I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 358: Circling Around

Joseph was well aware of how harsh life was for the lower classes in this era. If you took away their food and livestock without paying, it could mean starvation for an entire family. Moreover, sourcing supplies locally was far cheaper than transporting them from France along a long supply line. After all, transportation costs and losses were eliminated, so there was no need to squeeze the local farmers for what little they had.

Additionally, paying for supplies would leave a good impression on the people of the Southern Netherlands, making future local sourcing easier. Some locals might even bring supplies to the Imperial Guard's camp voluntarily to make a profit.

At 3 PM, the Imperial Guard began moving southwest, bypassing Antwerp to the south and skirting the border of Brussels, heading straight for the province of Ghent.

Joseph continued to ride on the left side of the marching column, occasionally waving to the soldiers to boost their morale. The soldiers responded with excited cheers.

Berthier rode up beside him and respectfully said, "Your Highness, Major Masson reports that he did not engage the Hanoverian army because their formation was too tight."

Joseph nodded, "He made the right decision. The key to a flanking maneuver is not to seize every opportunity, but to preserve your forces while disrupting the enemy's formation as much as possible."

Masson's battalion, along with two companies of soldiers, totaling less than a thousand men, was operating near the Hanoverian army. Joseph had ordered him to execute flanking maneuvers whenever the enemy was distracted or disorganized, to further disrupt their formations.

At present, the Imperial Guard had very few officers capable of independent command. Lefebvre had been left behind to assist General Leo, and that left only Berthier. Officers like Davout and Napoleon were still relatively inexperienced, and their ranks weren't high enough to lead an entire corps on their own.

As for Masson, his clever performance in a previous exercise with Unck had earned him command of the only mobile unit.

If Joseph had commanders like Napoleon, or if he could recruit formidable generals like Masséna, Moreau, or Lannes, he could have shredded the Hanoverian army with flanking maneuvers.

"Talent is always the most precious resource..." Joseph sighed inwardly. But he also knew that nurturing a strong army was not something that could be achieved overnight. Considering the rapid progress of the Imperial Guard, it was already impressive.

He believed that if they could achieve a significant victory in the Southern Netherlands this time, the Imperial Guard would attract even more talent, leading to another surge in growth.

Further back in the marching column, Napoleon was once again questioning the regiment commander: "So, is our real target Ghent?"

Before Colonel Dumont could respond, Napoleon quickly corrected himself: "No, Ghent doesn't have any strategic targets that could provoke the enemy."

Colonel Dumont smiled, "You're right. There are only about 8,000 Southern Netherlands rebels there."

"They're the main force of the rebels," Napoleon suddenly had a flash of insight. "Our target isn't Ghent, but Brussels!"

Colonel Dumont was taken aback by the young major's insight. During the staff meeting, he hadn't made the connection between Ghent and Brussels until the Prince pointed it out. Yet this young officer had figured it out in seconds!

Unwilling to be outdone, Dumont asked, "Oh? And what led you to this conclusion?"

Napoleon replied quickly, "It's simple. If the main force of the rebels in Ghent is destroyed, Brussels will be like a ripe apple ready to be plucked. The rebel parliament might even surrender directly to us."

"Then why don't we attack Brussels directly?" Dumont continued to probe.

"That would put our army at risk. If the Hanoverians respond quickly and the main rebel force from Ghent also heads to Brussels, we could end up being caught in a pincer movement," Napoleon explained without hesitation, ignoring the colonel's surprise. "Even if the enemy isn't well-coordinated, attacking Brussels might cause the rebel parliament to flee to Ghent. In that case, taking the city would not give us any strategic advantage—it would just be an isolated position deep in enemy territory."

Colonel Dumont almost blurted out, "Absolutely right."

He composed himself, cleared his throat, and said, "You're quite talented for your age. Perhaps in a few years, this regiment will be yours."

Napoleon only responded with a simple "Thank you for the compliment," but in his heart, he was filled with admiration for the young prince who had devised these tactics. He was not yet 16 years old, had only studied military theory at the Paris Military School, yet had such an extraordinary command ability!

If Corsica had such an outstanding leader, the path to nationhood would surely be smooth. He silently made a note of this.

East of Brussels, Carl II gazed westward, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

Dutch Commander Bronckhorst looked at the intelligence report in his hand, puzzled. "The French just circled around Antwerp and left? Heading west? Where are they going?"

"Ghent," Carl II uttered a single word, then reluctantly summoned his messenger. "Order the entire army to turn west.

"Send orders to increase the marching speed, leave unnecessary baggage with the rear guard! Speed, I need speed!"

"Yes, Marshal!"

Bronckhorst hesitated, "Marshal, if the French are heading to Ghent, we don't need to pursue them."

"And then what?" Carl II's voice was low. "Witte's army is no match for the French."

He vividly recalled how Witte's 5,000-strong army had been nearly wiped out by just over a regiment—fewer than 2,000 French soldiers.

"If the main force of the Southern Netherlands army is defeated, the people in Brussels will surrender immediately!"

Bronckhorst paused, quickly realizing the connection. He immediately ordered the Dutch forces to turn and march quickly.

Meanwhile, in Ghent, the Southern Netherlands rebels were nervously preparing their defenses after receiving word of the French advance.

However, after the Hanoverian army marched northwest for three days and was on the verge of reaching Ghent, Carl II suddenly received a report from his hussars that the French had turned southeast again.

Carl II hurriedly unfolded a map and marked the French movements. He was shocked to realize that in his pursuit of the French, he had moved too far north. At this point, the Hanoverian army and the French were nearly equidistant from Liège.

A cold sweat broke out on his forehead—the French had been circling around, and their true target was the Prussian army in Liège!

He hastily ordered his troops to march to Liège immediately.

In his rush, he didn't notice that after several days of forced marching, the Hanoverians, who were in better shape, had left the Dutch forces trailing seven or eight kilometers behind.

(End of Chapter)

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