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“Yes, the war has just begun,” William II slammed his hand on the table beside him. “The Austrians have launched multiple attacks on Silesia before, each ending in miserable failure, and this time will be no exception!
“In fact, they will taste the bitterness of Lutynia once again!”
He was referring to the Battle of Leuthen, which took place during the Seven Years’ War when Austria tried to retake Silesia and clashed fiercely with Frederick the Great’s Prussian Army.
In that battle, Frederick displayed all his military genius, commanding an army only slightly more than half the size of the Austrian forces and, with his brilliant tactical leadership, inflicted a crushing defeat on the Austrians—of their 90,000 troops, 22,000 were killed in action, and 14,000 captured. Subsequently, the Austrian garrison in Breslau was affected and nearly surrendered without a fight, handing Frederick another 17,000 prisoners.
After this battle, Prussia conclusively secured its ownership of Silesia, which could be called the pinnacle of Frederick the Great’s military achievements.
However, William II seemed to overlook that Prussia no longer had a military genius like Frederick the Great.
Moreover, after Frederick’s death, Prussian military preparedness had slackened, and the Junker nobility had begun to grow lax, with the overall combat strength having declined significantly from the era of Frederick the Great.
Although Prince Henry knew that it would be difficult for Prussia to replicate the glory of the Battle of Leuthen, at such a time, he could not afford to dampen the morale of His Majesty the King. Hence, he too clenched his fist with conviction, “Yes, Your Majesty, we shall teach the feeble Austrians a lesson again!”
Having spoken words to boost the troops’ morale, he immediately brought up specific plans, “Your Majesty, we need to make full preparations during this period before the Austrians attack.
“I suggest that we should immediately form an alliance with Saxon to counter the Austrians.”
“And Hanover,” William II added, “as well as Hesse-Kassel and Mecklenburg. We need to assemble a formidable army that will astonish the Austrians.”
Prince Henry paused upon hearing this. It was not surprising for Saxon, being adjacent to the Silesian region, to join the war, but the King was even considering bringing the British into the mix.
In fact, William II had good reason to say this.
Hanover was essentially the British enclave in the German region, and King George III of England was also the Elector of Hanover. England had always been committed to the weakening of Austrian and French power through Prussia, so it was very likely that they could persuade Hanover to join the war.
Unlike Hesse-Darmstadt, which had joined the Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement, Hesse-Kassel belonged to Lower Hesse and was politically pro-Prussian. Mecklenburg, right beside Prussia, dared not defy Prussian demands outright. Both could be expected to join the allied forces with the promise of certain benefits.
“Your strategy is excellent, Your Majesty,” Prince Henry praised, and then continued, “But before we exert our diplomatic efforts, we should do two things.
“First, immediately dispatch Generals Delrisen and Krockhov with the Imperial Guard to station at Legnica and Ratibor, to buy time at the beginning of the war by holding off the Austrian offensive until our main forces are assembled.
“Second, we must recall the Duke of Brunswick as soon as possible; his command will be the key to our victory.”
William II wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about warfare. Hearing this, he put on a contemplative look and then left the military affairs entirely to Prince Henry to execute in detail.
However, just as the latter was about to bow and leave, he saw William II’s servant hasten towards them, bowing his head as he handed an urgent message to the King.
William II quickly scanned the letter after opening it, frowning as he spoke to his uncle, “This is from the Duke of Brunswick. He’s found out that the Austrians have pulled back their forces from the direction of the Southern Netherlands to their homeland. Luxembourg at the moment has only about 5,000 troops, so he’s preparing to launch an all-out attack on the Austrian army in the coming days.
“But as you were just saying, he needs to come back to aid Silesia, so now…”
Prince Henry pondered for a moment and then nodded, “Your Majesty, maybe the Duke of Brunswick is right.
“The two things his 20,000 soldiers could achieve in the Southern Netherlands would far outweigh the effect of him rushing back to Silesia.
“He will be able to completely sever Austria’s control over the affluent Southern Netherlands, and moreover, secure a resounding victory there even before the outbreak of hostilities in Silesia, which will greatly boost the morale of our soldiers there.
“Before that, we only need to hold the fortresses on the western and southern sides of Silesia, waiting for Duke of Brunswick’s triumphant return—his 20,000 troops, along with the Netherlands Army, should not take much time to eliminate Luxembourg’s 5,000 garrison.”
“But…” William II was still hesitant.
Prince Henry stepped forward and spoke in a lower voice, “Your Majesty, if we can drive the Austrians out of the Southern Netherlands, in the event that our campaign in Silesia turns unfavorable, we could use the Southern Netherlands as a bargaining chip.”
The Southern Netherlands was Austria’s only access to the Atlantic Ocean, economically developed due to overseas trade, and comparable in size to Silesia, at least worth half of Silesia in a trade.
William II was also lost in thought: “If we could affect the Southern Netherlands, England would also become more supportive of our fight in Silesia.” Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
England regarded the Low Countries as a stepping stone for European countries to reach the Atlantic Ocean; they were also a strategic position that could pose a threat to England, hence they have always treated it as a center of strategic gravity[Note 1]. If Prussia held a military presence in the Southern Netherlands, surely England would be willing to offer substantial benefits in exchange, such as sending troops to participate in the Silesian war.”
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