Chapter Summaries

Joseph planned to influence Northern Italy through newspapers, schools, theaters, and songs instead of occupying its states, while Fouche briefed him on Flemish preparations. Joseph prepared to coordinate with General Taine and launch a counteroffensive against the allied forces within days.

• Joseph outlined a propaganda campaign in Genoa and Lucca to spread French influence, weaken support for local technological development, and stir opposition to Austria.
• Talleyrand and Segur agreed to draft plans for the campaign, which would include newspapers, civic groups, schools, plays, and songs.
• Fouche gave Joseph the roster of the planned Flemish Parliament and reported that Sean Hayes had barely advanced with his seven thousand troops.
• Joseph ordered the Intelligence Bureau to coordinate with Taine and said France would soon counterattack the England Prussia Austria Allied Forces as Napoleon and the Rhine Army began their offensives.

Joseph instructed Fouche to influence Genoa’s upcoming election without leaving evidence of French involvement, then ordered him to monitor British industrialist Bolton and bring engineer John Sander to Brussels. After a military meeting, Joseph was reunited with Camellia, who arrived with pastries from the Queen, and met Veronique Legris, who had helped identify the person who pushed Camellia into the water.

• Joseph told Fouche to withdraw French troops from Genoa before the election and secretly weaken the Four Great Families’ control over Parliament.
• Fouche reported that Matthew Bolton had contacted John Sander and recently entered France, prompting Joseph to order Bolton placed under surveillance and Sander summoned to Brussels.
• Joseph attended a General Staff meeting about the campaign into the Netherlands and cutting off the Duke of York’s retreat.
• Camellia arrived in Brussels, said she had recovered, and brought Joseph pastries sent by the Queen.
• Veronique Legris offered to cook for Joseph, and Camellia introduced her as the woman who identified the person who pushed her into the water aboard the Poroskafi.

Camellia presented Joseph with the Flying Kitchen, a mobile cooking cart she had designed with Mr. Picard and Lieutenant Leroux. After seeing it prepare dinner, Joseph recognized its potential to improve soldiers’ meals, while Veronique Legris approached Camellia with a personal question.

• Joseph learned that Veronique had asked Queen Mary to let her become his maid and deferred tasting her cooking until another time.
• Camellia showed Joseph the Flying Kitchen and explained its design, mobility, and capacity to cook for soldiers.
• Joseph inspected the cart, had it unfolded, and watched a chef prepare dinner in the courtyard.
• Joseph and Camellia shared dinner, and he sent her to rest after her long journey.
• Veronique Legris asked Camellia whether she wanted to become more intimate with Joseph.

Veronique persuaded Camellia to follow a plan involving the Crown Prince, then secretly arranged a trap meant to provoke a confrontation between Camellia and Perna. Joseph went to bathe, unaware that Veronique had switched the room signs, and found someone springing from the tub.

• Veronique convinced Camellia she could help her get closer to the Crown Prince and promised to arrange a faulty lock.
• After leaving Camellia, Veronique revealed her ambition to become the future mistress of Versailles Palace and planned to set Camellia against Perna.
• Veronique sent a letter through a trusted servant to her cousin in the Rethel Legion, instructing him to time his arrival for late at night.
• Two days later, Joseph finished reviewing France's financial and industrial report and prepared for his bath before the Brussels Police Department's ceremony.
• Veronique replaced the Room 202 plaque with Room 203's while Joseph entered, then he approached the bathtub and a pair of snowy-white rabbits leaped from the water.

Perna arrived at the Crown Prince’s villa after receiving an ominous letter, but left quietly after hearing Joseph and Camellia together. The next morning, Veronique’s scheme had backfired, while Perna wondered who had sent the letter.

• Perna asked Second Lieutenant Croix whether the Crown Prince was well, then went to Room 203.
• Perna heard Joseph and Camellia inside, chose not to interrupt them, and asked the guards to keep her visit secret.
• Veronique watched Perna leave and was enraged that her plan to provoke a confrontation had failed.
• Joseph found the door jammed, and he and Camellia confessed their love and spent the night together.
• The next morning, Veronique saw Camellia emerge from Joseph’s bedroom, and Joseph called their night a beautiful accident.
• Perna began her work at the Battlefield Hospital tent and wondered who had sent her the letter.

At the Munich Conference, Baron Tugut pressured the German states to support the war against France with troops and supplies. The states agreed to contribute, while Tugut, Prince Heinrich, and Lord Grenville planned for a decisive victory in Luxembourg and discussed the risks in Northern Italy.

• Baron Tugut urged the German states to contribute to the war, and Prince Heinrich stressed Prussia’s role in the Luxembourg campaign.
• Baron Waldeck argued that Baden did not need to join the war because France had promised not to invade neutral German states.
• Tugut threatened to exclude nonparticipants from trade benefits, and Trier, Bavaria, Mainz, and other South German states agreed to send troops or logistical support.
• The conference ended with nearly every South German state except Baden pledging assistance, including Bavaria’s offer of thirteen thousand soldiers and supplies for fifty thousand troops.
• Prince Heinrich, Tugut, and Lord Grenville discussed concentrating more than one hundred and fifty thousand troops in Luxembourg, holding the Northern Italy front, and bringing Marquess Wellesley’s New Army into battle in two months.

Prince Heinrich and Lord Grenville expected the Allied Forces to launch final offensives, while Northern Italian envoys raced to France to secure loans and favor. In Saint Petersburg, Count Stroganov delivered Queen Mary's marriage proposal to Catherine II and advised that France was sincere, leaving the Tsar to decide how to respond.

• Prince Heinrich celebrated the prospect of an Allied victory, and Lord Grenville proposed offensives from Luxembourg and Basel.
• Count Mirandola traveled by steamship toward Marseille, believing he would reach Versailles before Parma's envoy, but Prince Ludovico had already sent a greeting to France through the Shap Signal Tower.
• Count Stroganov returned to Saint Petersburg after delays caused by fighting and the English blockade, and overheard young nobles criticize Zubov and the state of the Empire.
• Count Stroganov presented Queen Mary's letter to Catherine II, who had Zubov read its formal contents concerning the Crown Prince's marriage.
• Count Stroganov told Catherine II that France sincerely wanted the marriage and that the French Queen's envoy would seek an audience if Russia responded positively.

Catherine II considered France’s proposal for a marriage alliance as a way to strengthen her political position and advance Russia’s interests against Austria and the Ottoman Empire. After her officials debated the risks and benefits, she ordered the French Queen’s envoy invited to Saint Petersburg.

• Catherine II heard that France’s Crown Prince loved Princess Sasha and that French ministers were unlikely to oppose a marriage alliance.
• Catherine II summoned senior Russian officials and learned that Rostopchin distrusted France, while Zubov and Bezborodko supported closer ties.
• Suvorov warned that an alliance with France could provoke England, but Rumyantsev argued that Austria was Russia’s main concern.
• Bezborodko described French military successes and argued that Russia could gain leverage by showing goodwill to France.
• Catherine II ordered Count Stroganov to invite the French Queen’s envoy to Saint Petersburg.

Catherine II agreed to Alexandra’s conversion to Catholicism for a French marriage alliance, and Alexandra learned she was to be engaged to the French Crown Prince. In Luxembourg, Massena received news that over forty thousand Allied reinforcements were on their way, including troops from Thuringia and Bavaria.

• Catherine II told Count Stroganov to inform the French envoy that she agreed to Alexandra converting to Catholicism.
• Alexandra feared she would be married off to a German prince, then learned from Yelena that an envoy from France was coming to arrange her marriage to the Crown Prince.
• Alexandra grew excited about marrying the Crown Prince and ran off to write him a poem.
• Massena complained to Brune that General Staff orders had repeatedly delayed his counterattack against the Duke of Brunswick.
• An Orderly Officer gave Massena a report that more than forty thousand Allied reinforcements would reach Luxembourg within five days, with troops from Thuringia and Bavaria among them.

As Allied forces massed against Luxembourg, Massena rejected a passive retreat and planned an active defense in the Ardennes, while ordering Oudinot Corps to strike the advancing Thuringian Army. The chapter ended with Duke of Brunswick receiving intelligence that the French were planning a large surprise attack.

• Saint Hilaire reported that more than 25,000 Prussian troops had crossed the Moselle, prompting Brune to propose withdrawing to Luxembourg Fortress.
• Massena argued that retreating into the fortress risked being trapped and instead proposed defending from the Ardennes Plateau, using Bastogne for supplies and room to maneuver.
• Massena arranged to leak the French deployment to mislead the enemy and sent his plan to General Staff Headquarters for approval.
• Massena ordered Oudinot Corps to cross the Sauer River and attack the Thuringian Army between Neuerburg and Gerolstein.
• An intelligence Major told Duke of Brunswick that the French were planning a large-scale surprise attack.

The Allied commanders learned that French forces on the Ardennes Plateau threatened their supply lines and decided to concentrate against them before attacking Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Oudinot’s corps crossed the Sauer River into Trier and prepared to attack a nearby Allied force at dawn.

• Duke of Brunswick summoned senior officers after receiving reports that forty to sixty thousand French troops were on the Ardennes Plateau.
• Scharnhorst and Tauentzien warned that the French could cut the Allied supply lines, and Duke of Brunswick agreed to prioritize destroying them while leaving the siege of Luxembourg to other forces.
• French soldiers on the Ardennes Plateau were ordered to build breastworks rather than advance against the Prussians.
• Oudinot’s corps crossed the Sauer River into Trier and established positions on the opposite bank.
• French Rangers reported that nearly ten thousand enemy troops had passed through Gerolstein, and Oudinot ordered his corps to attack at dawn.

The French Army advanced through the Netherlands while reassuring Dutch residents it would not harm them, and the Dutch Parliament sought an end to the war. Joseph met Prime Minister Kan Peilun and presented France’s armistice terms.

• The French Army occupied Middelburg, posted notices promising to spare civilians, and withdrew after taking the police station’s weapons.
• Dutch residents praised the French Army as it advanced across the Waal River toward Utrecht.
• Joseph relaxed at a lavender estate with Camellia before Eman reminded him that he was scheduled to meet Kan Peilun.
• Kan Peilun asked Joseph to let the Netherlands end the war with dignity, and Eman presented France’s armistice terms.

Joseph secured a lenient-looking ceasefire agreement with the Netherlands while secretly intending its new parliamentary seats for nobles to destabilize the country. The agreement was signed publicly in Amsterdam, where Segur presented France as merciful and committed to peace.

• Kan Peilun and Speaker Dandels reviewed Joseph’s terms, including war-crimes trials, reparations, permanent neutrality, and hereditary noble seats in Parliament.
• Branzen persuaded Kan Peilun that admitting the nobles could prevent a coup and help the Patriot Party share the burden of governing.
• Kan Peilun accepted the terms after Joseph promised French troops would leave within a month and the ceasefire would be signed publicly in Amsterdam.
• Joseph revealed that he intended the noble seats to provoke conflict in Parliament and planned for the Flemish Republic to collect the true price from the Dutch.
• The Dutch Parliament approved the terms and prepared 8.7 million Francs in reparations, and a week later Segur and Lefebvre signed the armistice at Dam Square.
• Segur gave a speech to thousands of Dutch citizens, condemning plotters and portraying the French king as merciful.

Dandels announced the Dutch ceasefire terms, and the crowd celebrated the end of the Netherlands’ alliance with England and Prussia. As French troops withdrew, Sean Hayes’s Flemish army seized Middelburg and arrested its officials and wealthy merchants.

• Dandels read the ceasefire agreement, including war-crimes trials for senior officers, 700,000 guilders in reparations, and the addition of Noble Seats to Parliament.
• Dandels announced that the Netherlands would end its alliance treaties with England and Prussia and remain neutral, prompting cheers for the King of France.
• Dandels and Segur signed the Ceasefire Agreement as the Dutch crowd celebrated the end of the war.
• The French Army withdrew toward the Ardennes Plateau while Sean Hayes led the Flemish army into Middelburg after its small defense force surrendered.
• Lucca announced that the Flemish Military Tribunal had arrested Middelburg officials and wealthy merchants for colluding with the Austrian Tyrant.

Sean Hayes’s Flemish forces seized Middelburg and marched toward Utrecht as the Dutch Parliament struggled to defend itself. After the Dutch forces collapsed at Zaltbommel and their commander was gravely wounded, Kan Peilun sent Branzen to negotiate a ceasefire with the Flemings.

• Luke’s soldiers arrested Middelburg’s influential residents, while Cook arranged their screening and the city’s purge.
• Lucca reported 620,000 Dutch Guilders and bank shares to Sean Hayes, who ordered the spoils divided and planned to march on Utrecht.
• Kan Peilun and Dutch officials assessed their weak forces, rejected releasing imprisoned officers, and learned that United Kingdom and Prussia would not help.
• Vermeer led 3,000 Flemish soldiers across the Waal River and captured Zaltbommel, while the Dutch recruits collapsed.
• Bronckhorst was gravely wounded, leaving the Dutch Parliament with almost no troops or capable commanders.
• Kan Peilun ordered Branzen to negotiate a ceasefire with the Flemings.

Branzen and successive Dutch governments failed to avoid the Flemish terms, and Sean Hayes secured the Dutch surrender and a treaty imposing war reparations. Joseph prepared to leave for Luxembourg after a farewell with Perna, who was soon to depart for Italy.

• Branzen reported Flemish demands, including thirty million Dutch Guilders in war reparations, but interim Prime Minister Vibo Feynje resigned after failing to negotiate them down.
• After Dandels's volunteers lost Utrecht, Gogel formed a new government and accepted the Flemish terms, reducing the reparations to twenty-eight million Dutch Guilders.
• Philip Wassel persuaded Sean Hayes to claim the surrender agreement as his own achievement, promising French support for his political ambitions.
• Sean Hayes led Flemish forces into Amsterdam, where the Amsterdam Treaty was signed and Dutch bonds were pledged as collateral for reparations.
• Perna said farewell to Joseph as he prepared to lead the army to Luxembourg, while she planned to leave for Italy to assist wounded soldiers.

Joseph set out for the Ardennes front, reassured Sander, and tasked him with infiltrating Bolton’s confidence for a mission in Britain. As Joseph arrived near the besieged French positions, Massena prepared for his inspection while soldiers on the line endured the cold and awaited their next meal from Camellia’s Flying Kitchen.

• Joseph said farewell to Camellia and Perna, then invited Fouche and Sander into his carriage when they caught up with the convoy.
• Joseph reassured Sander that he trusted him and ordered him to win Bolton’s confidence, reveal limited technology if needed, and travel to Britain with Fouche’s support.
• Joseph promised to help Sander seek Count Xavier’s daughter’s hand in marriage, and Sander and Fouche left to return to France.
• Joseph’s convoy reached the Ardennes ahead of the main force, and Massena deployed troops to protect the defensive line before riding to Eschdorf to meet him.
• Orol, André, and their fellow soldiers complained about the siege and cold, then cheered when the sergeant said Miss Delvaux’s Banquet would serve their battalion that day.

French soldiers repelled a Prussian assault while fighting fiercely to secure dinner, and Crown Prince Joseph arrived near Eschdorf to join the battle. He told Massena that 36,000 reinforcements would arrive the next day.

• French soldiers rushed to form ranks when bugle calls warned of a Prussian attack, and they fought hard to keep Miss Delvaux's Banquet from being diverted.
• French skirmishers countercharged the Prussian encircling force and disrupted its formations, helping the Eschdorf line repel the assault before half past five.
• André, Orol, and the other soldiers spotted smoke from the field kitchen and celebrated as dinner arrived.
• Joseph reached the front, rejected Massena's suggestion that he retreat to a safer command post, and asked for a detailed account of the battle.
• Massena described the stable Eschdorf-Konstum line, Oudinot's victory at Neuerburg, and Berthier's defense of Luxembourg Fortress.
• Joseph told Massena that 36,000 reinforcements would arrive the next day, prompting Massena to ask whether the Royal 4th Infantry Division was among them.

Joseph and Massena planned a French counteroffensive on the Ardennes Plateau, using forces near Luxembourg to block the Duke of York and draw the Allied army into a trap. Massena developed Joseph’s suggestion into a plan to seize Koblenz and avoid a costly decisive battle.

• Massena counted on the Southern Netherlands Army Group and the 4th Infantry Division to strengthen his forces and make a counteroffensive against Ferdinand possible.
• Joseph proposed that the Walloon Corps, Artois Legion, and American volunteers use Burgplatz Peak to hold back the Duke of York’s exhausted troops.
• Massena outlined a pincer attack from Diekirch and Lodange and regretted that the siege of Luxembourg Fortress prevented coordination with Berthier.
• Joseph learned that Major Surt was inside the fortress and suggested trusting Berthier and Surt to counterattack when the opportunity arose.
• Joseph proposed drawing Brunswick’s corps into the Ardennes while Berthier advanced north toward Trier and Koblenz; Massena expanded the idea into a plan to trap the Allies and avoid a brutal decisive battle.

Joseph visited the French front line and rallied the soldiers by promising reinforcements and a counterattack. The next morning, Duke of Brunswick discovered the French had withdrawn and ordered a pursuit, while Scharnhorst warned that their behavior seemed abnormal.

• Joseph went to the artillery positions to greet the French soldiers despite Massena's objections.
• The soldiers eagerly assembled to meet Joseph, who announced that nearly forty thousand reinforcements were coming and promised a counterattack across the Rhine.
• Joseph exchanged hats with Orol, then rallied the troops with a speech that sparked loud cheers for France and the Crown Prince.
• The following morning, Duke of Brunswick learned the French had withdrawn overnight and ordered the Blücher Legion to pursue them.
• The French retreated from Eschdorf toward Budescheid as Duke of Brunswick ordered another attack and planned to reach Wiltz.
• Scharnhorst cautioned Duke of Brunswick that the French Army's behavior seemed abnormal.