Africa, and an accident occurred here.

At the invitation of the German Emperor, he rushed to Lübeck to attend the first sea test ceremony of the battleship Mecklenburg.

The warm sunshine in early summer always makes people feel lazy. The Bay of Mecklenburg, far away from the battlefield, cannot feel any smell of war. More than ten ships of all sizes are moored in the calm harbor. Workers and sailors can still be seen on the clean and tidy outfit dock of the Elbe River Shipyard. The naval soldiers wearing dark blue naval uniforms and patrolling the dock with spears made people realize that it is a war period.

After a brief ceremony, the No. 5 ship "Mecklenburg" which had completed the outfitted German Navy "Bavaria" class battleship quietly began its first maritime test.

Due to Lee Haydn's suggestion, except for the "Bavaria", the sea tests of this German main battleship did not carry out any big publicity.

In January 1916, the conservative General Boer resigned from the position of Chief of Staff of the German Navy due to illness. General Speer became Chief of Staff. The former commander of the Second Battleship Fleet, General Scheller was promoted to Commander of the High Seas Fleet, and Lieutenant General Hippel became Chief of Staff and Commander of the cruiser. Now, the German Navy has finally grasped the hands of three restless people.

Accompanied by the Minister of the Navy Marshal Ingnor, General Spey, Chief of Staff of the Navy, and General Schell, Commander of the High Seas Fleet, Lee Haydn and the German Emperor took the "Rostock" light cruiser at the Kiel Naval Base and quietly left the naval base in the middle of the night.

They will meet with the Mecklenburg at sea.
Chapter completed!