Chapter 1324: Far Gaze East Europe
While the two were discussing the ball gown, Charles burst in excitedly, bowing before proudly telling Alexandra, "Madam, Baron de Perceval has arrived, you..."
Only then did he notice the Crown Princess's gown and quickly urged, "You must change quickly, or you might be late."
Joseph looked at Alexandra. "Are you going to sword practice with Charles?"
She shook her head, smiling. "Today, I'm having my final sparring match with Prince Charles. Baron de Perceval is the referee."
Charles, however, looked a bit dejected. "Madam says that after the formal wedding, she'll focus on being a good wife and won't have time to practice sword fighting with me anymore."
"Please wait for me in the fencing room," Alexandra motioned to Charles, then curtsied to Joseph. "I'll go change first."
After she left, Charles pulled Joseph aside. "Brother, you should come watch our match too."
He lowered his voice, excitement bubbling. "I've learned the 'Rotating Hand Strike'! They say it's Master Joachim Meyer's secret technique. I'm definitely going to win this time!"
Joseph, rarely getting a moment's rest, gladly walked with him towards the fencing room.
Seeing Joseph there, she happily approached him. "It's not often you come to watch sword practice."
"I came to watch Charles show off," Joseph said with a smile, gesturing towards his younger brother, then asked, "Are you really not going to practice with him anymore? I mean, you'll still have plenty of free time after the wedding."
Alexandra winked at him and leaned in to whisper, "Charles's swordsmanship is improving rapidly. It won't be long before I can't beat him anymore. If I want to maintain my perfect winning record against him, I'll have to use this as an excuse."
Joseph couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head, thinking, 'She really carries that "big sister burden" with pride.'
Before long, Baron de Perceval signaled for both competitors to take their positions.
Charles and Alexandra, donning their helmets and protective gear, stepped into the center of the room one after another.
"Begin!"
As Perceval waved his hand, Charles launched the first attack with a powerful overhead chop.
He was now considerably taller than Alexandra, and his strength was clearly superior. She dared not block, instead dodging to the side.
Joseph smiled. 'No wonder Alexandra chose to "retire"—the days when she could "bully" her younger brother with her height were clearly long gone.'
The Crown Princess's footwork was exceptionally agile, circling Charles like a butterfly, constantly seizing his openings to thrust.
Charles, on the other hand, employed the "Elephant Tactics," simply clashing forcefully with her sword.
Since he wielded a heavier broadsword, every clash would send Alexandra's rapier jarring significantly, allowing him to counterattack.
After more than a minute of sparring, Alexandra found herself struggling to defend.
Suddenly spotting an opening, she expertly lunged forward, her sword tip aiming for Charles's waist from a low angle. This was one of Charles's defensive weak points, a move she often used to win in the past.
This time, however, Charles held his sword vertically at his side, rotated half a turn to the left, and then forcefully raised his blade. His sword's edge instantly slid upwards along the length of the rapier.
With a sharp clang, his blade struck the rapier's guard. The fierce impact numbed Alexandra's wrist, leaving her barely able to lift her sword, forcing her to hastily retreat.
"I win!" Charles immediately raised his sword and pursued.
Seeing that the Crown Princess was no longer able to parry, she suddenly reached behind her and shouted, "Stop!"
Charles froze, seeing a pistol pointed at his chest.
"You..." he exclaimed, "That's completely ungentlemanly!"
"I was never a gentleman to begin with."
"You might not even hit me!"
"I have six shots," Alexandra said with a triumphant smile. "This is the power of His Highness!"
Charles glared indignantly at the referee, who then looked imploringly at the Crown Prince.
Joseph sighed and stepped forward, patting his brother's shoulder. "When it comes to swordsmanship, you are undoubtedly superior. However, next time, remember to carry a pistol. Also, you're not a child anymore; you'll have to get used to ladies being unreasonable sometimes."
As the three debated the outcome in the fencing room, Berthier suddenly appeared at the doorway, saluting Joseph. "Your Highness, you sent for me?"
Joseph walked over to him. "I thought you wouldn't arrive for another half hour."
Berthier produced a Chappe signal tower document. "There was a report from Portugal that needed to be delivered to you, and I was already halfway here."
Joseph took the document. "What happened?"
"Our Coalition forces in Portugal cleared all the outer defenses northeast of Gibraltar last week," the Chief of Staff reported. "General Talavera hopes General Junot will join him in launching a full-scale assault to capture the fortress."
Joseph frowned, looking at Berthier. "What do you estimate our chances of success are?"
Berthier immediately replied, "If British morale is low and the fortress is short on supplies, there's a significant possibility of a breakthrough."
Joseph considered it, then shook his head. "Now is not the optimal time to capture Gibraltar.
"With Gibraltar besieged, the British have already lost control of the strait. And until we decisively defeat the British Navy, our merchant ships cannot leave the Mediterranean for the Atlantic."
"Therefore, for now, we should leave the fortress in British hands. That way, they will continuously pour supplies and troops into it."
Berthier hesitated. "Are you suggesting?"
"Under the premise of minimizing casualties, we should intensify the assault on the fortress as much as possible. We can send in more heavy artillery," Joseph instructed. "On the other hand, order the Toulon Fleet not to keep too tight a watch. Let some British transport ships pass occasionally. Then sink them on their way back after they've unloaded their supplies."
For Britain, as long as there was a glimmer of hope for Gibraltar, they would never give up. This place could become Britain's "ulcer," draining their resources for years to come.
Having finished discussing Gibraltar, Joseph then asked Berthier, "By the way, have those Russian prisoners arrived in Warsaw?"
"Almost, Your Highness. A total of 4,300 men, they just passed Reva yesterday noon."
"They won't attract attention, will they?"
"No, Your Highness. These men come from different legions and mostly don't know each other."
Joseph nodded.
Among these over 4,000 men, only about 300 were the true targets.
More than half of them were Russian soldiers personally selected by Alexandra, fiercely loyal to Paul I and ready to avenge him.
A smaller portion were liberal officers who had undergone the baptism of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, witnessed France's various "advancements and civilization," and decided to save Russia.
Comments