Although a counteroffensive plan was set, it would take a long time to mobilize hundreds of thousands of men and corresponding supplies to the front line, and the real battle would begin in two weeks.

And Nasan also learned of the news of the establishment of a republican government in southern France, and he was of course very annoyed by this.

Fortunately, the republican government was only temporary, which shows that they were also full of internal contradictions, and their intention to resist the emperor was not resolute.

As long as the situation can be stabilized before the arrival of the army, it will be too late.

As for Spain sending troops to help in the war, Nasan had no opinion, because the spearhead was not directed at him, but at the fortress of Metz.

He sent a letter to Alfonso on this matter, and the other party said that he was only abiding by the March Covenant and had no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of France, and that if he was not happy, he could withdraw his troops.

Instead of doing so, Nasan encouraged Spain to join the Eastern Route Army in southern France.

He negotiated with the Prussians on the issue of Metz, but the other party refused to relieve the siege on the grounds of instability, and even forbade the import of supplies to Metz.

may also be afraid that the emperor will turn his face and not recognize people after getting the army, then when the time comes, the south and the north will add up to millions of troops, who can withstand this.

Prussia made it clear that unless Marshal Bazin openly supported Nasan, recognized the Franco-Prussian peace and disarmed, plus handed over control of the fortress, the two sides would remain at war.

It would be nice to be able to liberate Metz now with the help of southern France and Spain.

Nasan has this self-confidence, with his personal relationship with Bazin, and the other party's family property is all in Paris, even if Nanfa rescues him, he will eventually fall to the emperor.

……

And the current condition of the Metz fortress is not good.

In the past two months, the supplies in the fortress have been exhausted, the water has been rationed, and the war horses have been slaughtered to satisfy hunger.

Many soldiers only have 100~150g of bread per day, and some officers plead with tears in their eyes just so that their soldiers can get food.

Morale also dropped dramatically, and several unsuccessful breakouts left them with nearly 20,000 more wounded.

With such a huge amount, military doctors, who lack medicines, simply cannot do anything.

These people can only be placed in a cramped room, waiting for the choice of fate.

In addition to the effects of the war, with the arrival of Prussian newspapers and hot air balloons in southern France, the soldiers of Metz became aware of the changes in their homeland.

To this, the reaction of the soldiers of Metz was far more unified than that of Paris and South France.

Psychologically they are despised, they have been trapped in a fortress for so long, they have no hope of being delivered, and they have not yet surrendered. That's how you voted in Paris?

However, psychologically, the attitude towards the war was very consistent. That is, to quickly admit peace and go back to living the life of a human being.

It is difficult to disobey the will of the group, and Bazin himself is indeed a royalist, so it seems that there is only one way to make peace with Prussia.

But Marshal Bazin always believed that political matters should be done with caution, and if he was in such a hurry to express his position, if the emperor failed to hold on, wouldn't it be a burden to him?

When the time comes, he will be punished for treason by leading his army to surrender.

Maybe the emperor didn't die, he died first.

Moreover, the terms of peace offered by Prussia were also harsh, and Bazin determined several times that Prussia would give them the treatment of prisoners of war.

Once they surrendered, they were to be held with their former captives, and it was up to the Prussians to decide when they would be released.

Judging from the current situation, this time may drag on for a long time, and a ransom may have to be paid.

Unfortunately, the soldiers did not understand Bazin's painstaking efforts, and simply thought that after surrendering, there would be enough food and water, and after a while, they would be sent home.

Bazin understood Prussia's intention in doing this, and it was really that these 200,000 soldiers, whether handed over to the emperor or the local republican government, would make them instantly gain the power to compete with Prussia, which was not very safe.

As for the Eastern Route Army in southern France, Bazin basically had no hope for it.

It would take two weeks for Nanfa to launch an attack alone, and the supplies for the Metz Fortress would last another two weeks at most.

Unless they allowed some of them to starve to death, they could not wait until the day when the siege would be lifted.

He had already clarified the relevant situation with the republican government, but the other party did not consider the actual situation at all, and only said that they would persist and wait for the motherland's rescue.

Bazin was helpless about this.

In short, there are only two paths in front of him.

Either surrender as a royalist and become a welcome captive, or surrender as a republican or Orleanist or something like that and become persona non grata captive.

…… Marshal Bazin was watching to see how the situation would evolve, as was Alfonso.

The reason why Prim went to lead the Eastern Route Army was at his behest.

Historically, Bazin's legion surrendered after 72 days of siege, and now it has been besieged for almost 60 days.

Alfonso didn't believe that his butterfly effect would make the Metz Fortress more stocked.

From this point of view, almost a few days after the offensive was launched, the surrender of Metz, which shocked Europe, would occur.

At that time, the Eastern Route Army would lose its war objectives, and the Spanish Volunteers would have good reason not to intervene in the internal affairs of France.

At that time, Prim's troops will most likely be stationed in the area of Belfort or Tours, and then plan the next step according to the development of the situation.

They will not move until Nasan and the opposition decide the winner.

The Prussian army will not take the initiative to provoke these 200,000 people.

Through a simple military parade, to get the contribution and initiative of the war, this is Alfonso's plan.

Otherwise, after the emperor is overthrown, the republican government can rule that the promise of Nasan is illegal in one sentence, and Spain will cry.

Of course, this is ideal, but it is working well so far.

At least the local republican government was grateful to Spain for keeping its promises.

Coupled with the consideration of conceiving Spain, the Provisional Government promised Alfonso that the promises made to him by the Emperor were all valid with them.

Whoever prevailed, France would forgive Spain of its arrears and support her post-war military campaign against Morocco.

As for whether or not we can get something from Prussia, we will discuss it later.

……

Military preparations were in full swing in the south, while changes in Paris were more frequent.

The people who originally surrounded the Elysée Palace have basically dispersed, after all, they have annoyed the emperor, although it is not so that they will not be given supplies, but it is indispensable to deduct a little bit openly and secretly.

This method was simple and effective, and although the emperor's approval rating fell further, the protest ranks were effectively dismantled.

The same method was used against soldiers who were sticking to their posts.

Without the help of the higher-ups, it is impossible for ordinary soldiers to fight the government for too long with their enthusiasm alone.

Thus, on the fifth day of the Franco-Prussian peace, the Prussian army finally marched into Paris.

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