Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Wellington's troops were all on the line that stretched southwest from Brussels.

It's a good thing Solovyov didn't come, otherwise he would have been surprised that European generals also liked to form a long, single-file formation.

Picton and the Duke of Black were near Brussels, while Hill, as an "outpost" positioned towards the French border, had only the Dutch army led by the Prince of Orange, which was not on this line at the time, and was relatively at the forefront.

Many of the princes of the dynasties that were overthrown in continental Europe came to serve in England.

This claim includes the two young dukes of Bourbon, the Prince of Orange, and the Duke of Brunswick.

However, the "Black Duke's" forces are relatively independent and also have the size of a Prussian brigade.

Wellington was also able to discover that this army, after leaving Spain and experiencing the war of 1813, had undergone a significant change in its style.

This is why his brief experience in Vienna greatly interested Solovyov.

He couldn't really see anything special about the Russian army's methods of discipline, except that the army that Solovyov had commanded and trained for a long time seemed to have something more than the resilience of the average Russian army.

But Solovyov spoke in an abstract way, just like Suvorov, and at that time his wife and housekeeper were heavily pregnant and about to give birth, so they didn't talk much about military matters with him.

However, because Wellington mentioned several battles in Spain, and Solovyov was essentially the same as him, preferring to camp, the two were largely similar in strategy.

It seems that even the more profound parts were not discussed.

Solovyov didn't know much about Wellington either, because he only came into contact with it much after arriving here regarding the Peninsula War.

It's just that because the veteran rascal Massena didn't lose an eye, the battle situation there was different, and he didn't quite understand it.

Wellington also took some actions before the battle began.

Firstly, he met with Blücher once before the battle in Linni began.

He stated that the British army would support the Prussian army, but only if they moved from the southwest of Brussels and first reached Neville, Mons, and the village of Four Arms.

However, the original plan for the operation towards Four Arms was not for the Dutch to occupy the village first. It was only after the intervention of the Prince of Orange's chief of staff that the operation was changed to advance towards Four Arms.

This shows that although Wellington frequently clashed with the French army, no one except the old rogue could cause him any trouble.

However, he never fought against Napoleon himself, so he only knew that his opponent was very strong.

As for Napoleon's speed, it was even faster than the reporters in the London tabloids, catching Wellington completely off guard.

His formation also had problems, as can be seen from the map. Quatre Bras is a major transportation route. Just by looking at the name of the place, Quatre Bras, and its location on the map, one should know that it is a necessary route.

If we follow Wellington's logic, it would probably be like saying, "Ma Su was actually myself."

The Dutch were going to block the road, and in addition, a large contingent of British troops was expected to arrive.

However, Pickton's team was quite far away, and only Black Duke was hurrying forward.

Ney was heading this way because he had received orders from Napoleon to lead the left wing to control the road.

Napoleon's march was very fast; had it not been for the Prince of Orange changing the route and setting up camp along the way, it would have been much faster.

Ney could even control the vital transportation route of Four Arms Village with just his cavalry and the 2nd Army, which was missing from Reye's forces.

That would have been a huge disaster for the Anglo-Dutch forces.

However, we cannot conclude that Wellington was simply a lucky genius because of his mistakes in this area, and that his subordinates' actions prevented the French from achieving a major strategic success.

He truly possesses considerable command abilities and has a very good grasp of the battlefield situation.

However, Ney, who was opposite him, was acting out of character this time as well.

Davu and Daeron were together simply because, as senior imperial marshals, they were assigned to the same route. This unexpected collision resulted in Davu going to Daeron's place while he stayed with Reye and the cavalry.

If it were the old Ney, he probably would have just charged straight in with a basic attack to teach the Dutch a lesson.

However, it should also be considered that he arrived at the army before the start of the war, which was actually quite late, and he had not yet had time to integrate with the army.

Davout has the same problem, and the few capable men under his command are all in the Imperial Guard. Ever since Hamburg, he has often commanded unfamiliar troops, and this has now become a habit.

Therefore, when Lini and Four Arms Village were fighting at the same time, Davu urged Dellon to go east, and the latter had no way to resist Davu's orders.

Ney was left with understaffed troops, so he acted very cautiously.

However, if he were to launch an attack too soon, the Dutch would likely find it difficult to stop him.

Both sides were somewhat frightened at this point, and fighting had also broken out on another battlefield.

The vanguard cavalry battle had already begun, with the Dutch lancers and horse artillerymen coordinating very skillfully.

Considering they were second only to the Polish Guard Lancers in terms of cavalry prowess during Napoleon's time, their performance was not surprising. Furthermore, many Dutch soldiers had returned to their homeland's army, while some Dutch Guard Lancers remained with the French army, serving the Emperor.

Although Ney was cautious, he didn't just sit there and ignore everything.

He ordered the artillery to come up and bombard the Dutch lines with 24 cannons.

The Dutch forces were actually smaller than his, but the problem was that the French army was in a marching column and wanted to capture the area around Four Arms. This would separate the Anglo-Dutch forces from the Prussian army, which would be beneficial for Napoleon to attack the Prussian army next.

Subsequent events proved that the French army had achieved a great victory.

But the situation is different in Sibi Village.

The Dutch attempted to resist and seized control of the main road to Four Arms and the surrounding farms.

After the French artillery bombardment began, they also retaliated against the French attack.

After his meeting with Blücher, Wellington was supposed to meet up with Pickton, but upon learning of the battle at Four Arms, he led his staff to the Prince of Orange.

The distance wasn't far, which made it convenient for him to move around, and it was also a suitable battlefield for him.

Compared to Napoleon, who always controlled strategic operations and commanded his marshals to obey his orders, Wellington probably had a more detailed grasp of the situation.

Solovyov is already a player with a high frequency of operations. He usually only interferes up to the division level, and he might focus on the team in front of him.

But Wellington, he really did micromanage down to the regimental level very often, and even with communication methods inferior to those of the Russian army, his operational frequency was actually higher.

When he arrived at the battlefield, he saw that the Nassau Brigade had been driven into the woods by the French army, and another regiment, despite being outnumbered, had bravely launched a counterattack against the French.

The skill levels of the Dutch army varied considerably; some were courageous but lacked training, while others were experienced but hesitant in action. This issue was actually quite common.

If it were the British army, Wellington would probably have asked afterward who changed his plans.

But he's Dutch, so he can't cause trouble for anyone afterward.

Even now, with the Dutch army facing dire straits on the front lines, he still has to find any possible reinforcements.

Whether it's Pickton, which is farther away, or Hill, which is on a completely different road.

As it turned out, the Duke of Brunswick's group was the first to arrive.

The Duke of Brunswick, with his imposing beard, was also the Regent's cousin and brother-in-law.

His army marched at a rapid pace, and Wellington, considering that they had the longest route, arranged for this force to follow Pickton when planning the operation.

Unexpectedly, they arrived ahead of the curve, and their light infantry and cavalry were able to join the battle immediately.

After meeting him, the Duke didn't say much. After hearing the order, he led his entourage to a position in front of a mill.

At this time, he was unaware that the Congress of Vienna would ultimately determine his territory: the two duchies of Brunswick and the territory of Silesia would be awarded to Prussia as compensation, and he would later be crowned King of Belgium in Brussels.

Previously, Prussia was only mentioned in a secret agreement between Britain and Russia, indicating that there was such an intention.

The final text is being sent to Brussels, but the Black Duke will never see it.

As he directed the battle below the mill and turned to observe the enemy's situation, a bullet entered from under his armpit and exited from the other side of his back.

The Black Duke had been through many battles and had always been a fierce general charging ahead.

But before he could display his bravery and lead the warriors of his Brunswick Legion to strike the French, he fell.

Seeing this, the adjutant beside him carried him to the farmhouse at the back and prepared to begin first aid.

However, he shook his head and just muttered to himself.

"Mary, Mary"

He knew he was dying, but he still had many concerns, especially since his wife and children were still in London. They had not yet truly returned home to reunite, whether in his father's palace in Brunswick or in their future new home in Brussels.

The Brunswick military was still putting up a fierce counterattack, facing the French 6th Division.

Although generally speaking, Jerome is an unreliable, playboy, and incompetent prince who causes trouble for his brother.
But he did perform well today, leading the 6th Division to first repel the Dutch counterattack and then charge toward the mill.

The biggest problem with the Brunswick Legion was that although they had a brigade of elite soldiers, they were simply too few in number.

Had it not been for the arrival of Picton's vanguard, especially the cavalry flanking him, the Dutch and Brunswick armies would likely have faced serious trouble at Four Arms today.

Wellington is waiting for Hill's troops, but Picton and the Black Duke, who are further away, have arrived. He is now content to hold off the French attack here.

Ney's troubles weren't over yet. Davu and Delron weren't coming back. The orders Surt gave him were clear an hour ago, but now they're followed by some confusing new ones.

Seeing this, Ney simply ignored Soult's orders and ordered General Kleman the Younger to lead the cuirassiers in an attack to intensify Wellington's attack.

Little Klein led his cuirassiers in an attack, capturing two British cavalry regiments and giving them a sound beating.

Cuirassiers are usually very powerful, but today's battle turned into a street brawl, something that always happens when they encounter the British.

Although the British were somewhat inferior in cavalry, they were not cowards. They brandished their sabers and cavalry swords and swung them at the Frenchmen's heads.

When it was the French side, they initially continued to stab, but later forgot the regulations.

The cavalry, blinded by rage, were now focused solely on hacking at each other's skulls.

In the end, the French brute force proved superior, and the British were forced to retreat.

Wellington was somewhat annoyed when he saw this.

Such a situation is rare in battles he personally commands.

Napoleon hasn't even arrived yet, but Ney has already caused several of his regiments to suffer serious losses.

After repelling the cavalry, Kellermann charged into the British infantry ranks.

The 69th Lincolnshire Infantry Regiment suffered heavy losses under the charge of the French cuirassiers.

Their heavy losses, however, gave the 33rd, 72nd and 73rd Regiments time to escape, and they were even able to regroup in the woods.

This was the first time in all the battles Wellington had fought that an infantry regiment under his command had lost its flag.

Even when I fought like the old scoundrel Massena before, I never suffered this kind of loss.

Fortunately, the British Guards Division arrived on the battlefield. After observing the situation, Wellington ordered the Guards Division to attack Jerome's Division on the western flank of Four Arms.

Because Jerome's infantry divisions had their light infantry scattered at the front, while the line infantry behind them were lined up, making the formation relatively loose.

Moreover, although Jerome was reliable for once, his abilities were ultimately limited.

The French army had no choice but to retreat, leaving the timber yard vacant.

However, Jerome's identity also had some advantages at this time.

Those cavalry regiments that were not engaged in combat were initially idle when Little Klemann launched his assault on the British infantry.

But here, the British Guards launched a counterattack, attacking Jerome's division.
Considering the incompetence of the Emperor's brother, Ney also ordered the cavalry who had not joined the battle with young Clermann to charge towards the British Imperial Guard.

Although they were guards infantry, they still had to form a square formation when faced with cavalry attacks, otherwise they risked being overwhelmed.

The British Guards also suffered significant losses, and they retreated back into the woods like friendly forces.

That was the end of the day's fighting; the entire operation was in complete chaos.

If Napoleon hadn't swept away the Prussian army on another battlefield, one could even say that the French army had failed.

But since Napoleon won, Wellington's victory cannot be considered a true triumph, and he did not achieve his goals.

Moreover, he will later face pressure from Napoleon's main forces. (End of Chapter)