French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 62 Naval Issues, Selection of the Commander of the 4th Army Corps

"Your Highness, we have considered this issue, but that small hill stands isolated and vulnerable to being surrounded by the Pu army. We cannot hold it with too few troops, and too many troops would disperse our main force."

Clearly, Eugene's question had already been considered by Dicklow. The commander of the 15th Army expressed his concerns, believing that the area was simply too difficult to defend.

"We don't need many troops, just one company will suffice. Their mission shouldn't be to hold the line, but rather to serve as an early warning system. Faced with a Prussian attack, they can fight and retreat simultaneously, giving us time to prepare."

Perhaps an artillery battery could be deployed behind the small hill to support them. For the Prussians to capture that hill, they would have to sacrifice at least a battalion.

After a brief moment of thought, Eugène offered his own opinion on the reasons given by Dicklow.

The Prussian artillery was an absolute threat and had to be defended against. France had far more artillery than Prussia; in this war, Prussia's main artillery force consisted of just over a thousand guns, not even 1500.

In Paris alone, France had 2500 cannons.

Can these 2500 cannons be compared to Prussia's more than 1,000? No, they can't. France used only muzzle-loading bronze cannons, products of the Napoleonic era, while Prussia's artillery was already breech-loading steel cannons.

In terms of both range and service life, Prussia completely outperformed France.

"Send troops up there this afternoon. The fortifications must be repaired by nightfall tomorrow. I'll come back to inspect them the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Highness."

It wasn't a difficult request, so D'Arco naturally wouldn't argue with Eugène. As the countdown to Prussia's march on Paris began, Eugène's orders became increasingly forceful.

After inspecting the Medon Heights, Eugène, who wished he could transform into three beings in one breath and do the work of three people, rushed to Saint-Denis without stopping.

Saint-Denis's fortifications were even more extensive because it was not only a railway hub but also the gateway to northern Paris.

The 14th Army built more than 30 reinforced concrete bunkers here, laid more than 2,000 landmines, and set up five lines of barbed wire and barricades.

Landmines have been used extensively in Europe since the 16th century, mainly relying on pressure/tripwire detonation, and were used for fortress defense.

Now in the late 19th century, the use of landmines was widespread, and in addition to pressure-activated/tripwire-activated mines, the Prussian and French armies also began using booby traps.

Like landmines, naval mines were also common on the water. On the Seine, the French army erected three thick iron chain dams and laid more than 500 trigger mines to prevent ships requisitioned by the Prussian army from attacking by water.

Prussia has now also set up minefields in Wilhelmshaven, fearing that the French might not be able to handle the situation and launch a naval attack on Prussia.

Unfortunately, the Prussian leadership was overthinking things; the French navy had accomplished little since the end of the Franco-Prussian War.

The French government isn't stupid; they also want to mobilize their navy for combat, given the vast disparity in naval strength.

France had 470 ships, including 17 first-class ironclads, while Prussia had only 5 ironclads, which were frequently in malfunction.

However, modern Prussia has a short coastline and few ports, making a blockade ineffective. Steam-powered ironclad warships are also extremely coal-intensive, with the Straits Fleet consuming 350 tons per day and the Mediterranean Fleet consuming 200 tons per day.

France has limited coal reserves, and the Channel Fleet's operations can only be resupplyed through Dunkirk. Neutral countries do not provide France with ports, which limits the fleet's endurance to only 2 to 3 days. It can only be blockaded for a few days before it has to withdraw, making it impossible to maintain a foothold.

Moreover, after the war began on July 19, it would take France three weeks to concentrate its fleet. By the time the Mediterranean fleet arrived in the North Sea, France would have already been invaded by Prussia.

Charles Rigo de Genoily, the Minister of the Navy and Colonies and an Admiral of the French Navy, had serious disagreements with his father over the use of the fleet and refused to accept the handover of the main fleet to his father's cousin.

Eugène couldn't possibly hold a gun to Genoili's head and order the navy to move at a time like this.

After all, Denmark is neutral, and losing its forward base in the Baltic Sea would be meaningless if it couldn't threaten Prussia's Pomeranian Gulf.

Now, the navy is not doing nothing; it is also symbolically blockading Prussian shipping.

Unlike his father, Eugène, who did not cause trouble with Genois, presented his ideas to the Minister of the Navy.

Eugène knew his opinion would be successful, because his idea was simply to advance the course of history a little and then make minor modifications.

For example, the navy could deploy 30 200-ton shallow-draft gunboats, such as the French Taureau-class shallow-draft gunboats, each equipped with two 160mm guns and requiring only a draft of 2.5m.

The Seine River has a shallow draft in the Paris section, only about 3.5 meters. Especially now in the dry season, the water is even shallower. In addition to the draft issue, ships also face problems such as many bridges, narrow locks, and winding waterways.

Therefore, the 200-ton Taureau-class gunboat is the best choice.

In addition to deploying shallow-water gunboats, Eugene also ordered the navy to set up five floating gun emplacements, which were fixed on the river as floating fortresses. He also dismantled unused ship guns and moved them ashore.

With over 100 heavy artillery pieces ranging from 190mm to 270mm caliber, the Prussian army could completely eliminate its breech-loading artillery advantage simply by relying on its caliber superiority.

Eugène also invited the navy to send the first batch of 3 sailors and officers to Paris to assist in the defense of the city. Eugène was extremely wary of these troops.

Looking at the world, the navy's thinking may be more advanced than that of the army, which is determined by factors such as family, education, and the nature of the military.

Paris is about to descend into chaos, and these 3 sailors cannot be allowed to follow suit. The preparations they made to defend against Prussia could ultimately backfire, which is not the outcome Eugene wants.

Therefore, Eugène allowed the navy to train in the Royal, a place that was neither too close nor too far from Paris, which was enough for Eugène to handle everything. After things settled down, the navy would then be sent to Paris to assist the army in resisting Prussia.

In Saint-Denis, Eugène met Céri de Bellemare, the commander of the 14th Army who was personally overseeing the construction of the fortifications.

Eugène wasn't entirely sure of this man's stance, but he was certain that Bellemare was at least not on Troch's side.

Historically, this man launched the Le Bourget counterattack at the end of October without Troch's approval.

If he were in cahoots with Troch, Eugene didn't believe he would dare to launch a counterattack so easily, since losing would be a blow to the morale of the newly formed republic.

Eugène was willing to use anyone who wasn't part of his faction, and given the scarcity of high-ranking officers, he no longer cared that they had to be Bonapartists.

Moreover, Bellermar had a proven track record; in the organization's counterattack, he once recaptured the Prussian salient and was also a representative of the "radical" officers.

The term "military radicals" is incompatible with a capitalist republic full of compromises, which is another reason why Eugène trusts him.