The commander of the French army at this time was Oudinot, yes, a remnant of the Napoleonic era. Oudinot was the bravest field marshal of the First French Empire, but at this time he was 81 years old, only a year younger than Radetzky.

Oudinot was not a brilliant strategist, nor was he a master tactician, and even Napoleon described him as "lacking in brains".

At this time, as the supreme commander of the French army, the tactics he used were also extremely simple and crude.

"Attack! Offensive! Attack again! Until the trench is filled! Until the walls are torn down! Until every Belgian is drowned in blood! ”

Oudinot's simple and efficient tactics were accompanied by heavy casualties, and the two armies he brought with him, totaling 40,000 men, lost nearly a quarter of the battle in less than a week.

The quarter here does not refer to the number of casualties, but also includes factors such as wounded, sickness, and vacation.

In fact, due to the complete unequal firepower of the two sides, if the French army could continue to consume the Belgians with sufficient ammunition, it could greatly reduce its own casualties.

Belgium is close enough to France that there is no need to worry about supplies.

Oudinot was by no means the best option for the French at this time, but the departments of the Provisional Government of France were in disarray.

The Provisional Government initially chose General Bedo, who was a good fighter, but this man was a determined king.

He resolutely refused to accept the appointment of the Provisional Government, and in desperation, the Provisional Government had no choice but to choose General Bellevue.

The latter's capabilities are far inferior to the former, and their prestige in the army is completely incomparable.

The result of such a person as Minister of Military Affairs is that no one takes him seriously at all.

In addition, as a candidate recommended by the National Newspaper, he was naturally hostile to the Reform Newspaper.

As a result, the post of Minister of Military Affairs fell victim to the rivalry between the two major parties, and the government reformed the military department into a defense committee.

Bellevue was the chairman, but veteran marshals such as Ramosirier and Oudino often deliberately discussed issues in Bellevue's absence, and even skipped him to send the resolution to the provisional government.

At this time, Oudinot, an old guy buried up to the neck, appeared in Belgium precisely because of this.

On the Belgian side, Leopold I himself served as the commander, and the army was mainly composed of the former Belgian Wehrmacht and volunteers, and the Belgians were about 30,000 in terms of numbers alone, and they did not suffer in terms of troops.

But in reality there was a large gap, and there was a serious lack of artillery.

Leopold I himself was not a military genius, and it is remarkable that he did not let this patchwork force fall apart.

For details, you can refer to the previous Italian battlefield, those Italian coalition troops fought by themselves, and they couldn't find the team, and some even got lost.

By this time the Belgians had done their best, but the French were still unstoppable.

The French line approached, and the weak artillery fire of the Belgians could hardly do any damage to them.

Even if someone in the French queue falls, someone will immediately fill his place.

The drumbeat of the French was getting closer and closer, and the Belgian defenders kept swallowing their saliva, and the heavy oppression hit the defenders' souls like a hammer.

Finally, the most brutal battle began, and the hit rate of the smoothbore gun was not good, it was at a long distance, at close range. When facing each other, no one can block or avoid bullets.

Soldiers on both sides continued to fall, and officers and warlords kept slashing and slashing soldiers trying to escape.

"Get on the bayonet! Charge! ”

"Charge!"

Officers and soldiers on both sides roared hysterically and rushed forward, scuffling in the mud.

At this time, war and art had nothing to do with it, and there was only the most primitive, barbaric and true truth - the winner is king.

Bayonets, butts, fists, and stones became deadly weapons. The position was filled with shouts and screams, and the air that had just been washed by the rain became muddy again.

Leopold I, who was in the center of the battlefield, felt that the battle was scorching, and they should be able to hold on.

However, in the distance, Oudino saw it clearly, and the old marshal's youthful wounds had tormented him, and even on Mayday he had to be wrapped in a thick leather jacket and have a red-hot charcoal stove by his side.

"The Belgians won't last long."

"Yes, Your Excellency Marshal, the front is advancing very well." The adjutant on the side hurriedly responded.

From a macro point of view, the French have completely grasped the initiative on the battlefield, and all fronts are steadily advancing, and the Belgian defense line will become thinner and thinner until the moment of rupture.

At that time, the whole front will be like a flood bursting its banks, and at that time, no matter who the opposing coach is, it will be impossible to salvage the defeat

But the adjutant still looked sad, because if the battle continued like this, although the battle was won, the losses on both sides were about the same.

It was the French soldiers who died, but it was a group of Belgian mobs who were killed, and he felt that it was a little unworthy, and such a large casualty ratio not only did not get much merit, but also could affect his career.

"Your Excellency Marshal, should we send cavalry to cut off their rear routes?"

Oudino glanced at the adjutant Bellevue had sent to him with the eyes of a fool, and he pointed to the battlefield.

"See what's that?"

The adjutant looked in the direction Oudino was pointing, but he didn't see any difference, it was just a part of the battlefield, so it was a little unclear.

"It's a battlefield, Marshal."

"Idiot! I know it's a battlefield! I ask you what it is! ”

Oudinot's sudden roar overwhelmed the adjutant, who took it for granted that the two factions were at odds.

He belongs to the camp of the National newspaper, and Oudino has always been closely connected with the reformers, so it is very likely that this is a disadvantage from the other party.

"Can't be cowardly!" He thought of it, and then he said, "That's the battlefield!" ”

Oudino obviously didn't expect the other party to be like this, and couldn't help but be even more angry.

"It's a muddy field! Idiot! ”

"You have no right to insult my personality!"

The adjutant shouted-for-tat.

This time, Oudino was a little at a loss, he really couldn't think of such a stupid person, how could such a person get mixed up with the Central Committee as a staff officer.

"No wonder Jean Durde and Grouchy were so badly defeated. If you use this kind of person as a staff officer, you will not be angry to death, but you will also be stupidly killed. ”

Oudino thought about it, and he couldn't help but worry about the future of France.

But fortunately, the battle was won, and the Belgian defense finally couldn't hold it.

Leopold I wanted to lead his troops to plug the gap like his legendary predecessors, but the reality was that his battle line was too long, and his troops would only cause more gaps once they began to move.

"Your Majesty! What are we going to do? ”

Charles Rozhye asked, the prime minister, who is a civilian, but also has a brave heart.

"What should I do?"

Leopold I smiled bitterly, he didn't want to be the caged bird anymore, and the French Provisional Government at this time didn't seem to want to give him that opportunity.

"Behind us is Brussels! I won't surrender! I will never allow the French to trample on our land again! ”

"Fight with them!"

Charles Rozhye is also a morale-boosting player.

"Long live Belgium! As long as we have one person alive! They don't want to occupy our homeland! ”

"Fight with them! Long live Belgium! ”

The sound soon spread across the battlefield, and Belgium pushed the battle line back.

"Send cavalry to attack!"

The adjutant suggested again.

Oudino didn't pay attention to the noisy adjutant, but admired the opponent in front of him, who had been cornered before, but he could still push it back, but the difference in strength between the two sides was still very large, and it was only a matter of time before he was destroyed.

"Let the reserves press. The battle will end before noon, tell the soldiers! After the war, I'll give them canned food! ”

After Oudino was put in the reserves, Leopold I quickly felt the pressure, and he knew that the battle could not be won.

Leopold I was a mortal man after all, and he did not have the courage to let tens of thousands of people die with him.

"Soldiers! We've done our best."

Just as Leopold I was about to persuade his soldiers to lay down their arms, someone excitedly shouted: "Reinforcements! Reinforcements are coming! ”