I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1243 The Advantages of the Allied Forces

Upon hearing this, Archduke Karl frowned and glanced at the map hanging on the wooden shelf.

The staff had already filled the map with French troop movements. The map looked chaotic, as if the entire German region was teeming with Frenchmen.

[Current troop deployment map: blue represents French forces, purple represents Allied forces]

Scharnhorst stood up and analyzed, "Judging from the reports from various places, the largest French force is heading towards Bavaria and Nuremberg."

The Duke of York smiled. "Do they come seeking a decisive battle?"

Continuing north from Nuremberg lies western Saxony. At the Allied forces' current marching pace, it is indeed highly likely they will encounter the French.

Austrian Chief of the General Staff Weröser was taken aback, and blurted out, "Another possibility is that from Passau, they will suddenly turn east..."

This is a scene that no Austrian officer can forget—it was from here that Moreau quickly cut into western Austria, and even occupied the town of Perge in the heart of the country, causing panic throughout Vienna and forcing a large number of nobles to flee to the countryside for refuge.

It's hard to guarantee that the French won't do it again.

Scharnhorst nodded: "We should indeed take precautions against this. I suggest that a corps be immediately sent south into Bavaria to establish defenses along the Straubing-Passau line."

The Duke of York coughed lightly: "Well, but what if the French really do come to Saxony?"

"This advance corps will move westward and intercept them at Bayreuth. Then, we will wait for our main force to encircle them from the flank."

The group quickly reached a consensus and looked at Archduke Karl.

After a moment's thought, the latter ordered, "General Wilmzee, leading two divisions of the Galician Legion, along with the legions of General Clay and Prince Heisingen, shall immediately turn south and head towards Straubing."

Previously, the Allied forces had ignored Bavaria's firm stance of neutrality. However, if Bavaria allowed the French army to pass through its territory, the Allied forces would have little to worry about.

Archduke Karl then instructed Wilmze: "You must do your best to avoid a decisive battle with the French alone. Hold them off and wait for the main force to approach."

These three legions together had more than 8 soldiers. But after years of contact with the French army, Archduke Charles knew that it was unlikely that he could defeat more than 6 French soldiers with such a small force.

The Welmse Army was now less than 140 kilometers from Bavaria, while the French army was still 200 kilometers away. He could easily reach there first and set up defenses.

The main Allied forces will advance southwest along Coburg and Bamberg toward Baden, and the route they take will cover the left flank of the French army.

Once the French launch an attack on the Welmzee defenses, they will be surrounded by an overwhelmingly superior Allied force.

Wilmze stood at attention and replied, "Yes, Marshal!"

Archduke Karl still felt it wasn't safe enough, and turned to his advisor beside him, saying, "Please contact Vienna immediately and have Archduke John prepare defenses in advance."

Archduke John was his younger brother, Johann Baptiste Joseph. Although he was only 17 years old, he was appointed by the Holy Roman Emperor as the commander-in-chief of the Vienna defense forces due to his high reputation in Austria.

Of course, the ones who actually commanded the battle for him were Count Heinrich von Bergard and General Franz von Raul, among others.

Archduke Karl had experienced the French army's elusive nature many times and feared that they might actually bypass the Wermsze defenses.

However, Vienna still has 15,000 troops stationed there. If they can hold off the French army for a few days, Wilmser will be able to lead his troops to catch up and launch a pincer attack on the French from behind.

After the Marquis Wellesley and other commanders-in-chief of the allied forces finished deploying the battlefield on the east side, they immediately said, "The intelligence sent yesterday indicates that there are still 3 French troops south of Mannheim."

"Judging from the direction of their march, their objective is likely to pass through Hanau and Hesse and attack Hanover."

To be honest, Hanover's strategic value is actually quite small, but as the ancestral home of the British monarchs, its political significance is immense—an attack on Hanover by the French would be tantamount to a slap in the face to George III. Scharnhorst added, "They might also be heading to Anhalt."

The Duke of York chuckled, “Perhaps the French are even planning a direct attack on Berlin.”

The other allied generals also laughed.

The distance from Mannheim to Anhalt is nearly 400 kilometers. In their view, even if no one stopped them, by the time the French army arrived there, the Allied forces would have already invaded mainland France.

The Marquis Wellesley and the others quieted down a bit, and continued, "Fortunately, the French have limited troops."

"I remember that the Brandenburg Guards were stationed in Potsdam and could be deployed to Kassel."

"At the same time, some troops will be transferred back from Cologne..."

Scharnhorst immediately shook his head: "You probably forgot that signs of French troops have also been found south of Mainz."

The Duke of York nodded: "Yes, but only a very small force. I think it's mostly to mislead us."

“We cannot take any risks,” Scharnhorst said firmly. “The Brandenburg Guards and Magdeburg Corps will be deployed along the Erfurt-Weimar line. The safety of Berlin must be ensured.”

The Brandenburg Guard was Prussia's elite force, and together with newly recruited soldiers from Magdeburg and other places, it numbered over 1. This was sufficient to deal with small groups of French troops.

"Then we'll have to ask Duke Brunswick to allocate more troops to defend Hessen..."

The senior Allied generals were giving orders at the war meeting, seemingly confident of victory, but they failed to notice that their battle plans were already following the French army's lead.

After the Allied forces finished their operational meeting to discuss countermeasures against the advancing French troops, Archduke Karl finally relaxed somewhat and smiled:

"Next, the French will pay the price for their recklessness."

“They have almost emptied the army in Karlsruhe, while we still have a large number of troops in the vicinity.”

Scharnhorst cautioned, "According to our intelligence, more than 10 troops have been mobilized in France, and it may even reach 15."

Grand Duke Karl nodded: "But those new recruits are still undergoing basic training. After that, they will need another month to reach the front lines."

"The Russians have enough time to break through the Baden defenses, and if all goes well, they may even be able to capture Strasbourg."

He looked at the Duke of York: "I hope you will ensure that your proud soldiers will voluntarily cooperate with the Russian army."

"They will, Your Highness."

After a lengthy operational meeting, orders were sent to the various corps of the Allied forces.

During the time this meeting was being held, the French army's three infiltration forces had advanced more than 20 kilometers.

……

Berlin.

City Palace.

William III frowned and looked at Prince Heinrich: "The Allied forces far outnumber the French, so why are you mobilizing my Brandenburg Guard?"

(End of this chapter)