Napoleon in 1812

Chapter 135

22. Battle of Le'pzig - 10

During the Iberian Peninsula War, Rowland Hill, who made numerous achievements under Arthur Wellesley, was promoted to lieutenant general after returning to London after the war.

He was now able to command a corps instead of a division. He departed from Szczecin on a transport ship with 15,000 men.

His duties were largely divided into two. One was to ensure that these war supplies, which had been prepared with astronomical funds, were delivered to the 150,000 soldiers of the Coalition. The other was to participate in the Battle of Leipzig as an advance team for the British army and to maintain the front line until the main troops arrived.

Arriving at Szczecin Harbor, Rowland Hill explained the mission of this army and the judgment of the British Army Command to the monarchs and commanders of the Coalition.

In his home country, a corps of about 100,000 troops had been under the command of the Duke of York and Albany and under the Duke of Wellington, receiving close-to-act, quality training three months before the war began.

It was a declaration that broke the usual strategy used by Britain against France so far, and it meant that these troops would be sent in the near future to bring a decisive victory in the war on the continent. However, despite Britain's promise of such great investment and sacrifice, the reaction of allied monarchs was lukewarm.

"I don't feel the need to wait for the British to come. As long as our army arrived in Leipzig before them, the strategy itself is complete."

Alexander I, the Tsar of the Russian Empire, insisted on just attacking and destroying the enemy like this. Most generals agreed, and Rowland Hill did not bother to refute it.

Indeed, the strength of the Coalition's forces gathered in Leipzig was three times greater than that of the Union, and no matter how far Napoleon flew or crawled, he could not overcome this difference in strength,

Since then, however, strategies and tactics led by Alexander I were sufficient to confuse and destabilize Hill.

"The strategy of having a large number of troops attack the enemy's occupied territories in the south and direct the elite soldiers to cross the river on the west, inducing with our own will fights on multiple fronts is a bizarre fighting method that has never been heard or seen."

Rowland Hill felt the same way when British officers complained. Attacking bridges and crossing a river would inevitably cause a lot of sacrifice on the attacker's side.

Therefore, when competent generals in history attempted such operations, they put low-cost conscripts on the front to drain the enemy's strength, and then sent elite troops to replace sacrifices.

However, the allied commanders were currently defying past examples and pushing Bagration's corps, the most important force, forward.

The reason for this was to capture Napoleon, who was expected to run away after seeing his disadvantage, but Rowland Hill described it as a result of Russia's greed, Alexander I's obsession with Napoleon, and his inferiority complex.

'They're acting hastily when we have a safe path to victory. If Prussia's Marshal Forward had been stronger, he could have stopped this runaway to some extent.'

Unlike the French army, where Napoleon could decide everything, the Allies had to think, discuss, and conclude various matters together.

Before the reinforcements arrived, the highest-ranking person to attend the military meetings was Karl XIV Johan Bernadotte, who had inherited the throne two months earlier.

However, the actual command of the entire army rested with Bliicher, the head of the Prussian Army. The Russian army was following the orders of Pyotr Bagration, and even when making important strategic decisions, the intentions of Alexander I and Friedrich Wilhelm III, who were far away at the time, had to be considered as well.

When Alexander I and Friedrich Wilhelm III arrived in Leipzig, the physical distance disappeared. Nevertheless, the Allied Command was unable to make a rational decision.

First of all, Bliicher, whose health had deteriorated, could not attend the military meeting because he was recuperated outside the camp, and Marshal Bennigsen, despite his rank, was nothing more than Alexander I's subordinate.

Friedrich Wilhelm III was weak, and Karl XIV Johan had a weak voice. In fact, the leadership of the Allied military strategy meeting was entirely handed over to Alexander I. Sadly, his strategy was not very bright.

'There have been many cases in which a monarch who was not well versed in military tactics ruined a war with anger. I hope that all my worries will end with nothing happening...'

However, Rowland Hill, who was born into a baron family in Shropshire and had received a lot of education in history, humanities, and military science, may have predicted to some extent future fateful events.

The scouts' reports reached the Allied command on the fastest route, but were too slow to respond to the speed of rafts and spikes.

These floats, made by cutting logs sharply, went smoothly along the swift current of the river and cut off the floating bridges and temporary bridges on the White Elster River at once.

Crack-!

The desperate screams of the victims following the thunderous sound covered the river. Allied soldiers marching along the bridges lost their balance and fell down the river, either drowning or brutally torn to death by logs riding over the water.

As soldiers' blood and flesh, crushed horses and carts, and pieces of split wood and debris tainted the White Elster River, a loud trumpet rang simultaneously from the French army on the other side.

There was no need for intelligence officers to decipher the pitch of the instruments or the codes that were being used. The generals of the Allied Command, who had already been devastated by the appearance of the rafts, knew what that trumpet meant.

"The commander of the French army has now ordered a full attack!"

The French had physically separated their enemies and were planning to destroy each of them. That was right. Napoleon was not trying to escape after being cornered. Even in this unfavorable situation, he intended to bring in his enemies under his method of fighting.

'If we don't do it right, we'll give him another myth today!'

Rowland Hill ran towards the British positions. Now it was time for his army to move.

Before Napoleon moved out of Lindenau, he left secret instructions to Junot and Berthier. It was about how to separate the enemies across the White Elster River.

Acacia trees, especially Waddywood logs, were very strong and resistant to water. Following Napoleon's command, they prepared sharp rafts and spikes made of acacia wood.

They waited for a satisfactory number of troops to cross the river. Junot, the commander, was able to deceive his enemies by acting with all his might like the French were stepping down.

"Now! Let the rafts and spikes flow!"

The upper reaches of the White Elster River lead to the town of Connewitz, which, fortunately, was occupied by Soult's corps,

Thanks to this, Berthier was able to carry out the operation established by Napoleon without fear of being caught by spies. The rafts and spikes, which moved at high speed while riding the current, coolly cut off the bridges built by the Coalition.

"It's time for a counterattack!"

"For the glory and prosperity of the Empire! Long live the Emperor!!"

The Coalition forces were separated, and the troops across the river were quickly surrounded by the river behind them and the French in front of them.

The tide turned rig ht away. The allies, who were drunk with the sweetness of victory that was approaching, trembled with fear as they became a prey whose escape route was cut off.

Tatatatata! Tatatatal!

"Woaaaaahh!!"

Shots from muskets and rifle flew at effective range with higher precision. The line infantry and grenadier regiments rushed to the pierced allies after having been beaten.

In particular, the grenadiers had been resting and preserving their physical strength without being put into the battlefield of the White Elster River basin.

These regiments, the most elite and belligerent of Napoleon's corps, crushed all the enemies that stood in their way,

"Two hours ago, ou r juniors took care of you, didn't they?"

Among them, some units wore similar clothes to the Young Guard, but showed completely different fighting power.

It was the Middle Guard of the French Empire.

Their performance was definitely outstanding. The Middle Guards, who equipped their bayonets and rushed like hungry beasts, dominated the battlefield with a one-sided slaughter with a dance that looked like the realization of Richard the Lionheart.

Boom! Boom! Bang! Booom!!

The artillery was also active. In such a close-combat fight, the French artillery was the only one in the world that was able to strike enemies without hitting al lies.

It melted the will of the isolated troops of the Coalition that were struggling to resist through this error-free shelling with thoroughly calculated coordinates. When all these circumstances were added, the instantaneous engagement ratio even exceeded 100 to 1.

'So far, the operation is perfect. Now, if we take control of that bridge, we can achieve a reversal that will remain in history!'

Swallowing his saliva, Junot stared at the 'Elster Bridge', a huge bridge across the White Elster River. The prepared rafts and spikes performed well, but it did not completely isolate the allied forces across the river.

There were some bridges that were not completely damaged, and in particular, the Elster Bridge, wide enough to pass even a carriage pulled by six horses, was too large and solid to collapse with rafts or spikes.

'To break down the Elster Bridge, we have no choice but to detonate a large amount of explosives, but... Of course they will not let us do it willingly.'

Junot's gaze reached the enemy who was enduring the onslaught of the French with a thoroughly defensive formation. Pyotr Bagration, Russia's first commander, made the best judgment even in an instantaneous reversal.

He united the disorderly fleeing allies and built barriers on the side of the Russian army. After that, he thoroughly controlled the Elster Bridge to protect its connection with the Leipzig main unit. Junot, who was watching it, recalled Napoleon's evaluation of him.

'There are many valiant generals, but few can fully control their bravery. There are only a handful who have the reflexes to seek the best in a rapidly changing battlefield. In that respect, Bagration is a general comparable to Seydlitz.'

Napoleon cited the best cavalry commander of Prussia, who played in the Austrian succession war and the Seven Years' War under Friedrich the Great.

Napoleon added, 'If there is an opportunity to get rid of him, don't hesitate to do so'. It was indeed the highest compliment to an enemy.

"Despair and death to the enemy of the Empire!"

"Fight and die for the glory of the Tsar!!"

The final battle to gain the control of the Elster Bridge began. The purpose of Bagration's corps was to hold out until the engineers built floating and temporary bridges again, and the French army led by Junot aimed to pierce them while keeping them isolated.

The two armies were absolutely incompatible and fought fiercely, shedding blood, Numerous bodies piled up like mountains on the battlefield and turned the White Elster River red. The battlefield, a mixture of groans, shouts, screams, and cries, was a tribute to the brutal war of this era.

"I understand why His Majesty was wary of him! Bagration, what a formidable enemy."

Berthier, who was in charge of coordinating the corps' tactical movements and pulling the rain of engagement, murmured with his face hardened. The same went for Junot, who was excited about the possibility of victory.

Junot looked anxiously at his pocket watch, The current time was 2 p.m. It had already been more than three hours since they started breaking the temporary bridges and forced their enemies into a state of semi-isolation.

Nevertheless, Bagration's corps did not collapse in the end. He solidified his defensive posture in the Elster Bridge basin and held out by blocking the pouring shells, bullets, and preventing the French infantry from charging.

In the meantime, the Coalition's forces in Leipzig deployed a lot of engineers to restore the bridges.

French artillery strongly checked this, but the allies were also not without cannons and artillery, and the construction itself was so large that its shelling was useless.

Ominous conditions continued to emerge for the French. The Coalition's cavalry appeared on a large scale in the western part of the villages of Markranstadt and Lindenau. Berthier immediately grasped their identity and the route of their march.

"This cavalry crossed the Ore Mountains and the Nedorov Forest. They must have chosen this way to come around without crossing the river."

"We can't move the artillery in this situation. To stop them, we have no choice but to send in our own cavalry."

The French also had to send out the Cuirassiers cavalry and the Hussars regiment, and soon the battle between the cavalry began. The skirmishes on farms and roads near Markranstadt were fierce, but eventually the winner was determined. The French cavalry succeeded in defeating the Coalition's cavalry.

However, Junot and Berthier's expressions were dark, and the other staff officers were no different. This was because the cavalry power that should be saved until the last minute had been greatly consumed, making it impossible to reuse. Now, the French army was unable to use cavalry operations at a time when its power was inferior.

In the meantime, the annexes and bridges of the allied forces were nearing completion. Bagration's corps was still holding out, and now the French had to stop the numerous forces crossing the river. All the officers in the command realized it at that time, The operation was a failure.

"...Let's go back to the city of Naumburg. For this battle... I think we should admit defeat and seek a comeback."

"Oh, my God! How can I look at His Majesty now?"

Junot banged on the ground and cried, and there was only sadness in the French barracks. After the battle was over, Pyotr Bagration would remain an immortal war master. The French would be recorded as foolish enemies who had been sacrificed by such a master.

'It's more unfortunate that I couldn't keep the oath I made to His Majesty, rather than my personal dishonor. How could a disgraced general live after leaving the Empire?'

Junot unknowingly reached for the pistol at his waist. However, the goddess of victory had not yet determined the winner, and the situation on the battlefield could be reversed until the last moment. Junot's life did not end here.

Pooooooo! Poooooooo!

The sound of a trumpet was heard in the rear of Lindenau. Junot, who realizes its identity, raised his head. The same went for the other officers. As if they were possessed by something, they ran out of the barracks without saying a word.

At the end of the officers' field of view came a group of men running busily toward this place and a strong man leading their cavalry at the forefront. The man, dressed in splendid decorations, gold patterns, and a khaki cloak, was Joachim Murat.

"Here I come, my comrades! You don't have to worry about anything now!!"

Joachim Murat, King of Naples and Marshal of the French Empire. He smiled at Junot and Berthier, who were stunned, and passed by them without stopping.

Murat looked at the French side, checked Bagration's corps, and pulled out his sword from its scabbard. And he shouted.

"There is nothing more to see! Cut the beards of the Slavs!"

"Woaaaah h! I"

A disaster struck Bagration's corps, which had been relaxing their squares with relief after confirming the consumption of French cavalry. Murat and his heavy cavalry rushed at an accelerated pace ignoring the enemies' unimpressive shots, and swept through Bagration's troops.

The troops, which had not collapsed before even while being isolated, were brutally swept away under the cavalry waves that came like a tsunami.

"Haha! This is really...! It's the best appearance since the Winged Hussars at the Battle of Vienna."

Only then did Berthier burst into laughter. Junot sat down on the spot, as if he had lost all the strength in his body.