The Fox of France

Chapter 200: The Fishhook

Since the offer of surrender had been rejected, the only option left was to launch an attack.

In theory, the safest approach for an attack was to lay siege and wear down the enemy. The high ground was treacherous, and a direct assault would undoubtedly result in significant casualties. However, the high ground wasn't vast, and the defenders within couldn't stockpile many provisions. If the high ground were surrounded, it would only be a matter of time before the defenders ran out of supplies. But there was a pressing concern time. Napoleon's Italian Legion was en route, and no one knew when they would arrive. Thus, the British and Prussian forces couldn't afford to wait.

However, an immediate attack was not feasible. The French forces in the vicinity kept launching counterattacks, trying to break through and link up with the high ground. So, the most urgent task for the coalition forces was not an immediate assault on the high ground, but rather securing their positions.

But securing those positions wasn't straightforward. The areas held by the coalition forces were within the firing range of the cannons on the high ground, making it perilous to engage in fortification work. Moreover, the French forces on the high ground had the advantage of high ground, allowing them to observe the various movements of the coalition forces below. Though there were no radios in that era, they could use signal flags and other means to transmit messages, making the coalition forces' defenses all the more precarious.

As a result, the coalition forces spent an entire day consolidating their siege around the high ground. The actual assault would have to wait for the following day.

"Has Napoleon arrived?" Joseph, unscathed, asked the liaison sent by Napoleon. "So, uh... where is the general at the moment?"

"He has reached Sainte-Menehould," the messenger replied.

"Very close," Joseph mused. "I estimate that tomorrow morning, the coalition forces will launch a general assault on the Number One Height. It should hold out for at least three days. You, take this letter back to Napoleon, and let him decide for himself."

Joseph referred to a letter, but in reality, it was a substantial package a weighty dossier. The messenger, accompanied by a cavalry escort, returned to Sainte-Menehould and delivered the package to Napoleon.

Napoleon opened the dossier, which contained detailed plans of the Verdun fortress's defenses and intelligence regarding the coalition forces' current deployments, as far as Joseph knew.

"What did Joseph say?" Napoleon inquired.

"General Joseph Bonaparte said that the British and Prussian coalition forces have taken the bait and are besieging the Number One Height. The Number One Height should be able to hold out for at least a week. As for how to counterattack, he leaves it to your discretion."

Napoleon meticulously examined the defensive maps and the information contained in the dossier. "Joseph had much to say," he commented.

Napoleon then had all of his generals summoned to a meeting to discuss the next steps in their battle plan.

The generals arrived one by one. Napoleon allowed them to study Joseph's defensive maps first. When everyone had finished, Napoleon asked, "What are your thoughts?"

"I believe we might be a bit early for this," Davout spoke up.

"Yes, looking at these defensive plans, I'm getting a bit queasy," Oudinot added. "I don't know about the others, but if it were me, I'd be struggling to muster the courage to launch an attack. It's like assaulting a heavily armored steel tortoise, and..."

"And within this steel tortoise, there are multiple layers of armored shells," Berthier noted. "At present, General Joseph Bonaparte is using the Number One Height as bait to lure the enemy into a siege. According to the information he provided, I believe the Number One Height can hold out for at least a week. If possible, I hope we can make them endure a few more days."

"However, the news of our pacification of the Paris rebellion cannot remain hidden," Napoleon said. "Otherwise, this fellow wouldn't flaunt these maps to us. Given the speed of information dissemination in Paris, we have at most two days. We'll rest here for a day and then, early the day after tomorrow, we'll march during the moonlit half of the night. By noon, we should be near Verdun. That should coincide with the fiercest fighting during the coalition forces' siege of the Number One Height. If we suddenly appear, we can surely shatter the British and Prussian coalition forces. As for the specific arrangements, Berthier, you'll handle it."

Just as Napoleon was preparing to deal a significant blow to the British and Prussian forces, those same forces were gearing up for an all-out assault on the Number One Height.

After spending a day reinforcing their siege around the Number One Height, the Duke of Brunswick sent another emissary to persuade the defenders to surrender. This time, he even sweetened the deal, offering substantial retirement pensions to Colonel Fanny and other officers on top of the previous terms.

However, the persuasion attempt failed once more. Colonel Fanny responded, "We can hold out as long as it takes, even until you all die of old age."

So, just ten minutes after the coalition envoy left the high ground, the coalition forces launched their attack on the Number One Height.

In the previous offensive operations, the coalition soldiers and junior officers had already started to believe in the existence of hell. However, after they launched their assault on Number One Height, they were absolutely certain of one thing: Dante's description of hell, with its multiple layers, was eerily accurate.

Number One Height didn't feature any new-fangled contraptions they hadn't seen before. There were landmines, barbed wire, Mini rifles, grenades, cannons, flamethrowers, and large-padded stick grenades. But the problem was that the density of these deadly implements had significantly increased. It was evident that in recent times, the French, though slow to react, had come to understand that Number One Height was the focal point of the coalition's attack and had taken measures to fortify it.

The topography of Number One Height presented significant challenges for the attackers. While not especially high, it had been deliberately cleared of any obstructions. All trees blocking the line of sight had been cut down, and any natural cover for the attackers had been leveled, leaving the entire high ground exposed and open.

The barbed wire on the high ground had also become denser, with only twenty meters between rows. The increased density meant that soldiers would be exposed to enemy fire for longer periods. Furthermore, the French had positioned a significant number of artillery pieces on the high ground.

These included heavy cannons, ranging from 12 to 24 pounds, as well as medium cannons of 8 and 6 pounds. The French had constructed fortifications to house these cannons, allowing them to effectively deploy canister shot to mow down coalition soldiers trapped behind barbed wire.

Naturally, the areas between the barbed wire were liberally scattered with landmines. Judging by the casualty rate of Prussian mobilized soldiers who had initiated the charge, the density of these mines was at least double what they had encountered in previous minefields.

Coupled with the high vantage point, the defenders on the high ground could effortlessly throw grenades to a distance of fifty meters. In contrast, the attackers would have to climb a significant elevation to match that range. Furthermore, the "grenade launchers" here could send grenades nearly a hundred meters extending beyond the reach of even the largest artillery canister shot.

Even if someone miraculously evaded these terrifying instruments and managed to continue forward, they would immediately confront more intimidating foes the claymore mines and flamethrowers.

Compared to these dangers, the detachments of Provost Guard behind them appeared almost adorable. After all, the Provost Guard was armed with rifles, necessitating the arduous process of reloading after each shot, which consumed precious time.

Consequently, the initial wave of soldiers quickly retreated, and skirmishes even broke out between some soldiers and the Provost Guard. Both sides exchanged gunfire relentlessly.

An entire day of assault resulted in over a thousand casualties, with little progress beyond some damage to the minefields and the barbed wire. That evening, the coalition forces dispatched personnel with explosives for a night raid, aiming to disrupt the enemy's barbed wire defenses. However, as they approached, they were detected by the guard dogs on the high ground and stumbled upon landmines. Chaos ensued, followed by nighttime skirmishes initiated by the outer French forces, which continued until dawn.

With the break of day, the coalition forces finally saw the results of their night raid. Some sections of the barbed wire on the high ground had been damaged, but the valiant French engineers promptly repaired them in the brief lulls between coalition attacks.

The coalition's heavy artillery initially fired solid shot at these engineers, but they remained undeterred, continuing to mend the barbed wire. Although some engineers were killed by artillery fire, the hit rate was too low for solid shot against such agile targets. Attempting to push the cannons closer for canister shot was less effective than having infantry charge.

So, the coalition soldiers were compelled to leave the safety of their trenches and rush at the French engineers. However, they immediately faced a barrage of grape shot from the French, which left many of them wounded. By the time they had reached a position where they could return fire on the French engineers, the cunning French had already ceased their work and retreated.

Subsequent attacks brought no significant changes, and the French resistance remained as fierce as it had been the previous day. It appeared that the high ground still held an abundance of ammunition. However, the time was running out for the coalition forces. They had come too far to turn back now, and the sunk costs were too high. Besides, perhaps another intense day of fighting would deplete the enemy's ammunition entirely after all, conscripts were cheap.

And so, wave after wave of Johns and Friedrichs fell before the barbed wire of Number One Height.

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