Chapter 652 The result we want
Chapter 653 The Result We Want
Prince Poniatowski nodded without hesitation: "Of course, Your Highness, of course in francs."
Poland is now like a family of eight with only half a loaf of black bread left. If someone gives them a bite, they will be grateful. Do they mind if there is not enough salt in the rice?
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What's more, the franc is very strong now and is widely circulated in Germany and Italy. I heard that the recent steam engine transaction in Upper Hesse was paid with franc banknotes.
That's a business worth millions of francs, which is enough to prove the purchasing power of the franc.
"That's it."
Joseph smiled and gestured to the teacup on the table: "Please try it, the 'Wuyi' tea just shipped from the Far East.
"Oh, by the way, what about the Prussian officers mentioned earlier?"
Prince Poniatowski hesitated for half a second, then smiled and said:
"I will discuss with them and let them transfer to the recruitment office to serve as instructors for new recruits. "
On one side is Prussia, which has always been good at talking but not doing, and even constantly demands the management rights of Gdansk; on the other side is France, which has invested a lot of real money and actively supported Poland in resisting aggression.
Is it necessary to choose which side?
As for the few Prussian officers who have contributed to Poland, just give them high-standard treatment to make up for it.
As the prince said, he picked up the teacup and took a sip. The green tea without milk made him frown slightly, but the special fragrance immediately filled his mouth.
He looked at the clear tea and asked curiously: "'Wuyi'?"
"That's a big mountain in the East, producing top-grade tea. Oh, it's what we often call Bohai."
"No wonder it's so fragrant, thank you for your hospitality. However, this way of drinking is really rare."
"Oriental people like to drink it this way. In fact, they don't even add sugar." Joseph also took a sip of tea and continued, "You seemed to have mentioned the training of new recruits just now? Excuse me, the training method of the Prussian army is actually quite backward.
"Well, maybe I should help you build another military school..."
It took a whole morning for Joseph and Prince Poniatowski to basically finalize all the general directions of Poland.
They had a quick lunch at the Royal Ordnance Factory. In the afternoon, the two of them came to the temporary combat meeting room together.
In the hall, officers of the General Staff such as Berthier, and several senior Polish generals headed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Army, Waclaw Rzewski, had been waiting here for a long time.
It was just that Rzewski and Kosciuszko and others were all wearing diplomats or attendants' clothes, and they obviously came to France in secret.
There was no extra courtesy. After the officers stood up and saluted, the meeting went straight to the point.
As the host of the meeting, Berthier stood up and said:
"At present, everyone should be very clear about the situation on the Eastern Front.
"According to the most optimistic estimate, Poland will face 100,000 Russian troops.
"What is more likely to happen is that 120,000 to 150,000 Russian soldiers will invade the Eastern Front. At the same time, other countries will take advantage of the situation."
He had already learned about the results of the discussion between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Prince of Poland, so he simply did not mention the Prussian army.
Zhewski immediately looked worried when he heard this, and continued:
"The situation is indeed very serious. At present, we are arranging defenses along the line from Volyn to Minsk. The main defense strategy is to strive for..."
He was just halfway through his words when he saw the French Crown Prince suddenly stand up and stride to the map of Eastern Europe hanging on the west wall of the conference hall.
"You are..." Then, under the surprised eyes of everyone, Joseph grabbed a pen and drew a thick black vertical line on the map of Poland.
The line runs through Minsk and Volyn, cutting Poland in two like a knife mark.
He slapped the right side of the vertical line, which was the southeast corner of Poland, and shouted in an angry and suppressed voice:
"Is this what you want to see?
"Behind the defense line of Volyn, watching the Russians wreak havoc on your land, taking away half of Poland's land, enslaving the Polish people on the west bank of the Dnieper River and Podolia, forcing them to kneel on the ground and call themselves Russians, and pay tribute to the Tsar with their meager income!
"Is this what you want?!"
The hall was dead silent. All the Polish officers, including Prince Poniatowski, lowered their heads, but their hands were shaking slightly.
"Answer me!" Joseph roared, "You only want half of Poland?!"
"No!" Kosciuszko stood up with red eyes, "We don't want to lose an inch of land! Even if I have to exchange my life, I don't want the damned Tsarist Russia to set foot in Poland!"
Other officers also shouted:
"It is our responsibility to protect Poland, we don't want to lose our territory!"
"I only want a complete Poland!"
Prince Poniatowski also stood up, and was about to say something excitedly, but suddenly froze, and became a little depressed:
"Your Highness, please believe that every Pole is unwilling to give up the southeastern territory.
"But Russia is too powerful, and we can't stop them at Ovruch or Mozyr.
"My soldiers and I are not afraid of sacrifice, but we don't want to die in vain...Fighting the Russians on the eastern border will consume our limited military strength, and in the end even Warren will not be able to hold it... "
As one of Poland's best generals, he has a very clear understanding of the strength of the two armies.
Historically, after Russia launched the second war to carve up Poland, the Lithuanian Front on the northern Polish front only lasted 19 days before being defeated. The southern front, under the command of Prince Poniatowski, resisted for one month and fourteen. By the end of the day, the Russian vanguard had arrived at the gates of Warsaw.
At present, although Poland's military strength has improved significantly compared with its history and is more fully prepared, it is still impossible to defeat the Russian army on the barren and unfavorable eastern border.
Joseph looked around at the angry and depressed Polish officers and said word by word:
"Since we can't hold it, let's change our style of play. We will definitely let the Russians know that Poland is invincible!"
Kosciuszko was keenly aware of the meaning of the French Crown Prince's words and immediately raised his head:
"You mean, there are other tactics?"
Joseph nodded decisively, took a few steps to the side, and then motioned to Berthier.
The chief of general staff came to the map and began to describe the combat deployment meticulously.
In fact, as early as half a month ago, the French General Staff had formulated several combat plans suitable for Poland.
After seeing these plans, Joseph discovered depressingly that even the best situation could only resist the Russian army for three or four years, and would eventually lead to the Battle of Warsaw.
But this is not the result he wants at all!
