Wild North America 1846

Chapter 473 Evaluation
The sound of cannons rumbled, and the sound of gunfire rang out one after another.The cool summer wind blowing from the direction of the battlefield carries a strong smell of blood and gunpowder smoke, which is the breath of war.

The attacking Prussian army was like two iron pincers, squeezing the defense of the Austrian Left Army through a frontal wave-like attack. The bloody battle has been going on for more than an hour.

view from above

The original semi-circular formation of the Austrian Army was obviously crushed by two huge depressions. The dozen or so hollow phalanxes in the first line had been beaten to collapse by the Prussian army, and the officers and soldiers were fleeing backwards without armor.

The soldiers of the Prussian army lined up neatly to the sound of high-pitched military music. On the field passing behind them, there were a large number of casualties lying down. The blood stained the golden rice that was about to mature, which was extremely dazzling.

On the battlefield of fierce fighting
Dozens of thick smoke billowed from the wheat field ignited by the hot shells. In the wheat field that had just entered the wax ripening period, the straw was still greenish yellow, and the wheat grains were not hard when rubbed in the hands.

It is difficult for such farmland to be ignited on a large scale. Coupled with the fact that the ignited wheat fields will only burn in a small area, but a large amount of thick smoke will gather in the sky.

This blocked the bright sun at noon, and the sight of the battlefield became much darker.

drumbeat
The Prussian army marched forward with firm steps. Whenever a soldier in the front row was shot down by a bullet, there would always be soldiers behind to make up for it silently.

After walking 50 meters forward, under the order of the officer, they stopped neatly, raised the rifles in their hands in unison, and fired violently...

The hollow array discharged by the Austrian army did not show the expected miraculous effect. When the enemy approached, the Austrian officers and soldiers became more panicked when faced with the fear of death.The movement of the gun was out of shape, the firepower of the infantry and the artillery was chaotic, and all kinds of problems broke out.

After more than a dozen hollow phalanxes of the Austrian Legion in the first row were defeated one after another, the deserters scattered.

The rout soldiers who hurriedly retreated blocked their own shooting range, and were shot down to the ground in large swaths by the Prussian army closely following.

This exacerbated the panic among the soldiers of the Austrian Corps, and many soldiers threw away their weapons and ran away.

Many people panicked and jumped into the hollow formation in the second row, disrupting the formation of the Austrian army, and the Austrian officers were so angry that they waved their shiny sabers and shouted loudly.

However, there were too many soldiers of the Austrian Legion who fled. The first row of more than 10 hollow formations totaled more than 3.4 people. Even if nearly half of them were killed or injured, there were still tens of thousands of soldiers. The officers could not stop the chaos at all.

Facing the Austrian legionnaires who fled all over the mountains and plains, the Austrian general who commanded the second row of hollow formations was also dumbfounded;

He couldn't order the soldiers to cover the defeated troops with artillery and platoon guns. He could only watch helplessly as the Prussian army columns approached with murderous intent, and there was nothing he could do.

only from this point

You can see the gap between the Austrian Corps and the French Professional Corps. The French Professional Corps, which has been fighting overseas all the year round, has superb combat skills. It will not collapse after facing heavy losses, but will retreat step by step in an orderly reduced formation.

The key point is to get out of the front, which can guarantee a certain amount of artillery support for the hollow array in the back row, and delay the enemy's pursuit.

Finally, the orderly retreat from the 800-1000-yard gap between the two large hollow formations must not hinder the delivery of artillery and volley fire by friendly forces. This is the most important point.

The mistake of the Austrian Left Wing Corps was that they could not reach such a high tactical level, but they wanted to play difficult moves, and they messed up.

breezy summer
There was a strong smell of blood mixed with choking smoke in the air. Li Cha sat cross-legged on a high branch, chewing corned beef jerky in his mouth, but he had a look of disdain on his face.

It was originally expected that the Austrian left-wing corps would be able to withstand it for a day or two, but now it seems that it is very uncertain. Whether it can last until the evening and withdraw its troops is a matter of debate?
In contrast
The Prussian army adopted the old-fashioned horizontal ranks, but the officers and soldiers executed very well, with a high degree of discipline and the spirit of sacrifice. Under the command of the officers, they were like chasing rabbits, letting the rout soldiers attack their own ranks.

All the rout soldiers who fled to the middle of the two hollow formations were heavily hit by the Prussian army's volley of guns, and fell down in the field like cutting leeks.

And those broken soldiers who fled to their own army had a much greater chance of surviving.

The choice between life and death is not difficult.

superficially

The effectiveness of the Prussian volley attack seems to have been weakened by most, but it virtually drove the Austrian army's rout to attack the second row of hollow formations, blocking the shooting field of view, which made the second row of the Austrian army's hollow formations unable to exert their firepower.

When the chasing Prussian soldiers approached within 800 yards, the Austrian Army artillery in the second row of hollow formations was basically useless.

The breech-firing artillery equipped by the Austrian Army requires the gunner to load the propellant at the front of the artillery, load the shells, clean the remaining gunpowder after firing, and a series of actions. Basically, it takes 1 to 2 minutes to fire a cannon.

For such a long time, the Austrian gunners had to withstand at least more than 10 rounds of volley strikes.

In the war
Artillery has always been the focus of attacking the target, and going up within the range of the rifle is tantamount to death.

Li Cha is an excellent military commander who has endured the experience of war. Seeing the panic in the rear of the Austrian Left Wing Corps, he knew that the situation was over.

The Austrian commander couldn't come up with an effective response plan, couldn't change formations in time, shrink troops, and what suspense was there in defeat?

Originally thought to see a wonderful offensive and defensive battle, the Austrian Corps can show a very high level of combat quality and command.

Who knows, it's just... making wool?
At this time, a new change took place in the battle situation on the field.

The desolate horn sounded, and Li Cha could feel the ground trembling. The cavalry on both sides of the Austrian Left Wing Corps swept across the field like dark clouds, piercing the attacking Prussian army's wings...

It's over, you idiots!
Li Cha couldn't help touching his forehead and was speechless, losing the last bit of confidence in the Austrian Legion.

Everyone knows
Since the Battle of Waterloo in the early 19th century, any European country has tried its best to prevent cavalry from attacking infantry from the front, even from the side, which is no different from courting death.

The hussars of the French army across Europe are world-renowned and recognized as the top cavalry unit.

Even if it is so elite, so what?

In the Battle of Waterloo, the famous French hussars and cuirassiers suffered a devastating blow from the line infantry commanded by the Duke of Wellington, and they never recovered.

It is expressly stipulated in the cavalry regulations of the Tang Empire;

It is strictly forbidden for any cavalry unit to attack the line infantry from the front, it is strictly forbidden for any cavalry unit to attack the enemy's fortified area from the front and side, and it is strictly forbidden for any cavalry unit...

Regardless of the fact that the cavalry units of the Austrian Corps attacked the weak points of the enemy's two wings, it was actually just an illusion.

Is it difficult for line infantry to turn in one direction?

The Prussian army gave the correct answer. Under the order of the officer, the original "long snake array" of the Prussian army quickly transformed into an "L"-shaped array in a short period of time, forming dozens of "L-shaped formations". "type army array
The Prussian soldiers in the front row knelt down, and the second and third rows stood. With the officer's command knife raised high, the soldiers raised their Mauser 2 rifles in unison. The guns were aimed at the Austrian cavalry who were rushing towards them.

Hey... a crime!
Even though Li Cha's heart is as hard as a stone, he doesn't want to continue watching at this moment.

A total of more than 12000 cavalry in these assaults in several batches may give the Austrian Legion some time to survive, but they will inevitably pay a heavy price.

"Making love……"

The brave shouts of the Austrian cavalry were submerged in the dense volleys of gunfire, and they sounded intermittently one after another, like the grinning "giggle" of the god of death.

The Austrian cavalry who charged to a distance of 300 yards seemed to hit an invisible wall and fell off their horses one after another. The huge smoke and dust raised by the tumbling troops and horses, accompanied by desperate screams, resounded on the battlefield one after another.

"Making love……"

The Prussian army is like a cold war machine, manipulating the sophisticated rifles in their hands to fire deadly volleys of bullets, covering the heroic cavalrymen who went forward like locusts, round after round.

Maybe 10 more minutes, maybe 20 more minutes, maybe longer
When the tumbling huge smoke and dust were gradually blown away by the warm summer wind, a tragic scene of massacre was presented in front of everyone.

Most of the cavalry who went out are now corpses, and the fields are covered with layers of people and horses.There are also some horses that lost their owners and ran wildly in panic, and less than 5000 horses were able to withdraw.

Only this round of charge

The Austrian Left Wing Corps lost more than 7000 cavalry, and lost a powerful bargaining chip to harass the enemy, and the situation became even more embarrassing.

The bloody smell in the air was so strong that it could not be added. The only good news was that most of the fleeing Austrian soldiers survived. Settle down.

The Austrian Left Corps won a little respite, but to what avail?
After completely defeating the Austrian cavalry, the Prussian Legion took some time to rotate and change. The infantry that reached the front line was a new force, and continued to launch waves of attacks on the Austrian army.

Now that the Austrian Legion has regained its footing, crush it again, smash it, and completely destroy the Austrian army's will to resist.

With the belief of victory in their hearts, the morale of the Prussian army at this time was high, and they pressed heavily against the sound of military music...

The scene of deja vu repeats, the blood and fire are intertwined on the battlefield, and the gunshots are constantly swallowing countless lives, and everyone is desperately fighting on the battlefield.

more than three hours later
The afterglow of the evening seemed to be full of blood, and the situation on the battlefield was already divided.

The large hollow formation discharged by the Austrian Left Wing Corps was almost completely destroyed. The hedgehogs of the entire corps gathered together and retreated while fighting. There was chaos and panic among the various troops, and it seemed that they would collapse at any time.

Under heavy pressure, the Austrian Corps withdrew seven or eight kilometers away, discarding a large amount of artillery and baggage along the way, all of which became the captured spoils of the Prussian army.

Thanks to the timely arrival of the sunset, the sky full of red clouds means that today's bloody battle is drawing to a close.

in the 19s
It is almost a rule to fight during the day and truce at night, especially in large-scale battles, night battles where you can't distinguish between you and me are even more taboo.

If you make a mistake, your own people will beat your own people, but the enemy will take advantage of the chaos and escape.

Therefore, before the setting sun came, the Prussian army had stopped the violent attack wave after wave, gathered the troops and opened the distance between the two sides, counted and transported the spoils and wounded, licked the wounds of the war and prepared to fight again tomorrow.

The Austrian Left Corps retreated steadily under the fierce attack of the Prussian army. It had been compressed in a narrow strip of less than 16 square kilometers, and was firmly surrounded by the Prussian Elbe Corps and the First Army, cutting off the nearby road traffic.

After a day of bloody battle, the Austrian Left Wing Corps suffered heavy losses, with a total of 3.5 casualties, and almost 1/3 of its troops were wiped out.

The reason why it has not collapsed is because the timely arrival of dusk left the last glimmer of hope for the Austrian Left Wing Corps, which was suffering from pain.

If you can't fight, you can't escape?

on a high hill

When the Austrian army retreated step by step, Li Cha had already left his original location and came to this hill to temporarily hide.

He originally wanted to appreciate a wonderful offensive and defensive battle, but now he is completely overwhelmed by complaints.

Richard understood the overall combat effectiveness of the Austrian Legion;

Following an ancient tradition
The Austrian Legion still retains considerable combat effectiveness, at least persisting until dusk without collapsing, which immediately makes people look at it highly.

Li Cha originally estimated that he could last for another two hours at most, but this time he miscalculated again.

The organization, command, training level, and morale of the officers and soldiers of the Austrian army were not high, and they raped all living beings, with many disadvantages, and a smell of decay could be smelled from a long distance.

Fortunately, the Austrian Corps is still bloody, has a sense of honor that is more important than life, and can give it a go when cornered.

Perhaps, this is the case for most empires with a long history?
In his mind, Li Cha gave the Austrian Corps 6 points, and the Prussian Corps, which performed well in the bloody battle today, scored 8.2 points. The main flaw is that there is more than enough bravery, not enough flexibility, and there are still many areas that need to be tempered to make up.

Comparison
The field corps of the Tang Empire scored 8.8 points, and performed very well in large corps operations. The disadvantage is that most of the army is illiterate, and the ability of middle and grassroots officers to command flexibly is limited. Urban warfare, jungle warfare, or complex terrain operations are not Undeniable shortcomings.

At the beginning, the big cities like Chicago and Detroit all paid a huge price of casualties.

Although the white cannon fodder temporarily forcibly recruited is not included in the casualty statistics of the imperial army, one must not deceive oneself and others, there are indeed many things worth improving.

The highest score should be the French army. This is an army composed of professional soldiers. It has been fighting in overseas colonies and European hotspots all year round. It has extremely rich experience and its overall evaluation can reach 9.2.

The service period of French professional sergeants can be more than ten or twenty years or even longer. Needless to say, military literacy is definitely second to none in the world today.

On today's battlefield, it will perform better than the Prussian army.

Fortunately, the Prussian army has a lot of room for growth, has excellent commanders and generals, and can even perform at a super level.

(End of this chapter)