I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1257 Strategic Counterattack
As thousands of Russian troops slowly emerged from the horizon like dark clouds, Previdish never expected that a tremendous sense of fear would well up within him.

But his pride as a nobleman made him straighten his back and mutter to himself, "Damn it, is your courage really less than that of those peasants and merchants?"

He heard that the Sixth Army had lost more than 5 men in less than half a month, but they still held their ground.

With a sharp whistling sound, a shell hit him more than 30 meters in front of him and bounced and rolled over.

A second lieutenant's command came from the side: "Ready—"

Previdish closed his eyes and raised the August 1798 rifle in his hand.

On the French artillery position a kilometer behind him, Gaizka reached for the basket containing five shells with his right hand, and with a slight effort, felt a sharp pain in his left hand, which was hanging in front of his chest.

He turned to look at the flag to the south, where it was said that His Highness the Crown Prince had also come to the front lines. He gritted his teeth, picked up the cannonball, and jogged toward the twelve-pound cannon not far away.

Mr. Fan Shang, his face blackened by gunpowder residue, loudly announced a series of firing parameters and began to adjust the elevation of the cannon in front of him.

A third of the artillery company's men had been transferred to the cavalry artillery—the latter had suffered heavy losses in a Cossack raid five days earlier—so Vincent had to start temporarily taking on artillery duties as well.

Gaizka placed the shell beside him, and from the infantry line not far away came the voice of an honorary representative encouraging the soldiers, "The Ninth Army will arrive in Strasbourg the day after tomorrow, and victory will ultimately belong to us!"

He gestured to the Baden soldiers who were helping him carry shells, then turned and ran toward the ammunition transport vehicle.

In the temporary command post on the eastern front in Karlsruhe, Berthier put down his binoculars and said to Joseph, "Your Highness, the density of the Russian infantry lines is significantly lower than it was a few days ago, which indicates that their casualties are also very high."

"I believe the defenses are strong enough to hold for more than another week."

Yes, the Ninth Army will not arrive for another week, but in order to boost morale, His Highness the Crown Prince had the honorary representatives tell everyone that they would arrive in two days.

In fact, if the Allied forces hadn't suddenly deployed tens of thousands of troops from somewhere, the Battle of Baden wouldn't have been so arduous.

Joseph nodded and added, "Be wary that the enemy might be deliberately hiding their forces to mislead us."

"Yes, Your Highness. I have already ordered the Baden Guards to assist in the defense, and at the same time, I have strengthened reconnaissance against the enemy."

As the two were talking, Corps Staff Officer Domenico Compon suddenly ran over waving a Sharp signal tower “telegram” and excitedly stood at attention, saying, “Your Highness, General Augereau broke through the Prussian Weimar defenses three days ago and is heading towards Berlin. Judging from the marching speed, he should have already arrived in southern Dessau by now.”

"Great!" Joseph took the military report and saw that it said that Augerro's army had annihilated 3,000 Prussian soldiers and captured more than 2,400.

He turned to Berthier and said, "Inform the entire army of this news immediately!"

North of Weimar is almost entirely flat, with only the Elbe River offering any defensive positions. However, the river is currently frozen, and one can cross it from almost anywhere.

In other words, in a maximum of 5 days, Augerro will be able to break into Berlin!
"Yes, Your Highness." Berthier was equally excited and personally went to the front lines with the messenger.

Joseph then gestured to Emmanuel: "Please send someone to inform Count Monteon to set off immediately."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Joseph understood that to maximize gains on the battlefield, he had to leverage diplomacy. So he had his diplomatic envoys waiting in Bavaria well in advance, and had prepared any necessary diplomatic documents so they could reach Berlin as quickly as possible.

After Emmanuel left, Joseph noticed that there was a second page in the military report he was holding. He quickly turned the page and saw that it read: Lieutenant Colonel Murat pursued William III and wounded him near Naumburg...

Joseph was greatly surprised; the King of Prussia had actually participated in the frontline fighting. He wondered how the King was doing now. Just then, the soldiers on the Baden line erupted in a tsunami of cheers: "Long live France!"

"Victory belongs to France!"

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Occupy Berlin!"

"Occupy Vienna!"

Their perseverance over the past two weeks has finally paid off. Everyone's fatigue and torment vanished instantly, and several battalions of soldiers almost rushed out on the spot to launch a counterattack.

That afternoon, Joseph first went to the Sixth Army's camp and gave a morale-boosting speech, and then convened a General Staff operations meeting with officers including Berthier.

"Currently, the main force of the Allied forces is concentrated in the Bayreuth to Nuremberg area," a staff officer introduced the latest battlefield situation. "General Soult has cut off the northern route of the Brunswick Army, and the Prussian army will not have any troops to reinforce Berlin in the short term."

Berthier continued, "The most dangerous situation right now is the Morrow Legion; the Austrians are clearly preparing to completely surround and annihilate them."

Joseph glanced at the map and asked, "Where is Massena's Legion now?"

An advisor immediately replied, "They arrived in northern Dijon yesterday, Your Highness."

Joseph nodded: "Have General Massena get to Karlsruhe within a week if possible."

Dijon is only three or four days' journey from Nancy. The Masséna Legion can take a train from Nancy and reach Strasbourg the next day—the Nancy-Strasbourg railway line was fully opened last week thanks to the "voluntary labor" of a large number of prisoners of war.

Berthier quickly jotted it down: "Yes, Your Highness. I will have transport vehicles prepared in advance."

Joseph continued, "Contact His Majesty Theodore and ask him to do everything possible to reinforce the Morro Legion."

"Once General Massena arrives in Baden, we will launch a counter-offensive immediately!"

The Massena Corps has 45,000 soldiers, and these are the elite troops of the First and Fourth Armies.

And a week later, new recruits from the Ninth Army arrived in Karlsruhe. At that time, more than 15 troops would be assembled there.

France will now officially enter the strategic counter-offensive phase!
……

1799 2 Month 14 Day.

Berlin.

Count Montion looked out the carriage window at the crowds fleeing the city and shook his head helplessly.

Augereau's army captured Potsdam yesterday—where he encountered almost no resistance—and now the news has apparently reached Berlin, where people are beginning to flee to the countryside in a frenzy.

Count Montion's carriage traveled less than 3 kilometers in more than two hours because it was going against the current.

It wasn't until a guard carrying the "Prussian Eagle" flag arrived and dispersed the crowd that the carriage was able to resume its normal speed.

(End of this chapter)