War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Brussels, Belgium.

King Leopold I was a hero. After he received the news that the German Confederation was going to come forward for Luxembourg (liberation), he did not go home for Christmas like the stupid ministers at home, and pinned all his hopes on Luxembourg. On the British and the French.

"Mr. Nordon, I'm really sorry that you are here to discuss state affairs on Christmas Eve. But we cannot place our hopes entirely on the British and French. If we Belgians want to stand among the nations of the world, we must rely on ourselves."

Jean-Baptiste Nordon was the Prime Minister of Belgium at this time, and he was also a far-sighted politician. It was under his and King Leopold I's governance that Belgium became the most promising country in Europe. one of the countries.

"Your Majesty, you are right. Zhuolang and the others lack foresight. They think they can rest easy by relying on the British and French, and they do not even prepare for nationwide mobilization. I support you."

Leopold I nodded his thanks.

"Mr. Nordon, please see that our Luxembourg province is located in the Ardennes. It has a dense network of internal rivers and numerous hills and forts. It is not easy for the Austrian, Prussian, and German Confederate armies to break through.

And they will not only recapture western Luxembourg, the Netherlands is also their target. Maybe they are also ready to fight the British and French. We cannot take it lightly. "

After listening to His Majesty the King's words, Jean-Baptiste Nodon couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He did not expect that things would develop to this point. If that were the case, it would be a re-enactment of the Napoleonic Wars, and I really don’t know how many people would have died.

"You mean"

"You are right, the German Confederate army will most likely bypass the Ardennes and break through our defense line from the confluence of the Meuse and Ourte rivers."

Leopold I was an all-rounder. He could not only govern the country and develop the economy, but also lead troops to fight. It's just that his abilities in the first two are so outstanding that people always forget that this king is also a hero who is about to conquer the world.

"Liège! That's right! This will become the battlefield for a decisive battle with the German Confederacy."

Jean-Baptiste Nordon suddenly thought that as soon as Leopold I came to power, he built a military camp in Liege the following year and stationed two thousand troops there.

Of course, many people objected, but His Majesty the King overcame all objections. I really didn't expect that at that time, His Majesty the King had already thought of this possibility in the future.

"Your Majesty, you are so far-sighted!" Prime Minister Jean-Baptiste Nordon said sincerely.

"We have 1,500 people in the West Luxembourg area and 2,000 people in Liege. We will now send the main force to Liege to strengthen local defense.

At the same time, recruits were recruited from various places and sent to West Luxembourg. We must be prepared for everything. If we can hold on for two or three months, they will have to give up.

Even without the help of Britain and France, we must defend our homeland! "

"Your Majesty is wise." Jean-Baptiste Nodon said sincerely.

"How soon can we complete the deployment."

"In about a month, we still need to buy enough weapons and equipment, clothing and food." Jean-Baptiste Nordon was telling the truth. In fact, Belgium's independence did not rely on force, but on general trends. In addition, the Netherlands did not rely on A spectrum of opponents.

"No! It's too slow! These arrangements must be completed within a week. We must complete the deployment before the arrival of the German Confederate Army."

According to Leopold I's estimation, it would take several months for big countries like Austria and Prussia to complete their mobilization.

Even if the standing army is used, it is impossible to reach Luxembourg within a week. Luxembourg's army of hundreds of militiamen has no combat effectiveness at all.

Belgium and Luxembourg are also old rivals and know each other very well. However, in fierce battles between the two sides, civilians often suffer the most casualties. As for the reason, it's very complicated. In short, it's the word "Guoyu family hates".

Netherlands, Amsterdam Royal Palace.

King William II of the Netherlands was as weak as his father. He was afraid that the German Confederation would attack the Netherlands, and he was even more afraid that the British would abandon him.

Before the war even started, the Dutch Supreme Head of State was already preparing to surrender.

Although the British government has repeatedly stated that it will protect the rights and interests of the Netherlands and require it to resist. But how could the Dutch, who had been sold to the British more than once, believe this.

The envoy of King William II of the Netherlands has already gone to Vienna. With such a king around, the Dutch ministers are naturally not prepared to fight to the end. They have not even recalled the strongest troops of the Netherlands, nor have they mobilized.

As the world's first capitalist country, the people of the Netherlands have long been indifferent to politics. They care more about their wages and whether they will have food to eat tomorrow.

As for the king, the country, the government? what is that? Let them go to Asia to rob, and these people will not look back because there is money to be made. But asking them to fight tooth and nail for other people's things? Even if the prince personally leads the expedition, they just fire off a few guns and go through the motions, as long as they can live up to their wages.

(In the history of the Dutch Ten-Day Invasion, the Dutch prince led his army to attack Belgium. Although it was claimed to have destroyed the Belgian army, it did not cause many casualties.)

As for the most powerful liberals and conservatives in the Netherlands, they do not want to fight. On the contrary, they actually envy organizations like the German Customs Union and the German Confederation. After all, they can make money and have people providing protection, which can greatly improve their living standards.

(The liberals are mainly composed of businessmen, urban middle school scholars, senior civil servants, etc., while the conservatives are composed of churches and aristocrats.)

In particular, businessmen groups have begun to send intelligence to the German Confederation. Some of them hope to obtain the concession rights of the German Customs Union, while others simply want to protect their assets when the Netherlands is conquered.

This information, from soldiers, horses, money and food, to defense plans, and even such trivial details as the general's character and the number of people in his family, is clear.

As for the European church and aristocrats, Li Yili can always have some connections. We are all relatives and friends. Is there anything we can't talk about?

The war has not yet begun. From the king to the common people, no one has a fighting spirit, is either preparing for peace talks, or is preparing to defect.

However, the situation quickly took a turn for the worse. The Dutch envoy had just arrived in Luxembourg, and the Austrian envoy was already waiting for him.

After the two parties met, after just a simple conversation, the envoy of King William II of the Netherlands was almost shocked.

He immediately decided to take the Austrian envoy to meet His Majesty the King in person, because the news was so shocking, and he felt that His Majesty the King would not believe it if he told it from his mouth.

The Austrian envoy also anticipated this situation early on, and they got on the carriage to Amsterdam together.

When passing through the center of Luxembourg, the Dutch envoy was once again so shocked that he almost fell off the carriage. He saw a dense mass of heavily armed soldiers gathering here under the banners of their respective countries.

The flag erected in the center of the square is the Austrian flag, but there is a line of text on it.

"German Confederate Volunteers"