Chapter 355 Joseph’s Detour
Although this railway track spanning most of Luxembourg is expensive to build, once it is connected to the wooden track in Verdun - although the materials are different, the technical parameters such as track gauge are exactly the same. Carriages traveling on the track can pass directly.
In France, the wooden track in Lorraine will be partially connected to Verdun in a few months. At that time, Luxembourg's iron ingots could be shipped to Nancy in large quantities for further refining, or for use in the manufacture of steam engines, boring machines and other machinery.
At the same time, French industrial products can also be transported from Nancy to Luxembourg, and then sold from here to the Southern Netherlands and the Netherlands.
Although the transportation capacity of wooden tracks + horse-drawn carriages is far less than that of trains, it can instantly beat the horse-drawn road transportation of this era, and its convenience is far superior to river transportation.
Moreover, Joseph is also planning to install a steam engine auxiliary towing system on steeper sections along the way to assist the horses in going uphill, thus significantly reducing horsepower consumption.
Cargo transportation is the foundation of commerce, and commerce is the basis for ensuring a virtuous cycle of industry.
It can be said that the large-scale construction of wooden tracks in France has laid a solid foundation for the start of France's industrialization.
Compared with other European countries, with the same output, French factories can rely on wooden rail transportation to achieve higher sales and reach farther customer bases. This allows funds to be withdrawn more quickly and invested in the next round of production or research and development.
It is foreseeable that even if Joseph did not cheat French industry, France would be able to gain huge advantages in the Industrial Revolution with rail transportation alone.
Moreover, the construction of wooden tracks seems to have cost the French government a lot of money, but in fact, the money ended up in the pockets of French ironworks, lumberyards, craftsmen, and even all classes of people who served the craftsmen. The money will then enter France's economic cycle through consumption, promoting the country's economic development.
This was later called "GDP growth." More than a century later, American leader Roosevelt used a large number of infrastructure such as roads and bridges to bring economic renaissance to the United States.
As for the source of funds for repairing wooden tracks, for the time being, loans are provided by the French Reserve Bank. However, Joseph has asked the Minister of Commerce to start planning to raise funds from the private sector using the model of local government debt + wooden track equity.
With these fund-raising models that are very common in later generations, the French private sector can definitely provide huge amounts of funds when it comes to people's livelihood and infrastructure construction.
…
Just as French steel manufacturers were expanding in Luxembourg, Joseph had led the Guards Corps to the border between Luxembourg and Liege.
According to the previous battle plan formulated by the staff, they will continue to go north, pass through Jülich in Bavaria, take the desolate mountain road at the junction of Aachen and Liege to bypass Blücher's army, and then turn sharply westward until Insert Antolfo.
Antolfo is a department north of Brussels and is the important birthplace of the Brabant Uprising.
Yes, Joseph's target was not Karl II's Hanoverian army, but Antolph further north.
Berthier turned around and looked at the dark red rolling hills behind him, and then looked at the looming Ruhr River in front of him. After hesitating for a moment, he urged his horse to catch up with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's horse.
"Your Highness," he organized his words, "you see, you are about to leave Luxembourg. I still think it is safer for you to stay in Luxembourg City.
"This time is different from previous battles. We have to go deep into the enemy's heartland, and we don't have sufficient logistical support. What if you..."
Joseph raised his hand and interrupted him with a smile: "Thank you very much for your concern, Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff.
"But no matter what danger we encounter, I must be with my army." He signaled to the Guardsmen who were marching quietly and quickly beside him: "With these bravest soldiers here, I will not any danger."
Joseph knew very well that only by going through life and death with the soldiers can they truly believe in you and support you.
If the army is bleeding on the front lines and you are sitting in the palace having fun, don't blame the soldiers for alienating you.
The fact that the Emperor can become an eternal god in the hearts of the French was achieved by him fighting on the front lines in person.
Moreover, as the supreme commander, he goes out with the army, so the victory of the army is his victory. If an officer wants to dominate the army with his prestige, he will not be able to overcome him first.
In Europe in the 18th century, only a king who could lead troops to fight could control the situation and win the respect and support of all classes from nobles to peasants.
As for the danger mentioned by Berthier, Joseph also had a sense of proportion.
Not to mention that he has enough confidence in the combat effectiveness of the Guards Corps, even if something unexpected happens, there is still a rule of ransom in this era.
If any distinguished noble is captured, the enemy will treat him well and take good care of him. As long as the prisoners of war can pay a ransom, they can return to their homes with dignity. The enemy will even send them several miles away before leaving.
So unless he was so unlucky that he was directly hit by a cannonball - he was usually in the commander-in-chief's position, and it was impossible for a bullet to shoot that far - there was basically no chance of him being killed on the spot. The worst-case scenario is to pay the ransom and go home.
When a soldier nearby heard what Joseph called "the bravest warrior", he immediately lowered his voice and cheered, "Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Always protect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Courage! Glory!"
Berthier looked at the excited soldiers and sighed helplessly: "Your Highness, I believe that today's scene will definitely appear in the stories told by people in a few decades."
At the front of the marching column, Napoleon looked at the map with confusion, and then looked at the colonel beside him: "Master, it seems that we are heading towards Bavaria?"
Although he had been wondering since the morning why he was marching silently today, it was only then that he realized that the Guards Corps was not going to intercept the Hanoverian army as rumored.
Colonel Dumont nodded and whispered: "Yes, the target is Antolfo. In order to avoid the Prussians, we have to cross the barren mountains south of Aachen."
"Antolph?" Napoleon was a little surprised, "What about the Hanoverian army?"
Karl II's army was already southeast of Brussels at this time, while Antolfo was north of Brussels, which meant that they were going around behind the Hanoverian army.
Colonel Dumont smiled and said a few more words to the artillery major who had performed quite dazzlingly recently: "Originally, the staff planned to attack Charles II west of Longen, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince proposed to implement a 'detour' Intersperse' tactics to mobilize the enemy's defenses."
(End of chapter)