Bab 194: Chapter 194: The Verdun Meat Grinder (3)
Not long after the first round of simultaneous fire, these ten large cannons unleashed a second volley. This round of fire once again caused dozens of casualties and threw the Prussian army into chaos. Everyone knew they couldn't stay there and take the cannon fire, but they had no clear plan of action. Some brave souls attempted to charge towards the cannons, only to trigger landmines along the way. Others, more timid, retreated to the rear, trying to find cover, only to trigger more landmines.
Amidst the chaos, an organized assault seemed impossible. The troops could only scramble back as best as they could to save as many lives as possible. During the retreat, they had to painstakingly clear the minefields, a much more efficient job than the British had done to identify these narrow areas.
"General, the enemy has been pushed back after just a few volleys of our cannons. We've had minimal casualties, it's incredible," said an officer from one of the Northern legions excitedly to Joseph, who was observing the battle through binoculars.
There were many officers in the Northern legions who knew Joseph, having been saved by the Bonaparte brothers in the past. While there had been some tension between the Bonaparte family and the Northern legions, their reputation was still positive within the army.
"Who said we had minimal casualties? We just lost several soldiers," Joseph corrected. He raised his binoculars again to survey the situation, sighed, and shook his head. "We lost one of our breastworks, and another minefield is nearly gone. Some of the mines were even removed – how can you call that minimal casualties?"
"General, are there any techniques we can use for those mines that are easy to spot?" the officer asked.
"Of course, like reducing the amount of explosive material, decreasing the size, and lowering the cost," Joseph replied, genuinely concerned.
After spending half a day destroying a hastily built breastwork and efficiently dismantling a French minefield, the Anglo-Prussian coalition forces returned to their starting positions.
This was undoubtedly a significant setback, but compared to the two other pieces of bad news they received that evening, it seemed almost inconsequential.
The first piece of bad news was that the Russian Tsar and the French had negotiated peace. After a period of stalemate in Italy, the authorized Russian consul in the Venetian Republic and the French consul, with special powers, reached a peace agreement. According to this agreement, France guaranteed to Russia strict control over arms exports, while Russia agreed to purchase a batch of weapons from France. The two countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation in academia, culture, and various other fields.
"Those blasted Russians! I knew they were unreliable. If they hadn't double-crossed us last time, we would have… and now they've double-crossed us again!" the Duke of Brunswick cursed in anger.
"These Russians! Just half a month ago, they extorted a hefty sum from us!" Major George Cavendish was equally infuriated. "I've never seen such audacious people!"
"At this critical moment, when we're about to capture Paris, the Tsar betrays us. I can't fathom his logic. Doesn't he realize we're about to win?" the Duke of Brunswick wondered aloud. "Some say he's not even Peter III's legitimate son. But after this act, I doubt anyone will believe those baseless rumors!"
Peter III, during the Seven Years' War, had unexpectedly switched sides, leading to France's defeat and saving Prussia at a time when Frederick the Great was on the verge of defeat. Yet, his actions had been so outlandish and contrary to Russia's interests that his wife, Catherine the Great, had orchestrated a coup to remove him from power.
"But regardless of all this, the instability is now on the French side," Lieutenant Cavendish said with a somewhat optimistic tone, and his status, despite his relatively low rank, commanded respect due to his noble lineage.
This news meant that the southern threat from France had effectively dissipated. Now, they needed to expedite the capture of Verdun and seize Paris before Napoleon arrived. Otherwise, the outcome of the war would look grim.
The second piece of bad news was that the continuous rainy weather in southern France had ended. There had been two consecutive days of clear skies, and if this trend continued, the road conditions from the south to the north of France would rapidly improve. This implied that Napoleon's march with the Italian Legion would speed up, and if the British and Prussians couldn't capture Verdun before Napoleon's arrival, it would be nearly impossible to take this fortress.
Faced with this urgency, the British decided, in conjunction with the Prussians, to launch a strong offensive as soon as possible, even at a high cost, to capture Verdun and occupy Paris.
The next morning, both the Prussians and the British sent large forces from multiple directions into their starting positions, preparing for a full-scale assault.
This caught Joseph's attention, and he quickly arrived at the command center to coordinate the fortress defense. Reports from various observation points came in, detailing the enemy's movements.
"What are these people thinking? In warfare, shouldn't they launch probing attacks from various directions first to understand the enemy's defenses and then attack with focus and strategy? What are they doing? Do they understand tactics at all?" Mura commented upon hearing these reports.
If Napoleon were here, he would have likely chuckled and said, "Alas, Murat, you're discussing tactics now?"
However, since Napoleon wasn't there, and Joseph, despite not being known for sharp wit, genuinely considered the situation. He explained, "I believe the enemy is aware of Russia's withdrawal from the war and the improved weather in the south. They are likely concerned that Napoleon's Italian Legion will arrive soon, so they're launching an early assault. As for probing attacks, today's attacks are, in essence, probes from multiple directions—they have to save time. According to our calculations, they don't have enough troops to launch a full-scale assault from so many directions. This must be an all-around probe."
After this explanation, Joseph turned his attention back to the map, studying it carefully. Then he issued orders: "We must preserve our defenses for the future. Today, artillery must not use cannons heavier than 12 pounds, and only single-bore cannons are allowed in combat. 'Canister shot' is prohibited. When using 'wide-sword' mines, the simultaneous detonation of more than three is prohibited. Flamethrowers are not allowed, and 'little melon launchers' are also forbidden. In other areas, we should hold our ground. Zones 1, 7, 12... may slightly retreat but must not fall back beyond the second trench."
Soon, the British and Prussians initiated their attacks from multiple directions. Although, as Joseph had anticipated, these simultaneous attacks were more sound than fury, exerting limited pressure on the defensive positions. Nevertheless, because of Joseph's prohibitions, the troops appeared to be quite active.
After a day of battle, the British and Prussians jointly assessed the results of their attacks and identified several problems on the enemy's side. First, the French had received more support for modern weapons, but their shortage of artillery, especially due to losses on the Northern front, was evident. It seemed that their mines were also in limited supply, with some minefields having a lower density than others. Moreover, the cleared minefields contained a mix of old and new mines, which, in the eyes of the British and Prussians, showed an insufficient number of mines.
However, these issues could potentially improve over time, given the presence of numerous military factories near Paris. Thus, the coalition forces needed to launch their assault quickly, or else the fortress would grow stronger with each passing day.
The Duke of Brunswick, General Blücher, and other British commanders focused their attention on the two weak points that seemed to be traps while considering other segments more suitable for defense. These would become their main targets for tomorrow's attacks.
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