Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Vienna.

In the corridor of Schönbrunn Palace, Blucher's gaze swept across the exquisite decorations and carvings on the walls, and he couldn't help but frown: "We should have the Austrians come to Berlin instead. Look around; this place is more suited for balls, not war meetings."

Prussian Chief of Staff Scharnhorst, standing nearby, did not respond to that, instead saying, "Have you heard? Sweden has confirmed to join the Anti-French Alliance."

"Lord Hawkesburg really knows how to persuade."

"Gustav IV is more concerned with the situation in the Baltic direction," Scharnhorst replied. "The British have promised to facilitate an alliance agreement between them and Russia."

Blucher curled his lips: "So, the Swedes won't deploy too many troops.

"By the way, before I left Berlin, I heard that His Majesty intends to accept the terms of the ceasefire with Warsaw?"

Scharnhorst nodded: "Yes, the Russian army has already reached the southern bank of the Piatra River. His Majesty does not want Poland to disappear, as it can serve as a buffer zone between us, Russia, and Austria. The Austrians feel the same way."

The Piatra River is just south of Pinsk, which means that Russia currently occupies vast territories along the Dnieper River, Volhynia, and Podolia, encompassing over a third of Poland's area.

Scharnhorst continued, "Russia has acquired nearly all the Eastern Orthodox regions and should be satisfied.

"And on the Polish side, they have more or less agreed to all the ceasefire conditions, including keeping their military forces below 30,000 men, trade privileges, and wartime passage rights.

"His Majesty and the General Staff believe that it's time to turn our attention to the left bank of the Rhine River..."

As they were speaking, they heard a roar coming from the hall ahead: "You can't always be thinking of your own interests. It was this way last time, and it allowed the French to seize the opportunity to defeat the Allied Forces separately.

"Clearly, the flat terrain of the Low Countries is better suited as the main attack direction. After occupying the Walloon Region, we can directly threaten French territory or attack the Verdun Fortress from Luxembourg..."

Another voice with a Southern German accent interrupted: "What you can think of, the French cannot possibly overlook as well.

"They have amassed a large force along the Brussels-Cologne line, waiting to strike us when we cross the Rhine. And attacking from the Western line involves the neutral country of Holland..."

Blucher and Scharnhorst quietly entered the meeting hall, where they saw Prince Hohenlohe, the Prussian commander, leaning on the table, glaring at the opposing Austrian officer: "The Dutch betrayed the alliance and should be punished. And you probably forgot about the Flemish territory of the Empire, which we can retrieve before attacking the Walloon."

"And no matter how much force the Allied Forces expend in Northern Italy, they can't really hurt the French..."

Austrian Archduke Ferdinand loudly declared: "This is precisely our advantage!

"France certainly wouldn't want to divert too much focus on Italy. Seizing it can provide a supply source closest to France.

"The Empire has ruled Northern Italy for years, and there are many factions willing to obey the Emperor's command."

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Although the European battle ended with the Treaty of Amiens in March 1802, many signatories remained dissatisfied with its terms. The increasing tension led Britain to declare war on France on May 18, 1803, prompting Napoleon to redraw plans for an invasion across the Channel and begin concentrating troops around Boulogne. After France executed Duke Louis Antoine of Engien in March 1804, many great powers in Europe became increasingly concerned about France's intentions. Later that year, Sweden signed an agreement with Britain, which opened the door to the Third Coalition that would form. In early 1805, Prime Minister William Pitt launched a relentless diplomatic campaign to form an alliance with Russia, and despite British concerns about Russia's growing influence in the Baltic Sea, the alliance was secured. Months later, Britain and Russia joined Austria, which had been defeated by France twice in recent years and sought revenge.

Facing threats from Russia and Austria, Napoleon abandoned his ambitions to invade England in the summer of 1805, instead focusing on these new adversaries. On September 25, 200,000 French troops moved with speed and efficiency, departing from camps near Boulogne and starting to cross the Rhine River along a 160-mile front. In response to the threat, Austrian General Karmark concentrated his forces at the Ulm Fortress in Bavaria, while Napoleon executed a brilliant maneuver to turn north and land behind the Austrian lines.

After winning a series of battles, Napoleon captured Mack and 23,000 soldiers at Ulm on October 20, although the victory was somewhat overshadowed by Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson's triumph at Trafalgar the following day. The victory at Ulm

effectively opened the road to Vienna. In November, a Russian field army, led by General Mikhail Ilarionovich Golenischev-Kutuzov, had already gathered in the northeast, reinforcing many remaining Austrian troops. Napoleon sought to engage them in battle before his communication lines were cut or Prussia entered the conflict.

On December 1, the Russian and Austrian leaders met to decide their next move. Although Tsar Alexander I wished to attack the French, Austrian Emperor Francis II and Kutuzov favored a more defensive approach. Under pressure from high-ranking commanders, they finally decided to attack the French right (southern) flank to open the road to Vienna. Looking ahead, they adopted a plan formulated by Austrian Chief of Staff Franz von Werther, which called for an assault on the French right flank by four columns. This plan played directly into Napoleon's hands; anticipating they would attack his right side, he thinned it to make it more attractive, believing this attack would weaken the Allied center, and he planned a massive counterattack in the area to crush their frontlines. Meanwhile, Marshal Louis-Nicolas Dawu's Third Corps would come from Vienna to support the right wing, with Marshal Jean Lannes' Fifth Corps deployed near Santon's Hill at the northern end of the line, General Claude Legrand's division positioned at the southern end, and Marshal Jean de Dieu Soult's Fourth Corps in the center.

At around 8:00 AM on December 2, the first Allied column began attacking the French near the village of Telnitz. After seizing the village, they pushed the French back to the Goldbach Creek, and the French efforts were bolstered by the arrival of Da Wu's Army, which revitalized their attack. The French counterattacked and retook Telnitz, but the Allied cavalry expelled them from the village, and further Allied attacks were halted by French artillery.