Early the next morning, Varazze, a seaside town ten kilometers away from Savona, was still sleeping.
Yesterday, La Salle's cavalry rushed over, tied up all the noble officers in the town, and locked them in the cellar of the big grain merchant in the town.
The command of the entire unit fell on the few remaining civilian warrant officers.
Among this group of warrant officers, one was of Italian origin and could speak fluent Italian. He was currently greeting the fishermen who were preparing to go fishing early in the morning.
The warrant officer had worked as a waiter on a merchant ship, and occasionally worked as a sailor, so he was quite familiar with life on the Mediterranean and could find topics of conversation with the fishermen.
"So," after chatting for a while, the fisherman suddenly asked, "I heard that you became the brigade commander of the brigade here yesterday?"
The thirty-four-year-old warrant officer nodded: "Yes, I don't know why. Yesterday, the guy named Pipe Smoking came over and said that the nobles were traitors and could not be trusted, so he tied them all and locked them in the cellar.
inside.
"Then the pipe smoker went around shouting: 'Who is Massena, André Massena of Nice!' I said, 'If I were to be born in Nice, it would be me.'
"And guess what, the pipe smoker asked me as if to confirm something: 'You're Italian, right?'
"I responded to him in Italian, and I became a brigade commander. A day ago, I was a warrant officer and guide!"
The fisherman smiled, then put down the fishing line he was arranging, came over and said to Massena mysteriously: "That new commander has a great reputation! His legend was spread more than a year ago!
He said he had a roster given to him by God, and it was full of the most talented people in the world!"
Massena: "Is there such a thing?"
"Yes! It was said so in the newspapers published in Nice! He was able to defeat Lafayette a year ago just because he selected a few talented people based on this list!"
Massena raised his eyebrows and was about to ask for more details when suddenly a loud shouting of death came from the distance.
Massena was shocked and shouted to the fishermen, "Go to sea! Don't get close to the shore!" Then he turned around and ran towards the headquarters.
At this time, gunfire rang out, and crackling gunfire sounded in the northwest of the town.
Massena listened to the sound and felt that the enemy should have come down from the mountain road leading to San Martino, so he ran and shouted: "The enemy has come down from San Martino! Everyone, go northwest! Look!
If you see anyone wearing white clothes, stab him!"
The soldiers who had run out of the house where they were staying in a state of confusion immediately turned around and ran to the northwest upon hearing this.
Massena grabbed a sergeant by the collar and shouted at him: "Run down the street, shouting, 'Run northwest and stab anyone wearing white clothes'!"
The sergeant nodded, turned and started running down the street, shouting as he ran.
At this time, Massena saw Lassalle, who had also lived in Varazze last night, running out of a private house while holding up his trousers.
Massena: "Captain! Your cavalry, assemble your cavalry! The main road in the town is straight, which is very suitable for cavalry charge. If the enemy rushes onto the main road, it's up to you!"
Lasalle: "Okay! Leave it to me!"
As he spoke, he touched his body: "Where did my pipe go?"
Massena ignored him and continued to run to the headquarters. When he arrived in front of the headquarters, he saw a bunch of soldiers gathered in front of the door with nothing to do.
Massena suddenly rushed to a flag-bearer who was still awake, picked up the flag, jumped onto a flower bed, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Soldiers! Follow me! Follow the flag! For the country... do it! Do it for him
Damn king, come with me!"
Originally, Massena was accustomed to calling him the king. After all, the kingdom has been in the country for hundreds of years, and it became a habit.
Then he realized that the noble officers had just been arrested for having an affair with the king. It was obviously wrong to call them for the king.
But Masséna didn't know what France was like now and what it should say it was fighting for, so he could only curse and say a general "come at me".
At this time, the soldiers are at a loss. If someone takes the lead, it will directly change the entire direction of the wind.
So the soldiers roared angrily and rushed toward the northwest of the town, following the flag carried by Massena.
They met the Austrian army who was about to enter the town.
The blue uniforms that originally blocked the Austrians were about to retreat, and many people turned around and ran away. However, when they saw a large group of people cheering behind and rushing towards them following Massena's flag, they immediately regained their courage.
**
While Massena was fighting, La Salle finally found his pipe from his mistress's arms, and then he rode out of the city with dozens of cavalry.
This is all the cavalry he can muster now.
Yesterday he brought hundreds of cavalrymen to the town, but they disappeared in the chaos.
Lazarus led the cavalry to a small high ground, then set up an awning and looked at the town.
"Damn it, he asked me to charge from the town road. Does he know anything about cavalry?" La Salle said cursingly, "At times like this, of course I have to outflank the enemy and kick their butts! Trumpeter!"
"Report, there is no trumpeter!" a knight shouted.
La Salle: "Fuck! Forget it, follow me and whistle like Alexander's cavalry, do you understand?"
As he spoke, Lazarus whipped his horse, causing it to launch forward. Then he controlled the frightened horse and drove it diagonally toward the white Austrian army along the slope.
The hussars are all brave and fierce fellows. When they saw that their heads were on the attack, they immediately followed them, for fear that they would be too late to catch up with the battle.
Lazarus drew his saber and sounded what he called "Alexander's whistle": "ALIAAAAAA!"
With just a few dozen riders, they suddenly burst out with the prestige of the conquering king!
The enemy troops, which had been attacking all night, were suddenly charged from behind and immediately fell into chaos.
If An Ning were present, he would describe this scene like this: White, the enemy has been washed away!
**
Vukcevich used a telescope to observe the two regiments he rushed down - due to terrain problems, he could not deploy too many troops at once.
The rest of his division was arrayed on the hillside.
"Okay, blow the signal and let the two regiments retreat. The raid has failed, and then there will be a serious fight." Vukcevich was speechless.
He knew that his troops were marching all night for a sudden attack without artillery. When the enemy restored their outer positions, arranged their artillery, and started bombarding, it would be almost time for him to retreat.
If there is no cannon and there is a cannon, any fool will know which side will win.
It's not that Vukcevich didn't want to bring artillery. Mainly at night and on mountainous roads, Austria's artillery was still heavy infantry artillery and lacked the mobility and flexibility of cavalry artillery like France.
It was simply impossible for the artillery to keep up with the rushing Austrian troops.
This was another reason why Marshal Beaulieu was so hesitant to launch a sudden attack.
You can't bring artillery with you in a sudden attack!
Vukcevich: "When the two retreating regiments gather together, we will begin to cover them one by one and retreat in an orderly manner."
**
After three hours of bloody fighting, the enemy troops outside Lavaze finally retreated.
Masséna stood on the newly restored artillery position outside the city, observing the rear of the Austrian army.
At this time, La Salle came over on horseback and said excitedly to Massena: "Today is really exciting! I killed at least forty, forty! My sword is sharpened! Look! This is not my swordsmanship.
The curled blade caused by lack of precision, with my technique, I can usually cut ten people, and the blade will be as good as new!"
Massena said seriously: "The enemy retreated in a very orderly manner. Do you understand that retreat is the time when the general's ability is best seen? Vukcevich is a very strong general!"
Lasalle smiled: "I understand you, you still want to fight him, right?"
"What?" Massena looked at Lazarus in confusion.
"Look at you, your fisted hand is twitching. This is excitement, you know, excitement!" La Salle smiled and patted Massena on the shoulder, "You are also a person born for war! You know why the boss chose