Chapter 93: Hungarian Hussars

"Your Highness, no matter how incompetent Vasily is, we must still rescue this army. If we don't, we will have an entire regiment destroyed by the French before the battle even begins, which will greatly impact our future morale," Radetzky said. Although Vasily was infuriatingly foolish, they had no choice but to save him.

"When Vasily, that idiot, returns, I must deal with him properly."

"Summon General Philipp to see me," Karl sighed heavily after a long pause. Despite his harsh words about Vasily, he couldn't just abandon him. So, Karl ordered Major General Philipp to his command post.

"Your Highness, you called for me?" Moments later, a young officer entered Karl's command post.

"Philipp, you're finally here. Listen, I have an important task for you," Karl said urgently upon seeing Philipp.

"Just now, Lieutenant General Vasily sent a distress signal. His troops have been defeated and are currently retreating to Tunaya. But their retreat is not going smoothly; they are being pursued by cavalry. Therefore, I need you to lead the cavalry to intercept the French cavalry and buy time for Vasily's retreat."

"Philipp, I can only entrust this task to you. I believe the Hungarian hussars under your command will accomplish this mission," Karl said, patting Philipp on the shoulder.

"Understood, Your Highness. Rest assured, I will intercept the French cavalry. I will also take this opportunity to showcase the true strength of the Hungarian hussars to the world," Philipp said confidently.

"Of course, General Philipp. I am well aware of the Hungarian cavalry's reputation. However, we must remain cautious; we don't know what tricks the French might have up their sleeves. So, I hope you will focus on delaying the French cavalry and buying time for Vasily's retreat. There is no need to engage in a decisive battle with the French cavalry right now," Karl cautioned, unable to help himself as he saw Philipp's confidence. He didn't want Philipp to make the same mistakes as Vasily due to overconfidence and suffer a defeat.

"Yes, Your Highness, I understand. I will be careful," Philipp nodded.

However, Major General Philipp was also a proud and ambitious man. He clearly couldn't accept such a passive task. Although he outwardly obeyed Archduke Karl's orders, inwardly, he was eager to engage the French cavalry and forge his glory with their blood.

In fact, Philipp was not a pure Austrian but Hungarian. According to the practices of the Austrian Army, officers from other ethnic groups were promoted more slowly. So, compared to ordinary Austrian officers, Philipp was even more eager for victory. He needed numerous victories to achieve his promotions.

But Major General Philipp believed that, leading the world's most powerful cavalry, he would surely achieve victory in the war. He had this confidence because most Hungarians were descendants of the Huns who migrated westward. They inherited their ancestors' superb horsemanship. When it came to cavalry combat, even Russia's most formidable Cossack cavalry would not daunt them.

Hungarian hussars were considered one of the most formidable cavalry forces of the 18th century. Whether it was dragoons or cuirassiers from other European countries, although they could barely match the Hungarian hussars in combat, they were far inferior in terms of numbers.

The Holy Roman Empire, ruled by the Austrians, encompassed numerous ethnic groups, but the Hungarians, known for their bravery and combat prowess, consistently held the second position in the empire, second only to the Austrians in status.

Hungarian hussars were highly mobile, capable of quick retreats and disengagements from the battlefield when the situation turned unfavorable. During the age of cold weapons, Hungarian hussars were known across Europe for their speed, agility, formidable combat skills, and relentless attacks. They participated in almost all battles of the Austrian kingdom. In the early days of the empire, the bravery and prowess of the Hungarians played a crucial role in its establishment.

Even now, Hungarian hussars remained the most elite troops in the Austrian Army. Emperor Franz II of Austria had established three corps of Hungarian hussars, about 150,000 men (including logistics and auxiliary infantry).

One corps was stationed in Vienna to maintain domestic security, another in the Balkans to resist the Ottoman Turks, and the last one was deployed here to confront the French army led by Napoleon.

Compared to the Hungarian hussars, the French cavalry seemed somewhat lacking. Although the combat prowess of the French cavalry was also formidable, their limited numbers were a critical weakness. To date, France had only two cavalry divisions across the entire country.

In the future, with technological advancements, particularly the advent of machine guns, cavalry would gradually fade from the battlefield. However, at present, the power of cavalry was still significant. The firepower and rate of fire of flintlock muskets were insufficient to stop large-scale cavalry charges. On the current battlefield, cavalry still held a dominant position.

This was why Philipp was so confident.

...

After receiving Archduke Karl's orders, Philipp wasted no time. He immediately gathered all his cavalry and prepared to head west to rescue Vasily. Meanwhile, Vasily was fleeing in disarray towards Tunaya. After nearly a whole day of retreat, Vasily was less than 100 miles from Tunaya.

This gave Philipp an opportunity. Setting out from Tunaya, he marched for less than an hour before encountering Vasily and the French cavalry pursuing him.

"How pitiful! Vasily, is this what an Austrian general looks like?" Philipp sneered from his horse as he observed the bedraggled Vasily from a distance.

"General, should we launch an attack? The French cavalry is entirely focused on Vasily right now. This is the perfect moment for us to strike," suggested Philipp's adjutant beside him.

"Order all units to begin the attack. We are here to rescue Vasily; we can't just stand by and watch him get annihilated. If we do that, I won't be able to face Karl," Philipp said, nodding in agreement with his adjutant's suggestion.

"Begin the attack! Destroy the French!" With Philipp's command, the Hungarian hussars, already prepared, drew their sabers.

The sharp sabers glinted in the sunlight, reflecting a cold light. They could hardly wait to engage the French cavalry in battle.

"Charge!"

With a wave of Philipp's saber, the Hungarian hussars launched their attack. Taking advantage of the French cavalry's focus on Vasily, they flanked from both sides.

"Watch out! It's the Austrian cavalry! Be careful!" Murat, seeing the sudden arrival of the Austrian cavalry, immediately grew alarmed and shouted orders to his troops.

"Abandon the attack on Vasily's routed forces and prepare to defend against the Austrian cavalry," Murat commanded.

Philipp had chosen an excellent moment to strike. Murat's cavalry was already entangled with Vasily's retreating forces, their formations intermixed. In such chaos, it was impossible for the French to reorganize their lines to effectively resist the Austrian cavalry.

"Hahaha! Finally, our reinforcements have arrived! Brothers, these French dogs have chased us for so long. Now it's time for revenge. Reorganize our formation; let's crush these French from both sides," Vasily shouted excitedly from the center of the battlefield. He had endured so much waiting for this moment, and now, finally, the tide had turned in his favor.

"Quick... quickly. Merge with our cavalry and attack together. I want to annihilate these Frenchmen," Vasily called out enthusiastically amidst the chaos.