"As a long-established European power, France has an unimaginable depth of national heritage, especially in terms of art and culture, and it is a proper European benchmark. Although the UK's comprehensive national strength far exceeds France, in terms of culture and art, they also have to Bow before the French..."
"I can foresee that even if France only sells its wine and cultural industries, it can become one of the top ten powerful countries on the planet. It is unacceptable to be dissatisfied..."
"In addition, there is France's powerful army. In the history of thousands of years of European conquests, France has accumulated countless army combat experience. Especially Napoleon Bonaparte, this little man who made the whole of Europe tremble, gave France even more The army is infused with a proud military spirit..."
Xiao Letian tapped his fingers lightly on the clean glass window, and paused slightly so that the officer behind him could take shorthand.
"But being strong does not necessarily mean being invincible. I have said it more than once in "The Journey to the West" that the whole of Europe is not as monolithic as you think. On the contrary, the whole of Europe is actually a big powder keg..."
"In Europe, not only are there deep conflicts between countries, but there are also many factions within a country. Their strife with each other is no less than that of our Qing Dynasty..."
"I think you have already felt this media propaganda war against France. In my words, I have always focused my firepower on the French Emperor Napoleon III and his government. I have nothing to say about the country of France and the ordinary people. There are no words to slander, because this time our enemy is not France at all, but Napoleon III..."
Xiao Letian's remarks are always so surprising. The officers of the New Army didn't even raise their heads. They just recorded it quickly for fear of losing a word. They knew that the master was going to tell everyone about the European dragon-slaying technique again.
The villa where Xiao Letian lives is on the east side of Hamburg, very close to the Hamburg Recruit Barracks. The urban density here is very low, and a large number of manors and villas are located here. It has always been a gathering area for German aristocrats and wealthy businessmen.
This luxurious villa with a garden is the private property of William I. Although it has been lived in rarely, it is very well maintained. Xiao Letian's ability to live here is definitely the top courtesy given to him by the Prussian royal family.
The security work in this manor is entirely handled by Mr. Long, while the security work outside the garden is handled by the Prussian intelligence agency. Xiao Letian can speak freely here. There are no bugs or tape recorders in this era.
"The royal families of the major European countries are actually inextricably linked to a family called the Habsburg dynasty. This family that created the Holy Roman Empire has been through marriages, branches, and wars for hundreds of years. Gradually it gained dominance over the European continent, which is still the case today..."
"Maybe you don't have an intuitive feeling when I say this, so I can give you an example, which is the relationship between the royal family members of the Kingdom of Prussia and the British royal family..."
"Queen Victoria of England, the queen who ordered the expedition to fight Emperor Daoguang, her mother was a princess of Bavaria, Germany. If arranged according to the genealogy of the Habsburg family, the current King William of Prussia In this life, he was her cousin..."
"There is also Crown Prince Carl who wanted to steal your money before. He spent his youth in the UK, and he also received aristocratic education in the UK. And Prince Carl's wife is the eldest princess of Queen Victoria..."
At this point, the brothers below started whispering to each other. None of them expected that Prince Carl's background was so tough. He was a British uncle!
"Sir, isn't this what you call a consanguineous marriage?" Someone raised their hand and asked.
"Huh? Your memory is really good. I just said it casually before, but you actually remembered it? Hahaha, you are right. Hemophilia has been prevalent in the royal family in Europe since ancient times, and the root cause of this disease is Close relatives are getting married. There is nothing they can do. They want to ensure the purity of the royal bloodline. They are afraid that the opposite sex will dilute their inheritance rights..."
Xiao Letian suppressed the people who were talking about it. "How profound the influence of the Habsburg family on Europe is. We will not give many examples here. I am giving you this example. In fact, I am not talking about Prince Carl. I just want to give it a side view. It proves that Napoleon III is actually an alternative among the European royal families..."
"Don't think that other European countries are very close to the French. That's all false. The Napoleon family has produced three generations of emperors, which is completely an anomaly among European royal families. Don't look at them trying to improve their aristocratic status through marriage, but in real life In the eyes of the Habsburg family, he is an outsider..."
"Not only that, during the French Revolution, the people also killed Louis XVI. This grudge was not forgotten by the Habsburg family. They later massacred the revolutionaries and they were ruthless..."
Xiao Letian sighed and said, "To sum up, as long as we stand firmly on the moral high ground and properly praise these European nobles, I believe that this seemingly serious conflict will not turn into a war in the end." …”
At this point, the fog in front of the brothers was blown away. Each of them looked at Xiao Letian with the most adoring eyes, and sighed in their hearts, how many years of studying Europe will it take to dig out these details? Originally, everyone was ready to start a war when they returned home, but at first glance, it was just a big thunder and a small rain.
Xiao Letian knew what the brothers were thinking, and his face suddenly darkened again. "What I'm talking about is just a question of probability, not the final result. Don't underestimate the enemy. My analysis is far from over..."
"During the Second Opium War six years ago, Britain and France deployed a total of 25,000 troops, of which Britain sent 17,000 troops, while France only sent 8,000, and the UK provided the majority of the number of warships. And in In the Crimean War thirteen years ago, in order to deal with Tsarist Russia, the number of British and French troops involved in the war reached 500,000. Why is this?"
Xiao Letian stared at his officers with sharp eyes, looking forward to their answers.
"It's because the incompetent Manchu Qing Dynasty is too weak, and the great powers don't need to invest more troops at all... Yes, the new army equipped with foreign guns and artillery will completely crush the medieval army. The generation gap is really too big... …What’s more important is the spirit of war. Nationalism in Europe has become more and more intense now, and the Manchus still act like masters and slaves. Have you ever seen a slave who really worked hard for his master..."
Xiao Letian couldn't help laughing when he heard everyone's answers. He nodded frequently and was very satisfied with everyone's answers, but in the end he added something.
"There is another thing you have not considered, and that is the problem of maritime transportation. Today's sailing battleships look very powerful, but they are still very weak in the face of nature. To send 500,000 troops to Crimea, you only need to go through the Mediterranean Sea. Yes, but if we send troops to the Qing Dynasty, it will span half of the world..."
"This kind of ability to project troops over long distances depends on the UK. If the French don't pull the UK together, how would they still want to compete with the Qing Dynasty with their small navy? It would be difficult to cross the ocean..."
Xiao Letian was right. In an era before armored battleships and steam boilers became popular, the ocean would always be full of dangers for humans. It is not easy to manufacture wooden sail warships, and the British navy has accumulated wealth over hundreds of years. They will also feel sad if they lose a few ships in a big storm.
In this era, being able to send more than 20,000 army troops to Beijing across half of the world is already a hard power that is envied by the world.
"If we offend Britain now, to be honest, we have no hope of winning at all. If the Royal Navy is willing to risk its life to fight with us, I am afraid no one can save us. But I am not afraid of France. Just rely on it now With the strength of the French navy, do you still want to attack the Qing Dynasty alone? You should wait for more than ten years..."
Having said this, Sima Yun suddenly spoke from the side, "Sir, I have a guess. If according to what you said, Napoleon III relied on war and suppression to stabilize the political situation, then that means that the authority of the emperor was very important to him. He already has the foundation for his governance. If we rush to slap him in the face, aren’t we just digging up the foundation for his governance?”
"If Napoleon III relents this time and does not retaliate against us, how will he suppress domestic opponents? Will those political opponents who are ready to move take the opportunity to cause chaos?"
Sima Yun's question woke up many people. Xiao Hexin slapped his thigh and said, "That's right! Why didn't I think of this question? Even if the French emperor wants to stabilize his regime, he will have to take revenge. This is related to the face of the country." !”
"Even if the British don't support him, even if the whole of Europe doesn't support him, he still has to take revenge... But without the support of the British navy, he can't go to war with the Qing Dynasty alone... Damn it! Ryukyu Ah, our Naha is in danger..."
With a bang, all the officers stood up and knocked over a table, chair and bench. "Yes, it's absolutely true. The most likely direction of the French's revenge now is Ryukyu. Even if there is no army and only the navy's blockade and shelling, then Even Ba can’t stand it!”
"Sir, let's return to our army. Ryukyu is our foundation and we can't throw it away... Yes, yes, yes, once the French destroy Naha, they will definitely use their remaining power to put pressure on the Qing Dynasty. We will stay in the country by then. The influence will be uprooted, and the Manchus in Beijing will not dare to offend the French..."
Xiao Letian looked at the indignant brothers with tears in his eyes. Being able to watch the officer corps he supported mature little by little with his own eyes gave him an irreplaceable sense of accomplishment.
This kind of grand strategy deduction has always been the patent of generals, and even a unique skill that can only be mastered by corps commanders. This is a big skill that requires a combination of military, political, economic, cultural, technological and even geographical qualities to be able to deduce the result.
When we are developed, I am finally developed. If I can have a group of loyal and high-quality army commanders, I will be able to pull out a huge force that far exceeds the Hunan Army and Beiyang. This force is my root. .
"Okay, why are you making such noise? The Prime Minister has the final say in everything!" His Highness King Yi spoke at the critical moment. Although his tone was stern, the warmth in his eyes betrayed him. He was just as proud of these young people as Xiao Letian.
"Have you finished expressing your opinions? Then listen to my decision!" Xiao Letian looked at them coldly, his face becoming more and more serious.
"My decision is not to return home. Even if Ryukyu falls, we can't return home!" After these decisive words, all the officers present could not sit still.
"Sir... we can't, this is a mess... we can't lose our roots!"
...
