Wild North America 1846

Chapter 546 Frequent Faint Moves

Author: Portuguese toothless

on the battlefield

The setting sun was as desolate as residual blood. There were charred shell craters everywhere on the battlefield with a radius of more than ten kilometers. The corpses of French soldiers wearing red pants and attacking Prussian soldiers could be seen everywhere. A strong atmosphere of killing enveloped the area.

After half a day of fierce fighting

The Seventh Army led by French General Douai left behind more than 6,300 corpses and retreated in an orderly manner. Seeing that it was getting late, His Royal Highness Friedrich William, commander of the Prussian Third Army, had to order to stop the pursuit, clean the battlefield, and end the fierce day.

fighting.

The French army is worthy of being a veteran force. Faced with a fierce attack by the Prussian army that was 10 times its size, the French army showed great resilience in the battle and was defeated without collapse.

The French officers and soldiers relied on manors, monasteries, highlands and woods to fight step by step, fighting bravely and heroically. The small group of French troops responsible for containment always fought to the last man.

This performance earned the respect of His Royal Highness Friedrich Wilhelm, who said with emotion; "They are respectable soldiers, worthy of the glory they have received. Unfortunately...the French do not have a qualified commander."

"

General Metz, the leader of the British observation group standing nearby, had the same feeling, nodded and continued: "The French are still brave and good at fighting, but the commander who leads them is a politician. I am very curious about Napoleon III's next performance, maybe he will

A surprise?"

British guy, you have to be the one to disparage the French!

His Royal Highness Tang Li Kun, the head of the Datang Military Observation Group, held back the complaints in his heart and commented seriously and objectively; "I don't know if there will be any surprises. Judging from this battle alone, both the Prussian and French armies showed outstanding performance.

World class, impressive.

The French army has shown the resilience of old cowhide in defensive operations, which is inseparable from the command of high-quality grassroots officers and is perhaps the most valuable asset of the French army.

The Prussian officers and soldiers are well-trained and disciplined.

Here I would like to congratulate His Highness William, this is the army that every commander dreams of, and they will bring the glory of victory back to Germany."

"Thank you for your pertinent evaluation, Your Highness." His Highness Friedrich William turned his head and responded with a polite smile. He was quite satisfied with the performance of the Third Army in today's battle. He touched the upturned forehead with a reserved expression.

Prussian Beard, said;

"I am not surprised by the outstanding performance of the French army, and I hope they can continue to perform at a high level in future battles.

It is estimated that Duke McMahon's army is rushing to the battlefield under the starry night, and the Third Army will face a sufficient opponent, which makes me excited.

Competing with a truly strong opponent is the glory that a true Junker military aristocrat longs for throughout his life."

"Indeed, I once fought alongside Marshal McMahon in the Crimean War. He is a traditional and determined old-school soldier. I look forward to meeting again." General Metz said with deep emotion,

There was enough respect in the tone.

Listening to their discussion, His Highness Tang Li Kun did not speak.

He adhered to his father's teachings of speaking less and watching more, and remained silent no matter what the Prussians did right or wrong. His occasional comments were only fleeting, showing a composure far beyond his actual age.

Looking at the battlefield after the bloody battle, some soldiers of the Prussian army were resting, some were cleaning the battlefield, some were rescuing the wounded, and some troops were returning to the temporary camp in neat lines under the orders of their commanders. Everything seemed orderly.

.

have to say

The high degree of obedience and discipline of the Prussian army soldiers left a very deep impression on His Highness Tang Likun.

This is an army with an iron will. It attacks in turns without fear of sacrifice, as if it is a mindless war machine. It is worthy of the reputation of the "fighting nation" mentioned by the father.

My father had a very high opinion of the Prussian army, and now it seems that the reputation is not worth its weight in gold.

The fierce collision between the British and French armies in the Battle of Wissembourg can be called a dialogue between the world's top armies. The excitement is worth savoring.

From the standpoint of the Tang Empire

Of course, I hope that the Prussian army will achieve final victory. Relying on the close transatlantic relationship between the two countries, it is expected to further expand the empire's commercial influence in Europe.

Regarding this war for hegemony in Europe, the Tang Empire's stance was relatively detached. Most of its interests were in the economic and trade fields, while its political and military influence was negligible.

Traditional European countries generally view the Tang Empire that emerged in North America with vigilance and scrutiny. This is representative of European psychology, he said;

"This is an emerging industrial power that is different from the traditional European powers. In our eyes, it is more like the Ottoman Empire in North America. It has a unique religious and cultural history. It is difficult for us to understand what they are thinking."

What the Tang Empire is doing now is to continuously develop trade with Europe, expand all-round exchanges with European countries, and try to eliminate barriers and uneasiness. This will be a long-term process.

The next day, more than 20 kilometers west of Wissembourg, the leading Prussian army in hot pursuit once again caught up with the retreating French Seventh Army, and a battle broke out between the two sides.

The French army fought and retreated, leaving the entire regiment of officers and soldiers to guard the bridge near noon to prevent the Prussian army from pursuing across the river in an attempt to cut off its tail to survive.

Most of the French Seventh Army fled westward in panic, leaving behind a large amount of baggage along the way.

Carriages, tents and other supplies were scattered everywhere, but not a single artillery piece was lost, and effective organization was still maintained during the retreat to the west.

The Prussian pursuit troops circled the upper reaches of the river, swam across the river, and spent some time outflanking them. They annihilated the French 7th Royal Lyon Infantry Regiment that was stationed at the bridgehead, killing 776 people and capturing 451 people.

It was this delay that allowed the remnants of the French Seventh Army to join up with the vanguard of the First Army that had been traveling day and night, stopped at the Volta line, and began to urgently build field breastwork defenses in preparation for the upcoming war.

The Prussian pursuing troops saw the other side rendezvousing with the reinforcements, and also slowed down their pursuit, and appropriately distanced themselves from the French army to avoid being bitten by them unexpectedly, after all, the large Prussian troops behind them had not yet come up.

August 6

It was a gloomy day. It rained for a while after dawn, which lightly wetted the land that had been exposed to the sun for many days. It fell sparsely for a while and then stopped.

After dawn

Large groups of Prussian troops lined up in a long queue with no end or end, carrying rifles and entering the battlefield. Warning horns echoed in the air, adding to the chilling atmosphere before the war.

Facing the aggressive offensive of the Prussian army, French Marshal MacMa adopted a tit-for-tat military deployment and sent all his main forces to fight against an enemy several times his own, thus kicking off the Battle of Volta.

Facing the heavy troops of the Kingdom of Prussia, Marshal MacMahon calmly commanded the French First Army to fight with more than 40,000 men as the main force, while the Second Division of the French Royal Cuirassiers remained on the flanks to hold down the formation and could go into battle at any time as needed.

See this scene

The Prussian generals did not dare to neglect and quickly mobilized more troops to enter the Volta region. By noon, the number had reached more than 80,000. A large number of Prussian troops would continue to arrive in the future.

Seeing the time is ripe

The Prussian Army launched a resolute line infantry attack, and the rumbling sound of artillery resounded on the battlefield. The Prussian and French artillery were doing their best to deliver firepower, and the battle became intense from the beginning.

Amidst the exciting military music, the Prussian and French line infantry advanced in a hail of bullets, and the battle was very tense.

You can see that in the smoke and artillery fire that exploded on the battlefield, large chunks of infantry queues were cleared, and soldiers in the rear rows quickly filled up.

The two sides fired at each other from a distance of several hundred meters. After the intensive "crackling" gunfire, a large number of soldiers fell down like wooden piles and died. The fierce battle continued.

It was like two bloody strong men fighting hand to hand with fist gloves inlaid with sharp spikes. Every punch would bring out a shower of blood and a large piece of flesh, which looked shocking.

But these two giant men were still fighting desperately. They were not afraid of pain or bloodshed, they just wanted to knock each other to the ground.

The new artillery equipped by the Prussian army was more powerful, and the volley fire of the French soldiers was more deadly. The two sides fought like crazy and bloody, and they did not retreat no matter how heavy the casualties were;

The battle was unprecedentedly bloody and cruel. His Highness Tang Li Dian frowned secretly and felt that he couldn't bear to watch it.

The attacking Prussian army suffered no less casualties than the French army, but as time went by, the more powerful Prussian army gradually gained the upper hand, and the French First Army retreated step by step under the pressure of wave after wave of offensives.

Perhaps seeing the unfavorable battlefield situation, the French army suddenly dispatched the 2nd Division of the French Royal Cuirassiers, which was holding the formation from the flanks and rear, and began a cavalry assault on the Prussian flank.

I saw the ground trembling, and tens of thousands of cuirassiers came on horseback like dark clouds, quickly shortening the distance between them and the Prussian infantry, as if they were hit by a heavy hammer.

At this time, the Brussels army did not panic. They stopped attacking under the command of the commander and formed a denser three-stage shooting formation, waiting for the French cavalry to attack.

You can see it now

On the battlefield, the Prussian army had a strong reserve force. While facing the enemy on the flanks, it still exerted strong attack pressure on the French infantry from the front. The dense rows after rows made people's scalp numb.

The 2nd Cuirassier Division led by General Borneman launched a cavalry charge 800 meters away. The shining sabers were like a jungle of knives. They quickly swept across the fields and approached the Prussian column, shortening the distance between the two.

800 meters...600 meters...500 meters...400 meters...300 meters...

The Prussian army commander's nerves were really tough, and he remained very calm when the overwhelming French cavalry charged forward.

It was not until the French leading cavalry charged within 300 meters that the order "all fire" was issued...

The ensuing hot bullets, as dense as locusts, pounced on the French cavalry, instantly detonating huge chaos.

All I saw was that the French cavalry who were charging at high speed fell off their horses one after another. The men and their horses fell into pieces, as if they had hit an invisible wall head-on. The attacking French heavy cavalry suffered heavy casualties.

However, the subsequent French heavy cavalry still charged bravely, trying to tear a large gap into the dense Prussian infantry array. However, this courage was meaningless in the face of a hail of bullets and would only cause greater casualties.

in the firearms age

Even the heavy cuirassiers could not break through the tightly defended infantry formations, and their bravery could only bring more severe damage. This was verified again in the Battle of Walter.

The shrill horn sounded, and the red-eyed French heavy cavalry retreated unwillingly, leaving only shocking corpses scattered on the ground, telling the story of the gone glorious era of the heavy cavalry.

The battle ends here

There was no suspense about the outcome. Marshal McMahon was finally unable to defeat the large Prussian main force.

The bloody battle continued into the evening, and the setting sun was like blood.

On the battlefield covering more than ten square kilometers in the Battle of Volta, the corpses of soldiers from the Prussian and French armies could be seen everywhere, and the scene was extremely tragic.

At the end of the battle, the Prussian army pressed heavily, and the French army retreated as a last resort. The French rear guard, the Second Division of Bergendi, was divided and surrounded by the Prussian army, and more than 6,000 French soldiers were taken prisoner.

During the Battle of Walter with an afterthought;

The Prussian army suffered 10,642 casualties, the French army suffered more than 10,000 casualties, and more than 6,000 people were captured. Marshal McMahon led more than 24,000 remnants to move closer to the main force of the Fifth Army and was forced to give way to Alsace.

on the same day

The Prussian army crossed the border between Prussia and France in large numbers. The main force of the Prussian First Army met the Second Army of the French Bazin Army head-on. The two sides fought head-on.

The Prussian First Army repelled the French Second Army with its superior strength, occupied the Forbach area, and launched an aggressive attack on the French interior.

Continuous defeats on the front line triggered violent turmoil in French politics.

Just after the news of the defeat reached Paris, it caused huge social turmoil, and the French government Emile Olivier immediately collapsed, which would inevitably affect the frontline war.

On August 10, Charles Couzin Montauban was urgently ordered to form a government. This man was 74 years old and belonged to the war faction headed by the Queen. He was just an old and fatuous yes-man.

However, due to the enemy's overwhelming force, they had no choice but to withdraw.

Out of the political need to maintain its own rule, the Paris government under the Queen Regent repeatedly interfered with the combat deployment of frontline generals, preventing frontline troops from retreating deep into the war zone, and watched as the French army's heavy group was surrounded by the enemy's superior force.

Still stick to the rules and demand to fight to the end and never allow retreat.

The French Emperor Napoleon III, who was commanding the front line, had no idea at all, let alone inherited the military genius of his ancestors. He actually followed the Paris government's foolish move and ordered the front line troops not to retreat.

In this hot August, France made a series of stupid moves in response to the war, which made it difficult for the frontline generals to adapt. The orders sent back and forth were contradictory. They didn't know who to listen to?

actually

At this time, the French army was not at a disadvantage, it could bear some losses, and the damage to the main force of the French army was not serious.

The casualties of only 20,000 to 30,000 people were nothing more than a minor trauma to the great France.

If the commander-in-chief can assess the situation, he will retreat the heavily besieged French army and assemble with the reinforcements, dragging the war into a see-saw stage.

France, which fights based on its homeland, does not lack courage, funds, and troops, and it is not impossible to make a comeback against the wind.

It's a pity that all this is just a hypothesis. The French Emperor Napoleon III himself has panicked and is ready to run away...