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Chapter 347: The Cornerstone of the Empire's West

Leo hurried into the Crown Prince of France's office and bowed respectfully. Just as he was about to speak, Joseph looked surprised and asked anxiously, "General Leo, why are you still in Cleves?"

"Ah?" Leo paused, taken aback. He asked reflexively, 'I... shouldn't I be here?'

Joseph grabbed the documents already prepared on his desk and handed them to Leo. "These were delivered by our intelligence agents in the Netherlands last night. Hanover's twenty-thousand strong army has already left Brussels and is heading to Liège to reinforce Blücher."

Leo's heart immediately tightened. He took the document and examined it closely, seeing that it indeed contained news of Charles II leading his troops south, accompanied by four thousand Dutch "volunteers."

Joseph said earnestly, "General, if twenty-four thousand troops link up with Blücher, your crucial mission of recovering the Southern Netherlands will likely be very difficult to accomplish."

Leo's eye twitched. 'Facing nearly forty thousand Prussian, Hanoverian, and Dutch coalition forces, forget about recovering the Southern Netherlands, I'll most likely be driven back to Austria.'

Joseph glanced at his expression and continued, "You are the 'cornerstone' who repelled Blücher and stabilized the situation in the Southern Netherlands. His Imperial Majesty even transferred significant troops from Silesia to you. If you cannot fulfill His Majesty's important trust, it would truly damage your previous reputation."

To put Leo "on the hot seat," he had deliberately exaggerated Leo's contributions in the battles against the Prussian army and, in his letters to Joseph II, had portrayed him as the primary reason for Blücher's defeat.

Flattery, however, was always effective. Although Leo knew in his heart that these achievements belonged to the French army, how could he refuse such a great achievement presented to him? He reluctantly, yet acceptingly, took the credit.

A deluge of accolades and honors from Vienna engulfed him like a tsunami. Joseph II even called him "the cornerstone of the Empire's west"! Yet, he hadn't even enjoyed his triumph for a month before he had to face a difficult war against tens of thousands of enemy troops.

Joseph feigned concern for him, taking two steps closer and lowering his voice. "General Leo, I greatly admire your bravery, so there are some matters I must caution you about.

"I needn't elaborate on the importance of the Southern Netherlands to Austria. If this territory is lost, my uncle will inevitably need to find someone to take responsibility.

"It's true that General Wurmser's previous failures in battle led to the dire situation in the Southern Netherlands. However, he is now an important commander in Silesia, and he possesses deep political connections. My uncle will most likely not blame him..."

The uncle he referred to was Joseph II.

Leo's face darkened even further upon hearing this.

How could he not understand the Crown Prince of France's implication? 'If I am defeated by the Prussian and Hanoverian coalition forces, then the blame for losing the Southern Netherlands will fall squarely on me.'

'Not only would the halo of "the cornerstone of the west" vanish, but I would likely spend the rest of my life in exile in Transylvania...'

He suddenly shivered and looked eagerly at Joseph. "Your Royal Highness, in fact, I came to you precisely for this matter.

"I hope you can order Lieutenant Colonel Lefebvre to lead his regiment to assist me in attacking the Prussian forces in Liège. If we can defeat Blücher before the Hanoverians arrive, then we can establish a defensive line from Namur to the east of Brussels and confront Charles II.

"His Imperial Majesty will certainly send me more reinforcements afterward. If I can recover the Southern Netherlands, I will never forget your great kindness!"

Joseph spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "But my uncle has not requested French assistance in attacking the Prussian army. You know, if French soldiers rashly enter the Southern Netherlands, my uncle will most likely misunderstand..."

The grim image of his defeat and exile resurfaced in Leo's mind; he desperately clung to this last straw of hope before him, pleading, "Your Royal Highness, you only need to order Lieutenant Colonel Lefebvre to dispatch troops, and I will explain the situation to His Imperial Majesty!"

Joseph still shook his head. "Let's wait until my uncle agrees before deploying troops."

Leo hastily said, "Rest assured, I will ask General Wurmser and Count Kaunitz for help. I have some connections with them. His Majesty will surely approve of your assistance in recovering the Southern Netherlands."

A smile flickered at the corner of Joseph's mouth. He feigned reluctance and made excuses for a while before finally nodding reluctantly. "Alright, I suppose I can't just stand by and watch you fall into a bitter struggle.

"However, I believe that if we are to launch an offensive, we shouldn't be constrained by Blücher."

"What do you mean?"

"If the Prussians hold their ground, it will be difficult for you to capture Liège before the Hanoverians arrive. Therefore, you had best deploy some forces to tie down Charles II and the Dutch."

Leo's expression soured. He understood the logic, of course, but he only had ten thousand soldiers in total. Now that he had requested one and a half regiments from the French, he could barely engage Blücher. 'Where would I get additional troops to intercept the Hanoverian army?'+ΑΝ‍S

Joseph seemed to be enjoying the conversation and casually added, "Speaking of the Netherlands, France had previously given them significant support. Yet, they now choose to align with Hanover. You know, that's akin to forming an alliance with the British.

"If I ever get the chance, I'll certainly teach these ungrateful Dutch a good lesson!"

Leo looked at him in surprise and delight. "Your Royal Highness, there are currently four thousand Dutch troops east of Brussels. This is an excellent opportunity for you to vent your frustration."

Joseph appeared very hesitant. "But in that case, our army might encounter them in the Brabant area."

"Rest assured, I will explain it to His Imperial Majesty."

After another round of feigned reluctance, Joseph reluctantly nodded again. "But you must tell my uncle that this is your operational plan."

In reality, this was his plan for advancing into the Southern Netherlands, devised after two weeks of discussions with his entire General Staff. Every action was to use Leo as a facade, with Leo's army engaging the Prussians in Liège, while the French army would bypass Liège and thrust directly into the heartland of the Southern Netherlands.

By the time Austria realized what was happening, Brussels would already be a French garrison. Moreover, Joseph II wouldn't be able to find any fault with France: 'All the plans were formulated by your subordinate, Leo; the French army "responded to an invitation" to enter the Southern Netherlands, even helping to repel the Hanoverian and Dutch coalition forces, and dealing with the Dutch rebellion. After such significant assistance, surely Austria would have to show some gratitude, wouldn't it?'

Leo nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. "Yes, Your Royal Highness, I will absolutely not put you in a difficult position."

However, he had his own calculations: 'If I can truly recover the Southern Netherlands with the French army's assistance, then as the one who devised the entire operational plan, I could at least secure the title of Marshal, and even entering Vienna's political center wouldn't be impossible.'

...

Southwest Silesia.

Liegnitz main battlefield.

General Kellermann, commander of the French "volunteer" expeditionary force in Silesia, turned to glance in the direction of the distant cannon fire, furrowed his brow slightly, picked up a chess piece beside him, and placed it near the opposing king. "You see, if we continue this way, it will certainly be a draw."