I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 760 Traitor (asking for double monthly tickets)
Lefebvre hurriedly advised:
"Your Highness, if we are blocked near Brussels, even if it takes only half a month, reinforcements from Austria and Prussia will arrive. Even Britain has recently landed 2 troops in Utrecht."

Utrecht is a province in central Netherlands, only 140 kilometers from Brussels.

At the same time, Gelden, as an important Prussian stronghold on the west bank of the Rhine, had 170 to troops stationed there. It was only kilometers from there to Brussels. There were even more anti-French coalition troops farther away.

If Brussels was attacked by the French army, the Allied forces might mobilize a large number of troops to encircle the French Southern Netherlands Front.

By then, the more than 20,000 people here will definitely not be able to resist.

Therefore, forming a confrontation with the enemy between Brussels and Wavre was most in line with the strategic deployment decided upon by the General Staff at the beginning.

Joseph nodded. "You are right. But have you ever thought about where the British troops in Utrecht will go if they don't reinforce Brussels?"

"Uh...it should be Gelden." Lefevre said.

"Yes, but then General Berthier will face more enemy forces."

Lefebvre's eyes suddenly lit up: "I understand, Your Highness, so the Rhine Army should be the first to launch the attack. This will prevent the enemy from reinforcing Brussels."

Joseph shook his head and said, “No, on the contrary, Brussels is the side used to contain the enemy.

"We must create opportunities for General Berthier to advance the front to the west bank of the Rhine. This will give our army the greatest strategic advantage."

Lefebvre still tried his best to dissuade him, saying: "Your Highness, if the Southern Netherlands is lost, the enemy will be able to move south along Lille and then head straight for Paris...

"Perhaps you could first mobilize some troops from the Rhine Front to help defend the Southern Netherlands."

His worries were not unnecessary.

The Rhine River is lined with small German states. Even if the French army occupied the west bank of the Rhine, it would be an acceptable loss for Austria and Prussia, the two main forces of the anti-French alliance.

But if the coalition forces entered Lille, Paris would be greatly threatened.

"If we withdraw troops from General Berthier, it will weaken our offensive in the Rhine direction, and neither side will be able to gain an advantage."

Joseph pointed to his feet and said, "You may have forgotten that we can obtain troops locally in Wallonia.

"We have a large population here, but we have never had a large-scale conscription, so recruiting 1 troops should not be too difficult. Together with the Walloon Police Force, our total force here will reach about 4."

Lefebvre sighed and said, "Your Highness, even if we have 4 soldiers, it may not be enough. Besides, it is hard to count on the fighting power of the new recruits."

Joseph nodded and said, “If the enemy mobilizes more than 6 troops, I will consider withdrawing troops from Berthier to the Southern Netherlands.

"As for the new recruits, they can also play a huge role as long as they are used properly."

Lefebvre said: "Your Highness, with all due respect, it is still too risky to defend against 4 enemy troops with 6 troops..."

Joseph smiled and said, "Do you know the 'backslope tactic'?"

Lefebvre recalled all the military courses he had taken and shook his head: "Your Highness, I have indeed never heard of this term."

"This is a tactic that will help us hold on to the Southern Netherlands."

The "backslope tactics" that Joseph mentioned is exactly the "unique skill" that made the Duke of Wellington famous in history.

Wellington relied on this tactic at Waterloo, using inferior forces to block the fierce attacks of Napoleon's Old Guards and cavalry, and ultimately helped the British win the war.

At the moment, the Duke of Wellington was still very young and had not yet created the famous backslope tactics. Joseph was not polite enough to apply for an "original patent" one step ahead.

He believed that as long as he found a suitable battlefield, it would be no problem to use 4 soldiers to hold back the 6 Prussian-British coalition forces.

You know, at present, both the British and Prussian armies are far inferior in offensive capabilities to the Emperor's old guards.

Even the old guards couldn't break through the defense line, so it would be even more impossible for them to deal with it.

What's more, Joseph also had two of France's most elite royal artillery battalions in his hands.

If the artillery positions are set up on the high ground, the defensive effect can even exceed that of 1 infantrymen.

That night, Joseph's order was sent to Lille, where it was transmitted to Berthier stationed in Luxembourg via the Chap signal machine.

The content of the order was very simple, asking Berthier to temporarily slow down the pace of the attack and give the enemy on the opposite side the illusion that the French army was no longer able to continue the attack on the Rhine line.

After the enemy transferred its forces to the Southern Netherlands, we took the opportunity to concentrate our forces to capture Trier and then surround Koblenz, the most important fortress in the middle section of the Rhine.

By then, the entire European war situation will be turned upside down!
noon the next day.

Joseph went to the artillery battalion to have lunch with the soldiers.

When he was escorted by his bodyguards and passed by several heavily guarded tents, the curtain of one of the tents was suddenly opened from the inside, and a middle-aged man with sparse eyebrows, small eyes, and slightly drooping cheeks came out.

Ignoring the scolding of the soldiers around him, the man bowed to Joseph and said loudly in accented French:

"Thank God, I can see you here! Your Highness, the noble and brave Crown Prince!"

"Hey, hey, don't push me! I just want to say a few words!" He desperately used his hands to resist the soldiers and continued to say to Joseph, "Your Highness, I am the lieutenant colonel of the Perron Infantry Regiment. I have always admired you. I hope you can give me a chance to serve you..."

Joseph frowned and looked at his clothes, which were Austrian military uniforms.

And he said he was from the Perren Infantry Regiment, so he must be Flemish.

Joseph suddenly thought of something, pulled the reins, turned around and said:

"What is your name?"

"Thoian Frans van Schaik, your highness, that is my name."

Joseph nodded and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Schecker, can you convince the captured Austrian soldiers to obey my command?"

"Of course, of course!" Sihaik's eyes showed just the right amount of flattery, "They will be more loyal than your own army."

Joseph smiled and said to Lefebvre beside him:

"Please take him to the prisoner camp, maybe we can add some Flemish soldiers..."

At this moment, a tall man with dry cheeks and about 50 years old came out of the tent next to him. He took advantage of the soldiers' inattention and kicked Sihaik, shouting angrily:
"Damn you bastard! How dare you shamelessly betray the Southern Netherlands!"

Joseph asked the soldiers to hold the man down, jumped off his horse, looked at him and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am William Weigel van Tine, commander of the Antwerp Regiment."

(End of this chapter)