The cornerstone of the Empire's west

Leo strode into the Crown Prince of France's office, bowed very respectfully, and was about to speak when Joseph looked surprised and anxiously asked, "General Leo, what are you still doing in Clervaux Town!"

"Huh?" Leo was taken aback, and said instinctively, "Shouldn't I be here?"

Joseph grabbed the documents that had been prepared on the table and handed them to him. "These were sent last night by our intelligence agents in the Netherlands. Hanover's 20,000 troops have left Brussels and are heading to Liège to reinforce Blücher."

Leo's heart tightened immediately. He picked up the document and examined it closely. Sure enough, it contained news that Karl II was leading his army south, accompanied by 4,000 Netherlands "volunteers."

Joseph said earnestly, "General, if your 24,000 troops join Blücher, your mission to recapture the Southern Netherlands will likely be very difficult."

Leo's eye twitched. Facing a combined force of nearly 40,000 Prussians, Han Chinese, and Dutch Allied Forces, how could he possibly recapture the Southern Netherlands? He would most likely be driven back to Austria.

Joseph glanced at him sideways and continued, "You are the 'cornerstone' who repelled Blücher and stabilized the situation in the Southern Netherlands. His Majesty the Emperor has also transferred a large number of troops from Silesia to you. If you fail to fulfill His Majesty's important task, it will damage your previous reputation."

In order to put Leo on the "grill," he had previously exaggerated the latter's contributions in the battle against the Prussian Army, and in a letter to Joseph II, he portrayed it as the main reason for defeating Blücher.

Flattery will get you everywhere. Although Leo knew that all the credit was due to the French Army, he couldn't possibly refuse such a great achievement that was offered to him, so he reluctantly accepted it.

A deluge of rewards and praise from Vienna overwhelmed him like a tsunami, with Joseph II even calling him "the cornerstone of the West empire"! But before he could even enjoy his joy for a month, he was about to face a difficult battle with tens of thousands of enemy troops.

Joseph, seemingly concerned for him, took two steps closer and whispered, "General Leo, I greatly admire your bravery, so there are some things I must remind you of."

"The importance of the Southern Netherlands to Austria is self-evident. If we lose it, my uncle will have to find someone to take responsibility."

"That's right. The situation in Southern Netherlands was mainly due to General Würmser's poor performance in battle, but he is now an important commander in Silesia and has deep political connections. Uncle probably won't blame him..."

The uncle he was referring to was Joseph II.

Leo's expression darkened further upon hearing this.

How could he not understand the Crown Prince of France's meaning? If he were defeated by the Allied Forces Prussia and Han, then the blame for losing the Southern Netherlands would fall on his own shoulders.

Not only will his glorious title of "cornerstone of the West" vanish, but he may very well spend the rest of his life in exile in Transylvania...

He was immediately jolted awake and looked at Joseph anxiously. "Your Highness, actually, I came to see you about this very matter."

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

"His Majesty the Emperor will surely send more reinforcements to me. If I am able to recapture Southern Netherlands, I will never forget your great kindness!"

Joseph spread his hands awkwardly. "But Uncle didn't request France assistance in attacking the Prussian Army. You know, if French Soldiers rashly enter the Southern Netherlands, Uncle will most likely misunderstand..."

The image of his own defeat and exile flashed through Leo's mind again. He desperately clung to the last straw, pleading, "Your Highness, you only need to order Lieutenant Colonel Lefebvre to send troops. I will explain the situation to His Majesty the Emperor!"

Joseph shook his head again. "Let's wait until Uncle agrees before deploying troops."

Leo quickly replied, "Don't worry, I will ask General Würmser and Count Kaunitz for help; I have some connections with them. His Majesty will certainly approve of your assistance in retaking Southern Netherlands."

Joseph smiled, then feigned reluctance for a while before reluctantly nodding. "Alright, I can't just watch you struggle like this."

"However, I think that if we are to launch an attack, we shouldn't be bound by Blücher."

What do you mean?

"If the Prussia hold out, it will be difficult for you to capture Liège before the Hanover arrive. Therefore, you would be better off diverting some of your forces to hold off Karl II and the Dutch people."

Leo felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He understood the reasoning, of course, but he only had 10,000 soldiers. He had just asked the France for one and a half regiments, which was barely enough to hold his own against Blücher. Where would he find extra troops to ambush Hanover Army?

Joseph seemed to be getting into the conversation and casually added, "Speaking of the Netherlands, France gave them a lot of support before, but they wanted to stand with Hanover, you know, which is tantamount to allying with the United Kingdom."

"If I ever get the chance, I'll definitely teach those ungrateful Dutch people a lesson!"

Leo looked at him with delight. "Your Highness, there are now 4,000 Netherlands Army east of Brussels. This is a perfect opportunity for you to vent your anger."

Joseph hesitated greatly. "But if we do that, our army might encounter them in the Brabant area."

"Don't worry, I will explain to His Majesty the Emperor."

After another round of refusals, Joseph reluctantly nodded again. "Then you must tell your uncle that this is your battle plan."

In fact, this was a plan for advancing into the Southern Netherlands that he and his entire General Staff had discussed for half a month—all actions should use Leo as a front, letting Leo's Army engage the Prussia in Liège, and then the French Army would bypass Liège and go straight into the heart of the Southern Netherlands.

By the time Austria realized what was happening, Brussels was already occupied by the French Army. And Joseph II couldn't find any fault with France —all the plans were devised by Leo, one of his men; the French Army had been "invited" into the Southern Netherlands, helped repel the combined Han and Dutch Allied Forces, and quelled the Netherlands Rebellion. Having done such a great service, Austria should at least offer some thanks, right?

Leo nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. "Yes, Your Highness, I would never make things difficult for you."

He, however, had his own plans. If he could recapture the Southern Netherlands with the help of the French Army, then as the person who devised the entire battle plan, he could at least get the title of Marshal, and it was even possible that he could enter the political center of Vienna.

Silesia.

The main battlefield in Liegnitz.

General Kellermann, commander of the France expeditionary "volunteer" force in Silesia, glanced in the direction of the distant cannon fire, frowned slightly, picked up a chess piece from beside him, and placed it near the king on the opposite side. "You see, if things continue like this, it's bound to be a draw."