Putting down the telegram in his hand, Marshal Patrice de MacMahon let out a deep sigh. Looking up at the window, and with his back to the others, he said, “Restore normal supplies to the troops. No matter what, we must not let the soldiers go hungry.” “Marshal, our grain reserves are low, and the domestic supply cannot keep up. If we don’t limit rations…” Before the middle-aged officer could finish, MacMahon interrupted him, “Do not worry. The issue of supplies has already been resolved at home. The government has confiscated the grain merchants who were hoarding and driving up prices. We are no longer short of food.” Hearing this, everyone’s faces lit up with long-lost smiles. They had little choice, for the French army had truly been having a hard time lately. Not only had they been pressed hard by the coalition forces on the battlefield, but even their logistics had run into trouble. As British support waned, the French government could no longer gather enough strategic supplies. Now that it was a fight to defend their homeland, there was no room for retreat. The French army was holding on with nothing but sheer determination. Shortages of other things could still be endured, but a shortage of food could not. The front line had collapsed too quickly for them to recover the grain that had been stockpiled earlier. Domestic supply had not caught up, and relying solely on local support was clearly not enough to sustain the army in combat. To reduce consumption, MacMahon had begun cutting rations half a month earlier, leading by example. Apart from the front-line combat units, which could barely eat their fill, everyone else could only manage half a meal. So when they heard that the food problem was resolved, everyone was naturally overjoyed. Only a few noticed that MacMahon’s expression was not quite natural, while the rest remained immersed in their relief. After a pause, MacMahon added, “Alright, the food problem has been solved. Other logistical supplies have also been taken care of at home. They will arrive at the front in a week, so you can be at ease. The remaining question is how to fight this war to defend France. Behind us lies our homeland, and now we have no way back. If you do not want your families to be driven from place to place in these troubled times, then fight this battle well. Now I command…” The military meeting ended in haste, and only a few close confidants remained in the command post. These were, in other words, the Bonaparte dynasty’s most loyal officers in the army. “Marshal, the enemy’s air force is becoming more and more brazen. Railway stations and bridges at home have been badly damaged. Even if the government has solved the food problem, they will not be able to transport it here in a short time, will they?” MacMahon did not answer directly. He casually handed over a classified telegram and said, “Read it for yourself. Once you finish, you will understand why.” After a moment, the middle-aged officer’s hands trembled. “This… this… how… could this be possible?” MacMahon replied bitterly, “I wish it were false, but it has indeed happened. The rebels at home have joined forces with the enemy and stabbed the Empire in the back at the most critical moment. Now the situation can no longer be salvaged. No matter what, we cannot let those rebels get away cheaply. Since they dared to stab us while we were fighting the enemy, then this mess will be left for them to clean up. We have paid too high a price for this war. If we keep holding out, all the young men will be gone. What we need to do now is end the war as soon as possible and preserve France’s vitality.” There was no way around it. The Bonaparte dynasty was finished. As the dynasty’s core forces, they naturally had no affection for the revolutionaries. Whether it was to preserve what remained of France’s strength or to trap the revolutionaries in a crisis, they would have to surrender quickly and let the anti-French coalition forces in. Although on the European continent it was not customary to fight to the bitter end, surrender still required skill. A suitable excuse was needed, or else the people’s outrage alone could destroy them. “Running out of food” was without a doubt one of the best excuses for surrender. No one could expect an army with empty stomachs to keep fighting. In this respect, the French public was fairly understanding. To strengthen everyone’s resolve to surrender, Napoleon IV had even prepared the way out for them. At the same time as the classified telegram was sent, there was also a public telegram claiming the food shortage problem had been solved. As for why the supplies promised by the government never reached the front lines, that would be a question for the revolutionaries. After all, by that time the Bonaparte dynasty would no longer exist. In theory, as long as the revolutionaries had not caused trouble, the food could have reached the front. That blame was something the revolutionaries could never shake off. Without having to bear responsibility, they could withdraw completely intact. For most, aside from some emotional difficulty in accepting it, they did not actually reject such an outcome. After all, with the war having reached this stage, defeat was only a matter of time. Their continued resistance was simply to try to win the Empire a dignified way to end the war. Now that the Empire itself was about to disappear, there was naturally no need to keep holding on. After a moment of silence, a bearded veteran slowly said, “Even if we lift the restrictions, our food can last for half a month. If we want to reach our goal sooner, we still need an accident to happen now.” If a man does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him. It was easy to imagine what would happen once the Bonaparte dynasty collapsed and hostile forces came to power. As defeated generals, their fate would be grim. If they did not want to end their days in misery, they could only strike first. If a restoration were possible, that would be best. Even if it were not, they had to bring down the enemy before anything else. MacMahon shook his head and said, “No need. The Austrians will do it for us. All you have to do is find a chance to reveal the location of the granary.” The idea of deliberately exposing the location of one’s own grain stores to the enemy sounded unbelievable, but there was no choice. Reality was just that absurd. In this world of the strong preying on the weak, if a person was not ruthless enough, they could not stand firm. Striking from the shadows was only a petty trick. By not directly colluding with the anti-French coalition, they could already be considered as having some scruples left. It was not only on the Central European front. The same kind of story was unfolding on nearly every battlefield. With a single order from Napoleon IV, officers loyal to the Bonaparte dynasty began to take action. All at once, French morale surged. The previously collapsing battlefield situation suddenly seemed reversed, and the front lines stabilized in an instant. … In Paris, the rebels who had been on the verge of defeat, already preparing to flee, suddenly witnessed a miraculous turn of events. An insurgent force of unknown origin appeared out of nowhere and actually captured the Palace of Versailles, reversing the situation. Unfortunately, Napoleon IV escaped, but this was not a major loss. Having won the victory, there was no longer a need to insist on taking the emperor’s head for vengeance. Even the capitalists who hated Napoleon IV to the core did not now have the courage to commit regicide. For no other reason than the fact that the anti-French coalition had already reached their doorstep. This situation was already difficult enough to resolve. If a regicide were to occur, the anti-French coalition would certainly take the opportunity to eliminate them as well, in order to restore the prestige of monarchy. At the very least, the Austrian government would be delighted to do so. On this point, both the revolutionaries and the capitalists had no doubts. The conservative stronghold of the European world was no joke. The tens of thousands of landed nobles alone were enough to make Austria and Russia stand side by side as the base camp of the “feudal diehards,” despised by all. Unfortunately, no matter how much abuse they hurled, it had no effect. There was nothing to be done. The strength of the two reactionary powers was just that overwhelmingly large, and it took real courage to try to dictate to them. Fine, toppling the reactionary monarchist system would have to wait for the future. The urgent task now was to find a leader to take charge of the situation. At this stage, the revolutionary factions, already united in name only, formally split apart. After all, there could only be one leader, but there were dozens of revolutionary groups. They formed alliances and broke them, merged and absorbed one another. To seize the spoils of victory, each faction showed its full array of tricks, and in some areas there were even violent clashes. In short, Paris was in complete turmoil. While the provisional government struggled to form, a parliament was formed first. Whether the selection of its members was legitimate or not, at least it was better than nothing. At last, people could sit down and discuss issues. Looking at the quarrelling parliament, the socialist member of parliament Francois shouted sternly, “Gentlemen, calm down first! We can discuss the issue of the presidential election later. Do not forget, France is still at war, and it is against the whole European continent. The Bonaparte dynasty has been overthrown, and now it is our duty to fulfill the responsibilities of government. Have you noticed that the front-line pleas for help have already piled up into a mountain? They lack reinforcements, they lack food, they lack ammunition, they lack artillery, they lack medicine, they lack winter supplies… In short, everything the battlefield needs, we now lack entirely. If we do not find a way to solve these problems, it will not be long before the anti-French coalition is at the gates of Paris.” Francois’s warning pulled everyone out of their frenzy for power. If they could not stop the enemy, it would not matter who came to power. “What is there to think about? Of course we should end the war immediately. We have already paid too high a price for this war. The empire itself has been destroyed, and if we keep fighting, how are the people supposed to survive?” From the tone alone, one could tell this was a royalist parliamentarian, perhaps even a supporter of the Bonaparte dynasty. In other countries, this would be unthinkable, but here in Paris, anything was possible. Although the revolutionaries had been the main force in overthrowing the Bonaparte dynasty, once the parliament was formed, most of the members turned out to be royalists. The reason was simple. The revolutionaries’ foundations were too shallow and they lacked enough prestige to govern, so they had to rely on these “respected and venerable” figures. If it were not for the royalists taking one third of the seats, the republicans would have had no say at all. After all, republican ideas had not yet taken root, and most people were still uneasy about the two previous failed republican movements. Francois immediately sneered and said “Honorable Count, what kind of price do you think we would have to pay to end the war? We have waited a long time for this opportunity. If you were the Austrian government, would you show mercy at this moment? Even if we used benefits to buy off Austria, what about Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, and the German Federation, all of which have joined the war? Would they be reassured?” The three questions in a row were like blows to the soul, leaving Count Glenn speechless. It was not that he had no answer, but rather that it was one everyone was unwilling to think about, much less face. The international situation was that changeable. Just a few months earlier, most European countries had wanted France to preserve its strength so it could continue to check Austria. Times had changed, and now those same powers had all become France’s death knell. To put everyone at ease, France would have to become weak enough to lose its ability to threaten them. Otherwise, there was no way the neighbors would ever rest easy.
*** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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