Chapter 487: Prime Minister's Iron and Blood (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

The armored forces are advancing!

The Prussians were retreating, not just a division, but the entire 13th Army. If someone looked from the sky to the ground, they would definitely see that the defeated Prussian army was fleeing like a stray dog, and behind them, the world's first armored force consisting of hundreds of armored vehicles was pursuing them.

Machine gun bullets poured down on the fleeing Prussians, and hundreds of armored vehicles chased tens of thousands of Prussian troops. This was a scene never seen before in battlefield history.

Faced with those invulnerable armored vehicles, the Prussians' only option was to flee.

And what is even more deadly?

It's shelling!

Just as the Prussian 13th Army was defeated, a series of artillery shells fell on the Prussians. At the same time, the 2nd Division of the Expeditionary Force launched an attack on them.

Although the Second Division had only more than 10,000 people, its attack was the last straw that broke the camel's back for the Thirteenth Army and even the entire Fourth Corps. After the Second Division entered the battlefield, the defeat of the Thirteenth Army was inevitable.

After learning that the Thirteenth Army had suffered heavy losses from the attack of the "Armored Chariot Cavalry" and was being attacked by the South China Infantry and was retreating to the rear, Count Moltke was stunned for a long time. As a professional officer, he was keenly aware that he was in a very embarrassing situation - the South China Army was likely to threaten his flank after repelling the Thirteenth Army.

While ordering the 13th Army to retreat to its own positions, Count Moltke reported the situation on the Rouen front to Moltke at the headquarters.

Unlike their arrogance before the bombing, when they wanted to announce the location of their base to the world, the Prussians became much more low-key after the Palace of Versailles was razed to the ground. They chose an aristocratic manor in the north of Paris as their base and even built a large number of air-raid shelters in the manor.

One bombing was enough to make the Prussians cautious, and even set up their headquarters in the north of Paris. Why here?

The retreat in the north will be even more urgent!

"Armored vehicle?"

William I could hardly believe what he heard.

"What kind of new weapon is this? How many new weapons do the South Chinese have? Are they going to turn Europe into a testing ground for new weapons?"

The reason why William I was so depressed is very simple. From bolt-action magazine rifles to airships, and then the emergence of armored vehicles.

They can't hit the airship, and they can't hit the armored vehicle either.

Faced with these new weapons, William I was understandably depressed. He even felt that the South China Army did it on purpose just to show off their new toys.

"Your Majesty, the Fourth Legion is in a very dangerous situation right now. Their armored vehicles may break through the Fourth Legion's defense line at any time."

Moltke's tone sounded a little helpless.

"Since they entered the battlefield, we have underestimated them time and time again. Now, through this period of fighting, we can basically determine that the South China Army is a well-trained and highly combat-capable army. What's more terrifying is that they have many new weapons that European countries don't have, whether it's airships that can fly from the sky, armored vehicles that suddenly appear, or armored vehicles that are as fast as trains and equipped with machine guns. Once they enter the battlefield, they will definitely change the way of war."

Moltke's tone was full of helplessness. He and his staff had prepared for this war for twenty years, but so what?

Now it seems that these twenty years have been completely meaningless!

"Now, the enemy we are facing has changed. In the past, we thought we were facing not just the French army, and we could isolate France through diplomacy and then defeat the French on the battlefield. But now, we are facing a brand new opponent who is far ahead of us in military technology. The only thing to be thankful for is that this opponent has limited military strength, otherwise..."

Moltke did not continue speaking, but King William I knew very well that if the South China Army had an army of more than 100,000, they would probably not have encountered this result.

"Your Majesty, the current situation of the war is completely out of our plan. The French are continuing to mobilize their troops. They have purchased a large number of weapons from Nanhua. It is certain that as the war prolongs, France's forces will inevitably be fully mobilized. By then, we will definitely face a more difficult opponent."

All of Moltke's plans aimed at a quick victory, because he knew very well that France's industry and economy far surpassed Prussia. There was only one way to deal with such a powerful enemy, and that was to inflict severe damage on them before they completed mobilization and force them to cease fire.

"Not one, Mr. General!"

Bismarck held up two fingers.

"Yes, there are two, and Nanhua, Mr. General. Just as you said, France is mobilizing their forces. Driven by patriotism, more and more French people are joining the army. Our intelligence shows that they have mobilized millions of national guards in various places. What the French lack now is just weapons, but they have purchased a large number of weapons from Nanhua, and even from Britain and the United States. Their factories are also producing weapons. In half a year... maybe in a shorter time, they will have an army of more than one million people. This army is different from the undisciplined French army in the past. They are volunteers who joined the army driven by patriotism. They have stronger will. This is just the French side."

When talking about the French mobilization, Bismarck's tone was full of helplessness, really helpless!

"What about Nanhua? It took them only one month to send nearly 40,000 troops to Europe. They will certainly send more troops in the future. Your Majesty, the situation is now developing in a direction that is unfavorable to us. It can even be said that the outcome of the war has been determined by the roar of airships and the firing of armored vehicles' machine guns. Whether we like it or not, we must consider the worst-case scenario."

What is the worst possible scenario!

Of course they were defeated, but they had never considered this situation before. After all, since the end of the Prussian-Danish War, the option of "failure" had not existed in all of Prussia's plans.

"Yes, that's why, Prime Minister, we need to cease fire and then negotiate..."

Bismarck spoke loudly before Moltke finished speaking.

"No, there must be no truce!"

(End of this chapter)