War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

January 4, 1843

UK, London, 10 Downing Street

The bombshell news that the French army had sent troops to besiege Namur reached England, causing Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne to breathe a sigh of relief.

“By God, those damn French guys scared my heart out. Thank God, the combat effectiveness of the German Confederate army is still as low as ever.

Even though they had been planning for this day for decades, they still failed miserably in the end. Now I really want to take a closer look to see if the faces of the German kings and grand dukes are swollen, but what we should do at this time is to immediately urge the procrastinating Russians to get off the field and join the war as soon as possible. "

The rest of the cabinet nodded in agreement, but unfortunately the British commissioner who was on his way to St. Petersburg to deliver the message was still on his way.

Although the Netherlands had joined the German Federation at this time, the French army was advancing too fast. If they directly captured Namur and then Liège, it would not only mean that Belgium had been recovered, but it would also cut off the connection between the Netherlands and the German region. Contact information.

This made the Anglo-Saxons who were proficient in balancing have to worry about the German Confederation. After all, if the latter lost too quickly, it would directly affect their strategic ambitions and money-making plans.

Belgium, outside Brussels

Although Leopold I had not yet signed his name on the armistice, Albrecht received the king with the highest courtesy. The opponent is indeed a tough guy as rumored. Although he was captured, he is still full of confidence in the battle situation.

"Grand Duke Albrecht, I admit that the speed of your army's march is far beyond my expectation. But have you ever thought about it, if the French army sends troops to cut off your retreat at this time, will you be in danger in the near future? What if you end up with the same fate as me?"

"Your Majesty the King, you are worrying too much. Even if there are hundreds of thousands of pigs guarding the Walloon area, the 20,000 French troops will not be able to capture them all in three days."

Albrecht was confident of this, because France could only commit one corps to the area within a week.

Based on the information currently available, Prussia's military strength in this area alone has reached two armies. Counting an army invested by itself and other countries in the near future, the total military strength will soar to about 150,000.

Coupled with the fact that they had previously occupied most of the strategic locations in the Wallonia region, it was extremely difficult for the French to cut off the retreat route of the German Confederate Army.

What's more, his nephew repeatedly assured himself that as long as the plan to attack Belgium went smoothly, France would not dare to launch an attack.

Leopold I was a little surprised by the other party's insights into the direction of the current situation.

"Are you kidding me? How can there be an army of hundreds of thousands? Can all your soldiers fly?"

Albrecht just smiled and replied.

"It would be more interesting to uncover the mystery yourself." But before he could finish his words, a messenger hurried over.

Because he was walking too fast and didn't pay attention to his steps, he accidentally tripped over the camp threshold and fell. His face was stained with blood from the wounds, and he looked miserable. The soldier with frightened eyes looked at the King of Belgium in confusion.

"I'll avoid it. You guys talk." Leopold I stood up with a smile. The meaning of the scene that just happened was very clear to him. The enemy's disadvantages are definitely good news for yourself and the kingdom.

Albrecht glanced at the messenger with great displeasure. He knew that the military situation he was about to announce might be detrimental to his own side, but he did not want to embolden others, so he said calmly to the adjutant.

"You can recite it here, there is no need to avoid His Majesty the King."

"Yes, Your Excellency the Grand Duke!" The adjutant took the document, and after just one glance, he was immediately at a loss. There were beads of sweat on his head, and he pulled up his collar, then leaned over and whispered to his superior. Whispered.

"My lord, I am afraid that the words in this report may be undignified."

At this critical moment, Albrecht did not have the energy to talk to his subordinates. He was so impatient that he threw the coffee cup on the table in anger.

"Why are you talking so much? If you are asked to recite it, just recite it happily!"

"Yes! The Second Army, Third Army, Fourth Army, and Fifth Army of the German Confederate Volunteers were all defeated in yesterday's battle. His Excellency Prince Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces, was trapped in Namu You, we are in urgent need of rescue. Report completed!"

After listening, Albrecht's vision went dark and he almost fainted. The development of the situation was beyond his expectation.

This started two days ago. The French army was singing and attacking all the way, which made Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig lose face, so he decided to gather a large army to encircle and suppress them.

At this time, his chief of staff, Moltke, was keenly aware that his opponent was in great strength, and if the Prussian army took the lead, it would be impossible to compete with it.

More importantly, the Austrians, who have been in the limelight since the war began, have basically suffered no losses. If they make any major mistakes again, they may not be able to explain to Berlin.

As a result, Moltke suddenly came up with the idea of ​​using the Saxons as human shields, and then the Prussian troops who detected leaks would go up to cut the wheat. What's more, the morale of Saxony's Third Army was already in a strong state at this time. Especially after the Austrian army made great progress, they also wanted to compare with it.

Unfortunately, ideals are full and reality is skinny. Old Moltke's conspiracy was easily noticed by General Flatten of Bavaria, and he explained to his colleagues that this move was the Prussian's attempt to use the hands of the French to weaken these Germans. The power of the country.

After learning the truth, the morale of the Saxon army dropped to freezing point in an instant. They did not want to be cannon fodder for the Prussians, so they used the excuse that the soldiers were acclimatized and could not go to war.

Subsequently, the Prussian envoy was ordered to rush to the Bavarian Army's camp. General Fullerton of the opposing Fourth Army was a veteran, and of course he knew the intention of the visitor. However, he was cunning and did not refuse directly. Instead, he cried out and asked for more money, food and supplies. equipment.

Although the Prussian side felt a bit at a loss, it was still more cost-effective than serving as cannon fodder.

So Old Moltke formulated a jealous and dangerous encirclement and suppression plan. He planned to use the Bavarian Fourth Army to withstand the French attack in the front, and then let Hanover's Fifth Army lead a miscellaneous army to outflank the Saxon Army from the right. The three armies led a motley army to outflank the left wing.

In the end, the Prussian Second Army completed the final blow against the French army, using the strong strength of six corps to encircle the lone French corps.

This kind of tactical gamble involves a lot of components, but once executed successfully, the benefits are also huge.

In history, Moltke often formulated this kind of military adventure strategy, but if you analyze it afterwards, you can see how dangerous and full of loopholes his tactics were.

His tactics often require strong execution, but who would have thought that after the encirclement and suppression of the Bavarian army began, they would just stand still and let the French break through their own defenses.

The French army, which drove straight in, caught the Prussian army by surprise, but the Hanoverian Fifth Army, which came to the rescue later, was scattered by the latter's rout.

Immediately afterwards, a great rout occurred, and the rest of the motley army of the German Confederacy was also dragged into this rout. Faced with a devastating defeat, the Bavarian and Saxon armies naturally did not want to repeat the same mistakes.

As a result, the French army of less than 20,000 people gained a lot. They not only defeated the encirclement and suppression army of the German Confederacy, but also successfully surrounded the main forces of the two Prussian armies in the city of Namur.

Like a chain reaction after triggering a domino, even the Austrian officers and soldiers responsible for garrisoning the Liege Fortress were affected and had to send people to Vienna overnight for help.

(Liège Fortress east of Namur, which is the rear fortress of the German Confederation)

Wallonia, outside Namur

To be honest, Jean Durde was relatively cautious at first, but after the consecutive victories in the past few days, he became a little arrogant. He felt that he could compare with the soul of France like Napoleon, and maybe he would go one step further to become the Caesar who unified Europe. .

However, although the German Confederate army was vulnerable, the proud general encountered a new problem, that is, logistical supply difficulties.

However, in his eyes, this was not a big problem at all, because Emperor Napoleon had already set an example with practical actions - defeating the enemy with food.

After thinking about it, Jean Dourde immediately ordered the soldiers to plunder the place. You must know that many soldiers at that time went to war not to get military pay, but to rob.

After all, the income obtained through the latter channel is far from comparable to the pitiful military salary, not to mention the opportunity to do some things that you usually dare not do.

The result was an outpouring of mourning throughout Wallonia. The soldiers of the German Confederate Volunteer Army who had passed through before regarded them as Luxembourgers or Austrian Netherlands.

In addition, Archduke Albrecht took the lead in using money to purchase supplies, so the military generals of other countries were embarrassed to speak out publicly and maintained relative restraint.

However, the arrogant French generals who had just won the victory did the opposite, without any restraint or scruples. They ravaged the area as victors and laid the groundwork for future defeat.

Of course, until this time, Jean Durde did not know how many people there were in the German Confederate Volunteer Army.