Chapter 363: Good News Keeps Coming
On a hill about two kilometers away from the main force of the Hanoverian army, a small wooden table was set up with two cups of hot tea. Joseph picked up the plain cup, nodded to Berthier across the table, and took a leisurely sip.
"There's a lot of good news today," Joseph remarked with a smile.
Berthier nodded, smiling in return. "Indeed, Your Highness. Who would have thought that in their haste, the Hanoverian artillerymen would forget to destroy their cannons? We can even drag those 16 guns right up to their defensive line and double our firepower."
Just moments ago, the cavalry regiment of the Imperial Guard had reported back, announcing that they had easily wiped out the Hanoverian rear guard, which lacked infantry support. The Hanoverians, clearly not expecting the French to arrive so quickly, had barely put up any resistance before fleeing in disarray. Of course, they couldn't outrun the French hussars.
In just over two hours, the cavalry regiment of the Imperial Guard had captured over 800 Hanoverian soldiers, seized all 16 of their cannons, and taken a significant amount of supplies. As Berthier mentioned, the Hanoverian soldiers, in their panic, had forgotten even the most basic procedure of spiking their cannons or burning their wagons. The French cavalry simply drove away with over 80 wagons still harnessed to their horses, gleefully returning to camp.
As they spoke, an officer approached quickly, saluted, and reported, "Your Highness, General, our forces have broken through the left flank of the enemy's infantry line."
Berthier's face lit up with joy. He quickly grabbed his telescope to look toward the battlefield, but the thick smoke obscured his view. He turned back to the map and began analyzing the breakthrough location.
"It's here," the officer pointed to the northern side of a small river.
"Excellent!" Berthier exclaimed, excited. "If we coordinate the two skirmisher companies on the right with the 10th Infantry Regiment and push westward, we can encircle the enemy. Oh, and have the mounted artillery move to the left side of their line and drive them south, ensuring that the entire enemy force is trapped."
Joseph leaned in to examine the map. The Hanoverian infantry line stretched nearly two kilometers along the river valley. The Imperial Guard had concentrated six regiments on their front and northeastern sides, while a dozen cannons continued to bombard them from the eastern high ground. If Berthier's plan was executed, the Hanoverians would have no choice but to flee into the southern river, effectively sealing their fate.
The officer was about to relay the orders when Joseph intervened. "No, keep the current situation as it is. Instruct the troops to focus on neutralizing the enemy's cavalry forces and leave an opening for them to retreat toward Brussels."
Berthier looked at Joseph in shock. "Your Highness, this is a perfect opportunity to annihilate the enemy! Why would you—"
"This is a political consideration, General. I'll explain later," Joseph said with a smile, but his tone was firm. "For now, please follow my instructions."
Joseph wasn't joking. The Hanoverian army was a valuable asset. As long as they remained intact, Austria, mired in Silesia, couldn't afford to ignore France. Now that the Hanoverians had lost all their artillery, and with their cavalry significantly weakened, along with the blow to their morale, they would pose little threat to the Imperial Guard in the future. Once the "payments" were collected, they could be dealt with at any time.
After confirming Joseph's decision, Berthier, still puzzled, nevertheless issued the orders.
It seemed like a day full of good news. About an hour later, a messenger from the front arrived at the temporary command post, excitedly reporting to Joseph, "Your Highness, General Dill, the enemy commander, has sent word that they are willing to surrender."
"What?!" Joseph's face darkened immediately.
Seriously? I didn't even fully encircle you. There's a huge gap to the northwest, and you don't even try to escape? You're going to embarrass King George III at this rate!
In truth, it wasn't entirely General Dill's fault. His cavalry had just been chased into a valley, leaving them with no chance of returning. Without cavalry support, he couldn't be sure that retreating wouldn't lead to a massacre by French cavalry. Since he was only in temporary command, surrender seemed the safest option—especially since the blame would ultimately fall on Carl II.
Joseph turned to the officer and said sternly, "This must be a joke! The brave and fearless Hanoverian army would never surrender. This is surely a trap to lull us into complacency! Send that trickster back and tell his commander we won't be fooled!"
The officers looked at each other, bewildered.
Berthier was the first to catch on and leaned in to whisper, "Your Highness, is this also a 'political consideration'?"
"Exactly."
With no option to surrender, General Dill, under continued pressure from the Imperial Guard, had no choice but to risk retreating toward Brussels.
Once Joseph received the latest update on the battle, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the cavalry, who had worked hard all day, to rest while the infantry cautiously pursued the retreating enemy, careful not to enter the Brussels suburbs. The city was in the Flemish region, not currently part of France's strategic objectives.
...
"Gentlemen, do you still have the energy to teach those Dutch a lesson?"
Major Masson called out cheerfully to the soldiers sitting on the ground.
A chorus of enthusiastic shouts answered him, "Yes!"
"This is easier than our usual drills, Major!"
"We could march all the way to Amsterdam if you wanted! Haha!"
Pleased, Masson nodded and was about to order the final assault on Bronckhorst—over the past few days, he had managed to split the Dutch forces into three, killing or capturing more than 1,400 of them. At this point, Bronckhorst was desperately trying to reach Brussels, hoping for protection from the Hanoverians. However, in their haste, their formation had become disorganized, making them easy targets.
Just then, a hussar rode up quickly and reported to Masson, "Major, we've spotted a small group of Hanoverian soldiers near the northern woods. Judging by their uniforms, it seems there are a few high-ranking officers among them."
"Oh? Hanoverians?" Masson squinted. According to the intelligence from the general staff, the main Hanoverian force was supposed to be dozens of kilometers to the east. What were their officers doing here?
He quickly asked the hussar, "How many of them are there?"
"No more than 400, sir."
Masson glanced southwest, where nearly 2,000 Dutch troops were struggling to march in their disarray. Then he looked north, where the mysterious Hanoverian officers were.
Finally, his gaze settled on the north.
(End of Chapter)
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