Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Lutsk followed the officer up the low hill and saw that representatives from Austria, England, Bavaria, and other nations had already gathered there. A major dressed in Baden military uniform was pointing down the hill, loudly addressing the crowd.

“Gentlemen, the purpose of this ‘Firm Will’ joint military exercise is to practice the defense strategies of France and Baden in the event our trade routes within the country are attacked; it is not directed against any country.”

Of course, this statement was drafted by Joseph. The Baden officer was simply reading from a script.

The officer signaled the guards to distribute telescopes to the negotiating representatives and continued, “This exercise will consist of a mixed force of 1,800 soldiers from the Baden Royal Guards and 48,000 soldiers from the French Royal Guards Corps.

“The exercise troops will be divided into Blue and White armies, engaging in a week-long attack and defense drill around Karlsruhe. The exercises will include: town defense, encirclement and counter-attacks, pursuit and counteroffensive…”

Lutsk’s face darkened slightly. 50,000 French troops suddenly conducting an exercise here—who couldn’t discern their intentions?

Moreover, the name of the exercise—”Firm Will”—was akin to hanging a sign in the conference hall for trade negotiations stating, “France firmly opposes England joining the Rhine-Saone Treaty.”

Below the hill, a barrage of cannon fire erupted, causing a sharp pain in Lutsk’s eardrums.

He raised the newly-acquired telescope to his eyes and saw, amid a cloud of dust and gunpowder, large groups of soldiers in blue or white uniforms moving back and forth in extremely orderly formations, occasionally stopping for volleys of fire.

Among the infantry lines, “White Team” horses dragged more than a dozen cannons across the haze of gunpowder in a flash.

These artillery troops moved swiftly, quickly setting up an artillery position on the right flank of the “Blue Team’s” infantry lines, while the officers commenced their measurements and calculations.

In just three or four minutes, the cannons had completed all preparation work, were rapidly loaded, and aimed at the “Blue Team’s” infantry, which was within close proximity.

At that instant, Lutsk’s heart clenched for those infantrymen, as if in the next moment, he could witness the terrifying scene of flesh being torn apart by the horrific cannon fire.

However, suddenly, thousands of “Blue Team” hussars emerged from behind the infantry, arranging themselves into a neat arrowhead formation at high speed, roaring as they charged toward the enemy artillery position.

Simultaneously, the “Blue Team’s” artillery appeared nearby on high ground, with over a dozen cannons spewing flames at once, tearing open a gap in the “White Team’s” infantry line.

Yet, the “White Team’s” infantry were exceedingly tenacious. Those in the rear quickly moved their “fallen” comrades and took up their positions, then raised their rifles in retaliation upon the officer’s command…

Tens of thousands of soldiers, cannons, and war horses mingled in the open field before his eyes, the roaring sounds and shouts incessant, rendering the tension-filled and awe-inspiring scene so intense it made Lutsk’s scalp tingle and his heart race uncontrollably.

Though he wasn’t very knowledgeable in military matters, the swift actions and orderly ranks of the French Army, as well as their clear and methodical command, allowed him to see at a glance that it was an extremely powerful elite force.

This was precisely what Bertier had arranged for laypeople like him—the negotiating representatives were mostly novices in military affairs. Stuffing 50,000 troops into a narrow area only 4 kilometers in width, the two exercising sides engaged in intense face-to-face combat. With no regard for tactics, they acted on primal bloodlust, overwhelming the representatives instantaneously.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Salzburg’s negotiating representative suddenly spoke in annoyance, “These show-off Frenchmen, with only tens of thousands of soldiers, think they can intimidate us with this…”

Baron Heine Man from Augsburg, putting down his telescope, cast a meaningful glance at him and shook his head, “Viscount Shaoen, have you not noticed the most terrifying aspect of this exercise?”

“What are you implying?”

Baron Heine Man heaved a sigh and said, “Do you remember when the motion to include England in the Rhine-Saone Treaty was proposed?”

“Count Friedrichs put it forward a month ago,” Viscount Shaoen replied without hesitation.

Heine Man nodded, “The purpose of France’s military exercise is obviously aimed at the vote on this motion. That is to say, France assembled an army of 50,000 and arrived on the southern bank of the Rhine River in just over 20 days.”

Upon hearing this, Shaoen’s expression immediately stiffened, and he fell silent with a somber face.

Lutsk also furrowed his brows.

One must know that it takes about a week for the proposal from Salzburg to reach France. Even if France decided to conduct the exercise immediately…

He said subconsciously, “So, they completed the troop assembly in just over 20 days…”

Baron Heine Man sighed again, “No, Mr. Lutsk, if it’s the French Royal Guard Corps conducting the exercise, then they might have completed the assembly in just three or four days.”

“What? How is that possible?!”

“The Guard Corps are usually stationed near Paris,” Heine Man said, “It takes at least 20 days to march from Paris to Karlsruhe. So, they only had three or four days to assemble.”

All the negotiating representatives looked over at him simultaneously, eyes filled with shock.

To complete the assembly of an army of 50,000 in three to four days, with cavalry and cannons fully equipped, the mobilization ability, action speed, and logistical support efficiency of the French Army were astoundingly high, enough to make one’s heart palpitate!

The only comparison that could be made was to how Austria took a full month and a half to barely assemble a vanguard force of 60,000 during the Silesian War.

Of course, even if Joseph’s military reforms were hugely successful, it wouldn’t be possible for the Guard Corps to assemble an army of 50,000 in four days.

He was simply using some tricks in this regard.

Of the French forces that came to Baden, only 25,000 were from the Guard Corps. After receiving orders, they took a week to assemble and, almost without any baggage train, they marched at high speed and reached Baden in 14 days.

Meanwhile, 23,000 soldiers were pulled from the old military units stationed near Lorraine and Verdun, carrying logistical supplies as they hurried to Baden.

Since these places were very close to Baden, they had half a month to assemble and prepare.

During the exercise, the old military units merely had to form up in infantry lines to create a show of force, with all the substantial “performance” handled by the Guard Corps.

But the negotiating representatives watching from the hillside couldn’t tell the difference; they simply thought France had dispatched 50,000 elite troops from Paris to the southern bank of the Rhine River in just over 20 days.

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

The negotiating representatives returned to Karlsruhe Palace from the hillside with somber expressions. The thundering sounds of cannons seemed still to echo in their ears, preventing them from calming down to ponder the matters of the trade agreement.