Moltke the Elder was not particularly surprised by the defeat of the advance force.
Or rather, this was more in line with his expectations. That so-called chariot corps and the cavalry units were far too arrogant; they simply had not regarded the Austrians as opponents.
Prussia's Death's Head Hussars had indeed created many miracles in the past. That was the self-identity forged by generations of cavalrymen with their blood and lives.
Many proud young nobles joined their ranks, and their vigor and passion only further fueled that arrogance.
They arrogantly lived in the eighteenth century, but this was already the nineteenth. That arrogance made them disregard Austria's victories and changes, leaving them stubbornly charging in abreast formations.
Once, charging abreast had been a display of courage, cavalrymen trading the greatest sacrifices for the greatest gains. But times had changed. Infantry firepower had already surpassed the limit cavalry could endure.
Moltke the Elder needed a defeat to sober them up again, yet he could not truly afford to lose those precious cavalrymen. After all, victory on the battlefield would still depend on them.
Thus, that gaudy yet impractical chariot unit became the ideal sacrifice. Still, Moltke the Elder had to admit that the advance had gone far more smoothly than he had expected.
In fact, to conserve precious manpower, Moltke the Elder's original plan had been to bypass the Austrian Empire's border fortresses and capture only the most critical positions.
But he had not expected the Austrians to abandon their fortresses and flee of their own accord. That had been an enormous help to Prussia.
If those Austrian border troops had all stubbornly held their fortresses, Moltke the Elder would have had no choice but to deploy his secret weapon ahead of schedule.
Though that thing was suited only for siege