Chapter 1017: Battle of Salburg (Part 1)

Soon after, the Austrian artillery opened fire again, and dense shells fell on the French positions. Ramosilier was really lucky that he had not sent a large force to support the front line, otherwise he didn't know how many people would be lost in this artillery fire.

The French soldiers on the position were hit by rounds of bullets and couldn't raise their heads. The deafening explosions raised dust all over the sky.

Someone showed his head to see the enemy's movements behind the smoke, but he was named by the coalition's scattered soldiers as soon as the smoke cleared.

Screams, explosions, and companions who kept falling down were tormenting the nerves of the French troops on the front line all the time. Most of them chose to hide behind the bunkers and tremble, and even prayed to God.

However, this could not save them. The high-explosive shells hit the bunkers and exploded violently. The broken stones, wood chips, and human limbs were all thrown high into the air and then fell heavily.

It was okay to be hit on the hands, feet, and torso, but once hit on the head, it would be either death or injury. However, these French soldiers did not have much room to think, because the Austrian rocket troops also began to show their power.

Facing the ruins of Saarburg, neither conventional anti-infantry rockets nor heavy siege rockets were very effective.

But there was a type of rocket that was completely unaffected, that is, the rocket incendiary bomb. One by one, the incendiary bombs exploded over the French positions, and a large amount of combustibles and flames covered the battlefield.

Due to the lack of common sense and tools for firefighting, the ignited French soldiers soon became walking fireballs.

The stench of gunpowder and burnt corpses filled the noses of every French soldier. Fear and despair made the efforts of the front-line officers to reorganize the team come to naught.

The surviving soldiers shouted the names of their companions, but they were often responded by rumbling artillery and the commander's saber.

At this time, the French positions were in chaos, which was undoubtedly an opportunity for the German coalition. The scattered soldiers continued to suppress the French artillery positions and the front-line command, giving up the middle road to the large infantry attack.

When the coalition's firepower was slightly reduced, it was too late for Lamosilier to see the situation in front of the position.

The number of coalition infantry occupied an absolute advantage. Although some French troops on the front line launched a counterattack, these few heroic actions could not save the overall decline.

Lamosilier in the rear saw clearly that the German coalition forces all over the mountains were rushing towards the French positions.

The coalition artillery in the distance also began to advance slowly with the help of people pushing and horses pulling, and those rocket troops even rushed to the middle of the coalition infantry and set up a launch pad only three or four hundred meters away from the French position.

The German coalition had at least 40,000 to 50,000 people, and the reinforcements sent by Lamosilier were only 2,000 people. Together with the 3,000 people on the original defense line, it was impossible to stop the German coalition's advance.

At this time, the artillery positions on the front line were completely suppressed and useless, otherwise the German coalition charging against the group could achieve very good results.

Lamosilier did not expect the German coalition to attack with all its strength right from the start. He thought everything would be as the experts said.

But Albrecht did not want to do that. One reason was that the sacrifice was too great, and the morale of the coalition was also a big problem.

The morale and discipline of the coalition soldiers were very poor. They could still fight in a favorable battle, but once they suffered heavy losses, these people would immediately turn back into civilians and scatter.

Rather than being dragged down by these people, it would be better to press the whole army at once so that these people could play some role. After all, Albrecht was a general of the Austrian Empire, and he could not put Austria's interests last.

Moreover, with an overwhelming advantage and knowing the opponent's weaknesses, it is the wisest approach to use a swift offensive to quickly gain an advantage on the battlefield.

After many days of observation and waiting, Albrecht finally did it.

But Lamosilier had long known that the battlefield was unilaterally transparent to the German coalition, so he had already prepared countermeasures.

There is also a hidden artillery position behind the French front-line position. The artillery here is transported at night and is strictly supervised and kept secret, so the Austrians cannot detect it.

This is the time when it comes into play. The sound of artillery sounded behind the French position, and the shells fell into the German coalition army.

The heavy solid iron ball rolled and hit a bloody alley in the German coalition army, and dozens of soldiers died.

But this is just the beginning. Soon more shells came, and each one can bring a long line of blood.

The messenger on the reconnaissance balloon in the sky was frantically waving flags, but it is unlikely to hit the target out of sight in one shot, and the time for the test gun is enough for the soldiers in the front to dye the earth red with blood.

The French army on the front line also took the opportunity to counterattack. Soldiers of the German coalition army kept falling down. Some people wanted to retreat when they saw this scene. They wanted to turn around and mix into the crowd and escape from this horrible hell called the battlefield.

However, it was not just one or two people who had this idea. The actions of two or three people immediately became a collective behavior. Seeing more and more deserters, even some people who did not want to escape were swept up in it.

The captain who first discovered that someone was escaping began to regret that he did not stop them in the first place. Seeing that the deserters were about to gather into an unstoppable torrent.

Once this torrent was formed, its lethality would be far more terrible than the French cannons. The soldiers who were scrambling to escape would crowd and trample on each other.

If the French were brave enough to chase the coalition forces at this time, the casualties of the coalition forces would depend entirely on the mood and endurance of the French.

The direction of this war would even change because of this, at least all the efforts and sacrifices made before would be wasted.

As the deserters' team continued to grow, the deserters at the front became more and more excited, taking off their guns and throwing them aside and shouting.

"Whoever rushes is stupid! I won't fight anymore! Run! The French are coming! Hahaha!"

At this time, a series of gunshots suddenly rang out, and the deserters who rushed to the front and shouted were killed on the spot, but the people behind continued to move forward under inertia and the crowd's push.

"Fire!"

Another group of deserters were shot and fell down, and this time the deserters' team finally stopped.

"Fight with them!"

An old soldier shouted from behind, and then another gunshot rang out. The team in front of them didn't seem to intend to reason with these deserters at all.

At this time, an officer walked out of the team, and the sharp-eyed soldiers had already recognized him.

"Archduke Albrecht!"

"Yes! It's me. This is your last chance. I'll count to three! Return to the battlefield! Otherwise, you will be executed as deserters."

This time, the deserters picked up their weapons and ran back without hesitation. A few people who either stood there in a daze or tried to persuade the Allied commander to let them escape were hit by a new round of bullets.