I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1242 A Battle of Speed

The central route, led by Augereau and consisting of 10,000 soldiers from the Royal 4th Infantry Division, marched north to Würzburg and Coburg, taking the shortest route directly towards Berlin.

The western army, commanded by Soult, consisted of 3 soldiers from the Second Army. It advanced north along the east bank of the Rhine, joined forces with Lefebvre's army near Hesse, and sought an opportunity to intercept Brunswick's army.

Although the total force of this large-scale infiltration operation was only slightly over 10, they were all elite veterans who had experienced the last anti-French coalition war, and their marching speed and combat effectiveness were absolutely top-notch in Europe.

The vast plains of Western Europe are the perfect battlefield for them to demonstrate their strength!
……

1799 1 Month 26 Day.

Karlsruhe, the capital of Baden.

At this moment, Gaizka was experiencing the most disheartening day since joining the army.

Starting yesterday, large numbers of soldiers passed by his camp—judging from their flags, they should be from the Third Army—and according to the company commander, they were about to launch an attack on the enemy from the Bavarian direction.

Upon hearing this, Gaizka was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night, imagining countless times the scene of him defeating the enemy in Bavaria.

As a result, at noon today, the regimental commander assembled the troops and announced in public that their Sixth Army would be responsible for defending Karlsruhe.

Nasserli had inquired with other soldiers and learned that the First and Second Armies had been holding Baden for several months, but the Allied forces had never even been there.

However, Gaizka was depressed for less than a day before becoming more excited than ever because of some good news.

His Highness the Crown Prince has also arrived in Karlsruhe!

"Could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince will personally lead us into battle?" He repeated this question almost all day.

Afterwards, His Highness the Crown Prince inspected the Sixth and Seventh Armies and delivered a passionate pre-battle mobilization speech.

"...We will defend Karlsruhe to the death, even if the enemy is as strong as a devil, we will teach them a lesson with our guns!"
"Citizens of France, for our great motherland!"

Gaizka and all the soldiers immediately shouted at the top of their lungs, "Long live France!"

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Victory belongs to France!"

At this moment, he only had one thought: as long as he could fight alongside His Highness the Crown Prince, defending Baden wouldn't be so bad.

He and his cheering soldiers never imagined that they would face a bitter battle that would go down in French history.

……

Württemberg, 20 kilometers east of Baden.

Sergeant Dani Edmund de Chaumont turned his head and glanced at the somewhat loose formation. He waved to the soldiers and shouted, "I remember who said this morning that he would leave the 11th Battalion half a kilometer behind?"

"Look, they've caught up with our rear guard now!"

Someone immediately chimed in, "It's all thanks to Philippe and Cruze. If it weren't for having to accommodate their speed, we would have reached the Necar River long ago!"

The soldier being mentioned raised his head and protested, "I'm not tired at all... Let Beckmondo knock faster!"

He was referring to the company's marching drummer.

Another slightly overweight soldier, panting, said, "No, that's right! My five-kilometer cross-country run also got a 'good' grade! Speed ​​up!"

The soldier next to him laughed, "You ran so hard that you didn't even have dinner that time, and you were still complaining of leg pain in the middle of the night." "Hahaha—" A burst of cheerful laughter immediately erupted in the company.

Xiao Meng quickly raised his hand to indicate: "I think Mr. Cruze should be given a chance to prove himself."

"So, how about increasing your pace by 3 steps per minute?"

Cruze immediately raised his fist and said, "Come on, Bastian! If I can keep up, you'll have to apologize to me at dinner!"

The drumbeats quickened, and the entire company's advance speed increased accordingly.

As dusk approached, the 9th Infantry Division had reached a point less than 6 kilometers from the Nekar River.

Kruze and his soldiers sat in a circle, laboriously using their bayonets to pry open the cans of stewed beef—their logistical supplies this time had all been replaced with tin cans. Although these were lighter and easier to carry than glass jars, they were something everyone hated when they ate them.

Xiao Meng helped the chubby boy open the can and handed it to him—the latter was too tired to move—then took the violin from behind his back and began his daily routine.

Chaumont was born into nobility and learned musical instruments from a young age. His playing level was among the best in the entire troupe.

Immediately, the soldiers joined in the music and began to hum "On the Bridge at Avignon".

Meanwhile, everyone's hands were busy soaking the dry bread in beef broth to soften it before stuffing it into their mouths. The singing immediately turned into the smacking sounds of chewing.

Because this operation required high-speed marches, no field mess wagons were carried, but as long as there was stewed beef, the food quality still far surpassed that of any army in Europe.

Just then, the company commander's voice came from afar: "Haha, we've covered a full 43 kilometers today! At this rate, we'll be able to reach Berlin in less than half a month."

The crowd immediately erupted in cheers. It's worth noting that at the time, the Prussian and Austrian armies were considered to be performing a high-intensity forced march of 27 kilometers per day.

Only Kruze, rubbing his legs, began to tidy up the blankets. He had to seize every opportunity to rest so as not to hold the entire company back.

The following day, the Morro Legion crossed the Nekar River via a pontoon bridge and quickly passed between Heilbronn and Stuttgart, which were controlled by the Allied forces.

It wasn't until a day and a half after they had left that the Austrian troops in Stuttgart learned of the French army's movements from the local farmers.

1 month 28 day.

Augero and Soult also led their troops away from Baden, heading west and north respectively.

……

Southwest of Saxony-Görlitz.

Inside the Allied Forces' temporary command post, dozens of staff officers, sweating profusely, went in and out, compiling reports of military intelligence before Archduke Karl.

At the ongoing coalition operations meeting, Werose spoke first:
"I believe the French are just trying to disrupt our deployment. Our army should firmly implement the established plan."

The Marquis Wellesley, who had come all the way from more than ten kilometers away, immediately shook his head: "Judging from past wars, the French's rapid raids always have a clear objective."

Verother scoffed, “But their forces are so small. We just need to send some troops to hold them off, and when the main army arrives in Württemberg, they will naturally panic and rush back to defend it.”

Prussian Chief of the General Staff Scharnhorst frowned and said, "Perhaps you have not noticed, but in fact, our defenses are very weak from western Bavaria all the way to Hesse."

Marquis Wellesley nodded immediately: "That's exactly what I was worried about. But the question now is, where is the French's main attack point?"

(End of this chapter)