Chapter 749: The Unexpected
Lille, Northwestern France
Outside the French Southern Netherlands Army Headquarters, Joseph picked up an August 1790 Jäger Rifle, aiming at a wooden barrel over 100 paces away.
Holding his breath, he pulled the trigger.
"Boom!"
The spinning bullet tore through the air, hitting the barrel dead center.
Splinters flew in all directions, leaving behind a hand-sized hole.
Satisfied, Joseph lifted the rifle upright and took a powder pouch from Emon, pouring gunpowder into the barrel. Then, he loaded a lead bullet and firmly rammed it down with a ramrod.
From an outsider's perspective, it looked just like an ordinary smoothbore musket.
However, the August 1790 Jäger Rifle was a true rifled weapon—
Unmatched range
Extreme accuracy
According to Berthier, elite Jäger veterans could hit human-sized targets from 200 paces away.
At such distances, only cannons were usually effective.
A standard flintlock musket could barely hit anything beyond 70 paces, and even then, accuracy was purely a matter of luck.
Most nations had Jäger units equipped with rifled muskets, but the long reloading time meant they were used in small numbers—usually only at the company level.
Their role? Sniping officers on the battlefield.
But France was different.
The French Jäger battalions were growing rapidly, and soon, entire Jäger regiments would be formed.
The August 1790's high rate of fire meant Jägers could target not just officers, but enemy soldiers en masse.
Joseph imagined a future where every French infantryman carried one of these rifles.
At a range of over 100 paces, they could shatter enemy formations before they even got close.
As he finished loading the rifle and prepared to fire again, a French officer hurried over, saluted, and reported:
"Your Highness, large-scale riots erupted yesterday morning in Wavre and several surrounding towns."
Due to the lack of semaphore stations in the Southern Netherlands, the news had taken over a day to reach the French border.
However, once it arrived, the semaphore system relayed it to Lille within minutes.
Joseph glanced over the report and nodded.
"Just as Intelligence predicted."
He turned to the officer.
"What is the Walloon Chamber of Commerce doing?"
**"Sir, President Chevenement convinced the Walloon Regional Committee to follow your advice.
Five days ago, they relocated most of the police force south of Brussels, while stockpiling supplies in Thuin, beyond the riot zones."**
Joseph smiled.
**"Chevenement did well.
Give the order for General Lefebvre's troops to move out.
Also, send Count Ségur to Württemberg."**
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Lefebvre, commanding the Royal 4th Infantry Division and two light infantry regiments, had been stationed in Artois, which misled Austrian intelligence.
That was why Prince Coburg believed France only had 12,000 men near the Southern Netherlands border.
In reality, Lefebvre's forces were fully prepared.
By using wooden railroads, all their supplies were transported separately, allowing soldiers to march unburdened and even rotate on horse-drawn carts.
This meant that instead of taking a week to reach Brussels, as Prince Coburg predicted, the French army would arrive in just three days.
Meanwhile, Count Ségur would launch a diplomatic offensive in Southern Germany, denouncing Austria's invasion of the Walloon demilitarized zone.
Unlike Napoleon, who had ignored diplomacy and relied solely on military force, Joseph knew the importance of moral high ground.
At first, it might seem insignificant.
But in the long run, public opinion could shift the balance of power across Europe.
The Hidden Police Force
North of Wavre
In a dry riverbed, hundreds of tents were pitched.
There were no banners, but 300–400 armed men patrolled the camp.
Near a tent, a policeman named Bourget removed his hat and sighed.
**"Looks like we're stuck here another week.
Damn it, my training session in Paris starts in five days!
Why the hell are we doing 'field exercises' now?"**
For the Walloon police, their annual training in Paris was a highly anticipated event.
The Parisian nightlife
The beautiful women
The luxury goods
And best of all—extra pay
A round-faced officer nearby chuckled.
**"Forget about your 'vacation.'
I overheard Superintendent Debray this morning—Landen has fallen to the rioters too."**
Bourget frowned.
**"Damn Flemish fools.
Do they actually believe Wallonia belongs to them?"**
A middle-aged officer, sharpening his bayonet, added:
**"Someone is organizing them.
I came from Namur—they tried rioting there too.
Not as bad as up north, but it's spreading."**
Bourget gritted his teeth.
**"Then why aren't we putting them down?
If our commander gave the order, we could crush them in one day!"**
The older officer glanced around, then shook his head.
**"Who knows?
I heard even the Mons and La Louvière police stations have been completely emptied."**
He was right.
Most of Wallonia's 4,000 police officers had been withdrawn and concentrated here.
Only a few small units remained in the cities, monitoring the riots.
The round-faced officer lowered his voice.
"Do you think our bosses are… working with the Flemish?"
"Nonsense!" Bourget snapped.
**"Then why call this a 'field exercise' and give us double pay?
Doesn't that seem suspicious?"**
For the first time, Bourget and the others hesitated.
Just then, the camp's bugles blared.
Drummers rushed out of their tents, beating a marching rhythm.
Within 20 minutes, a long column of police officers stood at attention.
Their commander walked forward, expression serious.
**"Check your ammunition.
This is not an exercise—this is a real mission."**
Bourget's eyes lit up.
"Sir! Are we finally moving against the rioters?"
The officer shook his head.
**"No.
We're going after the Austrians."**
The Austrian Advance
Count Radetzky rode at a steady pace, his long column of troops stretching into the distance.
He turned to his aide.
"How far to Wavre?"
"Just over 7 kilometers, sir."
That meant the Austrians had already marched deep into the Walloon region.
And they had no idea what was waiting for them.
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