French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 72 William Decides on the Grand Flanking Maneuver

At that time, under Eugène's moral high ground, he believed that these highly educated people would not think of fighting a losing battle when faced with foreign invasion.

And just as Eugène had predicted, these people disregarded their own safety on the battlefield and frantically rescued the wounded, with many sacrificing their lives in the process.

And in return for their lives, the Prussian army's casualty figures rose sharply every day.

By September 8, the Prussian Third and Fourth Armies had suffered more than 96,000 casualties, including more than 45,000 killed in action.

This was the most devastating loss suffered by the Prussian army in the entire Franco-Prussian War, with many Prussian units experiencing casualties exceeding 50% and losing their combat effectiveness.

Of course, the French army also suffered heavy casualties, with the Châlon Army suffering a total of 5.8 casualties, including 2.9 killed in action. However, thanks to its strong defenses and ample supplies, the French army was still able to firmly control most of the area west of the Meuse River.

Although the Prussian army captured the Saint-Michel crossing, their bridgehead could not be expanded and they were firmly suppressed by the French army near the riverbank.

The atmosphere in William's command post was terrifyingly oppressive. Eight consecutive days of attacks had yielded no progress, and the casualty figures continued to rise, leaving the Prussian crown prince feeling incredibly frustrated and angry.

"We can't go on like this."

William slammed his fist on the table, thinking he had come to gain prestige and could establish his reputation through a battle.

If this continues, not only will prestige be at stake, but even the stability of one's own position will be questioned.

"If we continue fighting like this, our army will be wiped out. The French are like a nail driven into the banks of the Meuse; we can't remove them in a short time."

Marshal Moltke kept urging me every day, asking when I would be able to break through the defenses. To be honest, I didn't know how to answer him.

Although he was very anxious and angry, William knew that he should not blame his subordinates at this time.

In Prussia, where the quality of generals was generally high, William's ability to become a legion commander naturally demonstrated his competence.

William was never a mascot; he simply laid his embarrassing situation bare before his generals, making them feel the pain of their superior and thus arousing their sense of shame.

As expected, Alberto spoke up after William. This Saxon crown prince was more inclined to defend the generals, thereby further intensifying their sense of shame.

"Your Highness, the French army's will to resist has exceeded our expectations. That foolish Napoleon III is actually personally commanding at the front, which has greatly boosted the morale of the French soldiers."

Moreover, Eugène in Paris is constantly supplying them with provisions; their supplies are plentiful. Our logistical supply lines are already strained; if this continues, we'll run out of ammunition and food.

Once the reality was laid out, the two men did not criticize any of the generals' problems during their conversation.

Yet it made those army commanders and division commanders lower their heads in shame. In a thriving Prussia, these generals had a strong sense of honor, which also led to an equally strong sense of shame.

William, having clearly made his point, stopped discussing the matter and instead walked to the map, staring at the Meuse River defense line for a long time.

Once the generals' sense of shame is aroused, a way must be found to break through the Meuse River defense line blocking their way.

William's eyes were bloodshot; clearly, his words weren't empty rhetoric. He was indeed under so much pressure that he hadn't slept well for days. Suddenly, as he looked at the map, William's eyes lit up; he had an idea.

"I've got it! Why do we have to attack from the front? In my opinion, we can make a large flanking maneuver, bypassing the Meuse River defenses and attacking the French rear from the south."

Prussia's grand flanking maneuvers have a long history, dating back to the Napoleonic era and the Franco-Prussian War. Their Third Army Corps would have originally planned to outflank Charon's army at Sedan by making a right flanking maneuver.

The concept of flanking maneuvers had always been ingrained in the minds of the Prussian army, and now William wanted to launch a large-scale flanking maneuver.

The Meuse River is very long, and if the Prussian army wanted to bypass it, they would also face the situation of being cut off by the French army.

If the Prussian army were to advance south before Metz had fallen, and the French forces in Metz and along the Meuse River were to launch a counter-offensive, and if the campaign went smoothly, the advancing Prussian army would instantly transform from the attackers into the besieged.

Many generals recognized this problem, which is why they hesitated to bypass the Meuse River defenses and instead chose to confront it head-on.

Therefore, upon hearing William's outrageous idea, Alberto immediately stood up to oppose it.

For Prussia, a country with limited resources, such risky operations could easily lead to a disastrous outcome if they failed, leaving them in a precarious situation of offense versus defense.

Given the importance of their mission, the southward-bound army would likely number in large numbers. If tens of thousands of Prussian troops were to be annihilated in organized units, it would be a devastating blow to the entire German coalition forces.

The French army, fighting on its own soil, is likely to turn the tables and launch a counter-offensive against the Prussian forces within France.

"Your Highness, this is too risky. The south is covered with vast Argonne forests and swamps, and the roads are rugged, making it difficult for a large army to pass through."

If the French discover our intentions, they can easily cut off our supply lines. Our troops will then be surrounded by the French.

"Adventure? War itself is an adventure."

Friedrich Wilhelm was well aware of Alberto's opposition, and this operational strategy was easy to conceive.

Not to mention before, William had the same concerns in his heart, but as the war continued, William knew that France, with the secret support of Austria and Britain, had more resources to fight a protracted war than Prussia.

Prussia couldn't afford to lose, and in the course of the fighting these past few days, the idea of ​​this risky operation kept replaying in William's mind.

Until today, William has decided to implement this plan. Prussia needs to take a gamble. If it doesn't, with reinforcements arriving from all over France, even if Prussia wins, it will be a Prussian victory that hurts the enemy a thousand while losing eight hundred of its own.

"We have no other choice; a frontal assault will only result in more casualties. Only a large-scale outflanking maneuver can break the stalemate and defeat the French army."

If we succeed, we can break through the defenses in one fell swoop and our army will march straight to Paris. If we fail, we can simply retreat, which is better than sitting here and waiting to be killed.

William deliberately downplayed the dangers of the operation, while his generals, who were aware of its perils, remained silent.

Because of their previous sense of shame, they were all bothered by the fact that they had not been able to break through the Meuse River defense line, so they did not say anything to persuade them, and they also had a bit of wishful thinking in their hearts.

Seeing that no one objected, William then devised a detailed battle plan.