Novels online

Chapter 841: The Attraction of the Crown Prince

"Hmm?" The Duke of Brunswick glanced indifferently at the staff officer. "Do go on."

Scharnhorst spoke quickly. "Marshal, our forces have not intensified their offensive over the past few days, yet the French have suddenly collapsed. I fear this might be a trap..."

The Duke of Brunswick snorted. "You are being far too cautious. It is quite common for a defending force to shatter once casualties reach a certain threshold."

He gestured toward the vast, open expanse in the distance. "Not even a flea could hide in this terrain. What sort of tricks could the French possibly play?"

Scharnhorst persisted. "Perhaps we should decelerate the offensive and strengthen our flank protection..."

The Duke of Brunswick interrupted him rudely. "My suggestion is that you need to find more courage."

The staff officer followed him for a few more steps. "Marshal, at the very least, we should increase the frequency and range of our scouting..."

"Hmph, do as you like."

Scharnhorst looked at the old Marshal's departing back and sighed. He then attempted to persuade other high-ranking officers.

It must be said that the insight of this chief of staff—the man who would later lead the restoration and reform of the Prussian military—was remarkably sharp. He had proposed the very advice that could have saved the Coalition Forces.

West of Bourscheid Town.

The French temporary command post.

Masséna looked at his adjutant and frowned. "You're saying the enemy's offensive is starting to wane?"

"Yes, Commander," the adjutant replied, looking at the battle reports. "Furthermore, the enemy's right wing is drawing in its formation, seemingly preparing for a counterattack."

Saint-Hilaire added, "More than that, the Prussian Hussars circled around to the east of Wiltz for reconnaissance at noon today."

Masséna mused, "Could Ferdinand have seen through our plan?"

Saint-Hilaire shook his head after a moment's thought. "I believe the enemy is merely worried about falling into an ambush."

Masséna's expression grew solemn. "But if their advance slows down, we might not be able to lure them far enough..."

The group was so engrossed in their discussion that they didn't notice they had walked right up to the Crown Prince's carriage. They had come to escort him to Wiltz, as the front lines were currently too dangerous with the two armies intertwined.

Joseph overheard Masséna mention that things might be troublesome and asked, "Is there a problem on the battlefield?"

Masséna and the others turned and saw the Crown Prince. They quickly bowed in greeting.

Saint-Hilaire explained the enemy's unusual movements and then said, "Your Highness, we must launch our counterattack before the Duke of York's legion breaks through the northern defense line. However, if the enemy's main force has not reached the west of Wiltz by then, they will be able to retreat from Luxembourg quite easily when we strike."

"It seems the Prussians are very cautious indeed."

Joseph frowned slightly. If things continued this way, a grand victory might turn into a minor success.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck him. He looked at Masséna with a smile. "In that case, we need to give the Duke of Brunswick a bit more motivation."

"Motivation? What do you mean?"

Joseph pointed to himself. "What do you think would happen if the Duke of Brunswick knew the Crown Prince of France was right here in Bourscheid? Would he become reckless?"

"No, that's far too dangerous!" Masséna and Saint-Hilaire exclaimed in unison, looking horrified.

Joseph waved his hand dismissively. "The Prussians don't have the ability to harm me."

In truth, his confidence lay in the new French army. If the Royal First, Second, and Fourth Infantry Divisions along with the Horse Artillery Battalion couldn't protect him, there was no point in trying to dominate Europe anyway.

Masséna continued to plead with a long face, but he saw that the Crown Prince had already mounted his horse and was galloping toward the southeast.

On the other side, the Duke of Brunswick was questioning Tauentzien and Blücher about the previous day's fighting. The latter two had accepted Scharnhorst's suggestion and had been as vigilant as possible within their authority, which had caused the offensive to slow.

Just then, a Hussar officer with a flushed face came riding up in a hurry. He shouted to the Duke of Brunswick, "Marshal! We've spotted the French Crown Prince on the front lines!"

"What?" The Duke stood up abruptly. "Are you certain it's him?"

"Yes, Marshal! Colonel Ziegler and his men have seen him before. They all saw him with their own eyes."

Colonel Ziegler and the others were Bavarian officers who had attended operational meetings with Joseph in the Southern Netherlands when they were allies. They were very familiar with him.

Blücher was overjoyed. "He must have come to the front to boost morale and stabilize their defense!"

The Duke of Brunswick excitedly waved his cane. He ordered the Hussars to continue scouting and then turned to his map, barking out commands. "Have the two Bavarian infantry brigades cut off the French retreat from Bavigne!"

"General Blücher, you will personally command the frontal assault. You must break through the Bourscheid defensive line by three o'clock this afternoon!"

"Leave two regiments to surround Kautenbach. General Tauentzien, lead the right-wing army and attack Wiltz directly."

"The Austrian corps will serve as the reserve..."

If they could successfully capture the French Crown Prince, it would provide the Coalition with a strategic trump card and deal a crushing blow to French morale. It was even possible the French royal family would sue for peace immediately to save their heir.

Scharnhorst watched the high-spirited Marshal from the side. Although he felt something was off, it was impossible for him to pour cold water on the situation now.

An hour later, as the Duke of Brunswick's orders were disseminated, the Coalition Forces moved out almost in their entirety, throwing themselves frantically at the French positions.

Two days later.

Arlange, a border town on the western side of Luxembourg.

This place was now less than seven kilometers from Bastogne in the Southern Netherlands.

Joseph looked at the map, which was covered in red crosses, a smile spreading across his face.

The red crosses marked the current locations of the various Coalition corps. The unit pushing the hardest was near Arlange, while their rear guard had already moved west of Wiltz.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly; his attraction was certainly potent.

Less than an hour after he had shown his face on the front lines that day, the Coalition had launched a frantic, all-out offensive. They were attacking from multiple directions, clearly intent on cutting off every possible escape route.

Joseph estimated that if he risked showing himself to the Duke of Brunswick one more time, the man might actually chase him across the Our River into the Southern Netherlands.

But it was understandable. Even if other nations sent royals to the battlefield, they were usually just younger sons or princes. A Crown Prince appearing on the front lines was unheard of.

Of course, leading the enemy deep had been fraught with danger. At one point, Prussian Hussars had been within 1.5 kilometers of him. Fortunately, the Royal Hussar Battalion had arrived in time to drive the enemy off.

Joseph folded the map with a relaxed expression. Now that the Coalition had pursued them so deep into his territory, there was no chance of them escaping back to Trier once Masséna launched the counterattack.

And it had been less than four days since he and Masséna had formulated the plan to lure the enemy in.

The Coalition had pursued them here almost without pause.