Kleber looked at Dumas, who came to visit him, and frowned: "Like you, I ran wildly for a day and a night, and now I want to take a good rest before the enemy comes."
Dumas: "Then we have to face the regular coalition forces without suitable fortifications. You also know the level of our troops. Do you think we can hold off an enemy force twice our size without fortifications?"
?”
Kleber pursed his lips and did not answer.
Dumas added: "Especially when you are so tired."
Kleber: "Go to hell with you. When this battle is over, I will tell you about your behavior of treating people like cattle and horses! Take me to the edge of the village and take a look at the terrain."
Dumas smiled, showing his white teeth.
Kleber chose to continue shouting: "You damn devil, black devil!"
The person in charge of the local military station made an inviting gesture: "This way."
Kleber stepped forward indignantly, then suddenly turned around and said: "By the way, call Moreau too, we can't let him sleep while we are busy, we are all brigade commanders, we should be equal, you understand, equal!"
Dumas Lao: "Okay, call him up. As a commander, you should be familiar with the terrain in advance."
**
The three brigade commanders, led by the person in charge of the local military station, left Babi Village.
Kleber muttered: "Babi Village, Babi Village, why not just call it Spider Village?"
The person in charge of the military station: "I don't know either. The locals have not told us the origin of this name. Well, everyone, we have arrived outside the village. The terrain is what you see."
Kleber looked at the open terrain in front of him and was speechless.
Dumas also frowned: "Shrubs... there are some, but they can't be relied upon. The good news is that we at least have a wooden fence."
Kleber looked at the "wooden fence". It was said to be a fence, but in fact it was more like a railing. There was no way it could be used as a shelter.
Apart from scattered barns and shrubs, there was no terrain in the open wilderness that could be exploited by the defenders.
Kleber: "You asked me to build fortifications, but there is no way to build fortifications at all. There is not even a high ground."
Dumas Lao: "We can only fight with them yard by yard in the village."
Moro suddenly said: "No, we can't stop the regular army group from charging into the courtyard. I think we should spread out the troops and use skirmishers to stop the enemy."
Dumas Lao: "This terrain is very suitable for skirmishers. Unfortunately, it is spring and there is no wheat in the fields. It would be better if it was autumn to hide in the tall wheat fields. But the biggest problem for skirmishers is how to ensure their
Not running away? Even if it is a regular army, once the formation breaks up or the officer dies, the army will collapse.
"Skirmers are generally criminals or mercenaries, and our troops are made up of farmers and trousersmen. Do you expect tailors and masons to become qualified skirmishers? No, no, they will start to flee as soon as they come into contact.
"
After all, Dumas was a professional soldier, and he still maintained the common sense of the previous era: skirmishers were hooligans or bandits, and these people had the desire to take the initiative to fight.
Moreover, in order to make the skirmishers brave enough, the old army would often ration spirits to them before the war started, and would also let prostitutes serve as bartenders and follow the skirmishers with burdens full of wine.
Kleber: "Wait a minute, do you remember what General Frost said? He said that the new French army is different from the old army. They are not strong men who were captured by the nobles on the battlefield, but they use their own
They will go to the battlefield to defend the Republic, and they will not be easily defeated."
Old Dumas frowned: "I don't understand the republican spirit, nor do I understand the nationalism that the general talked about, but I understand the army. If we can't do it as scattered soldiers, we still huddle in the village..."
Moreau: "Let's give it a try. I also want to see if the Republic is really as magical as Frost said."
Moreau was a die-hard republican. In the original history, because he was too obsessed with the republic, he had a conflict with Napoleon, who proclaimed himself emperor, and was sent to the United States.
Later, another die-hard republican, Bernadotte, invited him back to oppose Napoleon who had usurped France.
But now Moreau is still a fledgling novice. He has not experienced the baptism of the Great Revolutionary War, and has not experienced the courage and glory that the Republic brought to the soldiers on the battlefield.
He is a Republican, but not a die-hard one.
Dumas looked at Moreau: "You look very excited."
"Yes." Moreau admitted frankly, "I have always been hesitant about whether the Republic is really that good. Now I want to see it with my own eyes."
Old Dumas sighed: "Okay, let's give it a try in the form of skirmishers, but we still need fortifications, at least some strong forts."
Kleber: "The good news is, there's enough wood."
**
The time is twelve o'clock noon.
Kleber had just slept for an hour when he was woken up by his adjutant.
"Brigadier, the enemy is coming!"
Kleber: "What enemy?"
"Allied forces! The enemy is coming!"
Kleber was stunned for a few seconds, and then slapped himself hard: "Damn it, it's the enemy! Are the troops up?"
"Get up!"
Kleber put on his military uniform, opened the door curtain and left the house, where he saw his brigade gathering in a hurry.
An orderly soldier rode up on horseback and shouted: "The 66th Brigade has set off. The brigade commander asked me to rush you!"
Kleber: "We're leaving right now!"
By this time his brigade was finally in formation.
Kleber: "Run forward, our position is on the left wing, get there quickly!"
**
Dumas had already arrived at his position, riding a horse and observing the enemies in the distance who were changing ranks.
In this era, before launching an attack, you must line up first.
This is a big project, and even the most well-trained army will be busy for a while.
Generals who are more ceremonial will even set up camp after arriving on the battlefield, rest for one day, and then attack in formation in a leisurely manner the next day.
But this time the coalition generals obviously had no sense of ceremony.
As soon as he discovered a defensive enemy ahead, he immediately changed his marching formation into an attacking formation.
Dumas observed the enemy's formation changes and estimated the enemy's training level through the speed of formation changes.
"Damn," he cursed, "that's a well-trained force."
At this time, the officer next to him shouted: "Kleber's troops are coming."
Dumas turned his head to look at the flanks and saw Kleber's troops arriving at their position in a marching formation, and then dispersed in a hurry.
Compare the coalition forces directly in front and make a judgment.
Old Dumas shook his head, then raised his hand: "Prepare all gun positions!"
Because only Dumas had received formal military training, all the artillery was under his command.
The Black Devil pressed down his big hand and roared: "Fire!"