Chapter 220: The Formidable Crown Prince's Guards Corps
The French field command post was surrounded by a large number of red-coated Swiss Guards.
Joseph silently noted Berthier's series of orders, knowing that he might soon be giving similar commands himself.
Joseph watched the dispatch runner quickly depart, then picked up his battlefield notes to cross-reference them, confirming the artillery position before raising his telescope to observe.
Through the telescope's objective lens, he spotted two breastworks, about ten meters wide, on a small hill approximately one kilometer away. Five 8-pounder cannons lay silently behind them, their crews evidently still awaiting orders.
Following the "Artillery Group Tactic" Joseph had introduced, all heavy artillery brought by the Guards Corps was concentrated at this one position.
Currently, European armies typically assigned cannons to infantry regiments, positioning them near infantry lines. Often, there would be only one cannon for every few hundred meters of front. While this allowed for broader engagement with enemy forces, artillery remained merely a supplementary firepower for the infantry.
Emperor Napoleon's "Artillery Group Tactic," however, involved massing all artillery under the unified command of a legion commander, unleashing maximum firepower on a single target to swiftly break through.
It was better to break one finger than to injure ten. Once an enemy position under concentrated bombardment collapsed, it would become a breach for the French army to tear through their lines. This approach was far more effective than slowly eroding the enemy's front over time.
After about half a minute, Joseph finally saw the artillery company commander receive his orders, prompting the flag bearer beside him to raise the small flag signaling readiness to fire.
The artillery company commander turned and said something, and the flag bearer immediately signaled "fire at will." Several cannons instantly belched roaring flames. Their barrels recoiled violently, and the artillery position was enveloped in thick smoke.
A few seconds later, the thunderous roar of the cannons finally reached Joseph's ears from the distance.
He adjusted his telescope and saw that the northern flank of the opposing Albanian mercenary position, located on lower ground, was instantly flattened in a small section, as if a herd of bison had trampled a wheat field. Faint traces of blood were visible on the ground.
This was a sight from two or three kilometers away, and a "small section" in a military formation often meant twenty to thirty men.
The main reason was that the mercenaries, busy forming up, were standing too densely together. The Guards Corps artillery also had good luck, scoring a direct hit on their first calibration shot and inflicting heavy casualties.
Berthier, standing nearby, clearly saw the outcome and muttered, "Well hit."
Less than a minute later, the five cannons roared once more.
This was far different from the spectacle of thousands of cannons firing simultaneously often seen in films and TV shows. The Guards Corps, over 4,000 strong, had only brought six cannons in total, one of which was a 4-pounder cannon from the reserve.
Given the field logistics capabilities of this era, this was the highest proportion of artillery a unit could carry while maintaining adequate firepower. In reality, the most crucial factor influencing artillery power was the amount of ammunition.
As long as the cannons could maintain continuous fire, the damage inflicted by five 8-pounder cannons was already terrifying. Even if more cannons were brought, they would simply be lumps of iron once the ammunition was quickly depleted. It was better to carry a hundred or so more cannonballs than to have the capacity for one extra cannon.
8-pound iron balls shrieked as they plunged into the Albanian ranks, carving out several long, bloody furrows.
The mercenaries still forming up in the vicinity immediately descended into chaos. Regardless of their officers' shouts and curses, the soldiers simply scrambled in every direction or stood paralyzed with fear, trembling. The entire left flank of the Albanian army abruptly shrank.
Joseph suddenly noticed the bagpipes, organs, and violins playing near him fading. This was typical of battlefields in this era; from the moment fighting began, music would play continuously across the field, like being immersed in a grand, yet somewhat crude, live concert.
Immediately, the drumming grew clearer, and the previously fast-advancing infantry columns halted in place, spreading out to both sides.
From each company, two officers stepped forward, pulling a twenty to thirty-meter long rope taut. The soldiers then lined up behind the rope, and the entire formation instantly became perfectly straight.
A few minutes later, in front of the Albanian mercenary position, an infantry Line Formation appeared, three ranks deep and stretching for seven to eight hundred meters. From Joseph's perspective, it looked like a giant had carved a white gash across the pale yellow wasteland.
Simultaneously, two infantry companies appeared on the northern flank, adopting a Skirmisher formation, closely watching the breach carved by the artillery in the enemy's lines, and began to advance slowly.
Semiz, the Albanian army commander, peered through his telescope at the troops clad in crisp white uniforms, tight breeches, and tricorn hats. Sweat poured down his face as he mumbled, "It's the French. How is this possible? It can't be..."
According to his intelligence, the French army had been in Tunis City just three days ago. This information had been repeatedly confirmed by Albanian spies and remnants of the Tunisian Janissaries; there could be no mistake.
But where had these Frenchmen in front of him come from?
There was no way they could have traveled from Tunis City to Annaba in just three days!
In his understanding, this was indeed impossible, but for the Guards Corps, who trained daily with weighted cross-country marches, it was far from their limit.
Another round of distant cannon fire made Semiz flinch. He saw that the French Line Formation was fully deployed, while his own troops were still struggling to form up in disarray. His heart tightened instantly.
The Guards Corps' military discipline was already far superior to the Albanians', and they had been preparing for an assault since early morning, so their forming-up speed was naturally much faster than the still-marching mercenaries. In the age of flintlock muskets, whoever completed their formation first gained an absolute advantage.
Just then, the scouts Semiz had dispatched finally returned. He was, after all, a veteran of the battlefield, capable of basic operations like immediately sending out cavalry reconnaissance upon encountering enemy forces.
While still some distance away, the leading cavalryman shouted to him, "Pasha, the enemy numbers over 4,000, and there might be a reserve of several hundred men behind them."
Semiz's heart settled slightly. Although the enemy had gained an advantageous position through a surprise attack, he still held a decisive numerical superiority.
That meant as long as he could somehow stabilize his lines and draw the battle into a direct confrontation, victory would still be his!
His thoughts raced as he looked towards his most chaotic left flank and bellowed to his aide, "Have Nishani lead the cavalry to attack the enemy's right flank! At least hold them for half an hour!"
The French army's right flank was the Albanian army's left flank.
The aide hesitated. "Pasha, all the cavalry?"
Semiz gritted his teeth and nodded. "Yes! All of them!"
He knew very well that this was no time to be sparing with his cavalry.
Even though the cavalry was also in disarray and hadn't fully formed up, if it was just a harassing action, the various cavalry detachments could launch scattered attacks. Before all 1,600 cavalrymen were exhausted, they should be able to hold the enemy for a considerable time.
After that, he could use his numerical superiority to engage the French in a positional battle. Even if they couldn't win, General Kehler's main army would arrive tomorrow, and with several times their numbers, they would surely overwhelm the French forces!
Just as another volley from the Guards Corps artillery completely scattered the Albanian left flank, horn calls echoed through the Albanian ranks, and over a dozen dispatch runners frantically rushed back and forth, gathering the cavalry.
Three hundred meters behind the breach in the Albanian line, a reserve unit began to form up, preparing to fill the gap with an orderly formation.
Just as the Guards Corps drummers began to beat a rhythmic tattoo and the "military band" resumed playing, preparing for a frontal assault, a flood of cavalrymen, armed with bows and arrows, surged from the Albanian left flank.
Joseph heard a prompt from the staff officer beside him and quickly raised his telescope to look. He frowned instantly. 'How could the Albanians react so quickly? Forming up cavalry is much more difficult than infantry, so why could they launch a cavalry attack immediately?'
But he immediately noticed something amiss and said to Berthier, who stood beside him, "Are they coming to their deaths?"
Cavalry without formation was no different from wild horses running rampant on the plains. In high-speed movement, they couldn't possibly account for other units, easily ending up scattered or in a long, narrow line. If the enemy cavalry were to attack in formation, it would be an absolute slaughter.
"Your Highness, they are likely trying to buy time," Berthier explained. "We don't have as many cavalry as they do, and it will take a considerable time to completely wipe them out. Before that, they will likely detach some cavalry to attack our infantry Line Formation."
In the age of flintlock muskets, the infantry Line Formation was strongest in frontal attacks, but its thin line made the flanks extremely vulnerable.
Therefore, typically, both sides would use cavalry to cover their infantry flanks.
Joseph nodded, silently awaiting Berthier's response.
Berthier pondered briefly, then instructed a dispatch runner, "Order the cavalry to immediately support the right flank. Recall the skirmishers to assist the infantry on the right flank and form Square Formations for defense. Give them the reserve artillery as well."
"Yes, sir!"
The Square Formation was another advanced tactic Joseph had introduced to the Guards Corps. Of course, the square formation had appeared as early as the beginning of the 18th century, but it was generally only used as an emergency measure when infantry were cut off and surrounded by cavalry, preparing for a desperate last stand.
Joseph, however, knew how Emperor Napoleon had used it against Mamluk cavalry.
Infantry would proactively form multiple mutually supporting squares, staggered and interwoven over a wide area, to slow down cavalry charges and continuously wear down the cavalry, thus transforming it into an offensive formation.
The order reached the right flank of the infantry line formation a minute later, and two skirmisher companies and eight infantry companies began to move. Simultaneously, officers on the right flank also sent word, reporting that they were facing an enemy cavalry raid.
By the time the chaotic vanguard of Albanian cavalry surged toward the French right flank, over 500 cavalrymen from the Guards Corps and Moulins Legion had already formed up, sweeping in a five-rank line formation towards the scattered Albanian horsemen.
Only over a hundred of the Albanian cavalry charged forward, and they were dispersed almost immediately upon contact. Most were cut down by sabers, while a smaller number were shot by skirmishers covering the infantry's flank.
The French cavalry did not linger, arcing in the distance before turning to reform their ranks.
Meanwhile, the two skirmisher companies had positioned themselves on the flank of the infantry line formation, creating a T-shape.
Soon, more Albanian cavalry galloped forward. A volley of dense gunfire erupted from the French skirmisher lines, and the first twenty to thirty riders immediately tumbled from their horses. Many of these skirmishers were men Joseph intended to train as chasseurs, essentially sharpshooters, and their marksmanship was exceptional. Had the enemy's charge not been so disorganized, the results would have been even more devastating.
The Albanians were stunned. The infantry before them showed not the slightest fear, standing ramrod straight, aiming and firing. For a moment, the cavalry behind them were so intimidated by this composure that they reined in their horses, preparing to sweep around the flanks instead.
Nearby, the French cavalry quickly completed their formation and, with a battle cry, plunged into the enemy horsemen from a diagonal flank.
Disorganized cavalry was utterly incapable of fighting against well-ordered cavalry, let alone when attacked on their flanks. The Albanian cavalry immediately broke and were slaughtered by the French horsemen.
In just ten minutes, the Albanian cavalry had lost nearly 400 men. A large number of ownerless horses stood idly, inadvertently forming a barrier for the French infantry.
A French skirmisher company commander named Lefebvre looked at the enemy corpses littering the ground, then at his virtually unharmed soldiers beside him. He licked his dry lips and called out to the dispatch runner, "I think we can hold off the enemy cavalry without forming a square."
The latter paused, then quickly signaled what he had said with flags.
Lefebvre hastily interjected, "I was just speaking aloud, I didn't mean for you to..."
However, Berthier, watching from afar through his telescope, saw the flag signals and smiled, nodding. "He's a daring fellow. Good, let's do as he says."
He turned to his staff officer. "Leave four companies to defend the right flank, and transfer two more companies from the reserve. The rest of the infantry will continue their frontal assault in Line Formation!"
Joseph watched as the Guards Corps, like a slow-moving giant, took a full minute for its "brain's" commands to reach its "limbs." Its right hand, which had just spread open to prepare for defense, now clenched back into a fist.
The 4-pounder cannon from the reserve was also dragged to the right flank. The gun commander, following protocol, ordered the loaders to stuff grapeshot into the barrel.
A few minutes later, the rhythmic drumming began once more in front of the Guards Corps infantry line, the drummers stepping forward first, leading the entire infantry line formation to press towards the Albanian position.
The fierce fighting on the right flank continued. Albanian cavalry repeatedly charged the French infantry, who numbered only five to six hundred, but were met with relentless volleys of musket fire and continuous bombardment from the 4-pounder cannon.
This was, in essence, a battle of wills.
If these cavalrymen had been utterly fearless, endured two or three volleys, and charged into the infantry ranks, it would have turned into a one-sided slaughter. Even if the French cavalry arrived to provide cover, the presence of French infantry nearby would have significantly diminished the advantage of their formation.
It was highly probable that they could have broken through the French right flank.
However, it was the French infantry who proved to be fearless. They watched as the enemy cavalry charged to within just over thirty meters, yet still cheered as they aimed and fired, utterly shattering the morale of the nearly-within-reach Albanians.
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