Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 742 - 650 Sports Day (Requesting Monthly Ticket)

Chapter 742: Chapter 650: Sports Day (Requesting Monthly Ticket)

Chapter 742: Chapter 650: Sports Day (Requesting Monthly Ticket)

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Prince Poniatowski immediately looked up at Sais,

“Are you referring to…”

“The Prussians.” The latter pointed at the map towards Gdansk in the northwest of Poland, “I assure you, as soon as Russia declares war on you, William II will immediately attack here.”

“Although I fully understand your prudence, all current signs suggest that Prussia has not betrayed the ‘Bo Pu Alliance.'” The Prince politely retorted, “In fact, a few months ago, His Majesty William II sent a personal letter expressing his ardent support for our new constitution.”

Joseph had long warned the Poles to be wary of Prussia, but William II’s disguise was too convincing, making it difficult for the Poles to harbor any doubts.

As the Polish Intelligence Department also noticed Russia’s military movements, when France warned of a Russian invasion, they didn’t hesitate to start preparing actively for war.

However, there were no troop or logistical movements on the Prussian side, not indicative of preparations for war at all.

Of course, probably only Joseph knew that William II had no intention of launching a large-scale war, but rather planned to wait until Russia engaged all Polish forces and then launch a surprise attack from behind.

Historically, Prussia had not gathered forces on a large scale; they merely pulled a few tens of thousands of troops from the east, almost as if on a military excursion, and reached 50 kilometers west of Warsaw.

If it wasn’t for keeping Poland alive as a buffer against Russia, Prussia could have wiped Poland off the map at that time.

Prince Poniatowski continued,

“Not to hide from you, the defensive plan against the eastern invasion drafted by the Federation Military Committee also counts on Prussian forces entering Levino to counter the Russians.”

Sais suddenly remembered one of the priorities in the defensive plan for Poland given to him by the Crown Prince, and hurriedly asked,

“So, there are still Prussian officers serving in the Polish Army?”

“Indeed. Although I have tried to reassign foreign commanders out of the army, there are some who have made significant contributions to Poland; it is very difficult for me to let them go.”

Sais sighed softly, gave some advice for a while, but seeing the Prince merely responding formally, he gave up on this topic and moved on,

“Do you think it would be possible to expand the standing army to one hundred thousand in half a year?”

“That… is indeed difficult,” the Prince said somewhat helplessly, “Austria no longer requires our military assistance to suppress revolts, so financing and training have become significantly more difficult.

“The Federation Military Committee plans to recruit 20,000 soldiers by the end of this year.”

Aside from nodding, Sais couldn’t do much else, knowing this was already the limit for Poland.

He continued, “How about the construction of the eastern defenses?”

“From Minsk to Pinsk to Warren, we have made relatively comprehensive preparations; the Military Committee plans to build some bastions along the eastern river near Warren.”

“Pinsk? Warren?” Sais exclaimed, “You mean to say, you are prepared to give up the western banks of the Dnieper River and the entire Podolia region?”

“If a full-scale war breaks out with Russia, that is the only viable defense plan.” The Prince was clearly also despondent.

Pinsk was nearly into the heart of Poland, meaning that Poland was prepared to lose the entire southeastern territory in the event of war.

But the regions from Turów to Winica in eastern Poland were extremely barren; if they held their ground there, they might not even be able to mobilize local logistics and supplies.

In the entire eastern Poland, only the area from Minsk to Oksztetya was defensible; other places were either impoverished or had been infiltrated by Russia like a sieve, utterly unsuitable for combat.

An hour later, Sais left Łazienki Palace with furrowed brows.

Upon his return to his residence, he immediately wrote to the Crown Prince informing him of Poland’s grim state of preparations for war, and at the end of the letter, he deeply reproached himself for his own “negligence.”

In fact, he was unaware that compared to Poland’s historical circumstances, the current situation had improved significantly.

At that time, Poland was not only unprepared for war, but there were also domestic debates over whether Russia would invade. Legislators were busy perfecting the constitution, and the Targowica Confederation was already actively bribing the military, preparing to welcome the “royal army” of the Tsar.

Half a month later.

Paris.

In the office on the second floor of Tuileries Palace, Joseph looked at the letter from Sais and rubbed his brow painfully.

When a country insists on rushing headlong into the abyss, you really can’t drag them back.

According to the current situation, Poland could at most hold on for a year or two longer than in history, but it would ultimately meet the fate of being partitioned.

The crucial point now was how to make Poland completely follow his own plan.

After contemplating for a long time, Joseph gestured to Eman, “Please notify General Bertier immediately and have him recall the military advisory group sent to Poland.”

“Yes, your highness.”

Before long, Bertier hurried into Joseph’s office and saluted, “Your highness, are we adjusting our strategic stance towards Poland?”

“Of course not.”

“Then recalling the advisory group…”

Joseph sighed and said, “Let Prince Poniatowski come to Paris, I need to see him.

“It just so happens that next month, the ‘Future and Peace Movement’ event is being held here. His coming will not draw attention. Polish officers can also come as part of his delegation.”

“Following your instructions, your highness.”

…

May 15, 1792.

Several ordinary black carriages drove through Paris City.

On the middle carriage, Prince Poniatowski’s eyes widened as he gazed at the scenes outside the window, feeling nothing but shock and envy.

It had been only three years since his last visit to Paris, and the place was completely different from what he remembered.

Gas street lamps stood tall on either side of the streets, and vendors were under uniformly designed awnings. All shops had been freshly painted, and colorful flags bearing “Welcome to Paris” or “First Future and Peace Movement” were displayed outside.

In the middle of the street, there was a straight wooden railroad, and from time to time, large streetcars sped along the tracks.

Every so often, cleaners could be seen sweeping the streets. The entire street surface was made of expensive asphalt mixed with crushed stone, clean and smooth, without a hint of mud. Public toilets and trash cans were everywhere, so there was hardly any litter on the ground.

Of course, he did not know that the cost of Paris’s asphalt roads was not expensive.

In the year since the gas street lamps were put into use, a preliminary coal tar processing industry had been established.

In the process of distilling coal to produce gas, a large amount of coal tar was generated. After crude refining of coal tar, at least a third of it became asphalt.

These asphalts, categorized as industrial waste, had a cost almost negligible compared to specially transporting asphalt from the Middle East or even the Caribbean Sea to pave roads.