Blücher pointed his riding crop at the Orderly Officer and shouted, "Throw away everything that isn't essential for combat! Ditch the heavy cannon too! The entire army must advance at least 2.5 li every day!"
Tauentzien hurriedly said, "General, how are we supposed to attack Mantua without cannon..."
"Once we reach Lombardy, have the Sardinians resupply us." Blücher frowned. "Time is what matters most now!"
Before long, great numbers of wagons were pushed down into the valleys, and the Prussian army's marching speed immediately increased considerably.
Six days later, Blücher finally saw the snowless southern end of St. Gotthard Pass through his Telescope, and a rare look of relief appeared on his face.
He waved to Major Kleist, commander of the Hussar regiment beside him. "Establish a security perimeter outside the pass immediately."
"Yes, General!"
Two hours later, five Prussian Hussar squadrons descended from the slopes of the Alps.
Feeling the dry, solid ground beneath his horse's hooves, Kleist was about to order several Captains to spread out and scout when a deafening boom suddenly erupted from the ridges to the north and south.
The two cavalrymen at the very front vanished from where they stood in an instant, like dust scattered by the wind, leaving only great sprays of blood splashed across the ground.
"Fall back! Back up!" Kleist urgently yanked the reins and turned his horse toward the mountain.
The cannon fire continued without pause. More than a dozen Prussian cavalrymen behind him were struck by shells and blasted into countless pieces.
Yet after receiving the cavalry's report, Blücher did not immediately give up.
Judging by the timing, the French had most likely only just arrived as well. They had to break out at any cost now, before the enemy had finished setting up their defensive positions.
Not