Karl II at breaking point
"Please convey to Mr. Onck that France remains firmly committed to the establishment of the Southern Netherlands." Joseph smiled and gestured to Flotte Viscount, "Just as he thought, our army is indeed pursuing the Dutch people forces."
"Oh, and thank you for the Oats, and for the valuable information."
"It is my honor to serve you and your army." Flotte Viscount, beaming with pride, uttered some more flattering words before bowing and leaving the tent, without a hint of doubt as to why the French Army had come to Ghent to pursue the Dutch Army.
Yes, he just brought over a dozen cartloads of Oats, an extremely valuable feed for warhorses, as well as news that the Hanover Army had turned south near Brussels.
As a Southern Netherlands Dutchman born in Zwevegem, who had spoken French since childhood and longed for the French lifestyle, he always hoped that Wallonia would be incorporated into France. That way, he could become a true France.
So when he learned that the France army was nearby—as his Serfs had told him they wanted to pay off his debts with France Paper Money —he immediately brought Oats and Wine to "support" the army.
Of course, Joseph did not pay for the goods to such a wealthy man. Flotte Viscount probably wouldn't be short of a few thousand Livre.
With this batch of Oats, the Royal Guard Legion can reduce the time spent resupplying on the spot, thus increasing their marching speed.
In fact, since arriving in the South Southern Netherlands, similar "supplements from the sky" have been coming in continuously, to the point that there is so much Wine that it cannot be carried away.
After the Southern Netherlands Nobility left, Berthier immediately turned to the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, if the information this gentleman brought is accurate, then we must pin our hopes on Major Mason action."
He went to the map on the table and pointed the South Brussels: "There are signs of enemy troops from Gialli to Waterloo, which means their marching column is at least 6 kilometers long."
The legionary staff officer standing nearby immediately chimed in, "This might be a good opportunity for us to launch an attack!"
Joseph also looked at the map, but hesitated. The Hussars had not yet sent back the specific situation of the enemy, and he was quite far from the Hanover Army. If he rushed to the decisive battle immediately, there was still a lot of uncertainty.
He suddenly pointed to Antwerp on the map and smiled, "Let's go back again!"
East of Brussels, Major Mason grabbed a Hussars who had come to report on the enemy situation, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Are you sure? The Dutch people are still near Waterloo?"
"Yes, Battalion Commander, I saw the Dutch people cannons and a large number of tents with my own eyes."
The Hussars beside him added, "We also heard the shoemakers in town say they were still doing business at the Dutch Military Camp yesterday afternoon, while the Hanover Army had already moved south."
"Excellent!" Mason gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. There was at least a half-day's journey between the Netherlands Army and Hanover Army, which was the perfect opportunity to implement the "infiltration" tactic that His Crown Prince had mentioned.
He waved his hand at the Orderly Officer: "Order the entire Forced March to march immediately towards Waterloo!"
"Yes, Battalion Commander!"
Half a day later.
General Bronckhorst glanced at the listless marching column beside him and shook his head with a hint of helplessness. Anyone would feel annoyed after making three round trips in less than a week.
He was about to give a speech to boost morale when he saw several Hussars galloping towards him in a panic. From a distance, they shouted, "Report! General, enemy spotted to the northeast, less than 3 kilometers away!"
Bronckhorst frowned. He knew that a contingent of the French Army had been loitering nearby, and Marshal Karl II had even sent cavalry to drive them away. However, the France had always kept their distance, seemingly only on reconnaissance duty, so they hadn't paid much attention to them.
He asked the Hussars, "Was it the same French Army unit from before?"
"It seems to be them." The Hussars nodded, then quickly added, "However, this time there are quite a few of them, probably over a thousand."
Bronckhorst felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly. He certainly couldn't ignore the thousands of enemy soldiers, but his marching speed was already somewhat slow, and this disturbance would probably cause him to fall even further behind Karl II.
He impatiently ordered his staff officer, "The entire army shall halt its advance and form ranks to meet the enemy in the open area south of the town!"
"Yes, General!"
The French Army moved much faster than Bronckhorst had anticipated, and in less than an hour, French Army Skirmishers began attacking the Dutch people supply convoy.
He immediately moved his Infantry Line to squeeze the French Army to the west, but the latter did not linger in battle. Instead, they took advantage of the chaos to launch a counterattack against the Dutch Army vanguard, killing sixty or seventy men before fleeing the South without looking back.
Bronckhorst was initially worried that the French Army might be lying in ambush, and waited for several hours before finally confirming that the enemy had indeed left.
He then angrily sent cavalry to pursue them, only to encounter Infantry Line that the France had prepared in advance, forcing them to hastily retreat.
Bronckhorst then ordered his men to take stock of the losses, and learned that the casualties were less than a hundred, and that some food and tents had been lost, which gave him a slight sense of relief.
He glanced at his Pocket Watch; after all that commotion, it was almost 5 p. m.
He then looked at the soldiers who had been standing in formation all day and had no choice but to order the entire army to return to Waterloo to rest and regroup, and continue their march to Liège the next day at noon.
Meanwhile, Karl II, who was on Forced March, heard that the Netherlands Army had been ambushed by the France and immediately felt uneasy. Although Bronckhorst reported that there were only a thousand French Army, who knew if that was just the vanguard?
After much deliberation with his staff, he cautiously decided to send an Infantry regiment, along with three cavalry squadrons, to Waterloo to meet the Dutch people.
As long as his main force can rendezvous with Blücher, he will have more than enough troops, and sending out less than two thousand men will have virtually no impact.
Less than half a day after the reinforcements sent by Karl II left, the Southern Netherlands from Brussels brought more bad news— the French Army had suddenly changed course and returned to Antwerp.
For a fleeting moment, Karl II almost wanted to rush straight to Liège, disregard everything, annihilate the Austrian Army in Rennes, and then, together with Blücher, turn back and deal with the damned France.
But he knew that the France didn't care about the lives or deaths of the Austrian Army, but he had to care about the fate of the Southern Netherlands Parliament.
After hurling insults for more than ten minutes, he ordered the Hanover Army to turn north again and return to Antwerp.
Less than two days after his troops set out, the Infantry regiment that had been sent to support the Dutch people reported back that it had been ambushed by the French Army and had lost several hundred men.