Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Although this stretch of railway that spans across much of Luxembourg was costly to construct, once it connects to the wooden rail tracks of Verdun—though the materials differ, the gauge and other technical parameters are completely identical—carriages running on the tracks can pass through directly.

Within France, the wooden railroads of Lorraine will be able to connect to parts of Verdun in a few months. By then, the iron ingots from Luxembourg could be transported in large quantities to Nancy for further refinement, or used to manufacture steam engines, boring machines, and other machinery.

At the same time, French industrial products could also be transported from Nancy to Luxembourg, and from there sold on to the Southern Netherlands and as far as the Netherlands.

Although the carrying capacity of wooden railroads plus horse-drawn carriages is far less than that of trains, it can still outperform the carriage highway transport of the era, and is much more convenient than river transport.

Moreover, Joseph was preparing to set up steam engine auxiliary traction systems on particularly steep sections along the route, to assist horses in uphill travel, thereby significantly reducing the consumption of horse power.

Goods transportation is fundamental to commerce, and commerce is the basis for ensuring a positive cycle in industry.

It can be said that the numerous wooden railroads built within France have already laid a solid foundation for the activation of France's industrialization.

Compared with other European countries, with the same output, French factories could achieve higher sales volumes and reach a farther customer base via wooden railroad transit, thereby recouping capital faster and investing in the next round of production or R&D.

It's foreseeable that even without Joseph giving France's industry a leg up, solely with railroad transit, France could gain a significant advantage in the Industrial Revolution.

And although constructing wooden railroads seems to have cost the French Government a lot of funds, in reality, all this money eventually made its way into the pockets of French iron foundries, lumber yards, craftsmen, and even the varying classes of citizens who served the craftsmen. Afterward, this money would flow into the grand economic cycle of France through consumption, promoting national economic development.

This would later be known as "GDP growth." Over a century later, Great Commander Roosevelt would use the construction of a vast amount of infrastructure such as roads and bridges to bring about an economic revival in the United States.

As for the funding source of the wooden railroads, for now, it is still provided by loans from the Bank of France Reserve. However, Joseph had already instructed the Minister of Commerce to start planning to raise funds from the public through a model of local government debt and wooden railroad equity.

With these fundraising models that would become very common in later eras, when dealing with public welfare and infrastructure construction, France's private sector would definitely be able to provide a colossal amount of capital.

...

While France's steel manufacturers were expanding aggressively in Luxembourg, Joseph had already led the Guard Corps to the border between Luxembourg and Liege.

According to the operational plan drawn up by the staff department earlier, they would continue to the north, taking a detour through Julich in Bavaria, traverse the desolate mountain roads at the intersection of Aachen and Liege to circumvent Blucher's Army, and then swiftly turn to the west, directly striking at Antonov.

Antonov is a province north of Brussels, which is precisely the important origin of the Brabant Revolution.

Yes, Joseph's target was not Charles II's Hanoverian Army, but rather the more northerly Antonov.

Bertier turned to gaze at the dark red hills stretching behind him, and then looked toward the faintly visible Ruhr River in front. Hesitating momentarily, he still spurred his horse to catch up with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's steed.

"Your Highness," he organized his thoughts, "we're about to leave Luxembourg. I still think that it would be more prudent for you to stay in Luxembourg City.

"This battle is different from the ones before. We are going deep into enemy territory, and we don't have sufficient logistical support. If something were to happen to you..."

Joseph raised his hand, interrupting him with a smile: "I greatly appreciate your concern, Your Excellency the Chief of General Staff.

"But no matter what dangers we encounter, I must be with my troops."

He signaled to the soldiers of the Guard Corps marching quietly and quickly beside him, "With these bravest warriors by my side, I will not be in any danger."

Joseph was very clear that only by sharing life and death with the soldiers would they truly be convinced and support you.

If the army is bleeding on the front lines while you indulge in luxury within the palace walls, then do not blame the soldiers for becoming alienated and disloyal.

Napoleon became the eternal god in the hearts of the French people because he personally led the charge on the front lines, battle after battle.

Moreover, as the Great Commander joining the army on campaign, the army's victories were his victories. If any officer desired to dominate the military through their influence, they would first have to surmount him as an obstacle.

In 18th century Europe, only a king who could lead troops in battle could maintain control and command respect and support from all social classes, from nobles to farmers.

As for the dangers mentioned by Bertier, Joseph also had a sense of measure in his heart.

He had enough confidence in the combat effectiveness of the Guard Corps, and even in case of an emergency, there was still the custom of ransom in this era.

Any captured noble of status would be well cared for by the enemy, looking after him with the utmost attention. As long as the prisoner of war could produce a ransom, he could return home with dignity. Before leaving, enemies would even send him off for several miles.

Therefore, unless he was so unlucky as to be directly hit by a cannonball—and he was usually positioned at the command post, where bullets could not reach—there was essentially no possibility of being killed on the spot. The worst-case scenario would only be to pay a ransom and return home.

Some soldiers nearby heard Joseph speak of "the bravest warriors" and immediately let out a subdued cheer:

"Long live the Crown Prince!"

"Forever protect the Crown Prince!"

"Courage! Glory!"

Bertier, looking at the excited soldiers, could only sigh with resignation, "Your Highness, I believe that in the stories told decades from now, this moment will certainly be included." Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire

At the front of the marching column, Napoleon, looking puzzled, surveyed the map and then turned to the Colonel beside him, "Commander, it seems we are heading toward Bavarian territory?"

Although he had found it strange since morning why they were marching in silence, it was only now that he realized the Guard Corps was not, as rumored, heading to intercept the Hanoverian Army.

Colonel Dumont nodded, speaking in a low voice, "Yes, our target is Antonov. To avoid the Prussians, we had to traverse the wild mountains south of Aachen."

"Antonov?" Napoleon was somewhat surprised, "What about the Hanoverian Army then?"

At this moment, Charles II's army was already in the area southeast of Brussels. And Antonov was north of Brussels, meaning they would have to circle behind the Hanoverian Army.

Colonel Dumont smiled faintly, speaking a few more words than usual to the Artillery Major who had been quite conspicuous lately:

"Originally, the General Staff planned to confront Charles II west of Luneburg, but the Crown Prince proposed implementing the 'flanking and interpenetrating' tactic to engage the enemy's defense line."