King's Landing in France

Chapter 160 Varazze Assault

In the early morning of the next day, Varazze, a seaside town ten kilometers away from Savona, was still asleep.

Yesterday Lasalle's cavalry rushed over, tied up all the noble officers in the town, and locked them in the cellar of the big grain merchant in the town.

The command of the entire force fell to the few remaining civilian warrant officers.

Among the group of warrant officers, one is of Italian origin and can speak fluent Italian. At this moment, he is greeting the fishermen who are going to go fishing early in the morning.

The warrant officer had worked as a waiter on a merchant ship, and occasionally worked as a sailor, so he was quite familiar with life in the Mediterranean Sea and could find conversations with fishermen.

"So," the fisherman suddenly asked after chatting for a while, "I heard that you became the brigade commander of the brigade here yesterday?"

The 34-year-old warrant officer nodded: "Yeah, I don't know why, the guy named pipe smoking came over yesterday, saying that the nobles are all traitors and cannot be trusted, so he tied them all up and locked them in the cellar.

"Then the pipe-smoking man was going around shouting: 'Who is Massena, André Massena of Nice!' I said, 'If you limit Nice, it's me.'

"And guess what, the pipe smoker asked me as if confirming something: 'You're Italian, aren't you?'

"I responded to him in Italian, and I became brigade commander. I was a warrant officer and commander a day ago!"

The fisherman smiled, then put down the fishing line he was adjusting, and said to Massena mysteriously: "That new commander has a great reputation! His legend has been passed on more than a year ago! Said that he has a roster, which is given to him by God, and it is full of generals of the world!"

Massena: "Is there such a saying?"

"Yes! The newspapers published in Nice said so! He was able to defeat Lafayette a year ago because he selected a few capable people based on this list!"

Massena raised his eyebrows, and was about to ask for more details, when suddenly there was a loud shout of killing in the distance.

Massena was startled, and shouted to the fishermen, "Go to sea! Don't get close to the shore!" Then he turned and ran towards the headquarters.

That's when the guns rang out, crackling and crackling to the northwest of town.

Massena listened to the sound and felt that the enemy should come down from the mountain road leading to San Martino, so he shouted while running: "The enemy is coming down from San Martino! Everyone go to the northwest! Look." Anyone in white clothes will be stabbed!"

The soldiers who ran out of the house where they were staying in confusion, turned around and ran to the northwest immediately after hearing this.

Masséna grabbed a sergeant by the collar and yelled at him: "Run down the street, shouting 'Run northwest and stab anyone in white'!"

The sergeant nodded, turned and started running down the street, shouting as he went.

At this time, Massena saw La Salle, who also lived in Varazze last night, running out of a private house while pulling up his pants.

Massena: "Captain! Your cavalry, gather your cavalry! The main road of the town is a straight line, which is very suitable for cavalry to charge. If the enemy rushes to the main road, it depends on you!"

La Salle: "Okay! Leave it to me!"

As he spoke, he touched himself: "Where is my pipe?"

Masséna ignored him and continued on to the headquarters.When he arrived in front of the headquarters, he saw a group of soldiers idly gathering in front of the door.

Suddenly, Masséna rushed to a standard-bearer who was still asleep, picked up the flag, jumped onto a flower bed, and shouted loudly: "Soldiers! Follow me! Follow the flag! For the country... Do it! Fuck him!" Bloody king, come with me!"

Originally, Masséna habitually wanted to call himself king. After all, the kingdom had been in existence for hundreds of years, and it became natural to get used to it.

Then he realized that the aristocratic officers had just been arrested on charges of adultery with the king, and it was obviously wrong to shout for the king.

But Masséna didn't know what France is now, and what he should fight for, so he could only curse and say "follow me" in general.

At this time, the soldiers were in a daze. If someone took the lead at this time, it would directly change the direction of the wind.

So the soldiers roared, followed the flag carried by Massena, and rushed to the northwest of the town.

They came face to face with the Austrians, who were entering the town.

The blue uniforms that were blocking the Austrians were about to retreat, and many people turned around and ran away, but when they saw a large group of people behind, rushing towards Massena's flag, they immediately regained their courage.

**
While Massena was fighting, La Salle finally found his pipe from the arms of his mistress, and then he rode out of the city with dozens of cavalry.

That was all the cavalry he could muster now.

The hundreds of cavalry he brought to the town yesterday did not know where to go in the chaos.

La Salle led the cavalry to a small highland, and then set up a pergola to watch the town.

"Damn it, he also asked me to charge from the town road. Does he know cavalry!" La Salle said cursingly, "At this time, of course I want to outflank the enemy and kick their ass! Trumpeter!"

"Report, there is no trumpeter!" cried a knight.

La Salle: "Fuck! Forget it, you follow me and whistle like Alexander's cavalry, understand?"

Speaking of which, Lasalle whipped the horse and let the steed catapult to start, and then he controlled the frightened horse, and cut diagonally towards the white Austrian army along the ramp.

The hussars were brave and aggressive guys, and when they saw that the boss was on the way, they immediately followed, for fear that they would be too late to catch up with the battle.

La Salle drew out his saber and issued what he called "Alexander's whistle": "ALIAAAAAAA!"

With just a few dozen riders, he rushed out of the prestige of the conquering king abruptly!

The enemy army, which had been attacking all night, was suddenly charged back and immediately fell into chaos.

If An Ning was present, he would describe the scene like this: white, the enemy has been washed away!
**
Vuksevich used a telescope to observe the two regiments he was rushing down—the terrain was a problem, and he couldn't deploy too many troops at once.

The rest of his division lined up on the hillside.

"That's it, blow the signal and let the two regiments retreat. The surprise attack has failed, and the next step is a serious sparring." Vuksevich was speechless.

He knew that his troops marched and attacked all night without artillery, and when the enemy recovered their outlying positions, rearranged their cannons, and started bombarding, it was almost time for him to retreat.

If there is no cannon, if there is a cannon, a fool will know which side will win.

It's not that Vuksevich didn't want to bring cannons. Mainly at night and on mountain roads, Austrian artillery is still heavy infantry artillery, lacking the mobile and flexible cavalry artillery like France.

It was impossible for the cannon to keep up with the Austrian troops who were rushing.

This is another major reason why Marshal Beaulieu was so hesitant to launch a surprise attack.

You can't bring a cannon in a quick attack!
Vuksevich: "When the two retreating regiments gather together, they will begin to cover in sequence and retreat in an orderly manner."

**
After three hours of bloody battle, the enemy forces on the outskirts of Lavaze finally retreated.

Masséna stood on the newly restored artillery emplacement outside the city, watching the tail of the Austrians.

At this time, La Salle rode over and said excitedly to Massena: "Today is really exciting! I hacked at least forty, forty! My knife is curled! Look! I am not a swordsman." The curling blade caused by incompetence, with my technique, usually cuts ten people, and the blade is as good as new!"

Massena said solemnly: "The enemy's retreat is very orderly. Do you understand that retreat is the time to see the general's ability! Vuksevich is a very strong general!"

La Salle smiled: "I understand you, you still want to fight him, don't you?"

"What?" Massena looked at La Salle suspiciously.

"Look at you, the clenched hand is twitching, this is excitement, understand, excitement!" La Salle patted Massena's shoulder with a smile, "You are also a person born for war! You know why the boss chose is you!"

(End of this chapter)