Chapter 184 Battle of Middelburg 3

"Tell them that the battle has just begun, and there are no reserve units to support them. The French are only slightly stronger in artillery. Let them hold the position; we can definitely defeat the French," Bamor clearly didn't want to dispatch reserve units at the very beginning of the battle. Reserve units were to be kept for the critical moment.

"Hi, Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, I understand," the staff officer nodded.

"But, Your Excellency, should we order the artillery units to concentrate their fire support on the frontline troops? I'm worried that under the firepower of the French, they might collapse," the staff officer expressed concern.

"Impossible. The 2nd Brigade and the 3rd Brigade are both elite forces of the British Empire's army. They won't collapse so easily. Let them hold their ground first, dampen the French's spirits, and then launch a counterattack. We'll defeat the French assault in one fell swoop, making them pay a heavier price," Bamor said confidently.

Clearly, he had great confidence in the troops he commanded. Although the French army was formidable, the troops he led were among the finest in Britain, ranking among the top elite forces in the entire country. He refused to believe that such excellent British soldiers wouldn't be a match for the French.

"Yes, Your Excellency, I understand," the staff officer nodded before promptly leaving to issue the orders.

At the French army headquarters, Roland was receiving reports on the effectiveness of the artillery barrage along with other high-ranking French officers, including Muret and Belédie.

"Report, Commander, during the bombardment of the British positions, our artillery effectiveness didn't meet expectations due to interference from the British artillery. As a result, the artillery requests may not be able to increase the intensity of the attack, further causing greater losses to the British army," a staff officer reported to Roland.

Without hesitation, Roland nodded and said, "Then increase the intensity of the bombardment, and suppress the British artillery. Tell the artillery units that the British logistical supply has been cut off by us, and their bombardment won't last much longer. So, don't be stingy with the shells; make sure to smash the British defenses to pieces!"

"Yes, Commander," the staff officer nodded in acknowledgment.

Napoleon, being an artilleryman himself, understood the crucial role of cannons on the battlefield. This led the French army under his command to place great emphasis on firepower. Roland shared this view: any problem that could be solved with artillery would not risk the lives of soldiers. After all, the life of a seasoned soldier was far more valuable than any cannonball.

It was February, winter in the Netherlands, and though the climate was mild, the ground was still cold after heavy rains. Despite this, the French artillery positions were bustling with activity. Many gunners had even stripped off their shirts, moving ammunition bare-armed. Beads of sweat dripped profusely from their bodies, surrounded by a white haze as if they were emitting steam.

After hours of combat, all soldiers were exhausted. Transporting cannonballs over long periods was a strenuous task that tested both physical stamina and mental fortitude. Despite this, they bore no complaints and worked tirelessly. They knew that every cannonball fired onto the British positions meant fewer pressures on the infantry in the front lines.

Under the influence of French media, they also knew of the massacre inflicted by the British at Dunkirk, where countless civilians had been killed under relentless bombing. With this in mind, the artillerymen were resolute in their mission to exact revenge for the senseless deaths of Dunkirk's civilians by bombarding the British forces relentlessly.

"Boom! Boom!"

"Boom!"

Inside the British command headquarters in Middelburg, Commander Balmoral's face was grim, unable to find peace amidst the thunderous roar of artillery outside.

"Damn it, when will the French artillery cease their bombardment? How many shells have they stockpiled? Are they trying to annihilate us with this barrage?" Balmoral roared in frustration.

"Sir, the French artillery has been shelling us continuously for two hours now, and there's no sign of it stopping. It's madness," said a British staff officer beside him.

Although Britain possessed formidable national resources capable of sustaining such a massive artillery bombardment, its army had never attempted anything of this scale. It had never before encountered an adversary worthy of such relentless shelling. After all, the primary responsibility of the British army was to suppress colonial uprisings, and its most powerful adversaries were the rioters in America.

As a result, when faced with the near-hysterical artillery barrage from the French, some of the British soldiers were left disoriented.

Under the intense shelling from the French army, the British 2nd and 3rd brigades deployed on the eastern front suffered heavy casualties. The 2nd brigade alone suffered over 2,300 killed and wounded. This meant that even before the war began, one British brigade had already lost its combat effectiveness.

At 9:30 in the morning, after a long bombardment, the French artillery fire finally began to gradually subside.

However, despite the cessation of French artillery fire, the morale among the British troops did not improve. They knew that the reason for the cessation was not due to a lack of ammunition, but because the French infantry attack was about to begin. The French artillery had ceased its fire out of fear of hitting their own troops.

"Hurry, get into position, the French attack is about to begin," shouted the junior British officers on the positions, driving the British soldiers into their defenses to prepare for the French assault.

"Attack!" At this moment, the junior French officers on the French positions also issued commands. At their command, countless French soldiers stepped forward with their rifles, forming formations and slowly approaching the British positions.

"Leave the fortifications, form lines!" Upon seeing the French attack, the British officers within the positions continued to shout.

After that, the formations of the two armies slowly approached each other under the leadership of the line infantry on both sides.

"Six hundred meters!"

"Five hundred meters!"

"Four hundred meters!"

...

At the same time, observers were constantly reporting the distance between the two sides because the shooting range and accuracy of rifles were not high due to technological limitations at that time, and they could not shoot more than 100 meters.

Therefore, both commanders had to continuously measure the distance between the two sides until the right moment to open fire.

"At a distance of two hundred meters, the whole team is ready." As the distance between the two sides reached one hundred and fifty meters, the military officer immediately issued the preparation command.

Upon hearing the command, all soldiers became serious. Bullets had no eyes, and they knew that the next hundred meters would be the moment that determined their fate.

"180 meters!"

"Bang!"

"Bang bang!"

As the distance closed, the sound of rifles firing continuously echoed. However, it wasn't the French firing but the British.

They were overwhelmed by the momentum of the French, and there was a hint of panic in their formation. Several British soldiers with poor mental endurance couldn't help but start shooting directly. And these actions obviously triggered a chain reaction, causing several soldiers around them to start shooting as well.

But because the distance was too far, the effect of these soldiers' shooting was minimal, almost not hitting any French soldiers.

"Don't panic, reload!" Seeing the formation in chaos, the British officers immediately ordered anxiously.

With the British officers issuing the order, the turmoil within the British formation was immediately suppressed, and the soldiers began to reload their ammunition.

At this moment, the French soldiers took the opportunity to continue advancing towards the British formation.

"140 meters!"

"130 meters!"

"120 meters!"

"Distance is closed! Fire!" Seeing the distance closing between the two sides, the British soldiers, who had reloaded their ammunition under the command of their officers, also opened fire.

"Bang!" Almost simultaneously, the British soldiers opened fire, and instantly countless bullets flew towards the French.