Chapter 316: The Fourth Silesian War
"'Yes, the war has only just begun.'" William II slammed his hand down on the table beside him. "'The Austrians have attacked Silesia numerous times before, each ending in a disastrous defeat. This time will be no exception! In fact, they will once again taste the bitter fruits of Leuthen!'"
He was referring to the Battle of Leuthen, a fierce engagement during the Seven Years' War, when Austria attempted to reclaim Silesia from Frederick the Great's Prussian army.
In that battle, Frederick displayed his full military genius, leading a force only slightly larger than half of Austria's, and through brilliant tactical command, inflicted a crushing defeat upon the Austrians. Out of 90,000 Austrian soldiers, 22,000 were killed and 14,000 were captured. Subsequently, the Austrian garrison in Breslau, demoralized by the defeat, surrendered almost without a fight, yielding another 17,000 prisoners to Frederick.
After this battle, Prussia definitively secured its claim to Silesia, marking it as Frederick the Great's greatest triumph.
However, William II overlooked the fact that Prussia no longer possessed a military powerhouse like Frederick the Great. Furthermore, after Frederick's death, Prussian military preparedness had declined, and the Junker nobility had grown lax, causing their overall fighting strength to fall by more than a single grade compared to Frederick the Great's era.
Though Prince Heinrich knew it would be difficult for Prussia to replicate the glory of Leuthen, he could not, at this moment, dampen His Majesty's morale. He clenched his fist forcefully and declared, "'Yes, Your Majesty, we will once again teach those weak Austrians a lesson!'"
Having delivered his morale-boosting words, he promptly outlined his plans. "'Your Majesty, we must use the time before the Austrian attack to make thorough preparations. I suggest we immediately form an allied army with Saxony to confront the Austrians.'"
"'And Hanover,'" William II added. "'Along with Hesse-Kassel and Mecklenburg. We must assemble a grand army that will astound the Austrians.'"
Prince Heinrich paused, surprised by this. While Saxony's involvement in the war was unsurprising, given its proximity to Silesia, His Majesty intended to draw even the British into the conflict.
Hanover was effectively a British exclave in the German region, and King George III of Britain was himself the Elector of Hanover. Britain had consistently sought to weaken Austrian and French influence through Prussia, making it highly probable that Hanover could be persuaded to join the war.
Hesse-Kassel, unlike Hesse-Darmstadt which had joined the Seine-Rhine trade agreement, was part of Lower Hesse and politically aligned with Prussia. Mecklenburg, being right next to Prussia, would not dare defy its demands. With a few incentives, both states should be willing to join the allied forces.
"'Your strategy is excellent, Your Majesty,'" Prince Heinrich praised before continuing. "'However, before employing diplomatic measures, there are two more actions we must take. First, immediately dispatch Generals Driesen and Krokov with the Janissaries to garrison Liegnitz and Ratibor. Their mission will be to delay the Austrian offensive in the war's early stages, allowing our main forces to complete their assembly. Second, recall the Duke of Brunswick as quickly as possible; his command will be crucial to our victory.'"
William II was not particularly adept at warfare. Upon hearing this, he merely assumed an air of serious contemplation, then fully entrusted Prince Heinrich with the specific execution of all military matters.
However, just as the Prince was about to bow and depart, William II's valet approached quickly, bowing his head as he handed an urgent dispatch to the King.
William II tore open the letter and quickly scanned its contents. Frowning, he turned to his uncle. "'It's from the Duke of Brunswick. He reports that the Austrians have withdrawn their forces from the Southern Netherlands back to their homeland. Luxembourg currently has fewer than 5,000 troops, so he plans to launch a general offensive against the Austrian army in the coming days. But you just said we need him to reinforce Silesia, so now...'"
Prince Heinrich pondered for a moment, then suddenly nodded. "'Your Majesty, perhaps the Duke of Brunswick is right. The achievements his 20,000 soldiers can secure in the Southern Netherlands would far outweigh his role if he were to rush back to Silesia. He could completely sever Austrian control over the wealthy Southern Netherlands, and simultaneously achieve a splendid victory before the fighting even erupts in Silesia. This would serve as an excellent morale boost for our soldiers there. Before that, we merely need to hold our two fortresses in western and southern Silesia, awaiting the Duke of Brunswick's triumphant return—his 20,000-strong army, combined with the Low Countries forces, won't take long to deal with Luxembourg's 5,000 defenders.'"
"'But...'" William II still hesitated.
Prince Heinrich took two steps closer and whispered, "'Your Majesty, if we can drive the Austrians out of the Southern Netherlands, then should our situation in Silesia turn unfavorable, we could use the Southern Netherlands as a bargaining chip.'"
The Southern Netherlands was Austria's only outlet to the Atlantic Ocean, and its economy, fueled by overseas trade, was relatively prosperous. Its area was comparable to Silesia's, meaning it could at least be exchanged for half of Silesia.
William II also fell into thought. "'If we can exert influence over the Southern Netherlands, Britain will also commit more to supporting our fight in Silesia.'"
Britain viewed the Low Countries as a springboard for continental powers to project power into the Atlantic, and also as a strategic location that could threaten Britain itself. Thus, it had always been a strategic priority for them. If Prussia established a military presence in the Southern Netherlands, Britain would undoubtedly be willing to offer substantial advantages in exchange, such as deploying troops to participate in the Silesian War.
But then he immediately voiced a concern. "'But who will command the Silesian front? Or perhaps, my dear uncle, you could once again display your former prowess?'"
Prince Heinrich had campaigned alongside Frederick the Great in numerous wars, including the Silesian and Seven Years' Wars, and was indeed a formidable general.
Prince Heinrich mused briefly, then shook his head. "'Your Majesty, I am truly no longer young. Perhaps we could recall the Duke of Brunswick to Silesia and have the Marquis of Wahlstatt lead the army in the Southern Netherlands. The Austrian presence there is very small; he should be more than capable of handling it.'"
The Marquis of Wahlstatt he spoke of was Blücher, currently serving as the Duke of Brunswick's deputy, and destined to become a Prussian Marshal who would rise to prominence in the anti-French coalitions.
...
Northwest Austria, Krecnitz.
This was the unavoidable path to the Genitz Fortress on the southwestern side of Silesia.
Beside the winding mountain path, General Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser, commander of the Austrian vanguard, lowered his telescope and motioned for his staff to accelerate the march.
Moments later, a rapid drumbeat echoed through the several-kilometer-long column beside him, and the soldiers' pace immediately quickened.
General Wurmser knew perfectly well that the current speed of the Austrian army's advance was almost synonymous with victory—the sooner they reached Silesia, the more territory they could seize before the Prussians could prepare their defenses.
He then turned to look at the faint white "thin line" at the rear of the column.
Those were the French reinforcements.
Not only were the French slow in their march, but each officer also carried himself with immense airs, as if they were there to rescue Austria itself.
"'Only 30,000 soldiers,' General Wurmser exhaled with displeasure. 'This will halve our anticipated numerical advantage.'"
According to their original agreement, the French were to send at least 50,000 troops to support Austria, yet only 30,000 French soldiers had arrived by the time the Austrian army began its advance towards Silesia.
General Naundorf, the cavalry commander beside him, also shook his head. "'France's financial situation is dire. It's said they couldn't even secure logistics for 50,000 soldiers, which is why they're deploying in batches. I heard from Vienna that His Imperial Majesty, in an effort to spur the French on, even allocated 400,000 florins in military funds for them to purchase supplies. If all goes as planned, the rest of the French army should join the battle in half a month.'"
"'Half a month?'" General Wurmser's lips curled into a slight sneer. "'In half a month, we might have already breached Breslau. Those Frenchmen can simply serve as decoration for our triumphal entry into the city.'"
Breslau, the capital of Silesia, was located in the heart of the region and was a strategic stronghold controlling the north-south routes through Silesia. It could be said that capturing it would essentially decide the outcome for all of Silesia.
Historically, of course, the Austrians had once occupied Breslau, only to be soundly thrashed by the military genius Frederick the Great and driven back towards Bohemia.
Now, however, the Austrians tacitly believed that without Frederick, Prussia would no longer be able to prevent them from avenging the humiliation of their three previous defeats in the Silesian Wars.
As the two spoke, two cavalrymen galloped from the northeast. They reined in their horses a short distance away and reported loudly, "'General, our vanguard has crossed the Liegnitz border. No Prussian forces have been detected yet.'"
General Wurmser secretly rejoiced, it seemed his pre-war assessment was accurate: this would be a surprise attack that would catch the Prussians completely off guard.
General Naundorf leaned closer and asked, "'Should we report our situation here to Marshal Lacy? His main force is still about a day's march away.'"
General Wurmser glanced at his imposing vanguard—comprising 25,000 Austrian soldiers, 10,000 French soldiers, and 3,000 Bavarian soldiers. Nearly 40,000 powerful troops, plunging into undefended Silesia; perhaps the battle would be largely over before Marshal Lacy's main force even arrived.
He immediately shook his head. "'Look, there are no Prussians here at all, and opportunities in war never wait for us. In the day we spend waiting for the Marshal, the enemy might well discover our presence.'"
General Naundorf frowned. "'Then what is your plan?'"
"'Accelerate the march and deploy our forces on both sides of the Liegnitz fortress,' General Wurmser stated confidently. 'On one side, we cut off their communication with Breslau, and on the other, we guard against the Saxons.'"
To the west of Liegnitz lay Görlitz in Saxony, while to the east, it bordered Breslau. It was not only a bridgehead for attacking Silesia, but its capture would also allow them to threaten Saxony.
General Naundorf hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "'Your deployment is sound, but I still believe we need to report to Marshal Lacy.'"
"'Yes, reporting military intelligence is necessary. But we should also accelerate our efforts to capture Liegnitz.'"
By noon the following day, the Austrian allied vanguard, having force-marched the entire way, could already glimpse the Liegnitz fortress in the distance.
Once the French, who were at the rear of the column, finally reached the front, General Wurmser allowed his troops almost no rest. He immediately implemented his pre-conceived plan, dispatching the Bavarian forces and 5,000 Austrian soldiers to the western flank to defend against Saxony, while he personally led the Austrian main force and the French army in a frontal assault on Liegnitz from the east.
Although the French were fond of posturing and somewhat slow to act, Wurmser knew their fighting capability was quite good—at least not inferior to the Austrian army's.
By evening, the surveying team delivered a topographic map of the Liegnitz fortress area to General Wurmser's tent.
Indeed, although Austria had controlled Silesia for over a century, they had failed to conduct thorough topographic surveys. It was only after being thoroughly beaten by Frederick the Great that they realized they knew Silesia less intimately than the Prussians.
Standing before the battle map, Wurmser pointed to a highland on the northeast side of Liegnitz and addressed General Kellermann, the French commander. "'General, early tomorrow morning, please lead your troops to garrison this position.'"
He then pointed to a gentle slope directly adjacent to the fortress. "'I will deploy my main force here and establish our artillery positions on this ground. From here, we can directly bombard the fortress. Once the Prussian defenders are driven out by the cannon fire, I will engage them head-on, while you, General, will charge out from their flank and rear, from your elevated position. We will surely crush the Prussians in a single decisive blow.'"
He turned and asked a nearby staff officer, "'How many soldiers are defending Liegnitz?'"
"'According to our prior intelligence, no more than 8,000 men, General.'"
"'Excellent,' Wurmser nodded. 'Victory will certainly be ours.'"
The next day, before dawn, the French army packed up their tents and, catching the first glimmer of morning light, hastened towards the northeast of Liegnitz.
However, they had barely advanced 3 kilometers when the cavalry responsible for reconnaissance rushed back to report to Kellermann. "'General, a large enemy force has been spotted on the highland directly ahead. Their numbers are at least seven or eight thousand, and they have already formed ranks.'"
General Kellermann's heart tightened. His troops were still in marching formation, and to clash head-on with Prussians of comparable numbers who had already formed battle lines would be virtually suicidal.
He still remembered how, over a decade ago in Westphalia, his own army had suffered a devastating head-on blow from Frederick.
'This is very likely the main Prussian force from Liegnitz.'
Making his assessment, he immediately ordered one regiment to hold its ground and establish defenses, while the rest of his men retreated in an orderly fashion. Concurrently, he dispatched messengers to inform Wurmser and request reinforcements.
What he hadn't anticipated, however, was that the Austrian vanguard had encountered even greater trouble and was already embroiled in a bitter struggle. Wurmser, too, had dispatched cavalry, urgently requesting immediate French support.
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