Chapter 189 - The Iron Wall

 As the Russian army rapidly approached the French lines, just beyond the effective range of the French Minié rifles, Napoleon widened his eyes, "Isn't this our strategy?"

"General, over the years, many have tried to imitate our tactics," Exelmans remarked with a raised chin, "but no matter how they copy us, they will still be defeated by us."

"Hahaha..." Napoleon laughed, "Louis, do you know? Someone once said something very similar to what you just said."

"Who?" Exelmans asked.

"My brother Joseph – the one who insists on wearing the Academy of Sciences badge whenever I'm in uniform, the man who talked about the 'military-industrial complex' products during our picnic. He said, 'We've always been imitated but never surpassed.' But honestly, when I see them changing formation just outside our rifle range, it seems like they've truly surpassed our previous standards."

Exelmans chuckled as well. Surpassing the French in this aspect, especially during the widespread use of column attacks, was no small feat. At that time, the French had employed this tactic primarily due to insufficient training and the inability to form neat lines.

Yet now, before their eyes, this army, at a greater distance, approached the French lines with a quick transition from a thin column to a line formation. This ability to change formation indicated the excellent training of this army.

After completing their formation change, the Russian army continued their advance, while the French cannons opened fire.

A cannonball hit a Russian column like a bowling ball striking a row of pins, toppling a large number of Russian soldiers. However, unlike bowling pins, the soldiers struck by the cannonballs were not as intact, especially those at the front, who were torn to pieces.

But the troops with Suvarov, veterans accustomed to life and death on the battlefields of Turkey and Poland, pressed on undeterred. Despite the heavy losses from the cannon fire, they maintained a steady pace, quickly entering the minefield.

The landmines exploded, and with the booming blasts, Russian soldiers fell, clutching their legs. Nevertheless, this couldn't halt the Russian advance. Soon, barbed wire appeared in front of them.

A few soldiers carrying explosives rushed forward, aiming to breach the barbed wire.

"Bang, bang, bang..." Smoke and gunfire erupted from the French trenches. Many of the explosive-bearing soldiers fell, but some managed to reach the barbed wire, placing their explosives beneath it.

With several explosions, the barbed wire was blown apart, creating gaps, almost simultaneously, Russian soldiers deployed in formation, bayonets ready, charged through the openings.

"They are incredibly brave!" Napoleon exclaimed.

"Indeed, their courage rivals our own!" Exelmans joined in. "Unfortunately, the braver they are, the faster they meet their end."

As the Russian troops rushed towards the gap in the barbed wire, not far from it, a line of "fougasses" detonated. Each fougasse released eight hundred iron pellets toward the approaching Russians. The simultaneous explosion was like a sudden downpour or a hailstorm in summer, flattening the wheat field as if it were all mowed down.

Looking out, almost all the Russian soldiers at the forefront were knocked down, and the explosion caused severe casualties, taking the lives of over a thousand.

"I never thought this thing could be so devastating!" Marshal Suvorov commented, putting down his binoculars. "When the British talked about its power, I thought they were exaggerating."

"French science and technology truly deserve their reputation as the best on the continent," Bagration added. "But with this, they won't be able to stop us."

Indeed, this round of attacks was brutal, but it was merely a stone thrown into a rushing tide. The stone splashed water and created a loud noise, but it was soon overwhelmed by the advancing troops.

More Russian soldiers crossed the fallen bodies and reached the first trench, which was the nearest one.

"They've reached it, they've reached it!" Bagration exclaimed excitedly.

"Not yet, Pyotr," Suvorov frowned. "Why hasn't there been resistance at this defensive line? If this defense is relatively important, why didn't they put up a fight when we reached the first trench? Are they planning something?"

"Are they planning to let us exhaust ourselves at the next line of defense, and then counterattack when our forces are weakened?" Bagration suggested.

Indeed, trying to cross the trench was a challenge. There was a wide gap between the trenches, and there was also barbed wire. In addition, there was a possible shortcut between the trenches, a communication trench connecting the two. The French had retreated from there earlier. Pursuing them seemed like a promising tactic as it could potentially lead to passing under the barbed wire.

So, some soldiers headed directly for the French communication trench. Initially, the chase seemed successful, but as they were about to reach the second trench, at the exit of the communication trench, a French soldier pulled a yellow cloth, revealing a cannon pointed directly at the communication trench. The cannon fired, and an 8-pound iron ball was sent hurtling.

The communication trench was not very wide, with no real place to hide. The artillery shells of that time may have been slow compared to modern ones, but they were still too fast for human reactions. Thus, the cannonball went through the communication trench, striking the Russian soldiers at the other end, turning them into fragments.

It seemed that assaulting through the communication trench was a poor idea as there was nowhere to hide. Even if the cannon firing was slow, and there was a brief moment when it was not firing, there was no way to reach the cannon. Moreover, there were French soldiers with rifles on the other side, ready to hold the Russian troops at bay until the cannon was reloaded.

Since attacking through the communication trench didn't work, the Russians had no choice but to advance on the ground. However, the ground was also fraught with dangers: landmines and barbed wire guarded by artillery pieces and more "fougasses."

Russian soldiers made another attempt during the French retreat, but this time they couldn't breach the second trench. Their courage and strength had been exhausted in previous engagements. They couldn't even get past the barbed wire and were pushed back by the French.

"The French are preparing a counterattack," Suvorov immediately deduced.

Indeed, the French began to counterattack, using their rifles and artillery loaded with canister shots to drive the retreating Russian troops back to the first trench. Russian soldiers leaped into the trench, seeking cover from the French shooting. However, the battle remained unfair, as the first trench, on the side facing the French, had no earthworks built up, so it didn't offer adequate protection.

As more troops retreated into the first trench, a bright flash suddenly burst from the trench, followed by a series of loud explosions.

The cunning French had previously laid electrical mines in the first trench, and now they detonated them, causing significant casualties among the Russian soldiers inside. Simultaneously, the French launched a counterattack.

At this moment, Russian reinforcements were also approaching the first trench. However, the French cannons thundered once more.

Suvorov had initially expected the French to continue using solid shot to fire at the reinforcements. But this time, the trajectory of the cannonballs was significantly higher. (In this era, artillery shells had a very low initial velocity, and their flight was visible to the naked eye.)

"These are not ordinary solid shot," Bagration remarked, "although a higher trajectory can make the cannonballs fly farther, it's difficult for them to skip. These are not ordinary solid shot."