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Chapter 694: The Battle of Silver Eagle

Gdańsk is located on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea.

After the First Partition, Prussia had forcibly occupied all the cities surrounding this port, turning it into a Polish enclave.

The reason Hohn was so eager to attack Gdańsk wasn't because he thought it would be difficult to capture and thus required early planning. On the contrary, everyone in Prussia now unanimously believed that Gdańsk would be effortlessly seized by simply sending a military detachment.

Hohn's target was the invaluable goods belonging to Polish merchants in the port, as well as the Polish merchant ships.

News of the war would soon reach Gdańsk, and he had to get there as quickly as possible to net as many 'prize catches' as he could.

So, he even left his cumbersome Artillery Battalion behind, taking only the Royal Brandenburg Legion and over a dozen cavalry squadrons, a total of more than 13,000 troops, as they swiftly marched north.

Gdańsk Port.

Inside a three-story red building beside Royal Avenue, the sixteen members of the Gdańsk Administrative Committee were embroiled in a heated argument.

"We only have 400 soldiers; I doubt we can hold out for even half an hour! Handing over control of the port to the Prussian army is our only option!"

Chairman Kowalczyk of the committee muttered, head bowed, "But both nations are already at war. If we allow the Prussian army to..."

The Administrative Committee was responsible for Gdańsk's daily affairs, making him essentially the mayor.

Someone immediately interjected, "We can't do anything at all. Any obstruction will only enrage them."

"Exactly! Moreover, we haven't received any combat orders from His Majesty the King..."

Gdańsk did not border mainland Poland, so it was impossible for any information from the homeland to reach them.

Meanwhile, several committee members seated on the west side of the room quietly observed the argument, exchanging scornful glances and smiles from time to time.

They were Prussians.

Although Gdańsk was Polish territory, Prussia also held significant administrative power.

Such was the strange nature of things sometimes. Although Prussia had already declared war on Poland, old habits died hard, and they still sat together with the Poles, discussing the port's fate.

The main Prussian army would undoubtedly arrive soon. For now, they were the masters here, and the Poles would only avoid harsh treatment from the army if they appealed to them.

Pounding footsteps...

Footsteps approached from outside, and then the door was kicked open with a resounding thump.

Under the astonished gazes of Kowalczyk and the others, Port Security Officer Romilev, clad in a grey-green uniform, burst in, pistol drawn. Behind him, more than twenty patrolmen followed, each with a Flintlock Musket slung across their back.

"You, what are you doing?"

Ignoring the committee members' questions, Romilev strode directly to the west side of the hall and bellowed, "Werner Bangermann?"

The Prussian committee member, dressed in a black coat, instinctively nodded.

Without a moment's hesitation, Romilev raised his pistol and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Bangermann was sent sprawling by the immense impact, a black-and-red gaping wound appearing on his chest.

The security officer then called out another name: "Kurt Müller."

A patrolman stepped forward and shot the stunned Prussian committee member dead.

The other four Prussians finally reacted, desperately fleeing towards the door, only to collapse to the ground after several more gunshots.

"God! You, are you insane?!" a committee member cried out, staring at the corpses on the floor.

Romilev holstered his pistol, gestured for his men to carry out the bodies, then turned to the remaining committee members: "Gentlemen, there's no need for hesitation now.

"We have only one option left: defend Gdańsk to the death!"

Committee Chairman Kowalczyk shook his head, trembling. "It's over, it's over. We're all going to die now..."

Romilev stated, "Please sign the order to arrest all Prussians within the port."

"No, no..."

From behind the patrolmen, a middle-aged man wearing a felt hat and possessing sharp, capable eyes stepped forward. He addressed Kowalczyk: "We absolutely cannot surrender the port to the perfidious Prussians! Please trust me, we can definitely hold Gdańsk."

"Mr. Schumann?"

The newcomer was none other than Pierre Edgar Schumann, the financial officer appointed by the French investors. Of course, his other identity was that of an Artillery Captain in the French Royal Guard Legion.

"But we simply don't have enough troops..."

Schumann pointed out the window, interrupting him. "There are over a thousand sailors here, and even more dockworkers, all willing to fight to the death for Poland!"

Kowalczyk shook his head. "Even with them, we're no match for the Prussian army. They'll send at least ten thousand soldiers."

"We can rely on the fortress," Schumann said with great confidence.

"A fortress?" Kowalczyk asked in surprise. "Where is this fortress?"

"Baron Lacoste's new residence," Schumann replied, taking out a blueprint and spreading it open. "Its design incorporated defensive capabilities from the very beginning."

The blueprint depicted the luxurious estate recently constructed at the entrance of the Steuplate Peninsula in the port. Baron Lacoste was one of the shareholders in the massive 4 million Franc investment. He had previously claimed to be very fond of the port's scenery and had invested heavily to build a holiday estate there.

"This, this is a bastion?!" a committee member, somewhat familiar with military matters, instantly exclaimed upon seeing the blueprint.

Indeed, with the Poles refusing to believe Prussia would invade, Joseph had been forced to use every available means to deploy Gdańsk's defenses.

Fortunately, he had the historical example of Poland's "Battle of Silver Eagle" during World War II, where Gdańsk was defended to the death, to draw upon.

At that time, Nazi Germany had dispatched 10,000 soldiers, with 1,500 SS troops supervising the assault, planning to capture Gdańsk in just fifteen minutes.

However, the several hundred Polish defenders in the port cleverly utilized the terrain of the Steuplate Peninsula to engage the German forces in a protracted struggle.

The German army launched a fierce assault for an entire week, even deploying warships and bombers, yet still failed to breach Gdańsk. Ultimately, it was the Polish government's surrender and their telegraphed orders for the port's Polish defenders to abandon their defenses that allowed the Germans to occupy the city.

And the Polish forces' tactic at the time was to firmly choke off the entrance to the Steuplate Peninsula.

Gdańsk Port was divided into two main parts: the mainland to the south and the peninsula to the north. Between the two lay a narrow waterway, serving as a sheltered harbor for ships.

By occupying the northern peninsula, one could blanket the southern part of the port with cannon fire.

Moreover, the peninsula's entrance was extremely narrow; a few hidden bunkers could effectively block the entire passage.

Joseph, however, had replaced them with a bastion, which would prove even more effective.

To prevent the Prussians from interfering, he had publicly claimed it was Baron Lacoste's estate – from the outside, it indeed looked like a castle-like structure. Only the few French engineers overseeing the construction knew that its full layout was a pentagonal bastion with rounded corners.