Chapter 446: The Opportunity for a Flanking Maneuver is Something You Have to Create Yourself
Marshal Lacy tried everything to dissuade the French Prince from his plan, but since Joseph didn't report to him and held a much higher rank, Lacy had no choice but to immediately report the situation to Vienna.
The next morning, General Kellermann set off with his troops in a grand procession, passing directly in front of the Prussian lines and politely saluting their opponents before heading toward Ratibor.
On the Prussian side, Duke Brunswick watched through his telescope as the French troops gradually disappeared into the distance, and he frowned, muttering to himself, "A force of over twenty thousand, heading in the direction of Ratibor. We must have severely underestimated Reo's importance to the Austrians. Lacy is willing to sacrifice his front-line forces just to rescue him."
Prussian cavalry commander General Krockow suggested, "Marshal, this could be the perfect opportunity to concentrate our forces and break through the Austrian lines!"
Duke Brunswick remained silent for a long time before shaking his head. "The risk of launching a major offensive on the front lines is too great. I believe that the chance of success in killing Reo is much higher. We just need to send more troops than the Austrians."
Meanwhile, in the Silesian command tent of the Saxon army, an official who had come from Dresden to deliver supplies was earnestly advising General Maurice, "You know, the whole country is buzzing with rumors about Reo being captured? They say Leopold II is on the verge of losing his mind!"
The official had recently received money from a merchant who supposedly had a grudge against Reo and was willing to pay a large sum to convince General Maurice to eliminate that Austrian bastard. Of course, this so-called Saxon merchant was actually a French intelligence agent.
Taking money made the official feel obligated to deliver the message, but it was ultimately up to General Maurice to decide what to do.
"But I've heard Reo is only surrounded, not captured," Maurice replied with a smile. "Right now, all of Europe is focused on Reo's situation. If you play a part in capturing him, you'll be famous."
As he spoke, an officer entered the tent and whispered a few words into Maurice's ear. Maurice's eyes narrowed as the officer informed him that earlier that day, Duke Brunswick had sent General Derisson with nearly thirty thousand soldiers to Ratibor.
Maurice quickly made up his mind and said to his official friend, "You're right. I should head to Ratibor."
That afternoon, Duke Brunswick, unable to resist the constant pleas from the Saxon commander, agreed to allow him to send seven thousand Saxon troops to reinforce General Erwin.
At the same time, Bavarian army commander General Ernst listened to Berthier and nodded, "It seems you're right. General Reo's situation is indeed dire."
After the rebels in the Southern Netherlands were suppressed, Duke Karl Theodor of Bavaria had no further interest in claiming the area—war had devastated it, and the Walloon region was entangled with French interests, making it far from the prosperous Burgundy he had envisioned. Therefore, Theodor had been looking for a way to withdraw from the Austrian alliance or at least avoid further involvement in the conflict between Prussia and Austria. But he was also worried about offending Austria, which is why he still maintained a force of over six thousand troops in Silesia.
General Ernst, aware of his king's intentions, saw Ratibor as a good opportunity. If he could help rescue such an important Austrian figure as Reo, perhaps Reo could put in a good word for him with Leopold II, potentially allowing Bavaria to withdraw from Silesia.
The next morning, Ernst himself led the main Bavarian force and quietly set out for Ratibor— in this era of highly unreliable communication, as long as he kept a low profile, leaving his post for a week or two wouldn't even alert Marshal Lacy.
Meanwhile, the only ones in the entire Silesian region who weren't focused on Ratibor were Joseph and his Imperial Guard Corps.
"Your Highness, that ahead is Breslau," Berthier reined in his horse, pointing to where the river disappeared into the hills. "And that is the Oder River."
Joseph, still unfamiliar with the terrain of Silesia, pulled out his map to check before nodding. "Have the chasseurs expand their search radius. The Prussians might not take the most direct route."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Berthier gave instructions to the messenger and then urged his horse to catch up with Joseph and the others.
Yes, they were scouting the battlefield.
The Imperial Guard Corps had left the Liegnitz front two days ago, quickly marching to the junction of Oberlohn and Breslau in just under two days. Although this was Prussian territory, almost all the Prussian troops had been sent to Ratibor, so they hadn't encountered any enemies along the way.
Of course, Joseph's actions were also very risky. They were deep in Silesian territory. If Duke Brunswick realized what was happening and immediately sent troops to cut off the Imperial Guard Corps' retreat to the west, they could be surrounded in less than half a day.
But Joseph knew the Prussians were fully focused on Ratibor, with their remaining attention on the Liegnitz front. His rapid advance was dangerous but likely to succeed.
The key factor was the speed of the Imperial Guard Corps. Even if local garrisons spotted the Imperial Guard, by the time they reported to Duke Brunswick and Brunswick sent troops to intercept them, the Imperial Guard would likely have "finished the job" and left.
After thoroughly inspecting the planned battlefield, Joseph and the officers of the General Staff returned to their camp, refining their strategy over and over until dusk. Even then, the Prussian forces had not yet arrived.
General Derisson's corps had left the Liegnitz front three days earlier. The Imperial Guard had set out half a day after them but had arrived first and had already been waiting for half a day.
At around 10 a.m. the next day, the sound of galloping hooves stopped outside the command tent. A chasseur dismounted and reported to the corps commander, "Prussian forces spotted, four kilometers to the northeast. At least twenty thousand troops."
It wasn't that the Imperial Guard's scouting wasn't thorough; they simply hadn't spread the chasseurs too far out to avoid detection by the Prussians.
Inside the tent, Joseph and Berthier exchanged smiles. "Finally, they're here."
"Yes, their march was quite slow."
Orders were quickly distributed to each company, and soon the entire Imperial Guard Corps was on the move.
Unlike other European armies, the Imperial Guard's cavalry artillery, protected by cavalry, bypassed the infantry battalions and headed straight for the Prussian forces.
(Chapter ends)
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