“Yes! The war is just beginning.” Wilhelm II slammed his hand on the table beside him. “The Austrians have attacked Silesia multiple times before, and each time they failed miserably. This time will be no different! They will once again taste the bitterness of Leuthen!”

He was referring to the Battle of Leuthen during the Seven Years’ War, where Austria attempted to reclaim Silesia but was met with a crushing defeat at the hands of Frederick the Great’s Prussian army. Despite having a smaller force, Frederick’s brilliant tactical command led to a devastating loss for Austria—22,000 Austrian soldiers were killed, and 14,000 were captured. The Austrian garrison at Breslau, influenced by this defeat, surrendered without much resistance, adding another 17,000 prisoners to Frederick’s tally.

After this battle, Prussia’s control over Silesia was firmly established, marking the peak of Frederick the Great’s military career.

However, Wilhelm II overlooked the fact that Prussia no longer had a military genius like Frederick the Great. Since Frederick’s death, the Prussian army had become lax, and the Junker aristocracy had grown complacent, leading to a significant decline in overall combat effectiveness compared to the days of Frederick.

Prince Heinrich knew it would be difficult for Prussia to replicate the glory of the Battle of Leuthen, but he also knew that now was not the time to dampen the king’s spirits. So, he clenched his fist and said, “Yes, Your Majesty, we will once again teach the weak Austrians a lesson!”

After rallying the king’s spirits, he quickly shifted to practical matters: “Your Majesty, we must take advantage of this time before the Austrians launch their attack to fully prepare ourselves. I suggest we immediately form an alliance with Saxony to counter the Austrians.”

“And Hanover,” Wilhelm II added, “as well as Hesse-Kassel and Mecklenburg. We need to assemble an army that will shock Austria.”

Prince Heinrich hesitated for a moment. Saxony’s involvement in this war was expected due to its proximity to Silesia, but the king wanted to bring in the British as well.

In reality, Wilhelm II’s suggestion was not without merit. Hanover was effectively a British enclave in the German region, as the British king, George III, was also the Elector of Hanover. Britain had long sought to weaken Austria and France by supporting Prussia, so it was likely they could be persuaded to join the war through Hanover.

Hesse-Kassel, unlike Hesse-Darmstadt, which had joined the Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement, was aligned with Prussia politically. Mecklenburg, located right next to Prussia, would likely join the alliance if offered some incentives.

“Your strategy is excellent, Your Majesty,” Prince Heinrich praised the king before continuing, “But before we start diplomatic efforts, we should do two things. First, we should immediately send General Dreyse and General Krockow with the Guards to fortify Liegnitz and Ratibor. This will help us hold off the Austrians in the early stages of the war while we gather our main forces. Second, we need to recall the Duke of Brunswick. His leadership will be crucial to our victory.”

Wilhelm II, who wasn’t particularly skilled in military matters, appeared deep in thought before leaving the military decisions entirely to Prince Heinrich.

However, just as Prince Heinrich was about to leave, a servant hurriedly approached the king, handing him an urgent message.

Wilhelm II quickly scanned the letter and frowned as he addressed his uncle: “This is from the Duke of Brunswick. He reports that the Austrians have withdrawn their forces from the Southern Netherlands and returned them to the homeland. Luxembourg currently has fewer than 5,000 troops, and he plans to launch a full-scale attack on the Austrian forces there in the coming days. But you just said he should return to Silesia. What should we do?”

Prince Heinrich pondered for a moment before nodding, “Your Majesty, the Duke of Brunswick might be right. The impact of his 20,000 soldiers in the Southern Netherlands could be far greater than if he were to return to Silesia. He could completely sever Austria’s control over the wealthy Southern Netherlands, and before the battle in Silesia even begins, we could score a decisive victory. This would greatly boost the morale of our soldiers in Silesia.

“In the meantime, we can hold the fortresses in western and southern Silesia, waiting for the Duke of Brunswick to return victorious—his 20,000-strong army, combined with the forces in the Netherlands, should easily defeat Luxembourg’s 5,000 defenders.”

“But…” Wilhelm II hesitated.

Prince Heinrich stepped closer and whispered, “Your Majesty, if we can push the Austrians out of the Southern Netherlands, even if things go badly for us in Silesia, we could use the Southern Netherlands as a bargaining chip.”

The Southern Netherlands was Austria’s only outlet to the Atlantic, and its economy was relatively prosperous due to overseas trade. Its area was comparable to that of Silesia, so it could at least be traded for half of Silesia.

Wilhelm II fell into deep thought: “If we can influence the Southern Netherlands, Britain will be even more motivated to support our efforts in Silesia.”

Britain viewed the Low Countries as a strategic foothold on the European continent, crucial for any power trying to project influence into the Atlantic. If Prussia established a military presence in the Southern Netherlands, Britain would likely offer generous support, including military assistance in the Silesian conflict.

But then Wilhelm II voiced another concern: “But who will command the battle in Silesia? Perhaps, dear uncle, you could once again display your past brilliance.”

Prince Heinrich had fought alongside Frederick the Great in numerous campaigns, including the Silesian Wars and the Seven Years’ War, and was a formidable commander.

After some consideration, Prince Heinrich shook his head, “Your Majesty, I’m no longer young. Perhaps we could have the Duke of Brunswick return to command in Silesia, while Field Marshal Blücher leads the forces in the Southern Netherlands. There are very few Austrians there, so he should be able to handle it.”

Blücher was currently serving as the Duke of Brunswick’s deputy and would later rise to prominence as a Prussian field marshal in the wars against Napoleon.

…

Northwestern Austria, near Kriegnitz.

This was the main route to the Silesian fortress of Liegnitz in the southwest.

General Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser, commander of the Austrian vanguard, lowered his telescope and signaled to his staff to increase the march’s pace.

Moments later, a rhythmic drumbeat echoed through the long column of soldiers, urging them to quicken their steps.

General Wurmser knew very well that the speed of the Austrian advance was directly tied to the success of their campaign—if they could reach Silesia even a day earlier, they could seize more territory before the Prussians were ready.

He then turned to look at the faint white “line” trailing behind the column—the French reinforcements.

Those Frenchmen were not only slow but also carried themselves with a haughty air, as if they were here to save Austria.

“Only 30,000 soldiers,” Wurmser sighed in frustration. “This reduces our expected numerical advantage by half.”

According to the original plan, the French were supposed to send at least 50,000 troops to support Austria, but only 30,000 had arrived by the time the Austrian army began its advance toward Silesia.

The cavalry commander, General Nauendorf, shook his head in agreement, “The French financial situation is terrible. I’ve heard they couldn’t even gather enough supplies for 50,000 soldiers, so they had to send them in batches. According to the latest news from Vienna, His Majesty the Emperor even allocated 400,000 florins to help the French purchase supplies. If all goes well, the remaining French troops should join the battle in about two weeks.”

“Two weeks?” General Wurmser sneered. “By then, we might have already taken Breslau, and the French can join us for the victory parade.”

Breslau, the capital of Silesia, was located in the heart of the region and served as a strategic chokepoint for controlling the north-south routes. Capturing it would be a decisive step toward securing all of Silesia.

Of course, the Austrians had taken Breslau in the past, only to be soundly defeated by the military genius Frederick the Great and driven back into Bohemia.

But now, the Austrians were quietly confident that without Frederick, the Prussians could no longer prevent them from avenging their previous defeats in the Silesian Wars.

As they discussed this, two cavalrymen approached from the northeast, reining in their horses a short distance away and shouting, “General, our vanguard has crossed the Liegnitz border and has not encountered any Prussian forces.”

General Wurmser felt a surge of satisfaction. It seemed their pre-war assessment was correct—this would be a surprise attack that would catch the Prussians off guard.

General Nauendorf came closer and asked, “Should we report this to Field Marshal Lacy? His main force should still be about a day’s march from here.”

General Wurmser glanced at his formidable vanguard—25,000 Austrian soldiers, 10,000 French, and 3,000 Bavarians.

With nearly 40,000 troops penetrating an undefended Silesia, they might win the battle before Field Marshal Lacy’s main force even arrived.

He shook his head, “Look around—there’s not a Prussian in sight, but opportunities like this won’t wait for us. If we delay even a day for the Field Marshal, the enemy might detect something.”

General Nauendorf frowned slightly, “So, what’s your plan?”

“Increase the pace and deploy our forces on both sides of the Liegnitz fortress,” General Wurmser said confidently. “We’ll cut off their connection to Breslau on one side while guarding against the Saxons on the other.”

Liegnitz was a strategic point west of Silesia, bordering Saxony’s Görlitz to the west and Breslau to the east. Capturing it would not only serve as a bridgehead for the Silesian offensive but also threaten Saxony.

General Nauendorf hesitated for a moment but finally nodded, “Your plan is sound, but I still think we should report to Field Marshal Lacy.”

“Yes, reporting is necessary. But we must also press on with the capture of Liegnitz.”

By noon the next day, the rapidly advancing Austrian vanguard could already see the Liegnitz fortress in the distance.

As the French troops at the rear finally reached the front, General Wurmser wasted no time. He immediately implemented his pre-planned strategy, sending the Bavarian forces and 5,000 Austrians to the west to guard against the Saxons, while he led the Austrian main force and the French in a direct assault on Liegnitz from the east.

Although the French were slow and a bit arrogant, General Wurmser knew they were competent fighters—at least on par with the Austrians.

By evening, the reconnaissance team delivered a map of the terrain around the Liegnitz fortress to General Wurmser’s tent.

Yes, despite controlling Silesia for over a century, Austria had neglected detailed topographical surveys until Frederick the Great’s repeated victories forced them to realize how little they knew about Silesia compared to the Prussians.

Standing over the map, General Wurmser pointed to a high ground northeast of Liegnitz and said to the French commander, General Kellermann, “General, tomorrow morning, please position your troops here.”

He then indicated a gentle slope adjacent to the fortress, “I will deploy the main force here and set up the artillery. From this position, we can bombard the fortress directly. When the Prussian defenders are forced out by the cannon fire, I will engage them head-on, while you, General, will attack from the high ground, striking them from the side and rear. This should completely rout the Prussians.”

He turned to his aide, “How many soldiers are defending Liegnitz?”

“According to our previous intelligence, no more than 8,000, General.”

“Excellent,” Wurmser nodded, “Victory will be ours.”

The next morning, before dawn, the French troops packed up their tents and marched toward the northeast of Liegnitz at first light.

However, after covering just a few kilometers, the cavalry scouts rushed back to report to General Kellermann, “General, there’s a large enemy force ahead on the high ground, at least seven or eight thousand strong, and they’ve already formed up.”

General Kellermann’s heart sank. His troops were still in marching formation, and facing a similarly sized Prussian force that had already formed up would be suicidal.

He vividly remembered the scene more than ten years ago in Westphalia, where his forces were crushed by Frederick’s Prussian army.

“This must be the main force from Liegnitz.”

He quickly made a decision, ordering one regiment to deploy in defensive formation while the rest of the troops began a cautious retreat. At the same time, he sent word to General Wurmser, requesting immediate reinforcements.

What he didn’t know was that the Austrian vanguard had encountered even greater difficulties. They were already embroiled in a fierce battle, and Wurmser had also dispatched riders to request French support.

(End of Chapter)

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