The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 199

Chapter 199: Napoleon’s Forage Officers

In truth, André Davout had greatly underestimated the “recklessness” of these young men.

Among the 30 large wagons brought by the 1,200 police cadets, 22 were dedicated to artillery, including transporting cannons and ammunition.

As for logistical supplies, they saved wherever possible!
Each soldier carried in their backpack 11 pounds of hard bread, 3.5 pounds of dried meat, 4 pounds of oats for the horses, and two bags of wine. That was their entire ration.

Meanwhile, on the side of the Moulins Corps, preparations for transitioning from camp to marching formation were not completed until almost noon, at which point the army began moving slowly.

This was already the result of André’s foresight, having ordered his officers to leave behind cumbersome luggage like wardrobes and dining tables after hearing his brother’s “intelligence” the previous day.

For an old-fashioned army, this speed could already be considered remarkably fast.

However, everything paled in comparison.

By this time, the cadet corps had already marched nearly 10 kilometers.

At 6 p.m., the Moulins Corps set up camp and began preparing dinner.

An hour later, the cadets, having reached a creek 16 kilometers ahead, stopped to set up guards. They lit bonfires and warmed the dry rations they carried.

At 8:15 p.m., the cadets laid their blankets on the grass, surrounded by the glow of the bonfires and under the starlit sky, and drifted into a deep sleep.

At dawn the next day, they ate a simple breakfast and practically started marching again as soon as they stood up.

In contrast, the Moulins Corps was still scrambling to dismantle tents and load carts. Occasionally, officers muttered complaints about poor sleep due to the lack of mattresses.

André had long since lost sight of the cadets, but from the tracks on the ground, it was clear they had passed through long ago.

By around 3 p.m., two scouts, their eyes ringed with exhaustion, galloped back to the Moulins Corps. André, too curious about how the cadets managed their supply lines, had sent men to track them overnight.

“So they carried over 15 pounds of food per person?” André looked at the scouts in astonishment. “Adding weapons, ammunition, and bedding, doesn’t that come to nearly 35 pounds of weight?”

“That seems to be the case, sir.”

“They’re monsters…” André clicked his tongue. Carrying so much and still moving that fast?
He immediately thought of another question. “Wait, even if the soldiers carried dry rations, what about their horses? What are they feeding them?”

Ordinarily, people assumed that military rations primarily consisted of food for soldiers. However, the bulk of logistical supplies was actually fodder for horses.

Warhorses consumed enormous amounts of energy in battle, and it was impossible to feed them like farmhorses, letting them graze for hours on low-nutrition grass. The army simply couldn’t afford such delays.

Moreover, ensuring there was grass available along the route was difficult.

Thus, warhorses primarily relied on transported hay and concentrated feed like oats. The amount consumed far exceeded the food needed by humans.

While soldiers could barely sustain themselves by carrying a dozen pounds of rations, no horse could haul hundreds of pounds of fodder for itself.

The two scouts exchanged glances before answering, “Sir, they brought some concentrated feed, but mostly they’ve been feeding their horses from nearby farms.”

“They even sourced half their firewood from farmers and replenished their wine stocks.”

André’s eyes widened. “That’s cheating!”

He immediately summoned his messenger, ordering him to catch up with the cadets and lodge his strongest protest on André’s behalf.

The next day, the messenger returned, bringing with him one of the cadet instructors.

The instructor was extremely polite upon meeting André. “Respected Lieutenant Colonel, we have adhered strictly to standard supply regulations. It is by no means cheating.”

André nearly laughed in anger. “You mean to say plundering farmers is standard supply practice?”

“No, I believe you misunderstand,” the instructor hastily replied. “Our forage officers paid for everything, often slightly above market price.”

What he didn’t mention was that, given the current grain shortages, supply regulations allowed soldiers to requisition rations locally.

André waved dismissively. “That’s still cheating! If this were wartime, would your forces forgo supply wagons entirely and rely solely on buying from farmers?”

The instructor nodded earnestly. “Precisely so. Additionally, we sometimes hunt game as a supplementary food source…”

“Ridiculous! How can such a supply method be reliable? What if there are no farmers nearby?”

“With all due respect, sir, I don’t believe such a situation exists. Across Europe, where would one find a region devoid of villages to requisition supplies from? Besides, our soldiers carry emergency rations.”

“Ah…” André was momentarily stunned.

Indeed, even in the impoverished regions of Switzerland or southern Hungary, finding villages capable of sustaining an army of tens of thousands wouldn’t be too difficult.

Wouldn’t this method then eliminate the need for cumbersome and vulnerable supply wagons, enabling the army to become lighter and more agile? No wonder the cadets’ mobilization and march speeds were so astonishing!

In fact, this was the “local requisition” logistics model Joseph had borrowed from Napoleon.

Napoleon’s ability to dominate Europe owed half of its success to this unique logistical system.

It was widely acknowledged that one of the most critical factors determining the outcome of war—especially between great powers—was logistics. Some even claimed that war itself was fundamentally a test of logistics.

Napoleon’s innovative rejection of the European aristocratic armies’ tradition of large baggage trains, forbidding officers from carrying heavy luxury items, and even abandoning tents—which were time-consuming to use and cumbersome to transport—transformed the supply chain. Food and shelter came from local villages, and in cases of severe rain or snow, soldiers could use village houses for shelter.

Compensation for requisitioned supplies was paid to farmers, often costing less than long-distance transportation. Farmers were better compensated, too.

In foreign wars, this system further reduced military costs.

Of course, this system sounded simple but required a comprehensive and scientific operational framework for implementation.

For example, forage officers needed significant expertise to locate supplies and negotiate with farmers.
Messengers had to notify villages along the army’s path to prepare supplies in advance, necessitating precise calculations of resource consumption.
Once supplies were collected, they had to be quickly distributed to companies.

Moreover, villages that had their resources requisitioned needed administrative coordination to prevent food shortages among the farmers themselves.

Joseph had only learned the basic principles of this system from documentaries in his past life. Developing detailed supply regulations required officers to refine them through practice.

However, this logistics model also had its limitations. Napoleon’s overreliance on local requisitions led to a catastrophic failure in the barren and hostile Russian campaign. As a successor, Joseph was determined to avoid such pitfalls.

André had no choice but to bid the cadet instructor farewell and convene his officers to consider adopting this local requisition model for their own forces.

This was one of Joseph’s goals in sending the Moulins Corps to train with the cadets. Trusting them as a military force, he hoped André could learn advanced concepts from the cadets to improve his troops’ combat effectiveness.

Five days after leaving Toussy, the cadet corps successfully reached Paris, seizing the high ground designated for the exercise and conducting a detailed terrain survey of the area.

It took André another four full days to arrive, panting, only to find a defensive position already fortified to the point of impregnability by the “enemy.”

However, as a seasoned battlefield veteran, André remained composed despite the unfavorable situation. He convened his officers, devised tactics, and began deploying against the enemy.

...

At dawn the next day, the Moulins Corps assembled in front of the cadets’ fortified position, forming a three-layered infantry line.

From afar, Berthier put down his telescope and sighed with some regret to Dubois beside him. “The cadets missed the best opportunity for an attack.”

Dubois nodded. “Indeed. Yesterday afternoon, after the Moulins Corps had just completed their forced march, they were at their most fatigued. A decisive attack at that moment could have secured victory.”

Berthier shook his head. “These young men are full of enthusiasm but still lack real battlefield experience. They couldn’t bring themselves to abandon the advantage of their captured position.”

Soon, André ordered a frontal assault by his infantry. Meanwhile, three six-pounder cannons from the Moulins Corps began roaring from a slightly elevated hill on the western flank, covering the infantry charge.

The cadets, however, were well-prepared. Their artillery immediately retaliated. Occupying higher ground with an eight-pounder among their ranks, the cadets’ cannons had greater range and quickly suppressed the Moulins artillery.

The gap between the opposing infantries narrowed to within 100 paces. The cadets, holding the high ground and equipped with superior fire cap guns, opened the first volley without hesitation.

Both sides were using wooden training bullets that shattered upon firing, causing no injuries but creating deafening reports and thick plumes of smoke, enough to make the adrenaline surge as if in a real battle.

After advancing a bit further, the Moulins infantry began returning fire. The intensity of the gunfire increased as more soldiers were “killed” and removed from the battlefield.

To André’s astonishment, the cadets displayed shooting skills that matched, if not surpassed, his veteran troops. The faster firing rate afforded by their fire cap guns consistently outpaced his own forces.

As the Moulins Corps’ casualties mounted, the frontline officers could no longer hold their position and ordered a retreat.

Immediately, the cadets raised a blue flag emblazoned with the Crown Prince’s insignia over their position. Drummers and standard-bearers stepped forward, and the urgent beat of an attack drum filled the air.

The cadet infantry advanced without hesitation.

The retreat of the Moulins infantry turned into a rout. Before long, their second line of infantry was exposed.

The cadets swiftly changed formation: the first infantry line transformed into a column, while the second line resumed the role of firing volleys.

Several columns of cadets charged to within 20 paces of the Moulins Corps’ second line. At this point, the line broke, and the retreat descended into chaos.

Sensing the collapse, the cadets’ drumbeats quickened. Their second line roared with battle cries, lowered their bayonets, and charged.

The Moulins Corps’ final infantry line had already begun retreating. By now, they had withdrawn to the flat terrain at the foot of the hill. Within ten minutes, no fewer than seven companies of cadets had reached them.

Curiously, the Moulins troops did not seem panicked. Instead, they were guided by their officers to disperse left and right. Their final line unleashed a fierce volley in response.

Simultaneously, three cannons appeared on the flank of the Moulins troops and began firing upon the advancing cadets.

It became evident that the Moulins artillery had feigned retreat earlier and had secretly repositioned.

André’s lips curled into a smile. He glanced at his messenger and gave a subtle nod.

The messenger dashed to the standard-bearer and loudly relayed the order.

Minutes later, a squadron of Moulins cavalry emerged from behind a hill on the eastern flank, charging directly into the rear of the overextended cadet infantry.

At the same time, the previously scattered Moulins infantry reorganized and closed in on both flanks, threatening to envelop the cadets.

Only then did the cadet instructors realize they had been lured into a trap. They promptly committed their reserves and cavalry, aiming to extricate their infantry through close combat.

Once a melee began, it would be nearly impossible for the exercise judges to accurately assess casualties.

Concerned about potential accidents during hand-to-hand combat, Berthier called an end to the clash half an hour later.

At this point, the Moulins Corps had “lost” over 200 soldiers. Despite falling into a trap, the cadets had previously dominated the exchange of gunfire and, combined with their bravery in close combat, suffered slightly fewer “casualties.”

...

The following day, after a period of rest, Berthier’s main forces joined the exercise. The combined training of the three armies continued with intensity, scheduled to last until the end of the month.

...

In the office of the Royal Industrial Planning Bureau, Joseph reviewed the battle report submitted by Berthier and the others. He smiled and nodded. “The military quality of these cadets is commendable, but they still need more combat experience.”

He turned to Froyent and added, “For those cadets who performed exceptionally well in the exercise, allow them to graduate early and join Berthier’s corps as junior officers.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Both I and Lieutenant Colonel Berthier agree that some of them are as capable as noble officers.”

As they spoke, Éymond knocked and entered, bowing to Joseph. “Your Highness, a message has just arrived from Marseille. The King of Spain has sent three ships of grain for you. They docked at the port 10 days ago.”

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