Chapter 106: Cavalry Duel 2

"No matter what, we can't continue this war any longer. We must retreat immediately. If we keep fighting, we'll face annihilation," Anika said firmly. At this moment, his fighting spirit was completely gone, and the idea of annihilating the French cavalry that he had shouted before the battle had been completely abandoned.

However, it was almost impossible for the Austrian cavalry to retreat now. Murat and Davout would never give them this chance.

The moment the Austrian cavalry showed any intention of retreating, Murat and Davout ordered their cavalry divisions to attack. They formed a charge formation to encircle the Austrian cavalry from both flanks.

"General, the French are attacking," an Austrian officer shouted.

"Damn French, you're really asking for it. You may be good with muskets, but now you dare to attack without them? That's great!" Seeing this, Anika laughed angrily. These Frenchmen were truly arrogant, not taking the mighty Austrian cavalry seriously at all.

"Charge! Engage the French cavalry on both flanks," Anika shouted. At the same time, he turned his horse, ready to teach the French cavalry a harsh lesson with his saber.

However, Anika underestimated the French cavalry. Although their numbers were small, they were all elite troops. Each cavalryman was a battle-hardened veteran, and their combat effectiveness was formidable.

On both flanks of the battlefield, the French cavalry spurred their horses forward, charging towards the center of the Austrian cavalry. When they were close, they drew their sabers, which gleamed ominously in the sunlight.

"Order the 2nd and 3rd Cavalry Brigades to join Davout's northern cavalry division. Not a single Austrian must escape," Murat said with a smile from the rear.

"Yes, General," the communication officer immediately went to relay the order.

With Murat's order, the French cavalry's advance quickened. Soon, tens of thousands of cavalry clashed on the grassy field.

"Die, Frenchman!"

An Austrian cavalryman, his eyes gleaming with cruelty, raised his saber high and swung it towards the approaching French cavalry. He could already imagine the Frenchman falling to his blade.

But unfortunately, reality far exceeded his expectations. As he swung his saber, the Frenchman opposite him moved even faster. Leaning forward, the Frenchman slashed the Austrian cavalryman's horse's leg with his saber as they passed each other.

The Austrian cavalryman's horse immediately reared in pain and collapsed, throwing the rider to the ground. Losing his horse in the chaos of the cavalry battlefield spelled certain doom, and the Austrian cavalryman was trampled into a bloody pulp by the surrounding horses.

This scene was not an isolated incident; it was happening all over the battlefield. The Hungarian hussars, tall and powerful, rode swift and strong Danube horses. In theory, they should have had the upper hand. But at this moment, it was the Hungarian hussars who were being routed and fleeing in disarray.

In the center of the Austrian army, Brigadier General Anika was anxiously awaiting the outcome. He had originally thought that no matter how formidable the French cavalry were, they should have no problem dealing with them with a cavalry division of ten thousand men.

However, once the battle began and the two sides clashed, he realized how terribly wrong he had been. The French cavalry's combat effectiveness was not inferior to the Hungarian hussars; it was even stronger by a significant margin.

The 3rd and 5th Cavalry Regiments, responsible for holding the flanks, had already suffered heavy losses.

"Damn it, how can this be? The mighty Austrian cavalry, how can they be failing? How can they not defeat the French?" Brigadier General Anika could hardly believe this reality.

At this moment, another officer reported that a large force of French cavalry was closing in on them, deepening Anika's sense of crisis.

As Murat's central cavalry division engaged Anika's Austrian cavalry, Davout's northern cavalry division attacked from the other side of the battlefield, clearly targeting Anika's command post. Davout's aim was obvious: to capture the enemy leader.

"This is a trap, a complete trap! Order the troops to retreat immediately! If we don't retreat now, it will be too late," Anika shouted in alarm.

By now, he had given up any hope of achieving victory. If he could escape the French trap, he would already be satisfied.

Any thoughts of being promoted to Major General or outshining Yegor and Philip were now out of the question. After the heavy losses suffered by the cavalry division, his best hope was not to be dismissed from his position.

However, by the time Anika realized this, it was too late. Murat and Davout had meticulously planned this operation, and they were not about to let him escape.

Tens of thousands of elite cavalry had formed a complete encirclement, leaving Anika's 1st Cavalry Division with no way out.

In less than half an hour, the frantically retreating Austrian cavalry collided with the French Northern Cavalry Division. Despite still having over six thousand men, Anika had no desire to fight. He feared that if he got entangled with the French in front of him, Murat would press in from behind, trapping him in a pincer movement.

Indeed, this was precisely what happened. Davout's Northern Cavalry Division had completely cut off Anika's retreat, while Murat was steadily closing in from the rear.

A massive encirclement was now complete.

Brigadier General Anika ordered his troops to break through the encirclement, but it was futile. They ran headlong into the formidable firepower of the French cavalry, suffering heavy casualties.

Before nightfall, the French launched their attack. Thousands of cavalry closed in relentlessly, while Roland led his infantry regiment forward, their Model 01 rifles firing continuously.

The fierce battle raged on until dusk. The encircled Austrian cavalry were completely annihilated. Except for a handful who broke through the encirclement, the rest were either killed or wisely surrendered to the French.

Though the Austrian cavalry were valiant, they valued their lives. Realizing that breaking through was hopeless, surrendering was the most prudent choice.

The only regret was that, upon counting the prisoners, the French did not find the commander of this cavalry unit, Anika.

He must have escaped!

Regardless, Murat's "bait plan" was a resounding success. With Anika's 1st Cavalry Division wiped out, Philip's cavalry corps had lost half of its combat strength. This would undoubtedly facilitate the French army's subsequent operations.

"Send a message to Consul Napoleon, letting him know that we have annihilated the Austrian 1st Cavalry Division," Murat said, smiling broadly.

This victory brought great joy to Murat. By destroying this Austrian cavalry division, he had successfully redeemed himself from the disgrace of the defeat at Tournai and demonstrated the prowess of the French cavalry to the world.

In Tournai, at the French headquarters, Napoleon had been eagerly awaiting the outcome of the battle. He was on the brink of launching an attack on Venice, where the main Austrian forces were stationed, but first, he needed to neutralize Philip in Florence. Philip's presence posed a potential threat to the forthcoming decisive battle.

Eliminating an entire Austrian cavalry division before the main forces clashed would give the French a significant advantage in the subsequent war. Florence, situated in the south, was strategically important. If the cavalry there were allowed to strike, they could disrupt the French supply lines. The long supply line would become a noose around the neck of the French army.

Only by completely destroying the cavalry in Florence could the main French forces be freed from this constraint.

However, there was no room for complacency. Although the destruction of one cavalry division had dealt a heavy blow to Philip, he still had another cavalry division at his disposal. If this remaining division was not also destroyed, the French supply lines would remain vulnerable.