Chapter 441 - 355: Deep into Enemy Territory

Chapter 441: Chapter 355: Deep into Enemy Territory

Napoleon was taken aback. He had indeed come across the “encirclement and infiltration” tactics in the officer curriculum at the Paris Police Academy, but his understanding was limited to a general idea; he had no concept of how to deploy it.

He turned to the regimental commander, “But if we ignore the Hanoverian Army, once they join forces with the Prussians, General Leao might find it quite difficult to hold them off.”

Colonel Dumont nodded slightly: “In fact, I had the same question as you during the last staff meeting.”

He then smiled, “But you have to realize, whether Hanoverians or Prussians, their ability to set foot in the Southern Netherlands is fundamentally dependent on the rebellion of the Dutch.

“If Antonov falls to us, the Congress of the Dutch Rebel Army will also cease to exist. Even if the Prussians defeat General Leao, what can they do? Occupy the Southern Netherlands directly? I’m afraid neither the Dutch nor the British would agree.”

Napoleon suddenly saw the light: “So, Charles II must come to the rescue of Antonov.”

“Yes. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that as long as our march is faster than the Hanoverians and threatens Antonov before they reach Liege, then the Austrian army will not be in any danger.”

“However,” Napoleon mused, “it seems not a wise decision to penetrate deep into the Southern Netherlands and battle the enemy in their stronghold. Charles II could even cut off our supply lines and then wait for us to surrender.”

Colonel Dumont shook his riding crop: “Who says we’re going to decide the battle at Antonov?

“Your understanding of ‘encirclement and infiltration’ tactics is still not deep enough.”

He paused, feeling a bit ashamed; he himself hadn’t really studied these tactics, but he had attended the staff meeting and heard the explanations of the Crown Prince, which was why he could now point Napoleon in the right direction.

“Ahem, well, ‘encirclement’ and ‘infiltration’ are actually two tactics aimed at controlling the battle situation and putting the enemy at a disadvantage.

“After maneuvering Charles II to return northward, our army will have to…”

He suddenly stopped. The following military deployment was a top-level secret, and it seemed that Major Buonaparte’s rank might not be cleared for it.

“You’ll know soon enough. In any case, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is indeed a tactical genius.”

When it comes to commanding troops in combat, Joseph, who had only attended the military academy for a year and a half, might not compare to any company-grade officer of the Guard Corps, but his mind was filled with advanced military theories from centuries later and he could refer to a massive amount of real case studies.

Many tactical theories are like this; once explained, they seem very simple. Appropriate to the current situation, they could suppress an opponent who doesn’t understand such tactics.

For example, the battlefield debate in Europe at that time was focused on how to deploy forces directly in the optimal way, from which angle to attack for the best advantage, with little thought given to large-scale encircling maneuvers.

Even a genius like Frederick the Great only managed maneuvers within the theater level, yet he was already able to outplay his contemporary adversaries.

However, what Joseph brought was the theory of the “King of Encirclement and Infiltration” from the future East, enough to give Charles II a run for his money.

Of course, even if they were to face the Hanoverian Army head-on, Joseph believed the Guard Corps still had a better chance of winning.

Although the Guard Corps could commit only fewer than 14,000 troops to the operation against Charles II—two regiments had to be left with Leao, just in case he was broken through by Blucher; then Joseph would have to hurry back to fight the Battle for the Defense of Luxembourg. Additionally, the Murat’s Corps troops were maintaining public order in Luxembourg, and considering the previous combat casualties, only these troops were left—but with the training, morale, and equipment level of the Guard, they still had a bigger chance of winning against a 24,000-strong Hanoverian and Dutch Allied Forces.

But a hard confrontation with an enemy with superior numbers could lead to relatively heavy casualties for the Guard. This was something Joseph was not willing to accept.

There are also many favorable conditions for the French Army to carry out flanking movements in the Southern Netherlands.

For example, in the French-speaking region in the south of the Southern Netherlands, the French Army is even more popular than the Brabant Rebel Army, making it relatively easy to secure logistical supplies.

Moreover, after several decades of Austrian rule in the Southern Netherlands, deep roots have been established. Austrian officials are present everywhere, and even if they were removed from power, they could still provide Joseph with intelligence, supplies, and other support.

The most critical point is that, for Prussia and Hanover, the Southern Netherlands holds too many essential areas that must be rescued. This gave Joseph a large number of tactical advantages.

…

North of Brussels.

In the States-General of the Netherlands, a Liberal member of Congress, a follower of Vandernoot, was red-faced as he pointed at Weng Ke, who sat in the front row:

“Right now, the Hanoverian Army is rushing to Liege, and we should be coordinating with them, crushing the Austrians in one fell swoop! And yet you have our troops hiding away! This is our South Netherlanders’ fight, our struggle for freedom and democracy, and you are destroying the future of the Southern Netherlands!”

Weng Ke remained unmoved, while his faction’s members skillfully responded:

“Freedom and the people must first survive in order to have anything. Our army, after fierce fighting, is already very exhausted. They will rejoin the battle at the appropriate time.”

The core conservative members of Congress already received a notification from Weng Ke that he had reached a secret agreement with the French—so long as the Southern Netherlands does not interfere with the war between France and Prussia and other countries, once the conflict ends, France would support the independence and statehood of the Southern Netherlands in exchange for just the province of Namur in the south.

Weng Ke never believed that the Southern Netherlands alone could challenge Austria; it was simply a matter of choosing between Prussia and France.

He knew that both Prussia and England were in favor of the Netherlands absorbing the Southern Netherlands.

In comparison, France’s appetite, just wanting Namur, was much smaller. And among the conservative members of Congress, a significant portion was from the French-speaking region and were more willing to cooperate with France.

After learning of Weng Ke’s agreement with France, some conservative members even wanted to mobilize forces from the southern region to assist France in driving out the Prussians.

Just as the Liberals were preparing to rebut, they saw an officer forcefully parting the guards on either side of the great door, barging into the Congress like a startled wild buffalo.

Vandernoot frowned, lately the military was becoming increasingly unruly.

He was about to object when he heard the officer cry out in alarm:

“The main force of the French Army has already passed through the east of Brussels, less than 10 miles from Antonov!”

Ten miles is about 16 kilometers, a distance which could normally be covered in a day and a half of marching.

The entire chamber of the States-General of the Netherlands fell deathly silent. After a good seven or eight seconds, Vandernoot suddenly called out loudly:

“Quick! Send for reinforcements from His Excellency Charles II! His armies should not be far…”