I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 348: The Regret of the Emperor of Shinra

"Yes, checkmate, it's a draw." The staff officer sitting opposite the chessboard pushed his chair back and also looked east, "Just like this damn battle situation."

After playing chess for most of the day, General Kellermann, who felt quite bored, stood up and stretched: "I heard from the hussars that there is a good river on the border of Görlitz with very fat trout. Let's go fishing tomorrow."

"That's good, of course." The staff officer said, "But it's close to Saxony, so it might not be safe."

"It's okay, just bring more guards."

Kellerman put on his coat and lazily walked out of the tent. In the distance, there was another roar of cannon fire.

He originally thought that he could establish meritorious service in Austria and boost the military's declining momentum over the past six months. Ever since the rebellion of the Marquis de Saint-Véran, the military had been suppressed by the royal family and was in urgent need of a big victory to regain its prestige.

However, after his initial raid was ambushed by the Prussians and he lost nearly a thousand men, he never had the chance to participate in the war again.

The Austrian and Prussian armies set up a large number of artillery pieces on the hill of Liegnitz, with more than 230 pieces for the former and 190 pieces for the latter, and then began to bombard each other day and night.

The dense defense line formed by the artillery made the infantry of both sides dare not show their heads easily - they did not have the courage to charge in a column like the French Guards. After entering the artillery range, they would immediately retreat after making a slight attempt.

This is also the most popular combat mode used by the Prussian and Austrian armies in recent decades. They use a large number of fixed artillery positions to stabilize their positions, and then look for the enemy's weak links to break through with heavy troops.

However, the commanders of both sides were well aware of this. After the Seven Years' War and the War for the Bavarian Throne, they were very familiar with each other's military habits, so they were able to defend themselves perfectly.

In this way, the two sides' artillery lines stretched for several kilometers for a month, but except that every now and then some unlucky people were hit by the opponent's shells, there was almost no result.

The loss of a small number of cannons could be immediately replenished by major powers such as Prussia and Austria, so the war situation in Silesia came to a standstill.

But neither country dared to withdraw its troops easily, for they were only worried that the other side would suddenly increase its troops and forcibly break through their artillery positions.

So a total of more than 20 troops from both sides came to the front line every day as a routine, lined up to watch the "fireworks show", and then ate and slept, living a very relaxed and comfortable life.

The only ones who had a hard time were the treasuries of Prussia and Austria. Maintaining such a large army was not a small expense.

Leopold II ended his inspection of the Silesian front and returned to Vienna with a gloomy face.

He knew very well that although Prussia and Austria were currently in balance, and Austria even had a slight advantage in terms of military strength, from a strategic point of view, Austria was heading towards failure.

As the party that concentrated all its forces to launch the attack, Austria has so far only been lingering on the edge of Silesia and has not made any decisive progress.

In terms of finance, Prussia, which practices "militarism", has much greater endurance than Austria.

As long as the serfs of the former had potatoes to fill their stomachs, they would not dare to express any dissatisfaction with their Junker masters. At the same time, the Junker nobles were willing to go to the front line to win military merits with little or no salary.

However, Austria faced resistance from the nobles regarding taxation due to his brother's reforms. Once the finances ran into problems due to this war, the entire country would collapse.

Therefore, it is necessary to open up the situation in Silesia as soon as possible and use victory in the war to stabilize the domestic situation.

While Leopold II was lost in thought, the carriage had stopped at Schönbrunn Palace Square. He hurried to Joseph II's bedroom, gathered his thoughts outside the door, and then knocked on the door and entered. After reporting the situation in Silesia, he looked at his frail brother and said seriously, "Your Majesty, we must mobilize on a large scale as soon as possible, otherwise our finances will not be able to continue to support the war by the end of this year at the latest."

He did not need to remind the emperor on his sickbed what a desperate situation Austria would face if Silesia was lost.

"Based on what I saw on the battlefield, I estimate that at least 8 more troops will be needed to form a rapid advance on Liegnitz."

Joseph II looked out the window for a long time before he spoke with difficulty: "You know, given the current situation in our country, we can't do that..."

Leopold II gritted his teeth, took a step forward, and said in a deep voice: "Brother, now is the time to suspend the reform.

"As long as the traditional rights of the nobles are restored and the extra wages paid to the serfs are stopped, the nobles of Hungary and Kiev will be able to organize an army of more than 10 and raise a large amount of funds from them!
"In this way, we can not only conquer Silesia, but even advance to Lusatia!"

Lusatia was already a traditional Prussian territory, and also included some provinces in eastern Saxony.

He did not wait for Joseph II to refuse and continued: "And the rebels in the Southern Netherlands will also lose the support of the nobles, which will ease the unrest in the western part of the empire.

"I know this is a difficult decision for you, but as long as we can take back Silesia, you can use the prestige brought by the victory of the war to re-implement reforms, and it will be smoother than it is now!"

Joseph II sighed woodenly. The reforms to which he had devoted most of his energy in his life had become an obstacle to his country's victory.

After a long while, he shook his head dejectedly: "Let me think about it again... After all, we are only a little bit away from success..."

Leopold II was about to persuade him again, but he heard Joseph II change the subject: "Leopold has made a plan for a full-scale attack on the Southern Netherlands, and he needs another 1 troops. Can you transfer some of them?"

Leopold II took Leo's letter from his brother's attendant, quickly read it, and said hesitantly: "He plans to let the French deal with the Hanoverian army?"

"Karl II brought 2 troops with him, and there were several thousand Dutch. If the French army fought against them in the Southern Netherlands, the stalemate would probably last a long time."

Joseph II paused for a while before continuing, "Archbishop Constantine promised me that he would gather forces loyal to him to attack Blücher from the north. Leo will surely be able to achieve a breakthrough earlier and capture Brussels. Oh, General Wurmser also agrees with this plan."

Constantine is the archbishop of the Diocese of Liege. As Liege is an independent papal territory, the archbishop has great power here.

Leopold II was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "I will find a way to send reinforcements to General Leo, Your Majesty."

After he left Joseph II's bedroom, he muttered in a low voice, "A decision must be made," and returned to the carriage, ordering him to go to the residence of Secretary of State Kaunitz.

……

Luxembourg City.

Joseph took advantage of the short break before the Guards went to Brussels to come to this historic city and preside over the ceremony of the French Steel Technical Association's acquisition of eleven iron mines and the two largest smelting workshops in Luxembourg.

(End of this chapter)