Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Blood and Courage
“650 men?” Wolster immediately protested, “That’s all my cavalry, You have no right to command them…”
Captain Dibowa didn’t let him finish and smiled, “Give me your cavalry, or face the Prussians alone.”
“No, don’t…” the commander of the Dutch Army sighed resignedly and waved his hand, “The cavalry are under your command now, we can’t have infighting at this time.”
“A very wise decision!”
Dibowa turned to the curly-haired French lieutenant and said, “Andre, proceed as planned. How soon can you set off?”
Andre saluted, his hat in hand: “Yes, sir! My men are all prepared and can set off at any moment. However, the Dutch cavalry might need a bit more time.”
Dibowa nodded, “They are under your command now, go teach them how to improve their efficiency.”
“Yes, sir!”
As the cavalry lieutenant left, Dibowa looked at the Dutch officers in the tent: “So, does everyone now agree on taking the offensive against the Prussian vanguard?”
The others nodded in silence.
“Very well, thank you, gentlemen.” Dibowa moved to the map and pointed at the location of the Sibella River, “Mr. Wolster, please deploy The Hague Imperial Guard here.”
The Dutch officer, somewhat disgruntled, said, “There’s practically no Imperial Guard left now; they are all troops of the provincial congress.”
Dibowa nodded indifferently, “Alright then, whatever they are called, in any case, they will be combined with my artillery and await the Prussian vanguard here.
“And the ‘Free Corps’ will form a battle line 200 meters to the south, to face the first charge of the Prussian Army.”
The so-called “Free Corps” was a militia group formed by the Dutch Patriot Party, and The Hague Imperial Guard were originally elite troops of William V; the disparity in their combat effectiveness was obvious. Of course, these Imperial Guard members had also participated in the exile of William V, so there was no doubt about their loyalty to the Provincial Congress.
A Dutch officer immediately objected, “This is making the Free Corps cannon fodder! Why shouldn’t the French people face the front?”
Wolster raised his hand to stop him, “Captain Dibowa is right, without the veterans at the rear, the Free Corps would quickly rout in front of the Prussian Army…”
Yet Dibowa calmly said, “The Free Corps doesn’t need to engage the Prussians to the death. They only need to open up the flanks after the engagement. What I’m concerned about is their level of training, whether they can execute the tactical plan without descending into chaos.”
Wolster suddenly stood up taller, his voice firm, “I will personally command the Free Corps.”
Dibowa nodded, and continued, “Then after that, we’ll do this…”
As he sketched with his pencil, the area of less than 2.5 kilometers wide between the Sibella River and Abcoude Lake on the map was now marked with Dutch and French troops.
…
On the south side of Amstelfen.
“Report!” A cavalry scout came up to Andre and, circling his horse’s reins, saluted with his hat, “Three kilometers east, tracks of the Prussian Army were found, numbering over four thousand. Mainly infantry, but also some cavalry.”
Andre nodded; this must be the Prussian vanguard. He immediately turned and ordered, “The entire army will move one kilometer west, quietly and at a slow pace, be mindful of the Prussian scouts.”
“Yes, sir!”
Andre glanced at his pocket watch, then took out a map to check it; according to previous intelligence, the main body of the Prussian Army was 15 kilometers from here, right downstream of the Sibella River. If they continued at the current pace, they would be able to skirt around them by tomorrow noon.
As he had anticipated, at 2 p.m. the next day, the Cavalry Scouts spotted a large Prussian convoy, protected by more than three thousand Prussian soldiers.
Andrei ordered the entire army to line up on the west side of the Sibella River, and it was then that he noticed his palms were covered in sweat.
Having graduated from military school less than two years ago, this was his first time actually commanding in battle. It was impossible not to be nervous. Originally, he was the assistant to the cavalry squadron leader, but the squadron leader had to return to France for dysentery treatment on the way to the Netherlands. Thus, Andrei was suddenly entrusted with command, becoming the cavalry squadron commander of the French volunteer soldiers.
He gazed at the distant plains and rivers, suddenly filled with worry.
It wasn’t the face-off against the Prussians he feared. Even if it was merely a harassment mission, or even a decisive battle, he was confident that with his glorious blood and fearless courage, he would crush the enemy!
Five days.
Even if it meant dying in battle, he believed firmly his sword would lay between his body and the Prussian forces.
What worried him was what would happen after those five days.
After holding off the Prussian forces for five days with the French volunteers and Dutch forces, would the Prussians really retreat?
His uncle had learned through internal contacts that this operation plan was devised by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, a military plan by a thirteen-year-old boy…
Andrei tried not to think too much about it. He wasn’t afraid of death; dying on the battlefield was a soldier’s destiny. What he feared was a meaningless death. Especially since he came to the Netherlands “privately,” if they failed to preserve the Patriot Party in the end, the military wouldn’t even acknowledge his death as one for the country.
He hoped that the “Child of God’s Favor” really was as miraculous as people claimed.
He did not know how much time had passed when the voice of a Cavalry Scout interrupted his thoughts, “Report, the Prussian convoy is coming.”
Light flashed in Andre’s eyes, and he waved his hand forward and shouted, “Charge!”
The French cavalry squadron led at the front, with the former Dutch Imperial Guard cavalry after, they pounced towards the Prussian supply troops.
When they were still a great distance away, sharp bugle calls echoed amongst the Prussian soldiers, and a large number of infantry quickly assembled. They backed against the convoy and formed dense line formations, with muskets and bayonets pointed forward, ready for the enemy.
Dust billowed, hoofbeats thundered, and Andrei, from afar, could only see the dense masses of Prussian soldiers. He then raised his Charleville 1728 model short musket and took a shot towards the Prussian side.
The cavalrymen behind him also fired their weapons, with loud bangs and crackles erupting, and the battlefield was instantly enveloped in a cloud of gunsmoke.
However, at this point, they were still over 400 meters away from the Prussian forces, and the bullets could not inflict any damage.
Yet, the dense gunfire still made the Prussian commander very anxious. The cavalry before him seemed to be close to a thousand men, perhaps the main force of the Dutch Army.
After firing his shot, Andrei immediately led the cavalry south in a swift turn, galloping past the front of the Prussian formation at a distance of more than 300 meters.
The Prussian forces waited for more than twenty minutes, not seeing the enemy charge, and were just about to grumble and prepare to move on, when suddenly a large contingent of cavalry attacked from the side and rear, accompanied by intense gunfire.
The Prussian commander’s face turned dark as he ordered his forces to re-form to meet the attack. But the opposing cavalry merely circled in front of them before swiftly riding away.
The Prussian cavalry protecting the convoy was too few in numbers to pursue.
So, Andrei commanded the cavalry to come and go, to and fro, forcing the Prussians to stay in place and maintain their defensive formations until the main force of Prussian cavalry arrived to reinforce as dusk neared. Then, at last, Andrei ceased the maneuvers.
Andrei allowed his troops to rest in a dense forest for a few hours before immediately ordering a march northwards through the night, heading straight for the primary Prussian forces’ assembly point.