Chapter 755: The Savior
The Austrian soldiers in the city were stunned, but their vision was blocked by their own men, and some even had their heads trampled by routed soldiers jumping from the wall. For a time, they couldn't fire effectively.
In that moment of chaos, several French columns had already charged toward the city walls.
The Austrian officer frantically shouted:
"Idiots, get out of the way! Fire, open fire! Repel them!"
At his barked order, gunshots finally rang out from behind the battlements, and a dozen French soldiers fell to the ground.
However, only a few seconds later, they rubbed the spots where they'd been hit, got back to their feet, picked up their rifles, and continued their rallying cry, sprinting toward the city walls.
After over a year of preparation, the French direct command legions were now all equipped with bulletproof inserts, especially the soldiers charging at the front, who carried "heavy-duty" inserts.
As long as they weren't struck in the head or neck, being hit at about thirty yards wouldn't pose any life-threatening danger.
The French army's seeming resurrection further panicked the Austrian soldiers, and the firing from within the city became increasingly sporadic.
Lefebvre was still directing cannons to bombard the city walls when he suddenly caught sight of the Austrian forces on the eastern side starting to fall into disarray.
Moments later, a messenger on horseback arrived and reported loudly to him:
"General, Major Davout has already stormed into the city."
Lefebvre shook his head with a smile. 'That young Davout is always so fierce in battle, breaking through the enemy's defenses without even needing cannons,' he mused.
He then ordered his troops to also move east, entering Wavre through the breach Davout had created.
Bodies of Austrian soldiers were scattered everywhere in the city, but the buildings weren't severely damaged. At this point, all the residents were hiding in their homes, afraid to come out, and the streets were eerily silent.
Lefebvre was pondering where the enemy's main defensive points might be when another messenger arrived to report that Davout had already occupied the city's central iron ore warehouse...
In the temporary French command post outside Wavre, Gaillard looked at the French Crown Prince in surprise:
"Your Highness, you mean the Flemish uprisings in Landen, Ath, and other places have been quelled!"
Joseph replied calmly, "When I entered Wallonia, I already sent people to deal with it. By now, it should be resolved."
Gaillard quickly said, "But such matters really shouldn't divert your valuable forces."
Joseph smiled and shook his head. "It was just three companies; you needn't worry."
Indeed, Joseph had only dispatched a little over 300 soldiers, yet he had largely stabilized the situation in Wallonia.
This was also why he had dared to instruct the Walloon Chamber of Commerce to ignore the riots and instead concentrate the police to block the Austrian army.
Following Joseph's orders, the Walloon Chamber of Commerce had city officials evacuate in advance to avoid damage from the riots.
When the French army arrived, they gathered local citizens to join the troops in attacking the rioters.
The Walloons also despised the Flemish who caused the riots. As soon as the French army suppressed the rioters with firepower, they would charge forward like beasts, tearing the rioters apart.
Especially when the rioters didn't receive Austrian support and heard that the French army had entered Wallonia, they lost even more of their will to resist.
In such circumstances, sixty or seventy French soldiers were enough to quell a city's riot.
In fact, Joseph had another objective for this arrangement: to establish the French army's prestige in Wallonia.
The Walloon citizens, led by French soldiers, had driven out the wretched rioters and restored peaceful life. To them, the French soldiers were heroes, saviors.
If someone were to suggest Wallonia joining France at this moment, it would surely receive unanimous approval from everyone.
As Gaillard was discussing the suppression of the riots with the Crown Prince, an officer knocked and entered, standing at attention before the Crown Prince and saying:
"Your Highness, General Lefebvre has already stormed Wavre. He says the battle will conclude within two hours."
Gaillard's eyes widened in astonishment. Only an hour and a half had passed since the Crown Prince ordered the attack on the Austrian army.
It was worth remembering that it had taken 10,000 Austrian troops a full three days to barely penetrate the city when facing 4,000 Walloon Police just days prior.
And now the French army was still at a numerical disadvantage—what kind of terrifying combat power was this!
Two hours later, peace gradually returned to Wavre.
Gaillard felt a sense of unreality. He did indeed lead the Walloon police officers into the city for rest before nightfall.
At 6 PM, as the person most familiar with the Wavre area, he was invited to participate in the French army's operational meeting.
In the temporary conference room, a Captain from the General Staff was at the map, briefing them on intelligence gathered by the cavalry scouts:
"Currently, all enemy forces within Wavre have been cleared.
"The main force of Radetzky's army, numbering around 6,000 men, has now retreated north to the town of Marbais, six kilometers away."
Count Radetzky had never anticipated the French appearing so quickly. Consequently, the Austrian troops north of the city were in a chaotic rush to enter, only to be ambushed by Lefebvre. They collapsed with hardly any resistance.
Radetzky's reaction was relatively swift; he immediately ordered his most elite grenadier battalion and a skirmisher regiment to cover the retreat. Coupled with the approaching dusk, this allowed his main force to withdraw.
Nevertheless, in just half a day, he had lost over 4,000 troops in Wavre.
The staff officer continued, "According to General Staff estimates, Josias's main force will arrive at Marbais by tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, with a strength of approximately 30,000."
Josias was the name of the Prince of Coburg.
Lefebvre frowned, then asked the staff officer in charge of troop movements, "When will the Fourth Infantry Division arrive?"
The latter immediately replied, "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should reach Wavre tomorrow morning."
Lefebvre breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Joseph. "Your Highness, the enemy will certainly be eager to retake Wavre. I believe we can use Wavre as bait to ambush them.
"Specifically, we can have Mr. Gaillard's police force defend the city, while we position our main forces southwest of Marbais. When Josias's main force moves toward Wavre, we will attack them from their flank and rear."
Davout immediately added, "We can also seize Marbais at the same time, cutting off the Austrians' retreat."
Joseph did not commit, instead raising his eyes to the map. 'Given the Austrian army's marching speed, Josias's forces should currently be near Uccle,' he mused.
Lefebvre nodded instinctively. "Yes, Your Highness."
Joseph's eyes narrowed slightly. "Tell me, if you were Marshal Josias, what would you expect our army to do next?"
Lefebvre thought for a moment. "He would likely expect us to hold Wavre."
Wavre was a crucial thoroughfare south of Brussels; holding it would prevent the Austrian army from continuing south to Namur.
Joseph nodded. "Therefore, we must give him a 'surprise'."
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