"You want ME to provide support?!" the French Army commander Kellermann pointed toward the area where gunshots were faintly audible from the west, and roared at the officer who came seeking help, "There are over 7,000 enemies there, which is the total number of Prussian forces in Legnica!"
"But, General..." the dirt-covered orderly officer glanced in that direction with surprise, then hurriedly argued, "General Wumz is under heavy artillery fire, and more than 20,000 Prussians have suddenly appeared on the south side of the fortress."
"Sorry, I've also encountered a surprise attack. Please tell General Wumz that I really can't do anything."
The orderly officer pleaded urgently, "Please at least dispatch Cavalry to coordinate with us..."
Kellermann flatly responded, "If I don't have Cavalry to protect my flank, my men will be chopped to pieces by Prussian Cavalry before we can retreat into Kreignitz."
"Eckardt, send this captain back."
"Karlus, order Ferlick Group to establish a second line of defense at the edge of that forest, and have Dort's men withdraw in half an hour!"
"Yes, General!"
8 kilometers away on the gentle slope south of the Legnica fortress, nearly 60 cannons on the already prepared position were spewing flames at the rashly approaching Austrians.
General Wumz had not expected his surprise attack to be met with a counter-surprise attack by the Prussians.
Under the intense fire of numerous artillery, his vanguard was almost instantly dispersed.
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As he hesitated whether to deploy his troops on the spot and engage in a frontal confrontation with the Prussians ahead, a large Prussian force appeared from the southwest, moving in neat line formations towards him.
The unprepared Austrians immediately fell into chaos, but fortunately for Wumz, in order to increase concealment, the Prussians had positioned their troops on the inner side of the depression, giving him a temporary advantage in terrain.
Wumz was a veteran of the Seven Years' War and the battle for the Bavarian succession; seizing this only opportunity, he ordered his elite skirmishers to launch a counter-charge from a higher position against the Prussian Infantry lines.
At the same time, he sent Naundorf's Cavalry to move towards the north, posing as if they were ready to assault the Prussian artillery positions at all costs.𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
General Delrisen, commander of the Prussian forces in Legnica, quickly received the scout's report—10 Austrian cavalry squadrons, that is, 1,500 cavalrymen, were maneuvering towards the rear side of the Prussian artillery positions on the gentle slope. The terrain there was higher, almost leveled with the artillery line. If the cavalry charged from there, the Prussian cannons would be in danger.
He frowned and weighed his options—Prince Henry's orders to him had been to hold Legnica, not to annihilate the Austrian Army.
He was well aware that he was facing only the Austrian vanguard, and that there might be over 100,000 of the Austrian main force behind it.
Without the cannons, his 30,000 men wouldn't stand a chance to hold Legnica.
After a moment, General Delrisen ordered the orderly officer, "Order Jonas's Cavalry to retreat and intercept the enemy cavalry with full force."
"Yes, General."
As orders from both sides were issued, on the rolling hills around Legnica, a thin green line sped through the bushes, continuously racing northwest, moving farther and farther from the Austrian main force, like a group of assassins throwing themselves at the enemy's heart.
Another thin light blue line emerged from the southeast of the Austrians, bypassing the Austrian main force and desperately rushing back to the high ground near Legnica fortress.
If Wumz could have looked down from the sky at that moment, he would have definitely broken out into a cold sweat.
Had that Prussian Cavalry unit suddenly charged at his main force during its retreat, his main troop would have been cut in two almost instantaneously, with little hope of returning to Bohemia.
On the other side, the Austrian elite skirmishers, taking advantage of the cover provided by the wild grass, spread out and rushed toward the lower Prussian Infantry lines in the depression.
They were highly experienced; despite being in skirmish formation, they could use the drummer's beat to signal from different positions to rise and volley fire, greatly increasing their killing efficiency.
Many among them were hunters from the Austrian mountains with excellent marksmanship. Taking advantage of the shooting range provided by the high ground, they "dug" out numerous gaps in the Prussian lines before the Prussians could return fire.
However, in the age of flintlock guns, charging an Infantry line with inferior numbers was undoubtedly unwise.
Soon, the Prussian Infantry lines advanced into range and, after several volleys, bullets fell like rain, covering the Austrians' hiding spots.
In the wild grass on the gentle slope, cries of agony ensued, followed by bodies rolling down into the depression, leaving blurry trails of blood on the green grass.
The Austrian skirmishers, less than two battalions strong, fought while retreating, forcing the Prussian Infantry lines to repeatedly stop to realign and shoot. On this gentle slope less than a kilometer long, they managed to hold up nearly 10,000 Prussian soldiers for over an hour.
Together with the gap created by Naundorf's Cavalry, Wumz finally managed to withdraw his main force out of the range of the Prussian artillery. He then began an orderly alternating cover retreat.
As twilight approached, Wumz finally met Kellermann's French forces about ten kilometers from Kreignitz, the Austrian border.
Only after entering the French camp did Wumz breathe a sigh of relief and hastily instructed his staff to tally casualties.
Several hours later, a succinct battle report was submitted into his hands. The report showed that approximately 16,000 Austrian soldiers and 9,000 French had successfully retreated. As for the Bavarian forces on the western side, since no combat had occurred, they, along with the 5,000 Austrian soldiers, had all safely returned.
The main forces were still intact, and Wumz quietly breathed a sigh of relief. However, in this battle, his two most elite skirmisher battalions had almost been entirely wiped out, and the cavalry had lost nearly four squadrons, even General Naundorf was wounded.
Therefore, although the losses in terms of numbers were not too great for the Austrian Army, the impact on their combat effectiveness was quite severe.
The next day at noon, when Marshal Lacy, the overall commander of the Austrian forces, led the main forces to the border of Legnica, he was met face-to-face with the retreating Wumz Corps.
Upon learning of the Austrian Army's disastrous defeat the day before, his complexion instantly turned livid.
According to his original plan, he would have been able to take Legnica by surprise tomorrow or the day after and then set his sights on Breslau, the capital of Silesia.
However, given the battle situation that Wumz encountered, it was clear that the Prussians had been well prepared.
What he faced would likely be a tough and fierce battle...
...
When the news of the disastrous defeat at Legnica reached Vienna, the entire city erupted.
Countless Austrians were instantly reminded of the painful memories of the three disastrous Silesian Wars over the past decades—a series of failures that resulted in Austria losing the rich region of Silesia and consequently being embroiled in a struggle with Prussia for dominance over Germany.
Along with the adverse effects brought about by Joseph II's reforms, the nobility and citizens of Vienna took to the streets in droves, sparking large-scale protests.
An enormous crowd of four to five thousand people surged towards Schonbrunn Palace, chanting slogans along the way:
"Marshal Lacy must be held accountable!"
"Reinforcements to Silesia, we must not suffer another defeat!"
"Replace the incompetent Lacy, let Marshal Laudon command the army!"
"Yes, only Marshal Laudon can defeat the Prussians..."
Meanwhile, among the protesting crowd, there was also a significant mix of dissatisfaction with the Royal Family—they blamed the defeat on the reforms of Joseph II, claiming that the reforms affected the morale of the troops, and criticized the Emperor for rashly waging war against Prussia without adequate preparation.
Schonbrunn Palace.
Although the protesting crowd was kept out of the palace square by the guards, Joseph II could still faintly hear the clamor from outside the window.
After a bout of coughing, the Emperor of Sanctum looked towards Leopold II and State Minister Kaunitz, who stood solemnly beside his sickbed: "There's no need to disperse the protesters; haven't you heard them saying we should send reinforcements to Silesia? This might be an opportunity to unite the Austrians."
Kaunitz tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, do you think we should give Marshal Lacy some reminders?"
What he referred to as a reminder was, in fact, a reprimand.
Lacy, being of Irish descent born in Saint Petersburg, was politically very inclined towards Russia. The pro-French Kaunitz often clashed with him.
Joseph II waved his hand: "Please draft an order on my behalf, praising Marshal Lacy for his rich experience which prevented even greater losses for our forces. Additionally, issue a stern reprimand to General Wumz for his improper command, which led to the collapse at Legnica."
Despite being gravely ill, his mind was still clear, and he knew that at this moment, it was imperative to fully support the overall military commander, otherwise the morale of the troops would falter, and the battle would be pointless.
Leopold II added, "Your Majesty, it seems the Prussians were likely prepared. Perhaps we can appease the Hungarians, where at least fifty to sixty thousand troops could be conscripted."
Hungary, under Austrian rule, retained a significant degree of autonomy, especially the Hungarian Nobility Group, which often banded together to oppose Vienna.
As a result of Joseph II's reforms, the privileges of the Hungarian nobility were considerably affected, or rather, weakening them was precisely Joseph II's intention. Consequently, Hungary adopted a passive and antagonistic stance towards the Silesian conflict, contributing almost no troops.
```
However, harnessing the full strength of Austria was impossible without Hungary.
Joseph II weakly waved his hand again, "Apart from canceling the reforms, there is nothing that can satisfy them. Send Baron Tugut to Paris, let our sister send more troops, and we could exchange interests in Italy..."
Before he could finish, the protesting crowd outside the square suddenly burst into heaven-shaking shouts, as if cold water had been poured into boiling oil.
Joseph II frowned and looked at Kaunitz, "What's happened now?"
The latter bowed slightly and quickly stepped out of the Emperor's bedroom. More than ten minutes later, he returned with a somber face and said, bowing his head, "Your Majesty, news just came from the Southern Netherlands, Blucher has led his troops into Luxembourg. General Leao's forces were insufficient, and three days ago, they suffered a terrible defeat. Now, the western part of Luxembourg is under Prussian control..."
Upon hearing this, Joseph II suddenly coughed violently and then suddenly slumped onto the bed.
Leopold II was greatly alarmed and hurriedly shouted at the Imperial Physician waiting at the door, "Mr. Richter, the Emperor has fainted!" Discover exclusive content at freewebnovel
The Imperial Physicians, after having bled the Emperor of Sanctum three times and administered medicine containing opium, finally saw the pale-faced Joseph II slowly regain consciousness at twilight.
Joseph II was too weak to sit up and, and after gathering strength for half a minute, spoke to Leopold II in a trembling voice, "Order Marshal Laudon to lead twenty thousand soldiers and rush to Luxembourg for reinforcements immediately."
The latter was immediately shocked and quickly said, "Your Majesty, if we divide our forces now, it's very possible we'll face insufficient soldiers in the direction of Silesia..."
Gasping for breath, Joseph II struggled to speak, "Marshal Lacy will find a way... the Southern Netherlands must be held."
Austria had operated in the Southern Netherlands for decades; holding that territory was a much better bet than attacking Silesia. Moreover, Joseph II knew that losing the Southern Netherlands completely would severely affect morale on the Silesian front.
He rested for a while, then continued, "Also, seek assistance from France, let them aid Marshal Laudon..."
This Emperor, conscientious throughout his life, striving to strengthen Austria's power, ambitiously prepared to recapture Silesia, had not expected the Prussians to take the risk of leaving heavy forces behind in the Southern Netherlands, striking Austria a heavy blow.
Seeing his brother so weak he was almost about to faint again, Leopold II patted his chest to take command and leave.
Exiting the Emperor's bedroom, and hearing the protesters' shouts again, he frowned and signaled to the captain of his guard, "Disperse those people! The Emperor needs rest."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Austrian Foreign Minister, Baron Tugut, with letters signed by Joseph II, hurried to Paris day and night for assistance, but encountered the Crown Prince of France in Lorraine—the latter was inspecting the French Army about to depart for Austria there.
Of course, Joseph was specifically waiting there for the Austrian envoy.
Blucher was on the verge of capturing all of Luxembourg. Soon, Austria would have no standing in the Low Countries. And their Emperor could only seek assistance from France.
In the camp of the French Expeditionary Force, Joseph looked at the anxious Baron Tugut, "Are you saying that the Emperor wishes to transfer troops from Silesia to rescue Luxembourg?"
"Yes, Your Highness." The Austrian Foreign Minister took out the Holy Roman Emperor's letter, which was actually written for Queen Mary, but it was entirely appropriate to give to the Crown Prince of France, "His Majesty hopes that France can dispatch additional troops to help Luxembourg and provide logistical supplies nearby."
Joseph took the letter but frowned and shook his head, "Transferring troops from Silesia now might be too late, Luxembourg could be occupied by the Prussians before they reach the Southern Netherlands. And it would also mean facing a disadvantage on both the Southern Netherlands and Silesian fronts."
Tugut sighed, although he knew that was most likely the case—General Leao in Luxembourg had less than two thousand troops left, definitely not enough to hold out for half a month.
Joseph's face was full of concern and sincerity, "The only way to keep Luxembourg now, I fear, is one option."
Tugut immediately lifted his head, "What do you suggest?"
"Our twenty thousand troops prepared for Silesia are right now in Verdun," Joseph said, "If they set off immediately, they could reach Luxembourg in three to four days to withstand Blucher's offensive."
"And Austria need not transfer troops from Silesia. This way, we can turn a disadvantage on both the Southern Netherlands and Silesia fronts into an advantage on both!"