Chapter 1245: The Line of Death, Part One
Blücher frantically issued a series of orders, preparing for a decisive battle with the approaching French army.
The Prussian forces waited in rigid formation for nearly three hours until the Hussars returned to report to Blücher that the French army on the northwest flank numbered only about three thousand. It was then that he realized he'd been fooled, and he immediately cursed before ordering them to continue advancing.
However, after advancing less than four kilometers, the Prussian left flank came under artillery fire again, forcing tens of thousands of troops to halt once more and prepare to engage.
But the French horse artillery on the hillside swiftly hooked up their horses and retreated.
Blücher's corps spent the entire day stopping and starting under repeated small-scale harassment, advancing only six kilometers by nightfall.
The next day, Blücher decisively adjusted his tactics, ordering Tauentzien to lead five thousand Hussars forward to sweep away small enemy ambush parties along the route, with the main force following behind.
This tactic proved effective; under the cavalry's dispersal, the French army was unable to carry out further harassment.
A day later, as Tauentzien arrived seven kilometers south of Wädenswil, a French infantry line suddenly appeared before him, numbering six to seven thousand men.
Tauentzien dared not charge head-on. Just as he sent a messenger to report to Blücher, over two thousand French cavalrymen charged at him from the east.
Fortunately, Blücher's main force wasn't too far, and the vanguard quickly arrived, but the Prussian Hussars still suffered over eight hundred casualties in this ambush.
Blücher was practically tearing his hair out.
The roads leading north through central Switzerland were exceedingly narrow, making it impossible for him to maneuver around the French ambushes.
Indeed, the reason Masséna dared to take his main force away was to use the terrain here to wear down the Prussian army.
He had left Oudinot with only twenty-five thousand soldiers, half of whom were raw recruits, and attempting to surround sixty thousand Prussian troops with such a force was clearly a difficult feat.
So he instructed Oudinot that after his departure, he should lift the encirclement and instead continuously block the Prussians along the route from Glarus to Schlieren. However, he was not to engage the Prussian army in a real battle; if Blücher launched an attack, Oudinot was to immediately retreat.
It would take sixty thousand Prussian soldiers two to three hours to transition once between marching and deploying for battle. Oudinot's goal was to chip away at their time.
Meanwhile, along this route, there were only a few impoverished towns like Wädenswil, from which the Prussian army could hardly obtain any supplies.
Once the Prussian army exhausted its food during its slow advance, surrender would be the only option left.
Thus, Blücher took a full week to cover the sixty-plus kilometers from Glarus to Schlieren.
When he finally saw the open ground west of Lake Zurich, no longer worried about French ambushes, he discovered that the French had all dug into Schlieren, appearing ready to defend it to the death.
To reach Zurich, one had to pass west of Schlieren and then circle east.
If he still insisted on going to Zurich, it would mean exposing his flank to the French army.
Blücher painfully weighed his options repeatedly, ultimately deciding to abandon his original plan and instead continue west, leaving Switzerland via Basel.
But once his large army began its westward journey, the French immediately followed, continuously harassing them from behind.
With over twenty thousand French troops, Blücher dared not completely ignore them...
So, by the time the Prussian vanguard reached the distant outskirts of Basel, twelve days had passed since they left Glarus.
Awaiting them were over three thousand defenders within the city of Basel.
Exhausted and starving, the Prussian vanguard attempted to assault the city, and, predictably, they were repelled.
The next day, Blücher's main force arrived, and before they could even begin their assault on Basel, Oudinot launched a surprise attack from behind them.
After another day of skirmishes and maneuvers, the Prussian army finally began to experience mutinies among its starving soldiers...
...
Rottweil, northeast of Freiburg, Austria.
Russian General Korsakov watched the soldiers moving back and forth in the distant French camp through his Telescope, saying irritably in French, "The Austrians claimed there were at most twenty or thirty thousand French troops here, but in reality, there are over seventy thousand!"
Beside him, British commander Sir Graham similarly spoke in French: "They're just recruits, easily discernible from their formations. Trust me, they won't cause much trouble."
The Russian lowered his Telescope and grumbled, "But the Coalition Forces General Staff Headquarters only gave us half a month."
"Hm, not long, but it should be enough," Graham replied dismissively. "Do you know how to deal with recruits?"
"Of course, shred them with bullets, and pierce them with bayonets."
A flicker of disdain crossed Graham's eyes, but he patiently clarified, "You've omitted the process.
"We need to disrupt their formations as much as possible. The French recruits will quickly provide us with opportunities."
"So, you already have a plan?"
"Yes," Graham nodded. "My men will be responsible for a frontal assault, and your corps will be held in reserve on the flank and rear. Once I give you the signal..."
Offenburg Line, Southern Baden.
Gaizka nervously stared at the distant slope, feeling as if a large enemy force could emerge at any moment.
Over the past two or three days, enemy cavalry had frequently galloped past in the distance, once even approaching within three hundred meters of him.
However, he then recalled the "metal plates" the quartermaster had given him a few days ago, instinctively tapping his chest, and a sense of security immediately filled him.
Sergeant Pepard had told them that these things could stop any bullet. He'd once been hit in the abdomen while fighting in the Netherlands years ago, but nothing had happened.
In fact, thanks to advancements in French alloy steel technology, the protective capabilities of the Bulletproof Insert had increased compared to a few years prior.
Of course, the Coalition Forces also began to widely equip Percussion Cap Muskets, which to some extent offset the technological improvements in the Bulletproof Insert.
Just then, he suddenly saw a faint line of small red dots appearing on the slope ahead.
He thought it was his imagination, so he quickly rubbed his eyes, only to find even more red dots.
"It's the enemy! Over there!"
At his shout, the soldiers of the entire company sprang to their feet, some raising their rifles to aim in that direction.
The company commander passed in front of them, barking orders: "Put your rifles down! Form ranks! The enemy is still far off."
Immediately, drumbeats sounded, followed by a deafening roar that vibrated through their skulls.
Gaizka instantly forgot it was cannon fire, feeling only the continuous tearing roar of a demon in his ears.
He instinctively clutched his head and crouched on the ground.
Many soldiers were like him, some even retreating in terror.
Then, a sharp whistle sliced through the air. Gaizka seemed to hear a faint "crack" and, turning his head, saw the soldier to the company's left covered in blood, with half a torso lying scattered on the ground.
"Stand firm! Don't be afraid!"
Sergeant Pepard's shouts continued to ring out, but Gaizka's mind was utterly blank.
He had said countless times when he left Paris that he wasn't afraid of cannons at all.
Only now did he realize how wrong he had been.
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