French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 76 The Southern Route Army's Failed Breakout

McMahon's orders were relayed to all positions as quickly as possible by messengers running at full speed.

下午4点30分，南路法军的142门12磅拿破仑炮和36门6磅野战炮齐齐开火反击，橘红色的火光在阵地上接连闪烁，铸铁炮弹带着尖啸飞向萨克森第12军的阵地。

Because the French artillery had insufficient range, and the Prussian Krupp artillery positions were mainly deployed on high ground more than 3000 meters away, the French shells could not reach them at all.

The Prussian artillery could then calmly conduct counter-battery fire, with each Krupp shell landing "precisely" on the French artillery positions.

In just ten minutes, the French army lost 17 artillery pieces and more than 200 gunners were killed or wounded.

"Reserve cavalry brigade, target the junction of the Prussian left and right flanks, full speed ahead!"

Seeing that the counterattack was ineffective and the artillery was suppressed as always, the Prussian artillery took advantage of the French artillery drawing their fire away.

McMahon, whose tactical skills were considered adequate, was certainly not going to sit idly by and wait for his doom.

The French marshal discovered a weakness in the Prussian defenses at the junction of the two armies, where only a battalion of troops had been deployed and fortifications were not yet complete.

In response, McMahon immediately ordered the French reserve cavalry brigade to deploy, and the first batch of more than 1200 French dragoons immediately launched an attack.

Dragoons were a product of the 16th century, known for their ability to fight on horseback or dismounted, and for being equipped with short-barreled firearms. They were a type of soldier invented in France.

The flintlock musket had been phased out, but the elite French cavalry equipped with carbines could still be called dragoons without any problem.

These French dragoons, arranged in two horizontal lines, their horses' hooves pounding the earth turned up by artillery fire, kicked up clouds of dust as they rapidly approached the Prussian army.

"Quickly, form a square formation for me."

The forward battalion commander of the Prussian 1st Bavarian Army watched the cavalry charge rapidly towards them. Their exceptional combat skills forced him to suppress his inner fear.

Urged on by the battalion commander, the soldiers quickly dropped their shovels and formed hollow squares by company.

But just as the square formation was taking shape and was still in disarray, the French cavalry had already charged in, less than 200 meters away from the square.

The Prussian army didn't have time to regroup, and the French army couldn't just stand by and watch the Prussians set up their lines. The two sides drew their guns and fired at each other. The distance of 200 meters was very short, only enough for both sides to finish a volley of bullets, not even enough for the soldiers to pull the bolts and fire a second bullet.

Under the initial, hasty firing of the Bavarian soldiers, the French cavalry at the forefront inevitably fell from their horses, each horse taking on an average of two or three bullet wounds.

The warhorse, lying on the ground, kicked its limbs and let out a mournful neigh.

The cavalry, already charging forward, could not attend to their comrades. Large numbers of French cavalry broke through the Prussian army's firepower and rushed to the front of the square formation.

Putting away their carbines, the French cavalrymen brandished their sabers and slashed at the Prussian soldiers in the front ranks.

The bayonet wall erected at the forefront of the Prussian army inflicted considerable damage on the first wave of cavalry that charged in, but their own soldiers were also unable to withstand the powerful impact of the cavalry.

When the second wave of cavalry arrived, the bayonet wall was already in chaos, with a large number of cavalrymen rushing into the Prussian army's square formation through the gaps created by their comrades.

However, compared to the outnumbered French cavalry, the Prussian reinforcements that kept arriving gradually stabilized the battle situation after a brief period of panic and collapse.

Colonel Moulin of France charged into the enemy lines, repeatedly charging and killing at least five men with his saber, when his horse was struck in the chest by a stray bullet.

Startled, the warhorse raised its forelegs high, and Mulan, caught off guard, fell off the horse.

Upon seeing this, a Prussian soldier who was far away from the cavalry immediately thrust his bayonet at Mulan. Colonel Mulan blocked the attack with his saber and then slashed the soldier in the throat with a backhand.

However, when cavalrymen fall from their horses in the chaos of battle, especially when they are outnumbered, their fate is destined to be unfavorable.

Without a horse to support him, relying solely on his saber and carbine, Mulan managed to kill three Prussian soldiers who charged at him, but more Prussian soldiers surrounded him.

Faced with bayonets thrusting from all directions, Colonel Mullan, who was not a peerless warrior, was unable to cope and was stabbed multiple times, sacrificing his life heroically in the Franco-Prussian War.

The reserve cavalry brigade's charge lasted 16 minutes but ultimately ended in failure. Of the 1200 cavalrymen, 427 were killed, 319 were wounded, and fewer than 500 retreated to their own lines.

Although this charge did not break through the Prussian army's defenses, it successfully drew the Prussian army's attention, creating an opportunity for the 1st Army to launch a frontal attack.

While the cavalry launched their attack, McMahon seized the opportunity as the two Prussian armies moved toward the junction to fill gaps in the defenses, and ordered the First Corps to launch an assault.

The 23000 soldiers of the French 1st Corps advanced in skirmish lines, where the advantage of Chassepot rifles was fully demonstrated.

French soldiers began firing at a distance of 500 meters, causing heavy casualties to the defending Prussian troops, whose accuracy was even worse.

At 6:15 p.m., the French 2nd Division broke through the Prussian army's first line of defense, and the two sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat in the makeshift trenches dug by the Prussians.

In order to break through the Prussian defenses, General Le Brun, commander of the 2nd Division, personally led a battalion of soldiers to launch an assault on the Prussian second line of defense.

A Prussian grenade exploded near the French general, and shrapnel unfortunately struck Le Brun in the head, killing him instantly.

Despite being a general, he failed to accomplish anything earth-shattering, and his death always occurred on the way to battle, taken by a grenade.

However, despite Le Brun's death, the fact that he had penetrated the Prussian lines remained unchanged. Just as the French were preparing to expand their gains, the vanguard of the Prussian 5th Corps arrived on the main battlefield.

This unit received the order to fight at 3 p.m. and therefore made a special trip by rail to quickly move to the battlefield. The Prussian soldiers of the 5th Army immediately joined the battle as soon as they got off the train, launching a fierce attack on the left flank of the French army.

Caught between two attacks, the French army had no choice but to halt its offensive and begin a retreat.

General de la Motrouj, deputy commander of the 1st Army, attempted to organize a counterattack but was hit in the shoulder by a stray bullet and had to be carried off the battlefield.

The scenario of being attacked from two sides became a reality, and the French army's retreat, which failed in its offensive and was organized on enemy positions, quickly turned into a rout.

The battlefield was everywhere, and it seemed that nowhere was safe. The French soldiers could only scatter and flee, trampling each other.