Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

After four days of discussions among the military leaders of the Allied Forces, the overall strategic direction for the campaign against France was finally determined.

Next, the staff officers of various countries began to formulate specific operational deployments.

Of course, the central focus was mainly on the General Staffs of Prussia and Austria—Austria, like Prussia, had modeled its General Staff after France's last year but as a subordinate department of the Royal Military Commission—England did not yet have a General Staff structure, so it allowed Prussia and Austria to make the arrangements.

The chief commanders of England and Prussia stepped out of the conference hall side by side, nodding politely to each other, and then went their separate ways.

Once Prince Hornlow and other foreigners in the corridor were a distance away, he quietly said to the Duke of Brunswick, "It would be best if you personally lead three Royal Guard infantry divisions and the Hussar Division to remain along the Cologne-to-Nassau line. If the French Army on the western front shows any signs of slackening in their defense, cross the river immediately to attack Trier, the Palatinate, and other areas.

"As for Switzerland, leave it to the main brigade and the National Army. There shouldn't be any particularly fierce battles there."

The Prussian Royal Guard Corps are absolutely elite, while troops like the main brigade mostly consist of recently conscripted farmers with relatively weak combat capabilities.

For Prussia, recapturing the Rhine Riverfront is the core demand, and fighting in Switzerland only aids Austria in reclaiming Italy, making it unnecessary for Prussia to exert too much effort.

"I completely agree with your views." The Duke of Brunswick nodded, "I believe that young staff officer will make a reasonable arrangement."

Although during the past few days' meetings, the senior military officials of various nations agreed to concentrate their forces, there was still room for discretion in how to concentrate them.

Prince Hornlow continued, "I heard that the Danes have explicitly refused to join the Anti-French Alliance, which gives us the opportunity to acquire Kiel."

Kiel is a city at the southern edge of Denmark bordering Prussia, in what is now Schleswig-Holstein. According to a secret agreement between Britain and Prussia, this area and Vorpommern will be Prussia's 'gain'.

However, after Sweden decided to join the Anti-French Alliance, our focus shifted to Danish territory—as Vorpommern belongs to Sweden.

"The Danish Army is not hard to deal with," said the Duke of Brunswick. "With just a small force, we can win. This should be done before the decisive battle with the French begins..."

On the other side, Duke of York, the British chief commander, encountered his Foreign Minister at the gates of the Schonbrunn Palace.

"So you are here at Schonbrunn Palace?"

Lord Hawkesburg quickly placed his hand over his chest and bowed to the British Prince, "Your Highness, I'm here to sign the second batch of aid agreements with Count Kobutsel."

The two then walked out of Schonbrunn Palace together.

"Your Highness, did the Marquess of Wellesley not come with you?" Lord Hawkesburg asked with some surprise.

This British Army general, known for his prowess, should not have missed the critical military meeting of the Allied Forces.

Duke of York sighed, "Last month, the Spaniards launched a fierce attack on Porto, and he had to stay behind to reinforce the defense line."

Lord Hawkesburg turned his head, "It seems we should urge Prince Regent Joao to dispatch troops promptly."

Duke of York nodded. He knew that the United Kingdom of Portugal and Brazil was planning to launch an attack on Spain's colonies in South America, which would tie up a large portion of Spanish forces—New Granada is the financial life line of Madrid.

The Foreign Minister continued, "Before the war in Europe starts, the Americans will also give France a big 'surprise'."

The two reached the British Prince's carriage, and Duke of York motioned towards the carriage, "Will you return to Hanover with me?"

"Thank you for your invitation, Your Highness. But I still need to make a trip to Saint Petersburg."

Duke of York frowned slightly, "Didn't the Russians already indicate that they have no intention of joining the war against France?"

Lord Hawkesburg smiled confidently, "Trust me, they will come."

"Oh? How did you come to that conclusion?"

"I've met with Alexander I several times. He is a very ambitious Tsar and holds himself in high regard," the Foreign Minister said, "He easily acquired Transcaucasia and Eastern Poland, making him like a wolf that has tasted blood. I am confident I can persuade him."

Duke of York nodded, about to turn and board the carriage, but paused, "Honestly, with the Allied Forces' strength and strategic deployment, lacking the Russian Army wouldn't affect our chances of defeating the French."

"You're right," Lord Hawkesburg nodded, lowering his voice a little, "But we need to introduce a force to prevent Austria from spiraling out of control after France is weakened. You know, with the 'threat of Eastern Orthodox,' the German states will remain tied to us."

A week after the British left Vienna, the Allied Forces' staff officers had drafted the entire battle plan.

The initial troop deployment would total 450,000 soldiers, with plans to recruit at least an additional 140,000 within six months of the war's outset.

Among these, the main force would concentrate on the Italian front, including two Austrian field armies, totaling 180,000, plus 50,000 soldiers recruited by Britain in the German states, and 23,000 Hanoverian soldiers.

A total of 250,000 troops.

The 70,000 Prussian troops would be deployed on the right bank of the Rhine River, both to guard against sudden French crossings and to tie down a large number of French forces in the Rheinland region.

Meanwhile, the 60,000 Prussian troops in the Swiss field army would attack Zurich, securing a passage through the Alps for the Alliance.

In the meantime, 20,000 soldiers from mainland Britain would launch an attack on the Netherlands.

Additionally, 30,000 British and 20,000 Saxon soldiers would feign an attack on Baden from Wurttemberg. These 50,000 soldiers could readily divert southward to support the Swiss battlefield or cross the Alps into Italy.

In other words, under maximum forces, Northern Italy could gather a force of up to 360,000!

This thoroughly prevented the mistake of dispersed forces during the last Anti-French Alliance.

...

Little Poland region.

The important town of Mielitz in the northern part of the Poland Sandomierz Province.

This area is now on the northern side of the Carpathian Mountains and has been occupied by Austria.

From here, it's 250 kilometers north to Warsaw, and the terrain along the way is almost entirely flat except for two tributaries of the Vistula River.

Having secured this location, Austria felt completely reassured about the weakened Poland, which was left with only 30,000 troops, posing no threat.

However, the newly appointed Governor of Sandomierz Province, Marquis Prossno, frowned as he looked over two to three hundred people gathering in the church square.

These were nobles from Mielitz, protesting the Empire's decision to uphold the Polish Parliament's prior abolition of serfdom.

Indeed, to avoid sparking protests among the serfs, Vienna took measures to assign them land.

Of course, Warsaw's previous land policies were too radical, so on the advice of the Minister of the Interior, Count Speelman, they switched to a system where serfs would pay a redemption fee equivalent to 15 years of land taxes.

This was also seen as an experiment for Austria's future serf reforms.