Garbage time on the battlefield
Karl II still looked puzzled. "But there's no conflict breaking out between the peasants and Nobility in France right now."
The Marquess Wellesley brandished his spoon at him as if it were his sword. "Then let's do something to break the peace between them."
You mean...?
"We will issue Land Redemption Policy on behalf of the French Government. I will use my channels in Paris to spread the word among the Nobility that the French Government intends to distribute land to farmers at extremely low prices."
"Your men went and told the France peasants that the King had decided to make them pay for the support of the Nobility for hundreds of years," said the Marquess Wellesley, pointing to Van der Noot.
"When both sides are extremely dissatisfied, you should Combination Acts Liberals and lead a peasant uprising. France will inevitably descend into chaos!"
Van der Noot nodded excitedly, then hesitated and said, "Your Excellency, the French Government will surely come forward to deny it."
Wellesley smiled and said, "In this situation, no matter how much they deny it, no one will believe them unless they officially announce the land buyout plan."
"At present, no redemption plan can satisfy both the peasants and the Nobility. Whichever side's interests are affected by the plan, we will support that side's uprising."
France can get is a nationwide chaos!
Namur, a city south of Brussels.
Commander André Davout of the Moulins Legion spotted His Crown Prince coming to greet him from afar. He quickly dismounted, strode forward, removed his hat, and bowed respectfully. "You look excellent, Your Highness. Luxembourg is buzzing with talk of your World War I over the Hanover; you've practically become a legend!"
"Victory belongs to every member of the Royal Guard Legion." Joseph smiled and nodded in return, then patted his arm. "Now that the Moulins Legion has arrived in Brussels, I'm completely relieved. Let's go, we'll head into the city first. You only have three days to rest before heading to Luli Town to garrison."
"The Moulins Legion is at your service!" Andre immediately shouted.
Joseph received a report from the Versailles Palace a few days earlier that the United Kingdom Minister of Foreign Affairs would be visiting Paris in mid-next month to discuss some important matters between the two countries.
Joseph guessed that the war in India had hurt the United Kingdom, and they had come to sue for peace. This matter was of great importance, and it was definitely not something he could leave to his mother, so he decided to return home. In addition, he could also take the opportunity to discuss France's important strategies with his mother, in order to prevent a repeat of the dangerous situation that occurred last time when the Russia ambassador tried to conclude a secret treaty.
The current standoff along the Brussels front has entered a "garbage time" – France is unwilling to launch an offensive, while Karl II's side is unable to make any progress. Both sides casually fire a few shots at each other each day, and then withdraw their troops.
So even if he leaves the Southern Netherlands, there shouldn't be any problems here.
However, just to be on the safe side, he transferred two regiments from the Moulins Legion stationed in Luxembourg. Although the Moulins Legion's combat strength was not as good as the Royal Guard Legion, it was more than enough to deal with the Hanover Army.
"How's the situation in Liège?" Joseph asked, looking at Andre was riding alongside him.
"It's been rather dull, I'd say," Andre said, shrugging. "Lefebvre complains every day about why they can't launch a surprise attack on the Prussia. Meanwhile, the Prussia have built a long, narrow breastwork along the border of Liège and Longuen and set up many cannons, but they haven't attacked in a long time."
After learning that Hanover Army had been defeated and the front line had stabilized around Brussels, Blücher lost the will to continue fighting. Even if he could defeat Leo's Austrian Army, he would then be locked in a stalemate with the French Army in Brussels. He wanted to make his mark in Silesia, not waste time in the Southern Netherlands!
However, some fools in Prussia, such as Möllendorff, kept advising His Majesty the King that the "humiliating situation" of being driven out of the Southern Netherlands by Austria was absolutely unacceptable.
He eventually received orders from the King to defeat the Austrian Army in Luxembourg and to reinforce Brussels as soon as possible.
Blücher's troops, having previously suffered a crushing defeat at the Royal Guard Legion, were also demoralized. After being repelled twice in their attempts to attack Leo, they lost the will to continue their offensive.
Leo knew his own limitations and was even less willing to attack. Lefebvre received orders from Joseph not to annihilate the Prussian Army on a large scale.
Thus, the battle in Liège entered a period of "garbage time".
After receiving detailed information about the Liège - Luxembourg line from Andre, Joseph was finally relieved.
The next morning, he took a car back to Paris.
Construction has begun on rail transport from Luxembourg to Verdun, and as for Verdun, the Wooden Railway were already completed during the war preparations.
After leaving Verdun, a half-day Carriage will take you back to the Wooden Railway connecting Reims and Paris.
The entire trip took just over five days, including nearly two days spent in the Southern Netherlands. The journey on the Wooden Railway was extremely smooth, and once they reached the Northern Suburb of Paris, Joseph felt none of the fatigue he had experienced on previous long trips, and was immediately able to head to the Versailles Palace for business.
Because the Versailles Palace was not notified in advance, no ceremonial procession came to greet them.
Joseph's convoy sped through the streets of Paris, and every now and then one could hear passersby talking about the two recent victories of the French Army. Suddenly, four or five children rushed out from a street corner, brandishing wooden sticks and making "thump thump" sounds as they charged at another group of children.
Eman, sitting opposite Joseph, looked out the window and said, "Your Highness, I've heard that the most popular game among children in Paris lately is this ' Crown Prince vs. Prussia ' game. I saw it in a letter from my father; my younger brother is already 13 and still plays it with great enthusiasm."
He suddenly remembered that His Crown Prince was leading Police Reform when he was 13 years old, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
"Perhaps he'll grow up to be an excellent soldier," Joseph smiled, "And truly defeat the Prussian Army on the battlefield."
Eman quickly replied, "Thank you for your encouragement, Your Highness. I will certainly urge him to work harder!"
The carriage quickly entered Versailles Palace. A lady-in-waiting saw Joseph through the window, hurriedly lifted her skirt, and ran towards the Petit Trianon, shouting to the Queen's maids, "His Crown Prince has returned!"
Before the Nobility could gather around, Joseph instructed the coachman to take him directly to his mother's Bedchamber.
After Queen Mary's continuous half-hour of warm greetings and the serving of the Imperial Chef's newly developed Netherlands desserts, Joseph finally found an opportunity to get down to business.