Chapter 447: Chapter 361 Ransom of 800,000
Joseph and Bertier exchanged glances once again.
Although neither of them understood exactly what was happening, they almost simultaneously said, “Your Highness, I suggest launching an immediate attack!”
"I think we should launch a strong attack in conjunction with Major Lacoste.”
Bertier then bowed slightly and said, “Yes, Your Highness!”
Soon, the scattered soldiers of the Guard Corps began to converge toward Ogquenna village. At the same time, the cannons roared as they tore through the thin infantry lines of the Hanoverian defense with their shells.
Bertier looked at Joseph with some concern and said in a low voice, “Your Highness, could it be that the Mounted Artillery didn’t manage to intercept in time, and the enemy’s reinforcements have already joined up with their rear guard?”
He furrowed his brows forcefully and added, “Or perhaps they were defeated by the enemy’s reinforcements?”
Joseph shook his head thoughtfully and said, “At least it’s not the latter, otherwise it would be difficult for them to launch such intense artillery fire. As you said just now, there are more than ten cannons firing at the enemy troops.”
Relieved by his words, Bertier said, “You’re right, at least they haven’t suffered significant losses."Even if they didn’t manage to intercept the Hanoverian reinforcements in time, forming a pincer attack on Ogquenna village with us at this moment is still a favorable situation.”
As they discussed the situation with concern, a guard led a soldier over. He was covered in soot from head to toe, a burly figure.
Bertier immediately recognized the man: “You’re a messenger from the Cavalry Artillery Barracks, Mathew?”
"Yes, General. Mathew Dubreuil.” The messenger saluted with his hat, “The barracks commander heard the sound of your artillery fire and sent me to report to you. The Cavalry Artillery Barracks, in conjunction with the Dragoons, routed the Hanoverian reinforcements that were moving to support their rear, and then the commander learned from the prisoners that the enemy was entrenched in Ogquenna village, so he decided to attack the enemies here.”
Bertier was stunned for a second before a look of joy appeared on his face: “Major Lacoste is truly… ah, so brave! He has made a remarkable contribution to the victory of the corps!”
He then turned to Joseph and said softly, “He used to be a very steady officer.”
Joseph immediately thought of a certain artillery lieutenant and curled his lips, saying, “Perhaps it was some adventurous subordinate of his who had the idea.”
The Hanoverian Army in Ogquenna village clearly had not expected to be attacked from behind and quickly fell into disarray.
Lieutenant Colonel Schmidt, the commander, was shouting desperately, maneuvering his soldiers to the north side to intercept the enemy, but since he had positioned his men on the rooftops earlier, it took a half-hour just to issue orders and get into formation, with less than three companies making it to the north end of the village.
And with this commotion, the Hanoverian soldiers in the village were somewhat bewildered. They clambered down from the rooftops, only to hear a greater commotion coming from the south, and hurried back up to the rooftops…
To the north of the village, the Cavalry Artillery, facing almost no resistance, was the first to charge in.
Commander Lacoste had the cannons dragged to positions less than a hundred steps from several farmhouses hiding enemy troops and bombarded those buildings into ruins.
The Hanoverian soldiers nearby who witnessed this scene were terribly frightened, hastily fleeing the farmhouses for fear of being buried in the rubble like their compatriots.
On the southern side of the village, Dawu pointed to a burning farmhouse in front of him and shouted to the orderly officer, “The fire there has broken the enemy’s defenses, let everyone follow me and charge through it!”
The drummers and standard bearers executed the lieutenant’s command without hesitation. Under the urgent drumbeats, hundreds of Guard Corps soldiers swiftly passed on both sides of the burning farmhouse, losing all eyebrows and beards to the licking flames, with some even having their clothes ignited; but there truly were no Hanoverian soldiers nearby.
Dawu commanded his soldiers to help each other put out the flames on their bodies. They quickly formed up and immediately launched a volley into the enemy infantry lines at their side.
Subsequently, the breach grew increasingly large, and more soldiers of the Guard Corps shouted as they poured into the village through it.
Less than an hour later, the soldiers of the Guard Corps launched simultaneous attacks from both the north and south and soon encountered each other in the village.
Afterward, Lieutenant Colonel Schmidt, with singed hair and a large tear in his uniform, was escorted by a company commander to Joseph’s presence.
Upon learning Joseph’s identity, the Hanoverian officer respectfully saluted him by placing a hand over his chest, “I never expected that the commander of this great army would be His Royal Highness, the young Crown Prince of France. Your command artistry has left a very memorable impression on me.”
Joseph nodded to him, “Then, could you please tell me how much longer it will take for His Excellency Charles II to complete the defensive preparations?”
"I’m sorry, Your Highness. Out of loyalty to His Majesty the King, I cannot utter a word to you.”
Joseph waved his hand dismissively and turned to Bertier, whispering, “What is the background of this man?”
After thinking for a moment and consulting a staff officer nearby, Bertier replied, “Your Highness, Viscount Schmidt is from a prominent family in Ferden; since George II, his grandfather has been a lieutenant general in Hanover.”
Joseph nodded and smiled, it seemed the man had a substantial family fortune.
He signaled to a guard, “Please arrange for Viscount Schmidt to be given clean clothes, and then invite him to my tent for a cup of tea. Even an enemy deserves the respect due to a dignitary.”
Lieutenant Colonel Schmidt was about to express his gratitude when the Crown Prince of France continued, “Let’s set the ransom at 800,000 livres, which should adequately reflect your distinguished status.”
Schmidt almost spat out a mouthful of old blood, for it was the first time he had heard of being “priced” on the spot upon capture.
800,000 livres, that’s over 300,000 florins!
He couldn’t scrape together such a sum even if he bankrupted his entire estate!
"Your Highness, you can’t
He was just about to “bargain” when he heard the Crown Prince of France say softly to a general nearby, “Ah? Too much? No, no, I’ve heard that it’s quite easy for high-ranking officers to secure loans from the Bank of England.”
All his words were suddenly stuck in his throat, until a French officer invited him to step over to the military tent…
…
Charles II asked his staff approximately every half hour, “How much longer until the troop assembly is complete?”
This time, the staff officer did not report the positions of the various units as before but spoke with a gloomy face, “Marshal, we have just received news that Ogquenna village has been captured
Charles II felt his world spin, in less than four hours, Schmidt, who excelled at defense, was defeated?!
It meant that there was now less than three miles of open ground between the French Army and himself.
He looked at the map beside him, where the farthest infantry battalion of his side was still 1.5 miles away. By the time the French launched an attack, they might not have been able to assemble in time.
And the most critical issue was that there had been no news from the rear cannons.
If they were without cannons, engaging in a pitched battle against the French would only result in being soundly thrashed.
He hesitated for a while, then called over an officer nearby and said loudly, “Sir Mathew, I now entrust you with full command to lead the troops in battle.”
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