Duke of York froze where he stood.
Klefeld commanded more than fourteen thousand Austrian troops. If he withdrew, the French Army nearby would outnumber them.
Especially after their prolonged failure to take the enemy position, the English soldiers' morale had plummeted. Their formation was now a mess as well. If the Walloons launched an attack at this moment, the situation would hang by a thread...
He did not dare think any further and roared at the Orderly Officer, "Catch up with the Austrians and order them to return at once! Otherwise, I will personally accuse them before the Holy Roman Emperor!
"Damn it! Have those cowards never learned the word 'shame'?!"
An hour and a half later, the Captain who had gone to deliver the order rushed back. Lowering his head, he said to Duke of York, "Your Highness, Earl Kleffat refused your order. He said..."
"What did he say?!"
"He said Cologne was more important than everyone else—even your life. He could not continue wasting time here because of our army's stu—cough, because of our army's mistake."
Duke of York's face instantly turned blacker than a lump of coal.
He walked to the map, trying to find a way to slip through the gaps in the French Army's lines. Before he found anything, however, dense gunfire erupted from the northeast.
A moment later, a Cavalryman arrived with a report. "Your Highness, the French have launched an attack on our left flank. There are roughly four thousand of them."
Had it been another experienced commander, seeing the Klefeld Corps suddenly withdraw, he might have suspected an Allied Forces trap and hesitated to act.
But Gaayar had risen from the Walloon Police and did not think that much. He immediately ordered his troops to charge through the opening...
West Bank of