"Are you also a soldier of His Majesty? Did you also participate in the war against Mexico? Why did you betray the empire in the end?"
The berserker carrying the ax had an extremely complicated expression. His black and white beard was covered with blood and pieces of flesh, making his facial features look very ferocious.
But there was a trace of complex emotions in his eyes, which were regret, reluctance, and of course regret and hatred!
The ax was placed on the ground. The berserker respectfully saluted the veteran's corpse, then pulled off the leather apron on his chest and gently covered the corpse.
After doing all this, the berserker lost the trace of warmth on his face, picked up the logging ax and rushed towards the direction of the enemy's retreat.
"Long live the Empire! Long live the Emperor!"
The situation on the battlefield has become one-sided. Three of the six barricades on Saint-Michel Street were conquered within forty minutes. Half of the street was filled with retreating commune members. Bodies lay along the way, and blood was spread all over the place!
At this moment, at the Porte de Chapelle in the north, Xiao Letian was nervously watching the bloody battle in Paris from the high observation tower. News of the battlefield was brought to him by fast horses, and the expressions of the people around him were extremely serious.
"Report...heavy exchange of fire on Saint-Michel Street, unknown circumstances..."
"Report... intensive artillery fire was heard near Porte Maillot..."
"Report...Germany has shared the latest intelligence with us, and the numbers of all French offensive units have been exposed..."
"Bring it to me!" Xiao Letian yelled as soon as he heard this. At this time, the Dragon Guard Monkey Taoist priest hidden in no corner floated down from the tower like a kite and took it. The soldier's secret message, and then climbed up the watchtower as nimbly as an ape.
Xiao Letian took the translated secret report and scanned it at a glance. After reading it, he gasped!
"The French Emperor's elite troops were dispatched, and all the foreign legions became the first vanguard of the main attack..."
"Oh my god, the engineer battalion of the Foreign Legion has been sent out. It's really unexpected!"
At the end of the 19th century, the axe-wielding French berserkers were not very famous, and their reputation was only spread among the military on a small scale.
But in later generations, these special units with axes were a resounding business card of the French army!
In his previous life, Xiao Letian had seen the French military parade on the news. The military parade on the Champs Elysées has always been a famous celebration day in France.
In military parades, there is one troop that always shows off its style, that is, it is the first to appear!
They are tall men with beards, wearing white high-brimmed hats and huge leather aprons. They are not equipped with weapons but carry a two-handed wood-cutting ax.
This outfit was extremely weird. Xiao Letian looked up a lot of information before he knew the origin of this unit!
It turns out that they are the engineer battalion of the French Foreign Legion!
The Foreign Legion is a unique military branch of France. After the Great Revolution, the French people's thinking began to become confused. Anarchists and various Republicans desperately attacked the royal power.
The emperor had no choice but to hire some soldiers with high salaries from the colonies to fight for the emperor!
The results were really good. The soldiers selected in these colonies were even more loyal than the local soldiers. That was the period from which France started a long mercenary system.
Until the 21st century, the Foreign Legion is still the fastest and most effective armed force in France!
French Emperor Napoleon III was also an emperor who attached great importance to the construction of the Foreign Legion. Under his hands, the Foreign Legion was greatly expanded.
In the Crimean War, in the Mexican War, in the Second Opium War... there was a shadow of the Foreign Legion!
Especially during the Mexican War, a very touching story happened!
At that time, in order to expand its colonies in Central and North America, France specifically supported the Austrian Archduke Maximilian to become the Emperor of Mexico!
And he sent heavy troops to protect the emperor when he went to Mexico to ascend the throne. As a result, it triggered protests across Mexico and directly triggered a war!
On April 30, 1863, French Captain Jean Danjou was ordered to lead 63 engineers of the Third Foreign Legion to explore the front. On the way, he was suddenly attacked by 2,000 enemy soldiers at the Cameron Estate in Mexico.
In this battle, the French army was outnumbered and ultimately failed, leaving Captain Danou to die on the battlefield. However, what is unexpected is that when the defeat was determined and all the troops were almost wiped out, the 63 engineers of the Foreign Legion broke out. Got it!
They chanted the slogan "Long Live the Emperor" and defeated the advancing Mexican troops time and time again. They used their own logging axes to fight the enemy until they ran out of ammunition and food.
The foreign officers and engineers who refused to surrender shocked the entire Mexican army!
They really don't understand that you are just a group of engineers, ranked at the bottom of all battle orders. It is not wrong to say that you are civilians!
Work hard to build roads and bridges across mountains and rivers, cut wood to build camp areas for the army, and carry ammunition boxes for front-line troops!
Why are all the front-line troops already dead, but you civilians... or foreign civilians are starting to risk their lives? There was also a bloody battle with the slogan "Long Live the Emperor!"
The Mexicans could not understand why this unit had such a strong sense of honor, but they were indeed frightened by this unrelenting fighting spirit.
The Mexican army gave in, and they finally allowed the two surviving engineers to escort the captain's body and leave the battlefield safely!
This incident caused a huge sensation at the time. The French Emperor even called him a symbol of justice for his colonial cause and an ironclad proof of the surrender of the people of the world!
Under the instruction of the French Emperor, the engineering troops of the Foreign Legion received great attention, and not only the French Emperor but even the later Republic had always admired the fighting will of the Foreign Legion.
Until 1880, the French Republic even legislated that the Engineer Corps of the Foreign Legion would always be the vanguard square in military parades!
This tradition continues unchanged into the 21st century!
"Damn! This is an image force used by France to promote its colonial justice! This is a face-saving project!"
"These troops have been mobilized. Is McMahon going to go crazy? He is really the emperor's loyal dog!"
"If you can't hold it, people like the Paris Commune can't hold it..."
The head of state's words came true. As soon as he read the intelligence shared by Germany, the attacking French government troops had already conquered the fourth barricade of Saint-Michel Street.
Such a lightning-like attack speed had frightened the defenders of the commune. It was only then that their artillery was ready for battle. The twelve Napoleon cannons finally opened fire from the hidden artillery position.
Boom...boom...boom...
A huge explosion exploded among the troops of the Third Algerian Division, and these foreign legions suffered the greatest casualties!
