I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 330: The Artillery Captain in Dire Straits

Earlier, all the French artillery fire had come from the western side of the battlefield, so the Prussian officers' attention was focused there. But now, suddenly, cannonballs flew in from the far right flank, catching both soldiers and officers completely off guard. Terrified, the Prussian soldiers halted, and with no officers to control them, the line quickly fell into disarray.

Because the five cannonballs had hit so accurately, they caused 28 casualties within the infantry line. An experienced Prussian veteran immediately shouted, "That must be the French artillery battalion; nothing else could be so precise!"

His words sparked even greater chaos until a hurriedly arriving officer whipped him to the ground, finally calming the nearby soldiers.

Meanwhile, Napoleon's company, mistakenly elevated by the Prussians to the rank of an artillery battalion, quickly reloaded and reset their positions with impressive speed.

Another volley of five cannon shots was almost simultaneously fired, with the cannonballs tracing low arcs and once again striking the Prussian infantry line with deadly precision.

This time, the Prussians had spread out slightly, reducing the casualties compared to the last volley.

Napoleon observed the results through his telescope and instructed the signal officer, "Adjust the azimuth one degree to the left."

"Yes, Captain!"

As the five cannons roared again, the cannonballs swept across the right side of the Prussian line, scattering limbs and leaving a trail of devastation.

Napoleon's company was highly trained—thanks to the resources Joseph had poured into providing extensive live-fire practice for the gunners, along with mandatory math tutoring. Those who excelled even earned extra pay. This intense preparation resulted in a high firing rate and remarkable accuracy. After seven consecutive volleys, a noticeable gap had formed on the right edge of the Prussian line.

Though the soldiers dared not abandon their posts under the officers' stern orders, some veterans who had fought in the Bavarian succession wars noticed the nearby cluster of small trees.

They immediately suggested to their officers, "Sir, if we move a bit toward those trees, the French artillery won't be able to see us!"

"Yes, sir, it won't take us out of line formation. Those cursed cannons are too accurate…"

The three captains in charge of the artillery-hit sections exchanged uneasy glances. Although they were shouting for their men to hold the line, they were just as anxious about being the next target.

Soon, they decided to have their troops shift slightly westward. This didn't violate their orders, as minor lateral movements to find better ground were common.

However, just as they began issuing these instructions, Napoleon's cannons fired again.

Hearing that their officers had ordered them to move toward the trees for cover, the soldiers eagerly complied, pressing themselves against the edge of the tree line.

At the same time, the Prussian cavalry finally located Napoleon's position and dispatched a squadron to attack. For dealing with a small-scale ambush like this, 150 cavalrymen were more than enough.

A French hussar quickly notified Napoleon of the Prussian cavalry's movements, urging him to retreat.

But as Napoleon observed the growing gap in the Prussian infantry line through his telescope, he resolutely ordered the signal officer, "Adjust the azimuth one degree more to the left and maintain rapid fire."

The artillerymen immediately continued loading their cannons, pouring round after round into the enemy's line despite the approaching Prussian cavalry.

On the Prussian right flank, the soldiers, though gritting their teeth, gradually edged closer to the tree line. The artillery hadn't caused many casualties, but the psychological impact was enormous. Unknowingly, the soldiers began to drift apart, and what was once a tight formation was now stretched thin, with gaps of 70 to 80 paces between groups.

Bertier, who had received the artillery battalion commander's report, watched with interest as Lieutenant Bonaparte skillfully utilized his chosen position. Then, he noticed the gaping hole in the Prussian line and suddenly realized the opportunity before them.

He turned and shouted to his signal officer, "Quick! Concentrate a battalion and attack the enemy's right flank! There's a gap there!"

"Yes, General!"

Ten minutes later, five infantry companies formed an assault column and, led by their captains, charged toward the Prussian right flank to the beat of rapid drums.

Meanwhile, Napoleon had already ordered his men to retreat from their temporary position. They waited until the pounding hooves of the Prussian cavalry nearly drowned out the sound of their cannons, firing one last shot before withdrawing.

As they had no infantry support, the artillerymen could only retreat when faced with cavalry.

Napoleon ordered the abandonment of the five cannons. He had seen the state of the enemy's line and knew that if the corps commander seized the opportunity, the loss of the cannons would be insignificant.

When the Prussian cavalry arrived at the deserted French artillery position, they left a few men to spike the guns while the rest spread out to search for the fleeing French artillerymen.

Hearing the approaching hoofbeats behind them and seeing their own lines too far ahead to reach, Napoleon knew escape was impossible. He called out to his men, "Everyone, stop! The Prussians have caught up!"

He raised his hand and shouted, "But they won't be facing helpless artillerymen; they'll be facing warriors ready to fight to the last drop of blood!

"Now, take up your percussion rifles. Those without weapons, stand in the rear and help pass ammunition and ramrods.

"Let's show the Prussian cavalry what we're made of!"

To be honest, the Imperial Guard artillerymen hadn't been very impressed with their Corsican captain and were somewhat resistant to him. It was only after seeing Napoleon's exceptional skill in calculating ballistics that they began to grudgingly accept him.

But today, this Corsican greenhorn had led them in a brilliant ambush, disrupting the Prussian formations. Now, seeing their captain's fearless and bold expression and hearing his rousing words, the men felt their blood boiling and shouted in agreement, "Yeah, let's take down a few Prussian cavalry!"

"Listen to the captain! Form up! Have you forgotten how to form a line?"

"Come on, get your rifles up! Don't forget to fix bayonets!"

"Glory awaits us!"

Soon, the fewer than 40 artillerymen had formed a straight line, nervously awaiting the Prussian cavalry's charge. It wasn't that they didn't want to form a hollow square, but there simply weren't enough rifles to go around.

Napoleon drew his sword, his expression solemn as he stood at the right end of the line, silently thinking, I wish I could visit my family's vineyard again, see my mother working under the grapevines…

(End of Chapter)

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