Chapter 318: France Will Be the Key to the War
"You want me to provide reinforcements?!" French Commander Kellermann shouted at the officer who had come to request aid, pointing towards the distant sound of gunfire from the west. "There are over 7,000 enemies over there, which is the entire Prussian force at Liegnitz!"
"But, General..." The dust-covered messenger glanced nervously in that direction, then quickly explained, "General Wurmser is under heavy artillery fire. More than 20,000 Prussians suddenly appeared on the southern side of the fortress."
"I'm sorry, but I'm under attack as well. Please inform General Wurmser that I cannot help him."
The messenger urgently pleaded, "At least send some cavalry to support us..."
Kellermann responded firmly, "If my flanks aren't covered by cavalry, my men will be cut to pieces by the Prussian cavalry before we can retreat to Kriegnitz. Eckhart, have someone escort this officer back."
"Yes, General!"
Meanwhile, on the southern slope of Liegnitz fortress, nearly 60 cannons were firing relentlessly at the approaching Austrian troops from their well-prepared positions.
General Wurmser had never imagined that his surprise attack would be met with a counter-ambush by the Prussians.
Under the intense and concentrated artillery fire, his front lines were almost immediately shattered.
As he hesitated over whether to engage the Prussians in a direct battle, a large number of Prussian troops suddenly emerged from a low-lying area to the southwest, advancing in neat lines towards his position.
The unprepared Austrians fell into chaos, but luckily for them, the Prussians had positioned their troops within the low ground, giving Wurmser a temporary advantage in terrain.
Wurmser, a veteran of the Seven Years' War and the War of the Bavarian Succession, seized this opportunity and ordered his elite skirmisher units to counterattack the Prussian infantry from the high ground.
At the same time, he ordered General Nauendorf's cavalry to move north, threatening an all-out assault on the Prussian artillery positions.
Prussian commander General Dreyse soon received a scout report: around 1,500 Austrian cavalry were maneuvering toward the rear of the Prussian artillery on the slope, where the terrain was nearly level with the artillery positions. If the cavalry charged from there, the Prussian cannons would be in grave danger.
Dreyse frowned, weighing his options—Prince Heinrich had ordered him to hold Liegnitz at all costs, not to annihilate the Austrian forces.
He knew that the force he was facing was only the Austrian vanguard, and a larger Austrian army, possibly over 100,000 strong, could still be on its way.
If he lost the artillery, his 30,000 men wouldn't be able to hold Liegnitz.
After a moment, General Dreyse ordered, "Recall Jonas's cavalry. They must intercept the enemy cavalry at all costs."
"Yes, General."
With the orders given, on the rolling hills around Liegnitz, a green line of Prussian troops darted through the bushes toward the northwest, moving farther from the main Austrian force like assassins charging toward the enemy's heart.
Meanwhile, a light blue line of Austrian troops was circling from the southeast, avoiding the main Prussian force and rushing back toward the high ground near Liegnitz fortress.
Had Wurmser viewed the battlefield from above, he would have been terrified—if that Prussian cavalry unit had attacked during his retreat, his main force would have been cut in two, and none of them would have made it back to Bohemia.
Elsewhere, the elite Austrian skirmishers, using the tall grass as cover, spread out and charged toward the Prussian infantry lines in the low ground.
These skirmishers were highly experienced, firing in coordinated volleys from different positions to maximize their effectiveness. Many of them were hunters from the Austrian mountains, with deadly accuracy, and the advantage of shooting from a higher position allowed them to punch holes in the Prussian lines before the Prussians could even return fire.
However, in the era of flintlock rifles, it was unwise to charge a well-formed infantry line with fewer troops.
Soon, the Prussian infantry advanced into firing range, and after several volleys, a hail of bullets rained down on the Austrians' hiding places.
Cries of pain echoed through the tall grass on the slope, followed by bodies tumbling down the hill, leaving trails of blood on the green ground.
The Austrian skirmishers, numbering less than two regiments, fought and retreated, forcing the Prussian infantry to repeatedly halt, reform, and fire. On the one-kilometer-long slope, they held up nearly 10,000 Prussian troops for over an hour.
Meanwhile, the gap created by Nauendorf's cavalry allowed Wurmser to withdraw his main force from the Prussian artillery's range, and they began a coordinated retreat.
By dusk, Wurmser finally reached General Kellermann's French forces, stationed about 10 kilometers from Kriegnitz, on the Austrian border.
Only when they entered the fortified French camp did Wurmser feel somewhat relieved and immediately ordered his staff to assess the casualties.
A few hours later, a simple battle report was placed in Wurmser's hands. The report showed that about 16,000 Austrian soldiers and 9,000 French soldiers had successfully retreated. As for the Bavarian forces on the western side, they had not engaged in any fighting and had safely returned with their 5,000 Austrian allies.
The main force was intact, and Wurmser breathed a sigh of relief. However, his two elite skirmisher regiments had been nearly wiped out, and the cavalry had lost nearly four squadrons, with General Nauendorf himself wounded.
Although the Austrian losses were not extensive, the impact on their combat effectiveness was significant.
The next day at noon, when Austrian commander-in-chief Field Marshal Lacy arrived at the Liegnitz border with the main force, he encountered Wurmser's retreating troops.
Upon learning of the previous day's defeat, Lacy's face turned ashen.
According to his original plan, they were supposed to take Liegnitz by surprise within a day or two and then march on the Silesian capital, Breslau.
However, the situation Wurmser had encountered indicated that the Prussians were clearly prepared.
It seemed Lacy would be facing a much tougher battle than anticipated...
…
When news of the defeat at Liegnitz reached Vienna, the entire city was thrown into turmoil.
Countless Austrians were instantly reminded of the painful memories of their three previous defeats in the Silesian Wars—losses that had cost Austria the entire prosperous region of Silesia and plunged the empire into a prolonged struggle with Prussia for dominance over the German lands.
Coupled with the discontent sparked by Emperor Joseph II's reforms, the streets of Vienna were soon flooded with nobles and citizens, leading to large-scale protests.
Four to five thousand people marched towards Schönbrunn Palace, chanting slogans:
"Holding Field Marshal Lacy accountable is a must!"
"Reinforce Silesia! We cannot endure another defeat!"
"Replace the incompetent Lacy with Field Marshal Laudon!"
"Yes, only Field Marshal Laudon can defeat the Prussians!"
Amidst the protests, many voices of discontent with the imperial family could also be heard—they blamed this defeat on Joseph II's reforms, arguing that the reforms had undermined the army's morale and criticizing the emperor for launching the war against Prussia without sufficient preparation.
At Schönbrunn Palace, although the protesters were kept outside the palace grounds by the guards, Emperor Joseph II could still hear the faint sounds of the commotion from his window.
After a bout of coughing, the Holy Roman Emperor looked at Leopold II and State Chancellor Kaunitz, who stood solemnly by his bedside. "There's no need to disperse the protesters. Didn't you hear them calling for reinforcements in Silesia? This could be an opportunity to unite the Austrians."
Kaunitz cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, do you think we should give Field Marshal Lacy some sort of... reminder?"
By "reminder," he meant a reprimand.
As an Irish-born general with ties to Saint Petersburg, Lacy often found himself at odds with the pro-French Kaunitz.
Joseph II waved his hand weakly. "Prepare a commendation for Field Marshal Lacy on my behalf, praising him for using his experience to prevent even greater losses for our army. At the same time, reprimand General Wurmser for his poor command, which led to the defeat at Liegnitz."
Despite his illness, Joseph's mind was still clear. He knew that it was essential to fully support the army's commander at this critical moment. If the military leadership wavered, the war would be lost before it even began.
Leopold II added, "Your Majesty, it seems the Prussians were prepared for us. Perhaps we could placate the Hungarians; we could raise an army of fifty to sixty thousand from there."
Under Austrian rule, Hungary enjoyed considerable autonomy, especially its powerful noble class, which often opposed Vienna's policies.
Joseph II's reforms had significantly curtailed the rights of the Hungarian nobility, as the emperor aimed to weaken their power. As a result, Hungary had taken a passive stance toward the Silesian conflict, contributing almost no troops.
However, Austria could not fully mobilize its resources without Hungary's participation.
Joseph II weakly waved his hand again. "Nothing short of reversing the reforms will satisfy them. Send Baron Thugut to Paris and have our sister request more troops from France. We can offer them territorial concessions in Italy..."
He had barely finished speaking when the protest outside suddenly erupted into a thunderous roar, as if boiling water had been splashed into hot oil.
Joseph II frowned and looked at Kaunitz. "What's happening now?"
Kaunitz quickly excused himself and left the emperor's bedroom. Ten minutes later, he returned with a grim expression and bowed. "Your Majesty, news has just arrived from the Southern Netherlands. Blücher has led an attack on Luxembourg. General Réal, with insufficient troops, suffered a defeat three days ago. The western part of Luxembourg is now under Prussian control..."
Upon hearing this, Joseph II was seized by a violent coughing fit and then suddenly collapsed onto his bed.
Leopold II was alarmed and urgently called out to the physician waiting outside the room, "Dr. Richter, the emperor has fainted!"
After three rounds of bloodletting and administering an opiate-laced medication, the pale-faced Joseph II finally regained consciousness at dusk.
Too weak to sit up, the emperor summoned what little strength he had left and, with a trembling voice, ordered Leopold II, "Command Field Marshal Laudon to lead 20,000 soldiers to Luxembourg immediately."
Leopold II was shocked and quickly responded, "Your Majesty, if we divert troops now, we may not have enough forces in Silesia..."
Gasping for breath, Joseph II struggled to reply, "Field Marshal Lacy will find a way... We must hold onto the Southern Netherlands."
Austria had spent decades building its presence in the Southern Netherlands, and holding onto it seemed a more achievable goal than conquering Silesia. Joseph II also understood that losing the Southern Netherlands entirely would have a devastating effect on morale in Silesia.
After catching his breath, he added, "And seek help from France. Ask them to assist Field Marshal Laudon..."
This emperor, who had devoted his life to strengthening Austria, had embarked on this campaign with high hopes of reclaiming Silesia, only to be dealt a severe blow by Prussia's daring decision to leave heavy forces in the Southern Netherlands.
Seeing his brother so weak that he was on the verge of passing out again, Leopold II quickly bowed and left.
As he stepped out of the emperor's bedroom, he could still hear the protesters chanting outside. He frowned and ordered the captain of the guard, "Disperse them! The emperor needs rest."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Baron Thugut, the Austrian foreign minister, raced toward Paris with a letter bearing Joseph II's signature. However, he encountered the French Prince in Lorraine, who was inspecting the French troops preparing to march into Austria.
Of course, Joseph was waiting there specifically to meet the Austrian envoy.
Blücher was on the verge of capturing all of Luxembourg. If that happened, Austria would have no foothold left in the Low Countries. At that point, the emperor would have no choice but to turn to France for help.
In the camp of the French expeditionary force, Joseph looked at the anxious Baron Thugut. "You mean to say that His Majesty plans to divert troops from Silesia to reinforce Luxembourg?"
"Yes, Your Highness," the Austrian foreign minister replied, producing the letter from the Holy Roman Emperor. Although it was addressed to Queen Marie, there was no issue in showing it to the French Prince. "His Majesty hopes that France can send additional troops to aid Luxembourg and provide nearby logistical support."
Joseph took the letter but shook his head with a frown. "If you divert troops from Silesia now, Luxembourg will be in Prussian hands before they even arrive. You would also weaken your forces in both the Southern Netherlands and Silesia, leaving both fronts vulnerable."
Baron Thugut sighed. He had feared this would be the case—General Réal in Luxembourg had fewer than 2,000 men left and couldn't hold out for much longer.
Joseph's face showed genuine concern as he spoke with sincerity, "The only way to save Luxembourg now is a bold one."
Baron Thugut immediately looked up. "What do you suggest?"
"The two divisions of French troops meant for Silesia are currently in Verdun," Joseph explained. "If they march immediately, they can reach Luxembourg in three or four days and help repel Blücher's forces.
"Austria wouldn't need to divert troops from Silesia, and instead of being weak on both fronts, you'd be strong on both!"
(End of Chapter)
Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10