Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

The officers saw the Crown Prince arriving and immediately stopped their discussions, rising to salute, “Your Highness, you are here.”

“Your Highness.”

Joseph walked to the conference table, smiled, and gestured for everyone to sit down: “Well then, let’s begin the meeting.”

As per convention, a combat staff officer approached the map to brief the senior commanders on the latest battlefield situation.

Captain Feris used a thin wooden pointer to indicate the northern side of Luxembourg: “Currently, Ferdinand’s Prussian corps, numbering 86,000 troops, is assembled east of Marnach, preparing to launch an attack on Luxembourg City.

“Major Massena has nearly completed operational preparations along the Wirtz-to-Gravenmacher line. At the same time, our deceptive buildup preparations in Verdun will continue to expand in scale.

“Once Ferdinand advances towards Luxembourg City, Massena’s army will, as planned, cut off the enemy near Diekirch and simultaneously launch a counterattack along a 30-kilometer-long front.”

Joseph nodded slightly.

He had participated in drafting this operational plan.

Although Massena’s corps had only 65,000 troops, they were no less formidable in combat effectiveness than Ferdinand’s 80,000-plus forces under the Duke of Brunswick.

After all, Massena commanded the Royal First Infantry Division, the Imperial Longsword Grenadier Battalion, the Royal First Cavalry Artillery Battalion, and other elite French units.

These were arguably the most elite troops on the entire European continent.

Prior to this, Massena’s forces and the Duke of Brunswick’s army had engaged multiple times. Massena had consistently feigned defeat, “retreating” from the border of Luxembourg all the way to the outskirts of Luxembourg City.

Meanwhile, the French defenses in Verdun had been bustling recently, with massive amounts of supplies transported there. Thousands of troops stationed at the facades arrived daily, putting on an air of determined defense.

In reality, there were fewer than 3,000 local troops here in total. The so-called “large amounts of logistical supplies” were merely 30 carts carrying miscellaneous items, entering Verdun by day, leaving downstream along the Meuse River by night, and returning the next day—again and again…

Verdun, located at France’s eastern border, was the sole high ground in the area, fortified with a chain of fortresses and served as the gateway protecting Paris.

France’s defensive preparations in Verdun clearly implied their intention to abandon Luxembourg, which was deemed “indefensible.”

The Duke of Brunswick had clearly received intelligence confirming this through his nation’s spies, leading him to plan a swift capture of Luxembourg as a guaranteed conquest before advancing into France.

At present, his main forces had largely moved into Luxembourg’s territory.

Massena initially prepared to face 110,000 enemy troops, but over half a month ago, under Franz II’s orders, the Allied forces diverted 30,000 men from the Calcroit and Clefat Corps to Brussels for reinforcements.

These units had originally been the Duke of Brunswick’s reserve forces.

This strategic redeployment significantly reduced the pressure on Massena’s forces. Under these circumstances, if Brunswick entered his ambush zone and Massena still failed to secure victory, he might as well resign and go home.

Furthermore, the Duke of Brunswick had committed his full strength to this campaign. If his forces were routed, the Allied forces would be left with no usable troops in the entire Rhineland region!

Rhineland refers to the west bank of the Rhine River, stretching from Aachen to the Palatinate region.

This area borders the Southern Netherlands and the Netherlands to the west, France to the south, and the German heartland to the east, serving as a strategic buffer zone between France and Germany. Should warfare erupt on the European continent, the Rhineland would undoubtedly become a hotspot for military contention.

At present, the Rhineland remains under the influence of Prussia and Bavaria, alongside the Duchy of Trier.

Captain Feris then shifted his pointer to Freiburg in the eastern part of the map: “On the southern Rhine front, the Austrian Wilmze Corps, numbering 90,000 troops, is preparing to march southward into Basel.

“According to General Staff analysis, they likely aim to cross the Rhine at the ‘Rhein’s Knee,’ bypassing the Strasbourg fortresses from Alsace’s southern flank and advancing into Lorraine. [Note 1]

“The Moro Corps has carried out its battle deployment as planned.”

With only 45,000 troops, the Moro Corps, though comprised entirely of elite forces from the new armies, still faced a significant disadvantage in numbers against the 90,000-strong Austrian force. Thus, their primary objective on this front was strategic defense.

Basel, a small border town in Switzerland, holds immense geographical importance as a critical crossing point near the ‘Rhein’s Knee.’

However, due to Switzerland’s extreme weakness, Basel has become a “public restroom” of sorts, accessible at will by Austria, France, and even Bavaria.

As such, France could not rely on Switzerland to fend off an invasion.

Moro planned to intercept the Austrians near Basel as they attempted to cross the river.

After Captain Feris finished, Lefevre stood up and stated, “According to Major Massena’s judgment, the main operations will commence in approximately five days. Simultaneously, the Moro Corps will launch a raid on the Austrian pontoon bridges east of Basel.”

He then turned to Joseph, bowing slightly: “Your Highness, a few of us earlier conducted a brief discussion. Currently, our forces can withdraw to Brussels for a defensive stand. Doing so would free up part of the troops to reinforce Luxembourg from Liege, assisting Massena’s army in combat.”

This was by no means arrogance.

Though the Anglo-Prussian-Austrian alliance army numbered around 50,000, while the French forces in the Southern Netherlands amounted to fewer than 25,000, the Walloon Defense Army, with 12,000 fresh troops, had proven reliable in prior engagements.

Additionally, the defense of Brussels could even mobilize the 4,000-plus Flemish Surrender Army—under cover of the city’s cannons, firing their muskets from behind fortified walls was a task they could manage.

Therefore, it was entirely feasible to allocate 5,000 to 6,000 elite French troops to reinforce the battle at Luxembourg.

Even in a worst-case scenario, where the Allied forces suddenly found divine inspiration and achieved successive victories, the French could still conduct a phased withdrawal to stall for time.

The Brussels district was massive and well-stocked with supplies. Previously, even the dispirited Dutch defenders had held Brussels for almost a month and a half.

So long as the French Army avoided large-scale annihilation, they could stall the Duke of York here for two to three months without issue.

By that time, Massena would have routed the Allied forces in the Rhineland and dispatched reinforcements to Brussels.

Officers such as Dawu and Marson nodded in agreement, as this was the consensus they had reached earlier.

Joseph, however, smiled and produced a report, shaking his head: “I believe Massena’s corps has sufficient strength.”

“We cannot simply focus on barricading ourselves in Brussels.”

The group immediately looked over in surprise. With our limited forces, were we not to defend but instead to take the offensive?

Joseph pushed the report to the center of the table: “This is the latest information delivered just now; we have already taken control of Leuven.”

[Note 1] The ‘Rhein’s Knee’ refers to the sharp 90-degree bend between the southern and central Rhine, where the river’s flow changes from east-west to north-south. Due to this sharp curve, the Rhine’s current slows significantly at this location. Several bridges were constructed along this stretch around 1790, making it an ideal crossing point.

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