The eyes of the world were focused on the Franco-Prussian border, but there was not a single battle between the two sides until nearly a week after the war began.

However, in South Germany, the Prussian invasion was in full swing, and with the help of the Bavarian Belt and Road Party, it reached Ansbach in just five days, almost connecting with Nuremberg.

Their strategic intent was obvious: to defeat South Germany first, and then to confront France with all German strength.

Unlike the usual occupation areas, North and South Germany were all Germans, and as long as they were defeated, they could be used for their own purposes immediately.

And on the French side, it's not that they don't want to attack, it's that the army is not ready for battle.

At the moment there was only one legion on the border, called the Rhine Corps, which was divided into two fronts, one of which was led by Napoleon III himself, stationed between Tionville and Beech on the border, with 3 discontented corps.

There was also a front, led by Field Marshal Patrice McMahon, at Strasbourg and Matz, under two armies.

Since France was more involved in colonial wars and volunteer wars, there was no army and division level in normal times, and they were hurriedly organized before the war.

Nasan thought that France was ready for war after such a long time of planning, but he was wrong, France, who had been abusing the vegetable game for a long time, was full of flaws when facing opponents of the same level.

It's been almost a week since the declaration of war, and the personnel and equipment of many units are not in place.

There was no mobilization plan, no detailed battle plan, no coordinated plan between several fronts, the army was assembled in every possible way, and the requisition of private railways created a mountain of paperwork.

Even the post of Chief of Staff has just been created.

Most of all, they were preparing to break into the interior of Germany, only to find that most of the officers did not have a map of Germany in their hands.

A combination of factors means that France does not have the ability to take the initiative to attack for the time being......

"No, at the latest, the army will march into Germany in three days at the latest!"

In the general staff, Na San was furious, he came to the front line with eagerness, but told him to wait here?

"We need time ......" the chief of the General Staff, Edmund Leboeuf, tried to persuade the emperor not to be so impulsive.

"Time? The diplomats of the Reich tried to keep Nande on our side, but the inaction of the army was about to cost us it! "It's okay not to say it, but it's even more angry when you say that you have time to take three.

For a while, the staff was silent, and they did not dare to continue to anger the emperor.

Even Leboeuf was silent, as the current Minister of War, Field Marshal, and Chief of the General Staff, Leboeuf said no more, and the others could only follow the emperor's wishes.

Even if reason tells them that now is not a good time to attack, if they retort at this time, they may be caught, their future ruined, and they will not have any practical effect.

After the emperor had set a plan to attack within three days, the brief meeting ended in a depressing atmosphere......

As soon as he walked out of the general staff, the commander of the Fourth Army, Radmiro, could not help but whisper to Leboeuf: "Marshal, why don't you go and persuade the emperor again?" There's really no way to go to war now. ”

Leboeuf looked at him deeply, shook his head, and said nothing.

"Please, if South Germany loses it, it will be lost, as long as we are given time, even if Prussia integrates the South, we will not be afraid." Radmiro did not give up, and he really resisted this overly reckless plan of battle.

"Alas, it is impossible for the Emperor to abandon Nande, and once we express the idea of abandoning our allies, the political pressure at home will be unimaginable.

A feint in three days should satisfy all parties......" Leboeuf sighed and said: "Besides, France is not ready, is Prussia ready?"

They're just mobilized conscripts and have more to deal with than we do, so relax. ”

With that, he patted Radmiro on the back and turned to leave.

Leboeuf was a staunch fighter and even though the army's performance in battle made his heart half cold, the remnants of the idea of "the best in France" still made him think about the bright side.

Whatever their thoughts, officers of all ranks received instructions and began to prepare anxiously for the war in three days.

The reason why he was so anxious was because Munich put pressure on Paris, and Paris put pressure on him, and under heavy pressure, he felt that he could not let France lose face and disappoint the people.

He saw that the organization was relatively chaotic, but when he thought about it, as long as the soldiers had quality and faith, what combat plan and coordination and scheduling were all subsections.

In Nasan's plan, they were to make a rapid advance to Frankfurt, slow down the Prussian offensive, separate North Germany from South Germany, and then parade in Paris with absolute superiority.

As for how to defeat 320,000 with 190,000 people, it is not in his consideration.

On the Prussian side, they did not yet know that France was going to attack with inferior forces.

In Bismarck's plan, they were to concentrate their superior forces on Alsace and Lorraine, trying to annihilate the main French army on the Franco-Prussian border or drive it to the north of France, opening the way to attack Paris.

But the plan could not catch up with the change, and South Germany, which turned out to be an ally, suddenly stood on the opposite side of North Germany.

It would be unwise to attack on two diametrically opposed fronts at the same time, so they would have to garrison the border and teach their disobedient brothers a good lesson before talking about anything else.

Fortunately, the pace of assembly in France was as slow as Bismarck expected, or even slower, and the life of the border officers was quite leisurely.

Like France, Prussia was also commanded by William I, but William I was better than Nazam in that he knew what level he was, and he only showed the glory of the king in his name, and did not interfere in the affairs of the army.

The Chief of the General Staff was Moltke, and he was the one who led the war.

The Prussian army marched all the way through South Germany, but Moltke had his own troubles.

The Nuremberg government sent him a note demanding that the Prussian army refrain from indiscriminate bombardment in Bavaria and that casualties among the common population should be minimized.

If it was in the past, old Moltke would not have paid attention to such a request, even if the other party was also German.

But this time, the Nuremberg government was the government they supported, and with the help of the other party, they marched quickly in the early stage.

If you enjoy the benefits, you have to take responsibility accordingly.

If too many casualties were inflicted, it would not only be detrimental to the integration of South German troops to fight the French, but would also weaken the legitimacy of the Nuremberg government.

On the one hand, it would create difficulties for post-war integration, and on the other hand, it would deepen Prussia's image as an invader and further isolate Prussia internationally.

Even Wilhelm I personally sent a telegram asking Moltke to "pay great attention" to the battle.