In Paris, the capital of France, the snow and ice have melted as the temperature gradually rises. The streets are full of mud formed by the mixture of snow, meltwater and mud, and Paris is not as prosperous as it once was. The French economy has been hit hard by the large-scale war. In particular, after the Chinese navy gained sea supremacy, the French Empire's shipping routes with overseas colonies had been cut off. The French navy could only huddle in the military port, not daring to go out to sea to fight. Even the mighty British Navy was defeated, not to mention them.

The war also took a heavy toll on France, both in Belgium and in the Iberian Peninsula. If the captured troops are counted, the French Army has lost millions of troops by now. Of course, the strength of the French Army is still not to be underestimated. Originally, the total strength of the French Army exceeded 2 million, and Napoleon III ordered a further expansion of the army, and the strength of the French Army will move towards the height of 4 million.

This forced the recruitment of almost all young French men into the army. For this battle, Napoleon III had already made up his final decision. If it withstands the attack of the Chinese Empire, the French Empire may still have a chance to be reborn. If it loses, then the French Empire is completely finished. Napoleon III's ambitions will be scattered in the wind like a passing cloud.

The Tuileries Palace, in addition to the Élysée Palace, was the other place where Napoleon III was located. It was here that Napoleon III often summoned important officials of the empire, as well as to meet with the monarchs of visiting other countries.

Now, the atmosphere at the Tuileries Palace is very dreary. The Chinese Empire had massively built up troops on the Belgian battlefield and the Iberian Peninsula, which posed a deadly threat to France. No doubt. France would be the first target of the Chinese Empire's counterattack. Once the war began again, France would have to face an attack by the elite Chinese army.

On the Iberian Peninsula last year. Under the attack of more than 300,000 Chinese troops, the French army paid a lot of losses. Now, the Chinese army will enter the Iberian Peninsula with as many as 1.3 million troops, will the French army be able to withstand it? The current Napoleon III has long since lost the former leader of the French Army. A series of battles have shown that the French Army is not only no match for the Chinese Army, but even the Prussian Army is probably not comparable. Even the Belgian Army, trained by the Chinese Empire, seems to be stronger than the French Army.

"Gentlemen, how is the situation now? Our enemies. When will they attack? "Napoleon III's face was full of tiredness, and he looked much older. Although he is not much older than the Emperor Long Yufei. But if you compare two people, you can see a huge gap.

"Your Majesty, the Chinese Empire is transporting war materials to Europe by sea. According to our estimates, the Chinese counterattack will be launched at the end of this month or the beginning of next month! Said the Minister of War A.J. Saint-Arnault.

Napoleon III nodded: "What about the main direction of the Chinese counterattack?" Is it the Iberian Peninsula? ”

"Yes, Your Majesty! The Chinese have deployed more than 1.3 million troops on the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, the Spanish Army had 800,000 men. Therefore. In the direction of the Iberian Peninsula, we are under a lot of pressure! A.J. Saint-Arnaud continued.

"What about the specific plans of the War Department?" Napoleon III, although he believed that France was now at a disadvantage, he had not completely lost confidence. He knew that the current situation was not good for France. But. France is not without a chance to win. In terms of the regular army alone, the French Army still has two and a half million. In addition, the one million British Army in France could not go back. They could only take command from France. In addition, the French Army is still expanding its army frantically. Another two million people were trained in the barracks. In terms of troops, France is not lacking. And far more than the Chinese Empire deployed in Europe.

"Your Majesty, the War Department is building, we are engaged in a decisive battle with the Chinese Empire on the Iberian Peninsula. Currently, the French Army has 1.2 million troops on the Iberian Peninsula and the British Army on the Iberian Peninsula 600,000 troops. We can send another 500,000 or so troops to the Iberian Peninsula. In this way, even if the Chinese Empire and the Kingdom of Spain are combined, we will not be at a disadvantage in terms of military strength. What's more, the fighting power of the Spaniards is very weak, and we actually have to face only the Chinese! A.J. Saint-Arnault said.

Napoleon III nodded, he had always looked down on the Spanish Army, if it had not been for the timely arrival of the Imperial Chinese Army, perhaps the Kingdom of Spain would have been destroyed by France, and the entire Iberian Peninsula would have been ruled by France. The current battle situation will not become like this. Of course, Napoleon III seems to have forgotten that France's elite army had been almost destroyed in previous wars. At present, the main strength of the French Army is the newly formed units. The combat effectiveness of these units is not much stronger than that of the Spanish Army. and the army of the Chinese Empire, there is no comparison at all.

"In addition to this, the War Department plans to build a defensive line north of the Pyrenees. In this way, even if we cannot win on the Iberian Peninsula, we will be able to resist the Chinese on the Iberian Peninsula with the Pyrenees defense line and keep the French mainland! A.J. Saint-Arnault said. This time the main opponent of the French Army will be the Chinese, so he will have to be careful. In the unlikely event that the war goes wrong, the Pyrenees defense line can also temporarily prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

"Just do what the War Department has planned! Also, although our enemies are strong Chinese. However, I hope that the Imperial army will teach the yellow-skinned monkeys a hard lesson in the war, and let them know who is the master of Europe. Although China is powerful, it is too far away from Europe, and it is already the limit that they can send millions of troops to Europe to fight. As long as we can inflict heavy casualties on the Chinese, I think they will definitely agree to sit back at the negotiating table. When the time comes, we will be able to keep the country at a slight cost! Napoleon III said.

In the case of the defeat of the British Navy, it is already impossible for the North Atlantic Military Alliance to win the war. Preserving the country's survival is already the greatest expectation of all countries. Of course, if they fail, their country will probably cease to exist.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" A.J. San Arnault nodded, he naturally knew that the grim situation facing the country now, if it could not be changed, it would be all over.

"Duke Valewski, how are our Austro-Hungarian allies and Russian allies preparing?" Napoleon III asked. Fortunately, the current French Empire is not alone, and France still has allies. Had it not been for the fact that Austria-Hungary and Russia had held back part of the power of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Chinese Empire, France would have been in a much worse position now.

"His Majesty, Franz. His Majesty Joseph had already ordered the final mobilization of Austria-Hungary. However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire suffered heavy losses on the battlefield, they had already lost all of Bohemia, and the Prussian army was already only a few dozen kilometers from Vienna. Whether Austria-Hungary will be able to hold out remains to be seen. As for the Russians, although His Majesty Alexander II will not yield to the Chinese, it is difficult to say how long Russia will be able to hold out under the joint blows of China and the Ottoman Turkish Empire! French Foreign Minister Duke Valewski said.

Austria-Hungary and Russia, although both great powers, were weak powers. There were too many internal contradictions in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the industrial strength was not strong, so that the country's combat power could not be fully utilized, so that it was pressed and fought by the Kingdom of Prussia after the beginning of the war. As for Russia, it is even more of a clay-footed giant. Although Russia has the largest population in the Western world. However, their industrial strength was extremely weak, and if it were not for Russia's vast territory and huge strategic depth, it might have been destroyed by the Chinese Empire. After all, the logistical supply factor has become the biggest constraint for the Chinese army to attack Russia. If it weren't for the large-scale use of automobiles by various units on the front line to transport war materials, I am afraid that hitting the Ural Mountains would already be the limit of the Imperial Chinese Army.

Napoleon III nodded, the current North Atlantic military alliance is indeed very disadvantageous. The only thing the French Empire could rely on was itself. However, although the enemy was strong, Napoleon III did not despair.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we can only defeat the Chinese Empire on our own. Other allies are not able to share the burden for us. However, we will still have a big advantage. The armies of the Chinese Empire, the Kingdom of Spain, and the Kingdom of Belgium together amounted to just over 2.6 million men at best. The combined number of troops in France in France was 5.5 million, more than twice as many as the Chinese and their allies. We have an absolute advantage! Therefore, I think that the French Empire will be victorious! Napoleon III said firmly. Even if he was beating the drum in his heart, in front of many ministers, he had to show his faith. (To be continued......)

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