readx;? On 5 May, more than 9,000 French troops were confronted by the Austrian 4th Division, and the two armies engaged in battle in the Nelsingen area. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

The elite troops dispatched by both sides explained that the intensity of this encounter was self-evident. After a battle, the number of French casualties was as high as more than 1,500, and hundreds of soldiers were wounded and lost their ability to fight, but the casualties of the officer class were still not small, and nearly a quarter of the platoon and company-level officers were killed, and even many middle and high-ranking officers at the battalion and regimental levels were killed on the battlefield, and several people were wounded, for example, Lampard, the commander of the first regiment as the commander-in-chief, was also seriously wounded and is still lying in the field hospital.

Judging from the losses of the French army, although the losses in terms of soldiers were heavy, fortunately they did not cause much impact, but in the face of such a large number of officers killed, it was indeed difficult to fill the vacant command positions in a short time. Although this seems to be a matter of personnel transfers, if it is not dealt with as soon as possible, it will inevitably lead to chaos in the army and the collapse of military discipline, and even a military mutiny may occur at that time. Brion was well aware of this, so as soon as he received the casualties of his troops, he called a military meeting to discuss the filling of the list of officers.

As for the losses of the Austrians, although they were not so serious compared to the French, they were not much better. The casualties were about 1,100 people, and the casualties of the junior officers were slightly lower than those of the French army, and the losses of officers at the battalion and regimental levels were basically none.

Of course, the Austrians did not really win the battle, and did not even take advantage of it. Immediately after Lampard's four regiments were routed at Nelsingen, Prince Schwarzenberg ordered the 4th Division to take advantage of the victory and prepare to retake Elchingen in one fell swoop, only to encounter the 1st Division, which had just completed the crossing of the river. Bernadotte then ordered the 1st Division to launch a full-scale counteroffensive, driving the Austrians all the way out of the Ersingen area and reextending the front line to the Nelsingen area.

There is no doubt that the French army suffered a great loss in the encounter of Nelsingen this time, and the outcome of this battle can be said to be a draw between Austria and France, or a certain result of the French army, but it can never be said that the French army has won the victory. On this point, in the Rhine Corps, whether it is Brion and many division commanders, or ordinary junior officers and soldiers, the ideas are almost unanimous.

Far from winning, the French lost the battle. Clear-eyed people can naturally see that although the French army crossed the river after the Battle of Elsingen and successfully captured the line of Nersingen, the Rhine Army also paid an extremely heavy price for this, only the estimated casualties were as high as more than 2,000 people, not counting the wounded who were seriously wounded and treated in the field hospital, which was the most painful place for Briand.

In fact, the strength of the Rhine Legion is not only the advanced weapons that transcended the times, such as the Ferguson rifle, the bicycle or the howitzer, but also the strong military quality of the soldiers in the legion. You must know that the current Rhine Corps is composed of four divisions, including Bernadotte's 1st Division, Davout's 3rd Division, Nala's Division, and Rube's Division.

Among them, the first and third divisions were the first troops loyal to Briand, and they were also the first to accept the Ferguson rifle armament, most of these two units were composed of experienced veterans, with an average service time of more than eight years, and their combat capability was naturally first-class compared with the French troops and even the armies of European countries, and its elite degree even exceeded that of Prussia or the Imperial Janissaries of the Russian Empire.

As for the Nala Division and the Rubert Division, which naturally formed the army a little later than the old units of the Rhine Legion, and even did not even have a number during the training in the Duchy of Baden, they were all trained by Sirte. The equipment is naturally better than the above two troops, although the combat quality of the soldiers is slightly inferior, but the combat effectiveness should not be underestimated, and the average service period of the soldiers in the army can reach more than six years, which can also be said to be a veteran corps.

Looking at the countries of Europe, I am afraid that there is no country in which there are so many veterans in any army, not even the battle-battled Prussian army.

Therefore, after the battles of Württemberg and Elchingen, the overall casualties of the French army have reached nearly 20,000. If it is a new recruit, Brion will naturally not be a pity, but these are veterans who Brion has carefully trained and cultivated for several years. Although the battle is going well, such casualties are indeed somewhat unacceptable.

Although the 9,000 French troops lost in the battle of Nersingen, they were still able to counterattack and withdraw to Elsingen in an orderly manner in the face of more than 10,000 Austrian troops, which was enough to prove their good combat power. However, it is undeniable that the French army was indeed defeated. Had it not been for the fact that the 1st Division had launched a counteroffensive just after crossing the river, the Austrians had been repulsed and Ersingen had been safe. Otherwise, when the Austrians recaptured the banks of the Danube, the French troops who were crossing the pontoon bridge would probably be miserable. By then, the French army had not only fallen short, but thousands of people had died at the bottom of the river.

It can be said that at this moment, the whole army of the Rhine Army is struggling with a question, is the myth of the French army's undefeated since the beginning of the war really over?

Indeed, since the march into Germany in mid-March this year, after two battles, the French army has always been in a state of absolute offensive against the Austrian army, and has not yet tasted defeat, and the combat enthusiasm of the French officers and men is naturally high. However, the negative effect of this on the French army was the conceit of the officers and the slackness of the soldiers on the battlefield, so that even a small defeat could have a huge impact on the morale of the army. The impact of this on the combat capability of an army is absolutely fatal.

Therefore, Brion temporarily decided to go to the front-line barracks to personally inspect the troops and reward meritorious soldiers. Undoubtedly, the presence of a military commander like Brion on the front lines to comfort the soldiers was a great way to increase his military prestige and morale, and more importantly, to make the soldiers understand who they were fighting for.

After reviewing the troops on the front line, Brion rushed to the field hospital in Nersingen in the evening. In fact, the medical conditions in this so-called hospital were rather rudimentary, and even the beds for the wounded were pitiful, except for a few wounded officers. Most of the soldiers, even the seriously wounded who were dying, built a broken shed and threw it directly on straw mats. In addition, the number of medical personnel is limited, and priority is given to treating officers, and many soldiers have been infected due to the delay for too long, resulting in serious injuries and death.

When Brion and the other senior generals walked into the field hospital, there was a pungent smell of rot in the air, and the moans and screams of the soldiers were everywhere, but no doctor paid attention. I watched as several soldiers lying on the mat stiffened, and finally were carried out by a few strong men. The miserable scene in front of him, Brion couldn't believe that it was his own troops patrolling in front of him.

"These soldiers are the heroes of the Rhine Legion, and they must not be allowed to die here in vain. It seemed that there were not enough doctors here, so they immediately summoned the medical teams of all the regimental departments to rush here to assist the field hospital. Brion walked forward with a displeased face, and said, "Why do you put the wounded soldiers in such a humble place? It's so filthy and overcrowded, and if an epidemic spreads, it will kill them immediately." ”

McDonald, the chief of staff on the side, immediately responded: "According to the head of the hospital, the hospital is actually full, and we wanted to put the wounded in the homes of civilians in the city of Nersingen, but they were refused, and they seem to think that we are invaders." So we can only 。。。。。。。 the wounded temporarily. ”

Brion sneered at this: "Aggression, we have liberated these German civilians from the hands of the Austrians, but they treat us like this! Desai, immediately gather your troops to transfer the wounded immediately, and if any of the mobs do not cooperate, immediately shoot them as Austrian spies." Don't scruple to say that it is my order. ”

To tell the truth, Brion was not a good man who loved the people or a liberator who represented the French Revolution. His so-called innocence against the common people was based on the welcome and cooperation of the common people. If not, then Brion's dictionary is only for killing, which can ignore the image of friendliness.

With a hint of exclamation, Brion walked into the hospital, and after seeing the person in charge of the hospital explain what had happened, he went to the ward in better conditions to visit the officers who had been wounded in the battle.

Walking to a ward, Brion pushed the door open and saw Lieutenant Colonel Lampard, the commander of the 1st Regiment lying in agony on a hospital bed. And Lampard will probably never forget the situation today, although he already knew that the commander of the command would come to condole, and he estimated that it might be Bernadotte, the commander of the 1st Division, but he would never have thought that Brion, the supreme commander of the Rhine Army, would come in person.

As soon as he saw Briand, Lampard struggled to get up, and Brion immediately stepped forward with a smile on his face: "Lieutenant Colonel Lampard, you are injured, you don't need to be polite. ”

As soon as Brion spoke, Lampard's face was thrilled, the Legion Commander actually knew his name, and he actually recognized himself.

Brion nodded, and took two steps forward to comfort: "It's not your fault that the first battle of Nersingen was not your fault, the fourth division of the Austrian army is really powerful, and I was negligent in this point." I should take full responsibility for the defeat in this battle, but your heroic battle has brought us hope of victory. ”

At this time, a major officer stepped forward with a silver plate on which was a colonel's medal. Brion took the medal and pinned Lampard personally: "In recognition of your bravery in battle, you are hereby promoted to colonel today and transferred to the post of staff officer in the command headquarters. Your position as commander of the 1st Regiment will be taken over by Major Victor. ”

Frank Lampard, who was already stunned, and even Brion and the others had not reacted when they went out, after all, he had only been summoned by Bernadotte, the commander of the First Division, at most, except for the Legion Review, he had no chance to see Brion at all, at most from a distance.

Obviously, the fact that he has become a colonel and joins the General Staff already shows that he is about to enter the road of a senior officer or even a general, which is naturally not comparable with the past.

Accompanied by several generals, Brion continued to the next ward, and specifically instructed MacDonald: "Give condolences to every wounded soldier, and this matter must not be done carelessly, and send pensions to the families of those officers who have died in battle." I took these young people into battle two months ago and failed to bring them back, and I am also responsible. ”