Chapter 445: I'll Add Fuel to the Fire
General Leo, the very bargaining chip in this situation, was now on the verge of tears.
Back in the Southern Netherlands, he had consistently achieved victory alongside General Lefebvre, which had fostered a delusion of 'I can do it too.'
Now, facing the Prussians to his west, north, and east—with the Sudetes Mountains to the south—he had regained a clear sense of self-awareness.
The enemy was in no hurry to attack. Instead, they had established infantry line formations along all major thoroughfares, with artillery positioned on both flanks and cavalry maneuvering between the defensive lines for support.
Over the past five days, Leo had launched more than ten charges, but each one had been repelled.
A heavy sense of pessimism now permeated his legion. Were it not for his reputation as the "Lance of the Southern Netherlands," their morale would have likely collapsed long ago.
Watching through his telescope as the artillery attempting to stealthily approach the enemy lines was driven back by Prussian cavalry, Leo slumped dejectedly into his chair. He couldn't fathom why Lefebvre's Legion's cannons could barrage the enemy at close range and then calmly withdraw, something he found utterly impossible to replicate.
'If only I had known, I wouldn't have left so many soldiers in Wałbrzych...'
As Leo brooded, his chief of staff suddenly rushed over, exclaiming:
"Excellent!" Leo sprang to his feet, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "Lieutenant Colonel Lefebvre must be coming to rescue me.
"Quick, deliver this good news to the soldiers! Tell everyone to hold on just a little longer!"
However, more than three hours passed, and the "French reinforcements" remained motionless.
Leo immediately grew anxious, repeatedly questioning his chief of staff:
"Could those be Prussian reinforcements, gathering to attack us?"
"Well... I don't know..." the chief of staff mused. "The enemy's line formations haven't moved, so it's unlikely they're preparing an attack."
If reinforcements were to arrive, the existing infantry line formations would need to shift to accommodate the additional troops.
Only then did Leo slightly relax, before hearing the roar of cannons from the northwest.
He instantly stiffened, hurrying to the highest point of his command post—which was situated on a small hill—and scanned the direction of the cannon fire with his telescope. He saw gunpowder smoke rising in the distant sky.
"It's not the Prussians who are surrounding us?" he asked, looking surprised at his chief of staff. "Who exactly is fighting whom?"
About ten kilometers from Erwin's encirclement, in the direction where the gunpowder smoke billowed, Blücher was roaring at his cavalry battalion commander:
"Fools! Can't you distinguish uniforms, or at least bother to look at the flags!"
Just over an hour ago, he had led his main army to the west of Ratibor, preparing to link up with Erwin, only to unexpectedly discover an Austrian force stealthily deploying its formation less than three kilometers away.
He was so furious he almost shot the Hussar commander on the spot.
Truthfully, it wasn't entirely his scouts' fault. Uniforms varied wildly among nations in that era, and some officers even customized uniforms for their soldiers based on personal preference, paying for them out of pocket. Superiors usually turned a blind eye.
The Prussian Hussars had indeed spotted the Austrian troops earlier, but seeing their green uniforms, they mistook them for Hanoverians—there was indeed a Hanoverian army garrisoned in Ratibor. So, without much interaction, they had simply hurried past.
Fortunately, the messenger Blücher had sent to contact Erwin was killed on his return, which finally alerted him to the presence of the Austrian army; otherwise, he would have nearly fallen into their ambush.
He hastily found a suitable area nearby and ordered his troops to immediately deploy into a defensive formation.
Wurmser, seeing the Prussian army suddenly halt, immediately guessed that the enemy had discovered him and promptly ordered a surprise attack.
Blücher's cavalry saved his legion. Perhaps to compensate for their earlier reconnaissance error, they bravely and relentlessly harassed and contained the Austrians, sustaining significant casualties but ultimately buying enough time for the infantry to complete their formation.
Immediately, tens of thousands of Prussian and Austrian soldiers began to engage across the battlefield. The roar of cannons and the wails of soldiers intertwined as night descended.
It wasn't until the following morning that Blücher and Wurmser, old rivals who had clashed in the Southern Netherlands not long ago, finally figured out whose troops they were facing.
Both instantly realized that neither could defeat the other quickly—a fact they had confirmed multiple times in the Southern Netherlands. Thus, they each immediately dispatched messengers to "call for backup" from their respective commanders-in-chief.
...
Austrian Silesian Front Army Command Post.
Joseph flicked the newly delivered Bulletproof Insert in his hand, then carefully slid it into the "pocket" on the front of his uniform, remarking somewhat displeased to his Chief of Staff:
"Only five thousand men? Lacy is being far too stingy, isn't he?"
Berthier replied, "Your Royal Highness, the Prussians haven't deployed many troops either, so Marshal Lacy believes five thousand reinforcements should be sufficient to resolve the situation at Ratibor."
He had just attended Lacy's operational meeting and learned that, as Crown Prince Joseph had predicted, fierce fighting had broken out between Prussian and Austrian reinforcements at Ratibor, and General Wurmser had requested more aid.
Joseph stood up and bounced slightly. 'Hm, four inserts, the weight barely affects movement. Based on this, an adult should have no problem carrying five.'
He tapped the insert on his chest and said to Berthier, "Please distribute these inserts to the soldiers as quickly as possible."
"Yes, Your Royal Highness. In fact, they were already distributed to all companies by noon."
"You are always so meticulous," Joseph nodded, complimenting him, then walked out of the tent. "Now, I need to go add some fuel to the fire in Ratibor. Otherwise, with Marshal Lacy being so miserly, who knows how long it will take for the opportunity I seek to arise."
Twenty minutes later.
Marshal Lacy's eyes widened as he looked at the young French Crown Prince, exclaiming in surprise:
"Your Royal Highness, you truly don't need to do this. Committing so many troops to Ratibor is pointless..."
"No, Marshal," Joseph said with a serious expression, "General Leo is an old friend of mine. Our relationship is deep. He could be killed by the Prussians at any moment, and that thought keeps me from eating or sleeping."
"But there's no need to mobilize General Kellermann! Your Royal Highness, this could greatly affect the situation in Liegnitz."
Kellermann was the commander-in-chief of the thirty thousand old-style French troops in Silesia.
Joseph thought to himself, 'That's precisely why I'm doing this—to break the deadlock at Liegnitz.'
He looked at Marshal Lacy, his tone resolute:
"General Kellermann, leading twenty thousand troops, can rescue General Leo in about a week. During that time, if you focus entirely on defense, Liegnitz will certainly be safe."
Comments