Chapter 747 Chaos in the Southern Netherlands
Chapter 748 Chaos in the Southern Netherlands
At the same time that Napoleon left Paris and headed south, in a coal crushing factory in the Walloon district in the southernmost part of Brussels, several Dutch-speaking workers were gathering in the corner during lunch time, muttering something in a low voice.
A middle-aged man with enlarged pores glanced nervously at the supervisor in the distance, lowered his head and said:
"Why do you still need to use a gun? I didn't say it would be so serious before..."
"Are you scared?" The tall young man next to him gestured around with the bread in his hand.
"Do you still want to be oppressed by those French lackeys just for your pitiful wages?
"If our plan succeeds, I guarantee you will get this factory!"
Including the middle-aged man, several people nearby swallowed subconsciously when they heard this.
This coal crushing plant is worth hundreds of thousands of francs. For such a large amount of money, countless people are willing to risk their lives.
After a while, a little old man with a sharp face said cautiously: "Mr. Marceven, can this really succeed?"
"Of course, there is no doubt about it. Thousands of brothers will respond to us all over Wallonia!"
The middle-aged man with rough skin frowned and said, "But there are also thousands of policemen in Wallonia."
"What are you afraid of? We have guns." The tall young man clenched his fists hard, "Besides, the Austrian government will send troops to support us.
"The Southern Netherlands belongs to us, and those French-speaking guys will be driven out of the lowlands!"
He was a mid-level leader of the previous uprising in the Southern Netherlands. After spending several years in prison, he chose to cooperate with the Austrian government.
This kind of fomenting confrontation and rioting is exactly what he is good at.
The six or seven workers beside him finally no longer hesitated and said that after returning, they would contact other Flemish workers to participate in the action together.
The same scene was played out in factories and streets across Wallonia.
More than 120,000 people from the Flemish region live here.
They used to have the income brought by the port of Antwerp and always looked down on the poorer Wallonia people.
At present, the industry in Wallonia is developing extremely fast, and the overall economic situation has overwhelmed the Flemish region. Those Flemish people who come to work here are discriminated against by the Walloons.
Their wages are also lower than those of French-speaking Walloons, and their mentality is easily unbalanced. If someone incites them a little now, they will cause trouble.
Of course, the main reason why such a large-scale operation and the influx of weapons could be achieved was because of the Austrian intelligence organization behind it.
More than ten days later.
Malseven led sixty or seventy thugs early in the morning to surround the Chamber of Commerce building in Halle Town and demanded that the town administrative committee come out and surrender immediately.
Behind them, many Flemish people came one after another to participate in the riot.
However, there was no resistance until they stormed into the Chamber of Commerce building. There were only some low-level officials here, and the senior officials of the Chamber of Commerce seemed to be scared and hiding.
At the same time, large-scale riots also broke out in Wavre, Langdon, Art and other places on the north side of Wallonia.
The mob quickly took control of the Chamber of Commerce, the administrative body, and declared the area a Flemish region.
It was not until two days later that the Wallonia police, who were rumored to be very powerful, appeared in the riot area, but they only confronted the rioters from a distance and had no intention of taking back the Chamber of Commerce building.
…
Southwest Netherlands.
Middleburg.
In the headquarters of the Allied Lowland Front, the Allied Commander-in-Chief Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld held a tea cup and looked calmly at the officer who reported the news: "In other words, those violent activities alone caused Wallonia to Are the district police at their wits’ end?”
"Yes, Lord Marshal." The officer nodded, "Currently, with Wavre as the center, the four northern cities have been controlled by the people of Corinth. They are currently trying to plan a riot in Namur... Well, I am Talk about uprising."
Henriques Collins was the man responsible for instigating the riots in Wallonia.
The Prince of Coburg signaled to the staff officer beside him: "What are the recent movements of the French army?"
The latter immediately said: "The Terrell Army arrived in Lille a week ago. At present, there should be 7 infantry regiments and some artillery assembled there, with a total strength of about 12,000."
The Prince of Coburg nodded, took a deep breath of tea, and smiled: "The French are too late to rescue Wallonia."
The main force of the coalition, more than 25,000 men, is already on standby in Antwerp in the northern part of the Southern Netherlands. It will take less than two days to reach Brussels.
It only takes about 5 days to get to Namur.
The distance between the French army and Brussels from Lille is more than 65 miles, which is about 105 kilometers. If preparation time is added, it will take about a week to arrive.
Baron Paul Davidovich, the commander of the Dutch Army sitting on the sofa opposite, reminded: "Your Highness, if I were a Frenchman, I would definitely choose to abandon Brussels and rush directly to Namur for defense."
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"It doesn't matter." Prince Coburg waved his hand, looking very confident, "Our army is still closer to Namur. Moreover, if the French really arrive in Namur ahead of us, we will immediately turn around. Attack on Mons."
Baron Davidovich thought for a moment and nodded.
Mons is on the west side of the Walloon region and borders Lille, France. If the coalition forces pass through Mons, they will be able to launch an attack on Lille, an important town in northwest France.
Therefore, even if the French reach Namur in advance, they must rush back immediately for rescue.
The coalition forces can carry out sniping in the Charleroi area.
By then, the French army could only supply supplies from the direction of Luxembourg on the east side. The logistics route was hundreds of miles long, and it faced the threat of being cut off by the Allied Rhine Front at any time.
He looked at the Prince of Coburg and smiled: "Indeed, as you said, the French can only choose to abandon the Southern Netherlands."
"Actually, abandoning the lowlands is a very reasonable tactical choice for them." Prince Coburg said, "With their strength, only by holding on to the Lille Fortress can they ensure that the northwest defense line will not collapse quickly."
He said this with sufficient confidence.
The Austrian Army of the South Netherlands has about 25,000 men, the Dutch army has more than 30,000 men, and there is also a British cavalry battalion under his command.
The French army on the opposite side has so far failed to assemble 20,000 soldiers.
If the French dare to enter the Southern Netherlands to fight, they will soon be wiped out by his superior force.
The Prince of Coburg put down his tea cup, stood up and said to the staff officer beside him: "Let the Brussels security team enter the Walloon District to quell the riots.
"If the Walloon Chamber of Commerce dares to expel them, General Radesky will immediately go to reinforce them."
Count Radeski was the forward commander of the Austrian army.
Prince Coburg turned to the Dutch: "General Davidovich and General Radeski will rush to Namur immediately after entering Wallonia, so you need to control the cities in northern Wallonia as soon as possible and be ready to go south at any time. Attack on Mons."
"Yes, Lord Marshal."
