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Chapter 800: When Water Flows, a Channel is Formed

While the Austrian cavalry didn't understand English and remained largely indifferent, the British cavalry officers were absolutely livid.

Most were of noble birth; when had they ever been subjected to such insults by North American commoners?

Immediately, two fuming cavalry captains, their eyes bulging with rage, drew their sabers and charged toward the Americans.

Seeing this, the other British horsemen followed suit, hurling curses as they spurred their mounts. The British cavalry commander found it impossible to restrain them. With the crude insults of the Americans ringing in his own ears, his patience finally snapped, and he simply ordered a full-scale charge against the American infantry.

The Austrian cavalry were left utterly bewildered.

The objective of this mission was to destroy the French artillery. Where on earth were these Englishmen going?

Seeing that his own small force had no hope of breaking through the French lines guarding the cannons alone, the Austrian commander hesitated for a moment before ordering his men to retreat for the time being.

Indeed, while British infantry were famous for their discipline and resilience, British cavalry were notorious for being wild and unruly.

Historically, the Duke of Wellington had complained more than once that his cavalry never followed orders. Once they charged, they had no idea how to pull back. On several occasions, they had been annihilated because they got carried away chasing the enemy and ended up too deep within hostile positions.

Over fifteen hundred riders galloped furiously toward the Americans, but the American infantry immediately vanished behind the ridge of the slope.

Suddenly, a thunderous roll of drums echoed across the field. Murat, leading five hundred cavalrymen, burst from the British flank and rear.

It was an ambush, meticulously prepared.

The British horses were already exhausted from their long, frantic gallop. Suddenly hit from behind, the riders were seized by panic. They tried to organize a defense, but their strength failed them.

To make matters worse, French shells continued to rain down on the clustered British riders from a distance.

The moment Murat’s saber cut down the first enemy, the British cavalry formation collapsed instantly.

Murat shouted with exhilaration, relentlessly hacking at the fleeing riders like a wolf driving a flock of sheep.

The British had exhausted too much of their horses' stamina earlier; now, they couldn't even manage a decent retreat. A short while later, Murat had intercepted five or six hundred of them, who promptly dismounted and surrendered.

The Duke of York’s face turned a sickly shade of gray as he watched the Coalition artillery, which had only made it halfway to their positions, begin to take hits from French fire and retreat in a panic. He slammed his cane into the ground in a fit of rage.

In truth, even if his artillery had reached their designated positions, they would have struggled to pose a significant threat to the French.

After all, the reverse slope tactic had originally been devised specifically to counter the terrifying threat of Napoleon’s superior artillery.

Because the soldiers were stationed just behind the crest of the hill, they could simply turn around and take cover on the back of the slope the moment a bombardment began.

Even into the twenty-first century, this remained an effective method for enduring artillery fire. Even guided shells struggled to hit enemies positioned on a reverse slope, let alone primitive muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons.

Under the Duke of York’s orders, the Coalition infantry launched another forced offensive. They didn't even make it as far as they had three days prior before being driven back by the rapid fire of the percussion cap muskets from the hilltop.

That afternoon, in the Coalition headquarters, the Duke of York looked at his silent, dejected senior officers with a profound sense of helplessness.

He couldn't fathom how, despite having a massive numerical advantage, every attempt to break the French lines resulted not in a breakthrough, but in his own forces being routed piece by piece.

He let out a long sigh, muttered that they would attack again in three days, and left the tent with a heavy frown.

While the Coalition forces found themselves stymied by Joseph’s reverse slope and thin white line tactics, Major General Gaillard was directing the Walloon Defense Force in wave after wave of assaults on Brussels.

The Walloon soldiers were fighting as if they had been injected with adrenaline, charging the Dutch lines with bloodshot eyes.

After all, they were fighting for their own territory now!

Once Brussels was taken, the economy of the entire Walloon region would see a massive boost.

Furthermore, nearly every person in the Southern Netherlands dreamed of settling in Brussels. Joseph had also promised the soldiers that anyone who distinguished themselves in battle would be rewarded with a piece of urban real estate in the city.

How could the Walloon soldiers not fight like madmen for such a prize?

In contrast, the Dutch defenders looked listless and demoralized.

Brussels was Austrian territory. Why should a group of Dutchmen risk their lives for it?

Moreover, the Flemish residents inside the city were becoming increasingly restless.

A month and a half ago, William Weigel van Thien had already begun secretly gathering politically influential Flemish representatives to push for an independence movement to break away from Austria.

These people controlled almost every aspect of life in Brussels. Through their efforts, the Dutch defenders found their weapons stolen, their supplies delayed, and even fires breaking out mysteriously in their barracks.

This only caused the Dutch soldiers' morale to plummet further.

Had it not been for Davidovich holding the line through his personal prestige, the Dutch troops would have opened the gates and surrendered long ago.

But soon, news of the Coalition’s "defeat" at Mechelen reached the city.

Strictly speaking, the Duke of York hadn't been defeated; he was merely in a disadvantageous stalemate.

However, after the Flemish independence organization edited the facts and published them in the newspapers, panic spread like wildfire among the Dutch soldiers.

Indeed, several of the largest newspapers in Brussels were owned by members of the independence movement.

Even Davidovich’s declaration of martial law across the city could not contain the unrest.

In the early morning three days later, while the Dutch soldiers were dozing off, a dozen Brussels citizens moved in secret to open the eastern gates. Gaillard immediately led his army into the city.

The fighting was essentially over by noon.

The Dutch army had no will to resist. Aside from Davidovich and his officers holding out near the eastern gate for a short while, the Walloon Defense Force seized control of the entire city with almost no combat.

...

East of Brussels.

In Leuven.

Scheyck looked at the several thousand soldiers behind him, his heart a mix of nerves and excitement.

He had never dared to imagine that the French Crown Prince would actually let him command the Flemish Legion in battle.

Oh, and the Crown Prince had even promoted him. He was now Brigadier General Scheyck.

Furthermore, His Highness had promised him that once the Flemish Republic was established, he would hold the position of Vice President or Speaker of the Parliament.

But then, his expression soured again.

He didn't actually know how to fight. His previous rank of Lieutenant Colonel had been bought with money.

How was he supposed to take Leuven now?

Even though there were only two thousand Austrian defenders in the city and he had brought four thousand men from the Flemish Defector Army, he didn't even know where to begin the assault.

Of course, Joseph didn't actually expect him to successfully conquer Leuven through military brilliance.

This was merely a blood pledge—a litmus test of his commitment.

Joseph needed a subservient political faction within the future Flemish Republic. Thien was clearly a man of strong convictions and would be difficult to control.

Scheyck, however, was a perfect candidate—greedy, unscrupulous, and lacking a solid power base. In the future, he would have no choice but to rely on Joseph.

As long as Scheyck led his troops into battle against the Austrians, regardless of the outcome, the enmity between the Flemish and the Austrians would be sealed.

With Thien agitating the public on the other side, Flemish independence would follow as a natural conclusion.