Chapter 799: The Battle of Brussels (Part 2)
In the Royal Artillery Regiment, officers were required to master university-level mathematics at the military academy. If they couldn't calculate artillery trajectories in under 30 seconds, they wouldn't even graduate.
As for the gunners, they underwent relentless live-fire training—what they practiced in a single month exceeded what British artillery trained in an entire year.
This excessive expenditure resulted in extraordinary precision.
Previously, the French had won battles in Southern Netherlands so easily that their artillery barely had a chance to showcase their full strength.
Now, at last, they had the perfect opportunity to display their true power.
Typically, even a 12-pounder cannon would only open fire within 800 paces (about 400 meters) to ensure maximum effectiveness.
But this was a defensive battle. The Royal Artillery Regiment had carefully chosen their positions, measured firing parameters in advance, and prepared as if it were a military academy exam.
This allowed them to maintain remarkable accuracy even at an extreme range of 1.3 kilometers. The elevated artillery positions made such distances reasonable. Howitzers could even reach 1.8 kilometers, but at such a range, their arcing shots had little practical effect in battle.
A Devastating Artillery Barrage
The sudden artillery bombardment stunned the British officers.
Some even suspected an ambush, halting their advance and sending skirmishers to search the surrounding area.
Once they confirmed that the artillery fire was indeed coming from the French positions, they hesitantly resumed the attack.
This delay left the Prussian flank maneuver completely exposed.
French gunners immediately shifted their aim, subjecting the Prussians to the same merciless bombardment.
The Prussian troops fell into disarray, and their commanders had no choice but to order a retreat.
Just like that, the coalition's first attack ended in failure. They hadn't even reached the French infantry lines—yet nearly 400 soldiers had been blown apart by artillery fire alone.
The Next Day – A New Strategy
On the second day, the Duke of York adjusted his tactics.
Instead of sending infantry first, he ordered his own artillery to move forward and use numerical superiority to suppress the French guns.
The previous day, he had confirmed that the French only had 37 cannons—which was about half as many as his own.
However, British artillery had several disadvantages:
Their gunnery skills were inferior.They were firing uphill, making their shots less accurate.
The British cannons struggled to reach the French artillery positions.
To have any real effect, British gunners had to move closer—until they were within 900 paces (about 450 meters).
At this range, their shells finally started landing near the French guns.
But in doing so, they had exposed themselves to French counter-battery fire.
A few rounds of deadly-accurate volleys and the British artillery suffered severe losses.
They were forced to retreat, abandoning four cannons in their haste.
However, their "sacrifice" had served a purpose—drawing French fire away from the advancing British infantry.
The British Infantry Advance
The British infantry reached the base of the slope before the French guns redirected their fire.
Seeing this opportunity, the Duke of York sent his trusted subordinate, General Harris, to personally oversee the front lines.
His orders were clear: "Capture that hill before nightfall!"
Over 12,000 British infantry, supported by 3,000 Austrian skirmishers, advanced step by step under a hail of artillery shells toward the French defensive line.
On the right flank, a Prussian infantry brigade charged up the hill.
They were positioned 1.2 kilometers away from the British center—far beyond the range of the French defenses.
If the British could hold the French for just 20 minutes, the Prussians would complete their flanking maneuver.
Soon, gunfire erupted in the center of the battlefield—a sign that French and British infantry had engaged in a firefight.
The Firepower of the French Royal Infantry
Despite being pounded by artillery, the British redcoats maintained impressive discipline.
They marched 800 paces forward, finally entering musket range.
However, General Harris quickly noticed something strange—the French infantry lines appeared thin and loosely spread out.
This boosted his confidence.
He ordered his reserve forces to press forward while glancing westward, anxiously checking the progress of the Prussian flanking force.
But soon, the French Royal Infantry Division taught the British a harsh lesson about firepower superiority.
Their percussion muskets:
Had a faster reload speed.Fired more powerful bullets than British flintlock muskets.Were firing downhill, increasing their lethality.
British soldiers fell in waves, their bodies rolling down the slope as unrelenting volleys cut through their ranks.
Meanwhile, wounded French soldiers retreated behind the slope, immediately replaced by fresh troops.
To the British infantry, it felt as if an endless army was hiding behind the crest of the hill.
Even the hardy British redcoats could not endure the carnage for long.
Harris exhausted his reserves, but the entire British line began to waver.
Retreat was imminent.
The Prussian Attack Begins
Just then, the sound of long trumpets echoed from the west.
Harris felt a surge of excitement—the Prussians had arrived at their attack position!
He immediately raised his sword and shouted:
—"Hold your ground! General Kalkreuth will crush their left flank!"
A Sudden French Counterattack
1.2 kilometers away, Count Kalkreuth's vanguard neared the top of the slope.
Major Georg, leading the Prussian vanguard, eagerly pointed at the crest.
—"Take that position! Then turn east—we have bypassed their defenses!"
Before he could finish speaking, drums rolled from the hilltop, followed by a banner bearing a dolphin and a golden fleur-de-lis.
Major Georg froze in shock.
—"How is this possible?"
The coalition forces had committed 16,000 men in the center and 6,000 Prussians on the right, stretching a 1.2-kilometer-wide front.
Even so, the gap between their center and flank was dangerously wide—leaving them vulnerable to a cavalry attack.
Given that both sides had also stationed troops on the left, and considering their cavalry, artillery, and reserves, the French should not have been able to field more than 15,000 troops on the front lines.
And yet, somehow, the French also managed to hold a 1.2-kilometer-wide defensive line!
A Crushing Defeat for the Prussians
Before Georg could react, volleys of gunfire erupted from the hilltop.
He hurriedly ordered his troops to form ranks and prepare for battle.
But the Prussians had been sprinting up the hill—and now found themselves completely disorganized.
Meanwhile, the French infantry unleashed disciplined, devastating volleys.
Bullets ripped through the Prussian ranks, sowing chaos and panic.
In the distance, Count Kalkreuth watched in horror as Georg's regiment disintegrated like a panicked flock of sheep.
Raising his telescope, he looked toward the French lines—and saw only two thin ranks of infantry, spaced far apart.
That's when he realized the truth.
The French had stretched out their line, using a thin formation to cover all 1.2 kilometers of the battlefield.
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