Descending On France 1780
Chapter 279: I’m confused!

It was somewhat like MI6’s recruitment process, where newcomers would first watch Sir Camming perform a daunting sawing-of-the-thigh act to test their mettle.

The French Army’s staff officers, however, had to endure the profound mental shock of seeing their Chief of Staff dressed as a maid.

Anning added another layer to the scenario: "As staff officers, one must remain calm amidst chaos, as unflustered as if Mount Tai were crumbling before them. To be so perturbed by the sight of the Chief of Staff in a maid outfit, how could one serve well as a staff officer to me, Andy Frost?"

Bertier nervously asked, "This won’t become a regular test for staff officers in the future, will it?"

Anning reassured, "Don’t worry, this time it’s really just a punishment for your mistake."

From now on, his officers could expect to undergo such treatment for errors not grave enough to warrant execution by firing squad.

Bertier began assigning tasks to the staff officers, and as they got down to work, he gradually forgot about his maid attire, immersing himself completely in his duties.

But the staff officers suffered greatly; it took all their effort to maintain composure.

Anning pretended not to notice their expressions and continued discussing military matters with Bertier.

Moura’s cavalry was spread out in search of the enemy’s cavalry, while Anning’s infantry hastily made their way towards the nearest coalition forces.

Anning’s first target was the coalition’s Fourth Army, 35 li from Babi Village.

The French Army troops set off with great momentum.

**

Thus far, the coalition’s Fourth Army’s main task had been to provide flank protection.

Initially, this was an exceedingly leisurely duty, at least until the French Army got on the move and the decisive battle with the coalition commenced.

But now, with the French Army sprouting out of the ground like scallions, the Fourth Army’s tranquility was disrupted.

Then one day, the Fourth Army received orders to proceed to Babi Village along with the forces of Major General Bureski, who had been preparing to reinforce the village.

Consequently, on the morning of that day, the Fourth Army began dismantling their camp.

By noon, the Fourth Army’s reconnaissance cavalry encountered the French cavalry and were driven back; Brigadier General Krug didn’t take it seriously, as encounters with scattered French cavalry had become commonplace.

At three o’clock in the afternoon, a group of French soldiers appeared near the Fourth Army’s position. They charged recklessly toward the camp, just like the previous French forces the Fourth Army had encountered.

As a result, Brigadier General Krug personally commanded the artillery, dissolving the attack with three rolling shots.

Yes, just three rounds.

Brigadier General Kroger remarked, "Really, these Frenchmen, to let us win without any honor at all! Someone, shout to our soldiers to taunt the retreating French, tell them to go back and refine their art of warfare, to return only once they have practiced..."

"General!" the staff officer exclaimed loudly, "Look!"

The brigadier general followed the direction the staff officer was pointing to only to see another French contingent cresting the hill!

The previously routed French forces saw the new military flag and turned around to rejoin the fray!

This new batch of French soldiers, also in a marching column, charged toward the Fourth Army’s position!

Kroger ordered, "Artillery! Aim! Continue with solid bullets!"

The artillerymen promptly loaded their guns, and Kroger, with a grand gesture, commanded, "Fire!"

The ten cannons assigned to the Fourth Army fired simultaneously, and the smoke from the bombardment formed a smoky wall in front of their position.

However, this time, the ten cannonballs missed the advancing French column, merely scything through the scattered formation of French soldiers, killing less than ten.

The French continued their advance toward the Fourth Army’s position!

As Kroger was about to issue another order, his staff officer shouted ahead of him, "General, look!"

The third brigade of French forces had crested over the hill.

They too, in a marching column, were charging towards the Fourth Army with menacing intent.

It was quickly followed by the fourth brigade!

Kroger sensed the trouble and said to his staff hurriedly, "Pull out all the troops!"

At this point, only four brigades of the Fourth Army were prepared for combat, forming into lines, while the remaining troops were still breaking camp, having received the latest order to head for Babi Village.

Dismantling a camp was a complex task; tents had to be taken down and packed into supply wagons.

In those times, moving armies was incredibly cumbersome, taking a whole day just to strike camps.

To speed up the process, they could only burn the tents.

But the burned tents would occupy transportation resources for resupply, so unless it was an extremely urgent situation, the troops would not easily give up their tents.

Kroger: "Quick! Call back the troops disassembling the tents!"

As soon as he finished speaking, more French troops appeared over the hilltop.

All the French soldiers charged forward like they’d been injected with chicken blood as soon as they saw the Prussian army, without any formation whatsoever.

If Kroger hadn’t deployed four brigades this morning to prepare for the intermittent French attacks these past few days, he would have been caught completely off guard!

Kroger’s troops opened fire, and the first volley of flintlock guns inflicted considerable casualties on the foremost French troops, causing many of them to hesitate.

But just as they turned to run, seeing their compatriots lined up and charging forward en masse behind them, they regained their courage and turned around to rush the Prussians again.

On the Prussian side, since they had just fired in unison, everyone was reloading, and for a moment there was a lapse in the volley of gunfire.

The French took advantage of this gap and charged forward with loud yells.

However, by the time the French reached them, the Prussian troops had finally finished reloading.

The second volley of gunfire caused even greater casualties among the French compared to before, so the skirmishers and irregulars on both flanks of the attacking columns started to turn and run.

However, something unexpected occurred with the French columns.

Because they were in columns.

The ones in front fell, and the ones behind had no clue.

Forget about the ones in the back not knowing, starting from the fourth rank, there was no sense of the threat of death, and the people in the back, not feeling the threat of death, carried forward those in front who were shocked by the death of their comrades, charging onward like this!

The attacking columns of the French army, with a ’Duang’, collided with the Prussian horizontal lines.

And then, because their columns were thick and the horizontal lines thin, a local superiority of forces was formed, and the Prussian horizontal lines were directly dispersed.

The dispersing skirmishers and raiders, seeing this turn of events, immediately stopped their retreat and, turning around with loud yells, charged once more.

The attacking columns of the French army, like warships with battering rams, smashed one after another into the defensive horizontal formations of the Prussian army.

The Prussian army, having prepared four brigades, was now hit by four damn French brigades.

Moreover, the French brigades were larger, with more soldiers than the Prussian brigades to begin with.

Although I have no military training whatsoever, not even adept at loading flintlock guns nor capable of following drill, I have more people!

My morale is high!

Bayoneting doesn’t require training; just stab them, and it’s done!

Krug was shouting madly, having stabilized his troops with great difficulty when suddenly new French forces appeared over the mountain in his sight.

From afar, French troops kept coming over the mountain, then lined up in columns for an assault!

The Prussian army was thrown into chaos, barely maintained by routine training and a large number of officers.

The Prussian officer corps played its proper role!

But it was at this time that Frost’s military flag appeared on the hilltop.

The first Prussian soldier who saw the flag cried out in alarm: "It’s Frost! The Roman legions are coming!"

Krug: "There’s no Roman legion! Use your heads, how could there really be a Roman legion?"

Just as he spoke, the chief of staff cried out in alarm: "General, look behind us!!"

Krug turned his head to see a force of French cavalry appearing behind them.

**

"The Blacksmith" drew his horse sword: "Although I do not know what happened, we happened to arrive just in time! All form a wall formation!"

The cavalry quickly formed into a wall-like double row of horizontal lines.

The distance between two cavalrymen was so close that their knees touched.

Michel Ney: "Cavalry squad, advance!"

A brigade of cavalry swept across the land like a gust of wind.

The Prussian army collapsed.