Chapter 174: Reactions

"It's Middelburg. Today, my unit was ordered to recapture Middelburg, but during the march, we discovered that the English had already occupied it. The English have deployed at least twenty thousand troops there. The 88th Battalion is currently confronting them," the French cavalryman reported anxiously to Roland.

"Middelburg? Did the English land there? Damn it, how did our navy not have any information about this? Useless," Roland cursed angrily.

Although the French Navy was not as strong as the British Royal Navy, it was still the second strongest navy in Europe. It shouldn't be possible for the enemy to get so close without any response.

However, reorganizing the navy was a matter for later. The most urgent task now was to deal with the English troops in Middelburg.

"Immediately notify General Murat and Marlin-Hoffman. Have them lead their troops to support Middelburg. I will report to Consul Napoleon," Roland ordered.

After giving the orders, Roland anxiously went to his desk and began writing a letter. The situation was extremely urgent. A single misstep could lead to a major war between England and France, so he had to be very careful.

In Middelburg

Upon receiving the news, Murat immediately led a large force to support Middelburg. However, to avoid provoking the English, he chose not to enter Middelburg directly but to stop about ten miles away.

The English troops, without orders from home, did not dare to retreat either, resulting in a standoff in the small town of Middelburg.

Meanwhile, both the French and British governments were in chaos.

"Damn it, what is going on? Who can give me an explanation?"

"Didn't we already agree that our goal was to mire the French in the Netherlands, just like the Austrians did before, to drain their national strength? We were supposed to provide some support to the Dutch, but now it has escalated into a direct confrontation between our troops and the French."

In Buckingham Palace, King George III angrily threw Balmoral's request for reinforcements onto the table and demanded answers from his top government officials.

"Wellington, you are the Secretary of War. Give me an explanation," King George III demanded, turning his gaze to the Duke of Wellington.

"This... this must be an accident. Originally, our plan was to have the navy escort the expeditionary force to land in Middelburg. This was to boost Dutch morale and ensure their commitment to fighting the French. The landing site was chosen to be far from the main battlefield, so we could quickly withdraw by ship if needed. But we didn't anticipate the French would advance so quickly. In less than a week, they captured the entire Netherlands," the Duke of Wellington explained.

Wellington explained to King George III with a heavy heart. Originally, this was supposed to be a perfectly executed plan, but who could have anticipated it would turn out like this? It was all that idiot Balmoral's fault.

"So what now? Hood, does the navy have any solutions?" King George III then turned to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty, Samuel Hood.

"Your Majesty, I must apologize, but there is nothing we can do at the moment. The situation is far too dire. The army's movements have already been detected by the French, and Napoleon is not one to tolerate such provocations lightly. We can only imagine the extreme measures the French will take next."

"Although the Royal Navy is exceptionally strong, the French navy is not weak either. If we engage them head-on, although we will likely emerge as the ultimate victors, we would still suffer significant losses."

Hood spoke slowly. While the Royal Navy was not afraid of battle and was ready to die for Britain's honor, it should be for a legitimate cause, not for a senseless blunder like this.

"So what do we do? Are we just going to abandon the 20,000 British expeditionary troops? They're still on the continent. If the French navy cuts off the coastline, they'll be left to die. Losing 20,000 soldiers is a loss we absolutely cannot afford," said British Prime Minister William Pitt.

"Maybe... we could have the Foreign Office negotiate with the French. After all, this is a misunderstanding. If this incident escalates into a full-scale war between the two countries, it will benefit no one. The French should realize this too. So, I believe negotiations are possible," suggested Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George.

If this matter could be resolved through diplomatic means, it would undoubtedly be the best outcome. As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lloyd George was well aware of the costs of war. Once the war started, the greatest burden would fall not on the army but on the Treasury. The saying goes, "Once the cannons fire, gold costs ten thousand," and he certainly did not want to bear the financial burden of this war. Moreover, the current state of British finances could not support another war.

Just last month, Britain had ended the war in Egypt, which had cost nearly 100 million pounds and resulted in nearly ten thousand casualties.

David Lloyd George could hardly imagine what would happen to the British government if another war broke out so soon.

"Alright, in that case, we can only negotiate. It's hard to believe that within just a few months, we've had to negotiate with the French twice," King George III sighed.

...

Versailles Palace, Paris, France.

Napoleon sat at his desk, frowning as he held the urgent letter delivered by Roland.

*Knock, knock!* The sound of a knock on his office door interrupted him.

"Come in," Napoleon said, placing the letter on the table.

"Greetings, Emperor Napoleon!" The office door opened, and two French military officers in uniform entered slowly.

"Brunauf, Belaedi, you're here," Napoleon said, rising from his desk upon seeing them.

"I've called you both here because I assume you know what has happened," Napoleon began.

"Yes, Emperor Napoleon. I've received word that the British have landed at Middelburg harbor. It was a naval mishap. We didn't anticipate the British meddling in the affairs of the Netherlands, and they took advantage of it," Vice Admiral Verneuf, commander of the French Atlantic Fleet, spoke up.

The British Navy crossed the ocean and landed a force of 20,000 troops on the European continent, and the French Navy received no word of it—this was a serious dereliction of duty. Verneuf couldn't argue.

"Yes, it was a naval mishap, and the Navy must reflect deeply on this. But that's a matter for later. Now, we need to deal with the British troops in Middelburg. How should we handle them?" Napoleon paced with his hands behind his back, asking the two officers.

"Emperor Napoleon, there are a full 20,000 British troops landed at Middelburg. They outnumber our forces in the Netherlands, so should we send reinforcements?" French General Belaedi said.

"Absolutely. We must have sufficient force in the Netherlands to overpower the British and force them to retreat. Belaedi, I order you to lead 50,000 troops to support the Netherlands," Napoleon commanded.

"Yes, Emperor Napoleon," Belaedi saluted Napoleon.

"In addition, the Navy must take action. Verneuf, I order the Navy to immediately head north and cut off the British sea lines of communication. Trap these 20,000 British troops entirely in Middelburg harbor. If we fail this time, then I will hold everyone accountable," Napoleon said to Verneuf.

"Yes, Emperor Napoleon. Rest assured, there will be no mistakes this time," Verneuf solemnly replied with a salute.

The two then left together.

"Damn the British, showing up everywhere. They supported Bragi before, did they think I didn't know? Now they dare to show up themselves. They're truly audacious. This time, I must teach them a lesson they won't forget," Napoleon said with bitterness.