Wild North America 1846

Chapter 554 Peace Talks and Visits

Author: Portuguese toothless

Chapter 554 Peace Talks and Visits

two months later

Early December 1870

to this day

The Franco-Prussian War is still ongoing. Hundreds of thousands of Prussian troops surrounded Paris and bombarded this magnificent European metropolis day and night. It has been more than three months, and the war still shows no sign of ending.

In the city of Paris, the emergency rescue government composed of bourgeoisie and Orleans elements commanded more than 70,000 urgently mobilized government troops and the "National Guard" composed of more than 300,000 Paris citizens, preparing to defend the French capital with their blood and lives.

.

Under the rising patriotic enthusiasm of the French, the Prussian army also felt that it was very difficult, so it did not launch a large-scale offensive campaign to avoid suffering serious casualties, which would be more than worth the gain.

On the battlefield, he won the head-on battle with the French army simply and beautifully. If he suffered a big loss in the city of Paris, it would be unjustifiable in any case!

Faced with William I's question, General Moltke, Chief of Staff of the Prussian Army, replied cautiously;

"Your Majesty, this is a super metropolis with more than 2.4 million French people, with almost unlimited war potential. The armed citizens of Paris can shoot out from the solid barricades and building windows, but our army has to spend several times more

The power to eliminate these cockroaches. The biggest problem is... you don’t know how many enemies there are?”

Prime Minister Bismarck also agreed with the military's opinion, and the Prussian army finally adopted General Moltke's opinion and refused to enter Paris until France surrendered.

However, the Prussian army was not idle either. It occupied about 1/3 of the territory in northern and northwestern France, began to perform the duties of the occupying army, and started a large-scale smuggling business, dumping Prussian industrial products into France and making a lot of money along the way.

A lucrative smuggling commission.

On this cold and windy winter day

At the invitation of the French Provisional Government, His Highness Tang Li Kun and his entourage, representing the Tang Empire, entered the war-torn city of Paris together with military observers sent by Britain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United States of America.

On the way into the city

There are typical French-style buildings on both sides of the street, most of which are 2 to 3 stories. The bare trees with all their leaves have fallen out, making the streets of Paris metropolitan area even more bleak.

A large number of "National Guardsmen" were passing by carrying muskets on their backs. They were all wearing a variety of civilian clothes, some were typical gentleman's dresses, and some were coarse work shirts, but without exception, everyone's face showed an expression of eagerness to fight.

, the soldiers are quite proud.

From the moment you enter the city, you have to pass through solid barricades that separate the streets. This is a characteristic of French urban defense warfare.

The barricades are made of masonry and various broken door frames and furniture. Behind each barricade are guarded by hundreds of "National Guard" officers and soldiers, which looks heavily guarded.

In the high places of the buildings on both sides of the barricade, silhouettes of people could be seen faintly in the doors and windows.

Those were the "National Guard" soldiers who were responsible for observation and vigilance. They assisted in the defense during the battle and jointly attacked the Prussians who dared to invade.

Every time they passed a barricade, the French Provisional Government official responsible for leading the military delegations from various countries to observe the process would show a passage receipt. This was a piece of paper stamped with the red seal of the Provisional Government and signed by General Vidier.

Countless indifferent, vigilant, and eager eyes glanced over, and some rude soldiers would whistle frivolously and murmur loudly when they saw the British officer;

"Oh my God, look what I saw...it's a nasty British guy!"

"Damn it, are these British guys here to see our jokes?"

"I hate these smelly British guys, they are like ominous crows, bringing disaster wherever they go."

"That's very well said, Sonny."

The British Major General Mace held his head high with an indifferent expression, as if he could not hear these deliberately provocative words, but his livid face showed the anger in his heart, and he followed His Highness Tang Li Kun through the barricades.

He said as he walked;

"To be honest, I admire the optimism of the French. Their last Emperor Napoleon was exiled on the island of St. Helena, and this Emperor Napoleon III is already a regular guest in the upper reaches of London's West End society. And they can still laugh,

What a forgetful nation!”

"Mr. General, although your evaluation is realistic, it is a bit harsh." His Highness Tang Li Kun took a big step forward deftly, crossing a pool of sewage on the street, and then turned back to remind; "Be careful where you step..."

"Pop..."

General Mace stepped into the sewage with his shiny long leather boots, and finally couldn't help but get "fat". He must have been in a terrible mood.

The French colonel who was walking in front turned around and saw this. The beautifully trimmed French beard on his lips could not help but curl up. He was full of gloating, but he suppressed laughter out of politeness.

French people mock British people every day, and British people demean French people every day. These are all daily operations.

"God, we have been walking for nearly two hours, how far are we still?" General Metz asked angrily.

The French colonel replied politely; "In order to protect against those damn Prussians and their disgusting allies, the heroic citizens of Paris have built many barricades. We have passed more than 20, um... there should be more than a dozen more, right?"

A long straight street is divided into many sections by barricades. Today, there are barricades everywhere in Paris. The "National Guard" and government soldiers with high patriotic enthusiasm guard the barricades. In solid buildings or churches, the entire bustling city is surrounded by barricades.

The Paris metropolis has turned into a huge urban battlefield.

Look at this situation

If the Prussian army attacks, every step forward will be paid in blood.

The tall figure of His Highness Tang Li Kun stood down, frowned and looked around, then sighed softly and said: "One general is incompetent and the three armies are exhausted! French citizens with such bravery and strong desire to fight can easily

It is really a pity that we lost the war!"

"You will get used to it, Your Highness. The French are often blinded by their enthusiasm and make incredibly stupid actions. This is just another time."

The French colonel in front heard General Metz's words, turned his head and stared at him angrily.

According to His Highness Tang-Li Kun's estimate, if it were not for the mission, the French colonel would most likely ask for a duel. The British man's words are too bad.

"This war is a disaster for the whole of Europe. I hope it will end as soon as possible!" His Highness Tang Li Kun made peace in the middle, turned to France and said; "Let's continue on the road. To be honest, I have been hungry for a long time. I am very hungry."

Looking forward to a delicious French meal, which will make us feel better during this difficult time."

"Thank you, Your Highness. Your elegant demeanor reflects the accomplishments of a true gentleman." The French colonel glared at Major General Metz, followed His Highness and walked forward a little later, saying as he walked;

"French meals paired with table wine are the pride of France. We have prepared everything and will welcome you with the warmest attitude... Your Highness. Please go this way, we have to pass the next barricade.

"

Some of the barricades have narrow doors, and some have a hole directly in the street wall. You need to go around the house, which is quite troublesome.

But this is wartime, so that's all.

The reason why the French provisional government invited military observer groups from various countries was to show the world France's determination to resist to the end, the people of Paris' strong belief that they would never surrender, and vowed to fight the Prussian invaders to the end.

The important thing is to show a posture of continuing the bloody battle.

In fact, this was just a negotiation strategy. Paris, which was besieged by hundreds of thousands of Prussian troops, still had many roads that could connect the southern provinces. Paris was just the forefront of the war.

The provisional government hoped that by demonstrating the spirit of national resistance with concerted efforts from top to bottom, it hoped that the Prussians would lower the negotiation price, end the passive situation of Paris being besieged as soon as possible, and end the war.

Today's provisional government is in trouble internally and externally. How to feed more than 2.4 million Parisians is a big problem.

Factories are shut down, vendors are shut down, and farmers and craftsmen are armed and taking to the streets. Who will produce products? Who will produce food to supply millions of people?

Nowadays, Paris relies on imports for its food production and supply. Due to the impact of the war, winter wheat sowing in more than a dozen provinces that have been affected by the war has almost been abandoned.

In the south of France, a large number of people were armed under the turbulent situation, and food production was naturally severely affected. France's food production dropped by more than half compared with before the war.

The missing parts can only be imported from the Tang Empire in North America.

The French interim government is facing huge financial pressure and is currently in intense negotiations with the Tang Empire's multinational banks, seeking to borrow a large amount of funds to take a breather.

In fact, France does not lack this kind of money. Private loan sharks and the bourgeoisie have a lot of wealth. The key is that the provisional government does not have the universality and legitimacy to represent the French people and cannot be recognized by these wealthy French classes. Naturally, it

Can't borrow money.

The same problem also exists in the negotiations with the Datang Empire Transnational Bank.

Without substantial collateral, the interim government cannot borrow any money based on its existing credit alone.

The concerns of multinational banks are also reasonable. If the interim government is overthrown again, who will they turn to for money?

Today, the interim government is facing a huge crisis that may shut down at any time. Without money, there is no bread. This will inevitably lead to government forces and the National Guard becoming chaotic without fighting, with extremely serious consequences.

facing difficulties

The government composed of the bourgeoisie and the New Orleans faction could only compromise and try to reach an armistice agreement with the Kingdom of Prussia that was acceptable to both parties.

Inviting the military observer group to Paris is part of this effort.

In the opinion of His Highness Tang-Li Kun, the French may have made a mistake in their wishful thinking, and the Prussians were never prepared to let them go easily.

North America

Chang'an, the imperial capital

"Oh... President Simmons is coming to visit. This is a good thing... I should welcome him." After hearing the report, Richard immediately made a statement.

This old man was sprayed a lot and was under a lot of pressure. He probably came to the Tang Empire to find warmth.

The Tang Empire was still very supportive of its little brother from North America who followed it, instead of staring at their slavery all day and night. The rule of the feudal dynasty was not any more advanced than slavery. The eldest brother did not talk about the second brother!

But if the Tang Empire were the world hegemon, it would be different.

If you are not in your position, you will not pursue your political goals.

Sometimes things in the world are like a club, each boss has his own style. With a good boss leading the club, the club will develop smoothly and unite, with fewer messy wars and more disputes resolved through international organizations.

It would be terrible if you meet a boss who is aggressive, greedy and selfish, just like the British guys!

(End of chapter)