French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 129 The Situation at the Front, Well-Prepared France (Seeking first subscription, collection and follow-up reading)

Eugene followed Conrobel out of the station and mounted the warhorse that was already prepared at the door. Fortunately, Eugene had learned to ride horses since childhood in the elite aristocratic education, and Eugene had also perfectly inherited the original owner's memories and muscle memory, so there was no embarrassing scene.

Once everyone was mounted on their warhorses, they rode along the banks of the Marne River.

The Marne River is not very wide in this section, only about forty or fifty meters wide, and the current is not very rapid. However, the terrain on both sides of the river is quite complex, with rolling hills on the north bank and relatively flat farmland and villages on the south bank.

Of course, the group didn't come out on horseback for a picnic. Conrobert, who was leading Eugène to survey the terrain, rode on horseback and pointed to the hills in the distance.

"We set up three artillery positions on the high ground there, each with twelve cannons. If the Prussian army launches an attack from the north, these artillery positions will be able to cover the roads they must take."

"What about the south bank?"

"On the south bank, we deployed two infantry divisions and constructed fortifications relying on villages and river embankments. In addition, we set up obstacles and mines at several key crossing points to prevent the Prussian army from forcing a crossing."

While listening, he observed the defensive lines along the way, but after watching the whole thing, Eugene had to admit that he had some preconceived notions.

Comrobel is indeed a seasoned veteran, but his adaptability is lacking. However, his ability to apply textbook knowledge to real-world situations has once again been proven.

Although it has only been a few days, Cornwall has already set up this defense line in a very respectable manner.

Instead of keeping the good news to himself, Conrobel changed the subject and began to describe the problems at hand.

"However, our defenses currently have a fatal weakness."

"What weakness?"

"We are short of troops. The Paris Legion has nearly 160,000 men in name, but at least half of them are new recruits who have never seen combat. We are facing two Prussian legions, which may have a total strength of at least 200,000 men."

"Moreover, our reserves are severely insufficient. Once the defensive line is breached, we will not have enough troops to launch a counterattack."

That's not how it's calculated, but it is indeed a problem.

The Prussian army will definitely reinforce its troops, and they will be sending in greenhorns. But all things considered, the Prussian army will still have more veterans than the French army.

The Northern Army had a maximum of 8 veterans, plus the 3 veterans from the 13th Army, totaling 11. The Prussian army, after the Battle of the Meuse, still had over 12 veterans, including the wounded.

If they wait for further reinforcements from the 1st and 2nd Corps, which are currently besieging fortresses such as Metz and Strasbourg, their number of veterans might approach 15, while the number of new recruits would be at most 5 to 10.

Considering logistical pressures, and assuming that Metz and other areas had not fallen, the number of Prussian troops advancing further west would be 22.

Tens of thousands of people.

In contrast, the French army, with 16 plus 8, totaling 24 troops, should have reached 26 to 7 with subsequent reinforcements.

In terms of numbers, the French army still had a certain advantage, and it was much easier for the French army to replenish its manpower during wartime than for the Prussian army.

The weakness was indeed a weakness, but it wasn't fatal. Eugen remained silent for a moment before inquiring about the situation of the Northern Legion.

"How's the situation with General Bulbaqi?"

"The remnants of the Northern Route Army have been reorganized in Reims, numbering approximately 6. I have instructed them to construct a second line of defense north of Reims to further enhance their flank protection capabilities."

"Our cavalry reconnaissance team has already met with about 10,000 fleeing soldiers, many of whom are veterans of the Xialong Legion. I have already communicated with General Bulbaqi and I will exchange two new recruits for one veteran to exchange for these fleeing soldiers."

Comrobre's arrangement was flawless. The Paris Legion lacked veterans, and even by rehiring or recruiting all eligible retired soldiers, it couldn't change the fact that the ratio of new to old soldiers was 3:1.

The Northern Army, lacking manpower, received priority in replenishing its ranks with approximately 3 additional troops. With the addition of some retreating veterans who were gradually taken in, its numbers could approach 10.

This arrangement was a win-win situation for everyone, and Eugène was no longer sure how many times he had come to admire Conrobel. This marshal was truly not as terrible as history had portrayed him.

"Your Highness, are you really planning to personally oversee the front lines?"

Looking at the crowd behind him, Conrobel, who was riding alongside him, suddenly lowered his voice and asked, still not advising His Highness to take this risk.

"Is there a problem?"

"There's no problem, it's just... I feel that Your Highness should stay in Paris. After all, Paris is the foundation of the empire..."

'

"My marshal, the foundation of Paris lies on the front lines. If the front lines are lost, no matter how well Paris holds its ground, it will be of no use."

Seeing that his persuasion had been rejected once again, and knowing that Eugene had made up his mind to stay on the front lines and fight the Prussian army to the death, Conrobel could only nod helplessly to indicate that he understood.

That afternoon, accompanied by Camrobel, Eugène inspected several of the Paris Legion's main positions.

Including the local residents mobilized, the number of people involved in the construction of the defense line has exceeded 30.

If we also include the Reims defense line of the Northern Army, then more than 50 French people participated in the construction of the entire Reims-Chalons defense line.

As a region surrounding Paris, influenced by government propaganda and the efforts of Paris's transient population, the attitudes of people in the surrounding area towards Eugène are drastically different from those of people in the south.

The surrounding people still approve of this prince who dared to fight a decisive battle against Prussia and called for the establishment of a united front to set aside contradictions and fight the enemy together.

Moreover, the stories of Eugène distributing bread and mobilizing troops to fight against Prussia are not fabricated.

Because the victors have changed and have been influenced by certain factors, from the perspective of the surrounding population, the Paris Incident appears to have been a case of the Republicans lacking martial spirit.

While Eugène mobilized the Paris Legion to the front lines to fight the Prussian army, he instead wanted to seize power instead of fighting a foreign war.

With the corroboration of Troch's surrender letter, the veracity of this claim continues to rise. This has evoked a deep sense of sympathy among the people for the Prince, who has suffered so much misfortune and had a father like Nathaniel, yet is still determined to do more for France.

This mentality, coupled with the public's aversion to Prussia, meant that even after the defeat at the Battle of the Meuse, the people were still willing to dedicate their efforts to the empire.