I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 691 - 692: Skipping to the Second Phase

After giving instructions regarding the optical signal tower, Chappe left the room. Joseph turned to Berthier to discuss preparations for war.

"You may have heard already," Joseph began, "at the Stuttgart conference, the British openly accused France without even trying to hide it.

"At this rate, war could break out at any moment."

Berthier nodded solemnly. "Indeed, Your Highness. The General Staff has reached similar conclusions and has been working diligently on preparations."

"Where does the General Staff predict the British will make their move?"

"First and foremost, a full naval blockade," Berthier said. "Our trade with the Americas, the Far East, and even the Mediterranean coastline will face severe disruption.

"The situation will be more challenging than during the Seven Years' War. Furthermore, the Dutch fleet may operate under British command this time."

Of course, in an era without radar, a "full blockade" was impossible. With the second-largest navy in Europe, France could still protect certain trade routes, but overall trade volume would undoubtedly plummet.

Joseph reassured Berthier, "I can guarantee you that, at least in the Mediterranean, the British will not have free reign."

As a senior military officer, Berthier had already heard about the steam-powered warships. He nodded, saying, "That would give us significant strategic leverage..."

He quickly shifted back to his main focus:

"The British army alone is insufficient to threaten us, so they will undoubtedly rely on Prussia, Hanover, and Saxony to deploy their troops.

"The combined forces of Britain and Hanover could muster around 100,000 soldiers. Prussia's maximum mobilization capacity is nearly 200,000.

"And Austria's position remains a major concern. They can mobilize over 250,000 soldiers.

"Potential invasion routes include crossing the Rhine at Koblenz to attack Verdun, advancing south from the Southern Netherlands toward Lille, and even posing threats from Italy."

Berthier outlined the General Staff's strategic analysis before updating Joseph on France's military readiness:

"Your Highness, the Royal 5th, 6th, and 7th Infantry Divisions have been fully formed, along with the 12th Royal Skirmisher Regiment, the 6th and 11th Royal Dragoon Regiments, and the 3rd Royal Cavalry Regiment.

"The reorganization of the Royal Guard is nearing completion.

"As of now, the General Staff commands 71,000 newly trained soldiers, with an expected increase of 3,000 by year's end."

In line with Joseph's directives, France's new army underwent a comprehensive reorganization earlier that year, adopting the division-regiment-battalion structure seen during Napoleon's reign. This system, historically proven as the most effective for the era, was implemented directly. Within five years, every European power would adopt similar reforms.

Berthier continued:

"The old army remains at approximately 90,000 soldiers. They've largely completed standardized training and have been equipped with percussion-cap rifles. Some of the more competent regiments have even been issued bulletproof inserts."

Compared to two years ago, when the old army numbered 120,000, the reduction was primarily due to identifying ghost soldiers and transferring elite personnel to the new army.

The "standardized training" imposed on the old army was stricter than before, though it still didn't reach the intensity of the Royal Guard's regimen. Many of these troops were under traditional military aristocrats, who lacked the resources or willingness to provide their soldiers with the high-quality diets needed for rigorous training.

Even so, the French army's training surpassed that of any other European nation, including Britain's "redcoats." Yet within France, these troops ranked at the bottom of the military hierarchy.

As Berthier continued, Perna suddenly appeared at the doorway, her expression anxious.

Noticing Berthier's presence, she paced back and forth, unwilling to interrupt their discussion.

It wasn't until some time later that Joseph noticed her presence. He gestured to Berthier to pause and looked toward the door.

"Is something the matter?"

Perna quickly stepped inside, visibly distressed. "Your Highness, Camellia's condition seems to have worsened…"

Caribbean Sea.

Santo Domingo.

In the former parliamentary building in Port-au-Prince, the new commander of the British expeditionary forces, Marquis Cunningham, sat grim-faced at a stripped-down table. All the chairs had been removed and repurposed.

A subordinate stood nearby, reading a press release aloud. Cunningham waved him off impatiently.

"That will do. No one cares about it anyway."

For the past month and a half, since replacing Brand as the commander in the Caribbean theater, Cunningham had yet to engage in a significant battle.

Before his expeditionary force even reached Bermuda, the President of Santo Domingo, Vincent Ogé, had declared:

"All parliamentarians and I are relocating to the Duarte Mountains to continue governance."

Yes, the fledgling government, just a few months old, had voluntarily gone into exile.

Joseph had foreseen the situation in Santo Domingo. As the world's dominant power, Britain could crush the Black government in the Caribbean if it truly committed to the task. Historically, fledgling regimes often fought back with fervor, only to lose and eventually go into exile.

Paradoxically, once these governments began their exile phase, they became a nightmare for imperial forces. The empire would find itself bogged down, unable to withdraw, and bleeding resources.

For this reason, Joseph's strategy for Santo Domingo skipped the direct confrontation phase and went straight to "exile."

Over the past few months, the republic had freed all enslaved people on the island. Plantation owners were compensated—with funds sourced from the 300,000 pounds previously provided by the Duke of Leeds.

Ogé had then ordered the complete evacuation of Port-au-Prince, dispersing vast quantities of grain and ammunition throughout the Duarte Mountains. Supplies were stockpiled to last at least a year or two.

The Duarte Mountains, dominating central Santo Domingo, covered nearly a third of the island's area, providing ample space for maneuverability.

Ogé's final presidential decree before leaving the capital was a call for national resistance against British invaders.

Now, for nearly 50 days, Marquis Cunningham had sat idle in Port-au-Prince. His only activities were receiving reports of ambushes on British forces and publishing futile appeals in newspapers, urging the population to convene in the capital for parliamentary elections.

But the island's white population, predominantly French, ignored his overtures, while the Black population burned with a singular desire—to drive the British soldiers into the sea.

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