The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Beneath the City of Amsterdam

In the middle of the Champs-Élysées, just 600 meters from the Tuileries Palace, one could gaze southward and see the Louvre.

Before Joseph stood a jewelry store with a storefront spanning over twenty meters. The sign of "Nagelt Jewelry" still hung, though the door was ajar.

According to the information Eymond had gathered, the store's owner had married a Spaniard and was planning to sell the property and move to Spain.

Joseph stepped inside to inspect it. The store was relatively new, with two floors, each spanning over 500 square meters. The sturdy oak floors, brass-clad corners, and stair railings all reflected refined and understated elegance in the decor.

Wasting no time, Joseph quickly reached an agreement with the store owner's representative to purchase the store for 36,000 livres.

This price was relatively fair for such a prime location on Paris's most bustling commercial street.

Eymond went to complete the transaction, while Joseph surveyed the surroundings and said to the accompanying architect, “Mr. Archide, I’ll need your help with some adjustments to this shop.”

Indeed, among the Crown Prince’s dedicated entourage, an architect was always included. Usually idle, today was finally a chance for him to be put to work.

“Your commands, Your Highness,” Archide replied.

Joseph gestured to the street-facing wall. “Replace all these walls with glass, as large as possible. I want pedestrians to be able to see inside the store at a glance.”

“All these wooden cabinets need to be replaced. Design glass showcases about a meter high, so that the merchandise can be displayed openly and customers can touch it at will.

“Replace the lights with the crystal chandeliers from my reception room. The illumination must be flawless; every corner of the store should be brightly lit.

“Paint the exterior walls with a fresh and soothing tone...”

Archide diligently jotted down notes until Joseph turned to him and asked, “That’s about it. Now, how much time and money will these renovations take?”

The architect flipped through his notes and hesitated before replying, “About half a month, and it will cost roughly 3,000 livres.”

Joseph nodded. “I’ll give you 5,000 livres. Complete it in a week—can you manage that?”

“Yes, Your Highness, I will do my utmost,” Archide said firmly. After a moment’s thought, he added cautiously, “Your Highness, if I may speak frankly, even if Angel Water were sold in a simple shop by the Pont Neuf, it would sell out instantly. This store is already exceptional—why spend so much on renovations?”

Joseph chuckled. “Because apart from Angel Water, this store itself is also merchandise.”

Archide was startled. “You intend to sell this shop as well?”

“No, I mean it in another sense. Consider this store a sample,” Joseph explained.

...

Netherlands.

In a military camp four kilometers south of Amsterdam, an elderly man in a green military coat with graying hair and a slightly crooked chin frowned at a map. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “I believe we should abandon Amstelveen for now and retreat south of Amsterdam. We can use the canals to hold them off...”

The middle-aged man beside him, dressed in a deep white military uniform, immediately interrupted in a mocking tone. “Colonel Volst, my men and I have traveled a great distance to the Netherlands, not to watch your army practice the art of retreat.”

Volst, who held unquestioned authority in the Dutch army, did not dare to lose his temper with this captain. Instead, he emphasized his point. “Captain Dubois, the Prussian vanguard is only 15 kilometers from Amstelveen, and the town lacks any fortifications. Are we supposed to just wait here to die?”

Amstelveen, a town directly south of Amsterdam, was the last line of defense before the city would be exposed to the Prussian army.

The French captain continued his mockery. “Fortifications? Your forces couldn’t even hold a fortified city like Utrecht. Even if Amstelveen had ten fortresses, I doubt it would help you much.”

Volst’s face flushed red with anger. “What’s the point of saying this? What matters now is deciding how to confront the enemy!”

“Attack,” Dubois declared loudly. “French soldiers have always crushed their enemies with offense!”

A Dutch officer interjected anxiously, “Captain Dubois, even with the hastily assembled recruits, we have only about 9,000 men, while the Prussians number over 20,000. In such conditions, attacking is akin to suicide.”

Dubois smiled. “20,000 is the entire Prussian army’s strength. Their vanguard surely isn’t that large.

“More importantly, thanks to your earlier rapid retreats, the Prussians have pursued us at high speed for over ten days. The dense waterways of the Netherlands likely mean their artillery hasn’t kept up with their vanguard.

“We, however, have over a dozen cannons at our disposal!”

Volst stared at him in disbelief. “Are you really proposing to attack the Prussians?”

“Why not?” Dubois replied, meeting his gaze. “The Prussians wouldn’t expect a counterattack from a retreating Dutch force, making this the perfect opportunity.”

Volst, unnerved by Dubois’s intense stare, looked down and muttered, “Even if your soldiers are courageous and equipped with artillery, such a reckless charge...”

Dubois cut him off. “Not my soldiers—yours.”

“M-my men? That’s impossible...”

Dubois interrupted again. “Your soldiers, especially the new recruits, will launch the attack on the Prussian vanguard. Then, they’ll pretend to flee—or rather, they’re likely to flee naturally.

“My men and your main force will lie in wait in the narrow area between the Spier River and Abcoude Lake. All my cannons will be positioned there.”

Several Dutch officers lit up at the suggestion, already picturing the Prussian army falling into a sudden ambush and retreating in chaos.

Ever since the Prussians had interfered in the Netherlands, the Dutch army had known only defeat. The desire for victory was palpable.

Volst, however, frowned and shook his head. “Even if we manage to defeat the Prussian vanguard, it won’t matter. Their main force will arrive shortly afterward, and we won’t stand a chance.

“My orders from the States General are to hold out for five days.”

Dubois corrected him. “To hold out for five days, we first need a victory to repel the Prussians. Otherwise, you’ll retreat all the way to Hoorn and manage to ‘hold out’ for far longer than five days.”

He turned to a young officer standing stiffly at attention, his curly hair framing a sharp, aquiline nose. “André, how long will it take for the Prussian main force to reach Amsterdam?”

The young officer responded confidently, “Sir, if they march uninterrupted, they could pass through Amstelveen by nightfall tomorrow. But if their supply lines are disrupted, this timeline could be significantly delayed.”

“Excellent.” Dubois gave him an approving look. “Then I’m assigning this task to you.”

“Yes, sir!” André replied.

Volst was stunned. “Lieutenant Davout only has about sixty cavalrymen. How could he possibly disrupt the Prussian supply lines?”

“Not just sixty,” Dubois said with a smile. “He’ll also have your 650 cavalry.”

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