The Fox of France

Chapter 161: Light Cavalry and a True Understanding

Orelot's position was quite a distance from Napoleon's main force, and their food supplies were limited. Orelot knew that their actions had to be swift to prevent more aristocrats from burning the food stores. So he immediately divided his cavalry into groups of fifty, led by their guides, and charged towards the nearby estates.

However, most of these estates had already seen the thick smoke rising, and some had begun to set fire to their own granaries. In these estates, there were Austrian soldiers stationed, not to protect the estates but to oversee their managers and ensure that the granaries were set on fire when the French army approached.

But not all Austrian soldiers were loyal to their posts. Upon seeing the smoke, some of them would shout, "Quick, set fire to the granary!" and then ride away. As they left, those who remained in the estates, closely associated with the fleeing aristocrats, quickly followed the retreating soldiers, leaving the task of burning the granaries to others.

However, when the higher-ups had fled, those who remained in the estates and saw the food inside the granaries had a different thought: Why burn it? What was the benefit in doing so? So, naturally, they refrained from setting the granaries ablaze.

In this way, Orelot swiftly acquired a significant amount of food. He sent messengers back to suggest to Napoleon that the main army move closer to the areas where they could easily gather supplies. It would be more advantageous to control the nearby villages, accumulate enough provisions, and cause trouble for the Austrians, even making it appear as if they aimed to turn Austria into Italy. Then they could observe the reactions of the Austrian forces.

Napoleon gathered his other commanders to discuss Orelot's suggestion. In the end, Napoleon, with far-reaching vision, stated, "Austria has a significant weakness, which lies in its diversity of ethnicities, languages, and internal contradictions. Even in peacetime, internal uprisings are frequent it is essentially a conglomerate nation with no true cohesiveness. Their army is their most crucial and almost sole means to hold the country together. So long as we prove the feebleness of the Austrian army to the Austrian people, the foundation of this nation will continue to weaken."

"How can we prove the weakness of the Austrian army?" Napoleon continued. "Directly attacking their fortresses would only expose our vulnerabilities. Instead, we must provoke them, force them into open field battles with us. Starting now, let us temporarily forget about Vienna and go to the Austrian countryside to rouse, arm, and organize the local farmers. As long as the Austrians have some political awareness left, they will understand that they cannot allow us to do this. I anticipate a series of small-scale cavalry and infantry skirmishes ahead. If we consistently inflict damage on the Austrians in these battles, they will have no choice but to submit to us."

Napoleon's speech gained widespread support from the commanders. So the next morning, the French army left their camp. Archduke Charles immediately ordered all his soldiers to prepare for the imminent French attack.

However, the French forces did not launch any assaults. Instead, they left the main road to Vienna and headed north.

"Archduke, should we send our cavalry to pursue them?" a officer named Fritz asked.

"Let the cavalry follow them, but do not engage the enemy too easily," Archduke Charles replied. "You take a thousand light cavalry and follow them."

So Fritz took a thousand light cavalry and followed.

Napoleon, of course, noticed the Austrian cavalry following them. He turned to Mura and said, "I'll give you two hundred cavalry. Can you drive them back?"

Mura looked at the Austrian cavalry and smirked, "No problem."

With that, Mura led two hundred riders to the rear.

Mura's cavalry came to a halt on a small hill. The Austrian cavalry gradually approached. Archduke Charles did not order Fritz to directly attack the French forces. Attacking a force of thousands with only a thousand cavalry was a daunting prospect, and Austrian morale was not at its highest. But seeing only two hundred French riders, they felt there was nothing to fear. If they didn't confront these cavalry now, how could they keep tracking the main French army?

Fritz observed the French cavalry and noticed that they were just like their own light cavalry, armed with sabers, and pistols. He recalled how cavalry retreating from previous battles mentioned that the French had pistols capable of continuous firing without reloading, even until the end of the world.

Fritz didn't fully believe these claims and thought that the so-called continuous firing pistols must be a double-barreled or even triple-barreled pistol. Such a weapon would be cumbersome and not necessarily effective. Given the numerical advantage of their one thousand strong force against the two hundred French riders, there was no reason to hesitate.

Thinking this, Fritz led his troops toward the French. In the midst of the gunfire, Mura calmly judged the distances and speeds of both sides. As the Austrian horseman raised his saber high and prepared to charge, Mura fired two shots when they were only about three meters apart.

This approach had been proven most effective in numerous drills on the training ground, though it was not the recommended tactic in the cavalry manual. The manual suggested firing at a distance of about fifteen meters, shooting the horses with the first two shots and the riders at closer range. However, Mura believed that at such a distance, not only were the enemy's sabers out of reach but his continuous firing pistols could maintain precise accuracy. With two quick shots, he could significantly increase his chances of a successful hit. However, this approach required excellent judgment of both speed and distance, and a small mistake could lead to a disastrous outcome.

Fritz, having been hit by Mura, tumbled from his horse. But Mura had no time to check on him as another Austrian cavalryman charged toward him. Mura calmly assessed the distance, fired two shots as the Austrian horseman raised his saber high.

The cavalrymen of both sides passed each other. Fritz held his horse, turned around, and saw that the battlefield was littered with scores of dead and a significant number of horse carcasses, but he could still see around two hundred French riders.

This was, of course, an illusion. The French cavalry had not escaped unscathed, but in terms of casualties, the Austrians had suffered significantly more. Fritz did not stay to examine the outcome this time. He quickly turned back and galloped away. Mura led his riders in pursuit.

Both were light cavalry, and neither side had a significant speed advantage. Fritz's direct retreat meant he didn't need to make any turns, while Mura had to turn around to chase. This made it impossible for Mura to catch up to Fritz. However, Mura continued to follow, with the aim of pursuing the Austrian cavalry until they were near their own fortresses. This would help the observing Austrians gain a more accurate understanding of their strength.