The marshal's temptation

Silesia.

The Southeast the Prussian-Austrian front in Liegnitz.

In the Austrian Army command post in Wałbrzych, General Leo, wearing brand-new General's epaulettes, handed a glass of crystal-clear Wine to the France Lieutenant Colonel before him, his face full of warm smiles. "You must try this, my dear old friend, it's a fine Bordeaux wine bestowed upon His Majesty the Emperor." [Note 1]

"Thank you for your hospitality." Lefebvre accepted the glass and raised it in a gesture of acknowledgment. "It took me a whole month to travel from Algiers to get here, and then I came straight to visit you. You've already been promoted to General; congratulations!"

After Leo returned from the Southern Netherlands, Leopold II personally signed the commission, promoting him General the rank of general.

Leo, smiling, raised his glass as well. "This wouldn't have been possible without your help."

He was absolutely telling the truth; if it weren't for Lefebvre's help, he might have been captured by the Prussia.

"Oh, by the way, I've also prepared lunch for you. The Cheese Beef Stew and the Roasted Pork Knuckle here are quite delicious."

Lefebvre exchanged pleasantries with him as they left, then casually remarked, "By the way, why did Marshal Lacy send you here? I mean, you should have been making your mark on the main battlefield, not staying in this remote little town."

General Leo shrugged. "After all, he's the Commander-in-Chief. But staying here isn't bad either, every day..."

He almost blurted out "fishing," but quickly coughed and corrected himself. "Oh, inspecting the defenses, training the soldiers or something."

"Yes, it's all for His Majesty the Emperor." Lefebvre nodded, then leaned closer and said earnestly, "However, as a loyal old friend, I feel you shouldn't be so idle now."

"Oh? You mean?"

"To be honest, with your current prestige and achievements in the Southern Netherlands, you are fully qualified to be awarded the rank of Marshal," Lefebvre said with great regret. "However, His Majesty the Emperor may feel that you are still a bit too young."

Leo is only 35 years old now, which is indeed very young if he can become Marshal.

"What can we do?" Leo waved his hand with a smile. "I'm quite satisfied with the current situation."

He was indeed satisfied. Without his "adventure" in the Southern Netherlands, he would have essentially remained Major General for the rest of his life.

Lefebvre extended his right index finger and thumb, indicating. "Actually, you're only a hair's breadth away from being Marshal."

He lowered his voice again and said, "Marshal Lacy doesn't seem to want you to threaten his position."

"You see, Wałbrzych is at the very end of the front line; there won't be any fierce fighting there. Once the war is over, you'll have no chance to earn any merit."

Leo blinked, realizing his old friend had a point. The word "Marshal," in particular, stirred his heart like a beautiful woman posing seductively.

He then added hesitantly, "But I'm afraid Lacy won't agree to transfer me to the front lines. You know, it's full of his own people there."

Lefebvre nodded, feigning deep thought. "Perhaps you could try to make a breakthrough elsewhere."

"Other places?"

"Yes, for example, Ratibor. The Prussia garrison there isn't large; you could easily take it on your own."

Ratibor is a small province located at the southernmost tip of Silesia.

Leo asked doubtfully, "But even if we recapture Ratibor, we'll face the Oder River, which will have almost no impact on the overall battle."

To reach Breslau, the capital of Silesia, from Ratibor, one must cross the Oder River. Prussia only needs to send a small force to defend along the river, making it difficult for the Austrian Army to advance. Meanwhile, the Prussian Army can sail down the Oder River from Breslau, quickly deploy its troops north of Ratibor, and recapture the city.

However, the Sudetes Mountains Range lie to the south of Ratibor, making it impossible to threaten Austria territory from there. Therefore, neither side paid much attention to Ratibor Silesian Wars.

Lefebvre smiled slightly, "All you need is the achievement required for promotion to Marshal. But reclaiming the lands of Silesia, anywhere, is enough for you to become Marshal."

Leo's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. That's right! How come I hadn't thought of that?

Once he's promoted to Marshal, he can go back to Vienna and enjoy his retirement. As for how things turn out in Silesia, that's Lacy's problem.

"Thank you so much!" he said, looking at Lefebvre with some emotion. "You always give me the best advice, just like in the Southern Netherlands. You are truly my best friend!"

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "But are you sure I can take Ratibor?"

Those who are familiar with their own situation know best. Back in Luxembourg, his army was utterly routed by the Prussia, and it was only thanks to Lefebvre leading just over 3,000 soldiers that he managed to turn the tide and achieve a great victory.

"The Prussia garrison at Ratibor should number no more than 7,000. Your corps has 16,000 soldiers; you should leave a small force to defend Wałbrzych."

Lefebvre gestured around, saying, "There's nothing to defend in this godforsaken place. If you lead your superior forces in a fierce attack, you'll surely crush the Prussia quickly."

Leo looked at him expectantly and said, "My old friend, would you like to come with me?"

Lefebvre immediately replied seriously, "I would be very willing to fight alongside you, but this is related to your promotion to Marshal, and I should not share your credit."

"Oh, once you've recaptured Ratibor, I can help you defend it. I promise."

Lefebvre then said many encouraging words, and after a moment, Leo's eyes finally hardened.

Three days later.

Leo gazed at Ratibor, shrouded in mist, and turned to his staff officer, asking, "Have the Prussia made any unusual moves?"

"Not yet, General. The enemy is holed up behind the town's defenses."

Leo nodded and ordered, "Order the soldiers to take cover. Launch the general offensive at 10:00 sharp as planned."

He brought 12,000 troops with him this time, and according to Lefebvre, as long as he launched a surprise attack, he could quickly achieve victory.

"Yes, General!"

Two hours later, the artillery of the Leo Legion appeared on the southwest side of Ratibor, with two 12-pound Cannon and seven 6-pound Cannon roaring at the same time.

After more than twenty rounds of artillery bombardment, a large contingent of Austria Infantry, arranged in Column, launched an attack on the Prussia positions from the west and south, accompanied by the War Drum.

Leo has been following Lefebvre for so long, and regardless of his actual combat ability, he has at least learned about 70-80% of the basics.

The Prussia seemed to be caught off guard, and it took them quite a while before the cannons began to fire back.

The Austria soldiers, braving the artillery fire, quickly reached the first line of defense outside the city. At the officers' command, they began to disperse to both sides, forming Horizontal Formation.

[Note 1] Wałbrzych is a place name in modern Poland. I couldn't find the name from the Germany occupation period, so I'll use that name for now.