I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 355 Joseph's detour
Although this section of railway that spans most of Luxembourg is expensive to build, once it is connected to the wooden track in Verdun - although the materials are different, the technical parameters such as the track gauge are exactly the same, and the carriages running on the track can pass directly.

In France, the wooden track in Lorraine will be connected to the Verdun section in a few months. At that time, the iron ingots from Luxembourg can be transported to Nancy in large quantities for further refining or for use in the manufacture of steam engines, boring machines and other machinery.

At the same time, French industrial products can be transported from Nancy to Luxembourg, and then sold from here to the Southern Netherlands and even the Netherlands.

Although the transport capacity of wooden tracks + horse-drawn carriages is far less than that of trains, it can easily beat the horse-drawn carriage road transport of that era, and its convenience far exceeds that of river transport.

Joseph also planned to set up a steam engine-assisted traction system on steeper sections along the way to help horses go uphill, thereby significantly reducing horsepower consumption.

Freight transportation is the foundation of business, and business is the basis for ensuring a virtuous cycle of industry.

It can be said that the large number of wooden tracks built in France have laid a solid foundation for the start of France's industrialization.

Compared with other European countries, with the same output, French factories can achieve higher sales and reach more distant customer groups by relying on wooden rail transportation, thereby recovering funds faster and investing in the next round of production or research and development.

It can be foreseen that even without Joseph's help in French industry, France would be able to gain a huge advantage in the Industrial Revolution relying solely on rail transportation.

Moreover, the construction of the wooden track seemed to cost the French government a lot of money, but in fact, the money eventually went into the pockets of French ironworks, lumberyards, craftsmen, and even people from all walks of life who served the craftsmen. Later, the money would enter the French economic cycle through consumption, promoting the country's economic development.

This was later called "GDP growth." More than a century later, President Roosevelt brought economic revival to the United States by building a large number of roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

As for the source of funds for the wooden track, the French Reserve Bank will provide loans for the time being. However, Joseph has asked the Minister of Commerce to start planning to raise funds from the private sector in the form of local government debt + wooden track equity.

With these fundraising models that became very common in later generations, the French people were definitely able to provide huge amounts of funds when it came to people's livelihood and infrastructure construction.

……

Just as French steel manufacturers were expanding rapidly in Luxembourg, Joseph had led the Guards Corps to the border between Luxembourg and Liege.

According to the combat plan previously formulated by the General Staff, they would continue northward, pass through Jülich in Bavaria, take the desolate mountain road at the border of Aachen and Liege to bypass Blücher's army, and then turn sharply west and go straight to Antolf.

Antolf is a province north of Brussels, and it was an important birthplace of the Brabant Uprising.

Yes, Joseph's target was not Charles II's Hanoverian army, but Antolf further north.

Berthier turned around and looked at the dark red hills behind him, then looked at the vaguely visible Ruhr River in front of him. After hesitating for a moment, he urged his horse to catch up with the horse of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness," he said after organizing his words, "you see, you are about to leave Luxembourg. I still think it is safer for you to stay in Luxembourg City.

"This battle is different from the previous ones. We have to go deep into the enemy's hinterland, and we don't have sufficient logistical support. What if you..."

Joseph raised his hand and interrupted him with a smile: “Thank you very much for your concern, Your Excellency the Chief of Staff.

"But no matter what danger I encounter, I must stay with my army." He gestured to the Guards who were marching quietly and quickly beside him: "With these bravest warriors, I will not be in any danger."

Joseph knew very well that only by going through life and death together with the soldiers would they truly believe in and support him.

If the army is fighting on the front lines while you are living a life of debauchery in the palace, don't blame the soldiers for becoming alienated from you.

The reason why Napoleon became an eternal god in the hearts of the French was that he fought battle after battle on the front lines.

Moreover, as he was the supreme commander, the victory of the army was his victory. If any officer wanted to dominate the army by relying on his prestige, he would first have to overcome him.

In 18th century Europe, only a king who could lead troops to war could keep the situation under control and gain the respect and support of all classes from the nobility to the peasants.

As for the danger that Berthier mentioned, Joseph also had a sense of propriety in his mind.

Not to mention that he had enough confidence in the combat effectiveness of the Guards Corps, even if something unexpected happened, there was still the rule of ransom in this era.

If any nobleman was captured, the enemy would treat him well and take care of him. As long as the prisoner could pay a ransom, he could return home with dignity. The enemy would even escort him several miles away before he left.

So unless he was unlucky enough to be hit directly by a shell - he was usually in the position of the commander-in-chief, and it was impossible for the bullet to be fired so far - otherwise there was basically no possibility of being killed on the spot. The worst case scenario was just to pay the ransom and go home.

When a soldier nearby heard what Joseph called "the bravest warrior," he immediately lowered his voice and cheered, "Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Always protect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Courage! Glory!"

Berthier looked at the excited soldiers and could only sigh helplessly: "Your Highness, I believe that this scene will definitely appear in the stories people tell decades later."

At the front of the marching column, Napoleon looked at the map in confusion, then looked at the colonel beside him and said, "Commander, we seem to be heading towards Bavaria?"

Although he had been somewhat puzzled since morning as to why the march was in silence today, it was not until this moment that he realized that the Guards Corps was not going to intercept the Hanoverian army as rumored.

Colonel Dumont nodded and whispered, "Yes, the target is Antorf. In order to avoid the Prussians, we have to cross the barren mountains south of Aachen."

"Antorf?" Napoleon was a little surprised. "What about the Hanoverian army?"

Charles II's army was already in the southeast of Brussels, while Antolf was north of Brussels, which meant that they had to go around behind the Hanoverian army.

Colonel Dumont smiled and said a few more words to the artillery major who had performed quite well recently: "Originally, the General Staff planned to meet Karl II west of Longen, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince proposed to implement the 'circumvention' tactic to mobilize the enemy's defense line."

(End of this chapter)