In order to help Louis XIV quell this large-scale rebellion, Zhu Cihong sent 13 brigades of Ming troops. William III also sent eight brigades to participate in the war (two brigades were stationed in the French Netherlands). Ten brigades of Swedish troops were also brought.
The total strength of the three-nation coalition forces exceeds 150,000. Due to air superiority, especially the investment of a large number of "Black Hawk" armed helicopters, and the concentration of superior forces for attacks, the actual combat effectiveness exceeds that of the millions of rebels scattered throughout the country.
It is understandable that the rebels could not withstand the coalition's attack. On the one hand, they did not have strong fighting spirit, and on the other hand, they were also attacked by the coalition's firepower.
For the coalition forces, taking advantage of their own firepower is actually a double-edged sword, because any ammunition costs money.
According to Zhu Cixiang's calculations, the daily combat cost of each brigade of the Ming Army was approximately 20,000 silver coins, which was 600,000 silver coins per month.
Thirteen brigades will spend nearly 8 million silver coins every month, which is a huge amount of 40 million in five months.
This is still a conservative estimate. Including the frequently dispatched air force fleet, I am afraid it will double, approaching 100 million silver coins.
In order to reduce the number of soldiers killed in the battle and maintain the combat effectiveness of the garrison in the Western Governor's Region, Zhu Cixiang believed that the cost of this move was not too expensive.
The strength of the Dutch army in France was only about half that of the Ming army. In addition, the battlefield was close to the mainland, so supplies were very convenient. The monthly expenditure of each brigade was less than 300,000 silver coins.
Even so, William III was still worried about military expenses. Louis XIV made it clear that he had no money to pay for appearance fees, so in the end he could only shamelessly ask Zhu Cihong for five million silver coins.
The situation of Karl XI was similar, and Sweden sent more troops than the Netherlands, so Zhu Cihong provided an additional five million silver coins in aid.
These two payments were free aid, and Zhu Cixiang did not expect the two partners to repay the principal, not even the interest.
In addition to asking Louis XIV to support food, fruits, vegetables, ammunition, and wine, Zhu Cihong had no more requirements.
The only thing is, regardless of the situation on the Dutch and Swedish sides, the Ming army will evacuate the French mainland before March next year.
The estimated combat time is five months, the military expenditure is more than 100 million silver coins, and there is no need for reimbursement from the other party.
As an ally, this move can be regarded as the ultimate kindness to Louis XIV.
If the rebels still cannot be dealt with by then, Zhu Cixi suggested that a certain European emperor should consider establishing a constitutional monarchy...
There was nothing that could be done about it, because the Ming army was fighting half a world away from the mainland.
The required weapons were transported from the northern capital to Fort Polo via the northern railway line of tens of thousands of miles, and then shipped to Le Havre, France.
It took about a month, not counting the high shipping costs.
With 50,000 to 60,000 people, it would cost nearly 300 million silver coins to spend a year in France, and there is no chance of getting any money back, so Zhu Cixiang is really rich.
The imperial court can still afford the military expenditure of about 100 million yuan. Even if the war costs 300 million yuan a year, there is no problem at all.
If necessary, Zhu Cihong can advance the money and let the Ministry of Accounts repay the loan slowly...
All expenses for the royal family's global tour were paid for by Zhu Cixiang himself, including the cost of the guard and fleet mobilization.
Fortunately, the rebels did not control the navy, otherwise Zhu Cihong could ensure that Louis XIV would have to pay for several 10,000-ton ironclads.
The Ming army's advantage at sea is the most significant among the three services. Even if the fleet visiting France can only be regarded as a squadron, it is enough to compete with the entire French navy.
After receiving information about changes in France, the main ships of the Mediterranean Fleet of the Ming Navy left their bases in Crete and sailed into the western Mediterranean waters for patrolling.
Even if it encounters a French navy warship, the Ming army formation will not take the initiative to fire until the enemy's situation is unknown, unless the opponent takes the initiative to kill...
At Ibrahim's request, after acquiring Crete, Zhu Cixi also ordered the navy to strengthen the combat effectiveness of the Mediterranean fleet.
The strength of this squadron was increased to two level seven battleships, and four level six, five, and four ironclads each.
At the same time, the island's naval aviation was equipped with 300 "Albatross" combat/reconnaissance aircraft, 100 "Blackfoot Albatross" fighter jets and 100 "Hercules" bombers.
The main force of the garrison on the islands is one marine brigade and two brigades of land troops. Together with other auxiliary personnel, the total strength is nearly 30,000, not counting any sailors.
As the largest base in the Mediterranean, it is reasonable for Zhu Cixiang to order key construction on the island.
At the invitation of Venice, the Mediterranean Fleet is now also conducting a month-long joint exercise with the Venetian Navy.
This was mainly because Justinian was afraid that the rebellion of the slingers would endanger Venice, so he had to invite the Ming Empire to take action in person.
The Tatars, the biggest scourge before, were destroyed, which made Justinian breathe a sigh of relief.
But we still have to worry about the calculations of the two careerists, Louis XIV and Ibrahim.
I never expected that there would be such a strong force against Louis XIV in France.
Originally, Justinian wanted to watch Louis XIV's show, but his men obtained letters from the Slingers to contact some careerists in Venice.
Facts have proved that the slingers were more ambitious than Louis XIV, and actually planned to annex Venice to France after successfully deposing the emperor!
For the top management of Venice, this is an absolutely unacceptable plan of aggression!
At least Louis XIV still took into account the face of the Ming Empire and never acted rashly.
The slingshot group's ambition was actually greater than the emperor's, so it couldn't be allowed to succeed.
Even if they spend huge sums of money to invite the fleet of the Ming Empire to come to the Adriatic Sea to practice with their own navy, they still have to frighten the enemy.
Although the Venetian Armed Forces are small in size, they are fully equipped with all the necessary equipment, including the "Hercules" bombers. It is just that the number is smaller and there is no production line.
The situation in Southern Europe also forced Venice to develop an army capable of protecting its own security, and it spent large sums of money on military expenditures every year.
Fortunately, the southeastern region of France, which neighbors Venice, did not follow suit.
This place is close to the western Ottoman region and is on alert all year round, leaving no opportunity for the slingers to take advantage of.
After civil strife and even war broke out in France, neighboring countries such as Switzerland, Venice, and Rome all stepped up their guard in border areas to prevent the flames of war from burning to them.
Switzerland, in particular, has built a large number of watchtowers and gun towers at important nodes such as mountain passes on the Swiss-French border just in case, and fighter planes patrol it in fine weather.
France has become the target of surveillance by neighboring countries. Louis XIV is dissatisfied with this situation, but there is nothing he can do about it for the time being. After all, the rebellion in his country has not yet been quelled.
Not only that, news from Britain and the Iberian Peninsula showed that rebellions against themselves also occurred in these two places...
Louis XIV believed that this was an organized and premeditated despicable action against himself, and it must be eliminated by thunderous means.
Therefore, it was agreed that the coalition forces would adopt a more violent offensive method in the area south of Orleans, such as directly sending bombers to level a city occupied by the rebels...
Louis XIV's bottom line is that he will not contribute any money, but will only provide some supplies, and his allies will help him quell the rebellion. As for the specific method, the allies can discuss it themselves.
The result of the discussion was that the coalition's bomber force gained valuable practical combat opportunities.
Especially after stationing at Paris Airport, they used that place as a base to carry out indiscriminate bombing of rebel cities in the south.
This was an inevitable result, because Zhu Cihong was unwilling to kill too many of his soldiers, and William III and Karl XI were also willing to follow suit.
All the aerial bombs that were about to expire were mobilized from the arsenals of the troops stationed in various parts of the country, transported to France, and then all given to the rebels to enjoy...
Not only aerial bombs, but also those missiles, artillery shells, and bullets that were about to expire, all appeared on French soil.
Those soldiers who are about to expire, that is, veterans who are about to retire but still want to earn a living allowance, can also come to make money.
Therefore, the dispatch of troops to France this time was regarded as a "clearing inventory operation" by the king's division!
Zhu Cixiang believed that there was nothing wrong with his actions.
If you have fresh and free ammunition, you can send it over.
With a large amount of ammunition to clear the way, the coalition's attack was naturally unfavorable. Along the way, the rebels either fled or knelt down and begged for surrender.
By late October, the smooth coalition forces had reached the outskirts of Lyon, the rebel base camp, and began to attack the city.
The preparation for the siege was very simple, which was to use the Saône River to dig two trenches to cut off the retreat route of the defenders in the city.
Then continued shelling and air strikes were carried out on the city in an effort to end the fighting before Christmas.
On October 25, the coalition forces issued an ultimatum to the rebels in the city.
The surrender of the rebels can be accepted before midnight on November 1st.
The rebels ignored this, because the food stored in the city was enough to supply the defenders for two years.
Of course, Zhu Cixiang would not personally lead his troops to besiege this place for a long time. After the bombing was almost done, he could hand over the task of siegeing the city to the French commander-in-chief, Marshal Berwick.
After setting up machine guns on the outside of the trench, the defenders' breakout will basically not be successful.
In the end, either surrender or starve to death, there is no third way.
Even if you escape by plane, you will be shot down by coalition fighter jets during the day.
Except for a few high-ranking rebels who were able to use the cover of night to escape, for most of the rebels in the city, the final result was foreseeable.
If he hasn't thought about it by December 25th, Zhu Cixiang will think that the rebels in the city are not stubborn in their will to resist, but have something wrong with their brains...
When the Ming Dynasty's division fought in France, they did not use dum bombs, white phosphorus bombs, or gas-oil bombs. All ammunition was ordinary.
Perhaps because of this, the rebels were not so afraid of the Ming army.
But this responsibility belongs to Louis XIV and has little to do with the Ming Dynasty.
Winter in France is not very cold, but it is not much warm either.
Except for the southern coastal areas, it will snow everywhere, and the outdoor temperature can easily freeze to death.
The coalition troops besieging Lyon have begun to prepare food and firewood for the winter, and at the same time stockpile canned and other military food in case of emergency.
According to the confessions of the guys who ran out to beg for surrender, there were about 100,000 rebels in the city, and about 500,000 to 600,000 Pingmin.
Zhu Cixiang believed that there was no need to distinguish between the two. As long as they did not surrender, all creatures in the city would be rebels, including livestock!
This is definitely not that "a certain good man" is too arbitrary, but that Louis XIV still hopes to have a good scratch after the coalition forces capture Lyon!
Assuming that the rebels all claimed that they were Ping Min who was being coerced, then from whom should His Majesty the European Emperor collect the money?
After several months of co-writing, isn't everyone's work in vain?
Colbert believed that even if the rebellion lasted only four months, the devastation caused to France would take more than ten years to recover.
From a financial perspective, this assessment result is very impressive, because the annual revenue amount is there.
It's just that the part of tax evasion in the past is now covered by atonement money.
The tax hole has been filled, but the losses caused by fighting in various places are an even bigger hole that no one can fill.
Colbert was happy to suggest that Louis XIV borrow 500 million silver coins from the Ming Empire, but how would he repay the money later?
Are millions of rebels used to pay off debts? ? ?
If a rebel is worth five hundred silver coins, that's about the same. The problem is that it can't be sold for such a high price!
If you really want to squeeze this money out of these bastards, you can only let them work in the mines...
If you earn 50 silver coins a year, it will only take ten years to reach 500 million silver coins.
Marshal Berwick, the commander-in-chief of the French army, estimated that the total number of rebels in various places, including relatives, should not be less than half a million.
As for whether the threshold of one million can be reached, it depends on His Majesty the European Emperor's intention, that is, where to draw the line.
Direct participation, provision of funds, passive coercion...
There are several levels of involvement from high to low, and the atonement paid is also different.
In the end, how many people are to be arrested for mining must be consulted by His Majesty the European Emperor.
The time of the Ming army's withdrawal was kept strictly confidential, and only a dozen or so senior members of the coalition forces knew about it.
If the rebels in the city knew that if they persisted for a few more months, the most powerful enemy would withdraw, they would definitely not surrender in advance.
During this period, the coalition forces still carried out a long period of fierce shelling and saturation bombing of the city of Lyon.
More than 3,000 artillery shells, thousands of aerial bombs, and dozens or twenty missiles are fired every day.
The city walls of Lyon and a large number of buildings in the city have been blown to pieces. The defenders have suffered at least tens of thousands of casualties, but they still have no intention of surrendering.
Zhu Cixi expressed his sincere respect for such a tough enemy. After he left, it would be up to them and Louis XIV, who could outlast the other...
For the latter, the withdrawal of the Ming army was also good, because Zhu Cixiang had agreed to leave most of the tanks and heavy artillery to his troops for free use.
Most of these weapons were badly worn and there was no point in taking them back, so Zhu Cihong decided to be a favor and give them to him as a big gift package.
It also includes a large number of machine guns and submachine guns, which can quickly increase the firepower output level of the European Emperor's troops!
There was no need for William III and Karl XI to be jealous, as Zhu Cihong also agreed to give each of them a brigade of brand-new equipment.
