Descending On France 1780
Chapter 269 - 262 The Man of Destiny Napoleon

Chapter 269: 262 The Man of Destiny Napoleon

The Fortress Deputy Commander asked in surprise, "Everyone is going?"

"No, of course not. Since everyone has stepped forward, let’s leave some people to guard the city. The rest, follow me and charge!"

After saying this, Napoleon directly snatched the Military Flag from the flag bearer and carried it outside.

The troops were still stunned because generally an attack requires lining up first, sorting through various procedures, and then marching mechanically towards the enemy accompanied by music.

Napoleon had walked a few steps, turned back to see no one moving, and cursed, "What are you standing around for? The battlefield is just outside the city, just charge without fussing about anything. Drummers, drum as fast as you can! Follow me, open the city gates!"

After finishing, Napoleon turned and sprinted again, while the other soldiers were still confused, but the musicians had already acted on the command, beating very urgent drum rhythms.

The soldiers seemed to be activated and howled as they followed Napoleon.

Grand Duke Carl was an early riser, and it was for this reason that his troops managed to organize a battle line.

The appearance of this French Army outside the city was utterly unreasonable; usually, troops would need to change their formation and line up for an hour before launching an attack.

This group of French soldiers charged in marching columns as soon as they arrived.

The awakened coalition was immediately thrown into disarray.

Fortunately, as the initial French chargers were not many, the coalition managed to repel these Frenchmen.

But then more French soldiers emerged.

Then the French Commander slapped his head, "I reckon we should line up in rows for the attack," and then the French began an exasperating change of formation.

Grand Duke Carl watched the entire process of the French changing formation, his eyebrows twisting into knots.

Is that what you call changing formation?

Where is the formation?

It looked like the French troops, originally a group, just spread out into—became a blob.

Only that their width increased.

Then the French, with this utterly unorthodox formation, charged up haphazardly.

Moreover, they had no marching music, so their pace was not unified at all; they just swarmed forward.

Grand Duke Carl: "Damn, how can they be like a troupe that hasn’t undergone any training?"

Because they indeed hadn’t undergone training.

However, what Grand Duke Carl couldn’t comprehend most was, such a rabble was actually making the Prussian lines falter.

Hit by the surprise, the Prussians had no time to form lines, as many had already begun to flee under the sudden assault.

In contrast, the attacking mob was increasingly fierce, engaging in intense hand-to-hand combat with the Prussians.

This was the first time Grand Duke Carl personally experienced what kind of monster the current French Army was.

It completely contradicted all the military knowledge Carl had learned in the military academy.

However, thanks to the Prussian resistance, Grand Duke Carl’s own troops had enough time to prepare, having now dispatched sufficient forces behind the Prussian lines, ready to face the sudden appearance of the enemy.

Just then, Grand Duke Carl suddenly heard shouting from behind.

He turned around and saw a group of French soldiers emerging from the fortress!

The fortress gates were blocked by a standalone triangular block, invisible from the attackers’ side, so Grand Duke Carl only saw French soldiers spilling out from the hidden corner of the triangular block.

This group of French also had no formation, charging in columns.

Grand Duke Carl made a decisive decision: "Rear ranks, turn around! Face the enemy!"

A staff officer asked, "What about the baggage train behind?"

Carl: "Move it aside!"

"Report, General, it’s too late! The French are coming!"

Carl: "What do you mean they are coming, isn’t there still some distance?"

"I didn’t mean behind, I meant ahead!"

Carl then turned his head and saw a mass of the French Army rushing over, chasing the disbanding Prussian troops.

At this moment, the Austrian soldiers all showed fear on their faces.

Sometimes, the power of being caught between two fronts is not about the damage inflicted, but the immense psychological pressure it puts on those being encircled.

Often, the moment soldiers realize they are trapped, the effect of the encirclement has already set in.

Grand Duke Carl made a decisive decision, drew his sword and shouted loudly, "I am the third princely son of Habsburg, the brother of the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire! I stand with you all! Numbered units, turn back! Others, resist the enemy forces at front!"

Then Carl, with a forceful voice, called out a series of numbers, clearly having memorized which units were positioned where.

His words indeed had a stabilizing effect on the troops, as half of them turned to face the coming French Army from the fort.

Those facing the frontline engaged directly with the scattered French soldiers.

A fierce melee began!

Grand Duke Carl galloped on his horse along the road between the split forces, yelling as he went, "Hold steady! The enemy is just a ragtag bunch who can’t even hold formation! And open your eyes wide, we have the numerical advantage!"

After shouting to the melee combat side, Carl turned to those about to confront the coming French from the fortress, and cried out, "Rear guard, open fire at will, drive back the approaching French with fierce firepower! Cannons, turn around and greet them with grapeshot!"

To deal with the suddenly emerging French Army, Carl’s artillery had just managed to turn the cannons fixed in the bastion for besieging. Now, they were desperately trying to turn them back.

Grand Duke Carl: "Aim for the man carrying the flag! Fire! Fire quickly!"

**

Napoleon, carrying the Military Flag, charged like the wind.

People kept falling around him, but bullets seemed to swerve around him, never touching him.

As he charged, he thought, "Indeed, like Andy, I am blessed by the heavens! This must be Andy sharing his blessings with me! He is indeed meant to make history! He is indeed Caesar!"

Thinking this, Napoleon shouted loudly, "For France! For Caesar!"

The following soldiers didn’t find it odd to invoke Caesar; after all, some might not even know who Caesar was.

Even if they were shouting for Voltaire, they would probably follow suit.

Soldiers: "For France! For Caesar!"

The Austrians finally turned the cannons around and loaded grapeshot.

After the cannon fired, the people around Napoleon fell, but he was unscathed.

So he, holding the Military Flag, charged toward the Austrian artillery, kicking down a gunner who was cleaning the cannon barrel.

Then the French, howling, surged up and dispatched the gunners one by one with bayonets.

The French overwhelmed the Austrian artillery like a tide crashing onto a sandcastle.

As the French soldiers crossed the artillery position toward the enemy infantry, Napoleon stopped by the cannons.

He planted the Military Flag into the ground, and shouted, "Bring some men, turn this cannon around with me, load grapeshot!"

People ran over, clumsily turned the cannon around, and someone picked up the cleaning brush.

Napoleon pushed him aside, took the brush himself, cleaned the barrel, and then personally scooped gunpowder into it.

"Quick, grapeshot!" Napoleon yelled, "Bring it over!"

A basket of grapeshot was brought over.

Napoleon himself started stuffing steel balls into the barrel.

After loading, he saw an Austrian Military Flag on the ground, picked it up, and stuffed it in as well.

"Clear out, you fools! Do you want to be hit by a cannonball?" he roared at the French engaged in melee.

Thus, the French scrambled out of the way.

He grabbed a torch.

"This cannonball will send Holy Roman to hell!"

He lit the cannon.