novelAbuy Chapter 56 The Joy of Winning 3, Eugene's Big Gift
Chapter 56 The Joy of Winning 3, Eugene's Big Gift
The sudden arrival of supplies excited the communications soldier so much that he was incoherent. Upon hearing that the supplies were sent by his beloved son, Napoleon III, who had a sudden "last burst of energy," immediately pushed away McMahon's hand and struggled to his feet.
"Let's go take a look."
Ignoring Raul's attempts to extract a confession, the group surrounded the emperor as they left the command post, eager to see the supposedly massive amount of supplies.
When they actually saw it, the scene before them did not disappoint them; in fact, it exceeded everyone's expectations.
On the road leading to the defense line, a huge convoy slowly drove by, stretching as far as the eye could see.
At the very front was a troop of cavalrymen on tall horses, followed by more than 600 four-wheeled carriages, each one fully loaded, their wheels creaking under the weight.
Beside the wagons were thousands of soldiers and laborers escorting supplies, with the wagons at the front already unloading their cargo upon arrival at the camp.
Countless bags of flour were unloaded from the horse-drawn carriages parked in front, the white flour scattering in the air. Several cartloads of flour had already been loaded and unloaded on the open ground next to them, with bags of flour piled up like mountains, emitting an enticing aroma of wheat.
Barrels of perfectly sealed gunpowder, bearing the clear insignia of the Ministry of the Army, were carefully unloaded from the truck.
Next to the flour and gunpowder barrels, several military green boxes were open, containing brand-new Chasebo rifles wrapped in oil paper, neatly stacked together. The rifles were coated with anti-rust oil, and when one of the oil papers was torn open, the rifles inside gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Besides these supplies, the supplies transported with the team included boxes of artillery shells, bundles of military uniforms, large numbers of well-fed warhorses, and mountains of medicines and medical equipment.
Captain Dupin, who was in charge of leading the team and served in the 13th Army, saw Napoleon III and recognized the French captain in the emperor's attire. He quickly stepped forward and saluted.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has sent me to deliver supplies to you. This is the list of supplies; please take a look."
The total shipment included 13000 tons of flour, 125 million kilograms of black powder, 35000 Chassepot rifles, 28000 rounds of 12-pound field artillery shells, 4000 warhorses, 40000 sets of brand-new uniforms, and enough medicine and medical equipment for the entire army for three months, with a total value of 1500 million francs.
These supplies were not purchased in Paris, but rather by Eugène's people in the Île-de-France and Champagne departments.
Starting in early August, in order to raise this large amount of supplies, Eugène sent Dupin and several of his guard captains to make purchases.
So far, 1500 million francs worth of supplies have been procured and delivered to the front lines.
Dipan paused before finishing his sentence, then added loudly enough for Raul and all the other members of the delegation to hear him clearly.
Clearly, this captain must have been alerted by some people in the military camp beforehand.
"In addition, Marshal Camrobel's Paris Legion has completed its initial reorganization, with 120,000 new recruits training in Versailles, and the first batch of 30,000 will be deployed to the front in early September."
His Highness the Crown Prince said that he had already used his personal funds to cover the cost of this batch of supplies, and more supplies would continue to arrive.
There's no private finance involved; of the 1500 million francs, only the three funds can cover the expenditures.
Nathan, who had access to the Paris intelligence network, knew that Eugène had borrowed the money from a banker. However, due to the collapse of the government, the previous Olivier government hadn't yet established a formal accountability process with Eugène regarding the loan.
Montauban, who has now taken over, may be under too much pressure and have too many things to do, or perhaps he simply has a military personality.
So far, Eugène's use of municipal government credit to obtain loans for purchasing various supplies has not yet gone wrong. This is quite strange to Eugène, who is at odds with Montauban.
Knowing these things but not speaking of them, Napoleon III took the list from Dupin, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
To be honest, with the war having reached this point, Nathan was prepared that if the war could end in a more acceptable way, he could simply sell some of the Bonaparte family's ancestral property to pay off his son's debts.
Now, as the French emperor looked at the numbers line by line, tears welled up in his eyes.
Looking up at the direction of Paris, Nathan was filled with emotion, because his son's words and actions seemed remarkably prescient in retrospect.
That loan deal—I'm certain that even if the French government were to borrow money now, it would be very difficult to get 100 million francs from those bloodsuckers.
The money his son took out a loan for has so far been used to prepare for the stability of Paris and the fighting on the front lines. His son's early distribution of supplies has prevented any major riots from breaking out in Paris.
Overall, Napoleon III had to admit that his good son seemed to have assumed from the very beginning that France would be no match for Prussia.
Looking back now, when I enthusiastically dragged Euren to the front lines, Euren's words and expressions were probably more than just what they seemed on the surface.
The fact that the French emperor didn't consider anything like time travel, and instead used the three powers to support the Papal States and used the Pope as an extension of his own influence rather than wholeheartedly respecting the Pope, shows that he didn't have much superstitious thinking.
Napoleon III was a kind of unconventional materialist. After thinking about Napoleon III in his mind, he felt that his son was very capable and that he had underestimated his son's abilities before.
After much deliberation, Nathan remembered the several million francs he still had saved in Paris. Given the state of the war, it seemed unnecessary to keep those millions of francs.
"Eugene, my good son... Dipan, come to my tent later and take some things back with you."
As Napoleon III had already decided to entrust his funds in Paris to Eugène, Marshal McMahon, who was caught in the middle and had a deeper understanding of the material shortage, was also moved to tears.
Unlike Nathan, who was moved to tears with a mix of emotions including relief and emotion, McMahon's feelings were more pure; he simply felt a sense of relief.
1500 million francs worth of supplies is a lot. If used sparingly, these supplies will be enough for the Xialong Legion's expenses for more than half a month.
Therefore, McMahon, no longer so hesitant, stepped forward and tightly grasped Captain Deepan's hand, thanking him with a choked voice.
"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince, you...you came just in time."
........
As many high-ranking officers stepped forward to thank Captain Dipan for the supplies, the soldiers within the surrounding defensive lines naturally erupted in cheers.
No matter how much the officers and Nathan struggled with supplies, France was not at its wits' end, unable to even supply high-ranking officers and the emperor.
The daily meals provided to Sanhe, McMahon, and others consisted of freshly baked, soft white bread, accompanied by milk, ham, wine, and roasted snails...
Basically, whatever they want to eat, as long as it's not too excessive, can be satisfied. They belong to the type who can eat their fill and eat well, which, although it causes them some trouble, doesn't put them in this predicament themselves. However, the situation is completely different for the lower-ranking officers and soldiers.
A significant amount of supplies were likely lost within Prussian territory, which meant that the supply needs of the lower-ranking officers and soldiers of the Xialong Army Corps were consistently unmet due to limitations in transport capacity.
Now, the arrival of these supplies has given the soldiers a glimpse of new clothes, enough to fill their stomachs, and treatment for their wounds...
With good days just around the corner, the French soldiers, overwhelmed with excitement and unable to contain themselves, dropped everything and ran towards the convoy, cheering.