Chapter 996
Fanny Cote's experience was legendary enough, and more importantly, she carried enough gold and silver that Louis-Philippe naturally accepted all who came. At the same time, he also needed to set an example for his followers.
Although Louis Philippe did not have much profound political wisdom, there was actually no shortage of smart people around him.
Thiers, for example, was a smart and shameless guy, but what cannot be ignored is that his political wisdom far exceeded those of the guys sitting in the Paris Assembly Hall at this time.
Under Thiers' planning, Louis-Philippe chose to meet Fanny Cotchin in Metz, naming her deputy commander-in-chief of the Orleans army and ordering her to garrison Strasbourg.
In addition, Duchess Fanny Cotes was allowed to recruit and train an army loyal to Louis Philippe himself.
The so-called deputy commander is actually not an official position, but more like an honorary title. Strasbourg, at the time, seemed like a place where war was absolutely impossible.
As for recruiting and training new soldiers, the Orleans government did not give her money, food, or equipment. Even the trained troops must be loyal to the royal family in the end.
Thiers' actions can be said to have brought his shameless political style to the limit, but Franz knew very well that Thiers could be even more shameless as long as he had the opportunity.
However, this Fanny Cote still has some abilities. The 30,000 Orleans troops in the coalition at this time are the best proof.
Thirty thousand troops seemed like nothing in the eyes of great powers like Austria and France, but at this time the combined population of Alsace and Lorraine was less than one million.
Therefore, this Fanny Cote is still very influential and popular locally.
There is a word that is very suitable to describe the equipment of this army of the Orleans Dynasty at this time-made by all nations.
The main rifle of this army was the Charleville 1777 flintlock, and the rest were donations from German states.
The donations from various states, except for a few small states such as Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and Frankfurt, were all clearing out stocks. The Dutch even sent matchlock guns that required flint and ammunition pouches.
Even though the equipment was extremely poor, and even though she had to bring her own dry food and mules and horses, Fanny Cote brought this army to the battlefield. Franz still admired her for this.
The door of the command post was pushed open, yes it was a door. In addition to the door, Franz had all kinds of furniture, including two coffee machines and a bookshelf.
In the past few days, the coalition engineering troops built a headquarters and a single-family wooden villa for Franz.
A tall woman with slender thighs walked in with firm steps. She was wearing the common officer uniform of the Orleans Dynasty, which was mainly blue, white, and gold.
The military uniform designed specifically for men looked surprisingly good on her, especially the combination of white tights and black riding boots, which looked more pleasing to Franz, a modern man, than on a group of older men.
The mountains on her chest were tightly bound by the double-breasted coat, which made her look even more majestic. The medals and ribbons hanging nearby seemed a little more proud.
There was nothing hanging on his waist, and the sword and gun were probably taken away before entering the door. After all, Franz has a special status, so he still needs to take minimum safety precautions.
Looking at the outfit, the woman in front of me is the famous Duchess. Fanny Cote has a pair of hazel eyes with thin and long eyelashes, which makes her appear strong yet tender.
The short hair is particularly conspicuous, and the cuts are not neat. Needless to say, she probably cut it herself, or even cut it with a knife.
Overall, Franz's first impression of the Duchess was not bad, but he soon discovered that the "Joan of Arc" in front of him was more like a clumsy imitator.
The first thing Fanny Cote did after entering Franz's temporary headquarters was to take a careful look at Colonel Bordeaux, Colonel Monta, and even Zuo Qizai.
(Historically, the French Crown Prince Charles deliberately had someone pretend to be himself in order to test Joan of Arc.)
"Sorry, we are on the battlefield right now, and we don't have time to play such boring games."
It wasn't until Franz pointed it out that Fanny Cote looked away angrily.
"Hello, Your Highness Dauphin, no! Archduke Franz."
Dauphin is actually a special name for the crown prince in France. Generally speaking, foreigners cannot understand it, but Franz is just not that common.
Seeing this scene, he couldn't help complaining in his heart: "It seems that this cosplayer hasn't had enough fun yet."
However, he still smiled politely and awkwardly on the surface, and Fanny Cote returned the same awkward smile.
In fact, generally speaking, there is no problem in calling the prince the crown prince, but Franz's situation is a little different. His father is not the emperor, but his uncle is.
Moreover, the meanings of Crown Prince and Crown Prince are also different.
"Would you like wine or tea? Of course we also have coffee and mint water here."
Europe is still very hot in July, and mint water, a heat-clearing drink, is also very popular.
"I would like to ask you why you stopped attacking? Our enemy will not be able to hold on any longer!"
But Fanny Cote was obviously not in that mood, she said straight to the point.
"The invaders of the Second French Republic have lost the ability to continue expanding, and we should avoid senseless killings."
Franz was well prepared, and his response was naturally very high-sounding.
In fact, what he had in mind was that France should not be weakened too much, otherwise he would be the next Napoleon, and a large anti-Austrian alliance would cover the entire Europe.
Franz had to face a situation where he was surrounded by enemies on all sides. Most of his hard work over the years would be in vain, or even become someone else's wedding dress.
Domestic reforms will go backwards, and high-pressure rule will have to be implemented in order to gather combat power and stabilize people's hearts.
Franz's enemies can fail countless times, but as long as he fails once, he will be completely liquidated, and the conflicts that have been suppressed for many years will explode.
But Fanny Cote didn't know this, she still said reluctantly.
“We have warned the intruders and I have personally written to Bono de Cullen and Dan Gila.
I told them that if they don't lay down their weapons and leave the land of Orleans immediately before the war, then they will all die here. I can't break my oath! . "
Franz was speechless for a while, and couldn't help but continue to complain.
"Why are you still making the pre-war declaration and really think of yourself as Joan of Arc?
Did he break his oath and commit suicide on the banks of the Rhine? Too embarrassed to meet the elders in Hexi? (Alsace is west of the Rhine)
And what does the promise you, Fanny Cote, made on behalf of the Orleans government have to do with me, Franz, the commander-in-chief of the German Allied Forces? "
After thinking about it, Franz continued to speak in an official tone.
"Enough blood has been shed. The vast majority of soldiers are innocent. They are just lambs held hostage by a few ambitious people."
"Forgive me for not agreeing with your point of view! Ignorance and innocence cannot be used as an excuse for them to become intruders.
On the contrary, we should apply the hammer of justice to them, so that the truly innocent dead can rest in peace and the living can live in peace of mind. "
The more Fanny Cote talked, the more excited she became. Her chest was rising and falling violently, especially the two rows of tight buttons that seemed about to collapse at any time.