Chapter 1225: The Coalition's Intimate Camaraderie
The already crumbling Russian front line completely collapsed under this heavy blow.
Four to five thousand soldiers screamed and scattered in all directions, but the French line formations, like precise machines, continued to unleash volleys of gunfire.
Many Russian soldiers, while running, suddenly stumbled forward and fell. This terrified those who had narrowly escaped death even more; their malnourished bodies, for the most part, bolted with surprising speed.
Vorotov was very familiar with the habits of his own soldiers and immediately abandoned the idea of rallying the routed troops. He fled towards the rear with a dozen guards.
Two kilometers away to the east, Suvorov listened as his staff officer reported the still-organized unit numbers, periodically interrupting him to issue commands: "These two regiments are equipped with British rifles; place them in the center...
"Ayasov's regiment only has half its soldiers left. They'll serve as reserves..."
Under his exceptionally strong organizational and command abilities, the Russian vanguard that had previously retreated had already begun to regroup, and even formed a Line Formation on the south side.
Just then, the Extremely Wretched Vorotov, escorted by his guards, galloped up.
Without even asking about the battle situation, Suvorov immediately bellowed to his adjutant: "Order Khanasky and Marleniko's regiments to hold the enemy in place. Everyone else, regroup at once, abandon all baggage wagons, and make haste for Wädenswil!"
Vorotov's corps collapsed after holding out for only about an hour. This gave Suvorov a new assessment of the combat effectiveness of the French army before him.
That is, with his own disorganized army, it would be impossible to stop them.
Therefore, the best option was to quickly pass through the south of the town before the French forces in Wädenswil could react, and then head north through the narrow plain between Lake Zurich and Lake Walen.
Once they reached the northern side of Lake Zurich, they could use the St. Gallen Pass to return to Innsbruck.
An hour and a half later, Suvorov, with over twenty thousand Russian soldiers, hurried east.
However, Sérurier's reaction speed exceeded his expectations.
That same afternoon, his vanguard cavalry collided with the French defensive line.
Suvorov didn't even try to push through—Masséna's Legion would catch up at any moment from behind, and if he became even slightly entangled with Sérurier, he would be caught in a desperate pincer movement.
He frowned in thought for a moment, then told his adjutant, "Order the entire army to turn south."
Vorotov exclaimed in surprise, "Marshal, Lake Lucerne is to the south! We'll have nowhere to go!"
Suvorov glanced at him, then reined his horse around and said, "By my calculations, Blücher's corps should be crossing the lake now.
"And now, he must turn back. We can use the Prussian boats to reach the southern shore of Lake Lucerne."
Of course, he and Blücher would then be trapped by the French in Altdorf, but that was better than being annihilated here directly.
The Coalition Forces would surely try to rescue them later, and there was still a good chance they could break free.
Meanwhile, the ten thousand Russian soldiers under Rosenberg's command had marched less than five kilometers when they were cut off by a French infantry brigade.
He had no intention of fighting, leaving two to three thousand expendable troops to the French while he continued his escape towards Schlieren.
However, suddenly, flashes of light erupted from the small hill ahead, and over a dozen cannonballs swept violently through his ranks.
The French Artillery Battalion's mobility was astonishing; they had directly bypassed him and gotten ahead.
The Russian forces immediately began to panic, as the presence of artillery often indicated the surrounding enemy's main army.
In reality, at this moment, only a regiment of dragoons, a mere 1,500 men, were covering the Artillery Battalion.
But Rosenberg, seeing his soldiers around him who could no longer be restrained and looking back at the French forces behind him, ordered his adjutant to take his saber and surrender to the French.
At the same time, among the mountains to the west, Gorchakov fortunately eluded the French forces sent to intercept him—due to the obstruction of the north-south mountain ridges, the hot air balloons positioned to the east happened not to spot him.
Except for over a thousand rearguard infantrymen who were caught by the French, Gorchakov's main corps, by the afternoon of the next day, successfully escaped the Reuss River basin and entered the city of Aarau a day later.
By then, he still had eight to nine thousand soldiers with him.
...
West of Altdorf.
Blücher was loudly cursing his soldiers, urging them to pick up the pace.
Due to food shortages, his soldiers had eaten only two-thirds of their usual black bread and Potatoes for nearly a week, and then filled their stomachs with clover stolen from Swiss villagers.
This depleted his army's stamina, and they had spent nearly three days without completing what was originally a two-day journey.
Just then, a Prussian cavalryman arrived before him, bringing Colonel Weyrother, who was responsible for liaison with the Russian forces.
Upon seeing him, Weyrother immediately urged him anxiously, "Commander, Marshal Suvorov is in a disadvantageous position in his battle with the French. Please proceed as quickly as possible to the north shore of Lake Lucerne to rendezvous with him. Mainly, prepare enough boats."
Blücher immediately frowned.
The Russians were supposed to help him break out, but now he was needed to rendezvous with them.
He had previously collected all the fishing boats near Lake Lucerne and had his soldiers construct many rafts, enough for his seventy thousand men to reach the northern shore within a day.
He was about to order an officer beside him to lead cavalry to deliver boats to the Russians, but suddenly narrowed his eyes and told Weyrother, "Please tell me about the battle situation on the north shore."
"Ah? Very well."
After the Austrian briefly described Masséna's surprise attack on Suvorov and Sérurier's interception to the east, Blücher immediately instructed him, "Please return and tell General Suvorov that I will arrive in at most one day."
As Weyrother's figure disappeared, Blücher immediately told his adjutant, "Order the entire army to return to Altdorf."
Hotze, standing nearby, widened his eyes, "What are you doing? The Russian army will be..."
Blücher interrupted him, "If we take the Russians into Altdorf, we will be surrounded by the French there once again.
"As it stands, the main French force is entangled with Suvorov and has no time to pay attention to us. We will thus gain three to four days of free movement."
"But..."
Blücher continued, "We will proceed from the Mutten Valley to Glarus. Then we'll cross Rossstock Mountain and head north through the gap between Lake Zurich and Lake Walen to leave Switzerland.
"Trading some worthless Russians for our excellent soldiers is extremely worthwhile."
Well, it should be said, as a Prussian, he was quite pleased to see more Russians die. After defeating France, Prussia and Russia would likely have a struggle in Courland and other places.
Indeed, as Blücher had expected, the French never came looking for them.
Four days later, his army successfully reached the foot of Rossstock Mountain.
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