Chapter 762: A New Order in the Lowlands
As they walked and talked, Joseph and Thyen soon arrived at the officers' tent.
Once inside, Joseph gestured for Eymond to bring tea and turned to Thyen.
**"Please, have a seat.
"As for the nation-building plan we discussed—once you have assembled the first members of the parliamentary election, France will sign a formal agreement with your parliament."**
Thyen accepted the teacup eagerly, nodding repeatedly.
**"Thank you for your support, Your Highness!
"I will gather the parliament members as quickly as possible!"**
"Excellent. Then, you should depart for Brussels as soon as possible."
Joseph paused for a moment, then continued:
**"As I mentioned earlier, my army is more than capable of defeating the Austrians—and any British or Prussian forces that may come.
"But the Flemish must also contribute to their own independence.
"Otherwise, in the future, your descendants will have to say:
"'When our nation was founded, our ancestors did nothing at all.'"**
Thyen nodded earnestly.
**"You're absolutely right, Your Highness.
"I will do everything I can to rally Flemish soldiers against the Austrians.
"Oh, and I must warn you—Schaick is an untrustworthy scoundrel.
"You cannot rely on him."**
Joseph smiled.
**"I appreciate your advice.
"But right now, every additional person is an additional asset.
"I believe Schaick is willing to contribute to the Flemish cause.
"As Speaker of Parliament, you should be open to accepting all who share our vision."**
Thyen hesitated, then sighed.
**"Alright, I'll follow your lead.
"He can take charge of the prisoners.
"I will leave for Brussels tonight."**
"Very well. You may also take some soldiers for protection."
Joseph had no concerns about Thyen betraying him.
The temptation of becoming the 'Father of the Nation' was far too great.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fulfill a centuries-old Flemish dream, gain enormous power, and be remembered as a hero for generations.
And even if Thyen did run away—Joseph had Schaick as a backup.
In fact, among the 2,600 captured Austrian soldiers, Joseph was sure he could find at least ten men willing to become the founder of Flanders.
6:00 PM – Departure for Brussels
That evening, Thyen left for Brussels with:
Three politically influential officers80 soldiers as escorts
Thyen himself was not particularly worried about the French breaking their promises or losing the war.
As long as he united the Flemish parliamentarians, he could create a political movement strong enough to negotiate with Austria.
Of course, if France won, he would benefit even more.
Meanwhile, Schaick worked at remarkable speed.
Within three days, he had recruited 2,000 Austrian prisoners of Flemish origin to "volunteer" for the French army.
Of course, this wasn't because Schaick had any special influence.
It was largely because Thyen had already spoken to the Flemish captives before leaving.
French Scouts Report Back
Soon after, the French cavalry scouts returned to Wavre, reporting that Prince Coburg had made no attempt to rescue General Radetzky.
In reality, Coburg had barely managed to gather 7,000 retreating soldiers and was terrified that the French would march to Leuven and annihilate him.
Desperate, he had been begging Duke Frederick of York—the British commander in Utrecht and second son of King George III—for reinforcements.
Coburg had no intention of launching any offensives.
After waiting two more days, the Artois and Rethel Corps finally arrived in Wavre.
Joseph immediately ordered an attack on Maffeigne.
The battle was completely one-sided.
Even the newly formed Flemish battalions participated.
By the end of the day, Radetzky surrendered.
Another 4,000 Austrian soldiers were taken prisoner—most of them Flemish.
Schaick immediately got to work, enlisting more men for Joseph's "Flemish Army."
Formation of the Flemish Army
Joseph ordered Lefebvre to select experienced French officers from the regular army to train and command the Flemish troops.
The new Flemish Army was composed of:
Two Flemish infantry regimentsOne Flemish skirmisher battalionOne Flemish cavalry battalion (which was ironically made up of the same Austrian cavalry who had been abandoned by their Dutch allies earlier!)
The entire force totaled 4,700 soldiers.
Though their loyalty and morale were questionable, they were better than nothing.
Besides, Wallonia was wealthy enough to easily cover their costs.
With no further delays, Joseph led nearly 30,000 troops toward Brussels.
Brussels was the capital of the Southern Netherlands and the political center of Austrian rule in the region.
If Brussels fell, the entire Southern Netherlands would collapse overnight.
And at this moment, Brussels was defended only by 20,000 weak Dutch troops—
This was the perfect time to strike.
The Walloon Assembly
Meanwhile, in Namur, the Walloon Chamber of Commerce held a grand assembly.
At the front of the conference hall, Major General Gaillard straightened his white uniform and strode onto the podium.
Yes—he was now the official commander of the newly formed Walloon Defense Army.
Since the "demilitarized zone" treaty had been broken, the formation of a Walloon military force had become inevitable.
Nearly 4,000 Walloon policemen had volunteered to join the Defense Army, and after receiving French-supplied uniforms, they instantly became soldiers.
Gaillard clenched his fists and spoke with passion.
"Everyone here knows that if His Highness had not come to rescue us at Wavre, I would have been slaughtered by the Austrian army!
He deliberately avoided mentioning the possibility of being captured—
He wanted to stir up as much resentment against Austria as possible.
**"If we do not stand with France, we will eventually be ruled by Austria once again.
"And if that happens, the blood our soldiers spilled in Wavre will have been for nothing!"**
His words were immediately met with cheers from several military-aligned delegates.
However, a wealthy 60-year-old merchant stood up and objected.
**"General Gaillard, Wallonia's current autonomy brings us the greatest benefits.
"If we formally join France, we will lose many privileges.
"And let me remind you—His Highness does not even support the creation of a Walloon parliament!"**
This was true.
Joseph had insisted on dissolving the Chamber of Commerce and had rejected their proposal to transform it into a legislative body.
He firmly believed that no regional government could match his ability to develop Wallonia's economy.
At that moment, Chamber President Chevènement coughed lightly and stood up.
**"Speaking of Wallonia's interests…
"His Highness has promised me that he will invest in the construction of several hundred kilometers of wooden railways here.
"Oh, and these railways will be paved entirely with steel tracks."**
The entire hall fell silent.
Most of the delegates owned coal mines or ironworks.
They knew exactly how much profit a steel railway system would bring.
(End of chapter.)
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