I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1203 Crisis lurks everywhere
The northern border of the Walloon region in France.

Major General Gayal, the commander of the Walloon garrison, lightly flicked his riding whip and said to Lefebvre beside him, "General, we can just go directly to Nijmegen. Those Flemish will only be a hindrance."

“They can at least provide logistical support,” Lefebvre gestured behind him. “And we don’t even have an engineer battalion.”

He only brought two regiments of infantry this time, and naturally did not include an engineer battalion. The Walloon local army also did not have this branch of service.

Two cavalrymen approached and said to Lefebvre, "General, General Sheker is waiting for us outside Bray."

Lefebvre smiled: "He's still as adept at social skills as ever."

Gayal scoffed, "They just don't know how to fight."

Before long, the bands on both sides of the road began to play. Sihaker and a group of Flemish generals warmly greeted them: "Respected General Lefebvre, how long has it been since we last met? I often tell them about your heroic deeds back then."

"It's been four years, hasn't it?" Lefebvre nodded in return, then asked with some surprise, "Are you going to personally lead the troops and come with me to the Netherlands?"

“No, no,” Silhak laughed awkwardly, “You know, the government has too many things to do. General Tyne will accompany you on the expedition. However, I have specially assigned 3 of the most elite National Army soldiers to him.”

He is now the president of Flemish, so naturally he will no longer lead troops into battle.

Upon learning of the British invasion of the Netherlands, he immediately requested French intervention—Britain would certainly advance south after occupying the Netherlands, at which point the Flemish Republic would return to Austrian rule.

Just then, France also received a plea for help from the Dutch parliament. After a brief discussion, the General Staff quickly ordered Lefebvre to lead troops to reinforce the Netherlands.

It's always better to fight a war on someone else's turf than on your own.

Sihak gestured solicitously to the opposite bank of the river: "General, the banquet is ready, as you see..."

Lefebvre waved his hand impatiently: "If this continues, the Dutch won't be able to hold on."

Just as Shaiker was about to say something more, Lefebvre's staff officer rushed over with a grave expression and said, "General, we just received news that the Dutch have surrendered."

"Damn it! They haven't even lasted three days!"

The staff officer handed him the intelligence: "It is said that the British are digging up the banks of the Waal River. The Dutch parliament had no choice but to surrender."

Gayal looked at Lefebvre: "General, what should we do now?"

Sihke hurriedly said, "Please go to Antwerp as soon as possible to set up a defensive line. The British will be here soon!"

Antwerp is the capital of Flemish, located just 120 kilometers from Nijmegen.

General Tyne, who had been standing silently at the back, stepped forward and shouted, "We should move forward to Breda for defense. The waterways there are more numerous, and it will prevent the British from attacking Middlesbrough."

"What are you saying? We must defend Antwerp with everything we have!"

"Excuse my bluntness, but you know absolutely nothing about military affairs..."

Lefebvre frowned and pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand to interrupt their argument: "No, we'll continue on to Nijmegen."

Everyone stared in astonishment.

“This won’t do, General,” Sihak said nervously. “There are fewer than a thousand soldiers left in Antwerp…”

Lefebvre appeared very confident: "Antwerp will be safe as long as the British are defeated."

"But……"

Do you find this unbelievable?

Some people nodded.

"Then the British also didn't expect us to launch an attack with inferior forces," Lefebvre said. "His Highness the Crown Prince said that offense is the best defense!"

"In a sense, the Dutch surrender created an opportunity for us. "Bre is only 55 kilometers from Nijmegen. With a forced march, we can reach the Waal River by the afternoon of the day after tomorrow."

"The British army will certainly need to rest and regroup after their victory. By then, they may not have even begun crossing the river!"

He looked at the messenger beside him: "Tell the soldiers to speed up!"

"Yes, General!"

Gayal whispered, "Shouldn't we report the operational plan to the General Staff first, and wait for their approval before..."

Lefebvre turned his horse north: "We need to report, but it will be too late to wait for approval."

……

West bank of the Rhine.

Cologne Fortress.

Lieutenant Colonel Saint-Cyr looked at the quiet fortress on the other side of the river, which resembled a country villa, and turned to Augero, saying, "This is so boring."

“I heard that the fighting in Italy has been going on for more than half a month. Perhaps we should find a weak point in the Prussian defenses and go there to fight a battle.”

If the Allied officers heard this, they would surely vomit blood.

The French army had only the Third Army and an infantry division for defense along the Rhine, totaling 45,000 men. Meanwhile, the Duke of Brunswick on the opposite bank had 70,000 soldiers.

The result was that the French insisted on launching an offensive. There was no way around it; the French army was just that brimming with confidence when facing countries like Britain, Prussia, and Austria.

“You’re absolutely right,” Augero nodded. “In fact, I’ve already submitted the operational plan to the General Staff. A few days ago, the hussars discovered that there were fewer than 4 enemy troops defending north of Koblenz.”

Saint-Cyr's eyes began to light up. Just as he was about to discuss the details of the battle with the commander, the staff officer handed him a battle report: "Lieutenant Colonel, Worms was attacked by enemy forces this morning."

Worms is a ferry crossing on the eastern side of the Rhineland, and there was no prior indication of enemy deployment there.

Saint-Cyr opened the battle report with a puzzled look: "Pickton's legion suddenly left Stuttgart and appeared in the Mannheim area. There are more than 5 soldiers."

Augerou frowned immediately.

Mannheim was not a key defensive point for the Rhine Front. If troops from Cologne were diverted to fill that gap, it could give the Duke of Brunswick on the other side of the river an opportunity to exploit.

Saint-Cyr had clearly considered the same question, and pondered for a moment before asking, "Should we ask General Soult to assist in the defense?"

Augerou shook his head: "The enemy is likely doing this on purpose to disperse the Baden Front's forces."

"Austria's main forces are all north of Mantua. What threat can they pose to Baden?"

“The Picton Legion, together with the Prussian and British forces, numbers 15 soldiers,” Augereau said. “Moreover, the Austrians may also divide their forces and move closer to Baden.”

"Once General Soult leaves Karlsruhe, he could very well lead to the destruction of Baden."

"Damn it... then we can only wait for the General Staff's decision."

……

Northern Switzerland.

Blücher's Swiss Army Front, divided into western and northern sections, along with 20,000 soldiers under Austrian commander Friedrich von Hozewski, encircled Zurich, the Swiss capital, from three directions.

At ten o'clock in the morning, an Austrian diplomatic official arrived at Hotzer's command post, bowed to him, and then smiled and said, "The Swiss have refused, General."

(End of this chapter)