Chapter 94: The French Army Cornered

"Quick... quickly. Merge with our cavalry and attack together. I want to annihilate these Frenchmen," Vasily shouted excitedly amidst the crowd.

"It's bad! Vasily's infantry has also started attacking. Now we're being attacked from both sides!" Murat's adjutant shouted in alarm upon seeing Vasily's counterattack.

"Damn it, Vasily, that bastard, really knows how to pick his moments. When we were chasing him earlier, he was a coward, only knowing how to run. Now that reinforcements have arrived, he dares to fight back," Murat gritted his teeth. Vasily's actions infuriated him to the core.

"Forget about Vasily for now. I'll deal with him later. The priority is to break free from the Austrian forces. All units, retreat!" Despite his anger, Murat knew that he had to prioritize the larger picture. With their forces caught between two attacking armies, he had no choice but to order a retreat.

It was unfortunate, really. If he had a bit more time, he could have wiped out Vasily's routed troops and scored a major victory. But now, he had to let go of this opportunity to save his own forces. Otherwise, they would all be trapped.

"Retreat! Quickly retreat! Do not engage with the enemy," Murat ordered urgently.

"Retreat! Quickly retreat!" Following the command, the French cavalry abandoned their pursuit of Vasily and turned back to withdraw.

"Hmph! Trying to escape? No way. Hold them down. Don't let them get away," Philipp exclaimed. He wasn't about to let Murat retreat so easily. Sensing Murat's intention to flee, Philipp quickly ordered his troops to engage and entangle the French cavalry.

"Damn it! General, the enemy is clinging to us. We can't retreat!" Murat's adjutant said anxiously.

"If we can't retreat, then we fight. We'll take as many of them with us as we can," Murat roared defiantly. With no way to retreat and no place to hide, their only option was to fight.

Murat rode his horse to the center of the battlefield and raised his saber, shouting:

"Warriors of France, today we face our most difficult moment. We are surrounded by the enemy, and our only option is to fight to the death. Tell me, are you afraid?"

"Not afraid!"

"Let's fight them! Long live France!"

Murat's rallying cry echoed across the battlefield, invigorating the French soldiers. They raised their arms and vowed to fight to the death against the enemy.

"Follow me!" Murat led the charge, plunging into fierce combat with the Austrian forces.

"General, look, the French are cornered."

"Yes, I see it. I must admit, this French commander is clever. If he had continued to retreat, we would have pursued and eventually overwhelmed him. But by choosing to fight to the death, even if we defeat them, it will come at a significant cost," Philipp acknowledged, nodding in admiration at the French's tactics.

"But precisely because of this, I cannot let this French cavalry escape. I will annihilate them; it will be a significant blow to Napoleon," Philipp said decisively.

"Have Vasily support us from within. We'll crush the French with a pincer movement," Philipp ordered.

Following Philipp's command, the Hungarian hussars and Vasily's infantry coordinated their assault. They closed in on Murat's forces from all sides.

Blades flashed and clashed as the battle raged, with soldiers from both sides falling from their horses. As time passed, the French cavalry's losses mounted. Despite this, the French continued to resist fiercely, embodying the spirit of taking as many enemies with them as possible.

As the sun set, casting a blood-red glow over the battlefield, the fighting continued. By the end of the afternoon, Murat's cavalry was significantly reduced, their defeat seemingly imminent.

"It seems we are destined to fall here today," Murat sighed, watching the fierce battle and the continuous losses of his soldiers. He blamed himself for their current predicament, having been too reckless and overconfident. His heart was filled with self-reproach.

"General, don't blame yourself. We will always stand by your side. If we must lay down our lives for our country, so be it. As soldiers, we all face this day eventually, don't we?" Murat's adjutant said, trying to lift his spirits.

"Thank you. Having you by my side is my honor. If we must die today, let's do it with glory, so the world will remember our courage," Murat sighed. He had reached the end of his rope.

"All units, prepare for one last charge!" Summoning all his remaining forces, Murat prepared for a final assault, hoping to inflict significant damage on the Austrians.

"Charge! The French are at their breaking point. If we repel this attack, they won't have the strength to resist anymore," Philipp keenly observed the state of the French forces. His extensive combat experience made him realize this was the decisive moment.

"Charge!" Both Murat and Philipp issued their orders simultaneously. The battle, which had raged all afternoon, was about to reach its climax.

"Thud, thud, thud!" Just as Murat and Philipp gathered their strength for the final confrontation, a sudden sound of horse hooves came from another side of the battlefield.

The unexpected sound of hooves immediately alerted both Murat and Philipp. They anxiously looked around, trying to identify the source of the noise. 

Unexpected changes on the battlefield can decisively alter the course of a battle. With Murat and Philipp poised for a final showdown, the sudden arrival of a new cavalry force introduced a significant variable that could determine the outcome of the conflict.

Murat and Philipp immediately ordered their troops to halt the attack, redirecting their focus to the unexpected cavalry force.

"Hmm? It doesn't seem like Austrian reinforcements. Otherwise, they wouldn't have stopped their attack," Murat thought, noticing Philipp's forces also pausing.

Murat hoped the incoming cavalry were French reinforcements. The prospect of not having to die here was far more appealing than a noble sacrifice.

"It's... it's our reinforcements! Look, it's our flag," a French soldier shouted excitedly, spotting the French tricolor fluttering outside the battlefield.

As the cry spread, more cavalry appeared at the battlefield's edge, wearing French uniforms and carrying the French flag. These unmistakable signs confirmed they were French.

"It's General Davout's Northern Cavalry Division; they're our reinforcements!" Murat's adjutant exclaimed, overwhelmed with relief.

"Excellent! Napoleon must have realized we were in danger when we didn't return, so he sent Davout to support us," Murat breathed a sigh of relief.

"Quick, everyone, move towards Davout's forces!" Murat urgently directed his remaining soldiers to regroup with the reinforcements.

"General, those are French reinforcements. What should we do now?"

"Damn, they showed up at the worst possible time," Philipp's face darkened as he saw the French reinforcements.

While the French troops were elated, the Austrian officers, especially the Hungarian hussars, were dismayed. They had pushed the French to the brink of defeat, only to see reinforcements arrive at the last moment.

"Order the entire army to retreat," Philipp said, his face expressionless.

With that, the Austrian forces began to pull back, conceding the battlefield to the newly reinforced French troops. The timely arrival of Davout's cavalry had turned the tide, saving Murat's beleaguered forces from certain annihilation.