I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 330 The artillery captain in desperate situation

Previously, the French artillery fire came from the west position in the middle of the battlefield, and the Prussian officers' attention was also concentrated there.

At this time, artillery shells suddenly flew out near the edge of the Prussian right wing, and both soldiers and officers were caught off guard. The frightened soldiers stopped moving forward, but there was no officer to restrain and command, and there was an immediate chaos in the queue.

Because those five artillery shells were so accurate that they caused 5 casualties in the infantry line. At that time, an experienced Prussian veteran shouted: "That must be the French artillery battalion, otherwise it would not be possible." Could have shot so many people!”

His words caused even greater chaos. It wasn't until the hurried officers whipped him to the ground that the frightened noises around him subsided.

The Napoleon Regiment, which was "promoted" to an artillery battalion by the enemy, restored its artillery positions and completed the loading of ammunition at an extremely agile speed.

There were five loud bangs almost simultaneously, and the shells drew a low arc and accurately hit the Prussian infantry line again.

It's just that this time the Prussians have dispersed a bit, and the results are almost half as compared to last time.

Napoleon observed the battle in the telescope and said to the herald: "Adjust the azimuth to the left by 1 degree."

"Yes, company commander!"

Although the soldiers did not dare to leave their posts without authorization under the orders of the officers, some soldiers who had participated in the battle for the throne of Bavaria noticed the small bush nearby.

"Yeah, sir, that won't get us out of line. Those damn cannons are so accurate..."

They immediately suggested to the officer, "Sir, let's move closer over there so the French gunners can't see us!"

The three company commanders near the shelling position immediately looked at each other with some emotion. Although they shouted to keep the soldiers in formation, they were actually bombarded by the artillery. Who knew whether the next artillery shell would hit them? to yourself.

A French hussar quickly informed Napoleon of the movements of the Prussian cavalry and urged him to move as soon as possible.

However, at the same time as their orders were issued, the sound of artillery was heard from Napoleon's side.

At the same time, the Prussian cavalry finally locked Napoleon's position, and then a cavalry squadron rushed straight towards him. To deal with this small-scale sneak attack by artillery, 150 cavalry are enough to clear it out.

When the soldiers learned that the officer was leaning towards the bushes to block their sight, regardless of his "movement limit of ten meters", they almost leaned against the edge of the bushes with a huff.

As the five cannons roared again, the right side of the Prussian infantry line where it had been attacked was swept by the whistling iron ball, and suddenly broken limbs were scattered all over the ground.

Soon, they made the decision to move the team slightly west. This does not violate the orders of superiors. When the direction of travel is difficult to pass, it is normal to move laterally for more than ten meters.

Napoleon's company was very well trained - Joseph spared no expense and had the gunners practice with a lot of live ammunition, and the gunners also had to take tutoring in mathematics, and those with excellent results were given extra allowances - cannons The rate of fire was extremely high and the stability was excellent. After seven consecutive rounds of salvos, jagged gaps appeared clearly on the edge of the Prussian right wing.

But Napoleon looked at the growing gap in the Prussian infantry line through the telescope, and said firmly to the messenger: "Adjust the azimuth angle to the left by another 1 degree, and keep shooting rapidly."

The soldiers of the artillery company immediately continued to load ammunition, facing the approaching Prussian cavalry, pouring artillery shells on the enemy infantry lines.

At the right end of the Prussian line, the soldiers gritted their teeth and complained. Although the shelling did not cause them to lose many people, everyone's feet invariably moved closer to the bushes. In the infantry line, the Prussian soldiers who were originally side by side with them were not bombarded. Many people laughed at the guys hiding in embarrassment, but did not notice that the distance between them had widened to seven or eight. Ten steps.

Berthier had previously received a report from the commander of the artillery battalion. He was looking at the artillery position chosen by Captain Bouwanaba with great interest when he suddenly noticed that there was an obvious mark on the Prussian line formation. gap!

His heart suddenly moved, and he turned around and shouted to the herald: "Quick! Concentrate a battalion and attack the enemy's right wing! There is a gap there!"

"Yes, General!"

Ten minutes later, five infantry companies formed a charging column. Under the leadership of their respective company commanders, they rushed towards the right wing of the Prussian army to the beat of rapid drums.

Napoleon had already led his artillery to withdraw from the temporary position. They almost persisted until the sound of the Prussian cavalry's hooves had suppressed the sound of the artillery and they fired the last shot before retreating.

They came for a sneak attack, so they had no infantry cover and had to retreat when facing the cavalry.

Napoleon ordered the abandonment of the five cannons. He had already seen the enemy's line formation. As long as the legion commander did not miss this opportunity, the loss of 5 guns was not worth mentioning.

The Prussian cavalry saw the empty French artillery position, leaving more than ten people to nail the gun doors, while others scattered around to search for the French artillery just now.

Napoleon heard the increasingly clear sound of horse hooves behind him, and looked at his own position in the distance. He knew that it was impossible to rush back, so he had to shout to the soldiers of the company: "Everyone, stop. The Prussians are catching up!"

He waved his hand vigorously: "But what they will face is not the gunners who are at their mercy, but the warriors who dare to fight them to the last drop of blood!
"Now everyone pick up your flash cap guns. Those without weapons stand in the back and help pass out ammunition and strips.

"Let's give the Prussian cavalry a taste of its power!"

To be honest, the soldiers of the Guards Corps were not very convinced by the airborne Corsican company commander, and were even slightly repelled. Only after seeing Napoleon's extraordinary ballistic calculation ability did they reluctantly accept him.

But today, this Corsican old man led them in a beautiful surprise attack, which caused the Prussians to lose their formation.

At this time, I saw the fearless and heroic look on the young face of the company commander again. Listening to his impassioned words, my blood boiled for a while, and I responded loudly, "Yes, I have to kill a few Prussian cavalry no matter what!"

"Listen to the company commander and form up a formation! Have you all forgotten how to line up and form an formation?"

"Come on, everyone, raise your guns! Remember to fix your bayonets!"

"Glory awaits us!"

Soon, less than 40 gunners lined up in a straight line, waiting nervously for the Prussian cavalry to appear. It's not that they don't want to form a hollow phalanx, it's just that they don't have enough flash cap guns.

Napoleon drew his sword and stood at the right end of the queue with a solemn expression, thinking silently: I really want to go back to the vineyard at home and see my mother working under the grape trellis...

(End of this chapter)