Chapter 755: The Saviors
The Austrian soldiers inside the city were thrown into panic. Their own men blocked their line of sight, and some were even trampled by fleeing comrades jumping from the walls. For a moment, they were unable to fire effectively.
In that brief moment of chaos, several French assault columns had already reached the base of the walls.
An Austrian officer shouted desperately:
"Idiots! Get out of the way! Fire! Fire, now! Push them back!"
At his command, musket shots finally rang out from behind the battlements, and about a dozen French soldiers fell to the ground.
However, just seconds later, they began to stir—rubbing the places where they had been hit, then picking up their rifles and charging toward the walls once more.
After more than a year of preparations, all soldiers in the French regular army were now equipped with bulletproof plates—especially those in the front lines, who wore reinforced versions.
As long as they weren't hit in the head or neck, musket shots fired from a distance of more than 40 paces posed no real danger.
The "resurrection" of the French troops only further rattled the Austrians, whose gunfire became increasingly sparse.
By now, the fastest French columns had reached the city walls. Some soldiers opened suppressive fire, while others began climbing the relatively low fortifications.
Lefebvre had been preparing to bombard the walls with artillery when he suddenly noticed that the Austrian troops on the eastern side of the city were falling into disorder.
Moments later, a mounted messenger galloped toward him and shouted:
"General, Major Davout has broken into the city!"
Lefebvre shook his head with a smile. That young man fought like a beast. He had breached enemy defenses without even waiting for artillery support.
Without hesitation, Lefebvre ordered his troops to shift east and enter Wavre through the opening Davout had created.
Inside the city, Austrian corpses littered the streets, but most buildings remained intact. The terrified residents hid in their homes, making the streets eerily silent.
As Lefebvre pondered where the remaining Austrian defenses might be concentrated, another messenger arrived with an update:
"Major Davout has taken control of the iron ore warehouse in the city center."
French Field Headquarters Outside Wavre
Gaillard stared in shock at the French Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, are you saying that the Flemish uprisings in Landen, Aat, and other towns have already been suppressed?"
Joseph replied calmly, "I sent troops to handle the situation as soon as I entered Wallonia. By now, it should be settled."
Gaillard protested, "But surely such matters shouldn't divert your precious forces?"
Joseph shook his head with a smile. "It was only three companies—you need not worry."
Indeed, Joseph had sent only 300 soldiers, yet they had managed to stabilize the entire Walloon region.
That was precisely why he had been confident in instructing the Walloon Chamber of Commerce to ignore the riots and focus all their police forces on blocking the Austrian army.
Following Joseph's orders, the Chamber had arranged for local officials to evacuate ahead of time to avoid destruction.
When the French army arrived, they rallied the local population to join them in crushing the rioters.
The Walloons hated the Flemish rioters. As long as the French troops provided covering fire, the enraged citizens charged in like wild beasts and tore the rebels apart.
When the rebels realized that Austrian reinforcements weren't coming and that French troops had entered Wallonia, their will to resist completely crumbled.
Under these conditions, just 60 or 70 French soldiers could pacify an entire city.
Joseph had another reason for handling things this way—to establish the French army as the protectors of Wallonia.
The Walloon people had driven out the hated rioters under the leadership of French soldiers, regaining peace and order.
To them, the French were no longer occupiers—they were heroes, saviors.
And now, if anyone suggested Wallonia should officially join France, they would have overwhelming support.
The Fall of Wavre
As Gaillard and the Crown Prince continued discussing the riots, an officer entered and saluted Joseph.
"Your Highness, General Lefebvre has secured Wavre. He reports that the battle will be over within two hours."
Gaillard's eyes widened in disbelief.
It had only been an hour and a half since the Crown Prince ordered the attack.
Yet over the past three days, 10,000 Austrians had struggled to fight their way into the city against just 4,000 Walloon police officers.
And the French had done it in less time, despite being outnumbered.
Just two hours later, Wavre was completely under French control.
Gaillard still found it hard to believe, but as night fell, he led his men into the city for a well-deserved rest.
At 6 p.m., he was invited to join a French war council as the local expert on the Wavre region.
French War Council
Inside the temporary command room, a French captain stood before a map, presenting intelligence gathered by cavalry scouts.
**"At present, all Austrian forces inside Wavre have been eliminated.
"The main force of Count Radetzky's army—around 6,000 troops—has retreated 6 kilometers north to the town of Maffeigne."
Radetzky had never expected the French to appear so quickly.
At the time of the French attack, Austrian troops north of Wavre had been scrambling to enter the city, only to be ambushed by Lefebvre's forces.
They collapsed almost instantly.
Still, Radetzky had reacted swiftly—ordering his elite grenadier battalion and a light infantry regiment to cover the retreat.
With darkness falling, he managed to withdraw his remaining forces.
Even so, in just half a day, he had lost over 4,000 men in Wavre.
The captain continued his briefing:
"According to our intelligence, Prince Josias's main army is expected to reach Maffeigne by tomorrow afternoon—around 30,000 troops."
Josias was the Prince of Coburg.
Lefebvre frowned and turned to the logistics officer.
"When will the 4th Infantry Division arrive?"
"If all goes smoothly, by tomorrow morning."
Lefebvre exhaled in relief and looked at Joseph.
**"Your Highness, the enemy will be desperate to retake Wavre. I propose using the city as bait to lure them into an ambush.
"Specifically, we let Chief Gaillard's police force hold the city while **our main force positions itself southwest of Maffeigne.
"When Josias's main army moves toward Wavre, we will strike them from behind."
Davout added immediately, "At the same time, we could seize Maffeigne and cut off their retreat."
Joseph remained silent, studying the map.
Finally, he spoke:
"Based on Austrian marching speeds, Josias's army should currently be near Uccle."
Lefebvre instinctively nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."
Joseph's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Tell me—if you were Marshal Josias, what would you expect us to do next?"
Lefebvre considered for a moment. "He would assume we intend to defend Wavre at all costs."
Wavre was the key route south of Brussels—if the French held it, they could block the Austrians from advancing toward Namur.
Joseph nodded.
"Then, we must give him a... surprise."
(End of chapter.)
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