Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

And the parliamentary election system in Southern Netherlands provided just such an opportunity.

The conservative faction led by Weng Ke had been suppressed by Vandernoot before, but this time, with the "miraculous feat" of rescuing the Witte Corps, they made a strong return to Congress,

It was foreseeable that the Conservatives would be able to stand on equal footing with the Liberals with the support of General Witte and the South Netherlands Army, and Weng Ke was bound to take revenge for being marginalized in the past.

All Joseph needed to do was to provide some resources, balance the power between the two factions, and fan the flames of public opinion. Then the Southern Netherland Rebels would be left with nothing but political infighting in the future.

Whether it was the United States or Europe in later ages, as long as the power between parties was close, they would fight like dogs without any need for instigation, let alone election game neophytes like Vandernoot and Weng Ke.

Of course, all this was predicated on the assumption that Austria, the strong enemy that could promote unity among the South Netherlanders, would no longer show itself.

And to achieve that, the Guard Corps still had many roles to play.

...

"What? You mean to pursue Blucher?" General Leao, the commander of the Luxembourg forces for Austria, looked at Bertier nervously, swallowed, and then turned to Lefevre with a pleading gaze, "Do you think this is feasible?"

He hoped that his old friend, who had fought alongside him before, could say a word for him, even if it was just "his troops have no combat capability."

However, Lefevre, with a solemn face, said loudly, "General Leao, I recall that His Majesty Joseph II's order was to recover the entire Southern Netherlands,

"Now that both the Prussians and the Netherlands Rebels have just suffered a great defeat, it is an excellent opportunity for you to pursue victory and reclaim lost territory."

Leao shook his head subconsciously, thinking, that was your victory, what victory am I supposed to pursue...

Bertier exaggeratedly glared at Leao, "Are you afraid to fight? Or do you plan to defy the orders of your Emperor?"

"Ah, no!" Leao straightened up with a start, puffing out his chest and exclaimed loudly, "Long live the Emperor! Even if I am shattered to pieces, I must reclaim Southern Netherlands!"

"I knew it, you are the bravest general in Austria," Bertier said with a smile, patting his shoulder, "Rest assured, France is declaring war on the Southern Netherlands Rebels, and if any South Netherlands forces appear, I will fight alongside you!"

Leao, relieved to hear that the French would help, forced a smile and said, "I trust you must have already made the battle preparations, General?"

Bertier nodded, "By noon tomorrow, you can launch your attack on the Prussian positions in the southeast direction."

"Tomorrow? Me?"

"Yes, the longer we wait, the more prepared the Prussians' defense will be. I believe it's best if you attack sooner rather than later."

...

Joseph was yet unaware that even though he had strived to keep the number of Prussian prisoners and fatalities below four thousand to minimize the French Army's presence, the battle in Luxembourg still caused quite a stir across the European Continent.

Political leaders of various nations were discussing that although France and Austria had not formally allied and France had not declared war on Prussia, the current situation was developing towards a Franco-Austrian collaboration against Prussia.

The administrative center of Prussia, Potsdam.

Sanssouci Palace.

King William II, dressed in his formal regalia, looked at the Hanoverian envoy in front of him with a pleasant surprise. "I very much welcome His Excellency the Governor's suggestion for reinforcements," he said.

"So, how many troops is Hanover prepared to send to Silesia? Oh, I will do my utmost to support the logistics."

The Hanoverian envoy bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the Governor will deploy an additional 30,000 troops according to Your Majesty's wishes. However, the destination is not only Silesia but also Luxembourg."

William II was overjoyed. With the 12,000 soldiers Hanover had previously sent, there would be more than 40,000 Hanoverians joining the conflict. This would greatly influence the situation in Silesia.

And he heard the word "Your Majesty." That meant that the British were also very concerned about the situation here. It should be noted that the Elector of Hanover was still concurrently the King of England. Although in name an independent German state, in reality, it was like an enclave of England.

With the strong support of the British ally, his own chances of victory had increased significantly.

However, Prussia had little interest in Luxembourg. If it hadn't been to weaken Austria, he would have called back the troops from the Southern Netherlands a long time ago. But the British were particularly interested in that place. Was it because the French had won there, or because the British had some commitment to the Dutch?

Thinking of this, William II said to the envoy, "You must be aware that the core of the current war lies in Silesia. If we can focus our forces to repel the Austrians, or even push deep into Bohemia, then neither the Southern Netherlands nor Luxembourg would be hard for the Dutch to capture."

"I will certainly convey your suggestion to the Governor," the envoy said slightly bowing. "However, before Your Majesty makes a decision, 20,000 Hanoverian troops will continue to hurry to Luxembourg to assist General Blucher."

The British were not very concerned about the conflict in Silesia, even the Russians were more interested in it, after all, that was a 'domestic' affair for Germany.

In the direction of Luxembourg, however, the French were involved, and it was very close to France.

If France's momentum was not contained in time, it would be very difficult for the Southern Netherland Rebels alone to stop the French Army. Once the French reached the mouth of the Rhine River, it would be a huge blow to British trade.

Thus, King George III quickly decided to lend all of Hanover's might to reinforce the Southern Netherlands. And the British Parliament passed the aid appropriation for the Southern Netherlands without delay.

At the same time, the Dutch would also send an army of several thousand to the Southern Netherlands. Although the Dutch were reluctant to clash with the French, the idea of merging with the Southern Netherlands has always been their greatest dream.

Should the French show signs of occupying the Southern Netherlands, they would not hesitate to offend France in order to preserve the "ancestral homeland" of the Netherlands, especially since they had British support this time.

Vienna.

Schonbrunn Palace.

Joseph II was worn out by the dragging warfare in Silesia.

Austria's financial situation was also far from ideal. He had invested a considerable amount of money in recent years on reforms. If the war dragged on, Austria was more likely to be exhausted before Prussia.

Fortunately, this morning news came that the Prussian Army in Luxembourg had been defeated, which allowed him to catch his breath amidst the sea of anxiety.

Leopold II stood by his bedside with a smile, "Your Majesty, the French have stopped 2 li from Liege. It seems our sister knows how to measure her actions."

According to the political tacit understanding between France and Austria, Luxembourg might as well be "wages" for France, but the Southern Netherlands must not be touched by the French.

And the French were acting to reassure Austria of this.