Chapter 761: The Flemish Republic
Schaick, seeing that Thyen had been restrained, hurriedly picked himself up from the ground.
Cautiously circling around Thyen, he replaced his fearful expression with a fawning smile as he turned to Joseph.
"Your Most Honorable Highness, give me just two days, and your Flemish army will be ready to fight for you on the battlefield!"
Thyen snorted coldly from the side.
"Hmph! As long as I am here, no Flemish soldier will ever fight for the French!"
Joseph glanced at him briefly before turning back to Schaick.
"Is this Thyen fellow influential in your army?"
Schaick hesitated for a moment before instinctively nodding—then quickly shaking his head.
**"Ah—no, no, Your Highness! You see, General Thyen's family will pay his ransom, so of course, he is eager to put on a show of loyalty and bravery.
"But most soldiers don't want to remain prisoners.
"Being captured means no wages, only long, hard labor.
"I can convince them, I assure you!"**
Joseph smirked with interest.
"And what about you? Why aren't you having your family ransom you?"
"Uh… well… my family isn't very wealthy.
"Besides…" Schaick hesitated, then put on a flattering smile.
"I deeply admire you, Your Highness!"
Thyen scoffed.
**"Because this coward abandoned his post and fled yesterday.
"If he went back to Brussels, he'd be court-martialed and executed."**
One of the French soldiers raised his musket threateningly, shouting:
"Silence!"
Joseph narrowed his eyes slightly before raising his hand, signaling the soldier to stand down.
**"Oh, come now, let's show this general some basic respect.
"Release him."**
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The guards reluctantly let go, but remained wary.
Joseph ordered Schaick to be taken to the prisoner camp, then turned his attention to Thyen.
**"General Thyen, perhaps we can work together.
"Why don't we discuss it over some tea in my tent?"**
Thyen puffed out his chest with pride.
**"Hah! Don't waste your breath!
"The Flemish will never take orders from a French-speaking ruler!"**
The irony, of course, was that he had said all of this in French.
French was the language of European aristocracy, and any cultured nobleman was expected to speak it.
Joseph chuckled, a hint of mockery in his voice.
"And yet, the Flemish seem quite comfortable taking orders from German-speaking rulers."
"That's—not…!"
Thyen looked momentarily flustered, then tried to argue back.
"We have resisted them—"
Joseph nodded.
"Yes, and then… you submitted."
Thyen suddenly shouted in frustration.
**"What choice did we have?!
"Austrians are too powerful!"**
Joseph leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"Do you truly want the Flemish to break free from Austrian rule?"
Thyen laughed bitterly.
"Only to be ruled by the French instead?"
Joseph shook his head.
**"Not at all.
"My proposal is to establish a Flemish Republic."**
Thyen sneered.
"A puppet state, 'protected' by France?"
Joseph firmly shook his head.
**"No.
"A fully independent Flemish state—
"With its own parliament, its own army, and no French troops stationed there.
"No Austrian, Prussian, or any other foreign garrisons either.
"A real Flemish Republic."**
Thyen froze for a moment, then sighed.
"Even if we wanted that… it's impossible."
Joseph smiled.
**"What if France supports you?
"Militarily. Diplomatically. In every way."**
"Really?!"
For a brief second, Thyen's eyes sparkled with hope—but he quickly suppressed his emotions and looked at Joseph suspiciously.
"Why would you help the Flemish?"
Joseph answered simply.
**"Brussels.
"I want Brussels."**
Thyen burst into laughter, slapping his knee.
**"Hah! You really are an ambitious young man.
"But Brussels?
"If we lose Brussels, what would the Flemish have left?"**
Flanders was essentially composed of:
Brussels,Antwerp,Loon,And part of Ghent Province north of the Scheldt River.
While Brussels only accounted for 20% of Flemish territory, it generated nearly 50% of its economy.
The Flemish would never give it up so easily.
Joseph smiled slightly.
**"You'll still have Zeeland, Breda, and 's-Hertogenbosch."
Thyen frowned.
**"Are you joking?
"Those are Dutch territories."**
Suddenly, his expression changed—he looked at Joseph in shock.
"Wait… are you suggesting that we… take the Netherlands?"
Joseph nodded matter-of-factly.
"The territory south of the Waal River will become the core of the Flemish Republic."
"That's impossible—"
"No. It's entirely possible—
"Find a strong political leader in Flanders, summon a parliament, and leave the military operations to France."
Joseph understood that over 1.4 million Dutch-speaking Flemish citizens lived in the region.
They had long-standing conflicts with the French-speaking Walloons, making direct French rule unsustainable.
If he forcibly annexed Flanders, it would only lead to endless rebellions—and provide an easy excuse for foreign intervention.
Especially with the Netherlands to the north, sharing close ethnic and linguistic ties with Flanders, there was a constant risk of outside agitation.
Instead of ruling Flanders directly, Joseph saw a better alternative—let them be independent.
If Flanders absorbed the southern provinces of the Netherlands, it would forever be at odds with the Dutch government.
They would have no choice but to rely on France—the very nation that helped them gain independence.
Meanwhile, the Dutch would direct their hatred at the Flemish Republic, not France.
And when they needed diplomatic intervention, they would still have to come to Paris.
Strategically, Flemish rule over southern Holland made sense.
There were no ethnic or language barriers between Flemish and southern Dutch citizens.
And with the Waal River forming a natural barrier, the Netherlands would find it extremely difficult to reclaim lost territory.
Most importantly—
If the Flemish gained control of Zeeland, they would command the Rhine's main trade route into the sea.
If France annexed it directly, they would face fierce opposition from Britain, Prussia, Austria, and the Rhine's German states.
But if a Flemish Republic was created, those political pressures would fall on the new state—
While France could still manipulate Rhine trade without being blamed.
Thyen stared at Joseph in disbelief.
**"You're saying… a completely independent Flemish Republic?
"No French troops, no French officials, no French influence over trade, education, or the press?"**
Joseph smiled.
**"Correct.
"I just want Brussels."**
Thyen could no longer hide his excitement.
For centuries, the Flemish had resisted Spanish and Austrian rule.
Now, at last, they had a chance at true independence.
Even if they had to give up Brussels, it was a fair trade—
After all, southern Holland's economy and land area far outweighed that of Brussels.
Thyen bowed slightly.
"Your Highness, I believe you invited me for tea?"
"Indeed," Joseph said, gesturing for a horse.
"Right this way."
"I appreciate your hospitality."
As the two men rode together, Joseph asked:
"So, who do you suggest to lead the Flemish parliament?"
Thyen patted his chest proudly.
"Actually, Your Highness… I am a member of the Antwerp Parliament."
(End of chapter.)
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