Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 958: Chapter 221: The Difficult Birth of the Provisional Government

Having set down the telegram, Marshal Patrice McMahon sighed deeply. He looked up at the window and, with his back to everyone, said, “We must restore normal supply to the troops, we can’t let the soldiers go hungry no matter what.”

“Marshal, our food supplies are low, and domestic supply can’t keep up. If we don’t ration…”

Before the middle-aged officer could finish, McMahon interrupted, “Don’t worry, the domestic issue with supplies has been resolved. The government has confiscated the grain from hoarders, so we no longer have a shortage.”

Upon hearing this news, everyone showed a smile that had been absent for a long time. There was no help for it, as the recent days for the French Army had been truly difficult.

Not only were they being suppressed by the Allied Forces on the battlefield, but logistical issues had also arisen. With declining support from the British, the French government was no longer able to gather sufficient strategic resources.

Now it was a battle to defend our homeland, and retreat was not an option. The French Army was merely sustaining itself on determination alone. All things could be endured, except for a shortage of food.

The front had been lost too quickly, and the previously hoarded food could not be reclaimed in time. Domestic supplies had not kept up, and local support alone clearly could not sustain the army in battle.

To minimize consumption, Marshal McMahon had started reducing rations half a month ago. Apart from the front-line combat troops who barely managed to fill their stomachs, the rest could only eat to partially satisfy their hunger.

Knowing that the food issue had been resolved made everyone naturally happy. Except for the few who noticed McMahon’s unnatural expression, the rest were immersed in joy.

After a pause, McMahon added, “Alright, the food problem is resolved. Other logistical supplies have also been taken care of by the government and will arrive at the front in a week; you can now rest easy.”

The remaining issue is how to fight the defense of France effectively. Our homes lie behind us, and now we have no way back. If we don’t want our families to be displaced in these turbulent times, fight this battle well for me.”

“Now I order…”

The military meeting abruptly ended, and only a few trusted officers, or rather, direct line officers of the Bonaparte Dynasty within the army, remained in the headquarters.

“Marshal, the enemy’s air force has become increasingly rampant. The domestic stations and bridges are severely damaged. Even if the government has solved the food problem, they can’t transport it over quickly, right?”

McMahon didn’t directly answer, instead casually handing over a secret telegram, “Take a look for yourself. After you read this, you will understand why.”

After a while, the middle-aged officer trembled and said, “How… how is… it possible?”

McMahon grimly replied, “I wish it were false too, but it really happened. Domestic rebels and the enemy colluded, stabbing the Empire in the back at the critical moment. Now, the situation can no longer be turned around.

No matter what, we can’t let those rebels benefit. Since they dared to stab us in the back while we fought the enemy, let them deal with the aftermath.”

“The price we’ve paid for this war is too high, and continuing would completely deplete our young men. Now, what we need to do is end this war as soon as possible and preserve the strength of France.”

There’s no help for it; the Bonaparte Dynasty is done for. As direct forces, they naturally have no love for the Revolutionaries.

Whether to preserve the strength of France or to deal a blow to the Revolutionaries, they must surrender to the Anti-French Alliance as soon as possible.

Though it’s not popular in the European Continent to stubbornly resist to the end, surrendering must also be done skillfully; there has to be a proper reason, otherwise the spit of the public alone could kill them.

“Running out of food” is undoubtedly one of the best excuses for surrender — no one would expect an army starved of supplies to fight. In this respect, the French public is quite enlightened.

To strengthen everyone’s resolve to surrender, Napoleon IV had even prepared everyone’s way out. Along with the secret telegram, there was also a public telegram announcing the resolution of the food issue.

As for why the government-promised food and supplies didn’t reach the front line, that would be a question for the Revolutionaries, especially since by that time, the Bonaparte Dynasty would no longer exist.

In theory, as long as there was no interference from the Revolutionaries, the food could reach the frontline. This blame, the Revolutionaries couldn’t shake off.

Being able to retreat without bearing any responsibility, aside from emotionally, was not something people inherently objected to.

After all, the war had reached a stage where defeat was only a matter of time.

Everyone’s resistance was merely an effort to end this war for the Empire with dignity. Now that the Empire was nearly gone, there was obviously no need to persist.

After a moment of silence, an older officer with a beard slowly said, “Even if we lift the restrictions, our food can only last half a month. To achieve our goal, we now need an unexpected event.”

Self-preservation is a human instinct. One could imagine the fate awaiting them if opposing forces came into power and they, as defeated generals, were held accountable.

Avoiding a bleak future meant they had to strike first. If a restoration was possible, that was for the best; even if it wasn’t, they had to bring down the enemy first.”

McMahon shook his head, “That’s not necessary, the Austrians will do it for us; all you need to do is find an opportunity to reveal the location of our food storage.”

Exposing their own food storage locations to the enemy was unimaginable, but there was no choice; such was the absurd reality.

In this world where the strong prey on the weak, if one is not ruthless enough, they cannot stand firm.

Acting nefariously in the shadows can only be considered child’s play; they haven’t directly colluded with the Anti-French Alliance, so they are already considered to have some integrity.

Not just in the Central European Battlefield, but in various other battlefronts throughout, a similar story was unfolding. Following an order by Napoleon IV, the officers loyal to the Bonaparte Dynasty began to take action.

Instantly, the morale of the French Army surged; the previously despondent situation on the battlefield seemed to have reversed, and the frontlines stabilized abruptly.

…

In Paris, the Rebel army, which had been at a disadvantage, was about to be doomed. The Revolutionaries were ready to flee, but a miraculous twist occurred.

An unknown Rebel Army emerged from somewhere and captured the Palace of Versailles, turning the tide.

Regrettably, they let Napoleon IV escape, but this didn’t detract from the overall success; after all, they won the victory, and nobody was particularly intent on chopping off the Emperor’s head for retribution.

Even the capitalists, who hated Napoleon IV to the point of grinding their teeth, lacked the courage to commit regicide. There was no other reason; the Anti-French Alliance had already arrived at their doorstep.

The chaotic situation was already difficult to manage, and if an incident of regicide occurred, the Anti-French Alliance would likely take advantage and chop them off in order to restore the monarch’s dignity. At least the Vienna Government would be very pleased to do so.

This point, both the Revolutionaries and the capitalists firmly believed. The conservative enclamps of the European world were no joke.

Merely with those thousands of Fief Aristocrats, Austria and Russia stood firm as the stronghold of “Feudal Reactionaries,” despised by tens of thousands.

Regrettably, no matter how harshly they cursed, it had no effect. No way around it, the power of the two Reactionaries was considerably stronger, and it took courage to finger-point at them.

Well, overthrowing the Reactionary Monarch system was a concern for the future; the immediate priority was to figure out how to elect a leader to take charge of the overall situation.

At this point, the once-aligned Revolutionary groups formally split. After all, there was only one leader, but there were dozens of factions in the Revolutionary Party.

Forming alliances, merging, in order to seize the fruits of victory, everyone demonstrated their abilities; in some local areas, skirmishes even erupted. In short, Paris was thoroughly lively.

The interim government was hard to establish, but the Parliament was born first. Regardless of how legal the inception of the deputies, it was better to have something than nothing, and at last, everyone could sit down and discuss matters.

Watching the endlessly arguing congress, Socialist Party Deputy Francois exclaimed sternly, “Gentlemen, let’s calm down for a moment. We can discuss the presidential election issue later.

Don’t forget, France is in the midst of war. And we are at enmity with the entire European Continent, the Bonaparte Dynasty has been overthrown, and it’s now our duty to fulfill the responsibilities of the government.

I don’t know if you have noticed, but the frontlines’ telegrams asking for reinforcements have piled up like a mountain. Requests for troops, food, ammunition, artillery, medical supplies, and winter supplies to fight the cold…

In short, we are lacking everything the battlefield needs. If we do not find a way to resolve these issues, it won’t be long before the Anti-French Alliance reaches Paris.”

Francois’ warning pulled everyone from their frenzy for power. If they could not hold off the enemy, it wouldn’t matter who took power.

“Do we even need to consider it? Of course, we must end the war immediately. We have already sacrificed too much for this war, we’ve even lost the Empire, how can the people continue to live if we keep fighting?”

By the tone alone, this was a Royalist Party Deputy, and perhaps even a supporter of the Bonaparte Dynasty. Unthinkable in other countries, but here in Paris, everything was possible.

While the Revolutionaries were the main force in overthrowing the Bonaparte Dynasty, most of the members of parliament after its establishment turned out to be from the Royalist party.

There was no other reason, the Revolutionaries’ foundation was too shallow, they lacked sufficient prestige to govern and had to rely on these “respectable” individuals.

If it weren’t for the Royalist party making up one-third, the Republicans would have had no role at all. After all, the Republican ideal wasn’t yet deeply rooted in people’s hearts, most were still apprehensive about the previous two failed Republican movements.

Francois sarcastically remarked, “Dear Count, what kind of price do you think we need to pay to end the war?

If this opportunity has arrived, if you were the Austrian Government, would you show mercy at this time?

Even if Austria could be bought off with interests, what about Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, and the German Federation that have joined the war, could they possibly be at ease?”

Three consecutive questions hit like soul-crushing blows, leaving Earl Glen speechless. It’s not that there was no answer, but it was an answer that everyone was reluctant to contemplate or face.

The international situation is so volatile. Just a few months ago, most European countries had hoped France could conserve its vitality to continue containing Austria; today is different from the past, now these nations have all become the death knell for France.

To make everyone feel at ease, only if France became weak enough to no longer pose a threat to its neighbors, could they possibly rest easy.