I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1281 Sword Pointing at Vienna

Eight 8-pound cannons, pulled by the combined efforts of the soldiers, moved rapidly up the hillside under enemy fire—in this complex terrain, manpower was far more efficient than horses.

At the same time, nearly 4 French soldiers crouched low and rushed toward the bastion.

Unlike the Polish side, the outer wall of the fortress had two small breaches after several days of continuous bombardment by the French army, and several gun emplacements on the inner wall had also been destroyed.

Meanwhile, the hot air balloons in the sky would occasionally use huge red and blue flags to indicate the locations where enemy artillery fire was less intense, in order to help the attacking troops reduce casualties.

Although skirmishers drew the attention of the cannons on the fortress, three 24-pound cannons were still hit and destroyed en route. Finally, after a difficult 20-minute march, the five heavy cannons arrived at a point more than 700 meters from the fortress and immediately began to unleash shells at the breach they had previously created.

Because Steinocher had transferred six or seven hundred soldiers from the north side of the fortress, the French soldiers faced significantly less firepower. Before dusk, thousands had already crossed the outer wall through the breach.

After a moonless, cloudy night, the Poles launched a new offensive, forcing Lieutenant Colonel Steinochl to abandon his plan to send troops back to the north for reinforcement.

The French army took the opportunity to quickly consolidate its forward positions, and within a day, it dragged 22 twelve-pound cannons and 30 howitzers up the hillside and into effective firing range.

To the south of the fortress was a brutal meat grinder, and to the north were cannons with a firepower density exceeding that of the fortress itself. The entire St. Peter's Fortress was like firewood thrown into a furnace, crackling and popping as it was roasted.

The two sides fought a bloody battle for three days until a section of the inner wall on the north side of the fortress collapsed under repeated bombardment by French heavy artillery.

More than a hundred elite grenadiers wearing bearskin hats immediately charged through the breach with shouts...

On the south side of the fortress, Warrenov, who was huddled in a tunnel loading ammunition, suddenly sensed that something was wrong—the enemy's cannons seemed to have fallen silent.

He frowned, pondering whether to call for everyone to rush forward during this lull, when he heard Zlatopoul shout like a madman: "Look! Look, it's a French ally!"

Warrenovich looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a golden iris banner fluttering atop the central tower of the fortress.

His heart pounded, and he shouted in a voice even louder than Bizratopol's: "We won! We won!"

Soon, the Polish soldiers cautiously emerged from the tunnels, and no enemy fired at them. Cheers quickly spread, followed by the unified chanting of "Poland Never Dies." Some began to sob softly.

More than half an hour later, the troops clearing the fortress arrived to relieve Warrenovich and his men.

Warrenov's company ate some bread on the spot, and then, led by the only remaining second lieutenant, they walked wearily down the mountain.

Just as Warrenov and his comrades were talking loudly about their experiences in the past few days, a group of soldiers carrying seven or eight stretchers passed by them, followed by a priest accompanying the army.

Warrenovich subconsciously turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the person lying on the stretcher at the front, who seemed somewhat familiar.

He rushed forward a few steps and immediately noticed the major's collar insignia on the man's tattered uniform. Then he saw a large chunk missing from the other side of the man's neck, with dark red blood already congealed.

He lowered his head blankly, took off his hat, and murmured softly, "You are the bravest person I have ever met. May you rest in peace in heaven."

Zlatopen walked over, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Who is this gentleman?"

"He covered for us that day, which is why we weren't torn apart by Austrian bullets."

Zlatopen was taken aback, then solemnly removed his hat and stood at attention.

That evening, amidst the groans of the wounded soldiers, the battalion commander led his men to the company where Vorenovich was stationed.

An officer following behind, flipping through his notes in the firelight, called out several names. Once the men called had stepped forward and stood in line, the battalion commander immediately ordered, "Lieutenant Cardron, for your bravery in this battle, you are now promoted to lieutenant and acting company commander of the 12th Company..."

"Sergeant Warrenovey, you will be promoted to Second Lieutenant and acting Deputy Company Commander..."

"Sergeant Shekoroski..."

Yes, Warrenov's company has suffered nearly a third of its casualties in the past few days of fighting, and he is currently ranked second in the company.

The battalion commander then instructed, "We will send 14 more soldiers to you tomorrow. Try to rest as much as possible, as we will be heading south with the French army the day after tomorrow at noon."

Lieutenant Calderon immediately asked excitedly, "Are we going to attack Prague?"

The battalion commander turned and walked toward the next company: "It should be Vienna."

……

1799 5 Month 29 Day.

Passau, the Allied Command Headquarters.

After completing his daily routine inspection of the defenses, Archduke Karl, unusually relaxed, said to the officers beside him, "If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to return to Vienna before the end of summer."

Seeing the puzzled looks on his men's faces, he explained, "Yesterday I received a letter from Count Werner. The armistice negotiations are progressing smoothly, and the French have accepted most of our terms."

Count Werner was the emperor's representative sent to negotiate with the French.

The Allied officers visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "Just as you said, the French cannot sustain a front so far from their homeland for long."

"No wonder the French have launched very few attacks lately."

"We can completely wear them down here!"

“That’s right, our troops are still arriving in Passau in droves…”

Yes, for more than a month, Joseph had been discussing the armistice with Austrian negotiators with great sincerity, and even drafted a treaty text.

Meanwhile, the Sirte Legion and a large amount of logistical supplies had quietly assembled on the northern front.

As the group was chatting excitedly, a staff officer came running over with a grim face and handed a report to Verother: "General, news just came from Ers; it seems they've been attacked there."

The latter frowned, unfolded the report, glanced at it, and immediately exclaimed, "Marshal, the Erzgebirge Fortress has been attacked by more than 100,000 French troops. Lieutenant Colonel Tenoher requests immediate reinforcements."

Archduke Karl snatched the report, his face quickly turning ashen: "When did they... that idiot Werner!"

He crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball and said to Verother, "Have the Milius Legion proceed to Erz immediately."

Although he was surprised by the French army's actions, he remained relatively calm. He had been to Erzssee several times and knew how fortified the fortresses there were; even against a fierce attack from 100,000 French troops, they could definitely hold out for more than a month.

(End of this chapter)