I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1282 Ordinary Military Intelligence

Just as Grand Duke Karl was about to turn his horse back to the command post, he caught a glimpse of the solemn expressions on the faces of the generals beside him. He stopped what he was doing, straightened his back, and said, "This will also be the last wave of the French offensive."

“When they run out of options in Erzgebirge, they will return to the negotiating table and sign the armistice. At that point, we may even be able to get better terms.”

……

50 kilometers west of Passau, Filsby Castle, French military camp.

At that moment, Bavarian King Karl Theodore had only one thought in his mind: his decision to join forces with France was absolutely the best decision he had ever made.

The French crown prince before me was a reincarnation of the Sun King. No, he had even surpassed that legendary French monarch!

Theodore had anticipated that North Germany would descend into chaos due to the war, and he had prepared to adjust trade routes accordingly.

Unexpectedly, the French crown prince swiftly restored order through skillful diplomacy. Today, France has clearly replaced Prussia as the most influential power in Northern Germany.

Hesse-Kassel and Cologne, which were once the most anti-French, have now disappeared into the dustbin of history...

Yes, the French Chief of Staff just brought news that the "citizens' uprising" in Cologne, after gaining the support of the Counts of Lippert and Chaumburg-Lippert, has taken control of most of the Cologne province and is currently forming a parliament to elect a new lord.

The dioceses of Paderborn and Osnabrück refused to recognize the "government of the insurgents" and declared their secession from Cologne, merging into a new "Diocese of Westphalia." The Vatican did not oppose this outcome.

In other words, Cologne, the second largest state in North Germany, had completely disintegrated, and the Habsburg family had lost control of the region.

Count Lipper handed over Archbishop Maximilian to the Council of Cologne, and it remains to be seen what fate awaits the latter.

Berthier's voice interrupted Theodore's thoughts, "Your Highness, this morning Lieutenant Colonel Gazen sent word that they captured Freiburg yesterday. He and General Blücher are currently on their way to Constance."

Joseph nodded and praised Gazen a few times, clearly not surprised.

The defense of Karlsruhe had been very difficult, and he had been wondering where the Allied forces had gotten so many troops. It wasn't until last week that he finally received intelligence that Archduke Karl had transferred all the garrison troops from Freiburg to attack Baden.

Thus, the empty Freiburg became a freebie.

Moreover, after capturing this westernmost fortress in Austria, Constance and the Austrian provinces north of the Alps, such as Innsbruck, would be indefensible. With Gatzin's nearly 3 Prussian troops, they should be able to sweep through easily.

At that time, Austria will become a country on the eastern side of the Alps, further losing its influence over the German states.

Thinking of this, Joseph narrowed his eyes. If that's the case, then after this war ends, he can begin to restore that pretentious and empty empire to its true form.

As Berthier was speaking, an aide caught up from behind and handed him a document: "General, it just arrived from Strasbourg."

He opened it with a puzzled look, glanced at it, and immediately handed it to Joseph: "I'm sorry, Your Highness, it was sent by Mr. Tresagay. I've told Farro many times that non-military documents should be given to Count Emmanuel..." Joseph waved his hand dismissively: "It's alright, matters concerning the Ministry of Transport are mostly related to the General Staff."

He unfolded the report to examine it, then smiled and said, "You see, it is indeed so. Mr. Theresag said that the iron bridge from Strasbourg to Kehl has officially started construction. According to the design requirements, the bridge will be able to allow trains to pass."

Kehl is a small town west of Baden, where a wooden and stone bridge originally stood, carrying most of the transport between France and southern Germany.

However, after the Strasbourg railway was completed, the bridge became a serious bottleneck. Every day, mountains of goods piled up on the west side of the bridge, and it was even necessary to use a large number of ferries to transfer goods to the east bank.

Once the world's first railway bridge appears over the Rhine, the connection between France and southern Germany will become even closer.

Yes, after experiencing the war firsthand, Baden decided to sign an agreement with the French Ministry of Transport to jointly fund the construction of a railway from Kehl to Karlsruhe and then to Bad Wimpfen.

After its completion, the railway will be operated by the French Ministry of Transport for 12 years, with profits distributed according to investment shareholding.

This is also a pilot project that Joseph has conducted in countries surrounding France. If fundraising and operations go well, it can be rolled out to the whole of northern Germany and Italy.

Obtaining the operating rights to the railway is tantamount to gaining control over the economic and trade affairs along the route. The economic and political benefits to France would be immeasurable!

This is a thousand times better than sending troops to occupy the territory, then fighting with rebel armies all day long and losing face, and having to pay huge sums of military expenses.
Of course, with current technology, building a railway bridge is still quite difficult. Moreover, due to the enormous amount of steel consumed, the construction cost is as high as 380 million francs.

After the Crown Prince Berthier put away the Ministry of Transport's report, he continued to report on military affairs: "Your Highness, we received the news this morning that General Soult captured the Erzgebirge fortress two days ago. His legion is currently heading to Vienna as planned, accompanied by nearly 4 Polish troops."

He glanced at Theodore and Karl Eugen beside him and continued, "If nothing unexpected happens, they should have already occupied Prague by now."

According to previously obtained intelligence, the Prague garrison consisted of only three or four thousand men, which was simply no match for the attack of the Franco-Polish allied forces numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

Theodore was immediately startled and his eyes widened.

What did I just hear? The French army has invaded northern Austria!

The distance from Prague to Vienna is less than 250 kilometers. Although there is the Moravian Corridor along the way that can be used for defense, Austria's main forces are currently in Passau, which is directly opposite them, and there are simply not enough defensive troops at home.

Is this war finally coming to an end?!

His expression of shock deepened immediately, because he realized that the French Chief of the General Staff had only mentioned the important matter of capturing Erzgebirge after all those previous reports.

It seemed to be just an ordinary military intelligence report.

(End of this chapter)