Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Wellington is struggling, but his lines are still managing to maintain a shaky formation, while the French attacks are always a little lacking.

It was always the cavalry that ran away, because they had horses, especially the German cavalry in the British army.

"Now I understand why those Russians hated the Germans being their officers."

Wellington was already somewhat angry when he said this.

If he still had some reckless Scottish Grey Horsemen at his disposal, he could probably hold out until nightfall, by which time the Prussian army would have arrived in full force, and victory would be uncertain.

After all, the armies of Britain, Prussia, and the Netherlands still had considerable strength at this time.

Wellington, having suffered heavy losses in the battle of Four Arms and lost his duke, initially did not place them in the front ranks.

But now, they have no choice but to use it, as there is still a grenadier unit among the troops left behind by the Black Duke.

However, their numbers were too small, so they could only mix with light infantry and attack the charging French cavalry.

Napoleon saw what was happening, and even saw Ney fall off his horse again.

He was initially worried, after all, in the past, he had lost many excellent officers and even generals because of the fact that he had been defeated along with their horses.

However, Ney seemed to have activated an invulnerability cheat today. Although he fell off his horse, he dusted himself off and got back up. His adjutant even found him an abandoned warhorse.

"What a brave warrior!"

I'm probably even more satisfied with it than if I didn't add any words to describe it.

The emperor had already deployed the last remaining reserves, leaving only a small number of infantry from the 6th Army in the rear.

These troops that had already advanced were now targeting Wellington's central defenses. After the fall of La Hysan, the British army was about to face a strong challenge from the French on the main front.

Compared to the raging fire at Uguemont, La Hire Saint's location perfectly divides the battlefield in two. As long as there is one Englishman on the farm, it will put pressure on the French troops on both sides.

Now, everything is unobstructed.

Even the French troops lined up in neat rows and marched up to the beat of drums.

This scene looks somewhat familiar. Except for the fact that the helmets aren't on their heads, the clothes are wrong, and the weapons are wrong, everything else is just right.

Moreover, the Frenchmen were armed with bayonets. This time, the most capable veteran guards, the grenadiers who were responsible for protecting the Emperor, had come.

Although they carried fast guns, they disdained to fire them.

Unlike the previous Imperial Guards who launched an attack, they didn't need to retaliate; they only needed to charge with bayonets.

Drouot's artillery could no longer advance, and the only support available to the French infantry at the front was the cavalry.

"Now we should pray to God that there won't be another damn volley."

Napoleon knew perfectly well that Wellington was waiting for Blücher.

Therefore, he ordered Grouchy's infantry to turn towards the Vendée Division, and Lamarck performed exceptionally well, managing to hold off the Prussians.

On the far right flank of the French army, Pierre's Prussian 2nd Corps also arrived, but they encountered a battalion of Vendée civilians who had been on flank guard. These civilians were firing at the Prussian army from bushes, stone walls, and roadside ditches.

There were even those who didn't shoot themselves but helped their teammates in front of them reload ammunition.

It could be said that both the troublemakers of Vendée and the Russian country bumpkins were self-taught in this way of fighting.

The Prussian army suffered heavy losses. Pirsch's troops had previously suffered considerable losses, so his offensive was not aggressive, and the situation remained deadlocked.

At this point, although it cannot be said that the overall situation is settled, the scales of victory have already tipped in the favor of the French.

"Just one more blow, gentlemen. I see Freon has gone up, but he hasn't broken through the enemy lines yet."

“Your Majesty, I think the British fear their officers’ whips more than death and us.”

"Do they do that? Like that Arakcheyev? I heard Michel tell me that Russians like corporal punishment, lining people up to whip them, and only veterans who have served perfectly for twenty years have the privilege of not being whipped for any mistakes."

Napoleon even had the mind to joke with Soult, using the same joke Solovyov had told him before.

"Someone said today isn't a lucky day for the French, but I don't think so. The chicken we had this morning was pretty good; we should have another one tonight."

By 7 p.m., Wellington's defenses were crumbling, and a large breach had been breached in the flank of the Cold Creek Guards.

French cavalry were able to outflank the British phalanx from here.

Wellington's adjutants have ordered him to withdraw from the battlefield, and now only the Scottish 92nd Regiment is able to maintain the ranks, providing protection in front of Wellington, while playing their awful bagpipes.

These Scotsmen in kilts remained rooted to the spot, refusing to retreat an inch.

The French cuirassiers wouldn't come directly to cause trouble for them, because the artillery couldn't reach them, and they had already run out of rockets.

"Sir, should we retreat?"

“That will have to wait until nightfall. I know what the French will do. Right now, we just need to stay here and do our duty, including me.”

When Wellington said this, he probably didn't realize that the Royal Navy used to talk like this.

Among the British troops, those infantrymen who had been broken through were now isolated on the island, still being attacked by French infantry and cavalry. These phalanxes were like the reefs of Dover.

They were somewhat stubborn, but they couldn't hold out much longer; more and more of their formations were being breached by the French army.

The Prussians finally deployed all their forces, only to find that the British were already overwhelmed.

However, neither Blücher nor Gneisenau saw the huge opening that had been breached between Ugumon and Lahais.

In other words, Zieten's arrival on the battlefield would help the British army stabilize the situation at the front.

But that was all. Wellington's forces were already exhausted, and more and more cavalrymen were deserting. If even his guards and the veterans he led in Spain were to be defeated, there was no point in continuing the battle.

Among the Prussian army, only the Bilo army suffered relatively small losses, but it had been held back by the Vendée rebels and its cavalry attacks were also thwarted.

The worst thing for the Prussians was that the Vendée would kill any Prussian they saw wearing a black uniform, unless an officer was present.

Fortunately, Napoleon's bounty still counted, proving useful not only in fighting the Prussians in Ligny but also here.

Then some more officers were captured, and Soult learned from them what the Prussian army was like. After all, before they could say a word, the Vendée's unruly civilians used a powerful memory-restoring technique to extract all the information they needed to know.

"In other words, Your Majesty, what has arrived now are the three Prussian armies. Bilo did not participate in the battle at Ligny."

"But he was worn down by the Vendée for an afternoon, and he should be almost done for now. As for us, Vandam and Gérard were essentially not involved in the fight, and they should counterattack and drive the Prussians out of the positions set up by the British."

Moreover, Napoleon, like squeezing toothpaste, sent out all of Clermann's cavalry.

When young Kleinmann came, Napoleon made grand promises to him.

After defeating the British and Prussian forces, they were to appoint Kleinmann as general.

This was something he deserved, but it had been delayed because his father was already an Imperial Marshal.

It was the first time in the French Empire that both father and son had been marshals.

Moreover, the father and son truly rose through the ranks based on their military achievements, especially the son, whose merits were earned through every battle, risking his life in cavalry charges.

Having received this promise, young Kleman led the heavy cavalry that had not yet been engaged in battle, except for a squadron of Royal Guard grenadiers and Queen Catherine's dragoons, into the fight.

This included the older Queen Dragoons, sponsored by Josephine, whose heavy cavalry launched a fierce counterattack and charged the Prussian army again.

Saito's troops soon suffered heavy losses.

Although the Prussian commanders were bold, the staff was capable, and the officers were brave.

But those who serve in the military are really not up to the task.

They began abandoning their officers again, especially the infantry.

The cavalry had some justification, but light cavalry going up against heavy cavalry was bound to lose, especially since they were outnumbered.

The infantrymen, carrying on the glorious traditions since the time of Frederick the Great, were imbued with the spirit of all the defeats they had suffered in the Seven Years' War. They were not fighting alone; they were not fighting alone!

Young Kleinmann led his cavalry in a final assault on the Prussian phalanx.

The Prussians are devastated! Long live France! Happy wedding anniversary to Claude Verneil, the notary who contributed four daughters to the immigrants and formed a family! Long live the Emperor!

That was roughly the situation; Wellington and Blücher watched in disbelief as the Prussian army collapsed.

Wellington's inner thought was: "Damn it, these guys aren't even as good as us."

He was also considering where to take the army at night: whether to retreat from Brussels to the port or to the Netherlands. He was also trying to find the Prince of Orange, but failed due to the chaos of the battlefield.

Blücher, who happened to be under an apple tree, was angrily whipping the tree with his horsewhip.

"My children, I have only one request: hold out until nightfall before retreating. Once we regroup, we can continue fighting and make that usurper pay!"

However, apart from the officers around him, no one paid any attention to the helpless old man.

Even though Blücher was no longer hot-blooded and spoke like a father to the soldiers, it seemed that many Prussian infantrymen had no intention of listening to him anymore.

Only the cavalry maintained order. The Prussian army had a relatively larger number of light cavalry. The most critical problem was that their heavy cavalry didn't even have breastplates. Seydlitz's dragoons at that time still had breastplates and pistols!

"Your Excellency, it seems that everything for today is over."

"That might be true, Gerhard. What should we do next?"

"We must gather our troops and wait for our allies in the coalition to arrive here."

Gneisenau was also annoyed, knowing it was due to the French army's strange formation.

But no one could have imagined that it all started when the Prussians ate all the chickens from the Vendée villagers.

If it weren't for these unruly civilians defecting and providing Napoleon with unexpected reinforcements, Lamarck's division and the Vendée army, which came voluntarily, would probably have been engaged in another fierce battle.

The retreating British cavalry was increasing, which caused panic among those in Brussels who opposed Napoleon. They were now only concerned with fleeing and packing their belongings to leave.

Wellington and Blücher both still have plans to continue fighting.

But the situation no longer allowed it. When night fell, the last of the resisting British and Prussian troops also left the battlefield under cover of darkness.

Napoleon himself, in order to demonstrate his victory as he had done in the past, stationed his army on the ridge of Mont Saint-Jean.

"It looks like we've won, but the price we paid this time was quite high."

"Your Majesty, shall we pursue them?"

"The British escaped under cover of night, and we are already very exhausted. We cannot use our forces like Frederick did; we have already fought two fierce battles, and the soldiers are very tired."

Even Napoleon was watching the burning Ugomont farm, where everything that could burn was burning.

"Send a report to Paris: the French army has defeated the combined British and Prussian forces at Mont Saint-Jean, south of Brussels. 15 enemy troops fled in terror, scattering under the French imperial artillery fire. Wellington and Blücher have already fled for their lives, and the French army is about to enter Brussels. Let's call this battle the Battle of Mont Saint-Jean."

"Your Majesty, is this all?"

"Surte, your records are still not good enough. This matter needs to be handled by the secretary!"

Having served as Napoleon's secretary for many years, he quickly produced the latest issue of the Grand Army Gazette.

The outcome of this battle will likely shock many people.

Even at nine o'clock in the evening, you could still see some fleeing soldiers carrying torches.

It didn't form a long line on the road, but rather a loose formation.

Only the British Guards and the Prussian cavalry maintained order, and things seemed to be in a state of flux.

For the coalition forces, their casualties were indeed greater, and they abandoned more equipment.

The captured British and Prussian soldiers were gathered together and held captive at the foot of the hillside of Saint-Jean.

Of course, the French also suffered enormous losses. If such a thing were to happen again, then "Pyrrhus's victory" would likely become "Bonaparte's victory." (End of Chapter)