Henry Bourbon, Minister of War of the Kingdom of France, was discussing matters in a secret room.
He is summoning members of the Bourbon family close to him to discuss what they should do in a critical moment.
King Louis XIV has been acting a bit crazy recently, which makes him feel that something is not going well.
While they were discussing in the secret room, they remembered the bell next to the secret room door.
The interior of the secret room is completely soundproof to prevent the discussions from being overheard by outsiders.
But in case of an emergency, Henry Bourbon must go out.
Set up this bell for reminder.
Henry Bourbon stood up immediately and said: "You discuss in the secret room first, and I will go out to see the situation outside.
Nothing major and I would return again.
If I don't come back, I will be tied up by important things, and you can leave after discussing it."
After Henry Bourbon finished speaking, he left the secret room.
There are cronies standing guard at the door of the secret room, and his cronies Fred are waiting at the door.
Henry Bourbon saw Fred sweating profusely and with an extremely frightened expression on his face.
He knew something big was bound to happen.
"Fred, calm down.
What happened? Please take your time."
Fred looked at Henry Bourbon, the sweat on his face was still dripping, and his voice was trembling.
"My lord, my lord. The Han army is advancing too fast and has already appeared outside the Paris fortresses.
The Kingdom deployed the battle and reported the rout in the northeast. The firepower of the Han army was extremely fierce.
They suddenly used powerful firepower to break through the city defenses and annihilate all the imperial garrison deployed in the northeast of the kingdom.
Now hundreds of thousands of Han Chinese troops have gradually surrounded Paris.
The kingdom deployed major fortress groups outside Paris, and they asked Paris for urgent help.
There is an extreme shortage of manpower and weapons and ammunition.”
When Henry Bourbon heard the news, he was surprised and said: "How is this possible? It is August 8th, Great China Time, right?"
Fred nodded, there was no way they could have gotten the time wrong.
There are some differences between the calendars of the Dahua Empire and Europe, and they especially remember the time of the Dahua Empire.
Henri Bourbon walked to the map in the room and stared at it blankly.
"How is it possible? How could Han Yun's army advance so quickly?
They were previously blocked in the northeast of the kingdom by the kingdom's army.
Slowing down the offensive speed of the Han people was Henry Bourbon's greatest achievement.
This is also the foundation on which the Kingdom of France remains stable to this day.”
Henry Bourbon didn't even know what kind of impact this news would have on the kingdom if it spread.
He immediately took his confidant Fred to the northeast of Paris, the most critical fortress group, the Holy Cross Defense Line.
The carriage was speeding along the dirt road, but Henry Bourbon was still in a hurry. He kept urging the coachman to go faster.
The Holy Cross Defense Line is twenty kilometers away from Paris.
This takes into account that the Han army's giant artillery has a range of more than ten kilometers.
The defense line was too close to Paris, and the artillery shells penetrated the city.
Henri Bourbon couldn't even imagine what kind of situation would happen in Paris?
In his memory, Paris had never experienced a brutal defensive battle.
The carriage was moving at high speed, and the body of the carriage was creaking and squeaking.
It was completely dark, and Henry Bourbon led his men to the Holy Cross defense line.
The head of the Holy Cross Defense Line, Viscount Hutt, did not expect that the Secretary of War, Henry Bourbon, would make a surprise visit.
There are many things in the defensive line that are not worth examining in detail.
He saw that the sky had turned completely dark, and there were some dark clouds in the sky, making it pitch black outside and unable to see anything clearly.
Viscount Hutt acted more relaxed now.
He took the noble officers of the defense line to meet the Secretary of War Henry Bourbon.
Henry Bourbon frowned slightly when he saw the pot-bellied Viscount Hutt.
At first glance, this person is very good at specializing. It is simply impossible to expect him to go into battle and kill enemies with his size.
However, the situation in the Kingdom of France has become difficult to recover from, and there are too few nobles who dare to go to the battlefield.
Viscount Hutt bowed and immediately invited Henry Bourbon to enter the defense line to visit.
"Sir, why are you in such a hurry to come to the front line for inspection?"
Henry Bourbon was surprised by Viscount Hutt's question.
He frowned and said, "Don't you know that the Han army has appeared outside the defense line?"
Viscount Hutt immediately understood Henry Bourbon's intention, and he was completely relieved.
If Henry Bourbon really came to check the quality of the construction of the defensive fortresses and the status of the soldiers on the defensive lines.
He could only die today because of stray bullets from the Han army.
When a war breaks out, anyone can die.
Viscount Hunter smiled and said: "How could I not know about this matter? Our Holy Cross defense line was the first to accept the defeated troops, learn about the news from the front line, and report this matter.
Now that we are heading to the fort, we can see that Han Chinese troops are already camping in the northeast of the defense line.
This time may be two or three days, or it may be about seven or eight days.
When the Han army is fully prepared, they will inevitably launch an attack on the defense line."
Henry Bourbon, led by Hutt's refusal, walked in the recently dug trenches.
This is how they learned from the Great China Empire's method of using troops, connecting fortress groups composed of various forts through trenches.
A separate low fort is more stable in war.
The target of the huge fortress is too large. Since the artillery is not as good as the Han army, the firepower will inevitably be contained by the Han army, and the damage to the Han army will be very limited.
Henry Bourbon looked at the continuous forts. Each fort had a cannon, three to five small cannons, and about thirty musketeers.
If the Han army wanted to take down the Holy Cross Defense Line, it would have to pay a huge price.
With the help of the firelight in the camp, Henry Bourbon looked at the cannons that slightly reflected the metallic luster, and praised: "The Holy Cross defense line is very well constructed."
Viscount Hutt had a sincere smile on his face.
"Your Excellency, you are too generous. It was your Excellency who proposed the construction of the Holy Cross Defense Line. We are just implementing your Excellency's strategy.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The Holy Cross Defense Line is specifically designed to kill and injure the Han army.
Our artillery is not as powerful as the Han army, but it is more than enough to kill and injure the Han army soldiers.
The soldiers of the Han army are extremely valuable, which is the biggest weakness of the Han army.
As long as we can cause the Han army to suffer huge casualties, they will definitely choose to withdraw."
Henry Bourbon listened to Viscount Hutt's words, with a smile on his face, and all the anger and panic in his heart disappeared.
This is exactly the strategy he has been pursuing.
He previously thought that the Han army was unstoppable, until he learned about the Han army's field hospitals and pension system, and immediately realized that this was the Han army's biggest weakness.
Henry Bourbon was about to enter the fort at the edge of the defense line. He saw that the cement at the corner of the fort was damaged, exposing a piece of iron wire that was no longer than a hair.
When he saw this situation, he immediately got angry and said: "What's going on? How can the fort use such thin wire.
The standard for the fort is to use thumb-thick steel bars so that it can withstand the artillery bombardment of the Han army.
These forts are completely shoddy construction, how can they withstand the attack of the Han army?"
A small amount of sweat appeared on Viscount Hutt's face. A large part of the funds for building the defense line were plundered by the relevant nobles after being sent from the Palace of Versailles.
The procurement of materials and construction of projects were partly taken away by the relevant nobles in charge.
The nobles responsible for building the defense line also had to take part of it.
The people who do the specific work below still have to work hard.
After going through the layers of steel in this way, the steel bars used to build the fort can only be turned into thin wires.
Coupled with the imitation cement from Kingdom Cement Factory.
The fort looks very intimidating. Only God knows the specific situation.
Viscount Hutt did not dare to expose this matter. There were too many big shots involved, and in the end only a small character like him could bear the responsibility.
Henry Bourbon must now be appeased.
He was not the only one capable of covering the Holy Cross defense line. If Henry Bourbon really wanted to deal with him, he would be completely unable to resist.
What's more, if he openly resists, his family in Paris will definitely be executed by the angry royal family.
Viscount Hutt explained in a slightly panic: "Your Excellency, you have misunderstood, these steel wires are used to bind steel bars.
The steel bars are not placed one by one, but are tied into steel cages with steel wires and filled with concrete."
Henry Bourbon was a little surprised, and he asked his crony Fred.
"Are you aware of this situation?"
Fred saw that the current situation was not suitable for conflict.
"Sir, I know something about this situation. This is the latest technology introduced from the Dahua Empire, which can effectively enhance the strength of reinforced concrete structures."
"So that's it."
Henry Bourbon nodded and walked into the fort.
When he entered the fort, he saw the huge artillery mounted on the gun mount.
This was the largest artillery piece that the French arsenal could produce.
The caliber of the artillery shell is 150 mm, and when loaded with explosive shells, its power is very terrifying.
The only drawback is that the range of the artillery is a bit short and the service life is a bit short.
But these problems can be gradually solved, and France can mass-produce artillery.
This is the most important support for France that he has confidence in.
Henri Bourbon picked up the telescope next to the cannon.
The telescope was stretched out through the lookout port to observe the situation of the Han troops at the Holy Cross Defense Line.
The camp of the Han army was brightly lit, and they did not worry about the situation in the camp being detected by the enemy.
Henry Bourbon looked at the large number of cars unloading supplies, and he was filled with envy.
From this camp, he could learn that the Han army had indeed reached the Holy Cross defense line.
According to the past actions of the Han army, the territory in the northeast of the kingdom has fallen.
The Han army is about to launch an attack on the Holy Cross Defense Line.
Once they break through this line of defense, the next step is to attack Paris.
The only good news is that the Han army is not ready yet. They need to be fully prepared before they can launch an attack.
Henry Bourbon learned about the movements of the Han army, and he asked Viscount Hutt: "What else is missing in your Holy Cross defense?
The Kingdom will try its best to satisfy you, and we must do our best to defend the Holy Cross Defense Line.
Your family and the kingdom share weal and woe, and guarding the Holy Cross Defense Line means guarding your family's wealth and wealth for hundreds of years."
Viscount Hutt's expression remained normal, but he kept sneering in his heart.
"Everyone wants to earn the honor of being able to defend the Holy Cross defensive line, but they really can't.
The Holy Cross Defense Line is a shoddy project.
The fortress is not strong and the soldiers are mixed.
The number of registered troops was reduced by half, and all were paid by officers at all levels, and he took the largest sum.
Such an army cannot win even if famous generals appear."
Viscount Hutt heard Henry Bourbon promising benefits.
He demanded unceremoniously: "Our defense line requires a large number of artillery shells. Only sufficient artillery shells can block the attack of the Han army.
At least 3,000 troops and 7,000 civilians are needed.
We can't let soldiers transport artillery shells."
When Henry Bourbon heard this request, he immediately nodded and agreed.
This requirement is not excessive at all. If you want the Holy Cross Defense Line to withstand the attack of the Han army, you must strengthen the defense line.
After Henri Bourbon's inspection, he changed into a carriage and returned to Paris.
After confirming that the Han army had arrived around Paris, he had to report the news to King Louis XIV.
King Louis XIV was in poor health, and ministers had the idea of taking advantage of the king's power.
But they belong to different forces and have different interests and needs, so they cannot unite at all.
They can only continue to increase the power they have.
But some important events are inseparable from King Louis XIV.
Henri Bourbon. If he wanted to mobilize the army in and around Paris, he must obtain permission from King Louis XIV.
He returned to Paris after a long journey.
Before Henri Bourbon went to the Palace of Versailles, he met with representatives of the defeated army officers and learned about the situation reported by various defense lines around Paris.
Except for the Holy Cross Defense Line, no intermediate-level Han troops have been found in other defense lines for the time being.
Henry Bourbon analyzed the current situation and concluded that the Han army's main attack direction must be the Holy Cross defense line.
After he understood the specific situation, he already had a clue in his mind about what to do next.
Henri Bourbon entered the Palace of Versailles and asked to see King Louis XIV.
He soon obtained permission to meet King Louis XIV.
After Henry Bourbon performed the court etiquette, he immediately reported the discovery of the Chinese army at the Holy Cross Defense Line.
At the same time, it is guaranteed that the defense line built by the whole kingdom will be able to protect the security of Paris.
When King Louis XIV heard the news, his face first turned pale, and then turned livid.
He felt something was wrong with his situation and urgently took the pills prescribed by Dr. Lande.
After a while, the symptoms eased.
King Louis XIV said worriedly: "The security of the kingdom is now in the hands of Uncle Henry."
He knew that in this situation, he had few choices but to believe in Henry Bourbon's ability to hold Paris.
After all, Henri Bourbon was also a member of the Bourbon family.
As he said before, other nobles may defect to the Great China Empire and continue to regard the Han as king, and their noble status may not be lost.
Only the Bourbon family, even if they defect to the Han people, will not be reused and will most likely be exterminated.
As long as he is not hopelessly stupid, he will never choose to join the Han people.
Henri Bourbon was extremely excited, and he was very pleased to have the complete trust of King Louis XIV.
He immediately requested to increase the production of weapons and ammunition, mobilize the troops in Paris to support the defense lines outside the city, and recruit civilians to the defense lines to assist in the defense.
All these matters were approved by King Louis XIV.
King Louis X specially called several ministers to the Palace of Versailles and asked them to cooperate with Henry Bourbon's plan to defend Paris.
Now everything in the kingdom must make way for this.