Chapter 321: Fierce Battle in Luxembourg
"Are those reinforcements from Vienna?" A staff officer beside Blücher voiced his most pressing concern.
A Hussar immediately shook his head. "No, sir. Judging by the banners, it should be Leo's army."
Blücher frowned slightly. Leo should only have less than two thousand soldiers left; where had he suddenly acquired several thousand men?
His staff officer evidently considered the same problem, turning his head to ask, "General, could it be that he brought out all the defenders from Luxembourg City?"
"The numbers still don't add up..." Blücher began, then suddenly recalled something. He quickly signaled his staff officer to retrieve a map and had the Hussar point out the enemy's location on it.
When he saw the scout cavalry pointing north of Diekirch, his gaze sharpened. "No, the Austrians are trying to flee! Leo must have not only moved the garrison from Luxembourg City, but also brought out troops from the surrounding towns."
"Flee?" The staff officer looked puzzled. "Why would he..."
Blücher gave a cold smirk. "I suspect he intends to bypass us and use all of Luxembourg's forces to launch a surprise attack on Liège. If he succeeds, we would have no choice but to temporarily abandon Luxembourg City and return west to pursue him. This would buy him time for Vienna's reinforcements to arrive."
"General, should we intercept them?"
"Yes, General," the orderly quickly noted.
Blücher pointed with his finger to a hill on the northeast side of the map. "Have Eichendorf drag the cannons up there and establish a position."
Leo's troops would surely pass near that area if they wanted to reach Liège. With cannons positioned halfway up the mountain, they could deliver a crushing blow to the Austrians.
Blücher continued, "Altmann's army is to march east at full speed and must cut off the Austrians. The cavalry will follow behind the enemy, continuously harassing them to slow their advance, but they are not to launch a full assault without my order."
He arrogantly flicked his riding crop, brimming with confidence. "I will personally lead the main force to strike Leo from the flank! What follows will be the cavalry's 'performance' of pursuing a routed enemy."
Whether Leo intended to escape or launch a surprise attack on Liège, Blücher's morale was high, and his forces held a decisive advantage. This was the perfect opportunity to annihilate them here. Silesia was where he would make his mark; Luxembourg wasn't worth his time. However, Blücher failed to notice that his deployment had stretched the Prussian army into a long line from west to east, completely exposing its flank to the south.
...
On a winding path less than ten kilometers east of the main Prussian force in Luxembourg, the Austrian commander Leo nervously glanced at the middle-aged man beside him. "Major Lefebvre, your scouts have already spotted Prussian Hussars."
He looked at the slowly marching column beside them. "Normally, the Prussians would catch up quickly. And we only have less than 4,000 men here..."
Lefebvre, however, smiled. "If that is the case, then you, General, will have earned great merit."
"But," Leo looked back, swallowing hard, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's main force is still in Diekirch. We can't hold out until he arrives."
The previous afternoon, he had learned that the Prussians were besieging Wincrange, and while he was terrified, he suddenly received news that His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of France, was personally leading an army of 20,000 to reinforce them. He had almost wept with excitement at the time. He had received His Majesty the Emperor's order and knew the French army would come, but he never expected them to arrive so quickly. According to the message from Vienna, the French army should have departed Verdun two days prior, and it usually took about five days for troops to travel from there to Diekirch.
He had no idea that the French Royal Guard Legion's terrifying marching speed had covered over 50 kilometers in two days of forced marching!
Subsequently, Leo almost cried again.
This time, it was out of fear.
The first order the Crown Prince of France gave him was to immediately lead his troops to maneuver to Blücher's left flank and establish defensive positions near a low hill in that vicinity.
Blücher had brought a formidable force of 17,000 Prussian soldiers and nearly 5,000 Netherlandish Rebels, while Leo only had about 1,600 men left. What difference was this from a lamb diving into a pack of wolves?
The Crown Prince of France then told him that a corps would be sent to cover him.
Just as Leo was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard the Crown Prince order a regiment and a battalion, totaling 2,200 soldiers, to accompany him on this "suicide mission." Less than 4,000 men provoking over 20,000 Prussian troops—what else could it be but a suicide mission?
After that, he was practically escorted by Lefebvre to the eastern side of Blücher's army, where they soon encountered Prussian Hussars.
Lefebvre, however, seemed very confident. "Don't worry, Your Highness will surely arrive in time."
Before Leo could say anything more, he added, "The main force of the Guards Corps is 'hiding' in distant Diekirch to avoid Prussian reconnaissance. According to the General Staff's plan, the Prussians currently have no idea that a French army capable of destroying them exists in this vicinity. When their attention is fully on us, a thunderous strike will descend upon their heads!"
"But," Leo said with a wry face, "His Highness is still more than a day's march from here..."
"No, half a day at most."
...
Altmann's infantry regiment of the Prussian Guards Corps, along with an accompanying skirmisher battalion and five cavalry squadrons, raced at a near-frenzied pace to intercept the "fleeing" Austrians ahead.
Altmann had not brought artillery; those cumbersome pieces would severely slow him down. And for dealing with those easily defeated Austrians, cannons weren't even necessary.
In the preceding months, his army had clashed with the Austrian forces several times, winning more often than not, and especially after entering Luxembourg, they had swept through them with overwhelming force.
"You lazy wretches, hurry up!" he roared at the soldiers beside him. "Don't make me whip you!"
In fact, to hasten the march, his regiment's formation had completely broken, and nearly a tenth of the soldiers had fallen behind on this less than ten-kilometer stretch. However, to intercept Leo's army, this was an acceptable cost.
A Hussar galloped up to Altmann, shouting, "Lieutenant Colonel, the Austrian army has stopped moving!"
Altmann quickly grabbed his map, and under the scout's direction, looked towards the low hill two kilometers to the east. It was a small hill less than two kilometers wide, with dense woods to the north and an open, V-shaped area in front.
He immediately snorted disdainfully. "These fellows realized they couldn't escape and are preparing for battle."
He motioned for his staff officer to put away the map. "Although they've chosen a good battlefield, it won't stop us. Send the order: Bischoff's regiment will form a line in the front, and the skirmisher battalion will attack from the southern slope to try and disrupt the Austrian formation."
The orderly spurred his horse and departed. Altmann was instructing his cavalry captain on how to charge the Austrian defenses when he suddenly heard urgent hoofbeats approaching.
He glanced at the cavalry captain in surprise, who immediately shook his head, indicating they weren't his men. Then, screams erupted from their front-left.
A messenger galloped furiously, shouting anxiously from a distance, "Lieutenant Colonel, Austrian cavalry has attacked our vanguard! Captain Jonas is commanding his company to resist..."
Altmann and the cavalry captain exchanged glances, both filled with disbelief.
The Austrians dared to launch an offensive!
Altmann immediately roared, "Schlosser, pursue them at once! This might even be an opportunity to break through the Austrian lines amidst the chaos."
The cavalry captain, his face grim, wheeled his horse around and shouted to his cavalrymen.
Several hundred meters away, over three hundred Guards Corps cavalrymen, clad in Austrian uniforms, swept past the Prussians' flank at high speed. Using the momentum of their charge, the cavalry needed only to hold their sabers level, and the blades easily cut through the Prussian infantrymen.
Almost instantly, a "frame" of blood appeared to Altmann's front-left. Captain Jonas was desperately trying to command his soldiers to form a line, but the nascent infantry line was immediately scattered into disarray.
The "Austrian" cavalry drew an arc in the distance, quickly reformed, and then charged towards the Prussian army once more.
At the very front of the formation, a slightly plump young man with a full head of curly hair had eyes gleaming with excitement. He carefully controlled his horse's speed, maintaining pace with his teammates on either side, his hand involuntarily gripping the hilt of his saber.
"Trot..."
"Charge!"
At the cavalry commander's command, the curly-haired young man squeezed his horse's flanks, raising his saber diagonally upwards. The sturdy Arabian horse beneath him let out a powerful snort as it surged towards the Prussians with unstoppable momentum.
Yes, though he was just a "new recruit" who had only joined the Guards Corps a few months prior, he was privileged to ride one of the dozen finest horses in his cavalry squadron. Unlike the Champagne Legion he had previously served with, the Guards Corps assigned warhorses based solely on individual ability and merit.
With near-perfect scores in daily assessments and a stunning display where he sliced through three targets while vaulting over an obstacle, he had been personally awarded this purebred Arabian horse by the squadron commander. Though he was merely the son of a minor official, he possessed an astonishing affinity for horses. In just over two years as a cavalryman, he had mastered extremely proficient horsemanship.
The rhythmic drumming of hooves against the ground resonated through his nerves like battle drums. Everything around him seemed to slow, giving him a wonderful sense of control.
Fifty paces from the trembling infantrymen holding their flintlock muskets.
Forty paces...
Ten paces!
The curly-haired young man's sharp gaze noticed a gap of over three meters between several infantrymen. He lightly pulled the reins, lowered his head, and plunged through the opening, simultaneously slashing his saber to obliquely cut down half the chest of the Prussian soldier on his right. Warm blood splashed onto his warhorse's hind legs, and even more sprayed all over the faces of the nearby Prussian infantrymen. Stunned by the scent of blood, the infantrymen's eyes widened, and they frantically wiped the sticky blood from their faces, instantly falling into chaos.
Behind the curly-haired cavalryman, other Guards Corps cavalrymen immediately spotted the breach and surged through. As sabers flashed, the gap in the Prussian line grew larger and larger, with fifty or sixty infantrymen "cut off" from the defensive line. The Guards Corps cavalry then circled these isolated soldiers a few times before retreating swiftly and reforming. No Prussians were left standing there.
These two simple charges alone caused Altmann's army to lose nearly a company of infantry. Officers, soldiers, and orderlies were all mixed together, evidently unable to form an effective defensive formation for some time.
The Guards Corps cavalry commander spurred his horse to catch up with the curly-haired young man who was riding ahead, patting him on the shoulder with a wide smile. "Excellent work, Murat! If you can make another brilliant thrust into the enemy formation like that, I'll recommend you for a medal when we return!"
Murat grinned. "You should just recommend me for a medal already, oh, a silver Iris Medal, not a bronze one. Because in this battle, I'll kill at least over ten Prussians! Maybe twenty, who knows?"
Good-natured laughter erupted around them. They were all too familiar with this young man from Guyenne province's boasting ability—such as how he fought and won against five soldiers in the Champagne Legion, or how he was pursued by six girls simultaneously and ended up not marrying any of them to spare their feelings.
The cavalry commander chuckled, patting his shoulder again. "I know you're not bragging, just like that time you sliced through three targets. Oh, remember to conserve your horse's stamina, or it might not be able to complete ten kills with you."
"Don't worry, it's very robust, almost as strong as me."
Another round of laughter ensued.
As the Guards Corps cavalrymen quickly reformed and charged towards the Prussians again, a troop of cavalry in light blue uniforms rushed in from their rear-flank. The Guards Corps did not engage, turning their horses and swiftly departing. They had already expended too much energy and were not suited for a head-on clash at this time. Moreover, their mission was merely to delay.
After their harassment, it took Altmann's army a full hour and a half to restore order and begin advancing towards Leo's position.
Altmann saw the somewhat disorganized infantry line of the Austrians through his telescope and gritted his teeth, letting out a low growl. "Order Major Bischoff to launch a full assault immediately! Schlosser, maintain vigilance on both infantry flanks; the Austrian cavalry has some skill."
Just as Major Bischoff ordered his soldiers to form an infantry line and was about to initiate the attack, a horn suddenly sounded from the opposing Austrian army, and then that crooked infantry line began to move. It was charging straight at them!
Bischoff's eyelid twitched. 'Are the Austrians insane? How dare they launch a direct attack with so few men?!'
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