Chapter 455: Politics and Deals
On the eastern side of the Liegnitz front, Duke Brunswick stared at the map with a grim expression. At this point, more than 40,000 Prussian soldiers and over 14,000 Saxons were cut off on the western side of the front, completely out of contact with him.
He glanced gratefully at his aide—if it hadn't been for the aide's strong advice yesterday, he might have gone to the other side of the front to command the troops himself. If that had happened, even he, the commander-in-chief, would have been trapped there.
After a brief discussion, Duke Brunswick looked around at the officers in the tent, his voice hoarse as he said, "All right, gather every available unit from Liegnitz. We must rescue our men."
The Prussian army was already outnumbered, and if those 50,000-plus troops were lost to the Austrians, there would be no point in continuing the war.
Once the battle orders were given, the officers quickly left to carry them out. As soon as the tent flap closed, Duke Brunswick slammed his cane onto the table in front of him, letting out a low, angry growl:
"Damn the French! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Where did they come from?
"How could Andreas and August, with such a numerical advantage, be routed in half a day?"
Yesterday, he had already sent out reserves to try and break through the French blockade on the Liegnitz front, but it only took two hours for them to be pushed back by the French.
He knew the Austrians would continue to reinforce their position to prevent those 50,000 troops from breaking through, so he would need to concentrate all his forces for one decisive strike to turn the tide…
Three days later.
Over 40,000 Prussian soldiers had gathered at the breach in the Liegnitz front.
As Duke Brunswick gazed through his telescope at the Austrian artillery positions, he felt a knot of anxiety. He knew that on the other side of the line, Marshal Laessig was surely positioning his troops to encircle those 50,000-plus men.
If he failed to break through the Austro-French defenses in this battle, the situation in Silesia would spiral completely out of control.
Just as he was about to take a desperate gamble and order a full-scale assault, an aide hurried over, barely taking the time to salute before whispering urgently in his ear.
"What?!" Duke Brunswick's eyes widened in shock. "Are you sure of his identity?"
"Yes, Your Excellency," the aide replied, signaling the guards to step back before continuing, "He brought a letter with the French Prince's seal and signature."
"All units, hold your positions!" Duke Brunswick ordered his officers, then mounted his horse and followed the aide back to their camp.
In one of the officers' tents, Duke Brunswick met the French Prince's envoy.
The envoy tipped his hat in greeting, smiling politely, "Honorable Duke, I bring greetings from His Highness, the Prince."
The Prussian commander returned the greeting with a nod, still somewhat hesitant. "You mentioned to my aide that you wished to prevent further escalation?"
"That is His Highness's intent," the envoy replied, glancing briefly to the west before continuing. "At the moment, the French forces are holding the breach in the line, while your tens of thousands of troops are poised to attack.
"It's clear that after this battle, our army will suffer severe casualties. Of course, your side will also incur significant losses. But the truth is, this battle is entirely unnecessary."
Duke Brunswick narrowed his eyes. It seemed the French weren't willing to make too many sacrifices for the Holy Roman Emperor. This was nothing short of divine providence for Prussia!
He kept his voice steady as he asked, "So, what does your Prince suggest?"
The envoy gave a slight bow before speaking, "You're planning to assault the Liegnitz front to rescue your troops trapped on the western side."
Duke Brunswick remained noncommittal.
The envoy continued, "If we could do something to help those 56,000 soldiers of yours escape, this battle could be avoided."
Duke Brunswick could no longer contain his surprise. "What does His Highness intend to do?"
"You see," the envoy explained, "The defense of Zare is currently handled by three of His Highness's infantry regiments. If those troops were suddenly redeployed elsewhere, your forces could head north into the Glogau region."
Zare was located to the northwest of Liegnitz, a key route that, if traversed, would allow the Prussian troops to continue north into the Glogau province of northern Silesia.
Duke Brunswick could hardly believe what he was hearing. "Are you serious?"
"You needn't doubt His Highness's sincerity," the envoy reassured him with a nod. "However, even if your troops make it through Zare, Marshal Laessig will likely pursue them.
"His Highness suggests that if you want them to escape successfully, it would be wise to send troops to the northern side of the front to create a diversion, perhaps feigning an attack to draw the Austrians' attention."
"Ah! My deepest thanks to His Highness," Duke Brunswick said, elated. "I will certainly give his suggestion serious consideration."
Joseph understood that if those 50,000 Prussian troops who had penetrated into Austrian territory were wiped out, the situation in Silesia would fall entirely into Austrian hands.
But his strategic goal from the beginning had been to keep Prussia and Austria at odds, not to help Austria dominate the German states.
So, the Prussian army needed to escape, ensuring a military balance between Prussia and Austria. At the same time, he needed Austria to make significant gains in Silesia to escalate the conflict further.
It was like walking a tightrope—any misstep, whether to the left or right, would result in a fall.
Duke Brunswick then offered a shrewd smile. "So, what can I do in return for His Highness?"
"Oh, it's quite simple," the envoy replied with a smile. "His Highness needs a bit of money, just 2 million florins. It's a small price to pay to save your army."
Duke Brunswick was momentarily stunned.
He had expected the French Prince to demand some political concession, or perhaps seek some kind of military cooperation, but he hadn't imagined the request would be so… blunt!
He mentally scorned the mercenary Frenchman, but nodded. "That seems reasonable. How should I deliver the money to His Highness?"
The Prussian army's next month's wages had just arrived, and there was enough to spare for this payment.
The envoy replied without hesitation, "You can send the money with cavalry to the breach in the line. Once you've received word that your troops have escaped, hand it over to our men."
Of course, Joseph would have preferred to leverage this opportunity for political gain, but he knew Prussia was deeply entangled with Britain. Even if they agreed to his political terms, they would likely back out under British pressure.
So, he decided it was better to ask for cold, hard cash. After a rough estimate of the Prussian army's monthly payroll, he settled on 2 million florins.
(End of chapter)
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