French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 32 The argument escalates, and neither side is willing to back down.

"Eugène, Count Montauban, both of you, calm down."

Eugénie tried to mediate the conflict between the two sides, since it would be difficult for her to take sides when they were arguing.

However, Montauban clearly had no intention of giving Eugénie any face. After Eugénie finished speaking, this face-conscious veteran suddenly raised his voice, showing no intention of backing down.

"Your Majesty, I cannot remain calm. His Highness the Crown Prince is still young and has never been to the battlefield. He simply does not understand the gravity of losing territory. Metz is the gateway to Lorraine and the only way for the Prussian army to advance westward. Once it is abandoned, the Prussian army can drive straight in and reach Paris in less than half a month."

"At that time, the people will call us traitors, the Republicans will seize the opportunity to launch a military uprising, and the entire empire will fall apart. Who can bear the consequences?"

Feeling indignant and confused by the labeling and the questioning of his authority, Montauban tried to pin the blame for the defeat on Viktor.

Montauban, having lost his temper, uttered words that successfully turned Eugénie's face cold. What mother could tolerate her son being spoken to like that?

However, before Eugenie could speak, Eugenie himself stepped forward to retaliate.

"Is the count questioning my judgment, or is he disregarding the lives of the soldiers on the front lines? I admit that Metz is important, but Bazan's 17-strong army is even more important."

The outer fortifications of Metz are not even half finished, and there aren't even any decent defensive works. To send Bazin to defend them is to send hundreds of thousands of French troops to their deaths in vain.

The fact that the Xialong Army was completely annihilated by Prussia in history was related to the poor command from the rear.

McMahon himself wanted to retreat, but Paris forced him to advance and rescue Bazin, who was stubbornly staying in Metz. This directly led to the Prussian instigation and annihilation of Nathan and McMahon.

The strategy of confronting the enemy head-on is something Eugène cannot change, but he must eliminate Paris's tendency to waver between East and West.

Seeing that Montauban was not giving him a friendly look, Eugène, as the sole heir to the French Empire, naturally could not give the old general a friendly look, and he directly broke off relations with Montauban.

"The Prussian artillery can easily blast those unfinished fortresses. Once Bazan is surrounded and runs out of ammunition and food, he will either surrender or be wiped out. Your so-called 'holding Mayz' is nothing but self-deception."

"That's utter nonsense. Back then, Emperor Napoleon held off an enemy force several times his size with just a dilapidated fortress. French soldiers should have the courage to fight to the death. Your constant advocacy for retreat is cowardice and a stain on the glory of the Bonaparte family."

"That was the Napoleonic era, the era of smoothbore muskets and short-range artillery."

"I am the rightful heir to the Bonaparte family, and you are not! The Prussian army's rifled guns can kill from 300 meters away, and their breech-loading cannons can cover a range of 5 kilometers. Your outdated tactics will only cause more soldiers to die."

"I'm not saying we should abandon Metz, but rather that Bazin lead his legions to the Meuse River to join the other two legions. We can then build a defensive line along the river and through the fortresses, which is the only way to truly defend France, instead of making pointless sacrifices here."

As the situation escalated, everyone present watched the standoff between the two. The conflict between the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister was not something an ordinary general could get involved in.

The deluded Montauban even tried to pressure Eugène by invoking Napoleon I's name, but Eugène wouldn't tolerate it; his bottom line was unshakeable.

If this tactical arrangement is not changed today, France, which is missing 30 regular troops, will quickly turn its advantage in the individual skills of Prussian soldiers into a disadvantage.

At that time, with equal forces, they would be no match for Prussia. No matter how powerful Eugène was, he would still lose most of northern France to Prussia.

As a result, the argument in the operations room began to escalate. The old generals stood up, echoing Montauban's statement and criticizing Eugène for being young, impetuous, and ignorant of military matters.

The young generals, not to be outdone, with Eugène's support, jumped out to refute the old generals' adherence to conventions and their stubbornness.

Both sides stuck to their own version of events, arguing heatedly until their faces were red. Some even slammed their fists on the table and jumped up to argue, and the scene was on the verge of getting out of control until Eugénie, the regent, slammed her hand heavily on the table and sternly reprimanded everyone present.

"Enough, all of you shut up."

After Eugénie spoke, everyone in the room quieted down, but each person's face showed a look of resentment.

Eugénie could only rub her temples, which were throbbing from the argument, and begin to soothe the people on both sides.

"You both have valid points, but this is not the time for infighting. Montauban, it's understandable that you want to protect Metz, but you can't gamble with the lives of hundreds of thousands of French soldiers. Eugène, it's also understandable that you want to preserve the main army, but you can't easily abandon Metz and alienate the people."

Her words were meaningless; Eugénie's neutral stance did little to resolve the current situation. Instead, it drew attention to Eugénie as regent, as both sides sought her support.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Bazan must hold Metz at all costs. This is the bottom line, and we absolutely cannot back down. As the Imperial Prime Minister and Minister of War, I personally experienced the Battle of Palikao, and I know firsthand the significance of defending our territory to the Empire."

"If Metz falls, I can atone with my death, but I will never allow France to lose an inch of land while I am still alive."

While expressing his loyalty, Montauban was also subtly revealing his identity: without him as Prime Minister and Minister of War to oversee the overall situation, the French Empire would likely be in chaos on the front lines.

"Your Majesty, as the Regent of the Empire, as long as Mays remains intact, the people will trust the Empire's rule, and the Republican Party will have no opportunity to exploit the situation. But if we abandon Mays, the people will only condemn the Empire for its incompetence, and then the entire Empire will be in grave danger."

Upon hearing this, Eugène scoffed and said, "That old bastard Montauban chose to break ties with me, so Eugène won't tolerate it."

He was friendly to the people because he knew that the French Empire was in dire straits and he needed their support.

He was friendly to Montauban, but Montauban couldn't offer him any support, except for sending him a few bossy, outdated generals.

"What good would the Prime Minister's suicide do? Could it make up for the annihilation of hundreds of thousands of French troops? The French Empire would have to be buried with the Prime Minister. What a huge face the Prime Minister had."

Field Marshal McMahon's Chalon Army has retreated to the direction of Châlons. Compared to Metz, Chalon Army is even closer to Paris. The people have already revolted because of this.

With Xia Long's army leading the way, Bazan's army's retreat is unlikely to cause much of a stir. The Prime Minister clearly knows this, yet he's exaggerating here.

Metz's defense must be abandoned; this is Eugene's bottom line. This unfinished fortress is no match for the Prussian army.