Berthier took the summary report from one of the staff officers and continued, "According to the latest tally, our forces have killed over 1,200 enemies and captured nearly 3,000."

He smiled with satisfaction as he added, "Of course, our gains are likely much greater than this."

Joseph nodded in agreement. There were still many casualties and prisoners that hadn't been reported yet. Additionally, many of the Prussian soldiers who had fled were technically still free, but they could easily be added to the tally of captured soldiers—the cavalry could easily catch up to and capture them.

The Chief of Staff then added, "Your Highness, we plan to rest tonight in the town of Cöln and continue the pursuit tomorrow around noon."

However, Joseph shook his head and said, "General, we fought very well in this battle, but now I must ask you to order the corps to pull back. Tomorrow, we will head toward Ratibor."

Berthier's eyes widened in surprise. "Your Highness, this is the best time to harvest the fruits of our victory. Why should we…"

When the enemy is in retreat, it's crucial to keep up the pressure and prevent them from regrouping. Often, the results gained during the pursuit phase far exceed those achieved in the main battle.

Joseph smiled and explained, "Remember our strategic goal. Even if we completely destroy Derisson's corps, it's only 30,000 men, and you know that's nearly impossible."

In such a situation where the enemy is retreating on their own territory, they can easily receive supplies and disperse. If the pursuing force can eliminate half of them, it's considered very fortunate.

"Strategic goal?" Berthier pondered and nodded. "You mean to draw the Prussians and Austrians into action as much as possible?"

"Exactly," Joseph replied. "We need the Prussians to believe that today's battle was just a fluke and that our main objective is still to rescue General Reynaud."

"So, we need to make it seem like we're willing to abandon the fruits of our victory just to rush to Ratibor?"

"Yes," Joseph confirmed, moving to the map and pointing to the lower reaches of the Bober River. "We'll start like this, and then…"

The next day at noon, after a brief rest, the Imperial Guard Corps began to march south in a grand manner, deliberately passing through towns and villages, with military bands playing "Glory and Victory" loudly as they went.

A day and a half later, as they neared the lower Bober River, they suddenly veered sharply to the west, significantly increasing their march speed and avoiding any populated areas…

In Liegnitz, at the Prussian Silesian Army headquarters, Duke Brunswick was glaring at the officer who had come to deliver Derisson's request for reinforcements, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Fortunately, the French pursuit had been inefficient, and Derisson's losses weren't too severe—the core of his forces remained intact.

After considering his available troops, Duke Brunswick summoned an officer and instructed, "General Andreas, take your men, along with ten squadrons of cavalry, and head to Oberloan to assist Derisson."

General Andreas had over 8,000 troops, and with the cavalry, the total force approached 10,000.

Duke Brunswick still believed that Derisson's defeat was due to an ambush rather than any extraordinary strength of the French forces. Therefore, with these 10,000 men combined with Derisson's forces, they should be able to stop the 14,000 French troops without much trouble.

Once Andreas had left, Duke Brunswick hurriedly gathered his senior officers to reallocate the defenses along the Liegnitz front. He had already diverted a significant portion of his forces to Ratibor to capture General Reynaud, which left him concerned about potential vulnerabilities in the main battlefield against the Austrians.

However, just as the military meeting concluded, an intelligence officer entered the tent and handed Duke Brunswick a report. "Your Grace, a French force has been spotted heading south from Oberloan. It's likely the same unit that fought with General Derisson."

Duke Brunswick quickly scanned the report, narrowing his eyes as he did.

No wonder Derisson hadn't been pursued—turns out the French had headed south, and the only strategically valuable target in that direction was Ratibor.

He handed the report to a nearby officer. "The French are willing to abandon their pursuit of Derisson to rush toward Ratibor. This suggests that the Austrians place far more importance on Reynaud than we realized."

The officer read the report and nodded. "It seems that if Reynaud were to die or be captured, it would deal a severe blow to Austrian morale."

Someone immediately suggested, "Your Grace, should we continue sending reinforcements to Ratibor?"

But Duke Brunswick frowned at the idea.

To be honest, he was now very interested in Reynaud as well, but Prussia had fewer troops than Austria to begin with. If this was an Austrian ruse, and he committed too many forces to Ratibor, it could spell disaster if Laessig launched a full-scale assault on the main front.

Meanwhile, in the Austrian command tent, Marshal Laessig was pale as he handed a letter to a nearby officer.

The officer glanced at the letter and was shocked. "The French Prince…"

He quickly looked around the tent, as if afraid someone might overhear, and lowered his voice. "Why would he go to Oberloan?"

He then turned back to Laessig and urgently said, "Marshal, the French Prince is surrounded by Prussian forces! We must do something!"

Marshal Laessig stared at the top of the tent, his hands trembling slightly.

He had just learned from his informants in Prussia that Derisson's corps had recently fought a fierce battle with a French force near Oberloan.

Now, with this letter requesting reinforcements, it was clear that the French force must be led by none other than the French Prince.

Yes, after the battle with Derisson, Joseph had sent a message to Marshal Laessig asking for help, stating that he was surrounded by 30,000 Prussian troops and could be captured at any moment.

After a long pause, Marshal Laessig sighed deeply and said to the officer, "General Davydov, you and General Conrad must head to Oberloan immediately to rescue the French Prince…"

These two corps were among his most elite forces, totaling over 30,000 men. Sending them to Oberloan would severely weaken the defenses along the Liegnitz front, but he had no choice.

If something were to happen to the French Prince in Silesia—if he were to die, it might push France to declare full-scale war on Prussia. But if he were captured, France would likely trade a withdrawal from Silesia to get their Prince back.

And Laessig would bear the blame for failing to protect the reckless young man, possibly becoming the scapegoat for a defeat in Silesia.

After General Davydov left, Marshal Laessig wearily motioned to his aide, "Bring me paper and a pen—I must write to the Emperor…"

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