"Release Napoleon III? What are you talking about? Did I hear you correctly?" Bismarck opened his eyes in disbelief and stared at Xiao Letian.
"I believe this sentence if it comes from anyone's mouth, but if it comes from your mouth, I don't believe it... Aren't you a mortal enemy of him?"
Xiao Letian publicized his hatred for the Emperor of France more than once in public, not to mention the hatred for the city of Beijing and the burning of the Old Summer Palace. His personal hatred against the Führer was irreconcilable.
When Xiao Letian went to Europe for the first time, he was put under house arrest in Besançon by the French Emperor. If his soldiers hadn't fought to save him, Xiao Letian would have become a clown in the Paris political arena.
It was precisely because of Xiao Letian's rebelliousness that the arrogant French Emperor was unable to step down. This led to the subsequent sneak attack on Ryukyu and the Far East War in cooperation with Tsarist Russia.
It's a pity that he underestimated the fighting power of the Chinese, and all the Emperor's tricks went bankrupt!
The repeated failures made the Emperor hate Xiao Letian even more. Of course, it also made Xiao Letian and the Chinese people hate him even more... This blood feud did not last for a day or two.
But just now, when Bismarck asked Xiao Letian for advice, the guy who had seized the cane of Napoleon, the God of War, actually said that he wanted to release Napoleon III.
"Yes, don't be surprised, I just want to release Napoleon III..."
"I understand, you want to get the King of France out of my control, and then you want to assassinate him? Do you still want to do it yourself?"
"Hey? Hey...what are you thinking? Do you think I'm a murderer?" Xiao Le glared.
"Then what do you want to do? The French Emperor not only has a grudge against you but also Prussia. Even if I don't kill him, he must be tried? He must be punished openly!"
"Release him? Are you kidding!"
Xiao Letian waved his hand, "No, please listen to me patiently. In the current situation, releasing the Emperor is actually good for us. It will allow us to defeat France with as few deaths as possible!"
"Let's take a closer look at the current situation in France. Are all the key points currently in Paris? If Paris is captured, the people of France will be in turmoil..."
"As long as Paris holds on, France's own vitality will gradually recover, and the power it has accumulated among the people will have time to condense into military power..."
"Paris is a point, a key breaking point in the battle!"
"So what kind of deep pool is Paris? The water is unfathomable..."
"The political forces in Paris at the moment are mainly the 26 Committee of Trochu, Thiers and others. These people are close to the capitalist forces, that is, the traditional republican forces!"
"There is also a group of people who are the left-wing socialist forces controlled by Blanqui and others, and millions of workers are their confidence..."
"There is also a third force, the royalists. Unfortunately, their power has been reduced because the French Emperor was imprisoned. Many people have become desperate and even defected!"
"The royalists did not get a single seat in the 26-member committee, while the right-wing forces won 25 people. The left has been completely suppressed..."
"If we follow the current script, the French Republic will definitely be controlled by the right in the future, and the left will probably have no chance!"
"This is a contradiction, a contradiction that we can completely exploit!"
At this point, Xiao Letian paused and drew a simple topographic map of Paris on the ground with his cane.
"You should know very well that Duke Haussmann's Paris transformation plan involves many military transformations. Paris not only has a solid city wall surrounding the city, but also has fourteen large bastions, each of which can station a troop of troops. More than a thousand..."
"Since last year, Trochu has been building a lot of construction outside the city. Fourteen large bastions, including the city wall, have formed a three-dimensional defense system..."
"Actually, there are smart people in the French military. Not all of them have eyes on the top of their heads. They also have an open mind to learn..."
"These French people have stolen a lot of civil engineering skills from our Chinese people. It seems that they have studied the defensive battle of Shiqiao Highlands..."
"Permanent bunkers, semi-permanent fortresses, trenches, parallel trenches, communication trenches... concealed artillery positions, medical clinics, material depots, ammunition depots..."
"Paris has become a giant hedgehog. How difficult would it be to chew it down? My sentries have been circling Paris these days. They are mapping the Paris city defense map. I believe they will be able to draw it soon. One portion..."
"If you remember, give me a copy..." Bismarck said quickly, "Your sentry's drawing skills are quite good. Even our country's military instructors are full of praise for this!"
"That's no problem... Wait, you interrupted my train of thought again... What I'm saying is, Paris is very difficult to fight, very difficult to fight. How many lives are you, Prussia, prepared to pay?"
"Don't be anxious to answer. I can tell you clearly that no matter how much you calculate, I will triple it for you..."
"Why? Because the answer is here..." Xiao Letian pointed his stick in the center of the map.
"In Paris, a giant city with a population of more than 2 million, there are at least 1.2 million poor workers. These people at the bottom with no future have always been the best source of soldiers..."
"They can become victims of internal fighting in the revolution, or of course they can become warriors fighting to the death in foreign wars!"
"Don't underestimate people who are barefoot. Chinese proverbs have been proven by thousands of years of experience. Bare feet are absolutely not afraid of people wearing shoes. A low life will always dare to die with a noble!"
"1.2 million workers... 1.2 million men, women, and children who have no other choice but to fight hard! If these people were crazy enough to fight Prussia to the death, how many people would you say would die?"
Hiss... Bismarck took a breath of air, "You revealed the hidden worries in my heart. This is really a big problem... Tell me your solution!"
Xiao Letian paused with his cane, "We must not attack the city by force... We must lure the enemy out and have a decisive battle outside the city!"
"Use our expertise and superior firepower to eliminate their effective forces and destroy their morale! This is the only way...the only way!"
"What if they don't leave the city? Our leading troops started to set up positions last night, but the French army didn't even fire a shot!"
"What can you do?"
"Yes, didn't I just say... release the French Emperor first and let him go to England to reunite!"
Xiao Letian said with a wicked smile, "The focus of this battle in Paris is not actually on the battlefield, but on politics..."
Bismarck was stunned for a moment, "You mean... to let the French Emperor ignite the hope in the hearts of the royalists?"
