Indeed, the Imperial Guard placed a high priority on counter-reconnaissance. A full third of the Guard's hussars were sent out on scouting and counter-reconnaissance missions.
Joseph knew that the combat readiness of the Guard's cavalry wasn't superior—cavalry was a difficult unit to train, and after only a year and a half of training, the Paris police cadets couldn't yet be considered elite cavalry. Thus, the Guard's battle plans didn't rely heavily on cavalry; instead, they focused on using their youth, energy, and passion as scouts.
This intense cavalry reconnaissance made it nearly impossible for Blücher's hussars to get close enough to the Imperial Guard to accurately assess their numbers. In reality, Blücher was facing a force of 13,000 Guardsn, far more than he had anticipated.
This was even after Joseph, to play it safe, had left the Moulin regint in Luxembourg City—of course, this was also to avoid scaring the Prussian army too much, so they wouldn't refuse to engage in battle later.
After confirming the enemy's situation with the hussars, Berthier looked relieved. "It seems our planned tough battle won't happen. There are only about 5,000 enemy troops here, along with 30 cannons."
Joseph, observing the enemy infantry line through his telescope, recalled his military theory lessons from the police academy and said cautiously, "It looks like the Dutch National Guard over there. We need to take them seriously."
Berthier was a bit surprised. "Your Highness, if I rember correctly, less than a fifth of the South Netherlands army is made up of regular soldiers; the rest are just hastily assembled citizens."
Joseph shook his head. "Trust , these 'hastily assembled' troops are no easier to deal with than the Prussian army."
He was well aware of the fervor that the South Netherlands rebels historically exhibited, a fervor that even surpassed that of the French Revolution. This passion for the republic caused significant problems for Europe's old powers.
"Yes, Your Highness," Berthier bowed slightly. "I'll approach this with caution."
He turned and quickly discussed tactics with the other staff officers, referencing the previous tactical plans, before issuing a series of orders to the ssengers.
Soon, the Imperial Guard's infantry lined up opposite the Dutch troops, over 7,000 strong, clearly taking the latter very seriously.
The South Netherlands forces had already spotted the French troops—at this distance, they could see the opposing army with the naked eye.
General Peter Rodrigues van Witt rode along the front of his infantry line, loudly rallying the troops. "Citizens, this will be the final battle before the great South Netherlands Republic is established! It will also be a very tough one. But if you hold back the brutal French here, General Blücher will crush the Austrian army! After that, nothing can stop the establishnt of the Republic! Free Dutchn will rember you forever! Long live the Republic!"
The soldiers imdiately shouted back, "Long live the Republic!"
"Drive out the greedy Austrian king!"
"Long live freedom and human rights!"
These young faces were filled with fervor and fearlessness. If soone told them that giving their lives would establish the South Netherlands Republic, they would rush to their deaths without hesitation.
Bullets and cannons were, in their eyes, just thorns on the path to freedom and human rights. Even if they bled from these wounds, their blood would only make the Republic more vivid and beautiful.
This is why they could endure heavy casualties on the battlefield, with their formations remaining intact even after losing a quarter of their numbers—a threshold far beyond the 10% that typically broke the armies of European powers. Of course, the French Imperial Guard could likely withstand similar losses, but no army had yet inflicted such casualties on them.
As General Witt kept a close watch on the advancing French infantry and the skirmishers who might appear at any mont, one of his aides suddenly called out in a panicked tone, "General, cavalry! It's French cavalry!"
General Witt quickly raised his telescope to where the aide was pointing and saw, under a cloud of dust, a large group of riders erging from behind the French lines.
He frowned. "A large cavalry charge isn't suitable for attacking a narrow infantry line."
The aide imdiately replied, "That's why they must be targeting our cannons on the hillside!"
Unlike what's often depicted in TV shows, where cavalry charge into infantry formations and wreak havoc, in real battles, cavalry rarely attacked infantry head-on—infantry bayonets ford a dense wall that could stop horses, and cavalry would suffer heavy losses from musket fire during the approach and retreat. Given the high cost of cavalry, it wasn't worth the trade, even if they could cut down a few infantryn.
So, cavalry tactics typically involved using their mobility to probe for weak points in the infantry's formation or to attack the flanks when the infantry were slow to reposition.
But when it ca to artillery, cavalry didn't have such concerns. They would charge straight at the cannons, slashing at the gunners to quickly neutralize the threat.
In this era, artillery was cumberso and slow, with poor accuracy. Cavalry could adjust their charge angle to avoid cannon fire, leaving the artilleryn almost defenseless.
Thus, cavalry were the arch-nesis of artillery, bar none. Artillery was usually protected by infantry or stationed safely behind the main lines.
At this mont, Blücher had positioned his cannons on the hills flanking his infantry line. While this offered excellent firing angles, it left the cannons vulnerable to cavalry attacks.
General Witt turned to a ssenger and shouted, "Quick, order the cavalry to protect the cannons! And request reinforcents from Major Hild—his cavalry must return to help defend!"
"Yes, General!"
Soon, the few cavalry units of the South Netherlands forces were dispatched, racing toward the western hillside—where the French cavalry were charging from. If they could reach the hill first, they could position themselves above the French cavalry and gain a tactical advantage.
anwhile, Prussian cavalry commander Major Hild also led his six squadrons toward their artillery on the right flank to defend it.
When these two cavalry forces arrived in front of their respective artillery positions, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. Now, they were just waiting to see the cannons smash the French infantry line!
But to their surprise, the dust-raising French cavalry didn't charge at either Prussian artillery position. Instead, they rode straight to the front of the infantry line.
General Witt lowered his telescope, chuckling as he turned to his aide. "Do the French value their cavalry so little that they're willing to sacrifice them in a head-on charge against our infantry?"
"No, no! General, that's not it!" The aide, still peering through his telescope, suddenly shouted, "Those aren't cavalryn—they're horse artillery!"
General Witt frowned and looked again through his telescope. Sure enough, behind the horses were about a dozen cannons being wheeled into position, aid directly at the Dutch infantry line.
"What are they doing?" General Witt was baffled. Did the French value their artillery so little? At this close range, they might only get off ten rounds before his cavalry reached them—they wouldn't even have ti to escape.
(End of Chapter)
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