public class DemoApplication {

private WebClient webclient = WebClient.create("http://localhost:8080/");

public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    new DemoApplication().startServer();
}

public void startServer() throws Exception {
    RouterFunction<ServerResponse> route = routingFunction();
    HttpHandler httpHandler = RouterFunctions.toHttpHandler(route);
    ReactorHttpHandlerAdapter adapter = new ReactorHttpHandlerAdapter(httpHandler);
    HttpServer server = HttpServer.create("127.0.0.1", 8080);
    server.newHandler(adapter).block();
    Thread.sleep(1000000);
}

public RouterFunction<ServerResponse> routingFunction() throws Exception {
    return route(path("/1"), req -> ok().body(fromPublisher(get1(), String.class)))
            .andRoute(path("/2"), req -> ok().body(fromPublisher(get2(), String.class)))
            .andRoute(path("/3"), req -> ok().body(fromPublisher(get3(), String.class)));
}

public Mono<String> get1() {
    System.out.println("---------REQUEST---------");
    System.out.println("1: " + Thread.currentThread());
    return webclient.get().uri("2").retrieve().bodyToMono(String.class);
}

public Mono<String> get2() {
    System.out.println("2: " + Thread.currentThread());
    return webclient.get().uri("3").retrieve().bodyToMono(String.class);
}

public Mono<String> get3() {
    System.out.println("3: " + Thread.currentThread());
    try {
        Thread.sleep(1250000); // simulate thread somehow got blocked
    } catch (InterruptedException e) {

    }
    return Mono.just("test");
}
}

---------REQUEST---------
1: Thread[reactor-http-nio-2,5,main]
2: Thread[reactor-http-nio-4,5,main]
3: Thread[reactor-http-nio-2,5,main]
---------REQUEST---------
1: Thread[reactor-http-nio-3,5,main]
2: Thread[reactor-http-nio-1,5,main]
---------REQUEST---------
1: Thread[reactor-http-nio-3,5,main]
2: Thread[reactor-http-nio-1,5,main]
---------REQUEST---------
1: Thread[reactor-http-nio-3,5,main]
2: Thread[reactor-http-nio-1,5,main]