Chapter 724: 632: France Rapid Reaction Force

Chapter 724: Chapter 632: France Rapid Reaction Force

Under the lead of that officer, Lutsk ascended the low hill, where he saw representatives from Austria, England, Bavaria, and other nations already gathered. A major dressed in Baden military uniform was pointing toward the base of the mountain, speaking loudly to the crowd.

“Gentlemen, this ‘Resolute Will’ joint military exercise is held to practice defensive measures in case trade routes within our borders come under attack, and it is not aimed at any nation.”

This rhetoric, of course, was drafted by Joseph; the Baden officer was merely reciting it word for word.

The officer gestured for the sentries to distribute binoculars to the negotiation representatives and continued, “This exercise involves the Baden Royal Guards’ 1,800 soldiers combined with France’s Royal Guard Corps of 48,000 soldiers.

“The exercise forces will be divided into Blue and White teams and will conduct a week-long offensive and defensive drill around Karlsruhe. The exercise subjects include: town defense, flanking counterattacks, pursuit-and-reverse assaults…”

Lutsk’s face darkened slightly. Five thousand French troops suddenly coming here for exercises—who wouldn’t see through their intentions?

And that exercise name—’Resolute Will’—it almost seemed like France was one step away from hanging a plaque in the trade negotiation hall that read, “France resolutely opposes Britain’s accession to the Rhine-Saone Treaty.”

From the valley below came another series of dense cannonfire, jolting Lutsk’s eardrums in sharp pain.

He raised the binoculars he had just received and looked down, seeing dust and smoke filling the air. Amid the chaos, groups of soldiers dressed in blue or white uniforms maneuvered back and forth in precise formations, occasionally halting for several rounds of volley fire.

Between the infantry formations, “White Team’s” horses swiftly pulled over a dozen cannons, briefly flashing through the smoke.

Their cannon movements were astonishingly fast, in mere moments positioning themselves on the “Blue Team’s” infantry line’s right flank. Then, proficient officers began measuring and calculating.

Within just three to four minutes, those cannons were fully prepped, rapidly loaded, and aimed directly at the near-side Blue Team infantry.

At that instant, Lutsk’s heart clenched for those infantry soldiers, *almost visualizing the horrifying scene of flesh torn apart by brutal cannonfire.*

However, thousands of Blue Team hussars suddenly emerged from behind the infantry, assembling quickly into a neatly arranged arrowhead formation, roaring as they charged toward the enemy’s cannon positions.

Simultaneously, Blue Team’s own artillery appeared near a nearby hillside. Over ten cannons let loose flames, tearing a gap into White Team’s infantry formations.

But White Team’s infantry displayed remarkable resilience; rear ranks quickly removed their comrades’ “bodies” and filled the fallen soldiers’ positions, then raised their weapons for retaliation under their officers’ orders…

Tens of thousands of soldiers, cannons, and warhorses intertwined on the open field before them, the deafening noises and terrifying spectacle rendering Lutsk’s scalp numb and heart pounding uncontrollably.

*Though he didn’t understand military matters well, the French Army’s swift movements, uniform formations, and well-coordinated command left him instantly recognizing this as a formidable force of elite soldiers.*

This arrangement, of course, was Bertier’s deliberate design—most of the negotiation representatives were laymen in military affairs. In a mere four-kilometer-wide narrow stretch, packing in 50,000 troops engaging in face-to-face combat created a striking intensity, devoid of tactical nuances—whatever fired up bloodshed the most won favor. It effectively overawed the delegation.

After who-knew-how-long, Salzburg’s negotiation representative suddenly voiced his anger. “Those flamboyant French, boasting their strength over just a few tens of thousands of troops, think they can scare us with this…”

Nearby, Augsburg’s negotiation representative, Baron Heine Man, lowered his binoculars, cast him a meaningful glance, and shook his head. “Viscount Shaoen, haven’t you noticed the most terrifying aspect of this exercise?”

“What are you getting at?”

Baron Heine Man exhaled. “Do you recall when the proposal to include Britain in the Rhine-Saone Treaty was first raised?”

“A month ago—Count Friedrichs proposed it,” Viscount Shaoen replied without hesitation.

Heine Man nodded. “France’s military exercise this time is obviously aimed at the voting for that proposal. In other words, France managed to mobilize 50,000 soldiers and position them south of the Rhine River within just a little over twenty days.”

Shaoen’s expression stiffened upon hearing this, a somber silence overtaking him.

Lutsk furrowed his brows as well.

*Consider this: Salzburg raised the proposal, and the news would’ve taken about a week to reach France. Then, even if France immediately decided to conduct the exercise…*

He subconsciously remarked, “So, they only took a little over twenty days to complete troop mobilization…”

Baron Heine Man sighed again. “No, Mr. Lutsk. If what’s currently exercising is France’s Royal Guard Corps, they probably completed their mobilization in just three or four days.”

“What? How’s that possible?!”

“The French Guard Corps is stationed around Paris,” Heine explained. “Marching from Paris to Karlsruhe would take at least twenty days. That means their actual assembly time couldn’t exceed three or four days.”

All the negotiation representatives turned toward him, their eyes filled with shock.

*Three or four days to mobilize 50,000 troops, fully equipped with artillery, cavalry, and logistics—the French military’s efficiency in mobilization, operational speed, and supply management was simply terrifying!*

The most comparable example was Austria’s mobilization for the Silesian War earlier, which had taken a full month and a half to prepare a mere 60,000 advance troops.

Of course, no matter how successful Joseph’s military reforms were, it wasn’t feasible for the Guard Corps to complete a 50,000-strong mobilization within four days.

This strategy involved a clever sleight-of-hand.

Among the French troops arriving in Baden this time, there were actually only 25,000 soldiers from the Guard Corps. Upon receiving orders, they completed their mobilization in one week, barely carrying any supplies, then rapidly marched to Baden over fourteen days.

Meanwhile, 23,000 troops were drawn from old-standing forces near Lorraine and Verdun—equipped with supplies—and sent to Baden.

Since these regions were very close to Baden, this gave them over half a month for preparation and mobilization.

During the exercise, the old-standing troops merely needed to stand in infantry formations for show, while all the qualitative “performance” was handled by the Guard Corps.

From the hillside, however, none of the representatives could tell the difference; they genuinely believed France had dispatched a full 50,000 elite troops from Paris to the southern bank of the Rhine in just over twenty days.

An hour later, the “Resolute Will” exercise entered a pause for rest.

The hillside representatives returned to Karlsruhe Palace one after another, their expressions grim. Yet the resounding echoes of cannonfire seemed to linger in their ears, leaving them utterly unable to focus on the trade agreement.