Chapter 1258: Terms of Surrender
Soon, the carriage slowly halted in front of the City Palace Square.
Count Monthion glanced at the young "assistant" sitting opposite him, whispering, "Your Highness, we've arrived."
Charles tucked away the "script" his brother had given him, nodding calmly. "Rest assured, I am ready."
The two then exited the carriage one after another, walking with their heads held high towards the Prussian officials standing nearby, all under the watchful gaze of the wary Pulis Royal Guard.
An hour later.
In the Hall of Mirrors at the City Palace, Prussian Prime Minister Baron vom Stein slammed his hands down on the table, gritting his teeth as he declared:
"We are far from defeated!
"Even if Berlin falls, His Majesty the King will still command our forces from Königsberg to fight France. The war will continue!
"With the Coalition Forces' overwhelming numerical superiority, we will reclaim our lost territories step by step and achieve ultimate victory!"
Baron vom Stein replied without hesitation, "Of course it does. We are also members of the Coalition."
"No, no, you misunderstand," Count Monthion said, shaking his head with a smile. "That victory would belong to Austria, to Britain, Russia, Hesse, and even Saxony, but certainly not to Prussia."
Baron vom Stein scoffed, "Please cease your clumsy attempts at sowing discord."
Count Monthion idly traced his cane, asking, "How many more troops can your nation still conscript?
"Let me guess, 30,000? Hmm, perhaps only 20,000?"
The several Prussian ministers in the hall remained grim-faced and silent.
News of the Duke of Brunswick's surrender to Soult near Kassel had reached Berlin two days prior. This meant that Prussia had effectively lost almost all of its combat units.
After the previous general mobilization, nearly all able-bodied young men in Prussia had been sent to the front lines. The final defensive battle at Weimar had even required the use of Berlin's garrison troops.
Baron vom Stein's words had sounded resolute, but in reality, the troops they could still conscript didn't even reach the lower figure the French had guessed.
Count Monthion glanced at them, continuing, "Yet Austria still possesses an army of several hundred thousand. What do you believe His Majesty Franz II would most desire after this victory you envision comes to pass?
"Yes, clearly, he would want to unify Germany. At that point, Prussia would be his greatest obstacle.
"I wonder if you have the confidence to withstand the Austrians for even a month?"
Prince Heinrich suddenly interrupted him. "We have an alliance with Britain, and Russia will not simply stand by and watch Austria monopolize Germany!"
"Haha," Count Monthion laughed as if he'd heard a joke. "The British Army? They can't even defeat the Spanish. You expect them to confront several hundred thousand Austrian troops?
"As for the Russians, I can assure you, if His Majesty Franz II were to promise them East Prussia, Saint Petersburg would declare war on you even before Vienna."
Baron vom Stein exclaimed, "No matter what, we must first choose the winning side. If we accept a truce, we will lose everything!"
The French Special Envoy's smile faded. "Why do you believe the Coalition Forces have any possibility of winning the war?"
"The hundreds of thousands of British, Austrian, and Russian troops could cross the Rhine River at any moment..."
"Army numbers, you say?" Count Monthion nodded. "I can reveal some intelligence to you.
"As of a week ago, our nation had conscripted a total of 380,000 soldiers, most of whom are currently amassed along the Karlsruhe line."
The Prussian ministers exchanged glances, their faces reflecting shock.
Count Monthion continued, "In fact, if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince hadn't wished to avoid disrupting domestic production, that number would be even greater.
"Oh, and by the way, do you know how long it takes for our army to resupply the Baden front from Paris?"
No one spoke.
"Two days." Count Monthion held up two fingers. "Including loading and transport to the barracks."
"That's utterly impossible!" Prince Heinrich exclaimed.
He had fought for over a decade and knew full well the immense difficulty of logistical transport over hundreds of kilometers. Prussian army supplies took a full two weeks to move from Berlin to Weimar, a much shorter distance than from Paris to Baden.
Count Monthion nodded. "I understand your astonishment.
"You must have heard of the train, haven't you? It's the new type of steam-powered vehicle recently developed in our country.
"It can transport all the logistical supplies for an entire brigade at once, including food, oats, and ammunition, traveling nearly 400 kilometers in just one day.
"Oh, and these are already in public operation in our nation. If you doubt it, you're welcome to see for yourself."
Prince Heinrich's expression had turned profoundly serious.
Logistics was the most critical factor influencing the outcome of a war.
If the Coalition Forces couldn't quickly crush the French army, the French could easily wear them down using their superior logistical capabilities.
And France had actually mobilized 380,000 troops. This already exceeded the forces the Coalition planned to deploy on the Baden front, so how could they be swiftly defeated?
Count Monthion continued, "Let's look at weapons and equipment next.
"Our army has been fully equipped with rifles. Oh, not the Jäger rifles the Coalition uses, but a brand-new model, designed with the exact same loading speed as a percussion cap musket.
"You should understand the comparison of firepower density between the two sides."
Prince Heinrich gasped, "Didn't you only equip skirmishers with rifles?"
He had indeed received reports from Coalition intelligence previously, knowing that the French army was equipped with a new type of rifle, but he hadn't imagined there would be so many.
"One could say that," Count Monthion replied with a faint smile. "However, our army is basically composed entirely of skirmishers."
Prince Heinrich remained silent for a long moment before whispering, "Are you telling... the truth?"
The French Special Envoy nodded. "Of course. You should be able to verify it easily through your intelligence channels."
Seeing the Prussians visibly wavering, Monthion then deployed his "killer mace":
"Oh, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that if your nation accepts the terms of surrender, he would consider returning both captured army corps to you."
Prince Heinrich and the others felt a stir in their hearts.
Even after accounting for battle casualties, the Duke of Brunswick's and Blücher's forces would still amount to at least seventy to eighty thousand men returning. These were all able-bodied men; with them, Prussia's foundation would remain intact!
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