I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1448 Crossing the Dnieper River
Lucas quickly covered the girl's mouth, then casually strolled around the nearby streets to make sure no secret police were following him before returning to the house.

He locked the door from the inside, then pulled Gloria aside and asked earnestly, "Are you sure the information is reliable?"

The girl nodded vigorously: "It was said by a very important person, and there were many high-ranking officials in the hall at the time."

He said the army lost more than 1,400 men in Aarau and was almost driven out of Zurich by Basel rebels.

"Our emperor seems determined to continue mobilizing troops to Switzerland to turn the tide."

Lucas muttered angrily, "That crowned swindler keeps raising taxes, squeezing every last penny out of people, while casually tossing gold coins into the Swiss valleys!"

Gloria continued, "By the way, I also heard that the empire's finances are in trouble, and the emperor needs to raise a large sum of money for the military. It seems that those people last night were going to threaten the emperor with national debt or something to achieve their goals."

Lucas scoffed, "These greedy and cold-blooded nobles are like vipers..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly remembered that his girlfriend's family was also a noble family, so he lowered his head and stopped talking.

Gloria loudly echoed, "You're right. I know Father is also protecting those shameless people; he's committing a crime!"

Lucas's gaze softened as he looked at his girlfriend: "Only you are different from them..."

He immediately pulled the girl out the door: "We have to do something. Hmm, we need to tell everyone the truth first!"

The two arrived at the secret printing press of Stilz and pushed open the cobweb-covered door. Lucas then began to inspect the printing press, which hadn't been used in who knows how long, while the girl, following their discussion on the way, began to write a manuscript.

The next day.

A shop owner was slowly opening his shop door when he suddenly felt someone stuff something into his arms.

He looked down and saw that it was a booklet.

He suddenly tensed up and wanted to throw it away immediately, but noticed that there were almost no people on the deserted street, meaning there were no secret police.

He nervously flipped through the pamphlet, only to see it printed: Millions of florins spent on military expenditures resulted in a humiliating defeat. The emperor, true to his tyrannical ways, decided to strip the Swiss people of their right to pursue freedom, only to be met with a merciless defeat by the Basel insurgents…

The shop owner was startled and hurriedly put the booklet into his pocket before ducking into the shop.

Just one morning later, news of the "Swiss defeat" was being discussed everywhere in Vienna.

A few days later, some newspapers in Vienna began to report that "Styria and other places are suffering from drought, and this year's grain production may be greatly reduced," and the price of 4-pound loaves of bread rose by 1 heckler.

Price fluctuations were never this rapid in the past, but this time it was the result of someone mobilizing a large amount of capital and making preparations in advance.

Although the increase was not large—the Heller was the smallest denomination copper coin, equivalent to only one four hundred and eightyth of a florin—it was a price increase that was forced out of place despite the "Bread Price Act."

Inside Schönbrunn Palace, Emperor Franz II looked at Count Colloredo, the court minister, and declared loudly, waving his cane: "You are right. The Empire must wash away its shame, and those Basel rebels must pay the price for their crimes!"

He was already furious about Switzerland's defeat, and with more and more ministers supporting sending more troops to Switzerland in the past two days, he became even more determined to regain face.

Of course, this is also the attitude of the Metternichists.

Recently, reforms in Austria have not been going smoothly, putting considerable pressure on Metternich, who is also trying to divert public attention by engaging in foreign wars.

Franz II turned to his attendant and said, "Instruct Count Kobzl to convene a State Council meeting immediately, along with the Military Council." At the meeting the following day, Franz II personally approved the dispatch of 20,000 troops to Switzerland, under the command of General Mikhalevich, to arrive in Zurich before the onset of winter.

Meanwhile, Stilz revived an event that had been suspended for several months.

Beside a parish church, Lucas was waving his arms excitedly: "It's all a deception! The emperor is deceiving us with the lie of reform!"

"Officials remain corrupt, taxes are increasing, bread is becoming more expensive, and the empire continues to throw taxes and soldiers' lives into countries that have nothing to do with us, while we struggle and die in hunger and suffering!"
"Listen, my fellow countrymen, let's break our silence! We must resist!"
"Only through resistance can we force the king to accept Parliament and the constitution, and only then can we win freedom and our rights as human beings!"

The dozens of people around immediately roared in a deep voice: "Resist! Don't stay silent!"

"We must decide the tax rate ourselves!"

"Parliament, freedom, and rights!"

To hell with the emperor!

……

Joseph, a small town on the east bank of the Dnieper River.

Inside the Polish temporary command post, Koschuszko, supported by his guards, knelt reverently on the ground and made the sign of the cross on his chest.
"Eternal God, our Father in heaven, your humble servant prostrates himself before your mighty power."

"It is you who gave us courage, guided us through the chaos, and ultimately granted us this victorious revenge!"
"Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forevermore. Amen!"

He was originally a commander who firmly believed that victory on the battlefield depended on excellent command, high morale, and superior weaponry.

However, this time he really couldn't attribute the victory to the above factors.

First, the Minsk area experienced an unusually harsh winter, freezing the Dnieper River so solid that a twelve-pound cannon could pass through the ice.

The heavy snow that had lasted for so long unexpectedly stopped a few days ago, giving him a good opportunity to strike.

Then, the Russian army made another major mistake: a group of Cossack cavalrymen on reconnaissance mission accidentally stumbled into the Polish camp and were all captured.

This allowed Kutuzov to learn that the Polish army's attack was delayed by more than ten hours.

When the Polish vanguard launched a surprise attack, the Russian artillery mistakenly fired on its own skirmisher positions, causing the right flank defense to collapse rapidly.

Just half an hour earlier, the Polish vanguard's messenger reported that they had successfully captured the key town of Mskislav with fewer than 4 soldiers.

All of this led Koschuszko to believe that God was protecting the Polish people's war of revenge.

After a solemn and devout prayer, Koskushko returned to his wheelchair and instructed his staff: "Order General Madalinsky to proceed to Smolensk as soon as possible and attempt to cut off the enemy forces retreating eastward. If he fails to do so, immediately surround Smolensk."

"In addition, cavalry were dispatched to collect supplies from nearby villages."

The Polish territory west of the Dnieper River was almost destitute, and logistical supplies had to be transported from distant Vilnius or Pinsk.

Now that he controls large swathes of Russian towns on the east coast, logistical problems have been immediately alleviated.

(End of this chapter)