Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Wittgenstein's action now was mainly aimed at Ney's vanguard.

Blücher's previous cavalry attack had at least revealed the French's strength on the front line, which was currently mainly infantry, and most of them were probably new recruits. The only thing they had in common with the battle-hardened French army was probably their high morale.

So he was determined to do something big.

But sometimes, some people just don't consider their own scheduling capabilities.

Napoleon's goal was still to attack Leipzig.

So he sent Lauriston to lead part of the 5th Army to Leipzig. On the way, they met Kleist's task force which was returning here. The two sides had a fierce battle on the road to Leipzig.

In fact, the French deployment at this time looked like Ney was covering the flank, and the main force was lined up in a long snake formation on the road leading to Leipzig.

This was also because the French army was still on the march, and the lack of cavalry reconnaissance meant that they were unable to stop the enemy in time, let alone detect the movements of the coalition forces.

It was under such circumstances that Wittgenstein decided to launch an attack, and his target was set on Lützen, which was guarded by Ney at the time.

It was not until the night of May 5 that Napoleon received the exact news.

After hearing about the coalition's movements, he was somewhat excited. He always had a strong desire for battle, especially in a battlefield like this where there had been many battles.
The place of Lützen was once an important battlefield in the Thirty Years' War and the Seven Years' War. Austrians were present in the two previous battles here, but this is not the case now.

The Prussians who fought here last time were replaced and stood on the opposite side.

The place of Lu Cen is just like the one in the animation where the Sun family is bound to lose. The army coming from the northwest road may not actually have the advantage of terrain, but they can always get the initiative on the battlefield.

Napoleon now summoned the marshals and generals around him, and conveyed instructions to his subordinates through the staff, asking them to go down the road to Leipzig and deploy in front of Lutzen. Except for the Oudinot Army which had just crossed the river and was a little far away, the rest of the troops were ready at this time.

Eugene led the "Elbe Army" in the north to contain the Allied forces, Lauriston was still advancing towards Leipzig, MacDonald, Marmont and the Guards were on standby, ready to join the battle at any time, and Ney's main task in Lützen was to protect the flank of the army and serve as a fulcrum to attract the attention of the Allied forces here.

However, Lützen was not the battlefield Napoleon wanted, and the Allied forces were also deployed with their backs to the high ground of the village of Großgerschen.

In addition, he also sent out reconnaissance troops, but the scouts sent by Ney and Marmont were blocked by the Russian Cossacks and were unable to scout the situation.

Only General Bertrand of the 4th Army sent out scouts to report the Prussian movements.

"Your Majesty, it looks like the enemy is not in the east."

Berthier said at this time, while Napoleon sat there with a surprisingly calm expression.

"Only one Prussian division? Aside from the Leipzig detachment and the cavalry we encountered earlier, are there no other enemies?"

After looking at the map, he decided to increase patrols in the northeast and continue his advance towards Leipzig.

The Allied forces did appear in the area he expected, but there was a problem with the French army's reconnaissance work, which caused Napoleon's goal to change again.

He even wanted to continue advancing eastward. Soon, Lauriston's adjutant reported that the vanguard 16th Division had entered Leipzig, and the French army fighting the Prussian detachment outside the city was also making good progress. After the Prussians were outflanked in the city, they had to give up the action of blocking the French army on the main road and instead seek to reunite with the main force.

"Looks good"

While Napoleon was talking to himself, he was in front of the monument of Gustav II, and he would soon approach the flank corps in front.

He handed over the remnants of the Grand Army to Murat because Eugene lacked qualifications, and Davout was also introverted in character and did not get along well with many people except Eugene.

According to Napoleon's own ideas and the Italian family-style business, he believed that his brother-in-law Murat's personality was more suitable.

As a result, he ran away on the way and went to Cassel to hunt in the hunting ground with Jerome who had returned home long ago. This would have been very embarrassing if his wife's lover had not recruited a group of troops from Naples to the front line.

As for the period after that, Eugene had been leading these troops in action. His performance could not be said to be outstanding, but it was as if there was a normal person commanding the battle.

Napoleon was very pleased to see Eugene. At least this boy had grown up and could stand on his own. It seemed that his family would always be prosperous.

However, before he and Eugene could have an in-depth conversation about the recent situation on the German battlefield, Berthier also received new information.

"Your Majesty, it seems that the Russians have taken action in Lützen."

"Sure enough, it's here again. So what are our Russian friends going to do? Are they going to attack Lützen directly?"

"I think so, Your Majesty. In addition to the scouts of the 4th Army discovering the enemy in Zeitz, the coalition forces seem to have been deployed to the battlefield one by one. In the front are the Prussian infantry and some Russian cavalry, and next is the main force of the coalition. Judging from the flag, it is very likely that it is the troops led by Blücher."

"That indomitable lunatic? He is certainly courageous, and now he is coming for us again."

Napoleon was not surprised. After all, such things happened frequently. In fact, the coalition forces taking the initiative to attack was what he needed.

In this way, they will leave the preset positions and go to the battlefield ahead.

In battles like Borodino where some positions were preset, or in some rearguard battles where the Russian army chose the terrain, the French often failed to gain an advantage. It is probably the same now.

If they take the initiative to act and use the coalition's coordination capabilities, the situation might be better if they were alone and a battle broke out when their forces were close.

But the current situation is that the coalition forces appear together, which gives Napoleon an opportunity.

First, Blücher led an army of more than 20,000 people to cross the river, followed by the troops led by General Berg and General York, and then the Winzengorod cavalry to protect the flank.

But this is only the vanguard of the coalition forces. The troops in front of them are lined up neatly, but the follow-up troops may still have some problems at this moment.

Solovyov has returned to an unimportant position. He has a position in the General Staff but can do nothing. It is obvious that the Tsar trusts Wittgenstein more. His opinion even overshadows Prince Volkonsky's opinion. Even the location of the Allied Forces Headquarters is interesting.

"Monarchen is indeed a good place for your Majesties to watch the battle."

If Solovyov hadn't known Wittgenstein's character, he would have said that he was a flatterer.

After the two monarchs ascended to the high place, they also saw the battle ahead.

Although Ney sent scouts out of the outskirts of Lützen, he also made a mistake. He did not set up guards in front of his position. As a result, when the coalition forces launched an attack, he had to hurriedly mobilize his troops from the defense area to line up and confront the attacking coalition forces head-on.

The worst thing was that he brought his chief of staff to see Napoleon, but did not specify who would organize the army here when he left. Although there were previous deployments, when the real fighting came, everyone here fought on their own.

This is very bad. For the French, although they often fight in unfavorable situations and even encounter blind command, this kind of action that is almost like a headless fly is still rare, and it may even be the first time.

Among the five divisions, four did not set up their own separate outposts to carry out vigilance.

In other words, the Allied vanguard had limited manpower. If it had been replaced by someone who was quicker, the main force of the Allied forces might have launched an attack here before Napoleon could take action.

In that case, it would be a mistake. Napoleon's correct judgment caused chaos due to the negligence of his subordinates, while Wittgenstein might have won a victory by accident because of good luck.

The Allied forces also have a clever man, with Blücher leading the front. If he were replaced by a more cautious general, all their efforts would probably be in vain.

The French had seen the enemy's actions, but they were not too nervous at first, until the Prussian artillery opened fire, then they became nervous.

If he were a brave old cavalryman, he might have launched an attack with a cavalry regiment, entered the village, and overwhelmed the unprepared 10th Division.

However, due to the performance of the Prussian commander Doffers, the initiative brought by Blücher's attack and the slight confusion caused to the enemy were now in vain.

Because his actions were typical of a dogmatic German. At this time, he did not allow the cavalry to charge in directly to create chaos, but instead deployed cavalry artillery on the periphery to launch a fire attack.

When news of the battle situation at the front came, even King FW, who had no talent in military affairs, could not stand it anymore.

"We should attack now! Attack! What is this Colonel doing?"

Now that he said that, everyone now had an awkward smile on their face.

"Oh my god, there is such an interesting commander!"

Solovyov couldn't help but complain, regardless of Scharnhorst's feelings.

"Although I am an infantryman, I have also led cavalry. When we were in Italy, we used infantry to attack and drove the Poles out of the village. At this time, we had to get close to the enemy and create chaos. If this gentleman continues to do this."

Solovyov actually hopes that there will be more such dead dogmas among the opponents he meets in the future.

But this is not the case now. The village of Stadeshill could not be taken, and the Prussian cavalry was fired upon by an artillery company of General Gerard who had reacted quickly. They had to choose to retreat temporarily.

We always have these talented people on our side, it's hard to describe them in words.

Solovyov was halfway through his speech when Scharnhorst took over the second half of his sentence. It seemed that he was also dissatisfied with the battle situation.

"You know, many of our cavalry commanders come from upper-class families. They don't have any practical experience and are always just reading books. Have you passed that stage?"

"Yes, I remember that before I went to Italy, Marshal Suvorov once told me that the army should act like a running hare and attack like an eagle."

"That's a pretty good analogy, but it's a pity that I didn't get to witness his battles in person. At least you're lucky. Although you're young, you participated in all the battles in Italy and Switzerland."

"That's right. A soldier still needs outstanding abilities on the battlefield, and even some luck. These French guys have survived the chaos."

Everyone on the Monarch's Hill was dissatisfied with this action. Blücher began to curse and even said that if he were three or five years younger, he would probably lead the cavalry himself to kill through the French positions in front.

However, he did not wait for this opportunity. The Russian cavalry had not caught up yet. The Prussian cavalry launched such a shameful attack that it actually gave the enemy a chance in the chaos.

After Gerard stabilized the front line, Marmont's 6th Army soon rushed to the front line of Lutzen from the rear.

At this moment, the advantage just gained was completely lost. The 20th Division, the vanguard, led by General Compan, launched a counterattack against the coalition forces.

Blücher was very annoyed now, but he was not furious when Doffers chose to engage in artillery fire later. After all, this would ensure that he had more cavalry, which the French lacked now.

In addition, there are always some unexpected situations on the Prussian army's side.

The always cowardly King FW actually appeared in person behind the front-line troops and left the headquarters on the top of the mountain with Alexander.

He mentioned to the soldiers that this would not be the battlefield of the disastrous defeat that year, which also boosted the morale of the Prussian army.

Although this king was a bit useless, the soldiers could still feel the courage he showed today.

So when the French army initially began to counterattack, they were unable to make much progress. The Prussians even dared to launch a second offensive, and the subsequent Allied forces also followed up.

The Prussian Saito Brigade entered the battlefield and engaged in fierce fighting with the French army.

What they encountered was indeed the French 8th Division, which was mainly composed of new recruits. Yesterday, another part of the French new recruits had caused a lot of trouble to their cavalry comrades, but this experience has not been passed on yet.

But the morale of the French is high, which seems absurd, and the battle is likely to continue fiercely. (End of this chapter)