Chapter 1197: Strategic Deployment
The surrounding guards immediately pinned the gunman to the ground.
The two assassins were still desperately trying to look toward the carriage to confirm if they had succeeded, shouting at the top of their lungs, "For the fatherland! Kill the traitor!"
"Those who sell out Poland shall rot in hell!"
An hour later.
Stanisław II rushed into the Regent's bedroom like a madman, his eyes immediately falling upon the bandages soaked in blood on his nephew's side.
He turned to the royal physician of the Tin-Roofed Palace, urgency in his voice. "Mr. Radziwiłł, what is the Regent's condition?"
"The bullet struck His Highness's right chest. The liver and lungs are both..."
"I... I'm fine," Prince Poniatowski replied weakly. "Your Majesty, you've come?"
He turned his head with great difficulty, gesturing to the doctor and servants. "Please... leave us... I need to speak with His Majesty alone..."
"Those foolish men," Stanisław II's face was pale. "What have they done!
"My Józef, you will be alright..."
The Polish Regent managed a faint smile. "This is for the best, Your Majesty.
"I... I deserved to die the moment I signed that document... It was I who handed over half of Poland... to the invaders..."
Stanisław II knew he was referring to the armistice signed two months ago and shook his head vigorously. "No, you did not! You were saving Poland! Everyone should be thanking you!"
Poniatowski tried to wave his hand, but the movement agitated his wound, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain. He gritted his teeth and continued, "After all, Lesser Poland, Sandomierz, Volhynia, Minsk, Gdańsk... there are so many places where Poles are being enslaved and humiliated by foreigners...
"Someone must take responsibility for all of this...
"Please, release the assassins. They were not in the wrong..."
The King shook his head repeatedly, murmuring, "It shouldn't be like this. Oh, God, why?"
"Do not be sad." Poniatowski took a deep breath, trembling again from the pain. "I don't have much time left... everything will be left to you now.
"You must continue to play the part of the 'traitor'... I know it is difficult, but you must flatter the Russians and the Prussians..."
"I... I will."
"There are still things you need to know." The Regent struggled to maintain his focus. "That shipment of goods is in the town of Otwock. Kalwinski's son is there with men guarding it, in the rows of warehouses behind the church..."
Stanisław II nodded numbly. He was likely referring to the final shipments of weapons sent by the French, as well as the firearms Poniatowski had secretly stockpiled before the war.
"Most important is the list... it is inside the Bible in my study... they are the most reliable people...
"When the moment arrives, you can entrust everything to Marshal Kościuszko...
"Also, convene the Great Sejm as soon as possible..."
He rambled for a while longer before finally gazing up at the ceiling and letting out a long breath. "May God protect Poland. I... I failed to complete my mission..."
Two days later.
News of the assassination of the "National Traitor" Regent Poniatowski—denounced by the people for his "policy of non-resistance" and for "signing treasonous treaties"—spread rapidly through Warsaw.
Citizens took to the streets spontaneously to celebrate, while the police allowed them to vent their anger and shout curses without interference. Most of these policemen were soldiers forced into retirement after the Polish disarmament, and they, too, hated the "traitor" to the bone.
Subsequently, Stanisław II announced his personal assumption of power.
The first thing he did after taking control of Poland was to publicly recognize the Treaty of Prague—the armistice agreement between Poland and the three powers of Russia, Prussia, and Austria.
***
August 11, 1798.
Northeastern France.
Joseph had just finished a high-profile inspection of the Rhine defense line between Cologne and Koblenz before rushing without pause to Nancy to attend the inauguration of the Royal Steam Locomotive Manufacturing Company.
It was also the trial run ceremony for the first prototype train designed by Trevithick.
Four powerful steeds pulled a spacious rail carriage along the brand-new tracks—one-third of the railway from Nancy to Verdun had already been laid.
Because the sales of French national debt had exceeded expectations, reaching 140 million francs in less than six months—with even the United States and Russia purchasing tens of millions in French bonds—Joseph had been able to allocate nearly 50 million francs to start construction on the Verdun and Nancy rail lines simultaneously.
Inside the carriage, Berthier was reporting on the state of war preparations to the Crown Prince.
"...At the end of last month, the Fifth Army completed all operational preparations and is currently heading for Nice. They will transfer to Venice from there. However, since the Fifth Army was formed recently, the proportion of new recruits is quite high...
"The more combat-ready regional corps from places like Lyon and Toulouse have also been deployed to the north..."
The Chief of the General Staff glanced down at his notes. "Our direct army groups have now reached a strength of 200,000 men...
"Based on the intelligence gathered and the General Staff's assessment, the enemy's main point of attack is highly likely to be in Baden."
He looked toward Lavalette, who was sitting nearby.
The Director of the Security Bureau nodded. "At least 150,000 troops are massed in eastern Württemberg, including a large number of Prussian regiments. However, the exact location of the main Austrian force remains unclear."
Indeed, according to the French General Staff's previous predictions, the Coalition forces should have launched their offensive by early July at the latest, but it was now August, and the enemy had yet to make a move.
This was hardly surprising. Multi-national joint operations were a logistical nightmare even in the 21st century, let alone in the late 18th century with its primitive communication methods.
Fortunately, both Prussia and Austria had now built Chappe signal towers; otherwise, their progress might have been even slower.
Berthier continued, "Based on the enemy's deployment, the latest adjustments made by the General Staff are as follows:
"The Fifth Army and the Twelfth Infantry Division in the direction of Venice will abandon Udine and retreat to the south of Verona, drawing the enemy into the Po River plain to be annihilated..."
Joseph nodded in approval.
Venice was sparsely populated and was the most distant from France among the Northern Italian states. Their economy was heavily dependent on Austria, and they were ruled by merchants, making this distance inevitable.
Therefore, it was not a bad idea to let the region serve as a battlefield. Letting the Austrian soldiers they were so fond of ravage their land and tear down the national infrastructure would provide France with an opportunity to settle matters once and for all by rebuilding the state with a pro-French faction later.
Berthier pointed to the upper reaches of the Rhine on the map. "The First, Second, and Fourth Armies have all taken up positions in Karlsruhe..."
In truth, the optimal deployment would have been to set up defenses in Strasbourg on the left bank of the Rhine, but per the Crown Prince's instructions, the French forces were deployed entirely on the right bank. Once the war began, they would pin down the enemy through an active offensive.
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