Stubbornness and conservatism

"Your Highness, what suggestions do your generals have for this plan?" Leopold II asked somewhat hesitantly.

Although he wasn't very knowledgeable about military affairs, he had at least attended military school for two years, and the battle plan that the Crown Prince of France had just mentioned sounded far too radical.

Joseph smiled and said, "My opinion is their opinion."

"Yes, I understand." Leopold II lowered his head, took a sip of his drink, and nodded. "I will seriously consider your plan and suggest that Marshal Lacy cooperate with you as much as possible."

"We will surely win!" Joseph raised his glass in a toast, "To the Franco-Austrian Alliance."

"Respect for the Franco-Austrian Alliance"

Just as Joseph and the Crown Prince of the Holy Roman Empire were discussing the war in Silesia, a pair of eyes in a corner of the Hall were maliciously eyeing Camellia, who was standing behind him.

"You filthy bitch!" the owner of the glasses gritted his teeth and whispered, "I will make you and your France master pay the price!"

This man was none other than Baron Walter, the cousin of Leopold II's wife. After the previous false accusation, he had been confined by his angry brother-in-law for over a month and had only recently regained his freedom. He had also paid 150,000 Florin in compensation for the matter, which was almost all of his wealth.

He could tolerate all of that, but the memory of how he boasted to his cronies that the girl was no match for him, and how they mocked him mercilessly, made him furious whenever he thought about it.

After cursing and insulting him in his heart, he slumped down dejectedly. All of Austria was counting on the France to help them achieve a breakthrough in Silesia, and at this point, not only him, but even his brother-in-law had to treat the boy with utmost respect.

He hadn't known Camellia would be there, and now he had no interest in attending the ball. He seized an opportunity to slip out of the Hall.

Silesia.

Southwestern border of Liegnitz.

Marshal Lacy, the Austrian Army's Commander-in-Chief, casually handed the letter that had just arrived from Vienna to the officer beside him, his face grim, and said:

"The France have absolutely no idea what war is. And the Crown Prince actually wants me to cooperate with them!"

General Würmser took the letter with surprise, quickly glanced through it, and immediately revealed a disdainful smile:

"They're insane, concentrating all their cannons at Fehr-Rabi?"

Naundorff was standing nearby, took the letter and immediately frowned:

"Moving all the cannons to the west will leave our army defenseless on an extremely long front. Before we can even launch an attack, the Prussia will break through our lines and even reach Königgrätz!"

Fehr-Rabi was on the western flank of the Prussian-Austrian front, while Königgrätz was an Austria province bordering Silesia.

Yes, according to Joseph's operational plan for Silesia, the first step was to end the artillery standoff between the Prussian and Austrian armies.

Both Prussia and Austria deployed more than 200 cannons along the long front. Under such circumstances, even the bravest army, determined to suffer heavy casualties, would find it difficult to break through the other's defenses.

This was perfectly acceptable for Prussia, who wanted to defend Silesia. But for Austria, the attacking side, it was a huge defeat.

Therefore, after discussing with Berthier, he decided to gather the Austrian Army scattered along a front line of tens of kilometers and concentrate their forces to break through the Prussia defenses.

After creating an opening in the Prussian Army, the Royal Guard Legion can take advantage of its Encirclement and Interpenetration to penetrate into the rear of Liegnitz and draw in the Prussian Army to intercept them.

At this point, the main Austria force could choose the areas where the enemy's main force had been diverted, concentrate its forces to launch a surprise attack, and capture those artillery positions.

As for Naundorff's concern that "the Prussia will attack first," even if there is a delay in intelligence gathering on the Prussia side, it would actually be a good thing for Austria.

If the Prussian Army leaves their artillery lines, the France-Austria Allied Forces will have the opportunity to strike their manpower. They could even use a "siege and reinforcement" tactic to lure out more Prussian Army.

Joseph was quite confident in the Royal Guard Legion' ability to fight close combat; as long as the difference in troop strength was not too great, the Royal Guard Legion could quickly defeat any Prussia force.

Of course, the Austrian Army viewed this battle plan as too risky. After all, old-school officers like Lacy were still stuck in the mindset of the Seven Years' War and had not studied the campaigns in North Africa or the Southern Netherlands in detail in the last two years. Therefore, they would definitely conclude that the defensive line could not be tightened. Moreover, he was originally more adept at defensive warfare, and this situation was exactly what he preferred.

Three days later.

In the Austria Silesian Front Army headquarters, Joseph looked helplessly at the officers of the General Staff Headquarters:

"So, does anyone have any suggestions now?"

At the just-concluded Franco -Austrian Army conference, Marshal Lacy completely rejected Joseph's proposed operational plan, and his attitude was very firm.

Lefebvre shook his head and said, "The Austria are actually going to concentrate 100,000 troops to launch a full-scale attack on Karpacz."

"Unless Prussia is oblivious to the mobilization of tens of thousands of troops, such an attack will only increase unnecessary casualties."

Someone suggested, "Or could we have Vienna put pressure on Lacy?"

Berthier sighed. "That's probably not going to be easy. Marshal Lacy has a very high level of prestige in the Austrian Army. Unless His Majesty Joseph II gives the order in person, it will be difficult for anyone else to command him."

Everyone fell silent. Joseph II was currently only lucid for one or two hours a day and was completely unable to speak.

"You just mentioned prestige?" Joseph suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at Berthier. "I am reminded of a general who was extremely prestigious in the Austrian Army."

"You mean General Leo?"

"That's right."

Joseph nodded and pondered:

"We must break the current deadlock. And General Leo is the only Austrian Army who is unaffected by Marshal Lacy."

Just kidding, General Leo was a hero who turned the tide, recaptured the Southern Netherlands, led his army into Brussels, and drove Van der Noot to the Netherlands.

Of course, this was all the result of Joseph's deliberate "star-making," but the Austria, unaware of the inside story, had already hailed him as "the Spear of the Southern Netherlands."

"But, Your Highness, Leo's command abilities..." Lefebvre, as an "old comrade-in-arms" who had cooperated with Leo many times, knew his background very well. "To be honest, I'm afraid he's unlikely to be able to shoulder any heavy responsibilities."

Joseph nodded, then looked at the map on the table. "However, sometimes even a general who can't defeat the enemy has his merits."

"As long as he remains Austria's ' Spear of Southern Netherlands,' I think he can break the Silesia stalemate."