Military questions should of course be answered by military experts. Field Marshal Wolseley nodded and took out a piece of paper from his pocket.
"This is the latest intelligence statistics. According to the information we currently know, the number of Prussian troops that have been reorganized is about 300,000. These are elite veterans who participated in the Austro-Prussian War and the Prussian-Danish War."
"In addition, there are about 200,000 second-line reserve corps that can be assembled at any time. In this way, the total number of troops that Prussia can use should be around 500,000."
"The rest are the third-line troops. These are basically militiamen. Although they are large in number, their combat effectiveness is not high. These third-line troops are still among the civilians. The total number should be able to mobilize four to five million, but don't rely too much on this person. …”
"Look at France again. Although France claims to have an army of one million, this is only a figure on paper. Currently, France can only provide about 150,000 troops that can respond quickly..."
"Our institute's quick reaction force is that these soldiers are in the military camp, well-trained, have enough weapons and ammunition around them, are equipped with enough artillery, and have sufficient supplies."
"Once a war breaks out, these troops can quickly assemble to the northern border within a week and immediately go into battle. There are only 150,000 veterans!"
"Besides, before the war, Napoleon III ordered troops to be mobilized from colonies around the world. However, this was very inefficient. Haha, with the French people's urination, it's crazy to think so. So far, there have been less than ten troops in total. Ten thousand colonial veterans returned to Europe..."
"250,000 is the total number of troops that Napoleon III can use immediately at this moment!"
"On the surface, Napoleon III's military strength is not superior, but don't forget that France's overall national strength is far higher than Prussia. If the war enters a stalemate... I preliminary estimate that if France is fully prepared for war, on average, every 10 Yes, arming an army of about 100,000 people, so it is very simple for the French to organize an army of more than 500,000 people..."
"It can be expected that the French army will fight more and more during the war. Once it enters the stalemate stage, France will use its national strength to drag Prussia to death!"
"There is also a detailed list of weapons and equipment here. You can take a closer look."
The field marshal took out a form and distributed it to the senior officials present. It was densely filled with the differences in weapons and equipment between France and Prussia.
From the number and tonnage of battleships to the number of calibers of field artillery, the comparison of the number of heavy machine guns, and the time that ammunition can be supported...the total number of zeros and ten major items are listed in detailed tables.
In the end, the Field Marshal regretfully said, "Once the war breaks out, I'm afraid Prussia will not have an easy life. Maybe in the early stages, they will take a slight advantage, but once the war lasts for more than two months, their failure is certain!" "
The expressions of the important ministers in the room gradually became serious, and then Prime Minister Gladstone spoke.
"Thank you Marshal for your detailed analysis of the military aspect. Now let me talk about the economic gap between the two countries!"
"How much war funds can Prussia use? The City of London has provided 50 million pounds in war bonds. How much fiscal surplus does Prussia currently have in its treasury? This is a secret. I don't know it, but through our bankers and financial analysis According to various calculations by the teacher, Prussia’s fiscal surplus in the treasury at this moment should be about 20 million pounds.”
"This is the entire wealth of Prussia after the outbreak of the war. Although the enthusiasm among the people is high, the amount of funds that can be provided for this war is extremely limited. The country has drained the last copper from the people, and the people really do not have much That’s a lot of money to support the war!”
"A full attack is worth ten million pounds. This is the limit of private financing. The situation is not optimistic! My gentlemen, Prussia does not even have a military reserve of 100 million pounds. This war is indeed very dangerous!"
"War is always a money-swallowing monster, and every amount of money consumed is in digits. This money is not only for consumption on the battlefield, but also for the country's internal affairs, which requires a large amount of funds. The rear area maintains the operation of railways and steel plants. , arsenals, military factories, grain processing, transportation agencies... countless departments need money!"
"Not only do soldiers have to eat to support the 500,000-strong army fighting, but the rear must be equipped with at least one-to-one auxiliary personnel, and at least 400,000 people must provide direct services for the war. These people also consume a lot of money! "
"During the preparation period alone, Prussia's military expenditure will cost about 1 million pounds per month. If it reaches the war stage, each capital consumption should be at least about 3 million pounds. How much can this amount of money support? I think everyone already knows it very well. Got it!"
"What's even worse is that war is a deep quagmire of constant consumption of supplies! Weapons and ammunition, food and baggage, mules, horses, cattle and sheep, medical supplies, spirits, cigarettes, gauze, etc., every one of these supplies will be consumed. !”
"Once Prussia's domestic production cannot meet the consumption gap, they will have to import from neighboring countries. However, as we all know, businessmen are only interested in profit. They are just waiting to make war profits. By that time, Prussia's external procurement costs will double. Grow upwards twice as much!”
"With this military expenditure of more than 80 million pounds, Prussia may not be able to sustain it for even two months. That means it must control the scale of the war and end it within a month, otherwise Bismarck will be in ruins!"
Prince Edward stood up irritably, pacing back and forth in the room, smoking the cigarettes one after another, "France, their situation..."
Gladstone shook his head helplessly, "I can only say that France's national strength is unfathomable. Napoleon III's current treasury surplus is over 80 million pounds."
"What's even more terrifying is that the French people have strong financial resources. Once the war arouses the national sentiments of the French, the French government will definitely take the opportunity to issue war bonds. They don't have to come to the City of London to raise funds. They only rely on their private financial resources. A military expenditure of one or two billion pounds is no problem!"
"That is to say, the longer the war drags on, the more beneficial it will be to France. I think this is the main reason why Napoleon III is so confident!"
Prince Edward put the cigarette in the ashtray and said angrily, "This must not be done, and France must not be allowed to finally gain victory! My Prime Minister calculated the amount of funds we can use now, and we must increase the amount of money for Prussia!"
"The funds I can directly use now are about 20 million pounds. I can lend it to my brother-in-law in my own name!"
"Look at whether the government can allocate another amount of funds to support Prussia. How much money do you have left that has not been approved by Congress? "
Gladstone's face immediately turned bitter. "Oh! My dear Prince, you are really making things difficult for me! I only have more than 40 million pounds of secret funds left in my hands so far..."
"If you take out too much, I'm afraid a lot of work will be affected!"
