I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 328: Miscalculation

Blücher kicked over an intricately carved Italian-style chair and grabbed the messenger by the collar, shouting, "What on earth happened? How many French troops are there?"

"T-Ten thousand or more..." The messenger stammered, trembling with fear. "Their infantry line broke through the Netherlands' defense with just one attack."

"Ten thousand?" Blücher released his grip on the messenger, but continued shaking his head in disbelief. Even if they had underestimated the enemy's numbers, with 5,000 Netherlands troops plus the cavalry and artillery he had sent, nearly 7,000 men were holding that pass. With the defensive positions they had prepared, they should have been able to hold off 10,000 French soldiers for an entire day. But now, they had lasted barely an hour!

Could the Duke of Brunswick have been wrong in his assessment of the South Netherlands forces? Were they actually nothing but worthless rabble...?

No, that couldn't be it. Blücher shook his head again. The same troops had fought fiercely against an Austrian force much larger than their own, showing a level of morale that even exceeded that of Prussian infantry.

"General," one of his aides interrupted his thoughts urgently, "what should we do now?"

Blücher snapped back to reality. This was no time to ponder the fighting capabilities of the South Netherlands forces. His army had been split in two by the French, and if he didn't act quickly, they could face complete annihilation.

He forced himself to remain calm, quickly moving to the map. After a moment of thought, he pointed to a marked location on the eastern side—where the remnants of the Austrian forces were positioned. He turned to the messenger and said, "Order the Backhaus and Altermann regiments to leave 1,000 men to keep an eye on Reo. The rest are to retreat immediately."

"Dettling's regiment must reach this position by 2 p.m.!" He pointed emphatically at a spot to the southeast on the map. After the French broke through the South Netherlands' defense line, that area had become their rear.

Blücher took a deep breath before continuing, "Maximilian will delay the French with two regiments here. The artillery and the remaining infantry will move north to establish a defensive line at Winseler."

"We still have the advantage in numbers. As long as we proceed cautiously, we can push the French back in a frontal battle!"

Even after losing Witt's South Netherlands forces and part of his cavalry, Blücher still had 16,000 men under his command. If he could link up with the Prussian forces stationed around Winseler, his army would number nearly 20,000.

Blücher's plan was to pull back his main forces, ordering the regiments moving east and west to converge inward, creating a pincer movement. With his numerical superiority, he could turn the tide of the battle.

"Yes, General!" The messenger quickly exited the tent to relay Blücher's orders to the entire army.

…

Several kilometers to the northeast, on a sloping hill, Reo, pale-faced, watched as more and more Prussian troops gathered. His voice trembled as he spoke to Lefebvre beside him, "Major, there must be six or seven thousand enemies over there, and they have artillery... The Prince's forces haven't arrived yet. Shouldn't we consider retreating north?"

Lefebvre looked just as serious—he only had about 2,000 men, and Reo's Austrian troops were of little use. Facing more than 6,000 Prussian soldiers with artillery would be a daunting task. But Lefebvre firmly shook his head. "No, the Prince will arrive to reinforce us by noon."

He then smiled reassuringly. "Even if the Prince doesn't come, I won't retreat. Retreat is not an honor for a soldier."

As he prepared to have his cavalry launch a surprise attack on the Prussian artillery while they were still forming up, he noticed a sudden commotion in the enemy lines.

He quickly raised his telescope and saw several Prussian messengers on horseback moving through the ranks, clearly delivering important orders.

Soon after, a hussar galloped up to him, whipping his horse as he shouted, "Major, the Prussian rear is turning—they seem to be retreating."

Lefebvre's eyes lit up, and he slapped Reo on the shoulder with a laugh. "See, I told you the Prince would help us!"

Reo, whose rank was three levels higher than Lefebvre's, didn't mind at all. He smiled and nodded. "Yes, you were right. We're safe now. Oh, thank God! Praise the brave Prince!"

"Now I can go back to my tent for some coffee to calm my nerves."

"Wait!" Lefebvre grabbed him and raised his telescope again. "If the Prussians are retreating because of the Prince's attack, we can't let them get away so easily."

Reo was taken aback. "W-What do you plan to do?"

Lefebvre grinned. "We're going on the offensive!"

"No, no! You must be joking..."

But Lefebvre was dead serious. Within half an hour, his regiment and two accompanying cavalry companies launched a fierce assault on the Prussians, dragging the Austrian forces along with them.

Lefebvre knew the Prussians' primary target was Reo, so by keeping the Austrians close, he ensured the Prussians would focus more of their fire on them.

Prussian commander Altermann was caught completely off guard. He had never imagined that the outnumbered Austrians would dare to attack.

However, Blücher had ordered him to retreat immediately. With all but 1,000 men already on the move, he could only grit his teeth and hasten their withdrawal. Blücher's orders were paramount.

But before his main force could get a kilometer away, the sound of hoofbeats echoed behind him—Lefebvre, confident in his ability to defeat even an equal number of Prussians, had almost effortlessly crushed the rearguard and was now hot on Altermann's heels.

Murat, scanning the winding Prussian column in the distance, felt a surge of excitement and anticipation. The Imperial Guard had been on the defensive all day, giving him no chance to earn any glory. But now, he finally had an opportunity to prove his boasts—against these disorganized infantrymen, killing ten of them wasn't out of the question.

At the command of the cavalry company leader, Murat urged his horse into a trot, then raised his saber as they clashed with the hastily assembled Prussian cavalry.

…

Blücher's guards had just finished loading his luxurious furniture onto the wagons and were about to move out when two hussars raced past them at breakneck speed, frantically shouting to Blücher just ahead, "General, there's a large force of French troops behind us!"

(End of Chapter)

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