McMahon's retreat order brought unprecedented chaos. The 40,000-strong army was bitten by the tail by the Prussians, and retreated south with almost blood and dead bodies.
The French marshal who misjudged the situation did not even know that Prince Carl did not actually have that many soldiers behind him. Many of his troops were still marching on the railway in the rear area at this moment.
It was obviously a one-to-one force, but in the end it turned into a hunt for a hare. The French army, who was in constant panic, really thought that there was a hundred thousand troops hanging behind them.
McMahon sent the rearguard almost one regiment after another. His heart was bleeding. He knew that the only ones who could complete the rearguard mission at this time were the veterans of the empire.
This is the vitality of France. If you light up one of them, you will lose one! However, this kind of fatal task can only be done by veterans. Only they still have the honor of being a soldier at this moment, and only they can have the character that a French soldier should have.
It has to be said that the French soldiers are extremely brave, and all the French soldiers who received orders from the rear of the palace completed their missions loyally.
They set up defenses at mountain passes, bridges, and rivers one by one. Facing the overwhelming Prussian pursuers, they fought extremely bravely.
After running out of bullets, they used their bayonets to fight. Many gray-haired veterans and passionate young people shouted the slogan "Long Live the Empire" and launched a desperate charge.
Life has become the cheapest thing, and no matter how noble a spirit is, it will be tortured into powder by the millstone of war!
The blood of the patriotic warriors was replaced by time for the army to retreat. Perhaps the delay brought by one life was only one second, but it was only with the declarations of countless warriors that McMahon's army safely retreated to the mountains leading to Japan. .
Wissembourg was lost, Lotayburg was also lost, and finally Haguenault, which was closest to Strasbourg, was captured by the Prussian army. The French people in the border areas had previously supported the French army with joyful faces. As for the border, it has only been a few days, but they have received news of a tragic defeat.
All villages and towns closed their doors, and people even nailed the doors and windows with wooden bars from inside their houses. They looked at the tiger and wolf Prussian soldiers coming from the north through the gaps in the windows, and they were all trembling with fear.
"Oh God! How could this happen? How could this happen? How could our army be defeated? This is impossible..."
Nothing is impossible in this world, especially war!
McMahon's cross-border attack was actually the limit of the French offensive in the entire Franco-Prussian War. Since this defeat, the French army has never been able to cross the border again.
News of the defeat spread quickly in northeastern France like a virus, and soon reached Frossard, who was attacking Saarbrücken.
With a bang, the water glass in Frossard's hand hit the table, and the coffee made a mess on the military map!
"What did you say? Say it again? Führer McMahon failed? Was the whole front in retreat?"
The cavalryman gasped and gasped, "Yes...yes...it went very well when our unit first crossed the border..."
"Division Commander Douai successfully captured Wissembourg, but unexpectedly he was attacked several times by Prussian troops that night. During the chaotic battle, Commander Douai was shot and killed..."
"Then the Prussians began to encircle the city of Walter. The enemy's strength was close to 100,000. Marshal McMahon had no choice but to order a retreat. At this time, the Chinese army should have retreated to the Vosges Mountains!"
"It's broken! We have fallen into a trap..." Frossard shouted, "Retreat quickly and abandon Saarbrücken!"
It has been three days since the Second Army attacked Saarbrücken. During these three days, the two sides fought extremely fiercely, with several hand-to-hand combats, but Saarbrücken did not fall in the end.
Although everything outside the city has been controlled by the French, and Frossard also sent a telegram to the French Emperor saying that he had completed his mission, everyone can see clearly that the Prussian military flag is still flying in this small town.
There were already corpses all over the city and outside the city. In three days, both sides left more than 7,000 corpses here. The brutality frightened countless French veterans.
The more Frossard fought, the more he felt there was something wrong here. An ominous premonition lingered in his mind. Only after he got the latest battle report did he realize that he had been fooled.
"Damn, damn, damn!" He beat his head desperately, "Why should I waste time in this city? I should go all the way east to support Marshal McMahon!"
"The enemy's main attack direction is on the Eastern Front! On the Eastern Front! Why am I so stupid..."
"Now the Eastern Front has completely collapsed. The enemy's 100,000-strong army has already arrived. If it's just a few days later, my retreat will be outflanked!"
"Retreat, the entire army retreats!"
Without McMahon's support, the Second Army became the most prominent part of the entire offensive front. If it did not retreat at this time, it would easily be flanked by the Prussian armies in the north and east.
With only one army, how could he fight against the Prussian army of more than 100,000 people? If you don't run at this time, you'd be a fool!
Frossard quickly ordered Saarbrücken to be abandoned, and the fighting on the front line was still continuing when he gave the order!
On the city wall covered with corpses, the Prussian soldiers who were shooting were suddenly surprised to find that the Frenchmen who had been fighting and shouting just now suddenly retreated collectively.
Immediately afterwards, the French camp at the end of the sight began to be crowded with thousands of people. Countless military supplies began to be loaded onto trucks and bundled onto the pontoon bridge for transportation southward. All the cavalry in the entire camp set out to show off their power around Saarbrücken.
"The French are getting out! The French are retreating! We are holding on!"
"God bless Prussia! We are victorious in the end!"
"Fire, fire at these covering cavalry! They don't dare to attack the city anyway, kill them..."
There was gunfire on the city wall, and people in the cavalry team kept falling off their horses. The cavalrymen hit by this round of attack did not dare to get any closer, and could only watch Saarbrücken from a distance. I'm afraid that these Prussian troops will take advantage of the situation to pursue us!
"The opportunity to counterattack has arrived! The First Corps begins to attack! Use the French Second Corps as a breakthrough point and bite them!"
The news of the great victory on the Eastern Front also reached Steinmetz and Xiao Letian at this moment. As soon as the old marshal heard the good news, he immediately announced a counterattack across the entire front without waiting for the order from the General Staff!
"The Second Army will not escape very far. He just doesn't want his position to be too prominent. Their destination after returning to France must be the Spicillin Heights!"
"He has to defend an important advance route for the Emperor of France! If the Second Army is destroyed, the Emperor's Western Front Army will also be finished!"
