I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1283 A Ruthless Showdown

Of course, this order of reporting was specially arranged by Joseph.

He invited high-ranking officials from Bavaria, Württemberg, Würzburg, and other countries to a meeting today, and had them arrive "just in time" for Berthier to report on the military situation to him, in order to boost their confidence with a series of military victories so that they would continue to send more troops.

Yes, now France has gathered a group of allies to gang up on Britain, Austria, and Russia.

The northern German states, excluding Prussia, have deployed more than 35,000 troops.

This doesn't even include Hesse, which just finished its civil war. If Hesse were to join the war, it could send at least 15,000 soldiers.

Joseph smiled and gestured for Theodore and the others to have some tea, then bluntly instructed Berthier: "Order General Masséna to launch a full-scale attack on Passau tomorrow morning to coordinate with the Soult Legion."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Theodor immediately said to Joseph, "Your Highness, I hope that the Dernberg Legion can participate in this attack."

The war was clearly nearing its end, and if they didn't seize some gains now, they wouldn't have a say when it came to distributing the spoils of victory later.

Joseph readily agreed, saying, "Then let us witness the bravery of the Bavarian soldiers. Tomorrow, your army and the Prussian Tauchen Legion will be responsible for the operations on the south bank of the Danube."

Karl Eugen immediately echoed, "Your Highness, I will personally lead the army to join the offensive against Passau!"

The Count of Würzburg also stood up: "Your Highness, our army will also..."

……

St. Parthen, a suburb 55 kilometers west of Vienna.

General Bogusławski frowned as he looked across the Treisen River, then turned to Soult and said, “General, why are we wasting time here… I mean, with our forces, we could take Vienna in two or three days.”

Yes, the Franco-Polish allied forces first occupied Prague without bloodshed, and the next day they encountered the Austrian army's Milius Legion, which came to reinforce them.

After swiftly annihilating the reinforcements of less than 20,000 men, Soult led his army south at breakneck speed, encountering no resistance along the way and arriving at the gates of Vienna in less than a week.

Soult's army of over 100,000 surrounded Vienna and began a fierce bombardment.

Just as the Polish soldiers were excitedly preparing to launch their attack, Soult suddenly transferred his main force to the Treisen River in the west overnight, leaving only Gérard to lead more than 20,000 men to continue the "fierce attack" on Vienna.

Before Soult could say anything, Koschushko said sternly, "General Bogusławski, never question the commander's deployment."

He fought in the north and south over the years according to the plans provided by the French General Staff, which enabled him to save Poland from the siege of Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and gave him the opportunity to stand in the heart of Austria today.

This gave him an almost devout trust in the command abilities of the French generals.

Bogusławski nodded hastily, "I'm sorry, General."

Soult smiled and waved his hand: "I completely understand how you feel, but believe me, there are some goals that are far more important than the city of Vienna."

"You mean?"

“You know, Austria’s main force is still in Passau, numbering over two hundred thousand,” Soult said. “In fact, His Highness the Crown Prince has never really cared about Vienna from the beginning. His order to me was to pull out Austria’s fangs!”

Yes, Joseph understood perfectly well that while the capital city was a symbol of the nation, it did not mean that capturing the capital meant conquering the country. Historically, Napoleon had swiftly captured Vienna, but Franz II immediately fled to eastern Austria to continue his resistance.

It wasn't until he decisively defeated the Russo-Austrian coalition at the famous Battle of Austerlitz that Franz II was forced to sign the Treaty of Pressburg.

Even if the French army were to capture Vienna now, the high cost of maintaining order would prevent them from holding the city for long, so there would be no need to make it a strategic priority.

Eliminating the enemy's manpower is always the highest military principle.

If Archduke Karl's main force can be defeated, Vienna will be within easy reach.

So Soult chose to wait for the Austrian army to arrive at St. Parthen.

He knew that his hundreds of thousands of troops would be hard to miss in the heart of Austria, but he didn't care, because Archduke Karl had no choice but to fight a decisive battle with him here, urged on by the numerous plea for help from Vienna.

Soult had already occupied the advantageous terrain on the east bank of the Treisen River and had set up multiple layers of defensive positions in advance. Most of the Austrian troops would be killed during the crossing of the river.

Two days later.

Murat spurred his horse to Soult and excitedly shouted, "General, the enemy has finally arrived! The vanguard has just crossed Gryffindor and has about 4 men. There are more than 7 men near Manke."

Soult simply nodded calmly and said to the messenger beside him, "Have everyone execute the battle plan."

"Yes, General!"

This is a battle without much skill; both sides know what the other is going to do, and all that's left is to rely on their own strength to engage in a duel.

At 10 a.m., Archduke Karl, with a furrowed brow, gave the order to attack.

He had received intelligence from various places and knew that at least 12 Franco-Polish allied troops were waiting for him on the other side of the river.

He brought only 15 men with him this time. When he received news of the loss of Erzgebirge, Masséna was launching a fierce offensive along a front of several dozen kilometers along the Danube River—the French army, along with troops from Pouba and other countries, numbered nearly 30!

This forced him to leave 12 troops to Wilmze, which was the minimum requirement to hold Passau.

As the deep sound of horns echoed from all around, Archduke Karl noticed that his hand gripping the hilt of his sword was trembling slightly.

This battle will be extremely difficult, but he must immediately commit all his troops, otherwise Vienna could fall at any moment.

Half an hour later, a chilling barrage of artillery fire came from the east.

Archduke Karl couldn't help but close his eyes. He didn't need to look to imagine the countless Austrian soldiers struggling to cross the river amidst a hail of cannon fire, the river's surface surely now stained a dark red.

Before noon, Werther reported to him with a grim face: "Marshal, the first echelon has suffered too many casualties and can no longer continue the attack."

Archduke Karl nodded mechanically: "Order the Radecki Legion to press forward. Prince Heisingen will provide flank cover. Don't conserve ammunition; as long as we can return to Vienna, we'll have plenty."

However, by nightfall, the Austrian army had failed to reach the other side of the river. The engineer battalion, despite suffering heavy casualties, had only managed to build a pontoon bridge less than two-thirds the width of the river.

Verother stood before Archduke Karl, holding a stack of reports. His face was deathly pale, and his voice trembled uncontrollably: "Marshal, according to a rough estimate, today... more than 10,000 people have died. The number of wounded is still unclear, but at least 14,000..."

(End of this chapter)