#844 - A perfect plan

Chapter 840 The Perfect Plan

Joseph nodded: "Yes, the Fourth Infantry Division will be the first to arrive at the Ardennes Plateau."

Massena was overjoyed and waved his fist imperceptibly, saying: "Great! With so many reinforcements, we can launch a counterattack against Ferdinand!"

After the troops of Thuringia and Upper Hesse were defeated, the Allied forces still had nearly 140,000 troops on paper, but among them, the Duke of York's 30,000 troops had just arrived north of the Ardennes Plateau and had not yet entered the battlefield.

In addition, 15,000 troops were used to besiege the Luxembourg fortress, so the main force actually fighting on the Ardennes Plateau was only 95,000 troops.

And when the French Southern Netherlands Army arrives here, Massena will have 83,000 troops in his hands.

If the 5,000-man Oudinot Legion hunting outside is recalled, that would be 88,000 men.

On the Ardennes Plateau, the number of French troops will be very close to that of the Allied forces.

With a similar number of troops, the French army's combat effectiveness can definitely crush the Allied forces.

In this situation, Massena has full confidence in winning a counterattack victory in Luxembourg.

He calmly planned again and looked at Joseph, saying: "Your Highness, if the Fourth Infantry Division can hold off the Frederick Legion for half a month, no, ten days will be enough, I am confident that I can defeat Ferdinand's main force!"

Frederick is the Duke of York's name.

The reason why he had not launched a counterattack before was partly because of the large disparity in troop strength, and partly because he was worried that if he formed a confrontation with the Brunswick Legion in Luxembourg, he would be caught in a pincer attack once the Duke of York arrived from the north.

But now that there is an elite force to block the Duke of York, the situation is completely different.

However, the Fourth Infantry Division only has about 10,000 people, and it is not easy to block the Duke of York's 30,000 troops for ten days.

Joseph thought for a while and shook his head: "I don't think it is necessary for the Fourth Infantry Division to be responsible for blocking at all.

"The Walloon Legion and the Artois Legion, plus the American volunteers, a total of 18,000 people, should be enough to hold Frederick for ten days.

"The Duke of York's troops have been marching urgently from Antwerp and are already very tired. And we can use the Burgplatz Peak to set up defenses."

The Burgplatz Peak is the highest point in the north-central part of the Ardennes Plateau. Although it is only over 500 meters above sea level, it is still usable terrain.

Massena's expression became more relaxed: "If they can complete the blocking mission, perhaps we can achieve a decisive victory in less than ten days."

With the Royal Fourth Infantry Division joining the offensive sequence, the combat plans he can implement are even richer.

He continued: "Our army will abandon the frontal defense line, and then rush down the Ardennes Plateau from the two directions of Diekirch and Le Jourdain, forming a pincer offensive against the enemy's rear.

"If all goes well, we can cut off Ferdinand's troops in the middle, or at least cut off the enemy's logistics supply line.

"After that, we rely on our combat effectiveness advantage to continuously squeeze the enemy forces in the southwest direction..."

He sighed regretfully: "Unfortunately, the enemy has surrounded the Luxembourg fortress, and we cannot contact General Berthier for the time being.

"If he can launch a counterattack from the direction of Luxembourg City at the same time, it will cause a heavier blow to the enemy."

Joseph nodded: "The troops in Luxembourg City are indeed a bit of a waste."

Massena blamed himself: "I was worried that there were too many enemy troops besieging the fortress, so I asked Major Soult to take a regiment to strengthen the defense there, otherwise we would have more troops to use for the counterattack..."

Joseph narrowed his eyes when he heard this: "Are you saying that Major Soult is in the Luxembourg fortress?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Joseph couldn't help but smile: "Perhaps, the troops there will not be wasted."

He really didn't have much confidence in Berthier's ability to command the army, but if Soult was also there, it would be different.

Soult, who was later praised by Napoleon as one of the "three giants", is known for his calmness and keenness, and his ability to seize opportunities is definitely among the top tier of European generals.

Joseph believed that he would be able to remind Berthier to launch a counterattack at the most appropriate time.

In this way, the battle of Luxembourg will enter the rhythm that Massena most wants to see.

Joseph listened to Massena's narration of the subsequent combat deployment, and suddenly thought of something, raised his hand and interrupted him:

"Perhaps, we can trust General Berthier and Major Soult more."

Massena looked at him in surprise: "What do you mean?"

Joseph said: "After we cut off the enemy's troops on the Diekirch line, if Duke Brunswick reacts quickly enough, he may immediately retreat north and withdraw north of the Sauer River.

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"In that case, we will still face a decisive battle in the future."

Massena nodded when he heard this.

The Allied forces have nearly 100,000 troops. Even if the rear is attacked, Duke Brunswick may be able to gather 60,000 to 70,000 troops to retreat.

Then, if he joins forces with the Duke of York and defends the Sauer River, we will have to fight a hard battle if we want to advance into the Rhineland.

Joseph continued: "We should focus on annihilating the Allied forces.

"For example, introduce Duke Brunswick's regiment into the depths of the Ardennes Plateau, and hand over the main offensive task to General Berthier.

Massena, as expected of a military genius, quickly planned a specific combat plan in his mind as soon as Joseph finished speaking: "You mean, our army feigns defeat and retreats on the Ardennes Plateau to attract the enemy's main force into the southwest of Wiltz.

"Then General Berthier leads the troops in Luxembourg City to go north from behind the enemy, cross the Sauer River and attack Trier, and then directly take Koblenz."

Koblenz is the most important crossing point in the northern part of the Rhine River. Occupying it will not only cut off the Allied forces' retreat to the east bank of the Rhine, but also gain a bridgehead to continue attacking the German hinterland.

Massena's eyes lit up with excitement as he spoke: "Duke Brunswick will definitely panic after receiving the news. And our army will launch a pursuit battle on the Ardennes Plateau..."

He shook his head: "No, with our army's mobility, if we deploy in advance, we should be able to intercept the Allied main force south of the Sauer River...

"Or the enemy will retreat from Burgplatz Peak back to Geldern, and we can leave the Walloon Legion there...

"Right, in this case, there is no need to recall the Oudinot Legion, but let him join forces with General Berthier. They will have nearly 20,000 troops and may even be able to cross the Rhine and attack Nassau..."

He suddenly looked at Joseph and said seriously: "Your Highness, I must admit that what you proposed is the most perfect combat plan! Our army will always take the initiative, not only is it possible to quickly occupy Koblenz, but also avoid a cruel decisive battle."

Joseph was a little embarrassed by what he said. He just made a general direction, and the subsequent combat plan was made by Massena himself.