Chapter 844: Chapter 752: The Descent of the Divine Weapon

Saigul solemnly declared again, “Austria must bear full responsibility for any consequences arising in the Walloon Region.”

Amid the chatter of the Hesse nobles, Saigul concluded his speech and left Marburg for Wurzburg.

On the very day of his departure, newspapers in Upper Hesse published the headlines: “Vienna Tears Apart Non-Military Zone Agreement, Walloon Chamber of Commerce Requests French Intervention.”

Prior to arriving in Upper Hesse, Saigul had already tirelessly traversed the majority of the German states, delivering no fewer than twenty speeches.

The day after the French Government announced its acceptance of the Walloon Region’s request and its decision to dispatch troops, Austria officially declared war on France.

That same day, England declared war on France, citing “France’s deliberate disruption of the sugar market.”

Soon afterward, Prussia, Hanover, and the Netherlands openly declared war on France as well.

Among these nations, Prussia and the Netherlands were bound by alliance treaties with England and were obligated to dispatch troops in support.

Thuringia, Lower Hesse, and Tuscany joined the war against France at the insistence of the Prussian and Austrian governments.

Three days later, the diplomatic representatives of these countries convened in Potsdam to sign an agreement, formally establishing the “Anti-French Alliance” and declaring their intent to “jointly preserve the existing order of the European Continent.”

France quickly retaliated by declaring war on all member states of the Anti-French Alliance.

The entirety of Europe was instantly engulfed in the flames of total war.

…

Wavre.

The cannon fire north of the city had not ceased since dawn, though only three days had passed since the Walloon Chamber of Commerce requested French military intervention. Already, the Walloon Police Force was visibly on the verge of collapse.

The northern parts of the city were essentially occupied by the Austrian Army, with the police desperately holding out around the iron ore warehouse in the city’s center.

In truth, were it not for Count Radetsky’s concern over damage to Wavre’s factories, which had somewhat hindered his operations, the entire city might already be under Austrian control.

Walloon Chief Superintendent Jiaya’er listened to his subordinates report on the casualties, his brow furrowing deeply.

Over the course of three days of fighting, the police had suffered nearly 500 casualties. For a non-military organization to maintain cohesion under such staggering losses was already a rare feat.

What was even more devastating was that the day prior, a squad of Austrian Hussars had launched a surprise attack on the police artillery positions, destroying all their cannons.

Thus, starting from that morning, Austrian artillery had been firing with impunity, forcing the police defenses to retreat while causing a sharp increase in casualties.

Jiaya’er discussed the situation with several of his subordinates before finally instructing his deputy, “Order everyone to abandon Wavre. Fuer Police Station personnel will cover the rear while the others immediately retreat to Namur.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jiaya’er looked up at the city he had spent days fighting for and sighed. “I hope the French Army can reach Namur in time.”

He was acutely aware that the Walloon Police had reached their limit; even if they made it to Namur, they would likely be incapable of defending it.

Around three in the afternoon, large groups of police officers began retreating from the southern side of Wavre. With the rumble of cannon fire echoing behind them, they trudged dispiritedly toward Namur.

Yet scarcely a kilometer into their withdrawal, the faint sound of horse hooves ahead came into earshot.

The police, lacking combat experience and sapped of morale, had completely overlooked reconnaissance. It was only when Jiaya’er spotted the flag of the Austrian Delna Cavalry Camp through his binoculars that he realized they were possibly being intercepted.

A moment later, mounted police rushed back to report sightings of Austrian infantry on both the eastern and western sides.

Since the scouting officers had only just departed to investigate, the enemy was now less than 600 paces away.

Alarmed, Jiaya’er was about to issue defensive orders when he saw the utterly exhausted expressions on the faces of his troops.

Shaking his head, he said to his deputy, “That’s it. These lads have done their best.

“Raise the white flag–they shouldn’t bear any more sacrifices…”

Just then, the previously rhythmic sound of Austrian cavalry hooves suddenly turned chaotic and gradually diminished, as though something had caused them to halt.

Shortly afterward, a mounted policeman came galloping over, reporting to Jiaya’er, “Sir, the Austrian infantry on the west side has begun moving westward.”

Jiaya’er was stunned. His forces were retreating south, yet the enemy infantry was heading west–this wasn’t an opening in the route?

He quickly instructed the mounted officer, “Continue scouting–fast! Survey farther afield.”

“Yes, sir!”

Before the reconnaissance officer returned, Jiaya’er once again heard horse hooves resounding from the south.

Standing atop his horse, he raised his binoculars and was shocked to discover that hundreds of Austrian Hussars had turned westward instead.

The path to Namur was now completely clear!

Though puzzled by the turn of events, Jiaya’er knew this was an excellent opportunity to escape the Austrian encirclement and immediately ordered an accelerated march south.

Ten minutes into the retreat, Jiaya’er noticed the noise of horse hooves from the distance was far louder than before.

Could it be that the Austrians had reinforced their troops?

As he fretted over the situation, the mounted officer raced toward him at breakneck speed, shouting from afar, “It’s the French! French cavalry! They’re launching an assault on the Austrian forces!”

Jiaya’er widened his eyes in disbelief.

How was this possible?

Even if the French Army had been waiting along the Walloon Region border, it would have taken at least a week to arrive after receiving the Chamber’s request.

It seemed the French cavalry had pushed their horses to the limit to come to their rescue.

A surge of exhilaration coursed through Jiaya’er as he bellowed to his officers, “Rally your spirits and coordinate with the French cavalry!”

While his command skills might have been lacking, his training in “Military Tactics” had served him well.

He knew that cavalry without infantry support was vulnerable to coordinated attacks by enemy infantry and cavalry.

With over ten thousand Austrian troops comprising infantry, cavalry, and artillery near Wavre, mutual assistance between the police and the French cavalry was essential for retreating to safety.

But before the police had a chance to move, the distant sound of gunfire and cries of pain began erupting from the west.

Jiaya’er paled in horror–had the French cavalry already been defeated?

Urging his forces to form ranks, he was suddenly alerted to a dozen or so cavalrymen chaotically fleeing past him, heading toward Wavre.

Raising his binoculars, Jiaya’er saw bloodied, disheveled riders in Austrian uniforms!

Shortly thereafter, rhythmic drumming emanated from the west as more Ayran soldiers fled in disarray, some even stumbling into the police ranks and being promptly captured.

Over ten minutes later, a dense cluster of white uniforms came into view within Jiaya’er’s binoculars.

Their flags bore a golden iris and a dolphin emblem.

It was the French Royal Infantry!

French troops marched in long lines sweeping south of Wavre, numbering at least four to five thousand by Jiaya’er’s estimate.

On either side, large squadrons of French cavalry in bear fur helmets thundered past, driving the Austrian infantry lines ahead of them.