On the road leading to Moscow, sandstorms and flags flew. Russian soldiers and civilians were desperately building fortifications in the Borodino area, while French cavalry were silently conducting battlefield reconnaissance. So on one day on September 6, both sides were nervously preparing for the pre-war.

During this period, there were only sporadic firefights at the frontier positions of both sides, and Russian and French soldiers were rectifying their military appearances and dressing up. Due to the sudden heavy rain the day before, while adding a lot of non-combat reductions to the battlefield hospital, the infantry also needed to dismantle and wipe the gun chamber, the cavalry needed to polish the helmets and the mud attached to the horse's hooves, and the artillery needed to apply oil to the cannon shaft.

At this time, Napoleon suffered from a severe cold, but he still dragged his tired body to patrol everywhere, spending almost the whole day on horseback. The emperor ordered the commanders of various legions to ensure that the soldiers were fully rested and gave them rich rations.

Before returning to the command center, the emperor saw soldiers of the Guards randomly insert green feathers or tricolor feather ornaments on their faded hats. Many soldiers shaved for the first time in two months.

"Hey, brothers, this is a waste of time, all you need is a good sleep!" Napoleon shouted to the soldiers.

After hearing this, the soldiers of the Guards stood up and saluted the emperor. The two old guys who had followed Napoleon to participate in the war to conquer Egypt first looked at each other, and then replied to Napoleon with a smile:

"Don't worry, your majesty, after tomorrow, I will sleep for a full four thousand years, just like those Egyptian kings at a glance!"

"Yes, when tomorrow ends, the person who collects his body will say that this old guy is dressed pretty and should be rewarded with a good grave with a good location. Well, it's better to build a pyramid!"

The above answer made everyone around laugh. But there was only one person who didn't laugh, and he was Prince Eugen beside the emperor.

After returning to his station, Eugen told Major Koletsky that Napoleon and Marshal Dawu were discussing the offensive plan, and the debate was very fierce. "As everyone expected, the emperor once again rejected the attack from the far right wing and insisted on attacking from the front. It is unimaginable what price our soldiers will pay tomorrow!"

Napoleon's final plan was: to concentrate 80,000 main forces and 400 artillery pieces, including the First Dawu Army, make a frontal breakthrough into the left wing of the Russian army, and then detoured to approach the main forces of the Russian army deployed in the center and the right wing, forcing them to a pocket-shaped area between the Moscow River and the Kolocha River to annihilate them; at the same time, in order to attract and divert the Russian army's attention, Prince Eugen's Italian army was used to attack the right wing of the Russian army; Poniatovsky's Polish army made a limited detour on the left wing of the Russian army.

Major Koletsky nodded and said, "This is the most typical offensive plan for the emperor. He wants to give Kutuzov the confidence to fight, rather than letting the Russian army leave the battlefield and continue to retreat, disappear without a trace."

It was not until late at night that Napoleon finally checked the attack preparations of the various troops that he returned to the camp to rest. Indeed, the emperor was still worried at this time, and he was afraid that the Russian army would withdraw again. However, the quiet Russian position indicated that the enemy did not withdraw.

That night, the soldiers all went to bed early. Everyone knew that there would be a fierce battle tomorrow. Napoleon seemed to be excited. He talked to his adjutants and walked out of the tent from time to time to observe the movements on the Russian positions.

Kutuzov also dictated his hastily adjusting the deployment, transferring the Third Infantry Army of the General Reserve to the left wing, and placing it hiddenly in the forest area. In addition, 168 artillery pieces were allocated and handed over to Baglation to command. After this adjustment, the weak left-wing defense force was greatly strengthened. Kutuzov imagined that the Third Army would mainly be used to deal with the invading enemies and to conduct counterattacks. He announced to the officers around him: "When the enemy uses its last reserve to throw towards Baglation's left wing, I will insert this hidden army to the flank and rear of the enemy's invasion.

In 1812, the largest and most tragic battle in the French-Russian War finally began.

On September 7, before dawn, Napoleon came to the polybastion on the right wing of the French army. Then, accompanied by Marshal Davu, Marshal Berthier and others, the emperor walked towards the edge of the woods ahead.

When a ray of dawn appeared in the east, the emperor's combat order that day was read in the army. This order was as short and powerful as he wrote at other important moments.

“My brave soldiers!

This is the battle you have been looking forward to!

Victory depends on you to win, and you will definitely win.

Victory will bring you a wealth and comfort winter camp, and will enable you to return home as soon as possible.

Fight like in Austerlitz, Friedland, Vitebsk, Smolensk!

Let your descendants talk about your bravery today in a proud tone.

Let them say this to you: He participated in that great battle under Moscow!"

Amid the cheers of more than 100,000 French soldiers, Napoleon issued an order, and he asked the French army to take the lead in launching an attack.

After 5 a.m., the sound of artillery broke the silence of dawn. More than a thousand artillery pieces from both sides began to fire, and the French army suppressed the Russian army on the opposite high ground with fierce fire. Flames were sprayed out from the muzzles, and the shells whizzed past. Countless flames flashed out from the hills erected by French and Russian soldiers, thick smoke rose, explosions sounded, and shouts gathered from French, Russian, Polish, German, etc.

Napoleon looked at the red light rising from the Russian position, then turned to Prince Eugen, who was about to leave, and said: "The sun in Austerlitz is about to rise again! We bite them, and the gates of Moscow are about to be opened by us!"

30 minutes later, Prince Eugen's Fourth Army (The Italian Legion) who served as an assist, held his left wing and first dispatched to attack the village of Borodino on the right wing of the Russian army. Within an hour, the French army captured the village of Borodino.

Soon, the hunting cavalry who was in the front cover mission of the Russian army failed and was driven across the Kolocha River. However, they then carried out a counterattack and drove the French army back to the west bank of the Kolocha River. The battle entered a stalemate here.

Marshal Ney's Third Army and Marshal Dawu's First Army were quietly waiting for orders to prepare to attack the central position of the Russian army; Marshal Mura's cavalry reserves were stationed in the center right position of the French position, forming a front line from north to south with General Grouch, General Moble, General Monbrun and General Nasuti's cavalry troops, connecting Polish legions of Polish.

Due to the need to maintain the integrity and consistency of the front line, most of the French cavalry troops were deployed within the range of the Russian artillery. Within a few hours after the battle began, these poor people were constantly ruthlessly bombarded by terrible cannons and suffered heavy losses. Correspondingly, this huge disaster, which was not a tactical error, was also staged among the cavalry behind the Russian positions.

At 6 o'clock, immediately after the attack of the Eugenic Army, the Dawu Army, facing the Baglation Army, also launched an attack. They faced three simple bastions connected to each other, the most sturdy field fortifications on the Russian core position.

Correspondingly, Bagladion also continued to use his reserves, successively investing a grenade division, a chest-plated cavalry division, part of the 7th Army, and a division of the Third Army of the infantry in the general reserve. Here, the Russian army resisted tenaciously with a disadvantage of one to two, and repelled two attacks from the Dawu Legion in two consecutive hours of fierce fighting.

At first, after a bloody battle, Dawu successfully occupied the southernmost basin. But the Russian army quickly mobilized its powerful reserves to counterattack and drove Dawu's troops out of the southernmost basin. When the French army was in chaos and defeat, the Russian heavy cavalry flocked to attack and launched an attack, destroying several French infantry battalions, until the light cavalry of the Dawu Legion launched a clever counterattack, attacking the Russian cavalry from both sides, and defeating them in scattered.

Dawu reassembled his infantry and advanced forward here, and once again arrived under the wall of the southern basin. At this time, an accident happened. A shell exploded beside Dawu, and the marshal fell to the ground and was unconscious. Fortunately, the mounts took on most of the power of the shells. Although Dawu was unconscious, he was only injured in his leg and had to withdraw from the battle, but he was not in danger of life.

Due to the setbacks in the two attacks, Napoleon ordered the Ney Legion, Udino Legion and Mura's cavalry army to enter the battle at the same time, to enhance the attack power of the Dawu Legion, and to capture all the bastions including three small bastion groups and the large bastion of the central defense line in order to break through the Russian army's central defense line.

Under the gray sky, the bastion of the Russian army garrison showed a strong earth-red color, and the sun turned yellow in the gray-green smoke. Soon, the brave and fearless Marshal Ney took the lead, leading his attack column to advance like a "captain of a grenade." The soldiers would brave the fire of dozens of enemy cannons and rushed through the open 300-meter area without any covert;

Behind Marshal Ney, Marshal Mura was as dazzling and eye-catching as usual. He wore a green velvet tunic and yellow boots. He waited for the order and prepared to rush to the forefront of the team and lead the cavalry into the battle.

The battle was extremely fierce, and the French infantry took 10 minutes to rush to the ridge. Although the Russians' shotgun hit and the whole row of French soldiers fell down one after another, the French army still calmed down in artillery fire, and reorganized the formation less than 50 steps away from the Russian position, and continued to advance while preparing to attack.

After the order was issued, the French defeated the enemy, crossed the frontier positions, and walked towards a fortification built by civil and body amid the shouts. After a close fight, Marshal Ney's infantry and flank cavalry cooperated and successfully occupied all three bastions. The Russian army was unwilling to fail and organized a counterattack again to try to rebuild the defense line.

As he was so proud of his past, Marshal Mura left his cavalry and then rode his horse to investigate the situation of the Russian position himself. He was preparing to instigate a new offensive when the enemy counterattacked.

……
Chapter completed!