He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 125

(125) Eugene Halts an Enemy Ten Times His Size

A high ground is a position every army seeks to occupy first.

Firstly, it’s easy to defend.

Secondly, it’s convenient for identifying enemy movements.

Also, it’s good for charging down into the lowlands at a crucial moment.

This is why Alvinzi, who values orthodoxy, placed his main camp in the Monte Baldo mountain range north of Rivoli.

However, high ground has its problems as well.

“In an emergency, you can get isolated and surrounded. That’s why armies on high ground must maneuver actively!”

Eugene shouted as he raced across the Rivoli plateau.

However, the force following Eugene was only 1,000 strong, the entirety of the Horse Grenadier Brigade.

The 3,000-strong Pyrenees Cavalry had gone southeast to defeat Roselmini.

Ippolito, who was following Eugene with an uneasy expression, shouted.

“Did you really have to send General Lan? We have plenty of enemies to fight right now!”

“I had no choice! That’s the only way General Napoleon can destroy all the enemies!”

“What are you talking about?”

Eugene reined in his horse right at the edge of the plateau’s cliff and retorted.

“We have to make a hole in the encirclement that Alvinzi is creating. That’s the only way to defeat the enemy piecemeal!”

Suddenly, Eugene’s brown horse cried out.

-Neighhhhh!

This was the northwest part of the Rivoli plateau, towards the Monte Gazzo mountain range.

It was the opposite direction from where Lan had gone to the southeast.

Alvinzi had dispatched a vanguard of cavalry to this location.

It was the unit of Major General Prinz Xavier, commanding the entire cavalry.

Of course, the French army had no way of knowing this.

That’s how it would normally be.

[Prinz Xavier von Hohenzollern-Hechingen: Commander of 3,000 cavalry approaching from the Northwest.]

Pure white letters appeared before Eugene’s eyes.

It was Eugene’s unique ability to sense danger and choices.

Like a radar, it was a light illuminating the dark battlefield.

The enemy was still passing through the forest, so they weren’t clearly visible.

Eugene pretended to observe the shaking of the forest with his telescope and said to Ippolito.

“The northwest is the Total Cavalry.”

“What? You can see that? How is your eyesight so good?”

“It’s a gift. Now the enemy’s situation is clear.”

Eugene shouted, watching the front.

“Northwest is Xavier’s Total Cavalry, north is the infantry, and northeast is a combined infantry and cavalry unit.”

The northwest was Xavier’s Total Cavalry with 3,000 troops.

The north was Brabek’s division-level infantry with 10,000 troops.

The northeast was the youngest general, Baron Laudon’s combined infantry and cavalry force with 10,000 troops.

The enemy’s direction of advance and numbers were information that Eugene’s Grenadier Cavalry had gathered on foot.

Combining this with the constant alerts popping up for Eugene, he could figure out the enemy’s plan.

Encirclement and annihilation.

That’s what Alvinzi was aiming for.

“Whew, we only have 1,000 troops, how are we going to stop that? How many are there?”

The moment Junot clicked his tongue behind Eugene, Eugene shook his head.

“We don’t need to stop them.”

“What do you mean?”

“We just need to buy time. To prevent the enemy from uniting as one.”

For a moment, Eugene’s gaze turned southeast.

“Until General Napoleon defeats the enemies one by one.”

Records from the original history he saw in his past life.

The reports from the reconnaissance cavalry.

The alerts from the white letters.

All of this was combined in Eugene’s head.

As if he were looking at a [Battle Map: A detailed map showing troop positions and terrain], he grasped the marching status of the enemy and friendly forces.

Also, the situation that the Austrian army was rushing in from at least four directions.

“Alvinzi’s plan is simple. Isolate the French army on the Rivoli plateau and annihilate them by encirclement.”

“Then we can use that to our advantage?”

“That’s right, Junot. That’s why I sent Lan. Before the enemy completes the encirclement, we must defeat the enemies one by one. And as quickly as possible.”

This is the piecemeal destruction tactic that Napoleon is currently attempting in Rivoli.

In the end, Alvinzi must disperse his forces and advance to encircle Napoleon.

However, Alvinzi cannot advance quickly.

Because the French Napoleon’s army must all enter the Rivoli plateau for the encirclement to have meaning.

Therefore, he must wait for the enemy to enter the Rivoli plateau and advance slowly.

On the other hand, Napoleon’s side must move as quickly as possible.

If the encirclement is completed, even if they attack from the outside, it will only be a war of attrition and difficult to defeat.

Alvinzi’s army is a large force of 50,000.

No matter how skilled Napoleon is, it is difficult to simply defeat 50,000 people gathered in one place.

But if there is a hole in one side of the encirclement, the situation changes.

Instead of 50,000 combined, Napoleon’s army of 30,000 or more can handle the dispersed 10,000 each.

“I understand what you mean. So, what should we do?”

Junot nodded.

On the other hand, Ippolito still didn’t understand and just blinked.

This is the difference in spatial reasoning ability.

You have to be able to combine information like Eugene and grasp the terrain like a [battle map] to understand.

If you can’t, you can’t understand the concept of piecemeal destruction itself.

You could say it’s the gap between Junot, who is familiar with maps, and Ippolito, who is not.

Eugene smiled bitterly and stared at Junot.

“First, let’s stop the Total Cavalry in front of us. Even if we have to use all the [Eugene Grenades: Specially made grenades used by Eugene’s brigade].”

First, stop the enemy with the shockwave.

This is the solution Eugene came up with.

***

Encirclement requires difficult maneuvers for the attacker.

“Fortunately, there’s no one in the forest.”

General Xavier muttered, pushing through the trees.

It’s easy to think that cavalry only fights on flat ground.

But the battlefield is not limited to flat ground, and Xavier had often fought in plateaus and valleys.

So, passing through a forest spread out on the hills is not a difficult task for Xavier’s regiment, which is a skilled Total Cavalry.

Even if someone had ambushed them, they would have poured prepared bullets and chased them away.

The problem is that this is not a simple pursuit or reconnaissance, but an encirclement.

“Colonel, have you ever engaged in an encirclement with cavalry?”

Suddenly, Lieutenant Colonel Slane, the adjutant following Xavier, asked.

“No, the role of the cavalry is pursuit and reconnaissance. It’s an unreasonable maneuver to go ahead without the help of artillery.”

“Then why did you accept this role, General?”

“Didn’t we receive valuable information that the enemy’s vanguard only has cavalry?”

The aristocratic gentleman, Xavier, calmly explained to his adjutant.

“Besides, our army is supported by infantry in the north. If something happens, we can join forces with General Brabek without any problems.”

Xavier is a branch of the Hohenzollern family, a prestigious family of the empire.

He is also the second son of a father who made a name for himself in the military, and he has been pioneering his fate in the military since early on.

At the age of 38, he has already spent 20 years in the military.

His age is young by Austrian standards, but his military experience is rich.

That’s why he perfectly understood Alvinzi’s intention to send out the cavalry.

Take the lead with mobile cavalry, but don’t move recklessly.

If a problem occurs, join forces with the Brabek infantry, which supports them from behind.

This is Xavier’s policy for operating the Total Cavalry.

However, the opponent is Eugene, who takes Napoleon’s tactics as a model for unconventional tactics.

The moment the reconnaissance cavalry running in front came running, Xavier was embarrassed.

“Colonel! Enemy sighted ahead! Cavalry!”

“Numbers? How many?”

“Approximately, only about 1,000!”

The appearance of the enemy cavalry was expected.

But the fact that only 1,000 appeared was an unexpected part.

Since the French cavalry had a small total number, they thought they would do their best in the battle.

Xavier, who was rolling his eyes in a hurry, made a judgment based on his rich experience.

“Then, since the enemy has about 5,000 troops in total, there is a possibility of attacking with a flanking maneuver. Maintain the formation and wait for the enemy to approach. Send out reconnaissance cavalry as well!”

He completely misjudged.

First of all, the number of 5,000 is based on wrong information.

However, logically speaking, even if there are 4,000 troops, there is no way that 3,000 troops would go to support another direction when 50,000 enemy troops are approaching.

Xavier was deceived by Eugene’s deceptive tactics, which were deployed with unconventional tactics.

“Total Cavalry, prepare to fire! Everyone, load!”

Xavier began preparing to shoot, deploying the formation with all his might.

-Swish, swish, swish!

The Total Cavalry took out their muskets and started loading at once.

The Eugene Brigade was running as it was, but no cavalry in Xavier’s Total Cavalry was embarrassed.

Even if the Eugene Brigade fired pistols, their range would naturally be shorter than muskets.

“They’re running!”

“Be calm! The cavalry who loaded first, prepare to shoot! The vanguard will charge, and the rearguard will load!”

“Yes! Show the fireflies the horror of the Total Cavalry!”

That’s when it happened.

-Doo-doo-doo!

It was almost at the firing range.

The Eugene Horse Grenadier Brigade took out grenades all at once.

The sound of flying shook the forest loudly.

-Whoosh!

In an instant, Xavier, who was a general with rich experience, grabbed the reins, knowing the enemy’s tactics.

“Damn it, it’s their grenades!”

At the same time, the Eugene Grenades were detonated and exploded on the ground.

-Bang!

Although the grenades exploded, there were hardly any injured cavalry.

It was a grenade thrown as a threat from outside the range.

But then the Total Cavalry, who had been calmly preparing to shoot, began to panic and run wild.

More than the cavalry, the horses run wild first.

They were surprised by the sound of the grenade explosion.

Xavier, the cavalry commander with 20 years of experience, made a decision after seeing the horses running wild.

If the enemy rushes in with grenadiers here, they won’t be able to handle it.

“Evasive maneuvers! Retreat back for now!”

“Colonel! Some of the vanguard have completed loading. Wouldn’t it be better to charge and shoot?”

“No, we can’t take the risk!”

Xavier shouted, pointing to the charging Grenadier Cavalry again.

“There are more than 4 times as many cavalry as the visible enemy! First, join Brabek. Then let’s advance again!”

Xavier’s Total Cavalry quickly turned their horses, as befits well-trained elite soldiers.

The 3,000 cavalry began running through the forest all at once.

The sound of grenades exploding rang out loudly behind them.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

Running forward, Xavier was convinced.

His quick decision saved the entire Total Cavalry.

***

Of course, Xavier’s thoughts are nonsense.

“Okay! The enemy is retreating!”

Ippolito stroked his chest and cheered.

It was really a narrow escape.

The Eugene Brigade did not have many grenades in the first place.

Because they had consumed all the grenades they had brought from Pavia in repeated battles.

So, it was fortunate that Xavier’s cavalry had fled.

But Eugene turned his horse and shouted.

“It’s not time to stop! Run again!”

“Huh? Where to? Are you going to do a chase?”

“No!”

Eugene explained, rushing towards the plateau.

“Now Xavier will join the infantry. Because he got burned by the grenades! The closest unit is Brabek’s line infantry!”

North side, Brabek Line Infantry.

The number is about 10,000.

Deputy Commander Colonel Junot, who had turned pale, asked.

“Then do we have to fight the line infantry?”

“Maybe. But not Brabek’s unit. Because they’ll stop too.”

“What? Why?”

Eugene smiled.

“Fear is transmitted. The enemy came in scared of us from the beginning. Because the Liftai were annihilated.”

In short, Xavier would have advanced with his spirit broken from the beginning.

You could say he hid his fear under the guise of caution.

Psychology distorted the operation.

“Now we’ll stop for a while and watch the situation. In the meantime, we have to cross diagonally and go northeast! We have to stop the Laudon Division entering there!”

Eugene ordered the entire brigade.

“Let’s go, today our Grenadiers’ mission is to stop Alvinzi’s 50,000-strong army!”

The 1,000-strong Horse Grenadier Brigade began to sprint around.

Having achieved the feat of stopping an army 10 times its size, 10,000 infantry and 3,000 Total Cavalry.

But the real battle of the Battle of Rivoli was just beginning.