Chapter 247 Black Xinggen Brigade

On July 15, shortly after the start of the Third War of Conquest, France had begun mobilizing its troops, and the next day, the French Parliament voted to formally declare war on Prussia.

Shortly thereafter, the four southern German states (Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg, and Hesse), where nationalism was rising, completely turned to Prussia.

Prussia currently has three corps. The southern part is mainly the Third Corps led by Crown Prince Friedrich William (Frederick III), which consists of:

5th Army: Kirchbach

6th Army: Commander Tumplinger

11th Army: Commander Boze

1st Bavarian Army: Commander Tann-Rath-Zamhausen

2nd Bavarian Army: General Hartmann

Württemberg Division,

Baden Division,

2nd and 4th Cavalry Divisions

Hei Xingen Brigade.

Because of the special nature of the Principality of Hechingen, it was designated as a separate combat unit, theoretically at the same level as the Prussian army.

In this war, the Hechingen Brigade was entirely formed by the Hechingen royal family. In addition to its personnel, its weapons and equipment were also self-sufficient, provided by the Hechingen Arsenal in the German region. Its equipment was exactly the same as that of the Prussian army, making it easier to integrate with the Prussian army's logistics than the temporary armies of other southern German states.

Leopold served as commander of the Hechingen Brigade and was directly under the command of Corps Commander Frederick III.

The total number of people from the Principality of Hechingen who participated in the war was 4,372. In addition to the third-year students of the former Hechingen Military Academy, there were also some second-year and first-year students, as well as some conscripts recruited from Hechingen and Sigmaringen.

…

“Boom boom boom…”

As the bell rang, the temporarily formed Hexingen Brigade gathered on the playground of the Hexingen Military Academy.

The Hechingen Brigade consisted of two infantry regiments. Under Leopold's leadership, they quickly assembled and then turned to Stuttgart, advancing westward along the road. With the advantage of the terrain, they reached the border area three days later. Except for the army of the Grand Duchy of Baden, which was fighting on its home turf, the armies of other states and Prussia had not yet arrived.

The Third Army was mainly composed of the southern German states, supplemented by the Prussian army. This German force had a total of 12 divisions, about 130,000 people (historically about 125,000 people), deployed in the Palatinate region near Baden and Karlsruhe in southern Germany.

The Hechingen Brigade was originally adjacent to the Grand Duchy of Baden, and as a state force, the Hechingen Brigade was the smallest in the Third Army, so its deployment was more flexible.

Two days later, the army of the Kingdom of Württemberg, which was adjacent to Baden like Hechingen, arrived in Baden. At the same time on the same day, the Prussian army from the north led by the Crown Prince of Prussia also arrived.

As the supreme commander of the Third Army, Frederick III first reviewed the armies of other states, except for the Bavarian army which had not yet arrived.

Frederick III had the most confidence in the Prussian army, but Baden and Württemberg had been at peace for a long time and there had not been a war for a long time, so it was hard for him to be confident. As for the Bavarian army, it would not be too bad, after all, the two countries had fought each other last time.

Soon the armies of the states gathered. Frederick III was very dissatisfied with the bustling army of the states. His frown never relaxed. Their level was too poor compared to the Prussian army. Their equipment was in a mess. One unit was even equipped with weapons from Prussia, France and Austria. Their daily organizational ability was so poor. How could they compete with the battle-hardened Prussian army on the battlefield? Moreover, the enemy was the French Army, which was recognized as the world's number one army.

Just when Frederick had given up hope on the armies of other states, the Hechingen Brigade located in a corner caught his attention.

First impression: young, second impression: capable, third impression: neat.

"Leopold, is this the Hechingen Brigade?" Frederick III came to Leopold and asked.

"Yes. Your Highness, they are a team composed of military cadets recruited by the Hechingen royal family themselves."

"Uh! Didn't I hear that Ernst was not interested in military affairs? Since he wanted to form an army, why didn't he go directly to the army? Prussia could have provided him with a position."

"Hahaha, Ernst's not interested in the military is just an excuse. He is just self-aware. I think it is the right choice for him to go into business. Besides, these cadet soldiers are completely prepared for his own colony. It is impossible to squeeze him into the army." Leopold laughed.

"Alas! Prince Constantine was also a famous general. Why didn't Ernst inherit this virtue from him?" Frederick sighed.

"Everyone has different choices, Your Highness, the Crown Prince. Besides, Prince Constantine is old and has only one son, so he naturally doesn't want Ernst to be exposed to the battlefield again."

"Other than that, Ernst's so-called Hechingen Military Academy is doing pretty well. I heard that he is the principal and has managed this army like this. His ability is pretty good and it looks much better than other states' armies. It's a pity that the number of troops is too small."

"Haha, after all, the southern German countries have their own military systems. If France had not declared war, they would have continued to exist independently, and the Principality of Hechingen was originally a vassal of Prussia, so the Hechingen Brigade is naturally a complete copy of the Prussian army template, and its instructors are all selected from retired Prussian soldiers. And there is one thing you don't know. Although Ernst is the president of the Hechingen Military Academy, he is actually a hands-off boss. He doesn't participate in teaching and training at all. Especially after his business grew, he often went on business trips. Many times when I visited Hechingen, I couldn't see him." Leopold laughed.

"Ernst is a smart man, but he does too many things. In addition to business, he also engages in overseas colonization. Naturally, he spends less time in Hechingen. But overseas colonization does not seem to be very difficult. Even a businessman like him can do it so smoothly. Shouldn't a unified Germany also participate more actively?" said Frederick III.

"Overseas colonization is indeed very attractive, but the British are not easy to deal with. Moreover, although the place where Ernst colonized is not a bad place, it is not much better. After all, even the Portuguese have been there for hundreds of years, and they have never made any move on East Africa."

"Forget it, let's not think about it. The most important thing now is to deal with the French. If we don't defeat France, Prussia and Germany will have no future at all. But among the current troops, among the southern German states, the Baden and Württemberg armies seem to be inferior to Hechingen. Even the Bavarian army is probably in trouble. This battle between us and France is not going to be easy." said Frederick III.

"It's hard to say. The elite troops of the Kingdom of Bavaria should be pretty good. Besides, the image of the troops is secondary. Only on the battlefield can we know whether they have the strength." Leopold said.

"So do you think this seemingly well-trained Black Xingen Brigade can achieve success on the battlefield?"

Leopold replied confidently: "Of course, although these are cadets who have never really entered the battlefield, they will inevitably suffer some disadvantages, but as long as they survive the first stage, they will definitely become an elite force."

…

Opposite the Prussian Third Army was the French First Army, and the two sides confronted each other along the border area from Saarbrücken to Strasbourg.

(picture)

The Franco-Prussian War broke out. The declaration of war sparked great patriotic enthusiasm in France, and people poured into the streets to see off the departing troops, shouting: "Fight to Berlin and kill Prussia!" Such scenes appeared all over the country. On the railway platforms in remote areas, people stuffed wine into the windows of trains full of soldiers, asking them to teach the "square-headed Germans a lesson."

(End of this chapter)