Austrian Silesian Army Command.

Berthier lifted his eyes from the map, looking somewhat uneasy as he turned to Lefebvre. "Do you think General Reo has any chance of actually defeating the Prussians at Ratibor? He does have a significant numerical advantage."

Lefebvre chuckled. "If it were any other officer in command, even just an ordinary colonel, we might really need to worry about that. But with Reo in charge, trust me, his specialty is putting troops in the wrong place.

"And as for his ability to train soldiers…well, let's just say it's quite... average. His corps has less than 2,000 soldiers left by General Wilhelm who are actually battle-ready; the rest can barely manage a volley."

"Now I'm a bit worried he might actually be defeated by the Prussians…" Joseph added, "General Reo does have the numbers on his side; he should be able to hold out for at least five or six days. I've already sent Major Masson to assist him near Ratibor."

He glanced toward the distant Prussian positions. "Now it's just a matter of when Duke Brunswick decides to make his move."

As they spoke, the sound of hooves approached the tent, and soon a courier hurried inside, saluting Prince Joseph by raising his hat.

"Your Highness, General Reo's attack on Ratibor has failed, and he is now surrounded by Prussian forces."

The courier had been sent by Masson, who had stationed hussars to keep an eye on the situation at Ratibor.

The courier continued, "According to scouts, General Reo failed to notice the Prussian flanking maneuver and insisted on attacking the front with his main forces. As a result, the Prussians flanked him from the sides and rear. When he tried to pull back his forces, the Prussians launched a counterattack, encircling his troops."

Joseph gave Lefebvre an approving look and smiled. "You were right, as usual. He really does excel at making poor tactical decisions."

Lefebvre sighed, "To have 12,000 men surrounded by just 7,000 Prussians… he's really outdone himself this time."

Berthier turned to Joseph. "Your Highness, should we order Major Masson to reinforce them immediately?"

Joseph shook his head. "We need to have faith in General Reo. His corps is one of the best-equipped in the Austrian army. Even if they're surrounded, they should be able to hold out for a few days.

"Now, I want you to inform Marshal Lacy and Duke Brunswick of Reo's situation."

Joseph then addressed another officer nearby. "Please have someone notify the agents in Potsdam that they can proceed."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The officer, who was the liaison from the intelligence agency, left with Berthier to carry out the orders.

East of Liegnitz.

In the Prussian command post, Duke Brunswick stared at the map in surprise, shaking his head. "What are these damned Austrians thinking? Attacking Ratibor is pointless."

Just half an hour ago, he had received a report from Austria stating that General Reo's corps of 12,000 had launched a surprise attack on Ratibor. However, Colonel Erwin, who was in charge of the defense, had quickly reacted, taking advantage of the Austrians' carelessness to encircle them outside Ratibor.

Blücher, who had faced off against Reo for quite some time at Liège, wasn't about to miss this chance to pile on. He loudly suggested, "Marshal, Colonel Erwin only has 7,000 men. It might be difficult for him to eliminate the enemy. I believe we should send reinforcements immediately!"

General Dreisen, however, advised, "Ratibor has little strategic value. As long as Colonel Erwin can hold it, there's no need to push for a decisive engagement."

Duke Brunswick thought for a moment and then suddenly said, "No, we should reinforce Erwin immediately."

"But…"

"Ratibor may not be important, but Reo has significant influence in the Austrian army," Duke Brunswick said, leaning on the table with both hands as he stood up. "Capturing or killing him would deal a severe blow to Austrian morale.

"The state finances are already in dire straits. If we can end this war sooner, we should at least try."

He turned to Blücher. "Lead 10,000 men to Ratibor at once. Cut off the Austrians' retreat to Ostrava and make sure to capture or kill Reo."

Blücher was overjoyed. "Yes, Your Grace!"

Meanwhile, in Marshal Lacy's tent, a heated argument was taking place.

Naunendorf was shouting, "Send two regiments to rescue Reo's corps and bring them back. We shouldn't commit too many forces to Ratibor."

Berthier immediately shook his head. "General, you need to consider that if the Prussians also send reinforcements to Ratibor, a small rescue force won't be enough."

Wilhelm, who was on good terms with Reo, quickly supported this. "Ratibor is also our territory. We should seize the opportunity to take it back. General Reo has the numerical advantage; he just needs to break out of the encirclement. Once he's free, retaking Ratibor should be easy."

Seeing that Lacy was still hesitant, Berthier added, "Marshal, imagine the headlines in Vienna next week: 'The Spear of the Southern Netherlands Successfully Recaptures Our Lands.' It would be a tremendous morale boost."

Marshal Lacy frowned deeply at this. What Berthier's words implied was clear: if "The Spear of the Southern Netherlands" were captured at Ratibor, it would be a nightmare for Austria.

And if this highly respected general met with disaster, His Majesty the Emperor would undoubtedly hold him, the overall commander, accountable.

With that in mind, he no longer hesitated and turned to Wilhelm. "Lead 10,000 men to reinforce Ratibor immediately."

"Yes, Marshal!"

At the same time, in Prussia's political center, Potsdam, the streets were abuzz with excitement over the news of the army's victory at Ratibor.

Every newspaper's front page carried headlines like "Austrian Army Repelled at Ratibor by Colonel Erwin's Forces, Reo Captured" and "Great Victory at Ratibor: 12,000 Austrian Invaders Surrounded." Pamphlets even exaggerated the number of Austrian casualties to 30,000, claiming that Austria's pride—Reo—had already been captured and that the Austrian army was desperately trying to prevent him from being brought to Potsdam for a public trial.

Of course, these were all rumors spread by French intelligence agents operating in Potsdam. Stirring up such news, which Prussians would love to hear, was the easiest job for these spies.

In Sanssouci Palace, Wilhelm II was also thrilled. Although the reports were chaotic and the actual situation at Ratibor was still unclear, the fact that Reo was surrounded was a certainty.

The stalemate in Silesia had finally seen a major breakthrough.

After a brief discussion with Prince Heinrich, he quickly drafted a commendation order, promoting Erwin to Major General and heaping praise on Duke Brunswick.

Within just three or four days, the eyes of the entire German region were fixed on the seemingly insignificant province of Ratibor.

With 40,000 troops from both sides converging on the area, ready to stake everything on the fate of Reo, a fierce battle was imminent.

(Chapter ends)

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