Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

General Leao strode into the Crown Prince of France's office, first bowing very respectfully, then just as he was about to speak, Joseph expressed surprise and said anxiously, "General Leao, what are you still doing in Kleve Town!"

"Ah?" Leao was startled and said subconsciously, "Should I not be here?"

Joseph picked up the documents that had been prepared on the desk and handed them to him: "This is the intelligence from our agents in the Netherlands last night. Hanover's army of twenty thousand has left Brussels and is heading to Liege to reinforce Blucher." Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

A sense of urgency gripped Leao as he carefully read the document, which indeed stated that Charles II was leading his troops southward, accompanied by four thousand Dutch "volunteers."

Joseph spoke solemnly, "General, if the twenty-four thousand troops join forces with Blucher, I fear the heavy responsibility of reclaiming the Southern Netherlands will become very difficult for you to fulfill."

Leao's eyes twitched at the corners, facing nearly forty thousand Allied Forces of Prussia, Hanover, and the Netherlands, it was not so much about reclaiming the Southern Netherlands but more likely that he would be chased back to Austria.

Joseph noticed his expression and continued, "You are the 'cornerstone' that repelled Blucher and stabilized the situation in the Southern Netherlands. His Majesty the Emperor has even called up reinforcements from Silesia for you. Should you fail to meet the Emperor's expectations, it would tarnish the reputation you have established."

In order to set Leao up on the "rack," he had previously exaggerated Leao's contributions in the fight against the Prussian Army, and had portrayed him as the key factor in defeating Blucher in his letters to Joseph II.

Flattery gets you nowhere, but who refuses the windfall laurels? Although Leao knew that these were the merits of the French Army, how could he possibly refuse such a great honor presented to him? Thus he half-heartedly accepted it.

Back in Vienna, the avalanche of encomiums and rewards overwhelmed him as Joseph II even dubbed him "the cornerstone of the Empire's west!" However, before he could even enjoy it for a month, he now faced the daunting situation with tens of thousands of enemy troops.

Joseph, appearing concerned for him, stepped closer and whispered, "General Leao, I greatly admire your bravery, so I must remind you of a few things.

"The importance of the Southern Netherlands to Austria goes without saying, and should we lose it, my uncle will inevitably have to find someone to blame.

"True, it was General Willemze's lack of success in combat that led to the dire straits in the Southern Netherlands, but he is now an important commander in Silesia, and with his profound political background, my uncle is unlikely to blame him..."

The uncle he referred to was Joseph II.

Upon hearing this, Leao's face grew even grimmer.

How could he not understand what the Crown Prince of France meant? If he were to be defeated by the Prussian-Hanoverian forces, the blame for the loss of the Southern Netherlands would fall on him.

Not only would his aura as "the cornerstone of the west" vanish, but he might also spend the second half of his life in exile in Transylvania...

At that moment, he was taken aback and looked eagerly at Joseph: "Your Highness, as a matter of fact, this is exactly why I have come to you.

"I hope you can command Colonel Lefebvre and his regiment to assist me in attacking the Prussian Army in Liege. If we can defeat Blucher before the Hanoverians arrive, we could then establish a defensive line from Namur to the east of Brussels and face off against Charles II.

"His Majesty the Emperor will surely send more reinforcements to me afterward. If I can reclaim the Southern Netherlands, I will never forget your great kindness!"

Joseph spread his hands with difficulty, "But my uncle has not asked for France's assistance in attacking the Prussian Army. You know, if French soldiers were to enter the Southern Netherlands rashly, my uncle might misunderstand..."

Visions of his exile after a military defeat flooded Leao's mind once more; he clutched at the last straw, pleading, "Your Highness, you only need to order Colonel Lefebvre to issue the troops, I will explain the situation to His Majesty the Emperor!"

Joseph still shook his head, "Let's wait for Uncle's approval before we mobilize the troops."

Leao hurriedly said, "Rest assured, I will ask General Wilmze and Count Kaunitz for help, as I have some connections with them. His Majesty will certainly agree to your assistance in recovering the Southern Netherlands."

A smile flashed across Joseph's lips as he pretended to have difficulties, before reluctantly nodding, "Well, I can't just stand by and watch you struggle."

"However, I think that if we are to launch an attack, we shouldn't just focus on Blucher."

"What do you mean?"

"If the Prussians hold firm, it will be hard for you to take Liege before the Hanoverians arrive. Therefore, it would be best if you could spare some forces to hold off Charles II and the Dutch."

Leao tasted bitterness in his mouth, he of course understood the reasoning, but he had only 10,000 soldiers. Now, by requesting one and a half battalions from the French people, he could just barely manage to engage with Blucher. Where would he find the extra troops to target the Hanoverian Army?

Joseph seemed to be caught up in the discussion and casually said, "Speaking of the Netherlands, France gave them substantial support, yet they choose to stand with Hanover, which, you know, is tantamount to forming an alliance with the British."

"If I get the chance, I must teach these ungrateful Dutch a lesson!"

Leao looked at him excitedly, "Your Highness, there are currently 4,000 Dutch troops to the east of Brussels. This is a perfect opportunity for you to vent your frustration."

Joseph appeared very hesitant, "But if we do that, my army might encounter them in the Brabant area."

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

After some more coaxing, Joseph nodded with reluctance once again, "Then you must tell Uncle that this is your battle plan."

In fact, this was the plan he had come up with after half a month of discussion with his entire staff for the campaign into the Southern Netherlands—all actions were to use Leao as the figurehead, allowing Leao's forces to engage the Prussian Army at Liege, while the French Army circumvents Liege to strike directly into the hinterland of the Southern Netherlands.

By the time Austria reacted, Brussels would already be a French garrison. Moreover, Joseph II couldn't find fault with France for anything—all the plans had been made by your man Leao, the French Army had "accepted the invitation" to enter the Southern Netherlands, helped repel the Hanoverian and Dutch forces, and dealt with the rebellion of the Dutch. After such a huge favor, Austria would have to show some gratitude, right?

Leao nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, "Yes, Your Highness, I will definitely not make things difficult for you."

However, in his mind, he had his own little schemes. If he really could reclaim the Southern Netherlands with the help of the French Army, then as the person who developed the entire battle plan, he at least could earn himself the title of marshal, and even entering into Vienna's political core was not impossible.

…

Southwest of Silesia.

The main battlefield of Legnica.

The commander of the French expeditionary "volunteer army" in Silesia, General Kellermann, turned his head towards the direction from where the sound of gunfire came, furrowed his brow slightly, picked up a chess piece next to him, and placed it near the "king" on the other side: "You see, if the game continues this way, it will definitely end in a draw."