"The enemy is retreating!"
"Charge, take the fortress!"
"Follow me, there's a gap on the west side!"
The rapid sound of military drums echoed in all directions, as several squads of French infantry successively passed by Lieutenant Gerard, surging towards the fortress ahead in waves.
The rifle squad he commanded had already silenced the Austrian cannon on the forward flank, and since riflemen were not involved in the task of capturing the fortress, they seemed somewhat idle at the moment.
He was about to order a return to the camp when he suddenly saw several companies quickly heading north, even though the fortress was to their east.
Gerard had excellent eyesight—a basic requirement for a rifleman—and at a glance recognized the flag at the front of those formations.
"The Ninth Infantry Battalion?"
He quickly ran a short distance towards the skirmishers and soon found a familiar face in the middle of the formation, waving his hand: "Felix, what mission are you on?"