Ratibor in the spotlight

Austria Silesian Front Army Command.

Berthier looked up from the map, glancing somewhat uneasily at Lefebvre: "Do you think General Leo could actually defeat Ratibor's Prussian Army? After all, he has an overwhelming numerical advantage."

The latter smiled and said, "If it were a different officer, even just an ordinary regimental commander, we might actually be worried about this. But now the commander is Leo, and believe me, his specialty is getting soldiers into the wrong places."

"Moreover, his ability to train soldiers was also... well, mediocre. So, only the less than 2,000 soldiers left behind by General Würmser had any fighting ability in his army; the rest couldn't even fire a volley properly."

"Now I'm a little worried that he might be defeated by the Prussia..."

Joseph continued, "General Leo has a numerical advantage and can hold out for at least five or six days. I've already sent Major Mason to the vicinity of Ratibor to meet him."

He glanced at the Prussia positions in the distance. "Now it's just a matter of when the Duke of Brunswick will make his move."

As they were talking, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the tent. Soon, a messenger strode in, raised his hat to Joseph, and said:

"Your Highness, General Leo's attack on Ratibor failed, and he is now surrounded by the Prussian Army."

Mason had dispatched Hussars to keep a close eye on the battle situation in Ratibor, and this messenger was one of his men.

The messenger continued:

"According to the scouts, it was because General Leo failed to notice the Prussian Army flank movement and insisted on launching a frontal assault with his main force, resulting in the Prussia flanking him. He then mistakenly withdrew his attacking troops, allowing the enemy forces in front to press forward, ultimately creating a pincer attack."

Joseph immediately gave Lefebvre an approving look and smiled:

"You were right, he really does excel at misdirection."

Lefebvre sighed, "12,000 men surrounded by 7,000 Prussian Army; he's performed somewhat 'extraordinarily' this time."

Berthier looked at Joseph: "Your Highness, should we send Major Mason as reinforcements immediately?"

Joseph shook his head and said, "We must trust General Leo. His legion is the best-equipped in the Austrian Army. Even if they are surrounded, they should be able to hold out for a few days."

"Go immediately and inform Marshal Lacy and Duke of Brunswick of the situation with the Leo Legion."

Joseph then said to an officer beside him, "Please send someone to inform Pozztan that the operation can begin."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The officer, who was the Intelligence Bureau's liaison officer with the Crown Prince, immediately left with Berthier to carry out the order.

Eastern Liegnitz.

In the Prussia command post, the Duke of Brunswick looked at the map with surprise and shook his head, saying:

"What the hell are these damned Austria trying to do? Attacking Ratibor is pointless."

Just half an hour ago, he had received intelligence from Austria that more than 12,000 Leo Legion had launched a surprise attack on Ratibor. However, Colonel Elwin, who was in charge of the defense, reacted quickly and took advantage of the Austria ' carelessness to surround them on the outskirts of Ratibor.

(Portrait of Blücher)

Blücher had been fighting Leo for a long time in Liège, and now he was not about to let go of the opportunity to kick him while he was down. He immediately shouted:

"Marshal, the Elwin Legion only has 7,000 men; I'm afraid they'll have little chance of annihilating the enemy. I believe we should send reinforcements immediately!"

General Drissen, standing nearby, suggested:

"Ratibor has no strategic value whatsoever. Colonel Elwin is content to hold it; there's no need to force an annihilation of the enemy."

Duke of Brunswick pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "No, we should immediately send reinforcements to Elwin."

"But..."

"Ratibor may be worthless, but this Leo is highly respected in the Austrian Army," the Duke of Brunswick said, rising to his feet with his hands on the table. "If we can capture or kill him, it will be a huge blow to the morale of the Austria."

"The State Finances are already in dire straits. If we can end the war as soon as possible, we should try our best."

He looked at Blücher: "You must immediately lead 10,000 men to Ratibor, cut off the Austria ' route back to Ostrau, and make sure to kill or capture Leo."

Blücher was overjoyed. "Yes, Your Duke!"

Meanwhile, in Marshal Lacy's tent, a similar argument was taking place.

Naundorff shouted, "Just send two regiments to rescue Leo Legion; we shouldn't commit too many troops to Ratibor."

Berthier, standing nearby, immediately shook his head. "General, you must consider that if the Prussia also send troops to Ratibor, then this number of reinforcements will simply not be enough."

Würmser and Leo have a good relationship, and he quickly expressed his support:

"Ratibor is also our territory, so why not take this opportunity to retake it? General Leo has a numerical advantage, but he unfortunately fell into an encirclement. Once his troops are freed, retaking Ratibor should be very easy for us."

Seeing that Lacy was still hesitant, Berthier added fuel to the fire, "Marshal, if next week's Vienna newspapers carry the news that ' the Spear of the Southern Netherlands have successfully recaptured their homeland,' it will surely be a great source of excitement for everyone."

Upon hearing this, Marshal Lacy frowned deeply. What he gleaned from the France Chief of Staff's words was that if the "Spear of the Southern Netherlands" were captured at Ratibor, it would be a nightmare for Austria.

Moreover, if something were to happen to this highly respected general, His Majesty the Emperor would certainly hold him, the Commander-in-Chief, responsible.

With that thought in mind, he no longer hesitated and turned to Würmser, saying, "You should immediately lead 10,000 soldiers to reinforce Ratibor."

"Yes, Marshal!"

Meanwhile, in Pozztan, the political center of Prussia, the streets and alleys were abuzz with talk of the army's victory at Ratibor.

All the newspapers had front pages with headlines like "Austrian Army invading Ratibor defeated by the Elwin Legion, Leo to be captured" and "Great victory at Ratibor, 12,000 Austria invading troops surrounded."

As for the Pamphlets, it directly raised the number of enemy casualties to 30,000, and claimed that the pride of the Austria, Leo, had been captured and that the Austrian Army was currently fighting desperately to prevent Leo from being sent to Pozztan for public trial.

Of course, this was all orchestrated by the French Intelligence Bureau Spy Pozztan. Spreading this kind of news that the Prussia wanted to hear was the easiest job for Spy.

Meanwhile, in the Sanssouci Palace, William II was also very excited. Although various rumors were flying around and the situation of Ratibor was still uncertain, it was a certainty that Leo was surrounded.

After a long stalemate, a major breakthrough has finally been achieved in the Silesia campaign.

After a brief discussion with Prince Heinrich, he immediately drafted a commendation order, promoting Elwin to Major General and praising the Duke of Brunswick.

Just three or four days later, all eyes in the German Territories were focused on the inconspicuous province of Ratibor.

Both Putin and Austria have a combined force of 40,000 troops en route there, preparing for a desperate gamble with Leo as the stake...