Chapter 251: Actions on All Sides
Time quickly approached August. Napoleon's original plan to mobilize four hundred thousand French troops to fight Prussia fell apart completely due to insufficient preparations before the war and logistical factors.
From the moment he decided to declare war, there was no turning back. Had Napoleon III known just how unreliable his government ministries would be, he would never have made the rash decision to declare war a month ago.
At present, France had deployed 230,000 troops in Alsace and Lorraine. Across the river, the combined German forces had reached 420,000. Because some troops had been transferred from the Prussia–Austria border, that number was more than 40,000 higher than in actual historical events.
The French Army was organized into two offensive corps and one reserve corps. One offensive corps was positioned near Metz in Lorraine, with 128,000 men commanded jointly by Emperor Napoleon III and Marshal Bazaine—this was the main French force, known as the Rhine Army. Another corps was deployed to the right side of the Vosges Mountains, near Strasbourg in Alsace, commanded by General MacMahon and comprising fewer than 40,000 troops. Also, a part of the reserve remained in Châlons to the west of Metz in Lorraine.
"Here we have the Vosges Mountains, with the Rhine Army near Metz on the north side, and General MacMahon's Châlons Corps near Strasbourg on the south side. I myself will command the Rhine Army as our main force. Our target is here—Frankfurt. If we take Frankfurt, we can cut off the North German Confederation from southern Germany. Then, by pinning down Baden and Württemberg, we'll be able to focus all our resources on Prussia." Wearing his military uniform in the command center, Napoleon III outlined his strategy to the generals of the French Rhine Army.
Frankfurt is over two hundred kilometers northeast of Metz and Saarbrücken. Capturing it would encircle Baden and Württemberg to the south. From Frankfurt, heading north would threaten Prussia's western territory, while moving east or southeast could threaten Nuremberg in Bavaria. Initially, this was a plan to launch a preemptive strike by concentrating forces to quickly cross the border, push toward Frankfurt, and sever ties between northern and southern Germany, forcing the southern German states to remain neutral and then focusing all efforts on defeating Prussia.
"Sire, the plan is workable. Going by Prussia's mobilization capacity during the last Austro-Prussian War, Prussia combined with the German allies could likely field at least three hundred thousand troops on the eastern bank of the Rhine. Fortunately, Austria is tying Prussia down; otherwise, if Prussia also transferred its eastern forces, our situation would be far worse. Although the army of the Empire is more experienced and powerful in battle than Prussia's, we must still be cautious when facing nearly double our numbers," said Marshal Bazaine.
François Achille Bazaine (February 13, 1811 – September 23, 1888) was once a mercenary and became Marshal of France in 1864. Over a 40-year military career, he was famed in France for near-unbelievable bravery.
Born in Versailles, Bazaine was the son of a mathematician and bridge engineer who, at the invitation of Tsar Alexander I, had overseen the building of several bridges in St. Petersburg. Because he received no financial support from his family, Bazaine failed the entrance exam for the École Polytechnique and, in March 1831, joined the 37th Infantry Regiment. At that time, King Louis-Philippe had only just taken the throne. In January 1832, Bazaine transferred to the Foreign Legion as a mercenary and was commissioned second lieutenant in 1833. During the First Carlist War, which broke out that same year, he carried out a military mission to Spain; he wounded his right leg in battle and was decorated for bravery. In 1835, he served again in Algeria and was promoted to captain in 1837. Later, he worked in the intelligence sector, where he pursued Algeria's national hero Abd el-Kader relentlessly, eventually forcing him to retreat into Morocco. Bazaine's wrist was wounded in 1845. After Abd el-Kader was captured in 1847, Bazaine was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He became a colonel in 1850 and, in June 1852 in Versailles, married his first wife, María Juana de la Soledad. Beyond that, he took part in the Crimean War, the Franco-Sardinian War against Austria, and France's intervention in Mexico—he was an old acquaintance of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico.
What Bazaine had just said was beyond dispute. Looking at the wars he had joined, he often fought outnumbered, especially in Mexico—fighting on foreign soil, far from France itself. As a commander, Bazaine was not particularly outstanding in terms of strategy, but his one strong point was sheer courage. He always personally took the lead, getting wounded repeatedly. He was universally recognized as a French "hero."
Since even France's "hero" called French troops fearless, there seemed little more to say. The plan was to force the Prussian Army back with numerical inferiority or not—France would face two enemies at once with high confidence.
"We have no retreat. Our current adversary is not the Europe of my uncle, Napoleon the Great, but the very German lands he once trampled underfoot. Austria isn't even involved this time, so our chances are good. Let's make Prussia and the rest of Germany experience the horror of France once again. Vive la France!" Napoleon III roused his audience.
…
"If I'm correct, France's aim will be to cut us off from southern Germany, and the most likely way to achieve that is seizing the Frankfurt region. To do that, Napoleon III will try to act first. So we must keep an eye on the French on the western bank at all times. Our front-line units should initially avoid direct engagement with the oncoming French, pulling back to positions where we can chip away at the French's morale," Moltke said to the Prussian generals as he analyzed the French movements and possible countermeasures.
…
The Franco-Prussian War was on the verge of exploding, while East Africa's war had already been underway for over ten days. For East Africa, this conquest proved challenging—the logistical constraints severely slowed progress. In the Second Conquest War, they could at least rely on Mbeya as a base, barely keeping up with logistical needs.
This time, however, the newly occupied territory of Zambia had yet to be developed, its grain production negligible. Thus, the army's rations and supplies had to be hauled from the rear through the poorly connected Zambian region. Although slow, it remained steady, with daily advances of ten or twenty kilometers.
…
Rome.
"The French have pulled out?" the Austro-Hungarian envoy to Rome asked.
"Yes. Today, the last group of French troops left Fiumicino. Originally, the French only had about three thousand men stationed in Rome, and now their camp is completely empty."
"Excellent. I will go see the Pope immediately and persuade him to sign an agreement with us Austrians. This time, whatever happens, we must teach Italy a lesson."
"Should we inform General Karl so that he can coordinate his operations?"
"No. It's not time for our troops to show themselves yet—otherwise, we'll spook the Italian government, and they might not act at all. Give General Karl instructions to remain hidden. We'll wait for Italy to make a move against the Papal States and then catch them by surprise.
"I will head into Rome to convince the Pope to accept Austrian protection. Next, we'll make this news public. That will force Italy's hand. They'll strengthen their forces in Venice to guard against our interference and at the same time send troops directly into Rome to resolve matters swiftly. What they won't suspect is that we still have a hidden ace here in Rome. Once the Empire has a legitimate pretext for war, we can dispatch our forces into Italy, positioning ourselves as defenders of peace—while Italy becomes the invader."
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