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Chapter 447: Besiege a Point to Strike at Reinforcements

Driesen was riding with the winding column, occasionally leaning over to speak with his staff officer, when he suddenly heard the faint roar of cannons from the front-left.

The entire Prussian army column halted immediately, and the soldiers anxiously peered around.

Driesen's expression darkened. He had been extremely cautious throughout the march. Even while moving through Prussian territory, he had dispatched a large number of cavalry for reconnaissance.

Previously, all the Hussars had reported no abnormalities ahead. 'So what was with this cannon fire?'

He hurriedly ordered his troops to consolidate and form a defensive line.

Then, he looked at the staff officer beside him and exclaimed, "Leon, send someone to find out what's happening!"

"Yes, General!"

Before his order could even be relayed, two messengers galloped up. Upon seeing him, they anxiously reported, "General, our vanguard has been attacked! General Brecht's two regiments have already scattered..."

"How is that possible?" Driesen frowned deeply. "Who is attacking us?"

"Damn it, where did they come from!" Driesen was utterly perplexed. Logically, cannons would have to be pre-positioned along his path for an ambush, so why hadn't his Hussars discovered them?

Of course, he didn't know that these were the Guards Corps' horse artillery. They had been hidden 6 kilometers away, and only after spotting his troops did they swiftly approach and open fire on their front flank.

"How many enemy troops are there?"

"We... we don't know yet. The shelling was too sudden..."

Driesen was, after all, an experienced commander. He quickly calmed down and made a swift assessment.

'The enemy has artillery, so it might be a large force. The first priority is to delay their advance.'

He immediately ordered the Fiennes Legion to set up a defensive line on the spot to resist the attack. Other units were to assemble near the woods to the north.

The Fiennes Legion, mostly composed of elite Prussian Guards, moved very quickly. In just over half an hour, they had begun to gather south of the main force. Meanwhile, the winding Prussian army column slowly moved north.

However, the French army, having ambushed them, clearly had no intention of giving them a chance.

Soon, Hussars reported to Driesen that over ten thousand French infantry had appeared to the southwest and were approaching.

Cold sweat beaded on Driesen's forehead. His main force was spread out over at least three or four kilometers. It would take at least three hours for them to regroup and form ranks.

He immediately took personal command of the two grenadier regiments nearby, joining Fiennes to construct a temporary defensive line. He also ordered Krokov to lead all 12 Hussar squadrons to delay the French army at all costs, buying him time.

On the high ground near the Bul River, Joseph observed through his Telescope nearly two thousand Prussian cavalry, surging majestically towards the Guards Corps' infantry lines.

He wasn't the least bit nervous. After two years of military study, he could tell that the Prussian cavalry were completely unprepared, their formations disordered, and their ranks disconnected, as they hastily launched their attack.

'This was essentially suicide.'

'One shouldn't assume that because cavalry are well-equipped, fast, and powerful in a charge, they can always overwhelm infantry. In reality, cavalry are not meant for direct confrontations. Their advantage lies in using their mobility to swiftly raid enemy weak points and then gracefully retreat. But if they were to clash head-on with infantry, especially charging neatly formed infantry lines, they wouldn't stand a chance unless their numbers were equal.'

Sure enough, when the Prussian cavalry haphazardly charged towards the French infantry lines, they immediately met a volley of concentrated fire. Over 20 warhorses at the front screamed and toppled, tripping many of the riders behind them.

Next, the soldiers who had fired fixed their bayonets and planted their rifles diagonally into the ground, simultaneously crouching down. The soldiers in the row behind them raised their rifles and fired, then held their Percussion Cap Muskets level, pointing their bayonets forward.

Then came the third row's volley...

By the time the Prussian cavalry closed in, they were met by three dense rows of bayonets. They had no choice but to rein in their horses, turn, and split to the flanks.

'The cinematic depiction of cavalry fearlessly charging into bayonets is meaningless—even if you manage to knock down two or three infantrymen, someone will immediately fill the gap. Your body and your horse's corpse would become stumbling blocks for your comrades behind you, slowing the entire charge. And cavalry that stopped running were simply targets for infantry.'

The Guards Corps' infantry lines were very long, and with such a small number of Prussian Hussars, it was impossible for them to outflank the enemy by circling around the wings. Moreover, the Guards Corps' cavalry were standing by behind the infantry's flanks, ready to provide cover.

The Prussian cavalry were forced to circle around and regroup at a distance. This single disorganized attack had cost them at least one squadron, or over 150 men.

But Driesen's order to Krokov was to delay the French army to the death, so he had no choice but to raise his sword again and loudly command his men to charge the Guards Corps.

By the third such attack, the Prussian cavalry were hesitant and reluctant to advance due to heavy casualties.

In fact, these Junker noble cavalrymen were quite good. A unit with slightly lower morale would have started fleeing by the second charge.

Berthier once again suggested sending the Guards Corps' cavalry to meet the charge. Joseph, observing the faltering Prussian cavalry through his Telescope, finally nodded in agreement.

Cavalry was the most scarce branch of service in the Guards Corps. Only the cavalry originally obtained from the Paris Guard were strong in combat; most of those trained later could only serve as skirmishers. Thus, Joseph used them very carefully, as even a small number of casualties would pain him for a long time.

However, after several rounds of attrition, the Prussian cavalry now found it difficult even to regroup.

When 700 Guards Corps Hussars suddenly appeared on their left flank, even though Krokov personally led his attendants to meet them, hardly anyone followed behind him.

Immediately, the Prussian cavalry were split into two by the charge. Most fled north, while the others were subjected to volleys from the advancing French infantry and soon dismounted and surrendered.

Driesen's infantry lines were still in disarray when he saw Hussars fleeing back.

He had a small group of routed soldiers brought before him and heard them frantically say:

"General, the enemy is only about 1.3 to 1.5 kilometers away."

"General Krokov? We don't know where he is."

"The enemy's defenses are dense, and their firepower is extremely fierce..."

Driesen's heart sank. 'He had done his best to salvage the situation, but hadn't even delayed them for an hour. It seems the enemy has at least thirty to forty thousand men.'

"Damn it, a force this large has been in Oberon for at least two days, and no one discovered them!"