This damn war is definitely going to be lost. This is already a consensus among the entire French community, but how will it be lost, how to clean up the mess, and how to negotiate with the Prussians, this is the top priority.
The French Emperor has long lost his previous arrogance. He is now mentally prepared to fight a draw with the Prussians on a certain battlefield, drag the war into a stalemate, and then start peace talks.
After all, isn't it just a division of interests? How much do the Prussians want? One hundred million or two hundred million? As long as it is within one billion, France can still afford it.
If the appetite of the Prussians still cannot be satisfied, then we can carve out part of the colony, Africa? French India? Or Annan? You Bismarck, feel free to speak, there is nothing you can't discuss.
No matter how big Prussia's appetite is, it can't possibly annex France, right? Don't say you don't have the strength, even if there are countries all over Europe, they won't agree.
As long as there is a draw, the French Emperor can stabilize his position. When the time comes, he will take the 200,000 veterans who are loyal to him back to Paris and wipe out all the socialists and republicans.
Strong military suppression, and then political reform!
Napoleon III knew very well that the autocratic monarchy was completely unworkable. In the future, he could only adopt the British constitutional monarchy, handing over the vast majority of power to Parliament, and it would be enough if he could retain military power.
If it doesn't work, just announce your abdication and let your son take the throne. In this way, the situation can be settled smoothly!
In fact, in the final analysis, the previous chaos in France was just a matter of division of power. The French emperor wanted a dictatorship, while the citizens wanted a constitutional monarchy. Of course, there are many extreme people who want to overthrow the emperor's rule and pursue a direct republic, but a constitutional monarchy is not unacceptable.
However, the French Emperor is a man who enjoys great achievements and is very powerful. He will not give up the good life of dictatorship. He has always been unwilling to accept the constitutional monarchy system and even abolished Parliament for a period of time.
The later Olivier cabinet was actually completely his puppet, nothing more than a ** that he threw out to deceive the people!
Thinking about it now, the French Emperor regretted it in his heart. If he had known that the war would end in such a miserable way, he might as well have given up his rights early and become a symbol of the country. Then he would not have to bear the blame for the failure!
It is not too late to turn around now, but everything must have a prerequisite, which is a draw with Prussia on the battlefield, or a small victory.
On the one hand, the war must be dragged to a stalemate, and on the other hand, the news of victory can also boost the morale of the military and civilians. Only then can the royalists begin to advocate!
As long as an armistice agreement can be reached with Prussia, these hundreds of thousands of veterans will be the French emperor's last bargaining chip. He can fight back to Paris to kill all the extremists, and then carry out political reforms.
In this way, a game of chess will make you alive!
However, the Prussians were not so easy to defeat. Moltke, who had won consecutive battles, was very cautious in using his troops. The army was divided into three groups and began to fight against the French emperor, and there was a vague situation of division.
What is even more frightening is the Prussian's ability to mobilize strategically. Only now did the French Emperor realize how much he had ignored the power of industry.
All the money was spent on foreign wars. Not many railways were built in the country, and the existing railways were not technologically upgraded.
The main railway lines in Prussia are already double-track, and trains can run in opposite directions without affecting each other. However, all the railways in France are now single-track!
This gap in efficiency is really too big. A lot of time is wasted on the monorails just by missing each other. This is also the main reason why French logistics cannot keep up.
At present, the Prussians have invested more than half a million elite troops in France, and they are all concentrated in the three major legions. Their power is concentrated and sharp.
Behind the border, Prussia still has six to seven million troops ready to go and wait for orders. If these are not enough, Bismarck will issue a general mobilization order for the German Federation. Prussia will tap the country's war potential to the limit. By then, four hundred Ten thousand armies can also be gathered.
How to fight such an opponent? How can it be a draw? How can you achieve a small victory? How to reach a stalemate? The Emperor couldn't find the answer at all, and it was precisely because of such huge pressure that his stomach ached violently.
I never expected that the pillow would actually come to me when I was dozing off. Just when the war in Prussia was booming, Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty actually betrayed his teacher!
The Emperor's heart suddenly came to life. Xiao Letian was a big fish, and he had a blood feud with France. As long as he could be caught, Bismarck would have to stop and have peace talks, otherwise he would not be able to negotiate with the entire China in the future. Family confession.
Prussia's future commodity market must be in Asia, and China's market will never be able to win without the help of the Chinese to develop it. He must also save Xiao Letian's life for the country's destiny in the next hundred years!
Didn’t the negotiations begin now? Catching Xiao Letian can force Bismarck back to the negotiating table!
Even if Bismarck is crazy, so crazy that he will resolutely launch a war regardless of Xiao Letian's safety, then the good news of defeating Xiao Letian can still inspire the people of France.
The crisis in Paris has also received a slight respite. This is a sure-profit business!
"Make a plan! Within an hour, I want you to make a plan immediately!" the French Emperor yelled at these marshals and generals.
Marshal Bazin seemed to have been prepared for a long time. He said seriously, "Cavalry! The only ones we can rely on at this moment are cavalry!"
"Let the Queen's Cavalry Regiment, which has fought against the Chinese before, be the main attacker. Christopher can be trusted! The Prince's Cavalry Regiment will also be gathered together, and then the elite will be removed from other troops..."
"Weed out the old and the weak, select elite soldiers, and form a fast cavalry force of 10,000 people! Kill across the Belgian border. Don't worry about diplomacy at this time, let the Belgians protest!"
"Syny is only fifteen kilometers away from Sedan. The cavalry can kill them with a single assault. By the time the Belgians react, we will have already returned with the prisoners!"
"Does anyone else have anything to add?" The Emperor looked at everyone coldly.
"I support the marshal's plan... I also support... I agree..." People present expressed their opinions one after another.
"Okay, very good! Call Alfred in, and I will personally authorize him! This raid is only for victory, and failure is absolutely not allowed!"
"Concentrate all our resources and arm this cavalry team to the teeth!"
A murderous atmosphere suddenly filled the Chalon City Hall, and the commanders of each cavalry regiment were gathered together urgently. No one knew what was going on. They did not expect that the emperor would personally receive them, the regimental and battalion-level officers.
After waiting in the conference room, Alfred and others were surprised to find that the two marshals of the empire, Bazin and McMahon, were waiting at the gate to greet them!
