Holy Roman Empire

In the evening, four or five officers gathered around a campfire, silent for a long while, the atmosphere oppressively heavy.

It was none other than Hutile and his men, and from the look of things, it was clear they had suffered a defeat. If not for the urgency of escape, a makeshift headquarters would not be absent.

The most spirited among them, Botiolayek, was the first to break the silence, "Come on, speak up. Everyone's got such long faces, as if somebody's family member just died.

Is it just because of a defeat? From the beginning, our plan was to fight and retreat simultaneously. It's just that this time we were a bit more embarrassed."

The only true allies of the Rebel Army were those few seated there; everyone else was expendable, their lives hardly a concern.

Their grief and discomfort were certainly not because of the heavy casualties among the expendable troops. Frankly, regiments like the Eighth Division, an assembly of riffraff, could continue to be replenished if the rest were willing.

What truly demoralized everyone was not just a defeat, but a severe one at that.

To achieve a greater victory, the Rebel Army fully exploited its initial advantage and ambushed the French Army's vanguard along the way.

Everything had gone very smoothly at first, with the French plunging headlong into the ambush unawares.

However, though Hutile and the others had anticipated the beginning, they had not foreseen the end.

Even with a successful ambush that caught the French off guard and an absolute advantage in troop strength, they still couldn't avoid the fate of defeat.

Defeat is defeat, winning and losing are normal in battle. Sadly, the French pursued the routed soldiers all the way to the Rebel Army's camp, and the well-prepared Eighth Division still ended up in disarray.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Hutile and the others decisively chose to flee. Fortunately, there were many fleeing soldiers, and the French didn't take notice of them, allowing them to escape peril.

After escaping danger, the Rebel Army, which at its peak boasted over two hundred thousand troops, now had barely a tenth remaining.

The survivors were either dead on the battlefield, captured by the French, or more likely, scattered throughout the countryside after their rout.

Lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag, Hutile slowly said, "This is my responsibility. I knew the French were not to be trifled with, yet I was greedy for advantage,

leading to heavy losses and demoralization among the Rebel Army, losing the capability to continue the fight against the French."

Greed was not exclusive to Hutile; the smooth progress early on had led everyone to overestimate their own command abilities.

Ambushing the French vanguard was a decision made collectively, and in the face of absolute power, any strategy or tactic was insignificant.

Fa Jinhan: "Lieutenant Colonel, there's no need for self-reproach. The ambush plan was devised together by us all. If we were to pursue responsibility, everyone present has a share in it.

Before sending us here, Governor Friedrich clearly told us to learn to save ourselves first and then cause trouble for the French.

The domestic sentiment has never been confident in the Rebel Army and did not expect us to save it.

In fact, at this stage, we have already completed our mission; there is no so-called responsibility.

As for this defeat, it was somewhat expected. We just didn't anticipate losing so badly that our contingency plans never had a chance to make a difference.

However, considering that two months ago, the main force of the Rebel Army ambushed a French vanguard and ended up only slightly better off than us,

and taking into account this time we faced the French main force called up from home, which is stronger than the colonial troops, in reality, we..."

Though the rationale was sound, including Fa Jinhan himself, no one felt at ease.

It was like experiencing three consecutive limit-ups in the stock market, preparing to cash out, but due to greed, waiting a bit longer only to face a crash and then selling at a painful loss.

The profits within grasp had shrunk, and no matter how one consoled oneself—after all, it was still a profit—the discomfort lingered.

It didn't take long for the older Hutile to recover, "Alright, enough. It's done, and further talk is futile.

We only encountered the French vanguard, their forces limited. While they may seem victorious, they can't prevent the Rebel Army soldiers from scattering far and wide.

Everyone's aware of the disruptive power of a disbanded army. Among the tens of thousands of them, there are bound to be some with deep grudges against the French. If we can't defeat them in the open, can't we cause them trouble from behind?

We were actually considering leaving some troops behind for guerilla warfare, but it was difficult to assign tasks due to a lack of fighting spirit. Now, the French have completed that plan for us.

Next..."

This wasn't merely self-consolation; since failure was unavoidable, the only option was to look for the silver lining.

...

In the Temporary Palace of Paris, the glum expression on Napoleon IV's face had cleared ever since the news of the great victory in Egypt was received.
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Lately, he had been under tremendous pressure. A group of grain-exporting countries internationally were creating troubles for him every day; domestically, the populace was restless, frequently staging protests and demonstrations.

The news of the significant victory in the Egyptian battlefield, although it could not solve international problems, was still sufficient to appease the domestic populace.

Foreign Minister Terence Burkin said, "Your Majesty, influenced by the British self-sufficiency grain plan, relations between England and Russia have deteriorated rapidly.

Not long ago, the Tsarist Government threatened to withdraw from the free-trade system in an attempt to force the British Government to give in. The opportunity we've been eagerly awaiting has arrived."

Life has been difficult as the only country on the European Continent that remains outside of the free-trade system—France has attracted many unusual gazes.

Although publicly, the Paris Government appears to disdain the situation, the bitterness and hardship are only truly understood by them.

Tariff barriers come at a cost. While they restrict the goods of others from entering the country, France inevitably faces similar restrictions.

As a consequence, France's total import and export trade volume has plummeted by roughly three-quarters.

Reentering the free-trade system is out of the question, at least not until France's industry gains an advantage—something the Paris Government will not consider before then.

The only solution, then, is to undermine this system, to bring everyone back to the era of tariff barriers, and then to obtain a relatively fair competitive opportunity.

Napoleon IV remarked with curiosity, "The British are still discussing it in Parliament and have yet to make a resolution. Are the Russians really in such a hurry?"

Foreign Minister Terence Burkin explained, "Your Majesty, the Russian Empire is the world's leading exporter of raw grains.

Our agricultural plans have already caused them significant losses. If they also lose the British market, Russian agriculture will suffer a tremendous blow.

Additionally, once the Russian finances lose the revenue from grain exports, the Tsarist Government will quickly find itself in a budgetary shortfall. It's normal for them to become restless."

After pondering for a moment, Napoleon IV spoke slowly, "You mean to take this opportunity to draw in the Russians and dismantle the free-trade system?"

Terence Burkin shook his head, "Not just the free-trade system, but also the Russian-Austrian Alliance.

As soon as the British plans become reality, the grain export alliance led by Austria will inevitably crumble, and all major grain-exporting countries will be thrown into fierce competition.

No matter how good the relations between Russia and Austria are, Austria itself is a grain-exporting country. In the context of shrinking international markets, they can't absorb the vast production capacity of the Russians.

At this time, if we extend an olive branch, the Tsarist Government has no way to refuse.

After all, our large-scale agricultural project wouldn't be completed overnight; we could simply reduce some of its later phases.

We could reach an agreement with the Russians to import a portion of grain from the Russian Empire annually, in exchange for allowing our domestic industrial and commercial products into the Russian market.

As problems emerge within the common interest chain over time, even if the Russian-Austrian Alliance remains strong, it would eventually face issues.

If we can sow discord in the Franco-Russian relations, the strategic predicament of France's isolation on the European Continent will no longer exist."

The grand farmland project of the Paris Government was more talk than action; implementing it would require substantial labor and financial resources.

Given the Paris Government's finances, it was utterly incapable of initiating such an ambitious plan in the short term, which meant the farmland project was destined to be downsized.

Using a project that was going to be downsized anyway to drive a wedge between Russia and Austria and even dissolve the alliance, thereby freeing France from its strategic isolation on the European Continent, was undoubtedly a huge win.

Napoleon IV nodded. He could find no reason to refuse such a multiple-benefit situation.

"However, how do we convince the British? All this hinges on the willingness of the British Government to cooperate and exert enough pressure on the Russians."

That was the crux of the issue. Betraying the Russian-Austrian Alliance would come at a severe cost, and the Russians would certainly not take such action unless absolutely necessary.

Foreign Minister Terence Burkin answered calmly, "Your Majesty, the Russian-Austrian Alliance is not only a threat to us but is equally troublesome for the British.

Don't you think that Russia and Austria are a little too close to India for comfort?

From the British perspective, India is the most prized colony, and any country would be tempted by it.

To break up the Russian-Austrian Alliance, the British Government has already done quite a bit. Now that the opportunity is at their doorstep, I don't believe they will refuse it."

The Russian-Austrian Alliance, even if not a common enemy of England and France, is a common threat. On this issue, the interests of both countries align.