#851 - A glorious victory

Chapter 847: A Glorious Victory

"Head east?" Blücher frowned. "Have you forgotten that Trier has already been occupied by the French?"

Scharnhorst quickly said, "General, the number of French troops is limited. They are surely rushing to Cologne to seize the crossing point.

"And the remaining troops should be concentrated in the city of Trier and the fortress of Koblenz.

"If we move fast enough, we have a chance to pass through Trier near Kastellaun, go through the Palatinate, and retreat from Mannheim back to the east bank of the Rhine."

Kastellaun is a town between Trier and Koblenz, and the terrain is flat and easy to pass through.

Blücher hesitated for a few seconds, then signaled to the messenger, "Order the entire army to turn towards Kastellaun."

On the other side, when Saint-Hilaire led his army to the banks of the Ul River, he found that Blücher had already crossed.

Actually, he can't be blamed for his negligence. Usually, the Ul River doesn't freeze at the end of October. This year's extreme weather saved the Prussians.

Saint-Hilaire and his staff briefly discussed and unanimously believed that Blücher must have fled to Cologne—the only crossing point on the northern Rhine controlled by the Allied forces.

He then accelerated north, but failed to find any trace of the Prussian army. Just as he began to doubt his judgment, the forward cavalry returned to report that British troops had been found in Düren, engaged in a fierce battle with the Walloon Legion.

Beside the dense forest east of Düren.

The Duke of York watched the retreating British line through his telescope, trying to maintain his royal elegance, and turned to ask the adjutant beside him, "How long before the Prussians arrive?"

"According to the officer who delivered the message, they should arrive before noon today."

Before the adjutant finished speaking, the Duke of York noticed a change in the French formation.

A smile appeared on his lips: "What time is it now?"

"Half past ten, Your Highness."

"Clearly, General Blücher is moving much faster than you estimated," the Duke of York said. "Order, prepare to launch a counterattack against the French in coordination with the reinforcements."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

However, just as the adjutant was about to turn around, a cavalryman rushed over in a panic, shouting, "Your Highness, a large number of French troops have appeared in the south, at least 15,000 men."

The Duke of York's face turned pale, and even the telescope in his hand fell to the ground: "Wh, what, the French..."

Before two o'clock in the afternoon, Saint-Hilaire, with the cooperation of the Walloon Legion, had broken through the British line. Tens of thousands of British "lobsterbacks" knelt in the wilderness. From a distance, it looked like a large forest of crimson autumn maple.

However, Saint-Hilaire soon received bad news—the Duke of York was not found among the prisoners. He must have escaped to Cologne in the chaos.

Saint-Hilaire immediately led his troops north in pursuit, as capturing the Cologne crossing point was one of his tasks.

But when he arrived in Cologne without stopping, he found that Austrian troops had already deployed defenses here.

Faced with the solid fortress built in an extremely dangerous location, Saint-Hilaire had to let his soldiers rest in place and wait for the Walloon Legion to catch up before attempting to launch an attack.

The next day, before the Walloon Legion arrived, he was met by Soult's troops.

After controlling Mainz, the latter was also concerned about Cologne, the last crossing point on the northern Rhine, and rushed over without stopping.

Joseph was reading the war report sent from Mainz when Emang knocked on the door with a messenger.

The Crown Prince's aide smiled and said: "Your Highness, Captain Vidal brings amazing good news."

Joseph just smiled at the messenger. He had received so many good reports these days that he had developed "antibodies": "Please tell me which legion has won the victory?"

Captain Vidal respectfully saluted, handed the war report to Emang, and then said in an exaggerated tone:

"God bless France!

"Your Highness, the main force of the Ferdinand Legion has surrendered. Colonel Masséna has captured more than 20 high-ranking Allied officers, including the Duke of Brunswick, and more than 40,000 Prussian and Bavarian soldiers for you."

Joseph's "antibodies" instantly failed.

"Great!" He punched the air and shouted excitedly, "God bless France!"

The guards inside and outside the house also heard the amazing news, and they threw their hats into the air and cheered, "Haha, we won!"

"This damn war is about to end!"

"Ending with our glorious victory!"

No mistake, one shot, one hair, one inside, one content, one is at first glance!

"God bless France!"

It's no wonder everyone was so excited. This important victory meant that the main force of the Allied forces on the west bank of the Rhine had been completely annihilated!

After this battle, the entire Rhineland region would be completely controlled by France, and the anti-French alliance would no longer have any power to fight back.

Moreover, judging from the results of this battle alone, it was enough to shake Europe.

From the beginning of the French counterattack, nearly 70,000 Allied troops were killed and captured.

You must know that in the 18th century, without advanced reconnaissance methods, the defeated side could easily break up into smaller units and escape under the cover of night or with the help of terrain.

Being able to eliminate more than 60% of the enemy's forces is definitely extremely rare. The layout, planning, and execution of this battle will inevitably enter the textbooks of military academies in various countries in the future.

Captain Vidal waited for everyone to calm down, and then bowed to Joseph: "Your Highness, Colonel Masséna hopes that you can go to Rhodeshausen to preside over the surrender ceremony."

Joseph thought for a moment and nodded: "This is very necessary. We will leave immediately."

A grand surrender ceremony should be held for such a large-scale victory. First, it can boost the morale of the army and even the entire France, and second, it can show the power of France to the whole of Europe to enhance France's international influence.

Three days later, when Joseph arrived in Rhodeshausen, he only saw endless prisoner camps, but did not see Masséna.

Berthier, who came to greet him, explained: "Your Highness, Brigadier General Masséna was worried that the enemy would strengthen the defenses of Cologne, so he led the main force to Cologne the day before yesterday."

Yes, after encircling and annihilating the Duke of Brunswick's army, Masséna was promoted to brigadier general by a commission personally signed by Joseph.

Berthier continued: "At the same time, our army also launched attacks on the Palatinate, Mannheim, and Aachen and Geldern in the northwest direction."

The Rhine Army's large-scale division of troops will not cause the force to be too dispersed, because there is no resistance in the entire Rhineland region.

For example, in the direction of the Palatinate and Mannheim, sending only 3,000 people can easily occupy them.

And Masséna can still concentrate more than 70,000 troops to besiege the Cologne fortress.