There is no harm without comparison. It can be said that Prussia has been planning the war against France for more than ten years. The whole country has already formulated a complete set of complete war preparation plans.
Everyone was waiting for the war order to be issued. When William I responded forcefully to the French Emperor's provocation and announced a fight, the tank, which had already started long ago, completely stepped on the accelerator.
There is no panic. All departments of the empire only need to complete their tasks step by step. Everyone is a small part in the war machine.
All the parts know exactly what they want to do and how to do it well!
The close cooperation of hundreds of thousands or even millions of parts finally made the Prussian chariot run with full power, fast and stable, and the national war involving hundreds of thousands of people was not chaotic at all.
But France was not so lucky. When the French Emperor declared war, the crown prince in charge of general logistics suddenly aged several years!
In the Empire's military headquarters, in the Crown Prince's huge office of more than 80 square meters, the double doors were completely opened and held tightly with stools. There was a constant flow of people coming and going, and the documents on the Prince's desk were already piled up. Mountain.
The ancients understood this truth, and the French knew it even more. What's more, the army was already on the move at this moment. Under the emperor's war order, garrisons from all over France quickly moved towards the north.
The war preparation regiments in the north have entered the first level of combat readiness, and the entire army has begun to move closer to the border!
People are already moving, but where are the supplies? The crown prince suddenly discovered that the entire empire's administrative system was completely out of control. He had to send out three to four hundred telegrams a day, and received countless more telegrams, all of which were for help.
"Report to the Prince! Marshal Bazin has arrived at Epernay! It has now been stationed at the headquarters of the Third Army. However, the ammunition of the Third Army has not been replenished yet. The Marshal sent an urgent message and asked us to replenish the full amount within two days. Ammunition!"
"Your Highness! Your Highness... Marshal McMahon sent a telegram. The First Army has not received rations until now. The entire army only has three days of marching rations..."
"The marshal said that if the military rations cannot be replenished, please immediately provide three thousand mules and horses and one thousand carriages! He will bring flour and sausages along the way to fight!"
"Report to the Prince! The Fourth Army sent an urgent message, requesting marching tents! The soldiers have not even been given blankets at this moment, and the problem of camping in the wild cannot be solved at all..."
"Prince! The prince is in trouble... The Second Army surrounded the Metz arms warehouse. The books clearly show that there are 500 kilograms of gunpowder, but now they can't find it!"
"An urgent message came from Lyon! The mayor of Lyon has mobilized a division of troops, but after waiting for two days and two nights, not a single train has arrived. Our dispatch document has been sent to the station long ago!"
"The mayor of Lyon said that if there is no train, please ask the military department to provide the necessary mules, horses and military rations. The army can walk to the battlefield, but they cannot go hungry..."
Eugène Bonaparte was going crazy. The military headquarters was now in a state of chaos. There were calls for things and help everywhere. The entire French command system had completely collapsed.
It should be said that all departments are not prepared for war. The army cannot find rations, tents, weapons and ammunition... Even if it is found, it often does not receive adequate rations.
Only then did people realize how fatal France's neglect of railway construction was. Without an efficient railway network, the legions in the southern provinces could only move to the northern border on foot. Wouldn't they have to wait until the Year of the Monkey to reach the battlefield?
The prince buried his head in his hands. The mess in front of him was really beyond what a man of his age could handle!
"Where are our supplies? Where are our trains? Where is the specific location of our legion? Don't you usually brag to the sky? Why are you mute now..."
The staff assigned to the Prince by the Logistics Department were all dejected. They didn't know how to answer the Prince's questions because they didn't know what they should do now.
The situation is actually more serious than the prince knows. Unless you are on the front line of the war, you will not understand how serious this chaos is.
The Eugenie Cavalry Regiment in the Praetorian Guard, this is a glorious cuirassier regiment named after the queen. It has always been the elite of the empire's elite, the crown jewel.
This time they received an order from the empire, requiring them to rush to the border as soon as possible, control the battlefield before the war, and clean up the infiltrating Prussian skirmishers.
Being named after the queen, one can imagine the importance this cavalry regiment receives. The entire regiment consists of one man and two horses, and the weapons and ammunition are all the latest. Even the military uniforms are newly cut this spring.
The majestic cavalry company relied on the horse power to rush to the Verdun area. Their majestic team inspired countless fanatical French people along the way.
Every time they passed through a village or town, these cavalrymen were welcomed by the people. Flowers, wine, and delicious food were delivered to these cavalrymen as if they were free of charge.
"Hail! Our cuirassiers! Glory to the Empire, kill those Germans!"
"Look, it's Queen Eugenie's military flag, it's the Queen's cavalry regiment! Long live the Queen!"
"Young men, fight to the north! Drink up the wine of Berlin and sleep with the women of Prussia! God bless you!"
Along the way, the morale of the cavalry regiment was lifted to the sky by the people. Everyone raised their chins proudly, and their kind stamped breastplates were polished brightly, reflecting the brilliance of the sun.
At that moment, it seemed like they had won the war and had begun demonstrating under the Brandenburg Gate!
But as soon as they arrived at the Fortress of Verdun, the two thousand cavalrymen encountered a huge problem. They unexpectedly discovered that although the Fortress of Verdun had sufficient supplies, it lacked materials for war horses.
Captain Christopher was furious. He dragged out the garrison officer of the fortress and shouted loudly, "Where is the horse feed? The military department's accounts clearly stated that you have sufficient horse feed for four thousand war horses for half a month. Why now?" Is that all that’s left?”
"Sir! Sir, please calm down...the data you mentioned was a week ago!" The fortress garrison was so frightened that his back was soaked with sweat.
"There was indeed so much horse material a week ago, but half of it has been transferred from the Metz front line! An engineering regiment passed by before and requisitioned part of it. I have already written this in the account! If you don't believe it, look at it..."
Christopher let go of his hand. He knew that the garrison officer could not lie to him, and no one dared to lie to the military at this time!
If a country issues a war order, the military's command will quickly increase its authority and become the highest command. At this time, no one dares to play tricks on the army that is about to fight, let alone cheat.
"Damn it, did those civil servants grow up eating shit? Why didn't they send telegrams in time to modify the data!"
You can know the reason for this kind of thing without tracing it. The data changes in the local warehouse can be delayed as long as the bureaucrats can, and no one will be in a hurry to make changes.
The data obtained by the Paris Military Department is never the latest. They still use data from a week ago to distribute supplies!
How can we avoid chaos with such procrastination and dereliction of duty?
