Capítulo 165: Chapter 165: Siege of Baden
Now, the French army had aggressively approached and arrived before him, making him see his imminent doom right before his eyes.
This time, Napoleon was determined to crush the rebellion. He wouldn't show any mercy toward these rebel forces. In order to lead France to greater heights, he had to completely control all territories and powers within France. Otherwise, it would have a significant impact on France's future strategic planning.
France deployed an infantry division and a cavalry division, aiming to solve all the problems once and for all. With the military strength France had invested, it could undoubtedly achieve the expected objectives. The various factions along the Rhine River were nothing but scattered forces, not worth worrying about. The French army could easily sweep through and annihilate them all!
On the border of the Rhine River, the forces of an infantry division had already gathered. As for Müler's cavalry division, it was deployed along the border, ready to cross into Baden for battle upon command.
"Colonel Roland, this is Major General Müler's military report," a communication officer handed Roland the report.
Although Roland commanded the infantry division with the rank of colonel, no one in the army dared to underestimate him. This was not only because of Roland's background but also because of his ability. In the continuous wars, Roland had proven himself to be naturally gifted in military command.
As for his rank, it was not an issue. Once this battle ended, Roland's promotion to general was a foregone conclusion. At the same time, he would break Napoleon's record and become the youngest general in France after Napoleon.
Roland took Müler's military report and smiled slightly. The report was an invitation from Müler to join the attack.
"Hmph, overestimating their abilities. Since you want to court death, don't blame us. Order the battalions to begin the attack," Roland issued the command. He had no favorable impression of these rebel forces either. Today's battle would see their complete annihilation.
Soon, the orders were passed down to the regiments and battalions under the division. Subsequently, each unit crossed the Rhine River and advanced toward Baden on the opposite bank. According to the previous battle plan, Roland's infantry division would serve as the main force.
Of course, Roland had to resolve this war swiftly. He hadn't brought along supplies, and the original plan was for a quick victory—to crush Duke de Damgan's rebellion before the rebel forces and foreign opposition had a chance to react.
The soldiers' advancing footsteps thundered together, echoing like rolling thunder. It was Roland's first time commanding such a large army, and he felt a slight pressure, but nothing too overwhelming. He didn't let himself get too nervous.
Meanwhile, Duke de Damgan's forces were not deployed along the Rhine River but were instead entirely huddled within Baden. As the French army gathered, Duke de Damgan was actively probing the true strength of the French forces.
In Duke de Damgan's view, Napoleon was simply favoring his relatives. A young lad in his twenties, Roland dared to command a division of ten thousand infantrymen just because he was Napoleon's nephew. Duke de Damgan couldn't fathom how he had the audacity.
...
On the afternoon of November 23rd, while the enemy was still caught off guard, Roland's infantry division crossed the Rhine River and reached Baden. Baden was just a remote small town with low city walls and inadequate defenses. After long exposure to the elements, the walls had become weathered and decrepit, something Roland, who was used to the robust defenses of the Austrians, found rather uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, inside the city of Baden, Duke de Damgan was actively deploying defenses. In addition to his existing troops, he had enlisted an additional three thousand men. Though they knew it was nearly impossible to completely repel the French army, they hoped to delay their advance slightly, waiting for reinforcements from the British and Dutch.
"Colonel Roland, the frontline scouts have confirmed that all rebel forces are holed up inside the city of Baden. They seem to be planning to use it as their stronghold to resist our army," a communication officer reported to Roland.
"Hmph, Duke de Damgan's thinking is just too simplistic. Does he think that by hiding inside the city, we won't be able to touch them? Have the artillery ready. Give them a heavy bombardment half an hour from now! Before sunset, I want to be camping inside Baden," Roland ordered.
"Yes, Colonel," the messenger immediately rode off to relay the command.
Moments later, all the cannons of the French army were brought out. They were lined up in a row, with their dark, gaping muzzles fixed firmly on the small town of Baden. With a single command, these cannons would annihilate the town and all the rebel forces within.
Since the rebel forces had not organized effective resistance, Roland directly ordered the cannons to be pushed forward to a position less than two kilometers from the walls of Baden. This significantly increased the accuracy of the French artillery.
According to the organization, a French infantry division would typically have three artillery battalions. Each infantry battalion was equipped with 18 cannons, meaning that an infantry division would have around 54 cannons.
When these mortar cannons appeared outside the city of Baden, the rebel defenders' faces turned pale. Their minds were still immersed in the period of the Hundred Years' War between England and France! Back then, artillery technology was not mature, so the French army did not have a large number of cannons. Originally, they thought they could hold off the French army with their city walls! But when they saw the densely packed muzzles under the city walls, they realized they might have been a bit off.
"Damn Napoleon, how does his army have so many cannons? He must have used all the Bourbon dynasty's money to make cannons, he's a military dictator." On the city walls, Duke Gan was angrily cursing Napoleon.
His hatred for Napoleon was indescribable in words because this military dictator had turned the nobles of his Bourbon dynasty into miserable dogs. Otherwise, he wouldn't be hiding in this small broken city, but enjoying a luxurious life in Paris.
So when Duke Gan wanted to oppose Napoleon, as long as he was against Napoleon, Duke Gan was all for it. He didn't care what the British were thinking when they came to him. He only wanted to restore the rights of the past.
However, reality did not give Duke Gan a chance to follow his imagination. After all the artillery was ready, Roland ordered the artillery to fire. Fifty-four 15-pound mortar cannons began to fire madly. The target of the shelling was the low and dilapidated walls of Baden.
All these French artillerymen had just come down from the Italian battlefield, each one with rich combat experience. In their hands, these cannons erupted with unparalleled power, and countless shells flew towards Baden, giving the defenders a taste of what it was like to be under a rain of bullets.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The intensive explosions continued to echo inside and outside the walls of Baden, shells bursting on the walls, easily blasting huge gaps in the old weathered walls, with flying debris.
The rebel soldiers on the city walls were trembling with fear. They were stunned by the powerful bombardment of the French army—when had they ever seen such fierce artillery fire?
"Boom!"
Many of the rebel soldiers were filled with fear. Especially when the shells exploded on the walls, shrapnel flying indiscriminately, harvesting lives at will. Some of the more timid soldiers were so scared that they even wet themselves.
Suddenly, a muffled sound rang out. The dilapidated walls of Baden collapsed under the intense artillery barrage of the French. Many rebel soldiers on the walls were buried alive inside.
"Cease fire, infantry advance!" Seeing this situation, Roland immediately gave the order to attack.
"Attack!" With Roland's command, the French soldiers immediately formed up and pressed toward the city of Baden. This was when the experience of the veteran soldiers began to show.
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