Chapter 1121 The determination of Napoleon III
As the temperature gradually rises, the ice and snow have melted. The streets are full of mud formed by the mixing of snow-melted water and soil. Now Paris is no longer as prosperous as before. Large-scale wars have caused the French economy to suffer heavy damage. Especially after the Chinese Navy obtained the sea control power, the route between the French Empire and overseas colonies has been cut off. The French Navy could only hide in the military port and dare not go to sea to fight. Even the powerful British Navy was defeated, let alone them.
The war also caused France to suffer huge casualties. Whether on the Belgian battlefield or on the Iberian Peninsula, the French Army suffered a lot of casualties. If it were considered a captured army, the French Army had lost millions of troops to this day. Of course, the current strength of the French Army cannot be underestimated. Originally, the total strength of the French Army exceeded two million, and Napoleon III issued further expansion of its troops, and the French Army's troops would move towards a height of four million.
This forced all young and middle-aged French men to the army. For this battle, Napoleon III had made up his final decision. If he resisted the attack of the Chinese Empire, the French Empire might have a chance to be reborn from the ashes. If he lost, then the French Empire would be completely finished. Napoleon III's ambition would all be like passing clouds and smoke, drifting away with the wind.
The Palace of Duille, in addition to the Elysee Palace, is another office location for Napoleon III. Napoleon III often summoned important officials of the empire and met with the monarchs of other countries he visited.
Now, the atmosphere at the Duille Palace is very dull. The Chinese Empire has increased troops on a large scale on the Belgian battlefield and on the Iberian Peninsula, which has brought a fatal threat to France. There is no doubt that France will become the first target of the Chinese Empire's counterattack. Once the war begins again, France will have to face the attack of the elite Chinese army.
On the Iberian Peninsula last year, the French Army suffered considerable losses under the attack of more than 300,000 Chinese Army. Now, there are as many as 1.3 million Chinese Army entering the Iberian Peninsula. Can the French Army still withstand it? Now Napoleon III has long lost the style of the French Army as the world number one. A series of battles have shown that the French Army is not only not the opponent of the Chinese Army, but even the Prussian Army may not be as good as the Prussian Army. Even the Belgian Army trained by the Chinese Empire seems to be stronger than the French Army.
"Gentlemen, how is the situation now? When will they launch an attack?" Napoleon III's face was full of fatigue and looked much older. Although he was not much older than the imperial emperor Long Yufei, if the two of them compare, they could see the huge gap.
"Your Majesty, the Chinese Empire is continuously transporting military war materials to Europe through sea routes. According to our expectations, the Chinese counterattack will be launched at the end of this month or early next month!" said the Secretary of Army A.J. San Arno.
Napoleon III nodded: "What is the main direction of the Chinese counterattack? Is it the Iberian Peninsula?"
"Yes, Your Majesty! The Chinese have deployed more than one and three million troops on the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, the Spanish Army has 800,000 people. Therefore, we are under great pressure in the direction of the Iberian Peninsula!" a.j. San Arno continued.
"What about the specific plan of the Army Department?" Although Napoleon III believed that France was at a disadvantage now, he had not completely lost confidence. He knew that although the current situation was not good for France, France did not have no chance of victory. As for the regular army alone, the French army still had 2.5 million. In addition, the one million British army in France could not go back. They could only accept French command. In addition, the French army was still expanding its troops wildly. There were still a total of two million people being trained in the barracks. In terms of military strength, France was not short of it. It far exceeded the troops deployed by the Chinese Empire in Europe.
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of the Army suggests that we will fight a decisive battle with the Chinese Empire on the Iberian Peninsula. At present, the French Army has 1.2 million troops on the Iberian Peninsula, and the British have 600,000 troops on the Iberian Peninsula. We can send about 500,000 troops to the Iberian Peninsula. In this way, even if the Chinese Empire and the Kingdom of Spain combined, we will not be at a disadvantage in military strength. What's more, the Spanish are very weak in combat power. In fact, we have to face only the Chinese!" said a.j. San Arno.
Napoleon III nodded. He had always looked down on the Spanish Army. If the Imperial Army had not arrived in time, the Spanish Kingdom might have been destroyed by France and the entire Iberian Peninsula would have been ruled by France. The current situation of war would not have become like this. Of course, Napoleon III seemed to have forgotten that the elite French army had almost been lost in the previous wars. Now, the main forces of the French Army are newly formed troops. The combat effectiveness of these troops is not much stronger than that of the Spanish Army. It is even less comparable to the army of the Chinese Empire.
"In addition, the Army Department plans to build a defense line north of the Pyrenees. In this way, even if we cannot win on the Iberian Peninsula, we can use the Pyrenees defense line to resist the Chinese on the Iberian Peninsula and protect the French mainland!" said a.j. San Arno. This time the main opponent of the French Army will be the Chinese, so he has to be cautious. If the war is not going well, the Pyrenees defense line can temporarily prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
"Just follow the plan of the Army Department! In addition, although our enemy is a powerful Chinese, I hope that the empire's army can teach the yellow monkeys a lesson in the war and let them know who is the master of Europe. Although China is powerful, it is too far from Europe. It is already the limit for them to send millions of troops to Europe to fight. As long as we can cause heavy casualties to the Chinese, I think they will definitely agree to sit back on the negotiating table. At that time, we will be able to save the country at a slight cost!" said Napoleon III.
With the British Navy already defeated, it is impossible for the North Atlantic military alliance to win the war. It is already impossible for the countries to preserve the existence of the country. Of course, if they fail, their country will probably no longer exist.
"Yes, your Majesty!" a.j. San Arno nodded. He naturally knew that the severe situation facing the country now was. If it could not be changed, everything would be done.
"How are our Austro-Hungarian allies and Russian allies prepared?" asked Napoleon III. Fortunately, the French Empire is not fighting alone, France has allies. If the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia had delayed some of the strength of the Prussian Kingdom and the Chinese Empire, France would undoubtedly be even worse now.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty Franz and Joseph have also ordered the Austro-Hungarian Empire to make the final mobilization. However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire suffered heavy losses on the battlefield. They have lost the entire Bohemia. The Prussian army is only a few dozen kilometers away from Vienna. It is still unknown whether the Austro-Hungarian Empire can hold on. As for the Russians, although His Majesty Alexander II will not succumb to the Chinese, it is hard to say how long Russia can last under the joint attack of China and the Ottoman Turkish Empire!" said Duke Valevsky, the French Foreign Minister.
Although both Austro-Hungary and Russia were big powers, they were both weak powers. There were too many internal conflicts between the Austro-Hungary and the weak industrial strength, the country's combat power could not be fully utilized, so it was suppressed by the Prussian Kingdom after the war began. As for Russia, it was even more muddy giants. Although Russia has the largest population in the Western world, their industrial strength was extremely weak. If Russia had not had the vast territory and huge strategic depth, it might have been destroyed by the Chinese Empire long ago. After all, the logistics supply factor had become the biggest constraint for the Chinese army to attack Russia. If it weren't for the large-scale use of vehicles to transport war materials on the frontline, it would have been the limit of the Chinese Empire's army.
Napoleon III nodded. The current North Atlantic military alliance is indeed very unfavorable. The only thing the French Empire can rely on is itself. However, although the enemy is powerful, Napoleon III has not yet despaired.
"Everyone, we can only defeat the Chinese Empire by relying on our own strength. Other allies cannot share the burden for us. However, we still have great advantages. The combined army of the Chinese Empire, the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Belgium is only more than 2.6 million at best. The combined army of our French Empire and the British troops stationed in France is 5.5 million, which is more than twice that of the Chinese and their allies. We have an absolute advantage! Therefore, I think the French Empire will definitely win!" Napoleon III said firmly. Even though he was still cheering in his heart, he must show confidence in front of many ministers. (To be continued, please search for Astronomy, the novel is better and faster!
ps: The second update is here, please subscribe, please vote for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets! Thanks to book friend Qu Ling's monthly tickets!
Chapter completed!