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Chapter 453: The Oriole Behind

Marshal Lacy was utterly bewildered. 'Hadn't all the French forces gone to Ratibor to reinforce Leo? Their Crown Prince was still besieged in Oberon. So where had these people come from?'

Even more perplexed were the Prussian cavalry responsible for the pursuit.

They had been enthusiastically slaughtering the retreating Austrian soldiers, never bothering to scout their surroundings. With 15,000 troops routed and countless casualties, who would have imagined that the Austrian Coalition Forces would ambush them from behind their own lines?

Indeed, Joseph had deliberately ambushed the Guards Corps behind the Austrian defensive line.

After previously routing Driesen, he had immediately led his army back to the Austrian-controlled area of Liegnitz. To avoid detection by Lacy, the troops had hunkered down among the desolate mountains for several days. It wasn't until Lacy dispatched Davidoff's more than 30,000 men that Joseph quietly returned, waiting less than 15 kilometers southwest of the Austrian defensive line.

Today, after the Prussians launched their general offensive, the Guards Corps simultaneously sprang into action.

The main force was divided into two parts: one swiftly infiltrated north of the Prussian attack point, forming a defensive formation utilizing the terrain, numbering about 4,000 men.

The other part, a total of 10,000 soldiers, maneuvered to the south of the Prussian attack point. Once the Austrian defensive line collapsed, they waited for the Austrian soldiers to "lure" the Prussians deep into their territory, then suddenly cut off the Prussian army's retreat from the flank.

This was tantamount to using the 15,000 Austrian troops on the defensive line as bait. And this bait certainly played its role convincingly, for they were truly routed.

Of course, the foundation for this tactic to work was Joseph's belief that the Guards Corps, with 14,000 men, could cut off an enemy several times their size and hold out for at least three days.

The Prussian Hussars, who were excitedly slaughtering the retreating Austrian soldiers, suddenly found their flank under attack and instantly plunged into disarray.

In films and television, cavalry often appear to surge forward en masse, sending enemies scattering in terror. In reality, however, cavalry is a branch of military service that places more emphasis on formation than infantry.

When large cavalry units attack, there are extremely strict requirements for the horizontal and vertical spacing between horses. Too far apart, they cannot form a concerted effort; too close, they interfere with each other, and even a single fallen rider can bring down many others.

Therefore, training competent cavalry is extremely difficult. The ability to control spacing alone requires years of practice in the saddle. Maintaining formation during battle relies on subconscious control, as a rider's primary focus must be on their saber or lance.

This meant that wherever a cavalry formation's initial target was, that was where they had to charge. To switch targets, they first had to maneuver to a distant location, regroup, and then charge again. Otherwise, an abrupt change in target would disrupt the entire unit's front-to-back spacing and formation aspect ratio. Naturally, some elite cavalry units with exceptionally high training could switch targets fluidly, but they were a rare exception.

Currently, the Prussian Hussars' objective was to cut down the retreating Austrian soldiers, so they were utterly defenseless against the sudden flank attack.

Their commander reacted quickly, however, immediately ordering them to disengage from the pursuit of the Austrians, fall back to a distance, and regroup for a counterattack.

The French cavalry, however, completely ignored the Austrian soldiers—the entire battle line was very long, and this was only one section, with many Austrian troops still being pursued by enemy cavalry to the east and west. Instead, they focused solely on the Prussian cavalry unit, chasing them down until they were utterly dispersed before moving on to their next objective.

Marshal Lacy, seeing a gap appear in the Prussian cavalry's encirclement, quickly ordered an officer beside him to gather the stragglers.

Around 3 PM, several thousand Austrian soldiers had regrouped around Marshal Lacy, and a troop of valiant French cavalry happened to pass nearby. Led by a slightly plump, curly-haired cavalry captain, they saluted the Austrians with their sabers.

A moment later, Lacy's aide returned after a brief exchange with the cavalry troop and reported to him, "Marshal, they say they're from the Second Company, Third Hussar Battalion of the French Royal Guard First Legion, sent specifically to cover our army's retreat."

"The Royal Guard Legion?" Lacy exclaimed in surprise. "The unit that follows the French Crown Prince? Weren't they besieged in Oberon?"

"The captain said he knew nothing of a siege. They fought a battle with Driesen's corps and then came here."

Lacy: '???'

...

On the western side of the Austrian defensive line, the side controlled by Austria, a tide of Prussian soldiers poured through the gaps in the defenses, while two other units advanced north and south to widen the breach.

Not far from the Austrian defensive line, a ranger from the Guards Corps galloped up, calling out to the officers at the command post:

"Report! Prussian infantry have reached Wofenster Town, with the vanguard numbering around 11,000 men. The main enemy force is still being counted, but it should exceed 30,000."

Berthier nodded at the report and said to the staff officer beside him:

"The enemy has pushed deep enough. Order the attack to commence as planned."

Wofenster Town lay deep within the Austrian-controlled territory, more than 6 kilometers from the entrenched Prussian-Austrian defensive line.

"Yes, General!"

Because this battle involved a smaller force against a larger one, the risk was significant. Therefore, the officers of the General Staff Headquarters unanimously requested that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince remain at a safe distance from the battlefield, and so Berthier was in command. However, Joseph had already made detailed deployments with the staff, so it would largely proceed the same regardless of who led.

Soon, the clear bugle call signaling the corps' advance rang out. Berthier then looked at his assistant. "Where is General Kellermann now?"

"Last night's report said he had already passed the lower reaches of the Burl River."

According to Joseph's plan, Kellermann's 30,000 French troops were never intended to reinforce Leo. They had merely made a symbolic show of force at Ratibor, firing a few shots, and upon receiving the Crown Prince's orders, immediately turned back towards the Liegnitz front. However, given the marching speed of this older-style army, they would likely still need three days to arrive.

Berthier then instructed, "Establish contact with Marshal Lacy and have him cooperate with us as much as possible in counterattacking the enemy forces that have entered the western side of the defensive line."

"Yes, General!"

At the breach in the Austrian defensive line, General Maurice, commander of the Saxon army, held his telescope, a gloomy expression on his face.

The Prussians were chasing after the retreating Austrians, racking up battle honors, while he was stuck here gnawing at the Austrian defenses.

Although the Austrian army's morale had crumbled, there were still numerous heavy cannons along the defensive line, making this decidedly not a good assignment.

Just as he watched his own skirmisher battalion charge a high ground and seize the Austrian artillery position there, and before he could even celebrate, a neat line of infantry suddenly appeared from behind the low hill.