Chapter 185: Compromise (Part 2)

Ferry could only vent his anger at nothing but the air, but after a long while, he finally managed to calm down. “Who can tell me exactly how much we’ve lost?”
All the ministers sensed a ominous tone in the Prime Minister’s voice. For a long time, Ferry had been the strongest advocate for conquering Vietnam, and it was because of him that the war had begun. Yet no one expected his words to carry such a hesitant tone.
“Exactly how much have we lost?”
His question was directed at the military. In fact, before the meeting, the Navy Ministry had submitted an updated report detailing recent losses. But the Prime Minister clearly suspected it was full of exaggerations.
When a Prime Minister no longer trusts the military’s data and reports, it becomes a real disaster. The Navy Minister had no choice but to speak up in the face of anger: “The situation isn’t as bad as we thought. I’ve already reported to you that, according to incomplete statistics, about five to ten regiments have been severely damaged, with casualties ranging from one thousand to one thousand five hundred in combat. Perhaps a hundred French citizens have lost their lives…”
Yet Prime Minister Ferry wasn’t impressed by the Navy Minister’s explanation. “You said the same thing after the Battle of Shanxi, but your final report forced me to face Parliament…”
Though labeled a opportunist, Prime Minister Ferry was a staunch hawk on the Vietnam issue. Even though the war had reached a stalemate, he remained determined to continue fighting. Troops and ammunition kept flowing from the homeland and North Africa to the East. But now, even he felt the war was extremely difficult.
The Navy Minister also had to lower his head. Due to the high casualties in the Battle of Shanxi, they had gradually inflated the numbers, resulting in a huge gap between the final figures and the original data. Although there were no further reports this time, the Navy Minister knew full well that the situation in the Tokyo region had reached an extreme.
All the troops in the Tokyo region were requesting reinforcements. General Gobat even demanded that two divisions be sent from the homeland to stabilize the situation, and two armies to conquer the region. In addition, he requested sending one full French division each to Central and South Vietnam—indicating just how dire the situation was.
Therefore, he had to carefully choose his words: “Sir, do you really believe those tabloid headlines? Our total troop strength in the entire Tokyo region won’t exceed one-third of 150,000. That’s nothing but sensational nonsense. No one will believe it!”
“But my enemies will believe it. Parliament will believe it. It’s their best weapon. They claim the Expeditionary Force has lost another 150,000 men. We must withdraw from Vietnam immediately—even from Indochina, which we’ve governed for over twenty years—erasing everything we’ve worked so hard to build!”
“We can send reinforcements. With enough resources, we can defeat the Black Flag Army!”
“That’s what you said two years ago!”

Two years ago, the Navy had suggested to Prime Minister Fery that just 3,000 soldiers would be enough to conquer all of Vietnam. After the failure a year earlier, the military raised that figure to 10,000. By now, across North Vietnam, Central Vietnam, and South Vietnam, the French forces deployed, including local infantry and armed missionaries, had approached 50,000, yet the war remained in a disadvantageous position.

The military repeatedly claimed that insufficient resources were being committed. The core of the forces fighting in Shanxi were poorly trained local infantry, with too few native troops and capable European or African infantry. More troops sent to Vietnam would suffice to conquer the country.

Fery had also seen Vietnam’s requests for reinforcements. He admitted that if local commanders received the reinforcements they desired, it could change the entire battlefield situation—even the most incompetent person could alter the outcome.

Two full infantry armies plus two full infantry divisions meant the French forces to be sent to Vietnam would exceed 100,000—a staggering number that could solve any problem in any Eastern country. Even if Liu Yu held significant advantages, he would have to flee in the face of such a powerful force; it was no enemy he could confront. But the problem was that these local officers only needed to consider military matters. In fact, they had already drafted new reports demanding 300,000 troops be sent to Vietnam.

France didn’t need a full mobilization; even a partial one could assemble 300,000 troops—a sign of a great power’s confidence. Yet neither Fery nor any non-military minister dared to say so.

Sending over 300,000 troops to a mere colonial territory in the Far East would be a disaster not only militarily and in terms of international prestige but also financially.

The Navy Minister reiterated the reduced reinforcement plan: “We can send 20,000 men to Vietnam. 20,000 troops should be enough to stabilize the situation…”

“20,000 might not be enough!” Fery was quite clear: “I’m also very worried about the situation in the Tokyo region. That’s why I ordered some troops to be sent there immediately, but 20,000 is impossible. The Republic has already shed enough blood in this land.”

He returned to the original issue: “I want to know exactly how many losses we’ve suffered in the Hanoi area.”

The Navy Minister hesitated for a while before answering: “That’s what the reports say—five to ten regiments have been devastated, with about 1,000 to 1,500 casualties, including 100 French citizens killed. But…” He lowered his voice. “By convention, the actual numbers might be two to three times that…”

“Nearly 5,000 casualties?”

Fery relaxed slightly. Although newspapers claimed there were 150,000 troops, the fact of 5,000 casualties was enough to make the prime minister admit that intervening in Vietnam had been a fatal mistake.

“You once told me that just 3,000 soldiers were enough to conquer all of Vietnam, but so far, 30,000 soldiers of various skin colors have been wounded, sick, or killed in this war, and thousands of Republic citizens have lost their lives. I think it’s time for us to admit our mistakes!”
“We must admit that our opponent, General Liu, is a great enemy. We hope he has a noble character and can reach a perfect agreement with us to end this war.”
When Ferri said these words, he seemed to have aged ten years, but he did not gain a majority in the cabinet.