Chapter 330: The Artillery Captain in Desperate Straits
Previously, the French artillery fire had all come from the mid-western part of the battlefield, so Prussian officers had focused their attention there.
But now, shells suddenly flew from near the edge of the Prussian right flank, catching both soldiers and officers off guard. Frightened soldiers halted, but without officers to restrain and command them, their formation instantly dissolved into chaos.
The five shells had been incredibly accurate, inflicting 28 casualties within the infantry line formation. Immediately, an experienced Prussian veteran shouted, "That must be a French Artillery Battalion; otherwise, they couldn't have hit so many people!"
His words sparked even greater disorder, and the fearful din only subsided when an officer, rushing over, lashed him to the ground with a whip.
Napoleon's unit, which the enemy had "promoted" to an Artillery Battalion, swiftly resumed their firing positions and completed reloading.
Again, five thunderous roars erupted almost simultaneously as shells traced low arcs, accurately striking the Prussian infantry line formation once more.
This time, however, the Prussians had spread out somewhat, reducing the casualties to almost half of the previous volley.
Napoleon observed the results through his Telescope and instructed the messenger, "Adjust the azimuth one degree to the left."
"Yes, Captain!"
Napoleon's company was exceptionally well-trained—Joseph had spared no expense, having the cannoneers practice with extensive live-fire drills, and they even received supplementary math tutoring, with top performers earning extra stipends. The cannons boasted an extremely high rate of fire and excellent stability. After seven continuous volleys, a distinct, ragged gap had opened in the Prussian right flank.
Although the soldiers dared not abandon their posts under their officers' shouts, some veterans who had fought in the War of the Bavarian Succession noticed a small thicket close by.
They immediately suggested to their officers, "Sir, if we move closer to that, the French cannoneers won't be able to see us!"
"Yes, sir, it won't make us break Line Formation. Those damned cannons are too accurate..."
The three Captains near the cannonade's location exchanged a glance, clearly tempted—though they loudly ordered their soldiers to maintain formation, they too were on edge from the cannon fire, wondering if the next shell might graze them.
Soon, they made a decision, directing their companies to veer slightly westward. This didn't violate superior orders; a lateral movement of ten-odd meters was considered normal when the path ahead was difficult to traverse.
However, just as their orders were given, cannon fire erupted from Napoleon's position once more.
Upon learning that the officers wanted them to move towards the thicket for cover, the soldiers ignored any "ten-odd meters" limit and surged almost instantly to the edge of the foliage.
Meanwhile, Prussian cavalry finally pinpointed Napoleon's location, and a squadron of cavalry immediately charged towards them. One hundred and fifty horsemen were deemed sufficient to clear out such a small-scale raiding artillery unit.
A French Hussar quickly informed Napoleon of the Prussian cavalry's movements, urging him to relocate swiftly.
But Napoleon, watching the growing gap in the Prussian infantry line formation through his Telescope, firmly told the messenger, "Adjust the azimuth one more degree to the left, and maintain rapid fire."
The artillery company's soldiers immediately continued to load ammunition, pouring shells onto the enemy infantry line formation despite the steadily approaching Prussian cavalry.
At the far right of the Prussian line formation, soldiers grumbled through clenched teeth. Although the cannonade hadn't caused many casualties among them, everyone instinctively edged closer to the thicket.
In the main infantry line, many Prussian soldiers who had not been subjected to the cannonade openly mocked those frantically seeking cover, completely oblivious to the fact that the distance between them had already widened to seventy or eighty paces.
Berthier had previously received a report from the Artillery Battalion commander and was observing Captain Napoleon's unusually chosen artillery position with keen interest. Suddenly, he noticed a distinct gap had appeared in the Prussian line formation!
His heart stirred, and he immediately turned to his messenger, shouting, "Quick! Concentrate a battalion and attack the enemy's right flank! There's a gap there!"
"Yes, General!"
About ten minutes later, five infantry companies formed an assault column and, led by their respective Captains, hastened towards the Prussian army's right flank to the quick beat of drums.
Napoleon and his cannoneers had already withdrawn from their temporary position. They had held out until the thunder of the Prussian cavalry's hooves almost drowned out the sound of their own cannons, firing one last volley before finally retreating.
They were on a raiding mission and thus had no infantry support, so facing cavalry, they could only retreat.
Napoleon ordered the abandonment of the five cannons. He had already seen the state of the enemy's line formation, and as long as the corps commander didn't miss this opportunity, the loss of five cannons was insignificant.
The Prussian cavalry found the French artillery position empty. Over a dozen men were left to spike the cannons, while the rest fanned out to search for the French artillerymen who had just been there.
Hearing the increasingly distinct sound of hooves behind him and seeing their own lines in the distance, Napoleon knew there was no way to return. He loudly called out to his company's soldiers, "Everyone halt! The Prussians are catching up!"
He vigorously waved his hand: "But they won't be facing defenseless cannoneers, but warriors who dare to fight them to their last drop of blood!"
"Now, everyone, take up your Percussion Cap Muskets. Those without weapons stand at the back, helping to pass ammunition and ramrods."
"Let's show these Prussian cavalrymen what we're made of!"
Truth be told, the soldiers of the Guards Corps weren't entirely convinced by their Corsican Captain, who had been parachuted into their command, even harboring a slight aversion. They had only begrudgingly accepted him after witnessing Napoleon's exceptional ballistic calculation skills.
Yet today, this rustic Corsican had led them in a brilliant surprise attack, blasting the Prussians' formations into disarray.
Now, seeing the fearless and bold expression on their young Captain's face and listening to his impassioned and stirring words, their blood surged with excitement. They cheered loudly in response, "Yes, we'll take down a few Prussian cavalrymen, no matter what!"
"Everyone, listen to the Captain, form up! Have you all forgotten how to form a line formation?"
"Come on, everyone, raise your rifles! Don't forget to fix bayonets!"
"Glory awaits us!"
Soon, fewer than 40 cannoneers formed a straight line, tensely awaiting the appearance of the Prussian cavalry. It wasn't that they didn't want to form a hollow square; they simply didn't have enough Percussion Cap Muskets among them.
Napoleon drew his saber and stood solemnly at the far right of the formation, thinking, 'I truly wish I could return to the vineyard at home one more time, to see my mother working beneath the grape arbor...'
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