Chapter 347 The Cornerstone of the Western Empire
Leo quickly walked into the office of the French Crown Prince, bowed very respectfully, and was about to speak, but Joseph showed a surprised look and said anxiously: "General Leo, why are you still in the town of Clairvaux! "
"Ah?" Leo was stunned and said subconsciously, "Shouldn't I be here?"
Joseph grabbed the document that had been prepared on the table and handed it to him: "This was sent by our intelligence personnel in the Netherlands last night. Hanover's 20,000 troops have left Brussels and are heading to Liege to reinforce Blücher."
Leo's heart immediately tightened. He picked up the document and looked at it carefully. He saw that it contained the news that Karl II was leading his army south, and that there were 4,000 Dutch "volunteers" accompanying him.
Joseph said earnestly: "General, if 24,000 troops join Blücher, it may be difficult to complete your important task of recovering the Southern Netherlands."
Leo's eyes twitched. Facing nearly 40,000 Prussian, Han, and Dutch allied forces, there was a high probability that he would be driven back to Austria if he wanted to recover the Southern Netherlands.
Joseph looked at him sideways and continued: "You are the 'cornerstone' to repel Blücher and stabilize the situation in the Southern Netherlands. His Majesty the Emperor has also dispatched heavy troops from Silesia to you. If you are unable to complete His Majesty's mission Trust me, this will damage your previous reputation.”
In order to put Leo on the "grind", he had previously exaggerated the latter's contribution in the battle with the Prussian army, and in his letter to Joseph II, he portrayed him as the main reason for defeating Blücher. .
Wear it a thousand times, but flattery never wears it. Although Leo knew that these were all the contributions of the French army, how could he refuse the great contribution that came to his door, so he accepted it half-heartedly.
A large number of awards and praises from Vienna overwhelmed him like a tsunami. Joseph II even called him "the cornerstone of the western empire"! It's just that he hasn't had a month of fun before he has to face a difficult battle with tens of thousands of enemy troops.
Joseph looked like he was thinking about him, took two steps closer and whispered: "General Leo, I admire your bravery very much, so I must remind you of some things.
"I don't need to say more about the importance of the Southern Netherlands to Austria. If this place is lost, my uncle will have to find someone to take responsibility.
"Yes, it was mainly because of General Wilmser's unfavorable battle that the situation in the Southern Netherlands fell into a bad situation. But now he is an important commander in Silesia and has a deep political background. My uncle will probably not blame him. he……"
The uncle he was talking about was Joseph II.
Leo's face became even more ugly when he heard this.
How could he not understand what the French Crown Prince meant? If he is defeated by the Prussian and Han coalition forces, then the responsibility for losing the Southern Netherlands will fall on himself.
Not only will the aura of being the "cornerstone of the West" disappear, but he will probably spend the rest of his life in a penal colony in Transylvania...
He suddenly became excited and looked at Joseph eagerly: "Your Highness, actually, this is why I came to you.
"I hope you will allow Lieutenant Colonel Lefebvre to lead his regiment to assist me in attacking the Prussian army in Liege. If Blücher can be defeated before the Hanoverians arrive, then we can establish a stronghold on the east side from Namun to Brussels. Set up a defensive line and confront Karl II.
"His Majesty the Emperor will definitely continue to send more reinforcements to me. If I can regain the Southern Netherlands, I will definitely not forget your great kindness!"
Joseph spread his hands in embarrassment: "But my uncle did not ask France to help attack the Prussian army. You know, if the French soldiers entered the Southern Netherlands rashly, my uncle would probably have a misunderstanding..."
The miserable scene of his defeat and exile appeared in Leo's mind again. He only knew how to desperately grasp the last straw in front of him and begged: "Your Highness, you only need to order Lieutenant Colonel Lefebvre to send troops, His Majesty the Emperor. I will explain the situation to him!"
Joseph still shook his head: "Then let's wait until uncle agrees before deploying troops." Leo said hurriedly: "Don't worry, I will ask General Wilmser and Count Kaunitz for help. I have some friendship with them. Your Majesty must I will approve your assistance in recovering the Southern Netherlands."
A smile flashed across Joseph's lips, and he pretended to shirk it for a while, then reluctantly nodded: "Well, I can't watch you get into a hard fight, right?
"But I feel that if we want to launch an attack, we should not stick to Blücher."
"what do you mean?"
"If the Prussians hold on, it will be difficult for you to capture Liege before the Hanoverians arrive. Therefore, you'd better allocate some of your forces to hold off Karl II and the Dutch."
Leo's mouth was bitter. Of course he understood the truth, but he only had 10,000 soldiers in total. Now he asked the French for one and a half regiments, so that he could barely fight against Blücher. Where would he get the extra troops to snipe the Hanoverian army?
Joseph seemed to be excited about the conversation and said smoothly: "Speaking of the Netherlands, France has given them a lot of support before, but they want to stand with Hanover. You know, this is tantamount to forming an alliance with the British.
"If I have the chance, I will teach these ungrateful Dutch people a lesson!"
Leo looked at him in surprise: "Your Highness, there are 4,000 Dutch troops east of Brussels right now. This is a good opportunity for you to vent your anger."
Joseph seemed very hesitant: "But in this case, our army may encounter them in the Brabant area."
"Don't worry, I will explain it to His Majesty the Emperor."
After another shirk, Joseph reluctantly nodded again: "Then you have to tell your uncle that this is your battle plan."
In fact, this was the plan he came up with after half a month of discussion with his entire staff to march into the Southern Netherlands - all actions must use Leo as a sign, allowing Leo's army to compete with the Prussians in Liege Pulling, and then the French army bypassed Liege and penetrated into the hinterland of the Southern Netherlands.
By the time Austria reacted, Brussels was already the headquarters of the French army. Moreover, Joseph II could not find any problems with France - all the plans were made by your subordinate Leo. The French army was "invited" to enter the Southern Netherlands, and also helped repel the Han and Dutch forces, and finally solved the problem. Dutch Rebellion. After being of such great help, why should you, Austria, express your gratitude?
Leo nodded repeatedly when he heard this: "Yes, Your Highness, I will never make it difficult for you."
But he had his own little calculation in mind. If he could really recover the Southern Netherlands with the help of the French army, then as the person who formulated the complete combat plan, he would be able to earn the title of marshal at least, and even enter the political center of Vienna. Not impossible.
…
Southwest Silesia.
The main battlefield of Lignitz.
General Kellerman, the commander of the "Volunteer Force" in the French expedition to Silesia, turned his head and glanced in the direction of the sound of cannon fire in the distance. He frowned slightly, picked up the chess piece in his hand, and placed it near the "King" on the opposite side: " You see, if this continues, it will definitely be a draw.”
(End of chapter)