Chapter 1195: Concentrating Forces
After four days of deliberation among the high-ranking military leaders of the Coalition, the overall strategic direction for the campaign against France was finally established.
Following this, the staff officers from each nation began drafting specific operational deployments.
The core of this effort rested with the General Staffs of Prussia and Austria. Austria had followed Prussia's lead just last year, establishing its own General Staff modeled after the French system—though it remained a subordinate department of the Imperial Military Committee. Britain, as of yet, lacked a General Staff of its own, leaving the arrangements largely in the hands of its allies.
The supreme commanders of Britain and Prussia emerged from the meeting hall side by side. They exchanged polite nods before departing in opposite directions.
Once the foreigners in the corridor were out of earshot, the Prince of Hohenlohe leaned in and whispered to the Duke of Brunswick, "It would be best if you personally led three Royal Guard infantry divisions and a hussar division to remain stationed along the line from Cologne to Nassau. Should the French defenses on the western front show any sign of laxity, we must cross the river immediately to seize Trier and the Palatinate."
"As for Switzerland, let the base brigades and the National Guard handle it," he continued. "The fighting there is unlikely to be particularly intense."
Prussia's Royal Guard Legion consisted of absolute elites, whereas the soldiers in the base brigades were mostly recently conscripted peasants with significantly lower combat effectiveness.
For Prussia, the primary objective was reclaiming the banks of the Rhine. Campaigning in Switzerland would only serve to help Austria recover Italy, a goal for which they saw little need to exert excessive effort.
"I am of the same mind," the Duke of Brunswick agreed with a nod. "I trust that young staff officer will make the appropriate arrangements."
Hohenlohe continued, "I hear the Danes have explicitly refused to join the Anti-French Coalition. This presents us with an opportunity to secure Kiel."
Kiel was a city in the Schleswig-Holstein region, bordering southern Denmark and Prussia. According to a secret agreement between Britain and Prussia, this area and Western Pomerania were to be part of Prussia's spoils. However, since Sweden had decided to join the Coalition, Prussia’s sights had to remain fixed on Danish territory, as Western Pomerania belonged to the Swedes.
"The Danish army is not difficult to deal with," Brunswick remarked. "A small detachment should suffice. This should be carried out before our decisive battle with the French begins..."
Meanwhile, the Duke of York, supreme commander of the British forces, encountered his own Foreign Secretary at the gates of Schönbrunn Palace.
"So, you are in Vienna as well?"
Lord Hawkesbury bowed deeply to the British Prince. "Your Highness, I am here to sign the second round of aid agreements with Count Cobentzel."
The two men walked toward the palace exit together.
"Your Highness, did Marquis Wellesley not accompany you?" Hawkesbury asked with some surprise. It seemed unusual for Britain's most capable field commander to be absent from the Coalition's most vital military conference.
The Duke of York sighed. "The Spaniards launched a heavy assault on Porto last month. He had to remain behind to reinforce the defensive lines."
Hawkesbury glanced sideways. "It seems we must urge Prince Regent João to mobilize his forces as soon as possible."
The Duke of York nodded. He was aware that the United Kingdom of Portugal and Brazil intended to launch an invasion of Spain's colonies in South America. Such a move would tie down a significant portion of Spanish forces—New Granada, after all, was the financial lifeline of Madrid.
The Foreign Secretary continued, "Before the war in Europe begins, the Americans will also give France a massive 'surprise.'"
Reaching the Prince's carriage, the Duke of York gestured toward the door. "Will you be returning to Hanover with me?"
"Thank you for the invitation, Your Highness. However, I must first make a trip to Saint Petersburg."
The Duke of York frowned slightly. "Have the Russians not already indicated they have no intention of joining the war against France?"
Lord Hawkesbury offered a confident smile. "Trust me, they will come."
"Oh? What brings you to that conclusion?"
"I have met Alexander I several times. He is an ambitious Tsar with a very high opinion of himself," the Foreign Secretary explained. "He secured Transcaucasia and eastern Poland with such ease that he has become like a wolf that has tasted blood. I am certain I can persuade him."
The Duke of York nodded, pausing as he was about to board the carriage. "To be frank, given the Coalition's current strength and strategic deployment, the absence of the Russian Army will not hinder our ability to defeat the French."
"You are correct," Hawkesbury agreed, his voice dropping slightly. "But we need to introduce another power to prevent Austria from spiraling out of control once France is weakened. As you know, only the 'Eastern Orthodox threat' will ensure the German States remain dependent on us."
A week after the British left Vienna, the Coalition staff officers finalized the complete operational plan.
They would commit a total of 450,000 troops in the initial phase, with at least another 140,000 to be conscripted within six months of the war's outbreak.
The main force would be concentrated in Italy. This included two Austrian army groups totaling 180,000 men, plus 50,000 soldiers conscripted by Britain from the German States and 23,000 Hanoverian troops. This combined force amounted to 250,000 soldiers.
Seventy thousand Prussian troops would be deployed on the right bank of the Rhine, serving as both a deterrent against a sudden French crossing and a means to tie down large numbers of French forces in the Rhineland.
Meanwhile, another 60,000 Prussian troops from the Swiss army group would attack Zurich to clear the Alpine passes for the Coalition.
Twenty thousand British regulars would launch an invasion of the Netherlands.
Additionally, 30,000 British-led troops and 20,000 Saxons would launch a feint against Baden from Württemberg. These 50,000 men could turn south at any time to support the Swiss theater or cross the Alps into Italy.
In essence, under extreme circumstances, as many as 360,000 troops could be concentrated in Northern Italy! This plan was designed to completely eliminate the flaws of the previous Anti-French Coalition, where forces had been too dispersed.
...
Lesser Poland.
The strategic town of Mielec, located in the northern Sandomierz province of Poland.
This area sat on the northern side of the Carpathian Mountains and was now under Austrian occupation.
From this position, it was only 250 kilometers north to Warsaw. Aside from two tributaries of the Vistula River, the terrain along the way was almost entirely flat.
Having secured this region, Austria felt entirely at ease regarding the weakened Poland. The latter maintained only 30,000 troops, and its capital lacked any natural defenses.
At that moment, the newly appointed Governor of Sandomierz, Marquis Prossno, stood with a deep furrow in his brow, watching the two or three hundred people gathered in the church square.
These were the nobles of Mielec. They were protesting the Imperial decision to uphold the earlier decree by the Polish Sejm to abolish serfdom.
To avoid inciting peasant uprisings, Vienna had taken it upon itself to manage the distribution of land.
Of course, since Warsaw's previous land policies had been far too radical, the Austrian Minister of the Interior, Count Spielmann, had suggested a modification. Now, the former serfs were required to pay a redemption fee equivalent to fifteen years of land taxes. This was also intended as a trial run to gather experience for Austria's own future reforms regarding serfdom.
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