Chapter 749: Warning From the Wallonia Chamber of Commerce
Chapter 750 Warning from the Walloon Chamber of Commerce
Count Radesky looked up at the sky, frowned slightly, and said to his staff:
"Order to speed up the march and enter Wavre before dark."
[Map of Southern Netherlands]
The order he received was to control Namur, the transportation hub of Wallonia, as quickly as possible.
With France likely to intervene in the situation in Wallonia, the sooner he arrived there, the more time he would have to prepare for war.
However, as soon as his order was conveyed, a short trumpet sound suddenly came from the front of the team. It was a prompt sound that there was a problem in the front and notified the rear to stop advancing.
Count Radeski didn't wait long before a cavalry captain rushed over from the front line and saluted him:
"General, there is a group of people blocking the road. Among them are officials from the Walloon Chamber of Commerce and reporters."
Radesky frowned and sneered:
"Haha, do these idiots think they can stop us like they stopped the Brussels security forces?"
Just one day ago, the security team sent by the Flemish regional government to the Walloon region to "quell the riots" was intercepted by the Walloon police and returned to Brussels in disgrace. More than ten people were arrested by the Walloon police.
Count Radeski urged his horse along the road to the front of the queue, where he saw dozens of Walloon officials holding hands blocking the road, and more than a dozen people who looked like reporters stood on both sides.
He turned his head to signal to the attendant.
The latter immediately stepped forward and said loudly:
"General Radeski complied with the order of His Majesty the Emperor and came to resolve the chaos in Wallonia. You must get out of the way immediately, otherwise it will be regarded as a provocation to His Majesty the Emperor."
An official blocking the road walked up to Count Radesky's horse, handed a document to the attendant, and said seriously:
“On behalf of the Walloon Chamber of Commerce, I solemnly protest against the Austrian army’s violation of the Walloon Demilitarized Zone!
"Please leave immediately, otherwise the Chamber of Commerce will authorize the Walloon District Police to arrest you."
Count Radeski looked at each other and the officers beside him, and suddenly burst into laughter:
"Haha, did you hear what he said? Arrest?"
"How dare he threaten His Majesty the Emperor's army? It really made me laugh to death."
"I think there must be something wrong with his head."
Count Radeski tore the document into pieces and threw it on the ground. He waved impatiently to the officer beside him: "Disperse them."
"Yes, General!"
The officer quickly issued a series of orders, and hundreds of soldiers immediately surrounded him, pointing their guns diagonally in the air.
The next moment, deafening gunshots erupted, causing the people of the Walloon Chamber of Commerce to shrink back in shock.
The officer pointed forward again, and the soldier behind him leveled his gun and pointed it at the crowd blocking the road.
"Robbers, you robbers!"
"You will be punished!"
The representatives of the Chamber of Commerce protested angrily and dispersed in all directions to get out of the way.
The reporters were excitedly writing down notes in their notebooks, preparing to go back and break the big news.
The Austrian army was then able to continue its advance. Count Radeski talked to several officers about whether His Majesty the Emperor would order an attack on the French mainland after capturing Namur.
However, the Austrian forward army only advanced less than 5 kilometers before stopping again.
"What happened again?" Count Radesky looked forward irritably.
After a moment, the same cavalry officer hurried over, but his expression was not as relaxed as before:
"General, the hussars have discovered a large number of Walloon policemen 1,500 yards to the south."
Count Radesky smiled disdainfully. In his subconscious mind, the police are basically gangsters controlled by the government.
"Police? How many are there?"
The captain said: "There are more than 2,000 people, general."
"There are quite a few people." Count Radeski snorted and turned to look at the staff officer beside him, "Androsch, which unit is responsible for advancing security?"
The latter thought for a moment and said: "It's Lieutenant Colonel Busek's Derna Skirmisher Regiment."
Count Radesky nodded and ordered: "Let Busek drive away those annoying guys. He has two hours to complete this task."
"Yes, General!"
A skirmisher group has more than 1,400 soldiers, which should be more than enough to deal with 2,000 policemen.
Moreover, the deployment speed of skirmishers is relatively fast and has minimal impact on the march, which is suitable for carrying out this kind of "torture" task.
One hour later.
Lieutenant Colonel Busek used his binoculars to look at the neat gray-white infantry line in front of the trees to the south - to be precise, it should be the police line - and couldn't help but frown slightly.
"Why do those police conduct line array training?"
But he soon noticed the policeman pulling a straight rope in front of him, and he was relieved.
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It is a tool to help recruits fight neatly, and also to prevent recruits from running around.
It was obvious that these police officers were just lining up to show off.
He put down the telescope, turned his head and asked the regiment's staff: "Are you ready?"
"Yes, Captain, you can launch an attack at any time."
"Then what are you waiting for? Teach these ignorant guys a lesson."
Immediately, rhythmic drumming sounded everywhere, and the soldiers of the Derna Skirmishers spread out into a 1.5-kilometer-wide fan-shaped attack surface and began to press southward.
…
Northern suburb of Wavre.
Bourget heard the dense drumbeats in the distance, licked his lips nervously, and sweat kept falling from his forehead.
Although he had heard the instructor say all day long during his training at the Paris Police Academy, "You must be prepared at all times to deal with any dangerous situation and defeat any enemy."
But the most powerful opponent he had faced before was more than 30 armed gang members.
And now, it is an organized army that is attacking here!
"Hey, Alois, we won't die here, will we?"
The round-faced young policeman on his left wiped the sweat from his palms and gritted his teeth:
"Have you forgotten? These guys are going to occupy the entire Wallonia region. We must drive them away!"
A soldier with a broad forehead in the back row nodded vigorously:
"I don't want to go back to the life I lived three years ago. Damn Austrians."
His words caused the surrounding soldiers to nod in agreement.
That's right, in the past, under the rule of the Austrians, Wallonia had no decent industry at all, and the taxes were very heavy, and life was poor.
In the eyes of the Flemish people who own the port of Antwerp, they are just a group of poor country bumpkins.
It was not until three years ago that France and Austria signed the "Demilitarized Zone Agreement" in Wallonia, and a large number of French businessmen began to flock to Wallonia to explore coal mines and invest in factories, and the area quickly became rich.
Even people from the Flemish region came to Wallonia to work.
Most of the family and friends of these policemen relied on the newly built coal mines and ironworks to live a good life.
They knew very well that the Austrians suddenly sent troops not to help build Wallonia.
Instead, they wanted to take away everything here!
They must protect this new life for the Walloons.