Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Blucher pointed with his whip at the Order Officer and shouted, "Throw away everything that's not necessary for combat! Toss the heavy artillery too! The entire army must advance at least 2.5 miles daily!"

Taunus, standing by, hurriedly said, "General, without the cannon how can we attack the Mantua..."

"Let the Sardinians supplement us once we reach Lombardy," Blucher frowned, "Time is the most important thing right now!"

Soon, numerous wagons were pushed down into the valley, and the speed of the Prussian army's advance suddenly increased.

Six days later, Blucher finally saw the snowless southern end of the St. Gotthard Pass through his telescope, showing rare relaxation on his face.

He waved his hand to Major Kleist, the commander of the Hussars, signaling: "Immediately set up a guard line outside the pass."

"Yes, General!"

Two hours later, five Prussian cavalry squadrons came down the slopes of the Alps.

Kleist felt the dry and solid ground under his horse's hooves and was about to instruct several Captains to spread out for reconnaissance when suddenly a deafening boom came from the ridges on the north and south sides.

The two cavalrymen at the forefront vanished in an instant like sand blown by the wind, leaving only a splash of blood on the ground.

"Retreat! Fall back!" Kleist quickly pulled the reins, turning to run back up the mountain.

The cannon fire persisted, and, unfortunately, more than a dozen Prussian cavalrymen were hit by cannonballs, exploding into countless pieces.

After receiving the cavalry's report, Blucher did not give up immediately.

According to timing, the French had likely just arrived as well, and it was imperative to seize the opportunity before they set up defensive positions, to rush past at all costs.

Soon, over 800 soldiers from the 21st Royal Grenadier Battalion spread out and charged toward the pass, accompanied by two squadrons of Hussars providing cover on their sides.

However, Ney gave them no chance whatsoever.

At both sides of the pass, 28 cannons had long been stationed, their positions chosen after repeated refinement and pre-aiming to ensure each shot would not miss.

Though the Prussian grenadiers were exceptionally brave, they barely charged beyond 400 meters, leaving behind more than 300 bodies amid the thunderous cannon fire, before retreating.

Even if they had managed to reach the pass, they would face tens of thousands of Auguste 1797 riflemen.

With a pass scarcely a kilometer wide, only three to four thousand men could emerge at once, easily shattered by a few rounds of volleys.

Blucher organized two more assaults, both quickly repelled.

Finally, he realized he was trapped in the Alps.

That evening, his staff reported the remaining supplies in the army - food would last 14 days, ammunition enough for two moderate-scale battles.

After hesitating for half a day, Blucher decisively left two regiments to cover the retreat, leading the main force back to Switzerland.

Switzerland, though barren, offered some sustenance, whereas staying on the mountain guaranteed starvation.

On the third day of his return, he encountered the remnants of Huo Ce's forces in the vast snowy expanse...

Northern Italy.

Moro looked back at the broad Po River, whipped to the forefront of the troops, and shouted to the soldiers: "Four years ago, the Austrians were scattered here like rabbits; now we'll relish that hunting time again!"

The soldiers immediately erupted in cheers, each one elevating their spirits as if about to hunt.

This was the lower reaches of the Po River, where the Austrian Army's offensive position did not extend.

After hastening along the southern bank of the Po River for two and a half days, Moro confirmed that there were only small groups of Austrian troops across the river and quickly built a floating bridge to rush across.

He did not worry that scattered deserters would report to Archduke Karl. His objective was to disrupt the Austrian Army's deployment and relieve pressure on the Mantua defensive line.

Besides, even if Archduke Karl received the news, he would suspect it was only a small-scale harassment by the French Army. By the time he sent cavalry to verify the situation, Moro would have moved far away.

As for now, a Prussian army was already trapped in eastern Switzerland, as long as the Mantua fortress had no issues, France stood to gain significantly.

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In September 1808, Victor, who had just been conferred as the Duke of Belluno, commanded the First Army (29,000 men) to follow the Emperor in an expedition to Spain. On November 9th, the First Army launched a fierce attack on General Blake's Spanish left-wing corps at Espinoza, causing a major defeat for the Spanish army, losing nearly 5,000 men. On November 30th, they broke through the last barrier to the Spanish capital Madrid—the Somoserra Mountains pass which reached 1500 feet in altitude. On December 2nd, they captured Madrid. In 1809, the Spanish commander Duke of Infante concentrated 21,000 men southeast of Madrid to plan a raid on the capital but was heavily defeated by Victor on January 13 at Ucles, leading to the Duke's dismissal. On March 28, Victor led 18,000 French troops and engaged General Cuesta's Spanish Army at Medellin on the Portugal-Spain border. Despite their numerical advantage, with infantry exceeding the French by 6,000 men, the Spanish Army attacked first, while the French Army tenaciously resisted and successfully maintained their formation; after intense defensive battles, Victor counterattacked and routed the Spanish Army, causing over ten thousand casualties. On April 22, Wellington led over 20,000 British troops to land in Portugal and, joining the Portuguese Army, defeated Marshal Soult, who had penetrated into Portugal, and then proceeded into Spain victorious. The French army hurriedly concentrated their forces, attempting to drive the British back into the sea, but Victor, eager to launch a first strike, attacked the defensive position of Talavera held by the British Army at dusk on July 27th, gaining ground initially but failing to expand his success due to the growing nightfall. On the morning of the 28th, Victor launched another fierce assault, repeatedly trying to break through the British Army's left-wing without success. The British Army feigned retreat, using artillery behind the formation to heavily bombard the swarming French Army, and in just 40 minutes severely injured a French division, causing losses of more than 1,300 men. At 2:30 p.m., Victor made a desperate and strongest offensive, placing the British Army in a quite dire situation. After Wellington deployed the reserves, the situation stabilized. At dawn on the 29th, Victor secretly withdrew, ending the battle. This battle had a combined force of 55,441 for the British-Spanish allied forces (including 20,641 British troops) while the French army only had 20,000 men. In the battle, the French army lost 7,400 men, while the allied forces lost 6,500 men (including 5,600 British troops). During the battle, the French army demonstrated courage and fighting competence exceeding their opponent. If Victor had waited for the main force to arrive (thus the French army reaching 46,000 men) before attacking, it might have been the allied forces that faced defeat. Subsequently, the Emperor severely criticized Victor, accusing him of attacking the enemy occupying advantageous terrain without reconnaissance, thus 'sending soldiers to their deaths for nothing.' England did not consider this a victory either; the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Minister of the Army all resigned due to this battle.