Chapter 955: Traditional French Arts

Henri Arsène's army advanced smoothly in Belgium, and the Belgian army suffered heavy losses in a hurry.

Although Belgium's compulsory military service system increased the number of soldiers, it still could not compare with the powerful France.

Not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality, the gap in recruits' collective escape or surrender was common.

Charles Rogier and Leopold I had no choice. It may sound ridiculous, but after they drove the French out of Belgium, they found that they could not borrow money.

The reasons for the formation of this vicious circle are very complicated and I will not go into details here. In short, the Belgian government, which had no money, was in a very embarrassing situation.

As for borrowing, they had no cooperation with the entire German Confederation, including the Netherlands.

So even if there was Luxembourg, an arms dealer next to them, they had no channels and funds to buy. The relationship between Luxembourg and the Netherlands and Belgium was not good. Sending troops to support Belgium was one thing, and providing Belgium with arms and supplies was another.

Let's talk about a somewhat ironic fact. In the 19th century, human lives were cheaper than arms.

Moreover, the two have different sources. The former only needs a group of passionate young people, while the latter needs to go through businessmen and politicians.

Businessmen and politicians will evaluate the pros and cons of the whole thing. In their minds, supporting Belgium is obviously not a good deal.

Belgium is too close to France, and the border is too long. There are no high mountains and obstacles. It is almost all hills and flat lowlands.

The cost of the French attack is very low, and the price Belgium needs to pay to defend its territory is too high. This is obviously a loss-making business.

This can explain why the French army can advance so easily and quickly.

Henry Arsene Corps Temporary Command.

As the commander of the French Northern Corps, Henry Arsene is sitting at a beautifully decorated desk with a cup of steaming coffee and the latest issue of Paris Daily.

If you only look at the way he drinks coffee, you will feel that he lacks tension. Sipping is Henry Arsene's habit, and there is no change even on the battlefield.

However, the gunshots from time to time outside reminded him that this was a battlefield, not a senior citizen club.

Henri Arsene put down the newspaper and took another sip of coffee.

"Marshal Oudinot is still too merciful, but those guys in the logistics department should really be shot."

The reason why Henri Arsene said this was that the supplies sent by the logistics department at this time were only one-third of what he requested, but in fact, Henri Arsene only had 70,000 people but asked for supplies for 200,000 people, which was very unreasonable from the perspective of logistics.

Henri Arsene had his own considerations, but at this time the Second French Republic was really poor, and the logistics department was also wronged.

Henri Arsene has been carrying forward the glorious tradition of the French army since entering Belgium, allowing soldiers to plunder.

But it is precisely because of this that he, a young commander (39 years old and less than 40 years old), can quickly win the love and respect of the soldiers.

In addition, Henri Arsene did not release any of the Belgian prisoners of war, but took them to nearby cities for ransom, and if they could not be handed over, they would be directly incorporated into the hard labor camp.

The towns along the way either provided supplies, ransoms, or hard labor, otherwise he would send troops to rob.

It was precisely by relying on this method of fighting to support the war that Henry Arsene's Northern Corps had more and more troops and better equipment after several battles.

The speed of advancement was also amazingly fast, and the French army pointed its spearhead at Brussels again.

This was not within Franz's calculations. Before the war, based on the calculation of troops, the Belgian army would not be defeated quickly even if it could not win.

Not only did the Belgians fail to consume much of the French army's troops, but they made the French more and more confident.

Now it seems that the Belgians will collapse first before the German coalition forces. Fortunately, Belgium is far away from Austria, and it depends on how Archduke Karl ends up.

Brussels.

After opening the handwritten letter from the French commander Henry Arsene, Belgian King Leopold I was almost angry to death. The veins on his forehead kept jumping, and even if he was well-educated, he couldn't help but swear.

"Damned Gallic barbarians! Are you here to collect tribute?"

"To be precise, it should be protection money, sir."

Henri Arsene's messenger said bluntly.

"What is the difference between your behavior and that of barbarians?"

Charles Rogier questioned.

"We are more civilized and more committed to our promises. You can ask the towns along the way whether we have strictly fulfilled our agreements."

The words of the French messenger are really infuriating, but what makes people's blood pressure rise even more is yet to come.

"One million francs a month, that's fair. Why not do it if it only costs one million francs to save you and your subjects from the suffering of war?"

This perverse logic made Charles Rogier and Leopold I speechless. Everyone can say polite words, but the problem is that they really can't keep it now, and they have no money.

There are many examples of spending money to avoid disasters in European history, but this time is different. Times have changed.

Charles Rogier and Leopold I both had a feeling that if they really chose to spend money to avoid disaster, then the so-called bond between Belgium and the German Confederation would no longer exist, and it is even possible that even the country of Belgium would no longer exist.

If the king and Brussels can bribe the French, then can other cities and other people also bribe the French?

Will those fanatical German nationalists understand the difficulties of the Belgians at this time?

Charles Rogier and Leopold I hesitated for only a few seconds, but the other party was obviously prepared.

"For the sake of thousands of innocent lives in Brussels, you are not willing to pay even this price?

The king and the nobles are indeed greedy fools."

The messenger said again in a pretentious manner.

"Sorry, please forgive my slip of the tongue, I was just indignant for a moment."

Leopold I looked at the messenger with sharp eyes, but the latter still looked cynical.

"You scared me."

"Send him away! Tell Henri Arsène that the Belgians will never surrender!"

Then the two guards carried the messenger out without saying anything.

"My name is Jean Berto, we will meet again!"

Leopold I has a good personal cultivation, but he was also very angry with the other party. The other party's words hit the point, and there is no doubt that the French understand the situation of Belgium at this time.

It is not difficult to make a judgment based on intelligence, but the courage and determination to make the decision are rare.

It seems that Henry Arsene is not the nerd as rumored. On the contrary, this decisiveness is something that even many veterans on the battlefield cannot do.

However, the most important question for Leopold I at the moment is where are the reinforcements?