Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

France built a large number of iron factories and two large coal mines in the Walloon Region, with investments worth millions of British Pounds.

As long as the British Army can break through the Brussels defense line, the French factories will be completely destroyed.

Sir Moore was imagining a bright future. If the French Army didn't react fast enough, he might even be able to march into Luxembourg, where there were also abundant French iron mines.

And then there's Verdun—the last fortress before Paris.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, a staff officer reported to Sir Moore: "General, the central troops have completed the river crossing. Do you want to check the defense lines on the south bank?"

Thanks to the work day and night by the nearby Dutch people, a bridge composed of four parallel rafts was built across the Val River, greatly increasing the efficiency of the crossing.

Moore's gaze remained on the map, and he waved his hand saying, "Let Colonel Patrick take charge of the defense line."

Before he finished, he heard a massive rumble from the opposite bank of the river.

Twelve-pound cannons!

Moore hurriedly grabbed the binoculars and saw two white "lines" advancing along the Val River beach, approaching his army from the east and west.

"Where did they come from?" He blinked hard, and upon looking again, saw the two French Army units even closer.

"Patrick!" Sir Moore shouted, "Have the Hussars cover the right flank! Immediately organize defense on the left flank."

He then quickly grabbed the reins and leapt onto the saddle, riding toward the opposite bank.

But his guard captain quickly followed, with several guards firmly blocking his path.

On the south bank, the British Army was preparing horses and moving munitions.

Except for one regiment that deployed an outpost in the morning, the other soldiers were not at all in combat readiness.

Under these circumstances, having their general cross the river would be akin to handing victory to the French.

Indeed, the crossed British soldiers began to panic. Some turned to run onto the pontoon bridge, intending to return to the north bank, while others shouted to form ranks and prepare for defense. Many more stood still waiting for orders.

But the officers were equally confused. Previous intelligence indicated the French only had eight or nine thousand soldiers. Without cooperation from the Dutch people, who would've thought they dared to launch a raid from such a distance?

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Still writing, please refresh and revisit in an hour. The author deeply apologizes.

In 1789, when the French Revolution erupted, Gassen returned to Glas and joined the National Self-Defense Force. In 1790, he was promoted to Captain; in 1791, he went to Val Province and served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the local volunteer regiment. In 1792, when France declared war on Austria, he was posted in the 27th Regiment for service. His regiment was first stationed in Strasbourg

In December 1793, he participated in the Battle of Wissembourg. In May 1794, Gassen joined the newly formed 54 semi-brigade, serving as a Battalion Commander. On July 4, he ordered the drummers to beat the drums and led his troops to rout the Prussian Army stationed in Kuppenheim, making the Prussian Soldiers believe they were outnumbered. On July 11, he was promoted to Colonel, commanding a brigade, and led his troops to defeat the Prussian Army in Tripstadt.

In 1796, he entered the Rhine District

serving in the army under Jean Victor Moreau. This was his first battle participation, and he was promoted to Quasi-General to commend his outstanding achievements in the Battle of Ettlingen. On November 22, 1796, Gassen was injured and sent to Strasbourg Civil Hospital for recovery, where he met Marie Madeleine

On April 4, 1799, his superior and friend Andre Massena transferred him to the Danube Region army service with the troops stationed in the northeast of the Swiss Plateau

There, he was responsible for commanding a brigade (with insufficient power), stationed in a small town named Winterthur

(located in northern Switzerland). On May 26, the newly appointed Division Commander Michel Ney began moving to the front line to command the troops in battle. His troops were responsible for protecting the French Army main forces (stationed in Zurich). The next day, Friedrich

Baron von Hoetz led the Austrian border troops to the battlefield. This unit had rich combat experience, with nearly 8,000 soldiers, including the 12th "Manfredini" Infantry Regiment, a Hungarian Grenadier Battalion, and six Valdeck Dragon Cavalry

squadrons. In the ensuing conflict, Ney

ordered Gassen to lead the underpowered brigade to the center of the battlefield, but they soon came under enemy fire suppression. During the retreat, they safely passed a bridge crossing the Tess River, but the cavalry unit responsible for guarding the bridge was also forced to retreat. The French Army built artillery positions on a small hill to protect the retreating troops from Austrian Army attacks; the injured Ney handed command authority to Gassen, who organized and directed this successful retreat operation.

A few days later, on June 4, 1799, during the First Zurich Battle, the Austrian Army broke through the French Army's defense line. Massena

managed to evade Archduke Karl's troops and retreated to the other side of the Limmat River

Afterwards, as part of the Fifth Division of the Danube Region army, Gassen was once again responsible for commanding the rear guard. Later that year, on September 27, during the Second Zurich Battle, his troops engaged with the Austria-Russia Alliance Army. His division repelled the Russian Army's vanguard near the Limmat River. Subsequently, he followed his troops in a wild chase of the Austrian Army, finally achieving a decisive victory for the French Army. He was promoted to Division Commander and continued commanding troops fighting against the Anti-France Alliance in Switzerland.

In 1800, Gassen joined Massena's Italian Region army in combat, entering the Jean-de-Dieu Surt

Grenadier Regiment, the 30th Light Infantry Regiment, as well as parts of the 2nd Line Infantry Regiment, the 3rd Line Infantry Regiment, and the 78th Line Infantry Regiment, totaling about 4,500 men. When Surt's corps was fighting in north-central Italy, Massena's troops were besieged by an Austrian Army of 24,000 men and a British Naval Squadron in Genoa

Surt deployed his corps to the eastern regions to support the French Army stationed in Genoa. On April 9, as part of Surt's corps, Gassen's troops fought with the enemy at the Bocheta Pass; on April 10, he commanded the right wing troops and participated in the Battle of Sassello. In both clashes, his division was at a numerical disadvantage, with a casualty ratio close to 3:1, suffering heavy losses. Later in the month, on April 18, his troops clashed with the enemy in Wolter

In order to rescue Massena's troops (stationed in Genoa), Surt organized several military operations, with the French Army attacking the Austrian Army fortresses around the city. On May 13, 1800, at Montecreto, Gassen's division and the first column of Surt's main forces (about 5,000 men) launched an attack on the Austrian Army