The Paris garrison in the hands of General Trochu was actually a hodgepodge in the final analysis. A small part of it was the Praetorian Guards who stayed in Paris and was not taken away, and part of it was regular troops drawn from local provinces.
There are also some local regiments temporarily recruited to expand the army in Paris, and even some imperial veterans who were injured and sent back to Paris to recuperate at the beginning of the war.
After these veterans recovered from their wounds, the war was almost over. They never had the chance to return to the main army, so they were directly accepted by the Paris garrison and became one of them.
The Praetorian Guards who guard the Tuileries Palace and the Louvre Museum are a very special force. Their symbolic significance is far greater than their actual combat significance. These Praetorian Guards are the image representatives of the country.
When the emperor and the empress selected these soldiers, they all required tall men over 1.9 meters tall, with good figure and good looks, and the kind who could deceive women into eating money just by walking on the street.
After all, the palace has to receive royal dignitaries from all over the world. It would be impossible if the guards on guard were not handsome!
There is also the need to be loyal. These soldiers are 100% from aristocratic families. Maybe they are very unpopular in the family, or their families are already very depressed, but as long as they have the blood of aristocrats, they have The title of aristocrat is naturally a community of interests with the royal family.
Being of good family background and handsome were the most basic standards for the palace guards, but combat effectiveness was really not an indicator that the emperor and the others considered. They did not expect them to fight in the first place anyway.
This is rather embarrassing. A group of palace guards who were dazzling in peacetime were forgotten during the Franco-Prussian War. They stayed alone in Paris, guarding the palace and adhering to the original imperial duty schedule. But at this moment The palace has long since lost its emperor and queen, its beautiful maids, and its constant banquets and dances.
General Trochu also knew that these people had special status and could not count on their combat effectiveness. Therefore, since the establishment of the Republic, their task was still to protect the palace, but the daily rations had become less and less.
But no one knows that these vase decorations, which have never participated in the war, also have pride in their hearts. They are not willing to become useless waste. When the crisis comes, they also have their own choices.
The civil war in Paris has become clearly divided. The Seine River is the boundary. The left bank is the area controlled by General Trochu, while the right bank is the area controlled by the Paris Commune.
What’s embarrassing is that both palaces are on the right bank!
There were at least eight thousand National Guards outside the palace. They stared at the heavily guarded palace, as if waiting for some order.
As the sun set in the west and the blood-red sunset fell on the snow on the roof, two National Guard soldiers escorted a commander with torches towards the Tuileries Palace.
"Stop! Stop! This is the Tuileries Palace! No one is allowed to come near without an order from the National Defense Government..."
There have been serious thefts in the palace. Thieves and hooligans hired by Eugene and Andrew once robbed the palace's warehouse and stole many oriental treasures and sold them to the Chinese.
From then on, the shocked General Trochu increased the number of troops and ammunition supplies for the Guards, and strictly ordered them to protect the country's treasury.
The commander stopped five meters away from the iron gate. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read loudly, "Paris Commune Order No. 187, ordering our troops to take over the control of the Tuileries Palace and the Louvre." For defense work, you can leave now..."
The unruly battalion commander looked at the proud commune commander and said coldly, "What is a commune? I don't know. I only accept orders from the legal government... Take out the troop deployment order from the national defense government, otherwise anyone's All orders are invalid!"
"Bold! The Commune is the government elected by the people of Paris and represents the will of the people..."
"Go away! I don't care whether you are all Paris or half Paris! The Royal Palace is the property of all France, and no one can order us except the government officially authorized by the National Assembly!"
"Leave immediately or shoot immediately!"
A group of soldiers stood up, stretched out their rifles along the cracks in the iron fence, and pointed their guns at the lobbyists trying to persuade them to surrender.
The three lobbyists were frightened and took half a step back. They gritted their teeth and said, "Okay, okay, just don't regret it!" After saying that, they turned around and left.
It was completely dark. There were burning torches outside the Tuileries Palace, and there were faint orders. The three battalions of the Guards knew that the enemy would not give up, so all the officers gathered together temporarily. Meeting.
"As soon as we open fire, the enemy's main attack must be the Tuileries Palace... The buildings behind the Louvre are very complex, and there are no open roads or open spaces. As long as we guard a few important doorways, we can then build up the windows upstairs. Cross fire can block the enemy's attack..."
"The most worrying thing is the gardens of the Tuileries Palace. It is spacious and has a good view. It can support a group charge of two to three thousand people. I'm afraid our firepower is not enough!"
"Brothers from the first and second battalions gather at the main entrance. The Tuileries Palace is left to you to guard. Although our first cavalry battalion does not have horses, our speed is fast enough. The Louvre is left to us. Guards, don’t worry, everyone!”
That's all we can do now, "This is the treasure of France. The enemy dare not use cannons, and the battle is likely to turn into brutal hand-to-hand combat! I hope our brave boys can hold on!"
There was silence in the palace hall. On the wall, Napoleon, the God of War, was quietly looking at these helpless young men!
One of the company commanders sighed in a low voice, "We have been blessed by the country in this life, and we are not afraid of sacrifice for the French motherland... I am just worried that the brothers do not have much practical combat experience, and they will die in vain..."
The atmosphere became solemn again. The cavalry battalion commander stood up and walked to the oil painting of the God of War and said in a low and hoarse voice.
"Do you know? I went to Switzerland six years ago and passed by a small town called Lucerne. It was a picturesque place..."
"Under a very inconspicuous mountain cliff, at the end of a shallow pond, there is a lion statue carved on the mountain. It is a dying lion. The locals call it the 'Crying Lion'!"
"Do you know why there is such a statue? Or is it because of the palace under our feet, the Tuileries Palace!"
"1792! During the French Revolution, thugs attacked the Tuileries Palace... On that occasion, a total of 786 warriors died in this palace!"
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