Chapter 754 Superior Force
Until this moment, Gayar still felt like he was dreaming.
He had already decided to surrender just now, but the French army appeared in front of him as if falling from the sky.
And it was not a small amount of cavalry that came to rescue him, but a large main force with complete infantry and artillery!
Soon, the police officers also learned about the situation, hugged each other excitedly, and burst into cheers, "It's the French! We are saved!"
"They came so quickly."
"Long live His Majesty the King!"
"Long live your Majesty! Long live France! Teach those damn Austrians a lesson!"
Not long after, a group of French cavalry confirmed the identity of the police team, and then a French officer, surrounded by hundreds of police officers, came to Gaillard and raised his hat to him: "You are Gaillard." Chief Superintendent?”
"It's me." Gaillard saluted him excitedly. "You came just in time. Thank you, great French warriors!"
"You have also proven yourselves with your outstanding performance." The officer gestured behind him, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince invites you to see him."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here too?!"
"Yes, His Highness is with his troops at all times."
South of Wavre.
Under a big elm tree, Joseph looked at the map on the wooden stand and said to Lefebvre: "Let Major Davout's regiment bypass the Walloon police and continue to advance eastward. We have too few cavalry, and he must try to stop it." The Austrians fled back to Wavre..."
As he was talking, Kesode came over, leaned down and said: "Your Highness, Chief Superintendent Gayar is here."
Gayar looked at the young crown prince who surprised him, and hurriedly stepped forward to salute respectfully: "I am really honored to see you here! It was you who saved us..."
Joseph nodded in return and turned the map to him: "Mr. Gayard, please tell me about the movements of the Austrian army."
"Ah?" Gayard didn't expect that the French Crown Prince would ask him about military affairs. He was startled for a moment, then hurriedly walked to the map, "Okay, Your Highness.
"The enemy commander is Count Radeski, and his troops number at least 10,000 people, possibly more. As you know, our mounted police were driven back by the enemy's hussars, and it is difficult to obtain more detailed intelligence."< br>
He pointed to the north side of Wavre on the map: "His main force should still be in the north of the city. About two or three regiments entered Wavre this morning.
"I left Le Percque in the city to continue fighting, but he only has more than 600 people. At this time, he may have..."
Joseph patted him to comfort him and asked: "Are there any enemy troops on the east and west sides of Wavre?"
"At least we were not attacked from either direction, Your Highness."
Joseph nodded and looked at Lefebvre: "The number of enemies is not large. We should launch an attack immediately to take back the city before they completely control Wavre."
"Yes, Your Highness, I think so too."
"You personally command the frontal attack." Joseph ordered, "Let the second skirmisher group quickly maneuver to the west of the city and launch a surprise attack from there."
Lefebvre nodded and added: "The cavalry squadron circled to the north to interfere with the enemy's main force entering the city for reinforcements."
"Very good, that's it."
Lefebvre saluted the Dauphin, jumped on his horse, and motioned to several officers beside him to follow him to the front line.
Gayard stepped forward and said to Lefebvre: "General, do you need the Walloon police to cooperate with you? We still have nearly 3,000 people who can fight."
The latter bent down and patted his shoulder: "Thank you for your kindness. However, my soldiers are enough to defeat the enemy. You have been fighting for several days, so you should rest first." Gayar hesitated and said: "You How many soldiers did you bring? There should be tens of thousands of people, right?”
Lefebvre smiled: "About 4 regiments arrived in Wavre."
The old armies such as the Reiter Corps are marching relatively slowly, and the Royal 1st Infantry Division set out from Artois, so they will have to wait until tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
Gaya was immediately shocked: "General, there are tens of thousands of Austrian troops..."
There are only 6,000 people in 4 regiments. Such a small force actually wants to launch an active attack on the Austrian army!
Lefebvre clamped his legs between the horse's belly, his expression full of confidence: "You don't have to worry. Your people will definitely be able to spend the night in Wavre tonight."
Gayard watched him leave blankly, then turned around to persuade the French Crown Prince: "Your Highness, isn't this a bit risky?"
Joseph smiled and said: "Actually, three regiments are enough to recapture Wavre. However, General Lefebvre's combat style is more cautious."
This is not because he is arrogant.
At this time, those who arrived at Wavre were all the elites of the directly affiliated legion.
On the opposite side are the legions recruited by Austria in the Flemish region, or the Dutch army. The combat effectiveness of these Dutch-speaking soldiers is relatively low among the Austrian army.
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When he led the army to participate in the war of the Brabant Uprising, he had many interactions with these armies and knew their capabilities very well.
5,000 new French troops were enough to deal with them.
What's more, Count Radeski's troops were also located outside and inside the city, giving Lefebvre the opportunity to defeat them one by one.
Wavrenan.
Davout was commanding the soldiers to encircle an Austrian infantry battalion of about 500 people in the front. The herald suddenly sent an order from General Lefebvre, asking him to immediately launch a strong attack on Wavre City.
Davout was about to give up the siege and let the soldiers directly defeat the Austrian army in front of him, but suddenly thought of something and said to the herald: "Let Meyer and Philippe's companies turn to the south and drive these Austrians into the city.
"Be careful not to hit too hard and give them a little hope."
"Yes, Captain!"
In less than 15 minutes, Davout's two companies maneuvered to the southeast side of the Austrian army in column formation, and then quickly expanded into a line formation and began to squeeze the Austrian infantry battalion northward.
Davout's regiment was basically composed of second-class graduates of the Paris Police Academy, which was part of the former 1st Royal Guards Regiment. Whether it was training, morale or weapons and equipment, it absolutely crushed the Austrians on the opposite side.
Under the heavy firepower, the 500 Austrian soldiers could only retreat northward, but the French army kept a distance from them to ensure that they would not collapse.
About half an hour later, the Austrian infantry battalion had retreated to the gates of Wavre City.
The city defense of Wavre is very simple, with only a stone wall less than two people high.
Forced by the fire from the opposite side, the Austrian soldiers began to shout to open the door and let them into the city, while more people began to climb directly on the wall - they could easily climb up by just stepping on one person's shoulders.
The Austrian soldiers in the city who were hiding behind the crenels and shooting were immediately thrown into chaos by them, and the gunfire suddenly became much weaker.
At this moment, rapid drumbeats sounded from Davout's legion, and five columns of one hundred people quickly rushed towards Wavre City.
(End of chapter)