Chapter 359 The Collapse of Karl II
"Please tell Mr. Onk that France still firmly supports the founding of the Southern Netherlands." Joseph smiled and signaled to Viscount Flot, "Just as he thought, our army is indeed pursuing the Dutch army.
"Oh, and thank you for the oats and precious information you brought."
"It is my honor to serve you and your army." Viscount Flott said some compliments with a red face, then bowed and exited the military tent, without any doubt as to why the French army came to Ghent. Chase the Dutch army.
Yes, he just brought a dozen carts of oats. This is extremely precious war horse fodder, as well as the news that the Hanoverian army turned south near Brussels.
As a Southern Netherlands native who was born in Zwevelgem, grew up reading French, and yearned for French life all his life, he had always looked forward to Wallonia's integration into France. Then he would be a true Frenchman.
So when he learned that the French army was nearby - which was what his serfs told him when he wanted to use French banknotes to repay his debt - he immediately came personally with oats and wine to "support the army".
Of course, for such a rich man, Joseph did not pay the "payment". I believe that Viscount Flot is not short of ten thousand or twenty thousand livres.
With this batch of oats, the Guards Corps can reduce the time of on-site replenishment and speed up the march.
In fact, since arriving in the southern Netherlands, similar "supplies from heaven" have been flowing in continuously, and there is even too much wine to carry.
After the nobles of the Southern Netherlands left, Berthier immediately looked at the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, if the information brought by this gentleman is correct, then we have to hope that Major Masson will take action."
He came to the map on the table and pointed to the south of Brussels: "There are enemy troops from the town of Gialli to the town of Waterloo, which shows that their march is at least 6 kilometers long."
The legion staff officer on the side immediately said: "This may be a good opportunity for us to launch an attack!"
Joseph also looked at the map, but he was a little hesitant. The hussars had not yet sent back the specific situation of the enemy army, and he was far away from the Hanoverian army. If he rushed to the decisive battle immediately, there was still a lot of uncertainty.
He suddenly tapped Antolfo on the map with his hand and said with a smile: "Let's go back again!"
…
In the east of Brussels, Major Masson grabbed the hussars who came to report the enemy's situation, and his eyes flashed with excitement: "Are you sure? The Dutch are still near Waterloo?"
"Yes, Mr. Battalion Commander, I saw with my own eyes the Dutch cannons and a large number of tents."
The hussar next to him added: "We also heard from the shoemakers in the town that they were still doing business in the Dutch camp yesterday afternoon. By that time, the Hanoverian army had already left for the south."
"Great!" Masson firmly grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist. There is at least half a day's gap between the Dutch army and the Hanoverian army. This is a good opportunity to implement the "interpenetration" tactic mentioned by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
He raised his hand and waved to the herald: "Order the whole army to march immediately to Waterloo!"
"Yes, battalion commander!"
Half a day later.
General Bronkhorst glanced at the listless marching column beside him and shook his head helplessly. Anyone who has to go back and forth three times in less than a week will feel bored.
He was about to give a speech to boost morale when he saw several hussars galloping towards him in a panic. From a distance, he shouted loudly: "Report! General, the enemy has been found on the northeast side, and the distance is less than 3 kilometers away." !" Bronkhorst frowned. He knew that a group of French troops had been wandering near them, and Marshal Karl II had sent cavalry to drive them away. However, the French were always far away from them and seemed to be only responsible for reconnaissance, so they didn't pay much attention.
He asked the hussar: "Is it the French army from before?"
"It seems they are the ones." The hussar nodded and added hurriedly, "But this time there are more people, there should be thousands of people."
Bronkhorst suddenly felt as uncomfortable as if he had eaten a fly. There are thousands of enemy troops who must not be ignored, but his marching speed is already a bit slow. If he does this, he may fall further behind Karl II.
He angrily ordered his staff: "Stop the entire army's advance and line up in the open area south of the town to meet the enemy!"
"Yes, General!"
The French army's speed was much faster than Bronkhorst expected. In less than an hour, French skirmishers began to attack the Dutch baggage convoy.
He immediately mobilized the infantry line to squeeze the space of the French army to the west, but the latter was not willing to fight at all. Taking advantage of the chaos, he launched a counterattack against the Dutch forward, killing sixty or seventy people, and then did not look back. The ground fled towards the southwest.
Bronkhorst was initially worried about an ambush by the French army, and waited for several hours before finally confirming that the enemy was really gone.
Angrily, he sent cavalry to pursue them, but they encountered the French infantry line that had been prepared and had to retreat hastily.
Bronkhorst then ordered his men to count the losses, and was relieved to learn that the casualties were less than a hundred, plus some food and tents had been lost.
He looked at his pocket watch. After all the trouble just now, it was almost 5 p.m.
He looked at the soldiers who had been standing in the line formation all day, and had no choice but to order the entire army to return to Waterloo Town to rest, and then continue to Liege at noon tomorrow.
On the other side, Karl II, who was marching in a hurry, heard that the Dutch army was attacked by the French, and he suddenly felt bad in his heart. Although Bronkhorst reported that there were only a thousand French troops, who knows whether it was just a thousand French troops. The vanguard.
He discussed with his staff for a long time, and finally made a cautious decision to send an infantry regiment and three squadrons of cavalry to Waterloo to meet the Dutch.
As long as his main force can join Blücher, the strength is more than enough, and there will be basically no impact if less than 2,000 men are separated.
Less than half a day after the reinforcements sent by Karl II left, the Southern Netherlands in Brussels sent another "bad news" - the French army suddenly changed direction and returned to Antolfo.
For a moment, Karl II simply wanted to rush directly to Liege desperately, annihilate Rennes' Austrian army first, and then go back with Blücher to deal with the damn French.
But he knew that the French did not care about the life and death of the Austrian army, but he must care about the survival of the Southern Netherlands Parliament.
After cursing angrily for more than ten minutes, he ordered the Hanoverian army to turn north again and rush back to Antolfo.
Less than two days after his troops walked, the infantry regiment previously sent to support the Dutch sent back news that it was ambushed by the French army on the way and lost hundreds of people.
(End of chapter)