The first to launch an attack were the Austrian infantry. They marched in neat formation, following the rhythmic beats of their drums, steadily advancing towards the French positions.
The French cannons began to fire. Shells rained down on the Austrian lines, creating small gaps in their formation. However, the Austrian soldiers quickly filled the gaps, and the line was restored in the blink of an eye. The artillery barrage seemed like tossing a few pebbles into a pond, creating ripples but not significantly altering the landscape.
"General, it seems the enemy doesn't have many cannons," a young officer in his twenties remarked to the Duke of Brunswick, lowering his spyglass.
"Ah, Karl, you've noticed that too," the Duke of Brunswick nodded. "In theory, the French should not lack cannons, but their army is plagued by desertions, and the technical branches are no different. They might not lack cannons but well-trained gunners."
By this time, the Austrian infantry was closing in on the French trenches. The French, in response, started firing haphazardly. Their shooting was uncoordinated and inefficient.
"Their range is too far, and they can't maintain a proper volley. It's clear they lack training," the Duke of Brunswick commented. "The French army, loyal to the monarchy, is reluctant to engage with us. They rely on these mobs, and while these commoners may have courage, war requires more than just bravery. Well-trained gentlemen can easily defeat these disorganized masses, even in greater numbers. Your country's army might achieve a good result with this attack."
The French gunfire wasn't enough to halt the Austrian advance. In fact, their ineffectual counter-fire only emboldened the Austrian troops. Eager to get closer to the French and fire before them, they quickened their march, following the rhythm of the drums.
"Perhaps we'll get there before the French can fire another round," the young Karl muttered as he strained to see ahead from his horse.
However, at that moment, he saw a sudden flash on the French lines, like stars had descended to the ground. Then, he witnessed numerous large gaps appearing in the advancing Austrian formations. This was no longer a matter of tossing pebbles into a pond; it was like a group of shooting stars falling into the water.
"What's happening? What's going on?" Karl was taken aback, struggling to comprehend the situation.
The Duke of Brunswick quickly raised his spyglass and looked in the direction of the recent flash.
The places that had just flashed were now veiled in thick smoke. Judging from the shape of the smoke, the seasoned Duke of Brunswick could tell that it was canister shot being fired from cannons. From the location of the smoke to the Austrian lines, the distance was no more than sixty or seventy meters. The French had concealed these cannons so well that the Austrians hadn't noticed them until they fired.
Napoleon watched the Austrian forces, thrown into chaos by the simultaneous volley of his dozens of cannons, with excitement. Then, he muttered to himself:
"Amazing! This is truly... magnificent! War, how beautiful you are! Compared to you, all other human arts seem pale. Minerva, you are the most beautiful goddess! I can't understand why anyone would refuse to award you the golden apple!"
At this moment, Napoleon indulged his inner romantic in the midst of the battle, as at least for the time being, his artillery's mission was accomplished.
Napoleon's cannons were not placed directly on the ground. They had dug deep trenches where the cannons were concealed. All the components were hidden underground. From the front, nothing was visible. In front of the cannons, there was a sloping earth mound. When the enemy approached, gunners pushed the cannons, loaded with shells, up the slope. This revealed the cannon barrels, allowing them to fire at the enemy. After firing, the cannons would recoil and disappear from view due to the recoil. In fact, if needed, they could keep firing in this manner.
In this battle, Napoleon's cannons only needed to fire one synchronized volley. This was also a signal. After this volley, the French volunteers in blue uniforms would charge, bayonets fixed, and launch a full-scale counterattack against the enemy. They took advantage of the enemy's disarray, aiming to crush them completely.
The fog of war created by the synchronized volley of cannons had yet to clear when a tide of blue surged forth from the French trenches. Chaotic and relentless, it charged headlong toward the Austrians.
The French volunteers lacked training, and in a disciplined firefight, they might not have been a match for the Austrians. However, seizing the opportunity while the Austrian lines were in disarray, they surged forward. In the heat of the moment, tactics and formations no longer mattered; courage and numbers ruled the battlefield. The volunteers, with numerical and courageous superiority, almost instantly overwhelmed the Austrians. Those Austrians who were slower were skewered with bayonets, while those more agile dropped their weapons and fled. The French pursued them relentlessly, only stopping when Prussian cavalry arrived to rescue the Austrians.
The Prussian cavalry, after their previous skirmishes with the French irregulars, were hesitant to pursue the French any further. When they saw the French give up the chase, they quickly retreated.
This attack left the coalition forces in a dire situation. Their attack had faltered, and the Austrians, in particular, had suffered heavy losses. In just this round of fighting, they left over six hundred corpses on the battlefield. Their morale was shattered, and for the entire day, they were unable to launch any more attacks.
The Duke of Brunswick now found himself in a dilemma. His army was no longer capable of driving the French away through an offensive action. The Austrians were demoralized, and the Prussians were not much better. Although the Prussians had not suffered significant losses in this battle, they had witnessed the Austrian defeat in front of the French lines. They knew they might not fare any better. So, they were also hesitant to engage in battle.
In addition to the difficult marches and supply issues they had faced, the soldiers were hungry and fatigued. Their morale had held up due to consistent victories and minimal losses in previous engagements, as well as the anticipation of plundering the reputedly rich city of Paris after capturing it.
However, now that they had suffered heavy losses and couldn't defeat the French in front of them, the prospect of entering Paris seemed uncertain. In this situation, their army was barely holding together. The Duke of Brunswick even wondered if forcing his soldiers to continue the offensive might lead to a mutiny.
On the other hand, he couldn't afford to continue facing the French in a standoff. His supply lines had always been a major issue. Adverse weather conditions, mud, and constant harassment from French irregulars had made logistical support increasingly difficult.
Rationally, the best option for the coalition forces was to retreat. However, retreating in the face of the enemy was a more challenging and dangerous endeavor in warfare than launching an attack. A poorly executed retreat could turn into a rout, and then it could lead to complete disaster. Recent history offered examples, such as the French defeat in Belgium not long ago or the Battle of Fei River in ancient China.
So, the Duke of Brunswick was also hesitant to order a retreat. The Prussian-Austrian coalition found itself in an extremely perilous situation, even teetering on the brink of destruction.
But on the other side, General Dumouriez, who had just won a defensive victory, faced his own dilemmas. The victory in a defensive battle had ignited the people of Paris. They were eager to see the invading army driven out of France. They sent continuous requests for immediate action, as if a mere command from Dumouriez could eliminate the German invaders entirely.
"Unbelievable! Do these Parisians have any sense at all?" Dumouriez couldn't help but complain to Joseph. "I have troops who can't even march in formation, and they expect me to launch an attack against a similarly sized enemy force! It's nothing short of a suicide mission!"
"Paris has shown restraint so far," Joseph replied. "They've sent requests and suggestions, not orders. That's already quite remarkable."
"I know," Dumouriez said, "Some of them just want to see me make a fool of myself. They're worried... If it weren't for Carnot restraining them, who knows what foolish things they might do! Well, Joseph, do you have any suggestions for the current situation?"
Joseph did have a solution, but he chose not to reveal it to Dumouriez. He knew that, for political reasons, Paris needed to see the invaders expelled from France, and the Prussian-Austrian coalition was actually quite willing to retreat. There was room for negotiation. However, this was politically incorrect, so why should Joseph tell Dumouriez?
"General, in this situation, there's not much I can do. We're facing not just the enemy, but also our own government and parliament— they're much more challenging to deal with than the Austrians and Prussians," Joseph replied.
"You're right, Joseph," Dumouriez furrowed his brow. "But I must come up with a solution."