Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

The two walked and talked all the way, and soon arrived at the officer’s tent.

Once inside the tent, Joseph gestured for Eman to bring tea and said to Tai’en:

“Please have a seat.

“Regarding the nation-building plan we just discussed, France will sign a formal agreement with your Congress after you have convened your first parliamentary election.”

Tai’en excitedly took the teacup and nodded repeatedly, “Thank you for your assistance, Your Royal Highness. I will contact the parliament members as quickly as possible.”

“Very well. Then you should depart for Brussels as soon as possible.”

Joseph paused and added, “As I mentioned earlier, my army is fully capable of defeating the Austrians, as well as any British or Prussian armies that might come here.

“However, the Flemish must contribute to their own independence efforts, or else your descendants will only be able to say, ‘When our country was founded, our ancestors did nothing.’

Tai’en hurriedly agreed, “You are absolutely right, Your Highness. I will do my utmost to rally Flemish soldiers to resist the Austrian Army.

“Oh, and I must advise you, Si Haike is a shameless scoundrel; you cannot trust him.”

Joseph smiled and replied, “At this moment, every person counts. I believe he is willing to contribute to the Flemish nation-building efforts. As Speaker of Congress, you should accept any allies who share the same ideals with tolerance.”

“Well, alright, I will follow your advice,” Tai’en nodded reluctantly. “I’ll leave the captured soldiers to him then. I will return to Brussels tonight.”

“Good. You may also select a number of soldiers to escort you,” Joseph said.

He was not at all concerned that Tai’en might deceive him.

After all, it’s difficult for anyone to resist the enormous temptation of becoming a founding father. Not only does it fulfill the Flemish people’s centuries-old dream, but it also provides a noble and magnificent reason to gain immense power while securing widespread fame for generations to come.

Moreover, even if Tai’en did escape, wasn’t Si Haike still a backup option?

Joseph firmly believed that among the over 2,600 captured prisoners in the military camp, he could easily find at least ten people willing to become founding fathers of the Flemish nation.

By 6 PM, Tai’en departed with three politically influential officers and eighty soldiers, heading for Brussels.

He was not concerned about the French people going back on their word or if the French Army might lose the war.

As long as this war could unite the Flemish Region’s parliamentarians, he could form a political force to negotiate terms with Austria.

Of course, if France won, he would benefit even more.

Meanwhile, Si Haike was working efficiently as well.

Only three days later, he organized 2,000 Flemish prisoners from the Austrian captives, who chose to “join” the French Army.

Naturally, it wasn’t Si Haike’s charisma that made this possible but mainly Tai’en’s pre-departure discussion with the Flemish captives.

Soon after, French cavalry scouts returned to Wavre and reported that the Prince of Coburg showed no signs of dispatching forces to rescue Count Radetsky.

In fact, at this point, the Prince of Coburg had only managed to gather fewer than 7,000 defeated troops. Still fearing that the French people might come to Leuven to annihilate him, he was desperately seeking reinforcements from the British Army Commander in Utrecht, the Duke of York, Frederick, second son of George III. He had absolutely no intention of taking the initiative to attack.

Joseph waited another two days, and after the Atuwa Corps, Rettel Corps, and other old military units also arrived at Wavre, he ordered an offensive against Mafnie Town.

The battle carried no suspense; the newly allied Flemish also participated, and within just one day, Count Radetsky surrendered.

Subsequently, more than 4,000 Austrian soldiers entered captivity, most of whom were Flemish.

Si Haike immediately got busy organizing the Flemish Army for Joseph.

Joseph instructed Lefevre to draw middle- and lower-ranking officers from France’s older forces and integrate them with the Flemish troops, forming two Flemish infantry regiments, one Flemish scattered soldier camp, and one Flemish cavalry camp.

Oh yes, that cavalry camp was composed of those Austrian cavalry troops who had been previously humiliated by Dutch cavalry.

The entire Flemish Army totaled just over 4,700 soldiers. While their morale and loyalty were questionable, it was better than having nothing.

Besides, the Walloon Region was relatively wealthy and could easily shoulder the logistical burden for a few thousand troops without strain.

Without taking much time to rest, Joseph led nearly 30,000 troops toward Brussels.

As the capital of the Southern Netherlands, Brussels was Austria’s political stronghold in the region. Once it fell, the entire Southern Netherlands would undergo a dramatic upheaval.

Meanwhile, Brussels was defended by just over 20,000 weak Dutch Army troops, making it the perfect time to seize the city.

At the same time, the Walloon Chamber of Commerce convened a grand full-member meeting in Namur.

Dressed in a pristine white military uniform, Major General Jia Ya’er adjusted his collar and strode toward the front podium of the meeting hall.

Yes, he had officially assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief for the newly formed Walloon Defense Force. After the “demilitarized zone” agreement was torn up, establishing a military force in the Walloon Region became a natural course of action.

Nearly 4,000 former Walloon police voluntarily joined the Defense Force, donned custom-made French uniforms, and immediately transformed into soldiers.

Jia Ya’er vigorously waved his fists and proclaimed, “Everyone knows that if it weren’t for His Royal Highness leading troops to rescue, I would have been killed by the Austrian Army in Wavre!”

He avoided mentioning being captured; this maximized the resentment among the members.

“If we do not rely on the strength of mighty France, we will sooner or later be brought back under Austrian control. The blood shed by our warriors at Wavre will all become meaningless!”

His words immediately won voiced approval from over a dozen congress member attendees with military backgrounds.

However, a sixty-something Chamber member stood up and said, “General Jia Ya’er, the current state of high autonomy in the Walloon Region brings us the greatest benefits. Joining France will cost us much. If I recall correctly, His Royal Highness does not even accept the establishment of a Congress in the Walloon Region.”

Indeed, Joseph demanded the dissolution of the Walloon Chamber of Commerce and did not agree to its conversion into a Congress.

Such regional congress models might work well in other countries, but Joseph believed that, at least during his lifetime, no local congress could outperform his own methods for regional development.

The Chamber President, Shevenemang, cleared his throat and stood up, “Speaking of the interests of the Walloon Region, His Royal Highness has actually promised me that hundreds of kilometers of wooden track construction will be undertaken here. Oh, the tracks will be entirely paved with steel.”

The assembly hall fell immediately silent.

Most of the attending members were engaged in coal mining or iron smelting operations. They were acutely aware of the enormous profits such an extensive iron rail network could bring them!

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