Chapter 845: 753: Superior Military Force

Chapter 845: Chapter 753: Superior Military Force

Gaillard, even now, felt like he was dreaming.

Just moments ago, he had made up his mind to surrender, but the French Army seemed to descend from the heavens, appearing right before him.

And it wasn’t just a small group of cavalry coming to rescue him, but a full-fledged main force—with infantry, artillery, and a large number of soldiers!

Soon, the officers realized the situation as well. They embraced each other in excitement, erupting into cheers, “It’s the French! We’re saved!”

“They’ve come so quickly.”

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Long live His Majesty! Long live France! Teach those damned Austrians a lesson!”

Not long after, a unit of French cavalry confirmed the identity of the police force, and then a French officer, surrounded by hundreds of officers, approached Gaillard and tipped his hat. “You must be Chief Superintendent Gaillard?”

“I am.” Gaillard responded emotionally, offering a salute. “Your timely arrival saved us. Thank you, great warriors of France!”

“You’ve proven yourselves with your outstanding performance as well,” the officer gestured behind him. “The Crown Prince requests your audience.”

“The Crown Prince is here too?!”

“Indeed, His Highness is always with his army.”

South of Wavre.

Under a large elm tree, Joseph gazed at the map on the wooden rack and said to Lefevre, “Let Major Davout’s battalion bypass the Walloon police and continue advancing eastward. We’re short on cavalry, so he must try his best to prevent the Austrian Army from retreating back to Wavre…”

As he spoke, Kesode approached, bowing slightly. “Your Highness, Chief Superintendent Gaillard is here.”

Gaillard stared at the young Crown Prince in astonishment, quickly stepping forward to bow respectfully. “It’s an incredible honor to meet you here! You’ve saved us…”

Joseph nodded and returned the greeting, turning the map toward him. “Mr. Gaillard, please tell me about the Austrian Army’s movements.”

“Ah?” Gaillard hadn’t expected the Crown Prince of France to inquire about military affairs and froze for a moment before hurriedly stepping up to the map. “Of course, Your Highness.

“The enemy commander is Count Radetsky. His force consists of at least 10,000 men, possibly more. You know, our mounted police have been driven away by their hussars, making it very difficult to obtain detailed intelligence.”

He pointed at the map north of Wavre. “Their main force should still be north of the city. This morning, around two or three battalions attacked Wavre.

“I left Leipelt in the city to continue the fight, but he only has 600 men and might already…”

Joseph patted him comfortingly and asked, “Are there enemy forces on the east or west sides of Wavre?”

“At least we haven’t been attacked from those directions, Your Highness.”

Joseph nodded and turned to Lefevre. “Their numbers are limited. We should seize the opportunity before they fully control Wavre and launch an immediate assault to reclaim the city.”

“Indeed, Your Highness, I agree.”

“You will personally command the frontal assault,” Joseph instructed. “Deploy the Second Scattered Troops Battalion quickly to the west side of the city for a surprise attack from there.”

Lefevre nodded and added, “The cavalry squadron will circle to the north to disrupt their main force’s reinforcements into the city.”

“Excellent, let’s proceed with that.”

Lefevre saluted the Crown Prince, mounted his horse, and signaled to several officers to follow him to the frontlines.

Gaillard stepped forward and said to Lefevre, “General, would you like us—the Walloon police—to assist you? We still have nearly 3,000 men ready to fight.”

The latter bent low and clapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you for the offer. But my troops are sufficient to defeat the enemy. You’ve been fighting for several days now; it’s time for you to rest.”

Gaillard hesitated and asked, “How many soldiers did you bring? Surely you have tens of thousands, right?”

Lefevre chuckled. “Around four battalions have reached Wavre.”

The old troops of the Rettel Corps move relatively slowly, and the Royal First Infantry Division departed from Artuwa, so they won’t arrive until tomorrow or the day after.

Gaillard was instantly alarmed. “General, but the Austrian Army has over 10,000 men…”

Four battalions amount to only about 6,000 soldiers, yet they intended to launch an offensive against the Austrian Army!

Lefevre squeezed his horse’s flank with his legs, his expression brimming with confidence. “Don’t worry. Tonight, your men will surely be sleeping in Wavre.”

Gaillard watched him gallop away in stunned silence, then turned to try and persuade the Crown Prince of France. “Your Highness, isn’t this a bit risky?”

Joseph smiled. “In fact, three battalions would suffice to reclaim Wavre. But General Lefevre is somewhat cautious in his approach.”

This wasn’t arrogance on his part.

The troops arriving at Wavre now consisted of elite units under direct command.

The opposing forces, on the other hand, comprised Austrian Army regiments recruited in the Flemish Region or military units from the Netherlands. These Dutch-speaking soldiers had relatively poor combat performance even among the Austrians.

Back when he led forces in the Brabant uprising war, he had gained in-depth familiarity with these armies.

A force of 5,000 newly-formed French units was more than enough to deal with them.

Furthermore, Count Radetsky’s troops were split between inside and outside the city, giving Lefevre an excellent opportunity for piecemeal tactics.

South of Wavre.

Davout was directing his soldiers to encircle an Austrian infantry battalion of about 500 men in the distance when a messenger delivered orders from General Lefevre to immediately launch an assault on Wavre City.

Davout was just about to abandon the encirclement and have his soldiers directly crush the Austrians before him but suddenly had a thought. He spoke to the messenger, “Have Meyer and Philippe’s companies maneuver to the south and drive these Austrians back into the city.

“But be careful not to hit them too hard—leave them a glimmer of hope.”

“Yes, Commander!”

In no more than 20 minutes, two companies under Davout had maneuvered in column formation to the southeast flank of the Austrian infantry battalion. They quickly unfolded into a line formation and began pressing northward.

The battalion under Davout was composed primarily of graduates from the second class of the Paris Police Academy—formerly part of the Royal First Guard Corps. Whether in training, morale, or equipment, they completely outclassed the Austrian soldiers before them.

The 500 Austrian soldiers, under the intense and relentless firepower, could only retreat northward. Yet the French Army maintained a careful distance, ensuring they didn’t completely collapse.

About half an hour later, the Austrian infantry battalion was pushed back to the gates of Wavre City.

Wavre’s defenses were extremely rudimentary, with only a stone wall that barely reached two men in height.

Under pressure from the opposing troops’ gunfire, the Austrian soldiers began shouting to open the gates and let them into the city. Many others simply started scaling the walls—climbing was easy enough with someone else’s shoulders to step on.

Meanwhile, the Austrian soldiers inside the city, shooting from behind parapets, were immediately thrown into disarray by the commotion, causing the gunfire to drastically subside.

At that moment, urgent drumbeats sounded from Davout’s regiment, and five column formations of 100 men each surged forward in a rapid charge.