The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 716 Yesterday Reappears
In Brussels, Belgium, the city was in chaos. Servants and maids in the royal palace were rushing back and forth, busy packing up their belongings.

Outside the Grand Palace, a large number of Belgian nobles and high-ranking clergymen have gathered here with their families, and everyone's face is filled with panic.

The defeat in the Battle of Fleurus was a huge blow.

Because this battle was the largest in the series of battles on the Franco-Belgian border, namely the Low Countries Campaign that began in 1793, it can basically be said to be the decisive battle after Prussia's unilateral withdrawal.

In this battle, the coalition forces commanded by Prince Joshua of Saxe-Coburg, including Austria, the United Provinces, Belgium, some small Holy Roman Empire countries and part of the British army, totaled 93,000 people.

On the French side, there were about 77,000 revolutionary troops commanded by Jean Jourdan.

At the beginning, the coalition forces, which were obviously superior to the French army in terms of training, equipment and numbers, took the initiative to attack and at one point penetrated deep into French territory. The situation was very good.

But soon the French army found an opportunity to counterattack. This was because a large number of militiamen recruited from the Upper and Lower Netherlands, namely Belgium and the Netherlands, were deeply influenced by the Enlightenment and had been infiltrated by the French army.

The French army was therefore fully aware of the Allied forces' movements. Jean Jourdan, under the guidance of an insider in the Allied forces, led the main force of the French army to bypass the main force of the Allied forces and penetrate behind the Allied forces in the opposite direction, capturing the Allied forces' logistics base Charleroi and cutting off the Allied forces' supply lines and return route.

When the allied commander, Prince Joshua of Saxe-Coburg, received the news, he did not know that Charleroi had been captured, so he chose to return lightly with his elite troops in an attempt to protect his rear.

As a result, he was greeted by a French army of nearly 50,000 people, who had been waiting for the Allied forces for a long time.

The battle lasted from June 6th to June 25th.

The Saxe-Coburg Army and the Belgian Army launched six large-scale battles. Even Wang Wubing went deep into the front line and inflicted heavy casualties on the French army.

But unfortunately, the French army was no longer the rookie army that had only revolutionary enthusiasm and nothing else a few years ago. In more than three years of fighting, they completed the reorganization of the army structure.

A large number of officers from the middle and lower classes, who were full of revolutionary enthusiasm, were pushed to the front line.

Among the soldiers, the number of urban proletarians and old-style soldiers decreased, and they were replaced by good family men who obtained a large amount of land in the movement to fight against the landlords and distribute the land, as well as revolutionary soldiers who were baptized by the Great Revolution in Paris.

Therefore, although their equipment and training were still inferior to those of the coalition forces, they could no longer be easily defeated.

Moreover, the Allied forces returned in a hurry, and their main force consisted of only four Austrian infantry regiments, four Saxe-Coburg infantry regiments, and one infantry regiment and two cavalry regiments disguised as the Belgian Army, with a total of no more than 7,800 people, while the French army had a full 50,000.

On June 6, the Allied forces launched a final attack on the French line, with heavy gunfire and artillery fire, causing heavy casualties to the French.

But the 6,000 soldiers of the French Third Revolutionary Corps still sang revolutionary war songs, refused to retreat, and even launched several hand-to-hand counterattacks.

The battle lasted until about four o'clock in the afternoon. The French army had suffered more than fifteen hundred casualties among its six thousand men, but did not collapse.

Although the coalition forces suffered only more than 300 casualties, they were exhausted, especially the infantry from Austria and Saxony, who were intimidated by the high fighting spirit of the French army and their desire to fight was greatly reduced.

Although the Lu Fan army could still fight, it could not withstand a war of attrition. In addition, knowing that aid from the motherland was about to arrive, even if they retreated temporarily, there would be a chance to make a comeback in the future. Therefore, they lost the determination to fight a decisive battle with the French army.

The French army sensed the exhaustion and hesitation of the Allied forces, and their morale was further boosted.

By this time in the battle, the allied forces had little food left, and almost no gunpowder and lead bullets. They were unable to even defeat the French troops on the periphery, let alone recapture the city of Charleroi and retrieve logistical supplies.

Prince Joshua had no choice but to abandon the main force after a brief discussion with Wang Wubing. He personally led the Austrians and Saxons across the Meuse River and left the battle before they ran out of ammunition and food and were surrounded.

Wang Wubing relied on the Hungarian cavalry to break through a section of the defense from the north and returned to Brussels.

After Prince Joshua of Saxe-Coburg and Wang Wubing left, the main force of the coalition army of more than 50,000, most of whom were militia recruited from Belgium and the Netherlands, collapsed.

A small number left on their own, but most of them joined the French army, giving the French army a large number of guides and manpower.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire, who had long disliked Mo Zirong's family and felt that the semi-independence of the Prince of Belgium hurt him, immediately announced the abandonment of the Austrian Netherlands on the advice of his trusted Foreign Minister Baron Thugut, in order to show goodwill to the First French Republic and prepare for reconciliation.

Moreover, Baron Thugut's suggestion sounded reasonable, because when the French Revolution broke out, inspired by the French, the Poles also launched a vigorous constitutional movement in an attempt to avoid the fate of being divided and destroyed.

Just a month ago, Poland's national hero Kościuszko had defeated the Russian army, recaptured Warsaw, established a revolutionary regime, and issued a declaration to liberate the serfs, acting like a second France.

This is totally intolerable for Russia, Prussia and Austria, which covet Polish territory. France alone is enough to give them a headache. What level and status do you, Poland, have? Do you deserve it if you want to imitate old Paris?
Under such circumstances, suppressing the Polish Revolution and dividing Poland became the most important task of Francis II. It was a good thing that he could win victory and gain a large amount of territory and prestige with just one move.

"Your Majesty, let's go! The Patriots in the Upper Netherlands are causing trouble again, and the Prussian troops who are supposed to support us refuse to cross the border between Prussia and the Upper Netherlands. We must retreat to Prussia on our own."

Seeing that Mo Zirong was very reluctant to leave the palace he had just built, Viscount Moritz Kruger, the military commander of the Prince of Lu's Palace, hurriedly tried to persuade him.

In fact, before the French Revolution, a similar revolution broke out in the Netherlands. Some Dutch revolutionaries called themselves the Patriotic League and attempted to expel the Prince of Orange and permanently rule William V and his family.

In the end, the revolution was suppressed thanks to the forced intervention of William V's brother-in-law, King Frederick William II of Prussia.

But the Patriotic League was not destroyed. Some of them went into exile in France, while others pretended to be obedient.

Now that the French Revolution seemed to be taking hold, the Dutch Patriotic League immediately began to stir again.

'Pap-pap-pap-pap! '

As if to confirm Moritz Kruger's words, bursts of rapid gunfire were heard from the suburbs of Brussels.

Although Mo Zirong has been implementing benevolent policies in Belgium for the past five years, it is impossible to benefit every Belgian or bring about significant improvements in their lives.

There are some people who will be grateful even if you don't treat them well.

Therefore, there are many people in Belgium who oppose Mo Zirong. They have been contacting France in an attempt to overthrow Mo Zirong's rule.

After a while, a royal guard came hurriedly to report.

"Your Majesty, it's the Guardian militia to which Hendrick belongs that's causing trouble."

There were originally two representative figures in Belgian politics:

Jan Frans Funck came from a lower class background, had close ties with the French Revolution, and represented the interests of the petty bourgeoisie and urban civilians.

Hendrick van Note, who represents the interests of big capitalists and large farmers.

After Mozart took control of Belgium, Funck chose to go into exile in Paris, but was eventually frightened by the cruelty of the French Revolution. He contacted Mozart again and attempted to establish a more enlightened constitutional monarchy in Belgium. He has now gone to China for investigation.

Nott joined Mo Zirong and became the mayor of Brussels and the executive officer of the Liege district, but he didn't expect that this guy was an ungrateful person and defected again at this time.

"Your Majesty, please send troops to capture this hypocrite Hendrik van Note. We still have time," Moritz Kruger suggested. Mo Zirong shook his head. "Hendrik must have left Brussels long ago. He would never put himself in danger.

There's no need to arrest him, just let him feel the sharp edge of the French Revolution, otherwise everyone in the world will think everyone is as kind as me."

Mo Zirong regained his composure and was unwilling to cause any more trouble. At this time, the guards came to report that the envoy of the King of England had arrived.

Mo Zirong walked out in confusion. He didn't know why the envoy from England came here at this time.

The messenger who hurried over from London was William Greenwell, the first Baron Greenwell, cousin of England's Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger.

The baron was very direct. After a simple greeting, he immediately said, "Your Highness, by the grace of God, His Majesty King George III, King of France, Great Britain, and Ireland, invites you to a meeting in London."

"Invite me to London?" Mo Zirong was quite confused, because he had never had any contact with the King of England before!
Moreover, they were somewhat wary of each other because of the Netherlands and China, so why would they suddenly invite him?

Baron Greenwell was also stunned when he saw the confused expression of the Prince of Belgium. He thought that the information that Mo Zirong had passed on through Henry Addington was discussed by the Prince of Belgium and his son.

Just when both sides were stunned and didn't know what to say next, the sound of horse hooves rang out again.

Mo Gongze led eighty riders from Venice, and they galloped for more than a thousand kilometers without stopping, and returned to Brussels.

"Father, a revolution has also begun in Hungary. Please return to Vienna immediately. Transylvania needs you."

After a brief greeting, the father and son who hadn't seen each other for almost four years didn't even exchange pleasantries. Mo Gongze immediately said to Mo Zirong:
"The brave warriors of the Third Cavalry Regiment are ready to escort you back to your mother, and a small group of French troops are approaching Brussels. We must act quickly."

After saying this, without waiting for Mo Zirong's reply, Lord Mo immediately said to the English envoy, Baron Greenwell:
"The fleet supporting England's retreat should be in Rotterdam. I will lead my army north to meet William V. I will have the English soldiers prepare for the meeting at the port. There is no need to risk going ashore."

The arrangement was very appropriate, but something seemed to be wrong. Wang Wubing, the commander of the three guards of Prince Lu, Moritz Kruger, the military commander, and Cao Zhenyong, the Chinese ambassador to Europe, could not help but look at Prince Lu Mo Zirong.

Mo Zirong didn't know how to feel for a moment. He really wanted to go back to Transylvania directly, because he was in his fifties and was tired of this feeling of living in uncertainty.

However, it seemed that if he left like this now, he would lose a lot, which would be quite awkward.

"This was left to you by my grandfather when he passed away. He was still worried about you in his final moments and said that if you wanted to return to your homeland, you didn't need the emperor's permission; you could just take this seal."

Mo Zirong reached out and took the small seal from his son's hand. He knew what it was without even looking at it. It was the seal of the Lord of the River Immortal that his father Mo Tianci had ordered a master craftsman to cast.

This is the seal that his younger brother Mo Zibu has always wanted but has been too embarrassed to talk about. If he hands it over and says that it is his father's last wish for him to return to China, he will indeed be able to go back.

But in the blink of an eye, Mo Zirong suddenly understood why his father asked his son to bring this precious seal to him and why his son said these words at this time.

Looking back, my father gave up the throne of the Lord of Hexian reluctantly in order to make way for his younger brother who was at the peak of his career.

After that, his father Mo Tianci fell out with Lao Wu's biological mother, Chen, his cousin Pei Jiannan, and a large number of relatives who forced him to give up his position.

He lived alone in Japan for more than ten years and only returned to Beijing to meet Lao Wu before his death.

A few tears flowed from the corners of Mo Zirong's eyes as he looked at his son, who was exhausted but full of vigor. The more he looked at this guy, the more he looked like the fifth brother from back then.

My father is afraid that I will repeat the same mistake!
Mo Zirong sighed deeply and said to Mo Gongze, "You must be very popular with your grandfather in China. That's great. I'm relieved."

After saying this, Mo Zirong patted Mo Gongze on the shoulder and gave his instructions: "I will return to Transylvania to suppress the situation. From now on, the affairs of Prince Lu's Mansion and Belgium will be decided by the Crown Prince.

All officials, civil and military alike, are to obey the orders of the Crown Prince."

"Father!" At this moment, Mo Gongze did not show any panic expression or try to refuse. He simply knelt in front of Mo Zirong and shed a few tears.

If the situation had not been so urgent, he would not have had to be so anxious, but things had come to this point, and he really could not let his father go to England again and continue to bear this responsibility that he did not want to bear.

"Don't feel guilty. This is the path you should take. Go forward boldly. I will be waiting for you in Transylvania. I will be the Supreme King for a while."

Mo Zirong was quite cool at this moment. He clapped his hands, pulled Mo Gongze up, and finally said in a low voice:
"Be kind to your brothers. If possible, give them a title. Don't follow the European way. We are from China, so we should follow Chinese etiquette and laws."

"I understand, I will definitely live up to my father's trust!" After saying that, Mo Gongze knelt down again and kowtowed three times to Mo Zirong.

Then, Mo Zirong walked outside without looking back. He had already seen the flag of the Third Cavalry Regiment of the Principality of Transylvania. He decided to go back to the Carpathian Mountains and retire.

After Mo Zirong left, the civil and military officials of Prince Lu's Mansion came to meet Mo Gongze.

It was not until this time that the English envoy, Baron Greenwell, began to understand that he must have just experienced a coup.

Yes, yes, only someone with such a decisive and ruthless heart can be someone you can share great things with.

"Baron, let's set off immediately. If my guess is correct, Prince of Orange and Princess Wilhelmine will definitely be in trouble. The Patriotic Alliance of the United Provinces is not to be trifled with."

Mo Gongze's prediction was correct. The situation in the Netherlands was actually worse than that in Belgium.

Belgium was already at the bottom before the Mo family came to power. After the Mo family arrived, the land of Belgium, known as the Austrian Netherlands, even went up for a while.

But the situation was different for the Netherlands, known as the United Provinces. After they lost Batavia in Southeast Asia, the country fell into chaos and their trade suffered a serious setback.

The people from top to bottom were complaining and had long wanted to drive out the incompetent Grand Chancellor of the Federal Republic and the family of the permanent ruler William V.

"Yes, His Majesty King George is also very worried about this. There are not many English troops in Rotterdam. It would be great if Your Highness could go to rescue them."

After all, they were relatives, or close relatives. George III certainly could not bear to see William V's family become like Louis XVI's family.

"There is no time to lose!" Mo Gongze jumped on his horse and shouted in Chinese.

"In compliance with the decree of the Great Emperor of China, the three European Guards are hereby disbanded immediately. They will be combined with reinforcements to form the Lu State's vassal army, under the full command of this prince."

"Your Majesty, I obey your command. Long live! Long live! Long live!"

Upon hearing that it was the emperor's oral decree, the three guards immediately knelt down to receive it and appeared very excited, because they had not received an order from their motherland for a long time.

"Rise up, generals, warriors! The future belongs to us, for behind us is the mighty Chinese Empire and the great Emperor of divine virtue and power.

Pass my order, set out immediately, heading for Amsterdam, forward!"

(End of this chapter)