v3 Chapter 606： Nordic Union moves south to English Channel

It seems that the internal situation in France has long been understood, and the Bismarck government launched a more aggressive attack in eastern France.

On September 20, 1869, under the opposition of the Paris government and nobles, the French Emperor Napoleon III changed his original plan to retreat to eastern France, stopped the retreat of troops, and decided to defend the city of Metz in the west of Lorraine at all costs.

On September 22, 1869, the Second Army led by Prince Karl Frederick of Prussia mobilized 110,000 Prussian troops and the Rein Army led by Napoleon III sent 100,000 people to confront Metz at the center.

With the occupied Alsace as the center, Crown Prince Frederick led a Prussian army of 200,000 to threaten the French Belfort.

In the north, the province of Namur is already in danger. The 130,000-strong army of the Prussian First Army, Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz, is intimidating there, and the French are breathing hard.

The three sides seemed to be in a weak position, and the disease-ridden Napoleon III finally couldn't take it anymore. On September 25, 1869, he handed over the command of the Legion of Lai Yin to Marshal Bazin.

On the same day, the navies of the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden formed a combined fleet to gather at the port of Zeeland in the south of the Romport waterway in the Netherlands. The same exercise was carried out in the northeast, off the coast of West Flanders, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. In early November off the coast of Denmark, mid-November in the Norwegian Sea in the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway, and in late November it will be off the Swedish coast in the Baltic Sea.

The public purpose of the three-nation exercise project is not only to deter pirates, but also to safeguard the maritime interests of the three countries, and to fight back against acts that are intended to harm the national interests of the three countries.

It is said that in addition to the steam battleship Rotterdam, the Netherlands also dispatched four first-class sailing battleships named Zeeland, Noord Brabant, West Flanders, and East Flanders named after the province. . In addition, there are 10 second- to sixth-level sailing warships at all levels in the name of cities, towns and villages.

The Netherlands dispatched a total of 15 warships.

The Danish North Jutland and South Jutland have 2 first-class sailing battleships and 5 other sailing battleships at all levels, a total of 7 ships.

Sweden dispatched three first-class sail battleships Stockholm, Oslo and Gothenburg, as well as Malmo and Bergen second-class sail battleships, as well as 5 other sail battleships at all levels, a total of 10 ship.

The combined fleet composed of the three countries has reached 32 ships, with a tonnage of 67,000 tons, which is comparable to half of the current size of Denmark and Sweden.

one third of France. However, because now France has deployed a third of the Far East. In the Mediterranean Sea, the remaining half of the French mainland fleet is deployed. Therefore, the scale of the current deployment on the coast of France on the Atlantic Ocean is actually similar to the scale of the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. Moreover, due to the size of the French fleet The location does not agree, and the English Channel is divided equally with the Bay of Biscay, so the French fleet in the English Channel is only half of the combined fleet of the Netherlands and other three countries.

The news swept across Europe like a tornado, and even the American countries who had been paying attention to the war in Europe were stunned.

Today, the influence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Europe under the leadership of William IV has begun to take shape. It is no longer the one that faced the major European powers a few decades ago with no resistance, no choice, and no strength in Belgium. The three-nothing kingdom that was slaughtered by the incumbent.

With the rise of the Netherlands in the past 10 years, the news of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has shocked and envied all countries. The Netherlands has expanded its territory in the Far East, and its economic progress has surpassed 6 and 5. The top five are the United Kingdom, France, Prussia, and Austria. The United States, in terms of military technology, is on par with Britain and France, and even better than Prussia. In 1862, it used the Boers to defeat the powerful Britain in South Africa, and in Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Congo and other places defeated Portugal, who went all out. Kingdom, these have confirmed the status of the Netherlands as a military power in Europe.

In terms of the size of the navy, the Netherlands has surpassed Spain in open naval tonnage and is almost on the same level as France.

Therefore, every move of the Netherlands has actually become the eyes of high-level European countries.

This time, the members of the Nordic Alliance of the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden chose the Franco-Prussian War to conduct exercises in Belgium near the warring country France. What does the Netherlands mean?

What exactly does William IV mean?

Since the three countries of the Netherlands can drive their warships to the French border this time, and it is still in the eastern sea of ​​the British Isles, does it mean that the Netherlands can also drive their warships to other places for intimidation.

Therefore, many people are trying to guess the thoughts of William IV and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in order to make countermeasures.

And why did Sweden and Denmark choose to stand with the Netherlands at this time?

Obviously, this exercise was headed to Weich France. The Prussian Sea is mainly in the Baltic Sea, and the current war is also taking place in France.

At the foreign minister-level meeting just held in London, these countries all chose the Prussian side. Combined with the current military exercises, everything is clear. The question is, what do they get? This is what all other countries think.

Even Alexander II of the Russian Empire, one of the most powerful countries in Europe, Queen Victoria of the British Empire, and Franz Joseph I of the Austria-Hungary Empire were all puzzled by the actions of the three countries of the Netherlands.

Only Bismarck and Wilhelm I, who were far away in Berlin, understood that this was a self-preservation act made by the Netherlands just in case.

Bismarck: "The Netherlands has three advantages in doing this. First, it condenses the dominance of the three Nordic Union countries; second, it allows the Nordic Union to make a bigger military voice in Europe; third, it is the next step in Prussia. The agreement with the Netherlands, that we are ready to shock the world, Prussia is about to pass through the Principality of Luxembourg in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

When the world thought that Prussia was attacking the French mainland according to the rules and the current rhythm, no one could have imagined that we had signed an agreement with the Netherlands for the Principality of Luxembourg as early as a few months ago.

Look at the Franco-Prussian War, which is divided into three major battlefields in the north, central and south. The Principality of Luxembourg is a natural barrier that France will hold fast. If this barrier is suddenly lost, hey, His Majesty Napoleon III, who has been ill for a long time, thinks that his condition will worsen. Bar"

William I said with a smile: "It is said that Prime Minister Bismarck was one of Queen Eugenie's suitors back then, but at the time Queen Eugenie was a beauty who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the current Queen of Austria-Hungary, Princess Sissi, so it's no wonder that people are fascinated.

Come to think of it, if Napoleon III of France knew about this, perhaps he would not have made Queen Eugenie the regent."

Bismarck said: "Perhaps, but Queen Eugenie's desire for power is something that many people can't afford, including Napoleon III, who is Her Majesty."