章 128: Chapter 128: Striking it Rich
Soon, Mura's cavalry formed up and surrounded the small town. Countless French cavalrymen arranged themselves in formation, drawing their sabers, encircling the town with fierce expressions and unwavering combat intent.
"Bring out the 5-pound cannons," Mura commanded his soldiers. Ever since their last use of the captured Austrian 5-pound cannons, Mura had developed a deep affection for this type of weapon.
Unlike other cannons, the 5-pounder, due to the Austrians' immature casting techniques, was smaller and lighter, easily pulled by just one horse. Its light weight meant high mobility, allowing these cannons to move quickly with Mura's cavalry and provide firepower when needed.
"Report, General, the cannons are ready and can fire at any time," a staff officer reported to Mura.
"Good, fire!" Mura nodded.
"Fire!" With Mura's command, the artillerymen immediately began to operate the cannons, firing towards the nearby town of Kacha.
Orange flames flashed at the muzzles as shells whistled towards the entrenched positions within the town.
At this moment, the Austrian soldiers had just finished their work. Many were exhausted, and some were lining up to receive food, as the cooks brought baskets of dark bread.
However, suddenly, a sharp whistling sound came from above.
"What's that?" Some Austrian soldiers asked in surprise.
Kacha was a rear city, untouched by the war that had broken out, so the Austrians here lacked a sense of crisis.
"Artillery fire! Damn it, it's the French, this is French artillery fire! Take cover!" A young Austrian lieutenant shouted in panic.
But before the Austrian troops could react, the shells were already falling.
"Boom!"
Intense explosions rang out, and powerful shockwaves spread in all directions. Countless Austrian soldiers felt their bodies tossed like autumn leaves in the wind, easily swept up into the sky. Many were torn to pieces in the explosion.
Even the baskets of dark bread were shattered into fragments in the violent explosion.
Like raindrops falling from the sky, the artillery shells rained down, turning the Austrian positions into graves. The shockwaves from the explosions swept across the entire position, leaving behind craters everywhere. The facilities within the city were completely destroyed. The Austrian troops defending the position suffered heavy casualties.
After the French artillery barrage ceased, the entire position was left in ruins. The surviving Austrian troops were few and far between. Even those who survived were too injured to stand.
"General, these Austrian troops before us are truly pathetic. Their combat capability is even less than that of our domestic police force," said Mirella's adjutant, looking disdainfully at the panicked Austrian troops in Kacha city after the artillery barrage. In his eyes, this group hardly resembled a military force; they looked more like armed civilians.
"Well, Pierson, don't expect too much from them. After all, they are just Austrian logistics troops. In essence, they are laborers. Such troops have no real combat power," Mirella calmly remarked.
"Alright, now that the enemy troops in the city have been dazed by our artillery, it's a good time to attack. Listen to my command, all troops, charge and capture this city!"
"Charge!" With Mirella's order, the cavalry, already in formation, immediately brandished their sabers and charged into the city. The Austrian troops, just subjected to intense artillery fire, were unable to react in time. Combined with the fact that Kacha had almost no proper fortifications, they were easily overrun by the French.
"From now on, this place is French territory," General Mirella said triumphantly as the French flag rose over Kacha.
Subsequently, the French continued to expand their attack within the city. During this period, the resistance of the Austrian troops was extremely weak. Faced with the French onslaught, many Austrian soldiers even threw down their weapons and mixed among the civilians, attempting to escape.
With the morale of the Austrian troops shattered, resisting the French advance was impossible. In less than an hour, the entire Austrian position fell into the hands of the French. The few thousand Austrian troops stationed here, except for those killed in the bombings, all surrendered to the French.
Initially, the French expected to face a tough urban battle against the Austrians. However, in the end, the French officers and soldiers realized they had overestimated the Austrians.
The Austrian troops stationed in Kacha were a ragtag group. They had been hastily conscripted by the Austrian emperor; just the day before, they were ordinary civilians. Forced into uniforms and onto the battlefield, particularly as logistics troops, they were selected more for their lack of physical fitness than any military prowess. Their combat effectiveness was consequently dismal, and they were abandoned.
Their lack of training, outdated equipment, and low morale meant they were not prepared for a major battle. As soon as the French cannons began firing, they were thoroughly frightened. This led to instances of panic and desertion among the Austrians.
The attacking French were cavalry, and had the Austrians been determined to engage in urban warfare, they might have caused some trouble for the French. However, lacking courage, the Austrians had no intention of continuing the fight.
By late afternoon, General Mirella's central cavalry division had fully controlled Kacha. The city's mayor and garrison officials had long since fled, and the entire city was under French control.
"Carefully assess the casualties!" With Kacha firmly occupied by the French, Mirella issued orders.
"Report: in this operation, our forces killed over 1,800 enemy soldiers and captured 2,000. Our losses were fewer than 300 men." Following this, an officer handed Mirella a document detailing the casualty count.
"Oh! That truly counts as a major victory," Mirella remarked with a hint of joy as he reviewed the report.
"General, come see this, we're going to be rich!" Just as Mirella was reveling in victory, another French colonel suddenly ran over, excitedly exclaiming about the opportunity for plunder.
"What's going on?" Mirella was puzzled by the man's behavior and couldn't understand what he was saying.
"General, there are many things in the city's warehouses!" The colonel shouted at Mirella, who instantly caught on.
"Warehouses!" Mirella's mood suddenly shifted. "Yes! This was an Austrian logistics hub; there must be a lot of Austrian supplies here." Thinking this, Mirella's excitement grew, eager to find out exactly what valuable goods they had captured.
"Take me there quickly," Mirella waved, eager to see for himself.
"Yes, General Mirella," the officer said excitedly, leading the way. Roland followed closely behind.
At the warehouses in Kacha, Mirella rode his horse swiftly, drawn by the allure of the supplies.
By now, a group of French soldiers had gathered in front of the warehouses, all visibly excited. It was clear that the captured goods had overwhelmed their senses.
"General Mirella, we're going to be rich! We're going to be rich! I just made a rough estimate with the men; there are at least three hundred carts of grain in this city, plus cannonballs, gunpowder, and even fine wine," exclaimed the French officer responsible for counting the supplies as he ran up to Mirella.
"What? That much? That's incredible," Mirella said, his heart skipping a beat despite his expectations.
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