"I can't tell you any great truth...but I just accept a dead truth..."
"There are a total of 170,000 imperial elites in this city! Although they were defeated, these veterans are still the last elites in France..."
"Who would throw away such a large amount of wealth? Are all those high-minded politicians fools? They ignore such a large amount of wealth and do nothing about it?"
"Even if the empire collapses, we are still the rich legacy left by the empire!"
"You say...are there any children and grandchildren in this world who do not fight for inheritance? Do you really want to destroy all the wealth left by His Majesty?"
"Haha... I don't believe it, I absolutely don't believe it!"
The people at the bottom have a very simple wisdom, and sometimes this wisdom points directly to the truth of the problem!
The world is actually not that complicated. What is really complicated is the human heart. Simple answers always make people with confused minds think crookedly!
This 40-year-old veteran company commander has spent half his life on the battlefield. He has been stationed in colonies and suppressed riots in the mainland. He has listened to countless speeches by the French emperor, and has even been stuffed into underground propaganda publications by revolutionaries.
Although his education level is very low, he is also literate. The chaotic French thoughts are overflowing, and he has been exposed to various winds for more than forty years.
People! Once you do something for your whole life, you will have a special kind of concentration and keen intuition!
In his mind, although the battle was defeated and they were besieged in the Metz Fortress, but... there were 170,000 well-trained veterans here, right?
There are 170,000 troops, 70% to 80% of them are elites who followed the French emperor in his expeditions. Although morale is low at the moment, his ability has not been lost!
As long as they are given sufficient supplies, a few months of repairs, and then replaced with a group of truly knowledgeable commanders, these veterans will definitely take on a completely new look!
Why does a country need a veteran group to support its military?
Therefore, the veteran group is valuable, and valuable things should be cherished rather than destroyed!
The old company commander could no longer make any sense. He just repeated his point of view back and forth. In his simple values, people like him had become materialized!
The 170,000 legion is the precious legacy left by the French Emperor. There are countless things that rob the legacy in this world, but it is rare to completely destroy the legacy!
"It's ruined...but it's really gone..."
There was dead silence all around. The squad leaders were silent for a moment and smoked two cigarettes before anyone said, "But the Prussians will destroy us! How could they let the Republic come to save us?"
"No, no, no... that's not the case..." The veteran frowned.
"The city of Metz is a famous fortress group in Europe. How many lives would they have to sacrifice to completely annihilate us? Are the Prussians willing to die so many people?"
"The most important thing is that His Majesty is not dead... Even though His Majesty is captured, he is still the emperor!"
"The Prussians, the British, and the emperors of other countries... will not be rude to him. Your Majesty will definitely exert his influence to save us!"
"The most important thing is, what is the purpose of the war?" The veteran stared at the apprentices around him.
"Don't you understand? War is actually about emperors and kings competing for wealth. The border between countries is just a line drawn by those people on the map..."
"If there is a conflict, just fight. If you lose, you will give up some of your benefits. If you win, you will get some more benefits... That's it!"
"No one wants to be a murderer... No one starts a war purely for killing people..."
"And you just saw it, the Chinese are coming...and so many Prussian officers lined up to welcome them, it means they are a big shot, maybe the head of state from the East!"
"Something's wrong, something really isn't right! I feel like something is about to change... My intuition can't fool anyone!"
There are indeed many flaws in what the old company commander said, and they are not worthy of scrutiny. However, as a veteran with little education, it is not easy to realize this.
Of course, he had been loyal to the French Emperor all his life, and this had become a habit, so he naturally believed that the Emperor would still save them, and that the Emperor had not completely abandoned them.
When the veteran came up with such a mysterious reason as battlefield intuition, no one could refute it. They smoked cigarettes in depression as if they were waiting for the change or turning point mentioned by the veteran.
Something shocking finally happened. At 3:30 in the afternoon, a white flag suddenly flew from outside the position. An official wearing a French military uniform, escorted by two Prussian officers, was slowly heading towards the city of Metz. near.
"Company commander, look...the enemy is coming with a white flag..."
"Don't shoot, let them come over... The whole company is on alert... Let's see who is at the front?"
"God! I know him! Colonel Joseph... wasn't he captured before? Open your mouth and let him in..."
The position was in a panic. The old company commander wanted to stand up with the help of two soldiers, but he tried twice without success. At this time, Colonel Joseph and two Prussian officers had already entered the position, surrounded by a group of vigilant lawmen. Military gaze.
"Old Charlie? God bless you, you are actually old Charlie's company!"
This old company commander seemed to be quite famous. It was obvious that the colonel saw him but he showed no airs at all and even took the initiative to squat down and hold his hand.
"You're a veteran of the Empire, and you were shot? God, was it treated? Was the bullet removed?"
Old Captain Charlie smiled and said a few words, "No problem. My brother helped me dig out the bullet this morning... It hurts so much. I don't have any anesthesia..."
Joseph turned to look at the two Prussian officers. The two men touched their pockets and finally took out a bottle of whiskey. "That's all I have. Let's see if I can help you..."
Old Charlie squeezed the colonel's hand. "What news did you bring? How did you come back?"
"Don't ask... I'm going to see the marshal right away... I... I've brought news from His Majesty!"
The eyes of the officers and soldiers of a company all lit up, and they subconsciously gathered around!
The colonel quickly shook his head and waved his hands, "Don't ask, don't ask anything... Remember you are soldiers, and it is your bounden duty to obey orders!"
A young soldier in the crowd suddenly said, "Order? Whose order should we obey? Is it the empire's or the republic's order?"
The crowd suddenly turned their angry gazes on him. "Shut up! We are His Majesty's army. From the moment we enlisted, the Bonaparte family is taking care of us! Have you forgotten your oath?"
The little soldier was scolded so much that he didn't dare to talk back. The principal sighed, "Stop talking and send a few soldiers to take me to see the marshal. Immediately..."
