Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

When large formations engaged in combat, a continuous collapse at the frontline inevitably led to immense chaos.

Blucher personally commanded the third infantry line and committed all his reserves, yet he was still unable to restore order among the soldiers at the front.

Soon, a large number of Prussian rout soldiers, driven by the Guard Corps, turned around and surged toward their own last line of defense.

The Prussian cannons, which had originally occupied favorable firing positions, now faced a mix of French and Prussian soldiers and could not find a clear target to attack.

Instead, the Mounted Artillery of the Guard swiftly maneuvered to a higher position on the western side and began barraging the Prussian infantry lines from behind under the protection of the cavalry.

Watching the Prussian soldiers scurrying about like ants whose nest had been destroyed, and hearing the deafening sound of French artillery, Blucher knew the battle was no longer tenable.

He bent his riding crop with force, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, and said to the orderly officer with difficulty, "Order the Maximilian-led infantry line to hold the French here until five in the afternoon. The artillery battalion should stay back to assist in defense."

This infantry line was their only hope in holding back the French, and the artillery, being slow to move, was unlikely to retreat successfully. Therefore, he entrusted these tasks to the defensively skilled Lieutenant Colonel Maximilian, hoping to withdraw as many troops as possible.

As long as they could retreat to Liege, they could meet up with the South Netherlands Insurgent Army there, reorganize their forces, and then... hold out until reinforcements from Potsdam arrived.

Blucher knew that after this significant defeat, it would be difficult for the Prussian Army in the Southern Netherlands to directly challenge the French Army in the short term, but this was merely a surprise attack from the French, catching him off guard.

With a sufficient replenishment of forces and his full effort in commanding the battle, he was certain that he could defeat these damned French and wash away the disgrace of today!

He turned around and sighed, then made a final gesture to the orderly officer, "Everyone else must immediately retreat to Wincel Town. Additionally, inform Altermann and Dietlind to cancel their mission and head to Wincel Town at the fastest speed."

"Yes, General!"

1.5 kilometers to the southeast, on the high ground, Bertier received the report from the hussars and immediately turned to Joseph, "Your Highness, it seems the Prussians are about to run.

"If we commit our reserves to strengthen the frontal assault in combination with a cavalry flanking attack, there's a good chance we could break their defense line before they can exit the battlefield. That's their last line of defense."

In their current state of disarray, the Prussian Army would find it anything but easy to retreat. For starters, just to convey the retreat order to every junior officer would take at least 40 minutes. Then the officers would need to collect their units and form at least a basic formation before they could move towards Wincel; all this would take at least another hour and a half.

As for running without forming up? That wouldn't be a retreat; it would be a rout. Most soldiers would likely find a nearby village to hide in. If Blucher comes out with 1,000 men by the time he gets to Wincel Town, it would be because he was devout enough, and Jesus granted him special favor.

Joseph, however, just shook his head with a smile, "Oh no, by doing that, you might just capture Marquis Blucher." Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire

Bertier was about to say "that would be great," but he suddenly remembered the "leniency" His Highness had mentioned before. He paused, looking puzzled, and hesitantly asked, "You mean to let them go?"

"Exactly," Joseph replied with a smile, looking at the chief of staff, "As long as that Marquis does not stop his retreat, he will be the best friend of France."

Seeing the befuddled expression on Bertier's face, Joseph simply explained his Netherlands strategy, "We didn't come here to fight Austria's war for free."

He pointed towards the northwest, "Through this war, we will reclaim the Walloon Region."

Yes, "reclaim." Although France had only ruled over the Walloon Region for a few decades, from that time on, it would forever be French territory.

He continued, "However, if our troops rashly enter the Southern Netherlands, it will inevitably provoke strong opposition from Austria.

"Then we would need a sufficient reason, such as Marquis Blucher's army wreaking havoc in the Southern Netherlands..."

After he briefly finished outlining the plan for the Southern Netherlands, Bertier was brimming with admiration, nodding subconsciously, "You are truly the most outstanding strategist, Your Highness. With this, Emperor Joseph II will certainly be very grateful to France..."

"Indeed," Joseph approached the map, "Now, you must deploy the final battles.

"The remnants of the Prussian Army that are left behind must be eliminated as much as possible, while also minimizing our casualties."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Bertier immediately got into action, issuing a series of orders swiftly based on the situation on the battlefield.

...

Blucher looked back at his disheartened soldiers and let out a long sigh of relief.

The French Army had just temporarily halted their frontal assault, allowing him to gather his scattered troops with composure, ultimately retreating with nearly 7000 men.

He had now withdrawn to a place less than 4 kilometers from Wincel Town, and if Colonel Altermann and Dietlind's two corps could successfully return, he would still have an army of 14,000, still capable of fighting the French.

"Those pampered French people," he sneered, "Most likely, the previous battle has worn them out, so they stopped to drink their fill of wine before continuing to fight.

"Because of this, they will never be able to defeat the immensely determined Prussians..."

As he was muttering under his breath, a staff officer hastened on horseback to report the reconnaissance results of the Hussars, "General, it seems the French want to bypass Lieutenant Colonel Maximilian. They are dividing their forces between Russembourg Village and Volières Village to the west, but have left their cavalry in place."

"Detour?" Blucher scoffed, "Going through those two villages will take them an extra mile..."

As he spoke, he suddenly realized something and his brow furrowed. The French weren't trying to pursue him but to encircle Maximilian!

He sighed in resignation, knowing that Maximilian was intended as a sacrifice anyway. As long as Altermann and Dietlind's corps returned successfully, the loss would still be within acceptable limits...

However, just as his thoughts were whirling, another messenger arrived, urgently reporting, "General, Colonel Altermann has been held up by Leao's Austrian Army. The situation is dire, and he is requesting your support!"

"What? You mean Leao's army?!"

On the battlefield 10 kilometers to the east, Lefevre was commanding a thin line of infantry to fiercely strike the flank of the Prussian Army while Leao's soldiers, inspired by the Guard Corps, had finally found some momentum and were exchanging fire with the Bachhaus Corps.