PFC Chapter 82 News of the defeat at the front reaches Paris
Chapter 82 News of the defeat at the front reaches Paris
Five days later, on September 10, the 14th and 15th Armies also left Paris as planned.
At this point, only the 5th and 6th Cavalry Divisions of the Paris Army, totaling 1.3 men, the expanded Gendarmerie of 5800 men, and the 1.6 police officers of the Paris Police Department remained in Paris.
Excluding civilian staff within the police force, the actual armed force numbers just over 3.
In addition to these 3 people, there was also a 10-strong civil defense regiment. However, before the Prussians arrived at the city, this civil defense regiment only conducted short drills every day and was not even equipped with guns on ordinary days.
This was also Eugène's deliberate act of providing convenience to the Republicans within the city. Therefore, on the surface, Paris's defenses appeared extremely weak compared to before.
Previously, the three militarized forces in Paris numbered nearly 150,000. Now, there are only over 30,000, a reduction of four-fifths.
In fact, the 10-strong civil defense regiment was staffed entirely by Eugène, who selected soldiers from the regular army as junior officers, and each battalion was also equipped with a military police liaison officer.
Like the military police, the Republicans thought they had control over parts of the Civil Defense Corps, unaware that they had been infiltrated by Eugène.
Advanced ideas can indeed bring together a group of people who are not afraid of power and are only pursuing their ideals, but there won't be many of them, and it's even less likely that they will all be gathered in the civil defense corps.
Most people still have to struggle to make ends meet and earn their daily living expenses.
The Republican Party was not that powerful, and its leaders were not interested in serving at the grassroots level. Moreover, since the founding of the Republic, the royalist faction had been able to maintain its dominance, which shows that the Republican Party's power was at most stronger than that of a royalist faction.
Even if the two royalists combined, the Republican Party, which holds state power, cannot compete. The Bonaparte family's political power still surpasses that of the Republican Party today.
As for the lower classes, Parisians, being from a revolutionary old area, are more drawn to the red color outside the city than to the Republican Party.
Their grassroots support is not as solid as Eugene's, so for the Republicans to want to control these 10 civil defense troops is simply wishful thinking.
At 2:47 p.m. on September 16, a telegraph machine in the telegraph room specially set up in the Tuileries Palace made a "drip-drip-drip" sound.
When the cipher machine finished translating the last word, the content inside made the cipher machine's pupils widen involuntarily, and his breath catch in his throat for a few seconds.
Once he recovered from his dazed state, the telegraph operator, his hands trembling, ran all the way into Eugène's study with the telegram in his hand.
Seeing the telegraph operator's posture, Royal realized something serious had happened, and standing at the door, he did not stop him.
"Your Highness, Your Highness. Urgent telegram from the front lines."
Communication between Paris and the Meuse front was not severed. Knowing that the fighting on the front lines was extremely unfavorable during this period, Eugène understood what was going on after hearing the telegraph operator's words and seeing the operator's flustered expression and unsure of what to do with his hands.
Eugène's sixth sense told him that what he had imagined might have happened.
At the crucial moment, Eugène was still a little nervous. He swallowed twice before slowly taking the telegram. He read through the few short sentences word by word.
The handwriting on the telegram was very messy, which clearly indicated that the translator was experiencing significant emotional fluctuations while translating it.
"The Meuse River defense line has collapsed completely. Marshal McMahon was seriously wounded in the right leg. His Majesty Napoleon III surrendered to Prussia at Verdun at 10:00 AM today. A total of 73,000 men from the southern and central armies have either been killed in action or captured."
Call ~
Even though he had expected it, seeing the words on the black and white paper—that his father had surrendered and 7.3 people had been captured and killed—still made Eugene somewhat uneasy.
The torn telegram revealed Eugène's inner turmoil.
Without trying to hide his emotions, Eugène didn't rush to reply to the cipher clerk. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sorted out the jumbled thoughts in his mind before opening them again.
Now, it's no longer a matter of eating first; every step from here on out is crucial to whether he can establish the Third Reich.
"Burn the telegrams. From this moment forward, cut off all civilian telegraph lines, leaving only dedicated lines for the military and government. Inform all newspapers to refrain from publishing any news about the front lines."
Anyone who disobeys this order should be prosecuted for treason by Pietrey, regardless of the court's opinion.
The telegrams weren't just sent to the palace; the Prime Minister's Office also received telegrams from the front lines.
Eugene's decision to maintain the blockade despite knowing of Troche's existence as a high-ranking mole was largely a show for the Republicans.
As the crown prince, if he remained indifferent to such news, anyone could tell something was wrong. And things unfolded exactly as Eugène had predicted; his information blockade was indeed a step too late.
Five minutes before the telegram arrived at the Tuileries Palace, Trochet, who had prior knowledge of the situation, had already arranged for his trusted associates to pass the message to the Republicans.
After taking power, the efficiency of the top leadership may decline, but the Republican Party, which is still in its early stages, is still very efficient.
Before the Paris government had even taken control of the city, a high-level meeting of the Republican Party had already begun in the Old Carpenter's Tavern in Montmartre.
This is bad news for Gan Bida, but for the higher-ups who have little patriotism and are more concerned with their own interests, it is truly great news.
This meeting was of great significance to the Republican Party. The curtains of the entire old tavern were drawn tightly shut, and only a dozen or so kerosene lamps emitted a dim yellow light inside.
The core members of the Republican Party and two members of the royalist faction sat around a long table, their faces beaming with excitement.
Of course, at this sensitive moment, Count Louis-Philippe Albert de Orléans of Paris and Count Henri Charles Ferdinand Marie Dieudonné of Chambord did not appear at the meeting, but both sent members of their families to express their position.
"Everyone."
Compared to Gambida, who wanted to obstruct the armed revolution and dampened everyone's enthusiasm, Blanqui, who advocated for armed revolution, was more popular in the current situation.
In the past, meetings were opened by Gambida, but on the 16th, Blanqui stood up first, slammed his hand on the table, and began to give his opening remarks.
"Napoleon III has surrendered, over 80,000 French troops have been wiped out, and the rule of the Bonaparte family is over!"
How could a meeting in a tavern be complete without alcohol, especially on such a joyous occasion? Listening to Blanqui's speech, the crowd, already incredibly excited, immediately erupted in thunderous cheers.
Some people were so excited that they smashed their glasses, while others took out republican flags they had prepared and started waving them...