I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 443: The Temptation of the Marshal (Seeking Follow-up Reading)
Silesia.

Southeastern part of the Prussian-Austrian front at Liegnitz.

In the Austrian command post in Wałbrzych, General Leaud, wearing brand new epaulettes of a general, handed a glass of crystal wine to the French lieutenant colonel in front of him with a friendly smile on his face: "You must try this, my dear old friend. This is a fine Bordeaux wine given by His Majesty the Emperor." [Note 1]

"Thank you for your hospitality." Lefebvre took the glass and raised it to indicate, "It took me a whole month to get here from Algiers, and then I came to visit you right away. You have been promoted to general, I really want to congratulate you!"

After Leo returned from the Southern Netherlands, Leopold II personally signed the commission and promoted him to general.

Leo smiled and raised his glass: "This couldn't be done without your help."

He was speaking the absolute truth. Without Lefebvre's help, he might have been captured by the Prussians.

"Oh, by the way, I also prepared lunch for you. The cheese stewed beef and roasted pork knuckle here are quite delicious."

Lefebvre exchanged pleasantries with him and left the room, then casually asked, "By the way, why did Marshal Lacy send you here? I mean, you should have made great achievements on the main battlefield instead of staying in this remote town."

General Leo spread his hands: "After all, he is the commander-in-chief. But it's not bad to stay here, every day..."

He almost said "fishing", but he coughed and changed his words: "Ah, inspecting the defense line, training soldiers and so on."

"Yes, we are all loyal to His Majesty the Emperor." Lefebvre nodded, then moved closer and said earnestly, "But as a loyal old friend, I think you shouldn't be so idle now."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"To be honest, with your current prestige and achievements in the Southern Netherlands, you can definitely be awarded the title of marshal." Lefebvre looked very regretful, "But His Majesty the Emperor may think you are still a little young."

Leo is just 35 years old now. If he can become a marshal, he is indeed very young.

"What can I do about it?" Leo smiled and waved his hands. "I am already very satisfied with the current situation."

He was indeed satisfied. If he hadn't had the "adventure" in the Southern Netherlands, he would have basically ended his life as a major general.

Lefebvre stretched out his right index finger and thumb and compared them: "In fact, you are only a little short of the marshal."

He lowered his voice again and said, “Marshal Lacy doesn’t seem to want you to threaten his position.

"You see, Wałbrzych is at the end of the front line, and there won't be any fierce fighting. When the war is over, you will no longer have the opportunity to gain merit."

Leo blinked, thinking that his old friend made sense. Especially the word "Marshal", which stirred his heart like a beautiful woman posing.

He immediately said in embarrassment: "But I'm afraid Lacy won't agree to transfer me to the front line. You know, there are his own people there."

Lefebvre nodded and looked thoughtful: "Perhaps you can open up the situation somewhere else."

"other places?"

"Yes, for example, Ratibor. The Prussian garrison there is not very large, and you can definitely capture it on your own."

Ratibor was a smaller province at the southernmost tip of Silesia.

Leo wondered, "But even if we take back Ratibor, we will be facing the Oder River, which will have almost no impact on the battle situation."

To get from Ratibor to Breslau, the capital of Silesia, one must cross the Oder River. Prussia only needs to send a small number of troops to defend along the river, and it will be difficult for the Austrian army to attack. The Prussian army can go down the Oder River from Breslau, quickly deploy troops on the north side of Ratibor, and take it back. However, to the south of Ratibor is the Sudeten Mountains, and it is impossible to threaten the Austrian mainland from here, so both sides of the Silesian War did not pay much attention to Ratibor.

Lefebvre smiled and said, "All you need is the merit to be promoted to marshal. And the land of Silesia, no matter where it is, is enough for you to become a marshal."

Leo's eyes lit up immediately after hearing this. Yes! Why didn't I think of this?
Once he is promoted to marshal, he can return to Vienna to enjoy his life. As for how the battle in Silesia goes, that is all Lacy's business.

"Thank you so much!" He looked at Lefebvre excitedly, "You always give me the most correct advice, just like when we were in the Southern Netherlands. You are really my best friend!"

He said hesitantly again: "But, are you sure I can capture Ratibor?"

Family members know their own business. In Luxembourg, his army was badly beaten by the Prussians. In the end, it was Lefebvre who led more than 3 soldiers to turn the tide and he won a great victory.

"The Prussian garrison at Ratibor should not exceed 7 men. Your corps has 1 soldiers. You should leave some to defend Wałbrzych."

Lefebvre gestured around and said, "There's nothing to defend in this damn place. If you lead a superior force to launch a fierce attack, you will surely be able to quickly defeat the Prussians."

Leo looked at him eagerly and said, "My old friend, can you come with me?"

Lefebvre immediately said seriously: "I am willing to fight alongside you, but this is related to your promotion to marshal, and I should not share your military achievements.

"Oh, and once you retake Ratibor, I can help you defend it. I promise."

Lefebvre then said a lot of encouraging words, and after a moment, Leo's eyes finally became firm.

three days later.

Leo looked at the hazy Ratibor in the mist from afar, then turned to the staff officer and asked, "Are there any unusual movements by the Prussians?"

"Not yet, General. The enemy is holed up behind the town's defenses."

Leo nodded and ordered: "Order the soldiers to be sure to stay hidden. Launch the general attack at 10 o'clock as planned."

He brought an army of 1 this time. According to Lefebvre, as long as they launched a sudden and fierce attack, they would soon win.

"Yes, General!"

Two hours later, the artillery of the Leo Corps appeared on the southwest side of Ratibor, and two 2-pound guns and seven 12-pound guns roared at the same time.

After more than twenty rounds of artillery fire, a large group of Austrian infantry formed into columns and launched an attack on the Prussian positions from the west and south accompanied by the sound of military drums.

Leo has been with Lefebvre for so long, regardless of his actual fighting ability, at least he seems to have learned about 70% of his skills.

The Prussians seemed to be unresponsive, and it was a long time before the artillery began to fire back.

The Austrian soldiers, under the fire, quickly rushed to the first line of defense outside the city. At the order of the officers, they began to disperse to both sides and formed a horizontal column.

[Note 1] Wałbrzych is the current Polish place name. I can’t find the name it had during the German occupation, so I will use this name for the time being in this article.

(End of this chapter)