The Prussian vanguard did not launch an attack. The few thousand cavalry that arrived first were definitely not enough to attack the city. They began to build fortifications according to the established plan to seize positions in advance for the subsequent large forces.
In the dark night, the defenders of Paris looked at the brightly lit torches in the distance, where seven or eight thousand Prussian cavalry were filling sandbags and building shooting positions. No one expected that the temporary bunkers built by a group of cavalry were actually more beautiful than those made by engineers.
The Prussian army only has more than 7,000 people, while the regular army in Paris has 180,000 people. If an assault is launched at this time, this army can be easily eaten.
Although there are still troops popping up in a steady stream in the dark night, the strength advantage is still on the side of France!
But the strange thing is that no matter how the Prussians acted, no one in the defenders of Paris dared to act without authorization. They just looked at it, and the entire position was lifeless.
The city walls and bastion defense lines were silent, but the city of Paris was already in chaos. The streets were full of mobilized troops, and the middle class with their families were packing up and preparing to flee Paris.
Of course, there were many self-defense members who began to fight fiercely throughout the night and continued to build layers of defenses in the city. Those hidden cannons were pushed onto the streets.
Thiers' carriage was running wildly in the dark night, and many self-defense members wanted to stop it for interrogation. But when they saw the parliament logo on the carriage, and the protection of those tough veterans, they all knew that this must be a big shot in the committee, and they didn't dare If you are lazy, quickly release the level.
Thiers closed his eyes and considered the situation in front of him. There were bursts of impulses in his heart. He knew that the opportunity was coming soon.
The carriage stopped at the door of General Trochu's villa. At this moment, the general's official residence had become a temporary headquarters. There was a long line of military carriages, and the door was open. One officer after another came in with official documents. In and out.
Thiers' reputation has been greatly improved by this great political change. When he appeared at the door, all the officers and soldiers took the initiative to salute him to express their respect!
Most of the soldiers are still very simple and pay attention to grudges. They all know that Thiers fully supported the old General Trochu's rise to power, and they also know that he did not want power with high moral integrity.
Because of this, the officers and soldiers in the military admire him very much!
Thiers took off his top hat and returned the greeting with a smile to these officers and soldiers, without any arrogance at all. When he walked into the old general's study, he found that it was surrounded by maps and documents.
"General! When will we start the war... I have prepared the newspaper reporters. This victory will definitely boost the morale of the people of France!"
When Trochu saw it was Thiers, he immediately put down his pencil and took a deep breath, "Are you here? There is gin in the wine cabinet. Pour yourself a glass, and give me a glass by the way..."
The two of them took a sip of wine and took a break to catch their breath. The old general said with a serious face, "There are no plans to start a war yet. Don't organize reporters..."
"What?" Thiers was stunned at that time. "No war? The enemy has already arrived in Paris, but you don't allow a war?"
"God, General, it's dangerous for you to do this... We just attacked the left's despicable act of non-resistance today, are we going to do it again?"
"How to explain to the people, how to deal with the people's concerns?"
Trochu waved his hand, "Thiers, you are a civil servant, you don't understand war... We cannot take the initiative in this battle!"
"How can I tell you... You have to understand that our current situation is very unsuitable for field warfare. What we have to do now is to rely on Paris to carry out defensive warfare..."
"Exchange time for space, and finally survive until the Southern Corps becomes a force, and finally fight the enemy decisively..."
The old general began to explain some basic military knowledge to Thiers. This was Thiers. If he were any other member of the parliament, the old general would not pay attention to him.
The military's choice is correct. Currently, the main strength of Paris's defense is 180,000 regular troops and 300,000 National Guardsmen.
Needless to say, the Self-Defense Forces are a group of militiamen with more enthusiasm but less professionalism. Even their equipment cannot be unified!
In the final analysis, those people's war is just a group of ordinary people fighting in a group!
Are 180,000 regular troops worth relying on? In fact, this is not the case. The so-called regular army currently remaining in Paris is just a little better than the National Guard.
The elites of the real empire have now fallen to the north. General Bazin of Metz has gathered more than 100,000 defeated troops and is struggling to guard the isolated city.
There are also 100,000 French veterans captured in Prussian prisoner-of-war camps in Bavaria and Hesse. Most of them were captured from Sedan, and a small part were captured in other battles.
This is a total of more than 200,000 people, and in this war, there are tens of thousands of veterans who died, plus tens of thousands of veterans who are scattered among the people and cannot be reunited.
Three hundred thousand people are all trapped in the north. This is the core elite regiment of the French military!
Of the 180,000 people who stayed in Paris, there were no more than 20,000 veterans who actually fought with Napoleon III in the north and south, and the others were recruits who had only served for one or two years.
Although the weapons are all uniformed, and the orders and prohibitions all look like an army, these people are incomparable to veterans who have been fighting for more than ten years, let alone the Prussian Army.
General Trochu knew the secrets here, so when he started to assist Montauban last year, he asked for such a hard job of building Paris fortifications.
I won't compete with you Montauban for power and wealth. You will act as the leader and I will act as your deputy. Can I do the hard work of civil engineering? You won't exclude me, will you?
It was this kind of self-preservation that allowed him to retain his position under Queen Eugenie and the remaining leader, the Duke of Montauban, and it was this position that made it possible for him to reach the top now.
For more than a year, Trochu struggled with these soldiers. He not only built a complex defense system for Paris based on the city wall, but also deepened his friendship with these troops.
So many officers and soldiers saw it with their own eyes. The old general fought hard with them on the construction site. Many dietary benefits were obtained by the old general for them.
The soldiers became familiar with Trochu and recognized him, so after the collapse of the empire, General Trochu immediately became the backbone of the 180,000 garrison.
No one is dissatisfied. The 180,000 garrison troops only obey the orders of Trochu!
"Thiers! These soldiers in our hands are really not the most elite. In a decisive battle with the Prussians in the field, we really have no advantage!"
"But we have a super city with more than 2 million people. These 2 million citizens are our strong backing... As long as we stick to the defense line, the Prussians will never be able to get in!"
Note: There will be another update soon!
