I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 347: The Cornerstone of the Western Empire

Leo walked quickly into the French Crown Prince's office and bowed very respectfully. Just as he was about to speak, Joseph showed a surprised look and asked anxiously, "General Leo, why are you still in Clervaux?"

"Ah?" Leo was stunned and said subconsciously, "Shouldn't I be here?"

Joseph grabbed the document that had been prepared on the table and handed it to him: "This was sent by our intelligence personnel in the Netherlands last night. Hanover's 20,000 troops have left Brussels and are heading to Liege to reinforce Blücher."

Leo's heart tightened immediately. He picked up the document and took a closer look. He saw that it indeed contained the news that Charles II was leading his army south, and that there were 4 Dutch "volunteers" accompanying him.

Joseph said earnestly: "General, if the 2 troops join Blücher, your mission to recapture the Southern Netherlands will be difficult to accomplish."

The corner of Leo's eye twitched. Facing a coalition force of nearly 4 Prussians, Han Chinese and Dutch, how could he recover the Southern Netherlands? There was a high probability that he would be driven back to Austria.

Joseph glanced at him and continued, "You are the 'cornerstone' for repelling Blücher and stabilizing the situation in the Southern Netherlands. His Majesty the Emperor has also transferred a large number of troops from Silesia to you. If you fail to fulfill His Majesty's trust, it will damage your previous reputation."

In order to put Leo on the "grill", he had previously exaggerated the latter's contribution in the battle with the Prussian army, and in a letter to Joseph II, he portrayed him as the main reason for defeating Blücher.

Although Leo knew that these were all the achievements of the French army, how could he refuse such a great achievement that was delivered to his doorstep? He accepted it reluctantly.

The large amount of rewards and praise from Vienna overwhelmed him like a tsunami. Joseph II even called him "the cornerstone of the western part of the empire"! However, he had not enjoyed it for a month before he had to face the difficult situation of tens of thousands of enemy troops.

Joseph looked as if he was concerned about him, took two steps closer and whispered, “General Leo, I admire your bravery very much, so I must remind you of some things.

"I don't need to explain how important the Southern Netherlands is to Austria. If we lose this place, my uncle will have to find someone to take the responsibility.

"That's right. Previously, the situation in the Southern Netherlands fell into a bad state mainly because of General Wurmser's poor performance. But now he is an important commander in Silesia and has a deep political background. My uncle probably won't blame him..."

The uncle he was referring to was Joseph II.

Leo's face became even uglier when he heard this.

How could he not understand what the French prince meant? If he was defeated by the Prussian-Han coalition, then the blame for losing the Southern Netherlands would fall on him.

Not only would the halo of being the "foundation of the West" disappear, it was likely that he would have to spend the rest of his life in exile in Transylvania...

He suddenly shuddered and looked at Joseph eagerly: “Your Highness, in fact, I came to you for this matter.

“I hope you can let Lieutenant Colonel Lefebvre lead his regiment to assist me in attacking the Prussian army in Liege. If we can defeat Blücher before the Hanoverians arrive, we can then establish a defense line from Namun to the east of Brussels and confront Charles II.

"Your Majesty will certainly continue to send me reinforcements. If I can recapture the Southern Netherlands, I will never forget your kindness!"

Joseph spread his hands in embarrassment: "But my uncle did not ask France for help in attacking the Prussian army. You know, if French soldiers rashly enter the Southern Netherlands, my uncle will probably misunderstand..."

Leo's mind was filled with the miserable scene of his defeat and exile. He just grasped the last straw and begged, "Your Highness, just order Lieutenant Colonel Lefebvre to send troops. I will explain the situation to His Majesty the Emperor!"

Joseph still shook his head: "Then let's wait for uncle's consent before mobilizing troops." Leo said hurriedly: "Don't worry, I will ask General Wurmser and Count Kaunitz for help. I have some friendship with them. His Majesty will definitely agree that you help to recover the Southern Netherlands."

Joseph smiled, and then pretended to be embarrassed to refuse for a while, and then reluctantly nodded: "Well, I can't watch you get into a difficult battle.

"But I think that if we want to launch an offensive, we should not stick to Blücher."

"what do you mean?"

"If the Prussians hold out, it will be difficult for you to capture Liege before the Hanoverians arrive. Therefore, it is best for you to use some of your forces to hold back Charles II and the Dutch."

Leo felt bitter in his mouth. Of course he understood the truth, but he only had 1 soldiers in total. He had to ask the French for one and a half regiments, which was enough to barely fight Blücher. Where would he get the extra troops to snipe the Hanoverian army?

Joseph seemed to be in high spirits, and he added, "Speaking of the Netherlands, France gave them a lot of support before, but they want to stand with Hanover, you know, this is equivalent to forming an alliance with the British.

"If I have the chance, I will definitely teach these ungrateful Dutch people a lesson!"

Leo looked at him in surprise and said, "Your Highness, there are 4 Dutch troops east of Brussels right now. This is a good opportunity for you to vent your anger."

Joseph seemed very hesitant: "But if we do that, our army might encounter them in the Brabant area."

"Don't worry, I will explain it to His Majesty the Emperor."

After another round of evasion, Joseph reluctantly nodded again: "Then you must tell your uncle that this is your battle plan."

In fact, this was the plan for marching into the Southern Netherlands that he and his entire staff came up with after discussing it for half a month - all actions would use Leo as a signboard, allowing Leo's army to fight with the Prussians in Liege, and then the French army would bypass Liege and go straight into the heart of the Southern Netherlands.

By the time Austria realized what was happening, Brussels was already the French garrison. And Joseph II couldn't find any fault with France - all the plans were made by your subordinate Leo. The French army "received" invitation to enter the Southern Netherlands, helped to repel the Han-Dutch coalition forces, and dealt with the Dutch rebellion. You Austrians should at least show some appreciation for such a big help, right?

Leo nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Yes, Your Highness, I will never embarrass you."

However, he had his own plans in mind. If he could really recapture the Southern Netherlands with the help of the French army, then as the person who formulated the entire combat plan, he would at least be able to get the title of marshal, and it would not be impossible for him to even enter the political center of Vienna.

……

Southwestern Silesia.

Liegnitz main battlefield.

General Kellermann, the commander of the French "volunteer army" in the Silesia expedition, turned his head and glanced in the direction of the distant artillery fire. He frowned slightly, picked up the chess piece next to him, and placed it near the "king" on the opposite side: "You see, if we continue like this, it will definitely be a draw."

(End of this chapter)