Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Mustafa sighed inwardly: The training level of the Topizis New Army indeed far surpasses the “Left-Handed” Army, to say nothing of the Yeniceri Guard. [Note 1]

As an Aga of the Yeniceri, a high-ranking officer, he was quite wary of the Topizis—should they grow in strength, they would inevitably weaken the position of the Yeniceri—yet these new troops were undeniably effective in battle.

He couldn’t help but turn his gaze southward, regretting not having spent his own money to keep Captain Raymond and his men—since the fifth and sixth battalions of the new army had yet to complete their training, their combat strength was evidently much lower.

Raymond and others were instructors sent by the Tunis Royal Army Officer Academy to train the Topizis New Army for Selim III. They had used the more than two months of marching to intensively train two battalions of soldiers.

Of course, one couldn’t expect too much from the training effect achieved in such a short time.

According to the General Staff’s orders, Raymond and the others returned to Tunisia after the Turkish Army entered Tarnovo.

Yes, refraining from intervening in the war between the Turks and Austria was France’s established strategy.

So no matter how much gold coin Mustafa offered, it was impossible to retain the French instructors.

Just as Mustafa and several Chura, that is, legion commanders, were discussing where to engage the Austrian Army in a decisive battle after reaching Bucharest, several Sekban cavalrymen hurriedly arrived with the attendant, saluted him, and said, “Pasha, the Bulgarian Legion has found enemy forces on the west side.”

Mustafa waved indifferently, “That must be Austrian reconnaissance cavalry. Get Mikhailov to drive them away, don’t let them affect the march.”

“Yes, esteemed Pasha!”

However, not twenty minutes after the cavalry left, two Bulgarian officers galloped over in a hurry.

Mustafa frowned, about to say, “Stop repeatedly reporting such minor issues,” when he heard the newcomers exclaim anxiously, “Pasha, we are under attack!”

Mustafa was startled, quickly inquiring in detail, only to learn that five or six thousand Austrian troops had attacked the Bulgarian Legion on the outskirts and had routed over ten thousand Bulgarians in less than half an hour.

Though shocked by how the Austrians suddenly appeared in Tarnovo, he quickly calmed down. After all, placing these Bulgarians on the periphery was meant to serve as an “alarm bell.”

It’s just they succumbed too quickly…

Mustafa immediately ordered the entire army to stop advancing and deployed 15,000 Yeniceri Guards to reinforce the left flank, while dispatching large numbers of Sekban cavalry for reconnaissance.

Around two in the afternoon, when the Yeniceri Guards’ Chura from the west sent a report saying they had repelled the Austrians.

Mustafa was overjoyed and immediately dispatched six battalions of the Topizis New Army to pursue the enemy forces.

To prevent confusion in formation, he also ordered the central forces to shift westward simultaneously.

However, just as his central main force had moved less than 5 kilometers, the north suddenly erupted with intense cannon fire.

The cannonballs were striking with pinpoint accuracy, and after three or four volleys, over a hundred Turkish soldiers were torn to pieces by the shells.

Obviously, the cannons had been pre-positioned, and the trajectories had been carefully calculated in advance.

The two nearest Yeniceri Guard regiments instantly crumbled and flooded toward Mustafa’s position.

Without hesitation, Mustafa ordered the fleeing soldiers to be shot, but just behind these Turkish soldiers, two lines of Austrian infantry followed closely.

The fleeing soldiers in front absorbed most of the bullets, and the Turkish cannons, slow to maneuver, were still a kilometer to the east.

Mustafa watched helplessly as the Austrians rapidly closed in on his main forces and then fired a volley, causing the Yeniceri troops to collapse. The Austrian Army continued to advance, and the Turkish forces continued to collapse…

These Austrian soldiers, previously chased around like sheep by Napoleon, had now transformed into ravenous wolves when facing the Turkish Army, swiftly reaping Ottoman lives with their flintlock guns.

Mustafa bitterly regretted that if he hadn’t just dispatched the Topizis New Army, they perhaps could have staved off the Austrian offensive, buying time to set up defenses for himself.

He gritted his teeth and shouted to the officer beside him, “Have Halil attack the enemy’s left flank. Tell him, even if he dies, he must hold them off!”

Halil’s command was the “Left-Handed” Army, 1,300 strong, all directly transferred from Topkapi Palace to Wallachia.

These soldiers all had connections in the court; unless absolutely necessary, Mustafa was loath to send them to battle.

Twenty minutes later, a group of tall Turkish soldiers dressed in blue robes, wearing golden conical hats, charged toward the Austrian left flank, shouting battle cries.

These were none other than the Sultan’s “Left-Handed” Guard.

The soldiers in the first row brandished oval shields and scimitars, while those in the next two rows used flintlock guns, stopping every ten steps to fire under the officers’ orders.

However, those shields served only as a psychological comfort, as flintlock guns could easily pierce them within seventy paces.

In the rear of the Austrian Army, Archduke Karl, observing the “pointed hat” Turkish soldiers through his binoculars, smirked and shook his head.

Facing such a medieval-style charge, he couldn’t even be bothered to instruct his officers on how to respond.

He glanced at his pocket watch and turned to the Order Officer, saying, “Miller, let Colonel Haenmayer initiate the attack.

“Oh, and allocate the Erdenburg Grenadier Battalion to support the cavalry. The enemy’s front defenses are too weak to warrant their involvement.”

“Yes, Marshal!”

Immediately, the 15 Austrian hussar squadrons, which had been waiting behind the western hills, filed out one by one, maneuvering to the weakest point on the Turkish west side—troops that Mustafa had previously redirected to reinforce the defeated Bulgarians.

Yes, the western assault was merely a distraction fabricated by Carl Ludwig to draw the enemy’s attention. His cavalry forces had already arrived here yesterday afternoon, just waiting for this moment.

Of the four corps on the left side of the Ottoman central army, two were still using bows and arrows—had Joseph not provided them with 25,000 flintlock guns, most would have been equipped with spears and bows.

Under the assault of the Austrian cavalry, a javelin-archer battalion was the first to retreat, creating a gigantic breach in the defensive line.

Haenmayer commanded his cavalry to make a loop, readying to charge into the breach when suddenly he noticed the soldiers around him turning to look behind.

He frowned and turned around, only to see, not far off on the grassland, a force clad in white uniforms, forming a standard infantry line quickly advancing toward them.

[Note 1] The so-called “Left-Handed” Army is actually the “Solak,” the Sultan’s personal guard, considered the elite of the traditional Austrian army. This corps uniformly held shields in the right hand to protect the Sultan, using their left hand to wield weapons, hence the name Left-Handed Army.

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