Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

The so-called “mixed formations” were devised by Wellesley as a strategy to fully utilize the Portuguese Army.

From then on, each unit under his command consisted of thirty percent British soldiers and seventy percent Portuguese soldiers.

In combat, the elite British soldiers stood on the sides and the last row, “encircling” the Portuguese soldiers, constantly reminding them of what they should do.

This way, the originally worthless Portuguese Army could exhibit considerable combat effectiveness.

From the first day Wellesley arrived in Porto, he ordered Beresford to train the Portuguese in batches.

Two months later, he would have over seventeen thousand available soldiers. Together with ten thousand British troops, his total forces would reach nearly thirty thousand.

Chasing the twenty thousand disarrayed Spanish troops would undoubtedly be without the possibility of failure.

Even including those five thousand French troops, he was confident of victory. After all, his new army was built according to the standards of the French Army, but with twice the number.

Three days later.

Portugal’s Crown Prince Joao, acting in the name of Queen Maria I, signed a decree requiring all Portuguese people within eighty miles of Porto, nearly one hundred and thirty kilometers, to move south of the Douro River within half a month or face charges of treason and defection. Resistance forces fighting against the Franco-Spanish Alliance were unaffected.

Soon, when Juno led his army to a small village north of Porto, he was surprised to find the village empty, the ripe wheat fields turned to carbon ash, and even the thatch on the rooftops stripped away.

He realized something was wrong and hurried to the nearest village, only to find the same situation.

He quickly returned to headquarters, dispatched people to report the situation to Marquis Talavera, and simultaneously informed Paris.

…

Southern Austria.

Mid-section of the Southern Carpathians.

The verdant foliage filled with the fragrance of flowers and grass, birds’ melodious chirping occasionally coming from all around. Anyone spending a moment here would feel relaxed as if they were in a fairy tale world.

Yet at this moment, Archduke Karl was frowning, intently staring at the map on the saddle, and asked the courier beside him, “Are you sure that’s the main force of the Ottoman People and not just a reconnaissance unit?”

“Yes, Marshal, it’s approximately three thousand men,” the latter confirmed, “and they are equipped with cannons.”

Archduke Karl looked up at the marching column beside him and loudly ordered, “Everyone, increase speed. We must pass through the Ort Mountain Pass before dark tomorrow!”

Indeed, according to his previous assessment, the Ottoman Army should barely have reached the central part of Tarnovo.

Unexpectedly, the courier informed him that the hussars had discovered Ottoman forces just five miles south of Bucharest.

Six Ory is roughly equal to forty-five kilometers.

Yet the Austrian Army’s main force had not yet crossed the Carpathian Mountains and was still over one hundred kilometers from Bucharest.

Archduke Karl reviewed numerous reports on the Ottoman Army, noting that their marching speed should never be so fast.

Of course, this Ottoman unit, which first reached south of Bucharest, was the Topizis New Army—an elite force trained by the French people.

Archduke Karl now felt some regret, thinking he should have taken a route through Moldavia, descending south along the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, which would have brought him to Bucharest already.

Yet to achieve a surprise attack, he opted to cross the Southern Carpathians.

Though there were many mountain paths along this route, slowing the marching speed, once through the Ort Mountain Pass, he would be able to freely slice through the Ottoman Army on the vast Wallachia Plain.

However, if the Ottoman People first occupied Bucharest, he would have no choice but to conduct a siege there.

He had only fifty thousand soldiers, while the Ottoman People had an army of a hundred and ten thousand.

Given such a disparity in troop strength, if he engaged in field battles, he could rely on his mastery of the overall situation to find weaknesses in the enemy’s formations to achieve a rout.

But in a siege, the battle might go on for half a year.

He certainly did not have half a year to spare.

He didn’t even have three months.

The Prussians, though alarmed by the Russian Army’s sudden appearance in Lithuania and hastily relocating their forces to East Prussia’s Konigsberg, had been clearly told by the French people that Russia had no intention of attacking Prussia.

Thus, it wouldn’t take long for the Prussians to react and resume their offensive against Silesia.

He had to resolve the Wallachia conflict before that, then lead his army north.

Considering the time required for the march, he had roughly a month to defeat the Ottoman People.

Archduke Karl looked at the map again and casually asked the courier, “How many are in the main force at the front of the Ottoman People?”

“That is unclear, Marshal,”

“Hmm?” Archduke Karl asked suspiciously, “Haven’t their vanguard been discovered? Why not continue to scout south?”

“The hussars penetrated three more miles southward, yet failed to find any more enemy forces.”

Archduke Karl squinted his eyes immediately.

One possibility is that the Ottoman People are setting up an ambush.

Another possibility is a separation between their front and rear troops.

The Ottoman People should not expect that he would traverse the Carpathian Mountains from directly north to Wallachia—the usual route is to bypass the Carpathian Mountains from the west via Severin or proceed from the east through Moldavia.

Therefore, to lay an ambush, the Ottoman People would have to choose the east or west side of Wallachia, but those are vast plains, where hiding troops is impossible.

It seems their main forces are far behind their front.

Archduke Karl’s mind raced; if he rushed to Bucharest at maximum speed, he had the opportunity to recapture this critical town before the main Ottoman forces arrived.

After all, there were only three thousand enemy troops there.

Yet the risk was also significant.

If unable to seize Bucharest in time and the enemy’s main forces arrived, the situation would become troublesome.

He quickly devised another tactic.

Abandon Bucharest and directly attack the main Ottoman Army.

Though Tarnovo is not as flat as Wallachia, its northern and central areas are essentially plain, suited for his field combat.

He immediately instructed the order officer, “Leave all unnecessary logistics vehicles, retain only ten cannons and minimum ammunition.

“Once over the Ort Mountain Pass, the entire army continues south along the Ort River.

“Conduct the decisive battle near Ispereh.”

Ispereh is a northern town of Tarnovo, a necessary route to Bucharest.

————

Joao was born on May 13, 1767, during the reign of his grandfather and uncle Jose I. He was the second son of Portugal’s Queen Maria I and King Pedro III. His parents were respectively the Prince of Portugal and the Princess of Brazil

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!