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Long Yufei nodded, this time in the battle against the Manchu Qing, the empire will dispatch hundreds of thousands of troops, and the army and navy will be dispatched. The General Staff is revising the specific battle plan in the light of changes in the enemy's situation. Long Yufei has not yet considered it. However, three months is more than enough. He believed that within three months, the General Staff would come up with a complete set of perfect operational plans. The system of the General Staff of the Chinese Empire was much more advanced than that of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Coupled with its superiority in communications, the Chinese Empire was significantly ahead of the Manchus in terms of command.

In terms of the combat power of the army, the two sides are not comparable. Although the Manchus received large loans from the British, they purchased a series of advanced equipment from the British, including breech-loading rifles and breech-loading guns. However, there is still a certain gap between the two sides in terms of the overall performance of weapons and equipment. More importantly, in terms of the morale of the troops, the two sides are fundamentally different. Among the new army of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, except for those banner people, there are probably very few people who are willing to die for the Manchu Qing Dynasty. By the time the war began, the Manchu army would have collapsed if it had suffered defeat. Even if the Manchu Qing Dynasty had millions of new troops, it would definitely not be able to compare with the Chinese Empire. The final victory must belong to the Chinese Empire.

"Ladies and gentlemen, during this trip to Europe, Russia has shown great malice towards the Empire. They wanted to buy a stake in the Canal Development Company from the Empire, but we sternly refused. During this period, the Russians opened to help us destroy the Manchus. But it is necessary to occupy the conditions of Xinjiang, Mongolia and Northeast China. These conditions were also rejected by me. All the lands of the Manchu Qing belonged to the empire. Not an inch can be cheapened by other countries, and it is even more impossible for the Russians to seize these territories from us! Long Yufei said. He must give a wake-up call to the civil and military officials. In all the foreign wars, the Chinese Empire was the victor, which inevitably cultivated a group of proud generals in the army. When facing a weak enemy, there will be no problems, but when you encounter a strong enemy. Maybe it will be a fiasco.

"Your Majesty, can you be sure that the Russians will be involved in our war with the Manchus?" Prime Minister Li Decheng asked with a frown. This is a question they didn't know before. After Long Yufei brought it up. It also surprised them a little. After all, Russia is known as the hegemon of Europe at this time, with an army of 1.4 million and the largest navy in the world, which is not so easy to deal with.

"陛xià. Russia's army size is 1.4 million. In addition, the Manchus also had more than a million new troops, and if they united, it would be very detrimental to the empire. Chief of General Staff Niu Meng's face also became a little solemn. The number of troops in the Chinese Empire was still too small to compare with that of the Manchus and Russia. Of course, with the current strength of the Chinese Empire, it is not very difficult to form more troops. It's just that building more armies means spending more armies. This was not worth it at a time when the Chinese Empire was concentrating the strength of the whole country to carry out industrialization.

"Don't worry too much. Even if Russia wants to intervene in our war with the Manchus. However, the Far East is too far away from Russia, and they will not be able to invest too many troops. Up to 100,000 people. I believe that our army will not be worse than the Russians, even if it is the Manchus plus 100,000 Russian troops, we will be able to deal with it just as well. Long Yufei said. For the army of the empire, he had great confidence.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the final victory must be ours. However, the Cossack cavalry of the Russians came and went like the wind, and we must pay attention to it. Lieutenant General Sun Hao, Minister of Operations, reminded. Although the army of the Chinese Empire was strong, it was always a weak point in cavalry. The south was not suitable for breeding war horses, and the number of cavalry in the army was not large. Once you fight the Russian cavalry in the northern plains and the Mongolian steppes, I am afraid that you will not be able to take advantage. In this case, it would not be so easy for the Imperial Army to defeat the Manchus and the Russians.

"Your Majesty, we may be able to get in touch with the Mongols. Although the relationship between the Mongolian Eight Banners and the Manchu Qing was close, now the Manchu Qing Dynasty has gone into decline. I believe that many Mongolians will definitely make the right choice for the sake of their future. Foreign Minister Lin Zihao said.

"Yes, we can secretly contact the leaders of the Mongol tribes, and as long as they are willing to take refuge in us, we can not blame them for their past sins. And we will guarantee their interests in the future. Long Yufei said. If the Mongols can be won over, the Imperial Army's shortcomings in cavalry can be easily compensated. This will be very beneficial for the future war between the Reich and Russia. Although the Cossack cavalry was strong, Long Yufei believed that the Mongol cavalry, equipped with modern weapons, would definitely not be much worse than them.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Lin Zihao nodded, and was ready to select the right person to secretly visit the Mongolian ministries.

"Your Majesty, according to the latest news we have received, a revolution has broken out in France. Fighting broke out between the population and the army in Paris, the capital of France, resulting in dozens of deaths. Now the situation in Paris is out of control. Lieutenant General Luo Hongtao, director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, said to Long Yufei.

"The revolution broke out? Did the Bonapartes do it? Long Yufei's heart tightened. He left Europe early because he feared that he would be drawn into the French Revolution. Although the historical February Revolution in France only broke out in February 1848. But after meeting several leaders of the Bonaparte family, he realized that history had changed. The rise of the Chinese Empire in the East stimulated the people of the Bonaparte family, especially the Charles. Louis. Napoleon. Bonaparte, in particular, thought that he had an intellect not inferior to that of his uncle Napoleon. According to some information obtained, Long Yufei guessed at that time that the revolution might break out in advance. Now it seems that his guess was undoubtedly correct.

"Your Majesty, this revolution, though it is uncertain, was led by the Bonapartes. However, the Bonapartes certainly contributed to the trouble. Lieutenant General Luo Hongtao said affirmatively.

"Your Majesty, what kind of position should we take?" Foreign Minister Lin Zihao asked.

"Let's wait and see what happens! As long as the French Government continues to honour the agreements it has reached with us, we will ignore them. Long Yufei said. He knew that this time the Charles. Louis. Napoleon. Bonaparte would have taken advantage of the opportunity, but a strong and powerful France was exactly what he wanted to see.

Lin Zihao nodded and said no more. The last time Long Yufei met with the people of the Bonaparte family, he was also present, and he knew Long Yufei's intentions.

In fact, the February Revolution broke out in France, and it was not sudden. The seeds of revolution have already been planted. The current French government is very corrupt, which makes the French very dissatisfied. In order to curry favor with the capitalists, the government promised to pay the bankers at high interest rates to the government to cover the huge deficit. Scandals have sprung up one after another, damaging the credibility of the government. The middle class is demanding moderate reforms, hoping to strengthen democracy by expanding suffrage and purge corruption from government. But Louis. Philip I refused to respond to these demands and continued his policy of "laissez-faire"; Louis. Philip I also gradually tightened the system of censorship by the police and restrictions on mass gatherings. This shows that he is not a true democratic leader. Thus, the ruling base of the "July Dynasty" was weak from the very beginning. Plus Road Easy. Philip I's refusal to support the Italian and Polish independence movements of 1830 also disappointed French liberals.

With the rapid development of French industrialization after the 1830s, the rise of the working class and the widespread popularity of socialist ideas were widespread. Saint-Simon, Fourier, Cabe, Louis. Brown and Proudhon were both well-known French socialists. They set up non-governmental organizations to promote socialism and humanitarianism, and hoped that the government would strengthen the protection of people's employment opportunities and the rights and interests of the elderly and infirm. This kind of thinking also directly stimulates the concept of "sovereignty in the people" and the struggle for universal suffrage. The socialist propaganda campaign has increased the general discontent of the people.

The Catholic Church in France was dissatisfied with the government's preference for bourgeois corruption, and expressed suspicion and concern about the government's liberal religious policies. Orthodoxy believes that Louis. Philip I was a usurper, and his rule did not have the legitimacy of the Bourbons, compared to Charles X's grandson, the Count of Chambord, who was more qualified to inherit the throne.

Louis. Philip I, who considered himself the "Emperor of the Commoners", lived a simple and uneventful life, coupled with a conservative and cautious approach to governance, and did not have the military glory that Napoleon's supporters emphasized. Moderate foreign policy was also a major factor in the defeat of the Orleans dynasty. Nationalists denounced Louis. Philip I's groveling foreign policy made France's foreign policy subordinate to England, and even more dissatisfied with Louis. Philip I failed to take advantage of the moment to keep Belgium at the mercy of France. This, coupled with the revival of Napoleonic cult in the 1840s, has forgotten Napoleon's shortcomings and celebrated his achievements. Napoleon was considered a symbol of national prestige, a hero, and a social reformer. The cult of Napoleon eventually deepened the people's respect for Louis. The disappointment of the government of Philip I, which the people compared to the exploits of Napoleon, saw the current regime as diplomatically inadequate.

In summary, the failure of the government and the lack of charisma of the rulers were the reasons for the outbreak of the February Revolution.

Of course, the outbreak of this revolution in France had both advantages and disadvantages for the Chinese Empire. (To be continued......)