Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 905 - 813: Napoleon’s Hand-to-Hand Combat

Napoleon stood on the water wheel north of Marengo Village, using a telescope to observe Ogero leading the soldiers in a charge.

But soon, they were repelled by the orderly infantry lines of the Austrian Army.

Napoleon’s heart began to pound violently.

He knew very well that Chervoni must be rallying the soldiers who had just fled, and the Austrian defense line at the entrance of the village would gather more and more enemies.

And the flanks of Juno and Sailu Li’er could be broken through by the enemy at any moment.

By that time, his side would be surrounded by a force twice their size!

Lucien suddenly stumbled over, panting heavily:

"Our artillery position was attacked by enemy cavalry..."

Napoleon was not surprised, because he had not heard the sound of their own artillery for a while now.

He stared intently at the Austrian defense line at the village entrance.

That should be Chervoni’s last forces, as long as it’s broken through, they can attack Melas’ command post.

But Ogero’s Corps was obviously exhausted.

Napoleon looked to his side, realizing he had less than 3,000 new recruits left in hand.

They were called a reserve, but actually, it was to avoid them affecting Murat’s Corps’ operations, which is why they were left behind.

Napoleon bit his teeth forcefully, letting out a low growl from his throat.

No, it’s not time to concede yet.

Even if they are just new recruits, he must give it a try!

He leapt off the water wheel, mounted his horse, and came to the front of the newly established Wangre Group, drawing his sword and shouting:

"Now, we are only one step away from a glorious victory!

"I need your strength to deliver the final blow to the Austrians.

"I will charge with you, breaking the enemy with the guns in our hands!

"Come on, brave lions of France!"

The recruits seemed a bit slow to react, seemingly knowing it was time to attack, but looked at each other, with only a dozen officers shouting along:

"Break the enemy!"

"Deliver the final blow to the Austrians!"

Napoleon frowned. With morale like this, it would be hard to break through enemy lines.

He suddenly thought of something, turned his horse around, pressed the hilt of his sword to his chest, and spoke in a solemn tone:

"Behind you is the great Crown Prince!

"Follow me to crush the enemy!

"In the name of the Crown Prince!"

This time, the soldiers did not hesitate, almost reflexively shouting along:

"In the name of the Crown Prince!"

"Long live the Crown Prince!"

The instructors responsible for training the new recruits were mostly veterans from the former Guard Corps, often telling the recruits about the Crown Prince’s glorious achievements in North Africa, Silesia, and other places.

This made the new recruits idolize the Crown Prince, with infinite longing for the Guard Corps. At this moment, hearing "in the name of the Crown Prince" instantly ignited their blood, as if they had become members of the Guard Corps.

Only then did Napoleon nod in satisfaction, turning to sprint towards the Austrian defense line at the village entrance.

The drumbeat began behind him, and 3,000 recruits shouted as they closely followed.

When they were within 200 paces of the enemy lines, Napoleon heard sporadic gunfire from the front, and Lucien hastily brought the Guards up, sheltering him in the middle.

Napoleon looked back, seeing the recruits excited but in chaotic formations.

He let out a breath, knowing organizing the ranks now would only cause more confusion, so he simply pointed forward with his sword and shouted loudly:

"Everyone, fix bayonets!"

The drumbeat suddenly became more urgent.

The recruits, although lacking combat experience, were also free from battlefield fear, their eyes filled with fanatic light, clumsily attaching bayonets to the muzzles.

Napoleon shoved the Guards blocking his way aside and strode towards the enemy:

"Follow me! Charge with the white blade!

"In the name of the Crown Prince!"

In this era, a bayonet charge was actually a very dangerous tactic. Because once initiated, it meant abandoning formation and the possibility of retreat, leaving only the path to defeat the enemy.

And as long as even a few soldiers hesitated or retreated during the charge, it would quickly trigger a chain reaction. Even if only a step away from the enemy, it would ultimately turn into a large rout.

So unless absolutely sure or with no other option, commanders typically hesitated to engage in bayonet combat. Many countries’ combat regulations even explicitly prohibited bayonet combat in most situations.

At this moment, Napoleon had no other choice.

EITHER break through the Austrian lines,

OR accept defeat.

He did not want to fail.

He was the proud Corsican eagle, destined to soar high in the sky and look down on the earth.

He would rather die here in battle than surrender in humiliation!

Napoleon’s pace quickened, and Lucien had to jog to block in front of him.

"Puh," a soldier from the Guard on Napoleon’s left took a bullet to the chest, warm blood splattering onto his cheek.

His expression showed no hesitation, tightly gripping his sword, moving forward step by step.

The Austrian firepower grew increasingly intense, and behind him, recruits fell one after another with muffled grunts, but no one stopped. The figure of Colonel Bonaparte ahead inspired them, making them forget all fear.

Ogero had just regrouped his forces when he heard Marmon shouting excitedly while pointing southeast:

"It’s Colonel Bonaparte. Look! He’s charging!"

Ogero glanced at the soldiers, already exhausted to the point of barely standing, yet gritting his teeth as he issued the order:

"Scattered Soldier Camp, advance immediately. Everyone else, switch to column formation, prepare to charge!"

Napoleon was held back 30 paces from the enemy by Lucien and the Guards—such a scenario where the highest commander leads the charge into enemy ranks only appears in movies. Letting a commander charge forward would mean the entire Guard would face a military tribunal. freewebnøvel.com

Napoelon’s ability to close in so near to the enemy was enough to inspire the soldiers.

The Austrians fired a final volley, brought down over 60 French soldiers, yet the French did not collapse.

A new recruit company commander shouting "in the name of the Crown Prince" first rushed into the infantry line. More than two thousand recruits behind him immediately surged forward.

The Austrians had no time to reload, with soldiers hastily meeting the charge with bayonets but losing momentum significantly.

Meanwhile, the French recruits, seizing the charge momentum, struck down over a hundred enemies at first contact, and blood spattered the Austrian infantry line. The cry "in the name of the Crown Prince" echoed throughout the area outside Marengo Village.

Napoleon vigorously shook off Lucien’s hand, shouted to the Guard Captain:

"Bezi’er, never mind me, go help them!"

The latter hesitated momentarily, then nodded silently, leading more than 30 Guards forward as well.

Compared to gunfire, bayonet combat applied immense psychological pressure—it’s far more terrifying to face an enemy swinging a bayonet at you at close range than unseen bullets.

Therefore, bayonet combat usually decided the outcome almost instantly.

In less than half a minute, panic-stricken Austrian soldiers on the right side of the line began to flee.