Chapter 458: The Music Teacher's Sacrifice
The massive Silesian campaign, with its armies of over 100,000 men, made Joseph realize the urgency of expanding the Guard Corps. No matter how strong your troops are, it's difficult to win against an enemy four or five times your size. So, he decided to use the unexpected windfall from recent successes to both attract new recruits and boost the morale of the Guard Corps.
Joseph glanced at the three remaining carts full of gold coins and, after a moment of thought, instructed, "Deposit the rest into the Bank of France. When I return, I'll use it to purchase military academies."
This was something he had been planning for a while. Currently, France had 12 top military academies, but apart from the Paris Officer School, most were relatively small. For example, Napoleon's alma mater, Brienne Military School, had only about a hundred students. Other academies were of similar size.
These academies were originally intended to train noble officers, so their small size sufficed for that purpose. However, the small size also meant they wouldn't be too expensive to purchase.
Most of these academies were attached to local regiments and were often located on military training grounds, which were under the control of the General Staff. So, there was little resistance to the idea of buying them.
Joseph planned to use 2 million francs to "buy out" at least 10 of these top academies and then thoroughly reform them. His goal was to allow commoners to enter the military academies. Initially, they might still need to reserve some privileges for nobles, like admission without exams, since they were paying hefty tuition fees. But students who excelled or showed great talent could be granted free tuition.
Next, Joseph planned to expand and merge the academies, which would require additional investment. However, once these academies were reformed following the model of the Paris Police Academy, Joseph would have a steady stream of highly qualified recruits and could fundamentally weaken the nobles' control over the military.
As the distant sounds of artillery grew sparse, Joseph knew that the main forces of both sides were beginning their final battle. After another glance at the gold coins, he signaled for his horse and rode straight to Marshal Laessig's field command post.
On a hill east of Balde Village, Marshal Laessig greeted Joseph with a smile, tipping his hat before handing him a telescope and pointing to the battlefield below. "Just as you predicted, the Prussians' defense is very weak. Our heavy artillery has broken through their first line of infantry, and our men are now attacking the second line."
He took a cup of coffee from his aide and handed it to Joseph. "Your Highness, have some coffee to warm up. If all goes well, we'll capture the crossroads before the woods today."
Looking through the telescope, Joseph saw large numbers of Austrian soldiers converging on the Prussian troops from three directions—victory was all but assured. The crossroads Laessig mentioned was the last place where the Prussians could effectively deploy their troops. Once it was taken, the elite Austrian skirmishers would quickly clear out any remaining resistance.
Marshal Laessig continued with enthusiasm, "Your Highness, after this, we will march straight to Liegnitz. By the end of the month, we'll be celebrating our victory there."
Joseph considered this and replied, "Marshal, I suggest we don't focus on Liegnitz."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Laessig asked.
"We're south of Liegnitz, and the city is to the north," Joseph explained. "Instead of a long march, we should head directly for Breslau."
Breslau, the capital of Silesia, lay to the east of Liegnitz. The distance from Fordam to either city was roughly the same.
Marshal Laessig smiled and shook his head. "Your Highness, that's too risky. Breslau is a fortified city. If we can't capture it quickly, Ferdinand might fortify the area around Liegnitz. Then we could end up with neither Liegnitz nor Breslau."
Joseph looked at him and asked, "If you were Duke Brunswick, would you risk Breslau falling to an army of six or seven times the size of its defenders?"
Marshal Laessig fell into deep thought. Breslau's garrison was likely fewer than 4,000 men. Even if Ferdinand sent reinforcements, they would only have around 10,000 soldiers. In the chaos of battle, with an overwhelming force of Austrians attacking, no one could guarantee that the fortress would hold.
Losing Breslau would mean losing over 80% of Silesia. From Breslau, it would be easy to push down the Oder River and capture the provinces of Oberland and Ratibor. Ferdinand wouldn't dare take that gamble!
…
Vienna
In a luxurious villa in southwest Vienna, a salon was in full swing.
Baron Walter, clearly in high spirits after drinking heavily, was starting to feel a bit tipsy. "Ha, all that government propaganda is nonsense," he boasted to the young nobles around him. "I know the real story, the insider information. Let me tell you, the situation in Silesia isn't nearly as good as the papers make it out to be."
He hiccuped and continued, "Don't spread this around, but the coalition is still deadlocked with the Prussians in Liegnitz."
The young nobles exchanged uncertain glances. "Are you serious?"
"Of course I am! I heard it straight from the Minister of War." Walter burst out laughing. "Did you know? Even the French Prince got himself surrounded by the Prussians near Oberland? Hahaha."
He took another big gulp of wine and went on, "That fool took just over 10,000 men and left his camp without permission, only to get surrounded by 30,000 Prussians. Marshal Laessig even had to write to the Emperor for help. If you ask me, that Frenchman is probably already captured—or dead! Hahaha, serves him right!"
As he laughed uncontrollably, a musician sitting in the corner, playing the piano, grew pale, his hands trembling as he repeatedly hit the wrong notes.
The musician was Basel, and he knew exactly who Walter was referring to as "that fool"—the woman he had been longing for, Camellia. His teeth clenched. He had believed that his beloved student had finally found the life she deserved, becoming part of the Parisian elite. But now, it seemed that fate had cruelly taken the French Prince's life on the battlefield—or had him captured and sent to Potsdam, which was just as bad.
In any case, she had lost her protector.
Basel's cold gaze fell on Baron Walter, who, as a scoundrel, would never let her go now. Basel curled up in his chair, feeling his heart shatter.
Suddenly, Walter's boisterous laughter jolted him back to reality. Basel sat up straight, his hands trembling even more, but his resolve hardened: No, I cannot let Vienna's flower fall into the hands of a devil! Without the French Prince, I will be the one to protect her from all dangers!
(End of Chapter)
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