Chapter 972: Letter to the French Nationals

  Chapter 953 The Letter to the French Nationals

The Turin Offensive and Defense Battle reached its most intense point, and a new round of the Central European Conference Battle, also reached the time to draw the curtain.

Unlike the original battle, this time the French did not have fortifications to rely on. In order to create conditions for the counterattack, the Allied Forces destroyed the fortifications along the way when they withdrew, including the famous Liège Fortress and Moule Fortress, which were now in ruins.

The arrogant French, perhaps without considering defeat, did not organize any manpower to repair the fortifications after occupying these areas.

Of course, this could not be said that Marshal Patrice McMahon was negligent. After all, the local population had been expelled, and production had long ceased.

To repair these destroyed fortifications, raw materials and labor had to be deployed from the country, which was an impossible task.

In order to ensure the logistics of the front-line combat troops, the French government has already done its best, there is no spare manpower and material resources to use to repair the fortresses.

With no fortifications available, the French were forced to follow the example of the Allied Forces in digging trenches and constructing improvised temporary defenses after the failure of the last Battle of Central Europe.

French command, Marshal Patrice McMahon: “When will the latest batch of artillery and machine guns arrive?”

No one would dare to believe that the awesome French Empire, fighting right on its own doorstep, would actually suffer from a lack of weaponry.

However, this is the fact. Both the artillery and the Gatling were too bulky. After the failure of the last battle, in order to transfer troops as soon as possible, the French army can only endure the pain of giving up.

No matter how big the family was, it could not withstand defeat. Losing thousands of artillery pieces, thousands of machine guns, hundreds of thousands of rifles, as well as a huge amount of supplies at one time, the French had no way to replenish them back in a short period of time.

War waits for no one, no matter how difficult it is, weapons and equipment still need to be replenished as soon as possible.

The French government emptied its stockpile at the first opportunity after the war, and also acquired a batch of second-hand goods from the private sector, together with the retired goods that had not yet been disposed of, to barely ensure that the front line had one gun for each hand.

Guns can be put together, artillery, machine guns, but there is no way to immediately replenish all. In addition to ordering the arsenal to work overtime, the French government has also actively purchased from foreign countries.

However, distant water could not quench the thirst of the near. Less than a month after the last battle, the enemy was ready to attack again.

The middle-aged officer replied in a deep voice: “Marshal, just received the news. The enemy has launched an attack on our mainland from Spain and Switzerland respectively, and the weapons and equipment originally allocated to us have been temporarily requisitioned.”

Upon hearing this news, the people present had different looks. Some were terrified, while others were secretly glad.

For France, the addition of two fronts was a disaster; but for the individuals in the crowd present, it was undoubtedly good news.

As the saying goes, a dead friend of the road is not a dead friend of the road, and since this war is going to be lost anyway, it is only natural to think for oneself.

Two more fronts also means two more potential backstabbers, who is responsible for the first collapse of the front, who is the scapegoat for the defeat of France.

Don’t look at the Central European theater bear the greatest military pressure, but they are also the most powerful, on the contrary, the two new fronts defenders are a group of new recruits, it is the most easy to be broken through.

Marshal Patrice McMahon frowned, “Is it that the reinforcements are also gone?”

The middle-aged officer nodded helplessly, and when the words came out of his mouth, he couldn’t spit out the word “yes”.

Getting this answer, the aged Marshal Patrice McMahon couldn’t stand the stimulation and directly fainted magnificently.

……

Allied command, Albrecht is still worried about dealing with the French trenches, did not even realize that the biggest enemy is now lying down.

Frederich: “Marshal, according to the intelligence coming from the air force, the enemy is using double trenches, one wide and one narrow.

The wide trench is in front, it is five or six meters wide, the staff has measured it, such a width of armored troops can not pass, if you are not careful to fall into it, it will become the enemy’s target.

Ten or twenty meters apart is another ordinary trench, even we will send infantry to fill the pits, the enemy also took into account.

And there was more than one such trench. Theoretically, if the French plan is accomplished, we’ll have to tear through at least a hundred such trenches if we’re going to hit the French mainland.

A frontal, strong attack would result in very heavy losses for us.

The only good news is that the enemy has so little time to prepare that if we are fast enough, the enemy won’t have time to finish the trench construction.

I propose to launch a full-scale attack immediately, first washing the ground with artillery shells, then the infantry will press on with the armor, using the tanks as mobile batteries to cover the infantry in filling in the earth.

If necessary, let the air force carry out spot bombing. Bomb over one place at a time, tear an opening a hundred meters away, and let the armored units through and the big picture is set.”

In the age of pure manpower, trenches were not easy to dig. A labor force could only dig so many squares of earth per day, and unlimited trench tactics were impossible to achieve.

This meant that as long as the allied forces were willing to pay the price, they would be able to rush through. The armored forces themselves were suitable for meandering and penetrating, and once they appeared behind the enemy’s lines everything was taken care of.

Mercy is not for the soldier, when it comes time to put up a fight, Albrecht naturally won’t be ambiguous: “Well, order all units to get ready for a full-scale attack in two days.”

……

Vienna Palace, looking at the continental war is about to be divided, suddenly received a request from the Russians to lend troops, Franz helplessly rubbed his forehead.

One has to admit that a hairy bear is a hairy bear, and when he sees a bargain to be had, he immediately pounces on it.

If it was just a loan of troops, the Tsar’s government would not have needed to go through so much trouble, and would have just sent troops directly, and Austria would not have blocked any military action against the French anyway.

Undoubtedly, the Tsarist government chose to discuss with Austria because it had something to ask for. In addition to the distribution of benefits after the war, the Russians also wanted the Vienna government to bear the military expenses of the Russian army.

The laborious expedition was already consuming a lot, and with the financial strength of the Tsarist government, it was estimated that if supplies were transported from the mainland, it would only be able to maintain one division of troops in combat at most.

This small amount of troops into the European battlefield will be given to the same as nothing, not to mention the distribution of post-war benefits of the right to speak, may be encountered by the French will be completely destroyed.

If you don’t have money, you can only reach out to your allies. And this is not borrowing, these military expenses Tsarist government will not recognize, at most in the accounts of the French.

This is exactly where Franz tangled, according to the current pace, after the war, the French will certainly be on the back of a huge amount of reparations, destined to pay the kind of can not afford. Fighting for more war reparations and not being able to get it is useless.

Today’s times are different, if the time forward a month or two, Franz naturally do not mind spending a sum of money to pull the Russians down. But now it is not the same, the French have lost the momentum, can not hold out until the Russian army arrived at the front is an unknown.

If the Russian army is still on the road, or just in time to arrive at the front at the end of the war, then Austria will lose a lot of money for nothing, not to mention, but also increase the Russians in the post-war negotiations.

Franz was also in a difficult position to refuse. Don’t look at the anti-French alliance, in fact, 99% of the military expenses of the anti-French alliance, are Austria’s family to bear.

Including Spain and Switzerland, which entered the war the latest, were all fighting with Austrian money, otherwise they would not have been so efficient.

Other allies have the treatment, the Russians now also want, even for the sake of Russian-Austrian friendship, Austria can not be treated differently.

“The Russian side of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will first delay, if it is really impossible to delay, then promise them.

But to set up preconditions, the troops must be sent out immediately, and within three days after the agreement is reached the Russian troops will arrive in Austria, and we will send a special train to transport them to the front.

Order the troops at the front to speed up and strive for a quick victory. At this point in time, it is already time to fall in line.”

There was no better way, Franz could only offer the word procrastination. If he could finish off Franz before the Russians could send in their troops, then the post-war negotiations would be nothing for the Tsarist government.

Did not make a substantial contribution, to be able to follow the mix of an indemnity, that is already enough to prove that Austria is enough of a friend to share the discourse does not exist.

If you can’t do that, then you have to settle for the next best thing, using the Russian army as cannon fodder to reduce casualties on your side to make up for the loss of interest.

Prime Minister Karl: “Your Majesty, with the war going on as it is, anyone with eyes knows that France is in a great position. The French government has also made its intentions of peace talks clear to us through the British, and it’s time for political persuasion.

If the war can be ended through political means, it will be impossible for the Russians to meddle in European affairs again.”

In a great turn of events, the question came back to the hegemony of Europe. The same discourse that disposed of France after the war was also the establishment of Austrian continental hegemony.

The Russians were anxious to get involved, not only for the spoils of war, but also for the right to speak on the European continent.

Can not shake the Austrian hegemony, a share of the spoils is also a good choice, the tsarist government does not want to give up the European continent.

After a moment of hesitation, Franz firmly shook his head: “This time can not be mediated by the British, and even post-war negotiations can not let them participate, we only accept the French unconditional surrender.

This is a matter of principle. It was so hard to sideline the British from the European continent, so we can’t let them come back.

The issue of persuading the French to surrender is simple, this is the “Letter to the French People” I prepared, just take it out and publish it.

Secretly put out the message to let those profit-oriented capitalists in France know that if they don’t surrender, the allied forces will confiscate all their property after entering Paris.”

In Franz’s view, the second major strategic significance of this continental war, besides defeating the French, was to sideline the British influence in Europe.

Looking around Europe, all of them were the sphere of influence of the anti-French alliance, and the British were still the allies of the French, and Austria was justifiably demanding that its allies cut themselves off from the British.

This included the neutrals, and one of the conditions for their neutrality was that they be cut off politically from the British.

Refusal was impossible, the British had offended too many people. The Russians were all for it on this issue, plus everyone was already unhappy with John Bull’s previous behavior of selling out his minions, and then they went along with it.

Although this cut was not complete, the rift was created in the end. As long as Austria continued its efforts, it was not a dream to exclude the British from the European continent.

Against this background, Franz naturally could not allow the British to come out and brush up their presence.

Received the “Letter to the French Nationals”, the initial scanning once, Prime Minister Karl stammered and asked: “Your Majesty, the content of this is not a little too exaggerated?”

Exaggerated, this is inevitable. War failure is always responsible for someone, this person can not be the emperor, the same monarchical state Franz can not send Napoleon IV to the guillotine.

Neither can the nobility, the nobility is one of the pillars of imperial power, it can’t be played so badly.

Apart from the nobility and the emperor, there are few more qualified to take the fall. So the shit can only be dumped on the heads of the capitalists. It wasn’t really an injustice anyway, the bourgeoisie was indeed one of the driving forces behind this war.

No snowflake is innocent under the avalanche. If you really trace the roots, then everyone from Napoleon IV to the average French citizen is responsible for this war.

What Franz is doing now is just helping them find a scapegoat. By the way exaggerating the guilt of the scapegoat and weakening the responsibility of other groups.

“It doesn’t matter, everything on here is true anyway, all of it stands up to scrutiny, I’m just using a magnifying glass to magnify the problems of some of them.

Just do a good job of leading the way next, give reminders when appropriate, and someone will do the rest for us.”

Conspiracy to start wars, hoarding, price gouging, dumping strategic goods ……

These are all real occurrences, proper bourgeois black history. Politicians may be able to understand that these things simply can’t be accomplished without the cooperation of the light capitalists, but the general public won’t think so much about it, and will put the blame directly on the bourgeois consortium.

They know it, but they don’t expect anyone to stand up for the capitalists. When it’s time to fly apart, it’s too late to take the blame, so who would take the initiative to take the blame on themselves?

If nothing else, the bureaucrats in the French government, the aristocracy, and even Napoleon IV himself, will take the blame on the bourgeois consortium in the country.

The consortia in France are not weak and will certainly not sit still. Once they realized the danger, they were bound to take action.

This is a phallic plot, and even if all parties are aware of it, they will have to go along with it. Especially for Napoleon IV and the higher echelons of the government, with the existence of such a backstabber, they had a chance to get out in one piece.

The final victory or defeat no longer mattered, the current France could not withstand the tossing and turning, and the result of infighting was bound to be an early collapse.

(End of chapter)