Bab 410: Chapter 324: France's Inexpensive Troops

Yes, the Guard Corps also placed great emphasis on counter-reconnaissance.

Within the cavalry of the Guard Corps, a full third were dispersed to carry out reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance missions.

Joseph knew that at present, the combat quality of the cavalry of the Guard Corps was not advantageous—the cavalry is a very difficult branch to train, and students from the Paris Police Academy, having merely undergone a year and a half of study, could hardly be considered elite cavalry.

Therefore, the battle deployment of the Guard Corps did not rely too heavily on cavalry, but rather took advantage of their youth, tirelessness, and passion, utilizing them as scouts.

This intensive use of cavalry for counter-reconnaissance made it very difficult for Blucher's hussars to get close enough to the Guard Corps, and therefore impossible to ascertain an accurate number of soldiers.

In fact, the Guard Corps faced by Blucher numbered 13,000 men, far greater than he had anticipated.