Chapter 12 Battlefield Interval
While the Hechingen Development Company was undergoing a vigorous reorganization, the fighting on the battlefield of Schleswig was intense.
After the main force of the Danish army successfully retreated to Flensburg, the new commander of the Danish army began to command the Danish cavalry to delay the march of the Allied forces.
In order to pursue the retreating Danish army and deal with the harassment of the Danish cavalry, the Prussian cavalry continued to attack, and the two sides began a fierce pursuit on the vast snowfield.
Taking advantage of villages, woods, farmlands and scattered buildings, the Danish cavalry appeared and disappeared mysteriously, often emerging from unexpected places of the German coalition forces.
In some narrow terrains, the Danish cavalry could even wipe out a small group of Allied forces, causing trouble for the Allied forces.
The Allied commanders began to grit their teeth at the Danish cavalry, and followed an order from the headquarters.
The large coalition cavalry force, which had been preparing for battle for a long time, finally took the field.
The previous positional warfare was not the cavalry's home ground, and the cavalry officers could only watch their infantry colleagues gain military merit.
Now they can finally show their prowess on the battlefield. The cavalry units quickly assemble and attack.
Faced with the Allied cavalry that was several times larger in number, the Danish cavalry began to be unable to withstand the attack, and the Danish cavalry general commanded the cavalry to fight and retreat at the same time.
Because of their familiarity with the terrain, the Danes were always able to find a breakout point. Although the Allied cavalry had an advantage in numbers, it was difficult for them to completely wipe out the Danish cavalry.
The allied cavalry commander became furious and began to disperse his troops into several columns to pursue the Danes separately.
As long as the Danish cavalry's retreat can be delayed, the Danish cavalry unit can be severely damaged.
Relying on the advantage in numbers, the coalition forces quickly discovered the movement trajectory of the Danish cavalry and communicated with the relevant troops.
The allied cavalry quickly seized the opportunity and located the Danish cavalry, and the two sides engaged in a brutal encounter.
The Prussian cavalry and Austrian cavalry, which had been galloping across the European continent for many years, were obviously tough guys.
Whether in terms of equipment, horses, personnel quality or experience, the coalition forces had a clear advantage.
Led by the battle-hardened Prussian cavalry general, the coalition forces easily dealt with the opponent's tactics.
The Allied Forces, especially the cavalry generals of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire, had superb command capabilities.
On the snowy plains, they launched a full-scale charge against the Danish cavalry. In just half an hour, the Danes lost more than half of their troops.
The Danish cavalry general had to order a retreat, but it was clear that the Allied forces had no intention of letting them go.
The Danish cavalry fled for their lives, but were severely damaged by the Allied cavalry during the retreat, and only a small number of them escaped to Flensburg.
Shortly after the Allied cavalry achieved a great victory, the main force of the infantry also caught up and the Allied forces launched the Battle of Flensburg.
On the 7th, the Danish army, feeling that it was difficult to resist, withdrew from Flensburg and returned to Denmark. The Allied forces pushed the front line to the Danish border and the war came to an end.
On February 18, the Prussian army occupied Kolding. The Danes tried to form a new line of defense with the help of all available buildings and terrain, but time was short and it was too late.
However, the Austrians provided assistance to the Danes. Schleswig had been completely controlled by the Allied forces. The Austrians did not want to advance further, and a brief truce was reached between the two sides.
The Austrian Empire originally joined this war passively because it understood that even if the Austrians did not join this war, Prussia and the German Confederation could still achieve victory over Denmark.
However, if Austria does not join, Prussia's influence on the German region will inevitably expand.
Austria would be in danger of being abandoned by the nationalists, and Prussia would voluntarily give up the leadership of the war and share it with the Austrians.
Bismarck even used the Duchy of Holstein to lure the Austrians to join the war. After the war, the Austrians would be able to gain control of the Duchy of Holstein.
Guided by this situation and interests, the Austrian Empire sent troops. Now that the war has recovered Schleswig, the Austrian Empire no longer wants to expand the scope of the war.
While Prussia and Austria were negotiating, Allied forces were resting on the Danish border.
Kane, an ordinary Austrian peasant, was forcibly conscripted into the army by the village lord when war came.
Kane fought at the Battle of Kingdom Mountain and the subsequent Battle of Flensburg, and is now resting in a temporary position on the Danish border.
The soldiers and colleagues around him were all acquaintances from Kane Village or nearby villages, and the leading officer was the village chief.
"Kane, do you have any cigarettes left?" asked a fellow villager.
Kane lay on the dirt, his hands behind his back, his head resting on his arms, his legs crossed, his eyes looking up at the sky, and replied, "No more, I smoked all of them yesterday."
"Alas, I don't know when the war will end, and I don't know what's happening to my family." Another colleague of Kane lamented.
"Young men, don't be anxious. The scale of this war is nothing. When I joined the imperial army and fought against Napoleon, a war of that scale was really terrifying. There were huge crowds of people and you couldn't see the end. You can only follow your companions and rush forward." It was the village chief who spoke.
The village chief is an elderly man who participated in the anti-French war when he was young.
"Uncle Morey, how does Napoleon's army compare to the Danes?" Kane asked, calling the village chief's name.
"Napoleon! He is a great man. I knew his name before I even joined the battlefield."
Morey recalled thoughtfully, and then said: "At that time, I thought Austria was the most powerful country in the world, but the emperor's army was defeated by Napoleon first. It was only when I joined the army later that I learned that all the countries in Europe united to defeat Napoleon, the thief of the country."
Morey told all he knew. Of course, as an old farmer, Morey also heard a few words from his superiors when he was young.
"At that time, the war was much more brutal than it is now. France was at its peak. It was rumored that Napoleon's officers were all capable of witchcraft. Under the influence of witchcraft, French soldiers would charge forward fearlessly!" While talking, Morey took out a cigarette from somewhere, lit it, and took a puff.
"My unit collided with the French in a place called Garidon (fictional), and the French, led by Napoleon (actually other French officers), rushed towards us." Morey took a deep puff of cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"The French on the opposite side seemed to be risking their lives. My colleagues fell down one by one around me. Some lost their arms, some lost their legs, and the worst one even lost half of his face!" Morey recalled as if he had returned to that long-lost war.
"Fortunately, the reinforcements arrived in time. We saw that there was strength in numbers, so we drove the French back. At that time, there were battles every day, and the people around me were replaced by new faces every few days. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to survive..."
Morey narrated his experiences in his youth, and the young men around him listened to the "story" with bated breath.
Welcome the new war.
(End of this chapter)
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