Chapter 955 France’s Traditional Arts
Henry Arsène's army advanced smoothly in Belgium, and the Belgian army that rushed to fight suffered heavy losses.
Although Belgium's compulsory military service system has increased the number of soldiers, it is still unable to compare with the powerful France.
The gap is not only in quantity but also in quality. It is not uncommon for recruits to flee or surrender en masse.
Charles Rogier and Leopold I had no choice. It may be funny to say, but after driving the French out of Belgium, they found themselves unable to borrow money.
The reasons for the formation of this strange circle are very complicated and I will not go into details here. In short, the Belgian government, which has no money, is in a very embarrassing situation.
As for lending, they had little cooperation with the entire German Confederation, including the Netherlands.
Therefore, even if Luxembourg is an arms dealer nearby, they do not have the channels and funds to purchase. The relationship between Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium is not good. Sending troops to support Belgium is one thing, but providing arms and supplies to Belgium is another matter. It's over.
Let’s talk about a somewhat ironic fact: human life was cheaper than arms in the 19th century.
And the sources of the two are different. The former only needs a group of passionate young people, while the latter needs businessmen and politicians.
Businessmen and politicians will evaluate the pros and cons of the whole thing, and supporting Belgium is obviously not a good deal in their minds.
Belgium is too close to France, and the border is too long. It also lacks dangerous mountains and is almost entirely hills and flat lowlands.
The French's offensive cost is very low, but the price Belgium needs to pay to defend its homeland is too high. This is obviously a loss-making deal.
This can explain why the French army can advance so easily and quickly.
Provisional Headquarters of Henri Arsène's Legion.
As the commander of the French Army of the North, Henry Arsène was sitting at a richly decorated desk, holding a cup of steaming coffee and the latest issue of the Paris Daily News.
If you just look at the way he drinks coffee, you will think that he lacks nervousness. Sipping is Henry Arsène's habit that has not changed at all even on the battlefield.
However, the gunfire that rang out from time to time reminded us that this was a battlefield, not a senior citizens' club.
Henri Arsène put down the newspaper and took another sip of coffee.
"Marshal Oudinot is still too kind, but those guys in the logistics department really deserve to be shot."
The reason why Henry Arsène said this was that the supplies sent by the Logistics Department at this time were only one-third of what he requested. But in fact, Henry Arsène only had 70,000 people, but he asked for 200,000 supplies. From the perspective of logistics, It is very unreasonable in itself.
Henry Arsène had his own considerations, but at this time the Second French Republic really had no money, and the logistics department was also wronged.
Henry Arsene has been carrying forward the glorious tradition of the French army since he entered Belgium, plundering and plundering.
But it is precisely because of this that he, a young commander (39 years old and less than 40 years old), can quickly win the love and respect of the soldiers.
In addition, Henry Arsène, a prisoner of war from the Belgian army, was not released. Instead, he was taken to a nearby city in exchange for a ransom. If he was not handed over, he was directly put into a hard labor camp.
The towns along the way either provided supplies, ransom, or hard labor, otherwise he would send troops to rob them.
It is precisely by relying on this method of fighting to support war that Henry Arsène's Northern Army has gone through several battles but has more and more troops and better equipment.
The speed of advancement was also astonishingly fast, and the French army's front was once again pointed at Brussels.
This was not part of Franz's calculations. Based on the strength of the troops before the war, even if the Belgian army could not win, it would not be defeated quickly.
Not only did the Belgians fail to consume much of the French army's strength, but it actually made the French more confident as they fought.
Now it seems that the Belgians will collapse first before the German Allied Forces can wait. Fortunately, Belgium is far away from Austria. It just depends on how Archduke Karl ends up.
Brussels.
King Leopold I of Belgium was almost angered to death after opening a letter written by Henri Arsène, the commander-in-chief of the French army. The veins on his forehead kept jumping. No matter how well-educated he was, he couldn't help but swear.
"Damn Gaul barbarians! Are you here to collect tribute?"
"Protection money to be precise, sir."
Henri Arsène's courier did not mince words.
"What's the difference between your behavior and that of barbarians?"
Charles Rogier asked.
"We are more civilized and more committed to our commitments. You can ask the towns along the way whether we have strictly fulfilled our commitments."
The French courier's words were indeed irritating, but what made people's blood pressure rise even more was what came next.
"One million francs a month, that's fair. Just one million francs can save you and your subjects from the suffering of war. Why not?"
This absurdity made both Charles Rogier and Leopold I speechless. Everyone would say what they said in the situation, but the problem is that they really can't hold on now, and they have no money.
There are many examples of people who lost money and avoided disasters in European history, but this time it was different. Times had changed.
Both Charles Rogier and Leopold I had a vague feeling that if they really chose to spend money to avoid disaster, then the so-called bond between Belgium and the German Confederation would no longer exist, and even the country of Belgium might not exist. No longer exists.
The King and Brussels can bribe the French, but other cities and other people can also bribe the French?
Will those fanatical German nationalists understand the difficulties faced by the Belgians at this time?
Charles Rogier and Leopold I only hesitated for a few seconds, but the other party was obviously prepared.
“Aren’t you even willing to pay this price for the thousands of innocent lives in Brussels?
Kings and nobles are indeed greedy fools. "
The messenger said again in a pretentious manner.
"Sorry, please forgive my faux pas. I was just filled with righteous indignation."
King Leopold I's eyes became sharp and he looked at the messenger, but the latter still looked cynical.
"You scared me."
"Send off! Tell Henri Arsène that the Belgians will never surrender!"
Then the two guards picked up the messenger and sent him out without any explanation.
"My name is Jean Bertaud, and we will meet again!"
Leopold I's personal cultivation was very good, but even so, he was very angry by the other party. The opponent's words were to the point, and there was no doubt that the French understood Belgium's situation at this time.
It is not difficult to make a judgment based on intelligence. What is rare is the courage and courage to make a decision.
It seems that Henry Arsène is not the nerd he is rumored to be. On the contrary, even many veterans on the battlefield cannot achieve this decisiveness.
But the most important question for Leopold I right now was where were the reinforcements?