I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1240 Battle of New Jena
Berthier gestured to his accompanying staff to unfold a map: "Your Highness, I believe the safest course of action at present is to hold the line along the Rhine in Baden-Cologne, wait for the new recruits from the homeland to arrive at the front, and then launch a counterattack when the opportunity arises."

"The General Staff estimates that, at the current mobilization rate, we can assemble 26 troops along the Rhine River defense line within a month at most. This is only the most conservative estimate; it could even reach 30."

"In this way, our army can begin to launch a counter-offensive with a force similar to that of the Allied forces."

"Currently, only the last 30 kilometers or so of the railway line from Paris to Strasbourg remain. Our logistical support capabilities far surpass those of the Allied forces. The outcome of the decisive battle will undoubtedly be a complete victory for our army."

Joseph looked at the detailed battle plan in his hand and nodded slightly.

The Allied forces had essentially exhausted their mobilization capacity; at most, Austria could recruit another 40,000 to 50,000 new soldiers. Therefore, a month later, the most significant troop disparity would be 260,000 French troops against 350,000 Allied troops.

Given the French army's combat capabilities and France's logistical support, defeating the Allied forces should not have been a problem.

Moreover, there were 7 French troops in Switzerland. After annihilating Blücher's army at Masséna, they could reach the Rhine battlefield from Switzerland in less than two months.

At that point, the coalition forces will have even less of a chance to fight.

"Ahem." Moro, who was standing next to him, suddenly coughed lightly.

Berthier said somewhat helplessly, "Your Highness, in addition to this, General Moreau has proposed another plan."

He pointed to the area from Amberg to Straubing in northern Bavaria: "He suggested implementing a flanking maneuver, pushing the front line north to the Bavarian-Saxon border."

"Our army used rapid maneuverability to cut between the various parts of the coalition forces and look for opportunities to fight local annihilation battles."

"If the Allied forces are well-formed, our army will threaten Vienna to the east, forcing the enemy to retreat and defend."

"During this period, our new recruits will be gradually deployed to the front lines, and we will eventually seek a decisive battle in Saxony or western Austria."

Moro quickly added, "Even in the worst-case scenario, if our army fails to find a breakthrough, we can return to Baden and rearrange our defenses."

Berthier immediately said, "But this operational plan will have to rely on Bavaria for logistical support. Frankly, I doubt whether they can handle the logistics of 15 troops."

"Moreover, once our troops begin to withdraw to Baden, Bavaria will be completely exposed to the Allied forces. We will therefore lose an important ally."

“Only in this way can we most effectively annihilate the enemy,” Moreau insisted. He had gained experience from his flanking maneuvers in Venice and was determined to replicate that success on the German front.

Joseph thought what he said made a lot of sense.

If positional warfare were to unfold along the Rhine, even if the French army defeated the enemy, the latter could easily retreat. The vast German states between the Rhine and Austria served as a strategic buffer zone for the Allied forces.

Ultimately, the war is likely to turn into a protracted war of attrition.

Moro's plan also has problems, mainly due to too much uncertainty.

He had read the report previously submitted by the General Staff and found that the location and whereabouts of the main coalition forces were still unknown.

In this situation, rashly launching a legion-level infiltration could lead to irreparable consequences with just one mistake.

Moreover, as Berthier pointed out, infiltration operations place extremely high demands on logistical support—the supply battalion must frequently accompany the infiltrating troops deep behind enemy lines. Bavaria most likely lacked this capability.

Joseph flipped through Morrow's battle plan, his gaze sweeping over cities like Coburg and Jena, before landing on the arrows indicating troop movements. Suddenly, a name came to mind—the Battle of Jena. He quickly flipped forward to find a diagram showing the current military deployments of both sides, and another thought struck him.

This situation is very much like an enlarged version of the Battle of Jena.

To the west was a Prussian army, namely the Duke of Brunswick's legion stationed in Cologne. The main allied force was on its way from the east, its exact location unknown.

The French army was positioned in the Baden area, between the two sides.

Therefore, it is entirely possible to replicate the rapid advance tactics used by Napoleon!
Historically, Napoleon started from central and southern Germany, divided his army into three routes and marched north, aiming directly at Prussia.

Davout's left flank was tasked with cutting off the Prussian forces near Thuringia. Napoleon led the main central force through Bamberg-Salfeld-Jenna, heading straight for Potsdam. Soult's right flank went to Saxony to tie down the rest of the Allied forces.

This deployment allowed the three French armies to support each other while cutting off the connection between the Prussian army and other coalition forces.

What appears to be the most dangerous part of the German heartland actually contains vast plains. If the Allied forces marched fast enough, they would not have had time to organize a defensive line.

Finally, Napoleon defeated Prince Ferdinand's forces at Jena, while Davout unexpectedly encountered the main Prussian force.

This battle was also Davout's breakthrough achievement. He commanded 25,000 French troops and, in just one day, routed 55,000 Prussian troops at Auerstedt, also killing the Duke of Brunswick.

After the victory at Jena, there were no more organized Allied troops on the French road to Potsdam. Napoleon captured Berlin less than a month later. Wilhelm III was forced to surrender.

Currently, the weakest link in the allied forces is Prussia.

Joseph pondered silently, what if the battlefield area were expanded a bit—

Send an army to hold off the Brunswick Army in Cologne from the west, continue through Jena in the center, and head straight for Potsdam and Berlin, while launching a feint attack on Saxony from the east to draw the attention of the main Allied forces.

Currently, the Allied forces have not yet left Saxony. Given the French army's marching speed, they will certainly be able to reach the Coburg and Jena area before the Allied forces.

Then, their advance was aimed directly at Berlin!
At the same time, this plan also avoids a protracted war. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the French army could capture Jena in half a month. During this time, the troops could carry canned food as supplies, without being constrained by Bavaria's logistical capabilities.

After Prussia surrenders, the French army will be able to obtain logistical supplies from Prussia.

Thinking of this, he looked at the generals in front of him: "We can make adjustments to General Moro's plan."

"Simply put, the objective is no longer to target the main force of the Allied forces, but to directly penetrate into Berlin!"

After he finished explaining the general plan, Berthier and the others were stunned.

His Highness the Crown Prince is incredibly audacious!

But after careful consideration, they realized that this tactic was very feasible. The Allied forces had always regarded central Germany as their heartland, but in reality, their defenses were very weak.

Moreover, by launching a proactive attack on Berlin, they would no longer need to worry about the location of the main Allied forces—they would come looking for the French army on their own.

(End of this chapter)