"Right now, it seems that we really have no advantage!" Marshal Bazan said worriedly.
"Two consecutive defeats, and our troops have been beaten back to the country from Germany. Now it has turned into a local battle. This has a huge impact on morale!"
"The Second Army retreated in defeat and merged with our current 100,000 defenders. It seems that the strength of the troops has increased, but these defeated armies with low morale will also have an impact on the morale of our current army!"
"What will the troops who have not yet started the war think? More importantly, what will the people think?"
"God bless, don't let anything happen to Paris, don't let anything happen..."
France's failure in this war was due to politics. Almost all generals did not purely consider the outcome of the war, but devoted a lot of thought to politics.
This really looks like the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894. Why did Beiyang lose? Historians and military scientists have given many answers. I won’t repeat them here, but there is one point that cannot be ignored.
When Little Japan fought in the Sino-Japanese War, it was all about winning! In the war, all commanders have no selfish thoughts. All they care about is victory, and they will do whatever it takes to win.
Looking at Beiyang, everyone at the top and bottom must consider the court and politics. They must preserve Beiyang's strength and not lose the war. They must also guard against the constraints of the Manchus...
Even the generals at the top and bottom did not dare to fight a beautiful battle with wild victory, because they knew that without victory, Beiyang was already a thorn in the flesh of the Manchu people. Many people said that Li Hongzhang was going to rebel.
If Beiyang defeated Japan wildly, how high would Li Hongzhang's popularity be? Can the court still let go of his giant Buddha?
What are the favorite things of Chinese emperors? Since your contribution is too great to be rewarded, then go die!
The heart of a soldier is not pure anymore. Don't you think about him? You shouldn't think about politics. How can you not lose in a war like this?
The same is true in France at the moment. Everyone is considering their own interests. They are all thinking about the contradiction between the emperor, the republicans and the left.
France is the birthplace of the Great Revolution, and the monarchy and the republic have changed back and forth like a revolving door. Do you really think that Napoleon III will be able to secure his position forever?
No one dares to have such extravagant hopes, and many generals are also thinking, what if the republic is restored? Will he be liquidated when he doesn't have any troops at all?
Of course, there are also a few die-hard loyalists to the emperor, and they should consider leaving some family wealth for His Majesty!
Some people are even considering that in order to fight against the outside world, we must settle down at home! If the French Emperor loses the more than 300,000 direct lineage veterans in his hands, what will he do to maintain his imperial power?
You must know that the Republicans and the left are already going crazy in Paris at the moment. They are forcing the Queen to open the arsenal and arm the National Guard every day.
They even vowed to bring out a million troops for His Majesty to jointly resist the Prussian army!
What nonsense is this? Who can't understand this subtle thought? If the Republicans and leftists were to bring out a million-strong army, I'm afraid the Prussians would be driven away, and then they would have to mutiny!
Those people were all without a king or a father, and they were holding back the emperor's head! If we really have another army in our hands, the sky will collapse!
Bazin could not explain many things clearly. He just sighed and said, "Why did your Majesty leave Montauban, Duke of Baliqiao, in Paris to support the Queen? This shows that Your Majesty is more worried about the situation in Paris..."
"I'm afraid something might happen in Paris now! Prince, please be more careful..."
Marshal Bazin, who shook his head and sighed, left, leaving the prince in a daze in the corner!
If the national destiny is not good, then it is really a good thing but a bad thing. The situation in Paris at the moment is more difficult than Marshal Bazin thought.
In the Tuileries Palace, Queen Eugenie and Prime Minister Olivier left behind General Montauban. Sitting opposite the three of them was Thiers, a member of the Seine department.
The queen looked at Thiers coldly: "I say it again, it is the emperor's right to organize the National Guard, and no one else can authorize it, including me!"
"Withdraw your proposal and tell those behind you to stop dreaming!"
Thiers was an out-and-out republican. He had enmity with the Napoleon family in his early years, and was imprisoned by the French Emperor. Later, he was released through some softening of his stance.
After building up his reputation in seclusion in Paris, he praised Napoleon III in public. As a result, he was forgiven by the French Emperor and became a parliamentarian to resume his political career.
However, the superficial relaxation cannot change the underlying contradiction. Thiers has been shouting for the republicans from beginning to end, forcing the French emperor to reform, and does not even support the Franco-Prussian War.
"Dear Queen, I have always been opposed to this war. I think France has been carried away by fanaticism. We are not ready for war!"
"Prussia has been preparing for war intensively, while we have been idle for more than ten years. With one thing going the other way, our chances of victory are not great!"
"So I ask the queen to agree to the Paris citizens forming a self-defense force. Our request is not high. Please give us 200,000 rifles. I will personally lead 200,000 new troops to support the battlefield!"
"What do you have to worry about, Queen? The Self-Defense Forces are also under the command of the Ministry of National Defense! They are all troops of the empire, and they are all for protecting our homeland!"
Montauban, Duke of Baliqiao, laughed coldly, "Haha... I'm afraid it's not that simple. It's easy to build this 200,000-strong army, but it will be difficult to disband it later!"
"Your Majesty now has 300,000 veterans who are capable of fighting, and there is still no problem in dealing with little Prussia..."
Thiers glanced at Montauban with his eyes and laughed coldly, "Haha... Is this really the case? I'm afraid not necessarily..."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sudden commotion outside the Tuileries Palace, followed by a roaring sound like a roaring mountain and a tsunami.
"Shame! Shame on France! We are defeated, we are defeated!"
"The humiliating Battle of Walter, McMahon lost the Wissemburg Gate!"
"The humiliating Battle of Spisilin Heights, Frossard became a lost dog!"
"National traitors! Our government is full of national traitors!"
"The Prussians have entered our northeastern border. They are burning, killing and looting! Our people are crying!"
The queen pushed open the window and Montauban and Olivier looked at everything outside in astonishment. Only then did they realize that countless people were gathering towards the Tuileries Garden.
Flyers were flying down like snowflakes in the sky. All the citizens of Paris went crazy. They were crying, shouting and making trouble, trying desperately to vent their emotions.
Countless people tore off their clothes to expose their chests, as if the fire in their hearts could not be extinguished.
"What happened? Why did these people start demonstrating again? Why did they say that the front line failed? Who made this rumor!"
