Chapter 1046: The Extra-Long Intern
As hatred accumulated, the situation in France deteriorated further. The Tsarist Government's anticipated sweep through like an autumn wind scattering fallen leaves never materialized. Instead, they had stepped straight into a quagmire.
Armed suppression worked in the cities, but once they entered the countryside, the situation changed. The French made use of the terrain to wage guerrilla warfare, leaving the Russian Army miserable beyond words.
Two hundred thousand Russian troops might have seemed like a lot, but it was clearly nowhere near enough to control all of France.
Especially after Spain reduced the size of its garrison and contracted the area under its defense, the pressure on the Russian Army grew even greater.
There was no helping it. France's resistance organizations had made the Russians their primary target. Most attacks were directed at the Russian Army, while the areas controlled by other countries were comparatively quiet.
No one liked going out of their way to court trouble. Though everyone was allies on the matter of opposing France, since the Tsarist Government had not asked for help, the various countries were naturally happy to stand by and watch the show.
Asking for aid seemed simple enough—one telegram was all it took—but actually taking that step was not easy.
It was already an open secret that the Tsarist Government intended to use the French to establish its authority. If they sought help from their allies after encountering even a slight setback, they would be slapping their own face.
This was not merely a matter of losing face. More importantly, it involved the Russian Empire's standing within the Continental Alliance.
In an age when fists and international status were matched in equal measure, however much strength one possessed was however much say one had. Without strength, one could