The Fate of Austria 147 aiming at Warsaw precisely as the Kaiser had struck down the French counter-offensive, this was the Rus- sian purpose. Successful, it could hardly be possible to ex- aggerate the consequences of the Russian strategy. The immediate effect must be to send the shattered Austrian troops westward through the Carpathians, out of the field of future operations not impossibly harassed by the Galicians themselves, Slav to a man. Meanwhile the great bulk of Russians could flow west and north toward Berlin. Such strength as re- mained to Austria must be devoted to a grim defence eastward along the Carpathians and southward on the Danube, where the Serbs were coming up, and to the repression of Slav rebellion at home, not im- possibly. But if Russia failed, if Austria at the last won, or even made the battle drawn, then the Russian ad- vance would be checked from the Baltic to Bukovina. More millions of Russians would have to be mobil- ized, the Austrian and Prussian marches would have a breathing spell. Russia would not go on to Berlin then, but must defend Warsaw, strive to save Poland from the invader. Thus, far to the west and to the east, exactly the same desperate game was being played. Germany was staking everything upon success before Paris, success which could only come with the destruction of the enemy before her, not from an empty siege — useless, even if successful, if French and English