Chapter 446: Opportunities for Outflanking and Interpenetration Must Be Seized
Marshal Lacy simply could not dissuade the French Crown Prince. After all, Joseph wasn't under Lacy's command, and his status was far superior. Lacy could only immediately write to Vienna to report the situation.
The next morning, General Kellermann led a large army, passing very conspicuously in front of the Prussian positions and courteously saluting their opponents, before marching to Ratibor.
On the Prussian side, the Duke of Brunswick watched the distant French army through his telescope, frowning as he muttered to himself:
'A force of over twenty thousand men—judging by their direction, they're definitely heading for Ratibor.'
He suddenly lowered his telescope and said to General Driesen, who stood nearby:
"We still severely underestimated Leo's importance to Austria! Lacy is actually willing to sacrifice troops from the main front just to rescue him."
Prussian cavalry commander General Krokov said:
"Marshal, we can seize this opportunity to concentrate our forces and break through the Austrian lines!"
The Duke of Brunswick remained silent for a while before shaking his head and saying:
Meanwhile, in the tent of General Maurice, commander of the Silesian Front Army in Saxony, an official who had arrived from Dresden to deliver supplies was earnestly offering him advice:
"Did you know that there are rumors back home about Leo's capture? It's said that Leopold II is practically frantic!"
He had received money from a merchant two days prior, who supposedly had a grudge against Leo and had paid a hefty sum for him to persuade General Maurice to kill the Austrian bastard.
Of course, the so-called Saxon merchant was actually an agent of French intelligence.
Having accepted money, he felt obliged. Besides, it was nothing major; he was just passing along a message. How General Maurice decided was his own business.
"But I heard Leo was merely besieged, not captured." He smiled, and added, "The whole of Europe is watching Leo's situation. If you can play a part in capturing him, you will surely become famous throughout the land."
As he spoke, an officer entered the tent and whispered a few words to Maurice.
Maurice's eyes narrowed instantly. The officer informed him that earlier that day, at noon, the Duke of Brunswick had dispatched General Driesen with nearly thirty thousand soldiers to Ratibor.
Maurice quickly made a decision and said to his official friend:
"You're right, I should go to Ratibor."
That afternoon, the Duke of Brunswick, unable to resist the Saxon commander's persistent pleas, agreed to let him send seven thousand Saxon troops to reinforce General Erwin.
Meanwhile, Bavarian army commander General Ernst nodded at Berthier and said:
"Indeed, as you said, General Leo's situation is extremely perilous."
After the Southern Netherlandish Rebels were suppressed, Duke Karl Theodor of Bavaria no longer had any intention of exchanging territories there. The Southern Netherlands had been ravaged by war, and Wallonia was intertwined with French interests. From any perspective, it no longer seemed like a suitable place to establish a Burgundian dynasty.
Thus, Karl Theodor had long wished to withdraw from the Austro-Bavarian alliance, or at least stop meddling in the messy affairs between Prussia and Austria. However, he was wary of offending Austria, which was why he still maintained a force of over six thousand troops fighting in Silesia.
General Ernst, of course, understood his Duke's intentions, and now felt that Ratibor presented a good opportunity.
If he could participate in the rescue of Leo, such an important Austrian figure, then Leo could help put in a good word for Bavaria before Leopold II. Bavaria might then be able to withdraw from Silesia.
The next morning, he personally led the main Bavarian force, quietly hurrying to Ratibor. In this era of extremely poor communication, as long as he remained discreet, leaving his post for a week or two wouldn't alarm Marshal Lacy at all.
At this time, across the entire Silesian region, the only ones not focused on Ratibor were Joseph and his Guards Corps.
"Your Highness, Breslau is ahead." Berthier tightened his reins and pointed toward where a distant river disappeared into the hills. "Look, that's the Bóbr River."
Joseph didn't yet have a strong impression of Silesia's terrain. He took out a map to compare, and only then nodded, saying:
"Have the chasseurs expand their search radius. The Prussians might not necessarily take the most direct route."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Berthier gave a few instructions to the courier and then urged his horse to catch up with the Crown Prince and his retinue.
Indeed, they were currently inspecting the battlefield.
The Guards Corps had departed the Liegnitz front two days prior, and in less than two days, had force-marched to the junction between Oberon and Breslau on the eastern side.
Although this was Prussian territory, almost all deployable Prussian forces had been transferred to Ratibor. They had not encountered a single enemy along their entire route.
Of course, Joseph's actions were also extremely risky.
This was the heartland of Silesia. If the Duke of Brunswick were to react now and immediately dispatch troops to cut off the Guards Corps' western retreat, it would take less than half a day to encircle them.
But Joseph knew that the Prussians' attention was entirely on Ratibor, with what little energy remained focused on the Liegnitz front. His swift insertion was risky, but ultimately safe.
Most importantly, the Guards Corps' mobility was incredibly fast, especially compared to the current efficiency of the Prussian army.
Even if a garrison discovered signs of the Guards Corps, by the time it reported to the Duke of Brunswick, and the Duke subsequently dispatched troops to intercept them, the Guards Corps would likely have already "finished their work" and withdrawn.
After carefully examining the pre-designated battlefield, Joseph and the General Staff Headquarters officers returned to camp. They meticulously refined the specific operational plan, but by dusk, the Prussian forces had still not arrived.
Driesen's corps had left Liegnitz three days earlier. The Guards Corps had departed half a day later than them, yet had arrived first, and had now been waiting for them here for half a day.
Around 10 AM the next morning, the rapid thud of chasseurs' hooves stopped outside the General Staff tent. A cavalryman dismounted and reported to the approaching officers:
"Prussian troop movements detected. Approximately four kilometers to the northeast. At least twenty thousand men."
It wasn't that the Guards Corps' reconnaissance wasn't thorough enough; it was mainly to avoid detection by the Prussians that the chasseurs hadn't been spread out too far.
Inside the tent, Joseph and Berthier exchanged a smile. "They've finally arrived."
"Indeed, their marching speed is quite slow."
Combat orders were swiftly disseminated to every company, and then the entire Guards Corps sprang into action.
Unlike the assault patterns of other European armies, the Guards Corps' horse artillery, under cavalry cover, bypassed the infantry battalions and charged directly toward the Prussian forces.
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