Brune shook his head again and again.
"Oh, God, our offensive plans may have to be postponed until next year."
As he spoke, Major Saint Hilaire, commander of the cavalry battalion, rode up and said to Massena, "Commander, more than 25,000 Prussian Army troops crossed the Moselle River this morning. More enemy troops are gathering on the north bank of the river. This is the latest reconnaissance report."
Brune looked at Massena. "It seems we'll have to pull all our troops back to Luxembourg Fortress and defend..."
According to the intelligence currently available, Duke of Brunswick had 85,000 soldiers under his command, the 40,000 Allied Forces troops from the German States were about to arrive, and the Duke of York's corps was still on the way. The enemy would concentrate more than 150,000 troops along the Luxembourg line!
France had only 65,000 troops here.
There was no need to dream of an offensive. Holding the line would already count as victory.
Saint Hilaire dismounted and nodded in agreement. "Luxembourg City occupies a strategically vital position. So long as we make good use of Bettelburg Battery, we can hold out until reinforcements arrive from home."
Only a relatively narrow mountain pass connected to the north of Luxembourg City, and a sturdy fortress guarded that pass.
Bettelburg Battery was the core of that fortress. It could accommodate more than a thousand soldiers and was equipped with over 120 artillery pieces of various calibers. Inside, there was also a tunnel system connected to water sources. It was absolutely easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Yet Massena stared at the map spread out by his staff officer, Wassel, and pondered:
"Our previous deployment was intended to make it easier to launch a counteroffensive against Ferdinand from the flank."
His finger traced the narrow