Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 413 055 Napoleon's Fast Road to Berlin (I) Entering Weimar

The French flank attack came so quickly that the pursuing Prussian troops were obviously caught off guard.

In Weimar in October, it would definitely get dark earlier, unlike in June when sunset would take a while longer. Fighting longer on the battlefield could further expand the results of the war.

It was autumn now, and the Prussian army's attack would only last until dusk, and they obviously did not want a night battle.

At this time, the French rushed in from the north, disrupting the actions of the left wing of the Hohenlohe Corps.

As they were preparing to withdraw, they were attacked from the flank by Morand's division. The French even launched the attack with only two rows of guns.

The reason was simple. The Prussian army had just used up all their bullets in the exchange of fire. At this time, many soldiers were rotating to replenish their bullets, and they were just then rushed by the French army.

The defeat was disastrous and Hornlohn was caught off guard. Four of the grenadier battalions that had been planning to send up to launch the offensive had to be deployed to their left wing to hold off the French attack.

Davout now appeared in person in the marching column of Friant's division, and he could see the fierce fighting taking place on the side of Morand's division.

"This has tied up the Germans. Morand needs to keep up the offensive and we will be in position soon."

The two divisions of Friant and Gudin quickly cut off the main road between Erfurt and Weimar, and in fact turned the Prussian army into the meat pie in the middle of a hamburger. One division of the Saxon army might be considered a vegetable, but it was sandwiched between the two Prussian divisions.

After receiving Davout's verbal order, Morand also quickly sent out his subordinates to continue to harass the Prussian army before dark.

Soldiers from both sides were also fighting among the bushes and woods, and the difference in organization and morale was clearly visible.

The French army was in high spirits but slightly less organized. Not only were the light infantry regiments deployed in a skirmish line to shoot at the Prussian army, but even the line infantry regiments were deployed in a sparse formation in order to attack the Prussian army.

The Prussian army was still mechanically arranged in three rows at this time, with a second layer of reserve troops at the back that had not yet been deployed. The three rows in the front were firing, while the ones at the back were on standby at any time.

However, the Prussian army continued to suffer casualties due to French artillery fire, and the disadvantages of the dense formation were also very obvious.

This formation is used to increase the density of firepower, but it will reduce shooting accuracy, but it can also prevent the opponent's intensive attacks.

The French infantry, artillery and cavalry were well combined. After the artillery bombardment, the cavalry made a detour, while the infantry launched a frontal attack. Since the Prussians did not have enough ammunition, it was only a matter of time before they could not resist.

Hohenlohe was at the command post at the time, and he also saw the scene of his troops' retreat through the telescope.

"Damn it! If this continues, we will be dead. Why are there artillery fire from the west?"

"Sir, the French are coming around from behind us!"

When Mesenbach said this, he was not panicked, but when Hohenlohe heard it, he was shocked and a little incoherent.

"Quickly send troops to hold them off! Send someone to ask for help. See where Luchel is."

The legion commander, who had been quite confident before, was obviously in a state of panic.

As for Lücher's corps, it had just arrived in Erfurt and no longer needed scouts to hear the sound of artillery fire and knew that Hohenlohe was exchanging fire with the French army.

At noon, Lüchel received a report from Hohenlohe, claiming that they had engaged in a firefight with the French army and even had a slight advantage, and asked him to come quickly for support.

But the Prussian army was marching at a speed that was difficult to catch up with. Unlike the French army, they could leave even the marching backpacks and looted supplies on the road behind and entered the battlefield lightly equipped with only weapons, ammunition and bandages.

Even if Lüchel had arrived earlier, he would not have been able to support Hohenlohe. Even if he could advance at the same speed as the French, the Guding Division would have been in front of him by now, and there was even time to build a simple position with the help of fences and stone walls. After the formation was set, even the cannons had arrived.

Hohenlohe's troops were surrounded in this way, and he had no choice but to go to the mountains in the south.

After Davout and Soult captured Hohenlohe, they sent people to report to Napoleon.

"They did a great job. They accomplished their goal of luring the enemy deep into our territory, and we also blocked the way out of Hohenlohe. Where is Augereau now?"

"Your Majesty, the Seventh Army will arrive tomorrow morning."

"Very good. This will trap a Prussian army here. As for Erfurt, I think what Davout can do now is to destroy these enemies. We win on the battlefield, not just defeat the enemy in the battle. The most important thing for a large army to fight is always time. We are fast enough to trap and kill the enemy here."

Now that Napoleon had come to Central Europe, he didn't even have time to set up signal machines in every place, so there were always some delays in command. Moreover, whether it was the communication through signal machines or flag signals, the operators always needed to master the core technology.

"Your Majesty, can you consider it now?"

"Berthier, what are you thinking about? Let's not worry about the great ideas for the future. Judging from the deployment of Davout and Soult, there are still some loopholes. We need to deploy Augereau to block the south. At the same time, the Gudin Division is on the road between Erfurt and Weimar. They have to block Luchel and resist Hohenlohe's breakout. Tomorrow morning, we should take action. Which cavalry division should Murat send over?"

Obviously, Napoleon now hopes to withdraw some troops to support the Guding Division, which has strong combat power but weak manpower.

"Your Majesty, should we send Nansuti's heavy cavalry division?"

"Don't let Nansouty go. Let Grouchy's dragoons go. I still have use for Nansouty's cuirassiers, and Hohenlohe is just an appetizer. We must also devour the legions of the old duke, the Duke of Brunswick, and let the Prussian king, who can only hide behind his wife's skirt, give us the keys to Berlin. We can also give them a more lenient armistice condition. If they want to continue fighting, we will fight to the end!"

"Your Majesty, the frontal strength of the Gudin Division is still very weak. If Grouchy's dragoons are not enough, should Lasalle be sent as well?"

"Lasalle? Well, that makes some sense. Before Augereau arrives, Grouchy and Lasalle can just cover Gudin's flank and conceal Augereau's actions. Davout did a great job today. He first hid behind the mountain and then marched into the battlefield." Since Napoleon himself was still commanding the battle and none of Davout's armies had a brilliant performance, he still praised his marshals and generals when he gave the credit to himself.

"And Berthie Grouchy's dragoons, they must take their horse artillery with them."

"Yes, sir. Grouchy will lead the cavalry artillery, and Lasalle will be in reserve to cover Gudin's flank and conceal Augereau's movements."

"Yes, that's right. We don't want the small platters. The Prussians are slow in serving the dishes, so we can urge them to continue serving the main dishes."

Napoleon was in a good mood now, and his headquarters had also arrived near Weimar, and the Guards had also deployed behind Soult's troops.

As he had expected, Augereau marched quickly at night, but was still some distance away from the battlefield.

But Hohenlohe was doomed to fail to use this way out. If he acted at night, the Prussian army would not be able to do so. If he chose to break out during the day the next day, he would have to select troops to cover the rear.

However, with Davout's two divisions to the north and Soult's army to the east, he would not have the chance to escape or organize his troops. Even if he sent out a rear guard, he would have to divide his forces to repel the enemy. If his forces were dispersed, he would not be able to guarantee the breakout of his corps.

So, before Lüchel could take any action, the French army had already launched the offensive.

As for Augereau, who had not had much rest, knowing that Davout and Soult were already at the table, he sent his First Division into the battlefield to at least provide support.

Being near the Emperor, the French marshals seemed to take more initiative.

Hohenlohe did not stand much of a chance. His troops were quickly overwhelmed, but because they were surrounded, except for a few cavalrymen who were able to escape, they were all compressed around Monchengladbach and Holzhausen.

If this goes on, we won't be able to fight.

Hohenlohe was at his wit's end and called all the generals to a meeting.

There is only one conclusion, and that is to surrender now, at least those who are still alive can save their lives.

Lücher's corps had a total of only 15000 men, so it was difficult for him to break through the defense of the Gudin Division, especially with Grouchy's dragoons appearing on the flank.

If he continued to attack, he would only be giving away his lives, so he decided to take control of Erfurt and report the defeat on the front line to the Duke of Brunswick.

For the old duke, this was a very tragic loss. In just a day and a half, nearly 40,000 Prussian troops were almost wiped out. Only the dragoon regiment of the reserve division and the Bock grenadiers battalion that happened to find a gap escaped from the encirclement.

This loss was decisive for the Prussian army. Before that, Prince Louis Ferdinand had only more than 3,000 people left on the north bank of the Fulda River, which was also a loss of most of his men.

The Prussian army was now in a very bad situation. Napoleon had even entered Weimar, and now he had cut off the main road to Leipzig and Dresden. If the Duke of Brunswick wanted to retreat, he had no choice.

Napoleon believed that he would not run into the swamps and hilly areas, nor would he come to Weimar for a direct confrontation, but would pass through the flat ground in the north. Although there were no ready-made roads there, it would still allow the army to retreat to Berlin.

The guess was correct. The Duke of Brunswick knew that things were not going well, and had changed his deployment in a panic, letting Lücher continue to stay in Erfurt to ensure the flank of the entire army. He personally led the troops to Krautheim to ensure that the main force of the Prussian army could pass through here safely, and then a large group of troops moved in.

Obviously, no matter how experienced the Duke of Brunswick was, he could not withstand such a defeat at Hohenlohe. If anyone at the Russian garrison in Jelgava knew about this, they would probably only sigh.

Even if there are 40,000 pigs, the French won’t be able to catch them all even if they spend three days!
After Hohenlohe sent away his army, the Duke of Brunswick now had only one option, which was to take out as many of the remaining 85000 Prussian troops as possible.

But now he could only leave it to fate as to how much he could take out.

"This bastard Hohenlohe has ruined the army, and we don't know what to do yet!"

"Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, if you want to follow my idea, we might as well fight them!"

In Blücher's opinion, the Duke of Brunswick holding the cane looked very much like the king who had asked him to get out. But this was not surprising, as nephews always looked a bit like their uncles, and the old duke's skills were taught by King Frederick the Great.

"If we fight now, what will we do in the future? I admire your courage, Blücher, that's why I called you here. All the cavalry under your command must go to Krautheim, and the infantry of the vanguard division will follow. You must take control of this village first, even if everyone is killed, you must defend it!"

"Commander-in-Chief, rest assured. I will protect the army's safe return to the north even at the cost of my life!"

"I believe in your courage, but I lack wisdom. But you are old, and your grandson will be able to join the army in a few years. I don't expect you to make any progress in wisdom. However, your courage is indeed unparalleled! I am too old, and if Her Majesty the Queen had not repeatedly requested, I would not have come back to serve as the commander-in-chief. And you, old man, are more energetic as you get older. If you have a good chief of staff, maybe you still have some future."

"Sir, if you say so, I will also speak from my heart. This war was fought in a very cowardly way. Everyone disobeyed the command and acted against the military order. No wonder the French looked down on us! Your Majesty the King."

However, Blücher was not completely stupid. He just wanted to say "His Majesty the King is a coward" but swallowed the words back.

"Now, Commander-in-Chief, I'm going to Krautheim to fight. You should take care of yourself too. If possible, we can meet in Berlin and fight the French from there!"

Then Blücher left.

Now the Duke of Brunswick also discovered that, apart from Blücher, who was extremely brave and good at commanding cavalry, most of the generals under his command were useless.

In fact, he was sitting in the mill now, feeling as helpless as his uncle, King Frederick the Great, who was in the mill after being defeated repeatedly in battles.

But no matter what, King Frederick the Great still had Prince Henry, Prince Moritz of Dessau, Saito, Seydlitz and others available at that time, but he had a group of old guys who were younger than him but more stubborn and disobedient.

(End of this chapter)