Chapter 457: The Tide Has Turned
"Really?!" Marshal Lacy exclaimed, overjoyed. According to the French Crown Prince, he could breach the Liegnitz defenses with barely any losses.
"What's your plan?"
Joseph immediately replied, "Gather all Coalition Forces within Liegnitz territory as quickly as possible. This time, we're launching an offensive, so concentrate all the legions responsible for the defenses."
Marshal Lacy blinked upon hearing this. 'Why do these words sound so familiar?' 'Oh, right,' he realized. 'When the French Crown Prince first arrived in Liegnitz, he suggested this very approach, but I rejected it.' 'Now, after all that, I'm going to follow his tactics anyway. Was I the one who was wrong?'
Joseph maintained an inscrutable expression and continued, "I can assure you that within a week, a large portion of the Prussian forces on the front line will move north, reducing their defensive strength by about 40%."
"At the same time, the 50,000 enemy troops on the western flank of the defensive line will also depart, heading for Głogów."
"Then, we can launch a fierce assault on the enemy's southern defensive line. With a significant numerical advantage, we'll quickly achieve a breakthrough and then push deep into Liegnitz territory."
As he spoke, he scanned the Austrian officers in the room. "We will repay Ferdinand double for what he did to us!"
The officers exchanged excited glances, each clenching their fists. Just two days ago, they had been hounded by the Prussians, and now, in the blink of an eye, they could return the favor. The mere thought sent a thrill through them!
Lacy immediately gathered his officers around the map to study it. In just a short while, they confirmed that the tactic was highly feasible.
He turned and bowed to Joseph, placing a hand over his chest. "Your Highness, we will proceed with your plan. You truly are Austria's most steadfast ally!"
Joseph returned his smile and bowed in kind.
Joseph had previously worried that Marshal Lacy might insist on annihilating the 50,000 enemy troops first, which would have complicated his plans. In that scenario, he would have had to claim the enemy's offensive was too fierce to hold, forcing Zaray's Guards Corps to clear a path. If the encirclement battle couldn't be fought, Lacy would then have been left with only his own direct assault plan.
However, Marshal Lacy evidently didn't grasp the strategic wisdom of prioritizing the preservation of his forces over the immediate acquisition of territory. To quickly seize Liegnitz and then advance through all of Silesia, he agreed without hesitation.
......
Near the village of Balde, 9 kilometers north of Wolfenbüttel.
General Andreas, the provisional commander of the more than 50,000 Prussian Coalition Forces intercepted here, meticulously examined the secret letter in his hand before passing it to a nearby staff officer.
Only after the latter confirmed that the seal on the letter was intact did Andreas look at the messenger sent by the Duke of Brunswick. "So, you passed through the French lines to reach here?"
"Yes, General," the messenger quickly nodded. "The Marshal and the French have reached an agreement; they allowed me to pass. The Marshal urges you to act quickly, to prevent the Austrians from noticing anything amiss."
"Thank you for risking your life to deliver this message."
Andreas had an aide escort the messenger to rest, then immediately assembled all his officers and showed them the secret letter. "By the Marshal's order, the entire army will immediately advance towards Głogów."
The next morning, these more than 50,000 Prussian troops moved swiftly northward, and just as the Duke of Brunswick had stated, Zaray's defenders did not attack them.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Brunswick also ordered his newly assembled 40,000-strong army to hasten northwest towards Liegnitz, to rendezvous with Andreas and his forces upstream along the Bóbr River.
A week later, both parties successfully rendezvoused at the border of Głogów Province, but the Duke of Brunswick did not encounter the tens of thousands of Austrian pursuers he had expected.
The several hundred French cavalrymen who had "supervised" Andreas throughout his journey observed them from a distance, then immediately turned their horses and departed.
Though somewhat surprised, the Duke of Brunswick finally breathed a sigh of relief. He ordered his messenger to return and inform his subordinates that the two million florins could now be handed over to the French.
The next day, two messengers rushed into the Duke of Brunswick's camp as if frantic, urgently reporting to him, "Marshal, three days ago, the Austrians attacked our southern defensive line."
"What?!" the Duke of Brunswick exclaimed in shock, hastily asking, "What's the situation?"
"The enemy assembled over 80,000 troops and a large number of heavy cannons. When we left, the defensive line hadn't been breached, but it was already struggling to hold."
The Duke of Brunswick's face instantly turned ashen. He had left fewer than 30,000 men on the southern defensive line, tasked with covering a stretch of over 10 kilometers. They definitely couldn't withstand such a large enemy force.
And this news was already three days old.
He immediately convened his officers for a discussion and ultimately decided to abandon the defensive line. The entire army would retreat to Liegnitz city to continue their stand.
Their current distance to Liegnitz city was about half that of the Austrian Coalition Forces. If they hastened there immediately, they should have enough time to set up defenses.
Southwest of Liegnitz, near the town of Fürstenau.
Joseph listened to the distant rumble of cannons, leisurely directing the paymaster's staff as they distributed the two million florins that had arrived yesterday.
Four entire carriages full of gold coins, a colossal sum equivalent to five million francs, made him sigh with admiration. 'War truly is the fastest way to make money!'
He pointed to a small box of gold coins. "Also, allocate 30,000... no, make it 20,000 florins, to reward the company that first breaks through the enemy's defensive line."
This time, Austrian troops were responsible for the main assault. The Guards Corps only provided some artillery support, while their other soldiers rested.
After all, the numerical advantage this time was overwhelming. If the Austrian army still needed the Guards Corps to step in to win, they might as well just buy a block of tofu and bash their heads in.
Marshal Lacy also fully approved of this arrangement. After all, the French had claimed almost all the previous military merits, so he needed to seize more glory for himself.
However, to avoid any prolonged complications, Joseph decided to offer a large sum to motivate the Austrian soldiers.
"This carriage should have 400,000 florins remaining, shouldn't it?"
Joseph saw the paymaster's staff officer nod and continued, "All of it will be used as bonuses for the Guards Corps soldiers who received medals, and as additional subsidies for the wounded. Oh, and remember to deliver it directly to their homes."
400,000 florins, equivalent to one million francs, was a considerable sum. In this Silesian campaign, fewer than 100 soldiers had received medals, and there were around 300 wounded.
This meant that recipients of the Golden Fleur-de-lis Medal would receive a bonus of nearly 10,000 francs! The wounded would also receive an additional 1,500 francs in subsidies, on top of their regular pensions.
Delivering such a large sum of money directly to the soldiers' homes would undoubtedly be a grand affair, far more direct and effective than any flashy recruitment propaganda.
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