Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

On a small hill in the distance, Joseph’s speech was still ongoing:

"The riots continue, wreaking immense havoc on the southern provinces. Yet our brave Marquis de Saint-Veran, with nearly twenty thousand troops at his command, has consistently refused to deploy them to quell the unrest, watching idly as those of status and education are plundered by the rioters."

He paused to allow the journalists to record his words before continuing loudly:

"Some even suspect that the Marquis de Saint-Veran is the hidden mastermind behind the riots. Of course, I do not believe that.

"Fortunately, His Majesty the King has never forgotten his subjects! His Majesty directed me to lead all available troops in Paris, including the police, to Montpellier to suppress the riots..."

As he spoke, he suddenly heard a smattering of gunfire in the distance, and his heart skipped a beat.

It had begun!

Two cavalrymen raced over, shouting from a distance:

"Your Highness, Moncalm Legion has suddenly launched an attack on us. They may well be attempting to rebel!"

The hundreds of journalists and nobles around him were shocked into paralysis, uncertain of what to do.

With great theatricality, Joseph widened his eyes in shock and exclaimed:

"How is that possible?!"

From below, a "plant" in the crowd spoke up with a trembling voice:

"Could it be that Marquis de Saint-Veran has been indulging the riots, waiting for Your Highness to come and suppress them, only to then spring an ambush?"

Joseph immediately followed his lead:

"It seems he has indeed instigated a rebellion..."

Eman handed a telescope to Joseph. After taking a glance down the hill, Joseph frowned and said:

"They are attacking General Bertier!"

Soldiers promptly brought over several boxes of telescopes and thoughtfully distributed them to the journalists.

As the journalists extended their telescopes, the scene in the distance came sharply into view—a dense mass of troops was firing ferociously and steadily closing in on Bertier’s Army’s encampment behind the small grove, with the banner of the Moncalm Legion fluttering amidst them.

From Major Brouin’s position, one could only see the small grove in front of them, but from the high ground on the side, one could see the encampment beyond the trees.

After hearing that "Moncalm Legion is attacking Bertier’s Army," the journalists had preconceived notions that the attack was indeed directed at the area beyond the grove.

Joseph mounted his horse with impressive poise and turned to the journalists, solemnly saying:

"I must be with my army! Should I meet with misfortune, please ensure that the events unfolding here are made known to the world."

After speaking, he rode off with his guard in a cloud of dust.

The soldiers then collected all the "military supplies" telescopes.

For the journalists, the distant battlefield had instantly become shrouded in mist.

Major Brouin was lazily watching as his troops systematically took control of the grove where the rioters were hiding, waiting only to drag out the people or bodies within, when suddenly he heard a thunderous explosion from behind and to the side.

He furrowed his brow, his first thought being: I didn’t bring any cannons, did I?

But when he looked up, his pupils abruptly narrowed—several bloody gaps had appeared in his infantry formation, and the soldiers who had been caught off guard stood in terror, apparently still unclear about what had just happened.

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"This is the enemy’s cannon!" Major Brouin was instantly jolted, "No, these aren’t the rioters!"

He quickly turned his head to the orderly officer and yelled:

"Order the whole army to stop advancing. Concentrate from the flanks to the center! Cavalry, scout to the southeast!"

Before the latter could move, the distant cannons roared again. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

This time, the soldiers of Moncalm Legion finally realized what was happening, screaming as they scattered to evade the cannon fire. Meanwhile, the officers of the various units drew their swords, loudly scolding in an attempt to maintain formation.

Atop a northern hillock, an officer from the Police Affairs Department was explaining to reporters: "Listen, the rebels even brought cannons! What in damnation do these bastards want?!"

"Oh, God bless, I only hope that His Highness comes through unharmed..."

After the third volley from the cannons, Moncalm Legion had completely descended into chaos.

It was a coordinated salvo from three 12-pound cannons and six 6-pound cannons, with pre-aimed targets, hardly missing a shot.

What followed held little suspense.

Major Brouin hesitated whether to call for reinforcements or to retreat directly. Soon, an infantry regiment from both flanks came closing in straight lines, while a large number of cavalry swiftly maneuvered behind him.

Meanwhile, those damned cannons continued to boom relentlessly.

At that moment, Major Brouin finally realized that he had been lured into an ambush...

He hesitated for only two seconds before he turned his horse around, abandoning his troops, and escaped with only a few dozen guards back to Earl Seyrelier’s estate.

On a distant hillside, the thoroughly frightened reporters waited until the cannon fire ceased, and after more than an hour, they finally welcomed the arrival of the bodyguard sent by Crown Prince to fetch them.

The area near the small grove, where the fierce battle had just taken place, was nearly cleaned up.

Joseph was bitterly leading the reporters to view the bodies of Bertier’s Army soldiers who had been killed by the rebels.

The bodies were neatly laid out, amounting to a hundred or two.

The Crown Prince loudly denounced the treacherous acts of Marquis de Saint-Veran, briefly outlined how General Bertier had valiantly repelled the rebels, and then swore to take revenge for his soldiers.

Of course, the bodies on the ground belonged to Moncalm Legion. However, their uniforms were similar in color and style to those of the Guard Corps, so the reporters couldn’t clearly distinguish which side they were from.

The still shaken reporters immediately busied themselves, writing their news reports as quickly as possible, getting their assistants or servants to send them back to their newspapers.

Before long, the rumble of cannons sounded again from the direction of Earl Seyrelier’s Estate to the east. Continue reading at empire

The reporters all stood up and looked over there.

An officer hurriedly led people to escort them to a safer area to the north, all the while anxiously describing the situation: "Listen, the rebels have started attacking His Highness’s legion again. This will surely be a very tough battle..."

The actual fighting process was not tough at all.

The cannon fire was the Guard Corps launching an attack on Moncalm Legion.

Marquis de Saint-Veran, upon learning that Major Brouin had fallen into an ambush, frantically ordered his troops to assemble and prepare for battle.

However, he had no prior notice of the Guard Corps’ approach, and his forces were leisurely resting in the manor. Not even perimeter scouts had been set up. By the time Bertier had nearly surrounded the estate, almost half of Moncalm Legion’s soldiers had yet to form up.

Then came a barrage of cannon fire. After two middle-ranking officers of Moncalm Legion voluntarily led their units to surrender, Dawu’s troops were the first to breach the estate through the gap and, with virtually no delay, made their way to the center of the estate, where they engaged in fire with Marquis de Saint-Veran’s guards.

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