Chapter 257: Both Sides Calculate

The French people who Ernst said had not surrendered were now lowering the drawbridge of Wissembourg to welcome the "Royal Division" of the Prussian Third Army.

Although they supported France in spirit, the Prussian artillery fire was destroying the houses of the residents of Wissemburg. In fact, the French army often stepped on the roofs and damaged the tiles for defense, which made the citizens feel distressed. So they said, "Stop fighting!"

Of course, the French army would not listen to the citizens. When the French army was squeezed by Prussia in the small city of Wisemburg, the residents themselves raised the white flag and welcomed the Prussian army into the city.

This scene almost angered Leo, the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 74th Regiment of the French Army, to death, but there was nothing he could do.

Of course, this can only represent the personal behavior of the residents of Wissembourg, and cannot represent France. After all, this is the Alsace and Lorraine region.

The French side made a fool of themselves in the Battle of Wissembourg, but the French soldiers demonstrated their prowess. After the German forces entered the city, they engaged in fierce street fighting with the French army.

The French army was ultimately defeated because they had too many enemies to defeat. They had to repel Bavaria, Prussia, and other states, including a 7th Brigade composed of Poles.

At the same time, France had no effective countermeasures against Prussia's advanced Krupp artillery. The artillery suppression and the numerical disadvantage made this battle a foregone conclusion.

The French army's 8 battalions faced the attack of the German army's 29 battalions. The German army's victory was no surprise, but the number of casualties exceeded that of the French army, especially the Bavaria's dismal performance.

Before the war, the Bavarian army sent out the two most elite troops from its army, but they were severely beaten by the French.

Despite the poor performance of the Bavarian army in the first battle, the Prussian newspaper Nationalzeitung praised the Bavarian army: "The Bavarians defeated the enemies of Germany... and the fire of war bore witness to their unshakable loyalty."

The victorious German army entered Wissembourg. Crown Prince William led the German generals to stand in silence in front of the body of General Tuy. The former principal of the French Saint-Cyr Military Academy rests forever here.

The Prussians were very surprised by the captured maps of General Duy. Not only were they of poor quality, but the scale was so small that they could not be used for commanding operations. In addition, General Duy at least had a map, while the junior officers had no maps at all, only some hand-drawn sketches. Prussian officers down to the lieutenant level had very good maps, but of course the Bavarian army could not meet this standard at the moment, because they were not of the same mind as the Prussians.

This was the first time the German rednecks saw African soldiers here. They looked at the captured Algerian soldiers as if they were animals in a zoo. In fact, this was not the first time, if the soldiers of the Hechingen Brigade, who were of East African nationality, were also counted as Africans. However, this was the first time they had seen black soldiers (I did not say that Algerians were black).

…

The countryside west of David Wright. It's rare to see a forest here, as there are farmlands all around.

The 54th Brigade of the French Army is currently resting here and guarding against the Hechingen Brigade and the Prussian 3rd Brigade led by Robert further east, which are moving westward to support Kirchbach's troops.

"Reporting to the brigade commander, we have learned from a villager that the Black Xingen Brigade is stationed in David Wright. It is said that they speak with a South German accent and there are many Orientals mixed in."

"Oriental?"

"The same faces as the residents of our Far Eastern colonies (Cambodia and Vietnam), yellow people."

The French were able to obtain this intelligence thanks to the residents of Davidlet who hid in the countryside to escape the war. Due to historical reasons, the locals were fluent in both German and French, and thus learned some information about the Hechingen Brigade.

"I guess it's the same as the Algerian troops, formed by colonial soldiers. But do the Prussians have their own colonies in the Far East?"

"They could also be mercenaries. Although Prussia has always been active in Europe, it has its own diplomatic relations in the Far East."

"How are they deployed in Daveright?"

"According to the residents who escaped from David Wright, the Hei Xingen Brigade started building fortifications the day they arrived, and the entire David Wright was surrounded by them."

"Interesting!" said the commander of the 54th Brigade. "This is rare in the Prussian army we fought. Especially now, Prussia is on the offensive and we are on the defensive. Normally, we should be actively building fortifications to hinder the Prussian attack."

"Our intelligence officers also obtained a piece of information that this unit is fighting under the banner of the German state. The Hechingen Brigade comes from the Principality of Hechingen, so the number is slightly different from that of the Prussian army."

"That makes sense! This unit should be one of the ragtag troops in southern Germany, temporarily put together because of the war. This may be a good opportunity." The commander of the 54th Brigade analyzed.

It is normal that the commander of the 54th Brigade of the French Army looked down upon the combat effectiveness of the states in southern Germany. Except for Austria and Prussia, there were no German state armies in the German region that could make the French exert their full strength.

"What if we eat this unit and take down David Wright?"

"I'm afraid this is a bit difficult to handle. According to our intelligence, Prussia has another brigade deployed in Vilvisan to the east, which is only two kilometers away from Davidlet. They can quickly provide support here."

"Two kilometers means we can get there in half an hour at the fastest, and the Prussians are carrying baggage, so it will take even longer. If we can resolve the battle within half an hour, there will be no problem. The so-called Principality of Hechingen is not large in area, and it is not easy to gather a force. Otherwise, they would not use so many Orientals, and abnormally build a large number of fortifications. It seems that its commander also knows that the combat effectiveness of this unit is not good. This is our opportunity. Order the troops to speed up the rest. At dawn, we will take the initiative to attack and quickly capture David Wright, and then be ready for the arrival of the remaining Prussian brigade."

…

"Around ten o'clock (late), a French army quietly sneaked into the forest to the west of us. It's hard to judge the scale for now, but it should be no less than ours." Heinrich woke up Leopold who was sleeping in the temporary command post and reported.

"This forest is right in the center of Davidwright and Saverna, which means they bypassed Stanley and went directly south. The French must be planning to attack Saverna. This force is part of the support. They will either intervene directly in Saverna or come for us. However, judging from the distance, it is more likely that they will come for us." Leopold analyzed with sleepy eyes.

"This is a good opportunity, the Hechingen Brigade should attack immediately!" Heinrich suggested.

"Oh!" Leopold was a little surprised.

"The French army came here suddenly, bypassing Stanley and rushing directly into this forest. This means that they are most likely cooperating with the main French army, otherwise they would not take such a risk. And bypassing Stanley to get here means that they are on a forced march. They must be exhausted and must rest here first. This is a flaw of the French army. If we attack quickly, we can definitely catch them off guard!"

"Well, there's more!" Leopold asked, "We don't know the size of the French army, which is a huge risk."

"Your Highness, it is precisely because we are not sure about the size of the French army that we should take the initiative to attack, because the French can easily know our strengths and weaknesses. If the French have more people than us, they will take the initiative to attack us at dawn tomorrow. By then, we will have lost the initiative in the war. If they have fewer people than us, we can attack them at night without suffering too much. We have passed through that forest before, and it was during the day, so we are more familiar with the environment than the French who entered in the dark. In addition, it is likely that the French army is not large in number, because the overall number of French troops is far less than that of the German coalition."

"That makes sense. Shall we take action now?"

Heinrich shook his head and said, "Not in a hurry yet. Let's prepare first. Let the soldiers have a midnight snack to replenish their physical strength. When they are in high spirits at 12 o'clock, we will launch a surprise attack on the French. The French must be exhausted after a day's march, and they will be drowsy after 11 o'clock. That is the best time for us to launch an attack."

"If we fight at night..." Leopold said a little worriedly.

"We don't have to be afraid of night battles. We can't see them, and neither can the French. Moreover, the range and accuracy of the Dreyse rifle are not as good as the French Chassaipo rifle, so it is at a disadvantage in open areas. The French are stationed at the edge of the forest, and the forest environment can greatly limit the use of the Chassaipo rifle. In the dark, both sides can only aim by feel. Let our people prepare more close combat weapons, and we will be the advantaged party."

(End of this chapter)