"You dare to denigrate the great France?"

"You traitor!"

"Damn the remnants of Orleans!"

The staff officers of the command immediately launched an attack on Paul Dubois, and the man from Brittany did not show weakness.

"Who is the betrayer? You keep saying that the overthrow of the monarchy is for the sake of equality for all! But what about democracy in your mouth now? What about peace? What about bread?

My soldiers can only fight the Germans with biscuits older than them, fight with mercenaries, fight against our people!

From June 15 to now, we have suffered 20,000 casualties! Twenty thousand! What do we get? Ashes all over the ground? A ruin that was not fully occupied? ”

The staff officers and the other two generals in the French army command were speechless for a while, especially in the previous siege war, when tens of thousands of regular troops actually had no way to take a commercial city with only militias and mercenaries, which simply disgraced the face of the French army.

"We still have more than 50,000 people, and it's too late to evacuate them. If we are annihilated here, then it is not just one battle that is lost, but the whole war.

First of all, the Ramosirier army in Lorraine will be attacked in the belly and will soon end up in the same fate as we are.

With the demise of the entire Central Army, the gates of Paris would be open to the German coalition. Do you think the old men of Paris will greet the Germans as they did with Napoleon? ”

Thinking of the festival of the old men in Paris, everyone couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, not to mention Austria, even if the Russians called, they would drink with them.

"Paul! That's enough! ”

Bono de Coullen shouted, of course he knew that what Paul Dubois said was true, but he would not allow anyone to shake his military spirit.

"Someone has come to send General Dubois back to Paris, he needs to recuperate."

Without saying a word, several sergeants stepped forward and took Paul Dubois out, and then stuffed him into the carriage bound for Paris.

Immediately after Paul Dubois was taken away, a staff officer stepped forward and said.

"Your Excellency, General, we can't withdraw! If we withdraw, it's all over! ”

Another staff officer followed.

"Yes! Our retreat is tantamount to cutting off Marshal Ramosilier's rear road, and the German coalition forces have transferred all their main forces, and as long as we can hold on for a few weeks, the other four roads will definitely crush the Germans! ”

Bono de Cullen nodded and said aloud.

"The war report that came before said that Marshal Ramosilier had regained all of Lorraine and must be attacking Strasbourg at this time.

Perhaps, by this time Marshal Ramosilier's troops had gone around to the enemy's rear."

"That's right! As soon as Marshal Ramosirier goes on the offensive, everything will be fine! ”

"Even if Marshal Ramosilier does not attack, as long as Strasbourg is captured, and then the Rhine River is held to cut off the enemy's supplies, it is useless how many people the German coalition army has!"

The staff officers quickly came out of their frustration and were already planning how to pursue the German coalition forces.

"But where are we going to stay?"

There are no other dangerous locations near Celesta, which is why Celesta itself is so important.

"The hillbillies of Alsace can defend the city, can't we?"

Bono de Coullen said confidently.

"We also guard Celesta?"

The staff officers around him were a little confused, and Bono de Cullen continued.

"That's right! You have also seen the battles of these days, how many French warriors have been devoured by these seemingly useless ruins.

We can now also make use of these ruins, which is called 'giving back to the other' (the European proverb fighting fire with fire). ”

"General Cullen! We are confident that you will lead us to victory! ”

"Hehe, don't worry! The whole army enters the Celesta! These ruins, in addition to providing us with shelter, also provide us with protection from the shelling of the Austrians. ”

The French army took advantage of the cover of night to enter the ruins on the outskirts of Celesta.

When he heard the news, Franz and his generals were stunned, after all, the city of Celesta had not been conquered by the French, and it was definitely not a wise move to venture into the non-occupied zone.

Not to mention that there are still resisting soldiers and civilians in the city, even if the French army completely occupies Celesta at this time, they have no chance of winning in the face of such a strong German coalition army, so in Franz's opinion, directly retreating to French territory is the most correct choice for this French army at this time.

However, the French hid in the city of Celesta, which was a real problem for Franz, as it was difficult to guarantee victory in the battle with as little damage as possible to the living forces of the French army.

That's right, heavy artillery, rockets, and strong troops were all designed to make the French army retreat, and Franz's primary target was never France's evil neighbor.

Rather, Britain was a-stirring stick, and of course helping the Germans in Alsace and the declining Orleans dynasty would be of great benefit to Austria's prestige and international influence, and it would be a clever move in line with Franz's future strategy.

It was impossible to engage in nationalism in the multinational empire of Austria, but this did not mean that Franz had to stand in opposition to the nationalists.

If the Austrian Empire could become the spiritual shrine of the German nation, then Franz could not ask for it, and the possible harms were perfectly acceptable in comparison with the great benefits.

In addition, the Austrian Empire had to take the initiative to maintain its position and strong influence in the German Confederation.

The news that the battle was not over did not affect the good mood of the high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the coalition army.

In fact, merchants and celebrities from the Celesta region sent a large number of consolation supplies, wine, delicacies, and even carloads of prostitutes and clowns.

However, Franz did not let these things flow into the Austrian military camps, and some of the things that were difficult to refuse were paid according to the price.

It's a bit impersonal on the surface, but it's the best way to minimize risk.

Even after a brief armistice had been agreed with the French, Franz still sent a large number of scouts in case of accidents, and the entire army took turns resting, with some men always in combat readiness.

As for the wine and food, Franz had already prepared it. After the war, Franz didn't mind the soldiers indulging.

But not at this time, once those so-called consolation celebrities have problems, such as the other party's spies and fakes, or the condolence group has some uncontrollable conflicts with the Austrian soldiers, then Franz might as well choose to die from the beginning.

Franz also had a long-term plan, and for this he needed to build a new army that would be a departure from the old one.

(End of chapter)