Chapter 927: Battle of Brussels (Part 1)

The French commander at this time was Oudinot, yes, another old man from the Napoleonic era. Oudinot was the bravest marshal during the First French Empire, but at this time he was 81 years old, only one year younger than Radetzky.

Oudinot was not an outstanding strategist or a tactical master, and even Napoleon commented that he "lacked brains".

As the supreme commander of the French army at this time, the tactics he used were also extremely simple and crude.

"Attack! Attack! Attack again! Until the trenches are filled! Until the city walls are knocked down! Until every Belgian is drowned in blood!"

Oudinot's tactics were simple and efficient, but also accompanied by huge casualties. The two armies he brought, totaling 40,000 people, lost nearly a quarter in less than a week of fighting.

The quarter here does not refer to the number of deaths, but also includes factors such as injuries, illness, and vacations.

In fact, due to the completely unequal firepower of the two sides, if the French army can continue to consume the Belgians with sufficient ammunition, it can greatly reduce its own casualties.

Belgium is close enough to France, so there is no need to worry about supply issues.

Oudinot was by no means the best choice for the French at this time, but the departments of the French Provisional Government were in an abnormal state of chaos.

The candidate initially selected by the Provisional Government was General Bedeau, who was good at fighting, but this guy was a staunch royalist.

He resolutely refused to accept the appointment of the Provisional Government, and the Provisional Government had no choice but to choose General Bellevue.

The latter's ability was far inferior to the former, and his prestige in the army was completely incomparable to that of the former.

The result of such a person as the Minister of Military Affairs was that no one took him seriously at all.

In addition, as a candidate recommended by the National Newspaper Party, he was naturally hostile to the Reform Newspaper Party.

As a result, the position of Minister of Military Affairs became a victim of the struggle between the two major parties, and the government reformed the military department into the Defense Committee.

Bellevue served as chairman, but veteran marshals such as Lamosilier and Oudinot often deliberately discussed issues when Bellevue was not there, and even skipped him to send resolutions to the Provisional Government.

At this time, Oudinot, an old guy buried in the ground to his neck, appeared in Belgium because of this.

Leopold I was the commander-in-chief of the Belgian side. The army was mainly composed of former Belgian Defense Forces and volunteers. Judging from the number of people alone, the Belgians also had about 30,000 troops, and they were not at a disadvantage in terms of manpower.

But in fact, the gap was large, and there was a serious lack of artillery.

Leopold I himself was not a military genius. It was already remarkable that he did not let this patchwork army fall apart.

For details, you can refer to the previous Italian battlefield. Those Italian coalition forces could not find their own team while fighting, and some even got lost.

At this time, the Belgians had done their best, but the French army was still unstoppable.

The French queue was approaching step by step, and the weak artillery fire of the Belgians could hardly cause any damage to them.

Even if someone in the French queue fell, someone would immediately fill his position.

The French drumbeats were getting closer and closer, and the Belgian defenders kept swallowing their saliva, and the heavy sense of oppression hit the defenders' souls like a heavy hammer.

Finally, the most brutal battle began. The hit rate of the smoothbore rifle was not good, that was at long distance and at close range. No one could block or avoid the bullets when facing each other.

Soldiers on both sides kept falling down, and officers and supervisors kept hacking and killing soldiers who tried to escape.

"Bayonet! Charge!"

"Charge!"

Officers and soldiers on both sides roared hysterically and rushed forward, wrestling in the mud.

At this time, war and art had nothing to do with each other. There was only the most primitive, barbaric and true truth - the winner is the king.

Bayonets, butts, fists, stones, all became deadly weapons. The battlefield was filled with shouts and screams, and the air that had just been washed by rain became turbid again.

Leopold I, who was at the center of the battlefield, felt that the situation was tense and they should be able to hold on.

However, Oudinot, who was far away, saw it clearly. The old marshal's injuries in his youth had been tormenting him. Even in May, he had to wrap himself in a thick fur coat and keep a red-hot charcoal stove beside him.

"The Belgians can't hold on for long."

"Yes, Marshal, the front line is advancing very smoothly." The adjutant on the side responded quickly.

From a macro perspective, the French have completely grasped the initiative on the battlefield. All fronts are advancing steadily. The Belgian defense line will become thinner and thinner until the moment of breaking.

At that time, the entire front will be like a flood bursting the dam. At that time, no matter who the opponent's coach is, it will be impossible to save the defeat.

But the adjutant still had a sad face, because if the battle continued like this, although the battle was won, the losses of both sides were similar.

The dead were French soldiers, and the ones killed were a group of Belgian mobs. He felt that it was not worth it. Such a large casualty ratio would not only not get any credit but also affect his career.

"Marshal, should we send cavalry to cut off their retreat?"

Oudinot looked at the adjutant sent by Bellevue as if he was a fool, and pointed to the battlefield.

"See what that is?"

The adjutant looked in the direction Oudinot pointed, but didn't see anything different. It was just a part of the battlefield, so he was a little confused.

"It's a battlefield, Marshal."

"Idiot! I know it's a battlefield! I'm asking you what it is!"

Oudinot's sudden roar made the adjutant somewhat at a loss, and the latter took it for granted that the two factions were fighting.

He belonged to the National newspaper camp, and Oudinot had always been in close contact with the Reform newspaper faction, so this was probably a warning from the other party.

"Don't be a coward!" he thought, and then said, "That's the battlefield!"

Oudinot obviously didn't expect the other party to be like this, and he couldn't help but get even more angry.

"That's a muddy field! Idiot!"

"You have no right to insult my personality!"

The adjutant shouted tit for tat.

This time it was Oudinot who was a little at a loss. He really couldn't think of such a stupid person, and how such a person could get to the central government as a staff officer.

"No wonder Jean Durde and Grouchy were defeated so badly. If you use such a person as a staff officer, you will either be angry to death or stupid to death."

Oudinot thought so, and couldn't help but start to worry about the future of France.

Fortunately, the battle was won, and the Belgian defense line finally couldn't hold on.

Leopold I wanted to lead his troops to plug the gaps like his legendary predecessors, but the reality was that his battle line was too long, and once his troops started to move, it would only create more gaps.

"Your Majesty! What should we do?"

Charles Rogier asked. Although the prime minister was a civilian, he also had a brave heart.

"What should we do?"

Leopold I smiled bitterly. He didn't want to be a bird in a cage again, and the French provisional government at this time didn't seem to want to give him that opportunity.

"Brussels is behind us! I won't surrender! I will never allow the French to trample on our land again!"

"Fight them!"

Charles Rogier was also a good morale booster.

"Long live Belgium! As long as we have one person alive! They can't think of occupying our homes!"

"Fight them! Long live Belgium!"

The voice quickly spread throughout the battlefield, and Belgium pushed the battle line back again.

"Send the cavalry to attack!"

The adjutant suggested again.

Oudinot ignored the noisy adjutant, but admired the opponent in front of him. He was forced into a desperate situation before, but he was able to fight back. However, the gap in strength between the two sides was still huge, and it was only a matter of time before they were destroyed.

"Let the reserve troops press on. The battle will be over before noon. Tell the soldiers! After the battle, I will give them canned food!"

After Oudinot joined the reserve, Leopold I quickly felt the pressure. He knew that he could not win this battle.

Leopold I was just a mortal after all. He did not have the courage to let tens of thousands of people die with him.

"Soldiers! We have tried our best"

Just as Leopold I was about to persuade his soldiers to lay down their weapons, someone shouted excitedly: "Reinforcements! Reinforcements are coming!"