French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 75 The French Army's Unsuccessful Breakout

McMahon's deployment stunned everyone; everyone understood that being the rearguard meant facing certain death.

"Emperor, Marshal, this won't do!"

In desperation, Bourbaki wanted McMahon and Nathan to retreat with his troops, as it was too dangerous for them to take the third route.

"You should go with the Northern Route Army. The Imperial Guard will protect your safety. Let me stay behind to cover the rear."

"I am the commander of the Xialong Legion, and it is my duty to bear this responsibility. General Bulbaqi, remember, no matter what happens, do not look back. Your Majesty, do you wish to depart with General Bulbaqi?"

The danger of being the rearguard was indeed great. McMahon himself was the commander of the First Army Corps and the commander of the Xia Long Army Corps, so he decided to personally take charge of the Third Route.

However, McMahon was willing to stay, and he wouldn't force Napoleon III to continue down the same path. Faced with McMahon's slightly questioning gaze, Napoleon III's lips moved, but ultimately he said nothing.

In front of everyone, the French emperor refused to admit his cowardice. After all, Europe didn't have a tradition of killing royalty, and even if he stayed behind, things might not actually go wrong. Paris didn't want him; what kind of turmoil would Paris descend upon if news of defeat reached them? And if he were to return, how would he handle the situation…?

He had a million thoughts running through his mind, which led him to not say he wanted to switch teams and simply accept McMahon's arrangement.

Due to the extremely tight timeframe, all breakout forces received orders at 3:45 PM to launch their attack precisely at 4:00 PM.

At 4 p.m. sharp, several red signal flares rose from different places, piercing the gloomy sky affected by the smoke of battle.

The three French armies, already poised for battle, launched an assault on the Prussian lines under the command of their officers. In an instant, gunfire erupted along the Meuse River, accompanied by deafening artillery fire.

Hundreds of cannons roared, turning the entire battlefield into a burning hell. The Napoleonic cannons did not have a long lifespan, and the French army had decided to use them all at once, reducing their lifespan to almost nothing.

This kind of weapon could not possibly be withdrawn with the army.

The northern battlefield was the most important of the three-pronged breakout, and to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, Bulbaki placed his most elite Guards grenadier division at the forefront.

These elite soldiers, wearing towering bearskin hats and dark blue uniforms with red trim, armed with Chassepot rifles with bayonets fixed, launched an attack on the Prussian positions, accompanied by a military band.

The Prussian army had only recently circled behind the French army and had not yet established any decent positions; the two sides were simply fighting each other on the plains.

Despite the Prussian army not having any geographical advantage, and ignoring their fallen comrades, the Imperial Guard advanced relentlessly like a moving steel wall.

The Prussian army was completely unable to stop the advance of the Guards and could only fight and retreat.

"Stop them! We absolutely cannot let them get away."

Lieutenant General Hartmann, commander of the Bavarian 2nd Army, shouted at the top of his lungs, and Bavarian soldiers, relying on the makeshift breastwork, fired wildly with Dreiser rifles and machine guns.

The fearless Imperial Guard soldiers, though the front ranks fell in droves, were immediately replaced by the soldiers behind them, who continued to charge forward.

Because they were breaking out to return home, the French army displayed astonishing fighting power. On the battlefield, a Guards captain had his left arm blown off by a shell, but he held his saber in his right hand, enduring excruciating pain, and continued to charge at the forefront.

It wasn't until three bullets struck the captain's chest that this valiant French warrior collapsed to the ground, shouting "Long live France!" as he lay dying.

The battle was extremely fierce, with the Imperial Guard suffering more than 3,000 casualties within an hour. However, these 3,000 casualties were also rewarded with the Imperial Guard successfully breaking through two temporary lines of defense of the Prussian army.

Bourbaki seized the opportunity and led his army to break through the defenses established by the Bavarian 2nd Army, which was still in a precarious position.

All three battles are difficult to fight, and the further down the road, the more difficult it is. Compared to the battles in the north, the battles in the central region are even more challenging.

To this end, de Fay personally rode a white horse, brandishing a saber, and charged at the very front of the procession.

The 7th Army under his command was filled with pent-up anger due to the defeat at the Saint-Michel crossing. At this moment, they were all like tigers descending the mountain, fearless in the face of the Prussian army.

"Charge! For our fallen brothers!"

De Fay, who personally charged ahead without regard for his own life, inspired the soldiers' morale with his bravery on the battlefield.

The French forces in the center quickly broke through the first line of defense set up by the Prussian 11th Army, but just as they were preparing to launch an attack on the second line of defense, an unexpected incident occurred.

Two Prussian cavalry divisions attacked from the flanks, and thousands of Prussian cavalrymen, brandishing their sabers, charged into the French infantry ranks in the blink of an eye.

Caught off guard by the sudden influx of Prussian cavalry, the French soldiers were thrown into chaos. The cavalry charged through the infantry ranks, their sabers flashing as French soldiers fell one after another.

Many French soldiers were cut down by cavalry before they could even raise their rifles.

"Form a square formation, quickly form a square formation."

In open terrain, the only way to stop cavalry is through a dense network of fire. This requires forming phalanx formations, which is clearly not feasible at the moment.

De Fay was shouting, but it was too late; the Prussian cavalry had already disrupted the French formation.

Soldiers scattered and trampled each other in the chaos. In this state of collapse, the French army, without effective resistance, naturally suffered heavy casualties.

De Fay only managed to break through the cavalry encirclement thanks to the desperate protection of his guards.

If the central battlefield is in such a state, the situation on the southern battlefield is even more dire, where the situation is the most severe.

Because the forces responsible for blocking McMahon were some of the most elite units in the Allied forces, the Saxon 12th Corps and the Bavarian 1st Corps, two units that had not been heavily involved in combat, totaling 4.2 men.

These two units were well-equipped, well-trained, and fairly well-organized, and they occupied advantageous terrain.

The French army's first charge was repelled by the Prussian army, suffering more than 2,000 casualties. As a result, McMahon had no choice but to order a halt to the offensive and reorganize his forces.

McMahon, binoculars in hand, surveyed the smoke-filled battlefield ahead. The longer the conflict dragged on, the worse it would be for the French. The Prussian encirclement was tightening; once the main Prussian force arrived, they would have no chance of breaking out.

"Order the artillery to concentrate all firepower on the Prussian left flank positions."

Knowing that a breakthrough was necessary as soon as possible, McMahon displayed his most decisive command ability: "The 2nd Cavalry Division will outflank from the right flank, while the 1st Corps will continue the frontal attack. We must break through the Prussian lines before nightfall, at all costs."