Chapter 38: Chapter 38: William II's Decision
Chapter 38: William II's Decision
Duke Brunswick immediately ordered the Prussian main force to defend their current positions and instructed Blücher to scout the enemy's situation without engaging in reckless attacks. He then dispatched three infantry regiments and one cavalry regiment to establish a 20-kilometer-long defensive line between Amstelveen and Utrecht to protect their supply lines.
Before noon, more bad news arrived—Blücher's forces at the Vecht River had been fiercely attacked by the Dutch, suffering over 800 casualties due to heavy artillery fire and being encircled.
Duke Brunswick took a deep breath, surprised that the Dutch still had the strength to resist. He quickly sent reinforcements to support Blücher.
By the time the Prussian supply lines were secured and their forward units had regrouped, two days had passed.
Duke Brunswick wasn't too concerned about the lost time; he had addressed the vulnerabilities caused by their rapid advance. Now, with overwhelming numbers, he was ready to crush the Dutch forces.
At noon on the fourth day after Dubois had repelled the Prussian vanguard, Brunswick launched his most intense attack yet.
On the plains south of Amstelveen, there was no room for strategy—only the brutal clash of iron and blood.
Dubois commanded 12 cannons, relentlessly bombarding the densest concentrations of Prussian soldiers. André, leading his cavalry, harassed the Prussian flanks, effectively keeping the Prussian cavalry occupied.
The Dutch held the higher ground and, emboldened by their recent victory, fought with extraordinary determination. Despite Brunswick's relentless assaults throughout the day, the Dutch lines held firm.
At dawn the next day, Brunswick resumed his attack. The battlefield was soon littered with thousands of bodies as both sides exchanged dense volleys of musket fire and cannon blasts.
By 2 p.m., the French artillery had exhausted their ammunition.
Seeing Captain Dubois retreat from the artillery positions, rifle in hand, ready to join the infantry, André knew the situation was dire.
He glanced at the Prussian cannons, which were still belching fire, crossed himself, and raised his saber high. Turning to his blood-soaked soldiers, he shouted, "Follow me! We'll break through the Prussian artillery lines!"
The French cavalry immediately pounded their chests with their sword hilts and roared in unison, "Yes!"
Duke Brunswick frowned as he surveyed the smoke-covered battlefield. He hadn't expected the Dutch to put up such a fierce resistance, particularly their artillery, which, despite being outnumbered, had fought the Prussians to a standstill with remarkable accuracy.
If the battle continued like this, capturing Amsterdam would come at a significant cost, far more than he had originally anticipated.
As he considered whether to deploy the reserves for a final, decisive assault, a guard brought in a royal envoy.
Brunswick stared at the retreat order, signed by King William II himself, with a furrowed brow. "What's the meaning of this?"
The envoy awkwardly replied, "It's been confirmed that Princess Wilhelmina is not in Dutch hands."
"What? That's impossible!" Brunswick's eyes widened in disbelief. The entire campaign had been based on rescuing Wilhelmina, and now they were saying she wasn't even here?
The envoy sighed. "She was found in the Southern Netherlands, apparently kidnapped by a group of Italian-speaking bandits. Antwerp police rescued her and killed two of the kidnappers."
He was referring to the Southern Netherlands, what would later become Belgium, which was currently under Austrian control.
"Bandits? That can't be!"
The envoy continued, "Duke, Princess Wilhelmina has already returned to Prussia…"
Brunswick looked again at the retreat order, his frustration evident. "Even so, we could use this opportunity to crush the rebels and restore Prince William to power in Holland!"
The envoy gave a wry smile. "Actually, yesterday, the Dutch Parliament formally announced their acceptance of Prince William's return to Amsterdam as Stadtholder."
Brunswick was stunned for a moment before reluctantly waving to his aide. "Order the army to retreat."
Restoring William V to Holland was all part of Joseph's plan. At first, the Patriot Party strongly opposed the idea, but the French envoy Colbert relayed the Prince's message: "Having William V stirring trouble from outside is far worse than bringing him back to Amsterdam, where he can be kept under watch. His power base is in The Hague, and you control the army. You could even use him as a hostage."
The Patriot Party quickly warmed to the idea.
Three days earlier, French spies had ambushed and captured Wilhelmina en route to church in Nijmegen. Confident in her secret hideout, she had only brought seven or eight bodyguards with her and was easily captured by the "Italian-speaking bandits."
Although Prussia had taken control of southern Holland, only the major cities were under their control; smaller towns and villages remained in Patriot hands. This allowed the French spies to transport Wilhelmina to the Southern Netherlands without any trouble, even sending William II a ransom note along the way.
Subsequently, the French contacts in Antwerp arranged for two bodies to stand in as the dead bandits and alerted the local police to the presence of "suspicious foreigners." A journalist was also tipped off to ensure the story was covered.
Once Wilhelmina was publicly "rescued" by the police, she could no longer pretend to have been held by the Patriots, stripping King William II of his primary excuse for invading Holland.
The Patriot Party then offered concessions, while France conducted large-scale military exercises in southern Luxembourg. With Brunswick unable to break through to Amsterdam, William II finally looked at his meager coffers and decided to order a retreat.
André, seeing the thousands of Prussian soldiers still defending their artillery positions and the Prussian cavalry keeping a watchful eye on him, knew that if he charged, he would likely die on the battlefield.
But it was the only way to turn the tide of battle. Even with a slim chance of success, he had to try. He tightened his grip on the reins and prepared to charge when suddenly, a bugle sounded from the Prussian lines, signaling their retreat.
He reined in his horse, watching in disbelief as the Prussians began to withdraw. The Dutch soldiers around him started cheering, and only then did he fully grasp that the enemy was really retreating.
Crossing himself, he looked up at the sky, his heart swelling with emotion. "It's the God-Blessed Prince; he actually did it!"
…
At dawn, Joseph set out for Paris by carriage. Today was the grand opening of the Paris Angel store on the Champs-Élysées, and he planned to be there at noon to cut the ribbon.
Although it was just a store opening, the store itself was a product, and he intended to maximize its value with the right amount of ceremony.
The news of the opening had been widely publicized through newspaper ads, and by the time Joseph arrived at the Champs-Élysées, the streets were packed with people. The avenue in front of the new Paris Angel store was so crowded that it was completely impassable.
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