Chapter 756: Attack! Attack!
Outside the town of Maffeigne, thousands of French soldiers stood in tight line formations, their eyes locked on the small town ahead.
From dawn, seven or eight cannons had been relentlessly bombarding the Austrian troops inside.
Count Radetzky, already irritated by the constant thunder of artillery, still took the time to personally inspect the town's defenses.
As the vanguard of Prince Coburg's army, not only had he failed to capture Wavre, but nearly half of his forces had been wiped out by the unexpectedly swift French reinforcements.
Maffeigne was the only fallback position north of Wavre—if he lost it, the prince would almost certainly drag him before a military tribunal.
Fortunately, he still had around 6,000 soldiers, and after a full morning of reconnaissance, he estimated that the attacking French force numbered roughly the same.
The French had been ferocious yesterday, but Radetzky believed that if he fully committed to defending the town, he could hold out until Prince Coburg's main army arrived the next day.
After delivering a rousing speech to his troops, Radetzky—now out of breath—returned to his command post and ordered his messenger:
"Send another report to His Highness—update him on our situation."
Since yesterday afternoon, this was already the third time he had requested reinforcements from Prince Coburg.
South of Brussels – The Town of Uccle
The Austrian Southern Netherlands Army, led by Prince Coburg, was advancing slowly southward.
The army was still nearly 20 kilometers from Wavre—at this pace, they would arrive by midday tomorrow.
Prince Coburg, riding his horse, frowned and turned to his chief of staff, Karl von Leiberich.
"How could the French have reached Wavre so quickly? Did they fly there?"
Austria had ruled the Southern Netherlands for over 80 years and had a vast intelligence network throughout Wallonia—especially among the Flemish population.
He was certain that just four days ago, there were no French troops in Wallonia.
And yet, in just three days, they had somehow rushed from the Lille border to Wavre—a journey that should have taken six days under normal conditions!
Leiberich hesitated, then suggested:
"Marshal, perhaps it was only a French cavalry detachment?"
If it was purely cavalry without supply wagons, such a rapid advance could be explained.
Prince Coburg shot him a glance.
"Radetzky's report states that the French brought artillery."
Then, shaking his head, he muttered:
"It must have been poor reconnaissance—Radetzky failed to detect the French in time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have suffered such a disaster."
Leiberich nodded. "Yes, Marshal. Radetzky's forces had the advantage in numbers."
As they spoke, an officer approached and handed an urgent dispatch to the prince's aide.
"Marshal, this is a fresh report from Count Radetzky."
Prince Coburg scanned the document briefly before passing it to Leiberich.
"The French are continuing their attack on Radetzky's corps."
Leiberich read through the report—it was essentially another desperate plea for reinforcements. Clearly, the French were putting him under extreme pressure.
Turning back to the prince, he suggested:
**"The French must be trying to seize Maffeigne to expand their defensive perimeter around Wavre.
"Should we send a cavalry regiment to reinforce Radetzky?"**
Prince Coburg thought for a moment, then shook his head.
**"Cavalry alone won't be enough.
"The French must be overconfident after their successful ambush yesterday. That gives us a perfect opportunity."**
Leiberich raised an eyebrow. "You mean?"
**"The French have concentrated their forces to besiege Maffeigne. That means Wavre is now lightly defended.
"If we crush them near Maffeigne, Wavre will fall into our hands effortlessly."**
Prince Coburg knew that over 20,000 French troops had entered Wallonia.
Clearly, the force at Wavre was only their vanguard.
If the French had remained in Wavre, they could have held out until their reinforcements arrived, forcing Austria into a grueling siege.
Even with superior numbers, the Austrians might have been stalled north of Wavre for weeks.
But now, the French had abandoned Wavre to attack Radetzky.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Prince Coburg immediately gave his orders:
**"General Gruber will lead the Pilsen Corps, the Grenadier Battalion, and all our cavalry. They are to march south at full speed.
"They will either encircle the French at Maffeigne or capture Wavre outright."**
The Pilsen Corps was the only unit in his army brought from Austria itself.
The Grenadier Battalion was elite.
These were his best troops, capable of rapid maneuvers.
As a Thuringian prince, Coburg had risen to the rank of Austrian Field Marshal—proof of his tactical skill.
Now, he was betting everything on this maneuver.
Within minutes, over 6,000 Austrian infantry and 4,000 cavalry broke away from the main force and rushed south at full speed.
As he watched them disappear into the distance, Coburg turned to Leiberich:
**"Order the entire army to increase speed.
"We must reach Wavre before nightfall.
"If General Gruber is delayed, we will assault Wavre tomorrow morning."**
With 40,000 troops under his command, his mind was solely focused on capturing Wavre and marching on Namur.
What he never considered was that his enemy had never planned to defend Wavre at all.
The Trap is Set
At 2 p.m., Gruber's strike force had already advanced to within 4 kilometers north of Maffeigne.
Meanwhile, Prince Coburg's main army was now 7 kilometers behind them.
Coburg urged his horse forward, whipping it lightly to keep it trotting. He knew that after today's march, the poor beast would need a full week to recover.
Just then, a deep, echoing trumpet call sounded from the west.
Coburg's brow furrowed.
Before he could react, a hussar scout came galloping toward him at full speed, yelling frantically:
"French troops! A massive French force has appeared to the west—at least 10,000 men!"
Coburg froze in shock.
Radetzky had reported only 6,000 French troops—where had these 10,000 come from?!
There was no time to think.
He barked orders to Leiberich:
"Quick! Order the entire army to regroup and shift to a defensive formation!"
The command spread rapidly, but the Austrian units were still scattered, and most officers had no idea where the enemy was attacking from.
The real disaster, however, was this:
To march as fast as possible, Coburg had spread out his forces.
As a result, his best-trained regiments had surged ahead, while the less experienced units lagged behind.
From above, the Austrian army now resembled a fragile, stretched-out line— five kilometers long.
And from three kilometers away, the French army was charging straight toward its center.
(End of chapter.)
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