Chapter 842: Chapter 750: The Evaluation at Paris Police Academy

(There’s still a little unfinished, please refresh after 20 minutes to read. The author deeply apologizes.)

Aloys suddenly shouted, “Do you remember? The instructor in Paris said that our training is enough to handle a real army.”

Bourget listened to the increasingly clear Austrian military drumbeats and nodded, “Yes, even against the Austrian Army, we might not necessarily lose!”

“Everyone, don’t be afraid, just treat them like gangsters!”

“Right, they’re just a gang with more people.”

Although the Walloon police said so, their pale grips on their guns revealed that they didn’t actually have much confidence.

Bourget recalled something else and looked toward the vaguely visible Austrian soldiers in the distance. “The commander said after this fight, we’d get triple the salary.”

The high bonus instantly diluted everyone’s tension, and some even showed anticipation.

The coal and iron mines in Walloon brought abundant wealth to the region, coupled with the benefits of Rhine River trade. The Walloon Chamber of Commerce was so rich that handing out a few extra months of salary to the police wouldn’t even make them blink.

It wasn’t long before rhythmic drumbeats sounded from the front of the Walloon police formation.

Bourget verified once more that his Charleville 1776 flintlock gun was loaded with ammunition, and then heard his precinct’s superintendent shout loudly, “Prepare–”

He silently chanted one “Jesus bless us,” and raised his flintlock gun.

The Austrian skirmishers maintained a three to four-step spacing and advanced very relaxedly.

They were well aware that these police could bully thieves and robbers, but facing a real army, they would surely crumble.

In a moment, they only needed two or three volleys, and the seemingly neat line in front would collapse.

Then it would just be about chasing them down a few hundred yards, accepting their surrender, or killing them outright.

“Aim!”

The superintendents overseeing the various sections of the formation grew uneasy as the Austrians came within over 80 steps.

“Fire!”

With dense smoke clouding the police formation, a torrent of lead bullets poured toward the Austrian soldiers like a storm.

The Austrian skirmishers inwardly sneered.

Sure enough, they’re just a bunch of police who’ve never fought a real battle–at this distance, flintlock guns are practically harmless.

The Austrian officers, well-experienced, immediately ordered the drummers to quicken the cadence, urging the soldiers forward at a faster pace.

Those police had squandered their precious first volley. Before they could reload, their opponents could deliver devastating close-range fire and inflict heavy casualties on them!

Almost in the blink of an eye, over a thousand Austrian skirmishers had rushed to within around 50 steps of the police formation. The drumbeats suddenly paused, and the officer raised his hand and shouted loudly, “Prepare. Aim–”

What surprised them was that the police formation opposite also rang out with the command “Aim.”

The Austrian officers were startled. In theory, after advancing only 30 or so steps, the police shouldn’t have completed their reload by now.

A bluff? Or had the police commander already panicked and started shouting random orders?

“Fire!”

The Austrian officer raised his hand and shouted.

“Fire!”

Almost simultaneously, the Walloon police issued the same command.

Two lines of fire stretching over a kilometer erupted, and groans and screams resounded from both sides.

The Austrian officers, wide-eyed, saw soldiers beside them struck and collapsing, all pondering the same thought–how could these police reload so quickly?!

Indeed, although Walloon police only received one month of training annually at the Paris Police Academy, it was Paris Police Academy after all!

Even if their assessment standards were far lower than those of regular academy cadets, they were still on par with Austria’s regular army.

In fact, they were even stronger than many poorly trained Austrian soldiers.

The superintendents of the Walloon police suddenly recalled scenes from their practical training in Paris.

Back then, they’d all complained about why police officers had to practice formations, dense bayonet charges, and even co-operating alongside cannon operations.

If it hadn’t been for the incentive of training subsidies, many might not have managed to pass the assessments.

At this moment, they finally understood how meaningful their prior training had been.

Almost reflexively, the superintendents commanding the formation shouted, “Reload! Don’t daze off–reload immediately!”

Bourget smelled the scent of blood, and his hands trembled.

But he felt as if he had returned to his first assessment during practical training, when the instructor berated him, “You’re about to fail, hurry up!”

His hands accelerated significantly, just as they had during that assessment.

Through sheer determination, he’d earned the training subsidy by passing the test.

Ramming the bullet firmly in place, he returned the ramrod under the barrel, poured primer into the firing pan, and flipped open the flint clamp.

He heard the superintendent shouting, “Prepare–”

He raised his flintlock gun, only to find–to his surprise–that the Austrian troops opposite were still loading.

For a split second, he had a strange thought: “Their assessment would probably fail.”

————

(There’s still a little unfinished, please refresh after 20 minutes to read. Deep apologies.)

Auguste Marmont was born on July 20, 1774, in the small town of Chatillon along the Seine River in Burgundy. His father was a retired royal official who owned an ironworks. Marmont entered the Artillery School as a youth and graduated to become a lieutenant in 1792, rising to captain a year later. His military prowess first emerged during the Toulon campaign in 1793, where he caught the attention of artillery commander Napoleon, forming a close friendship. Even during Napoleon’s downturn due to false accusations, Marmont remained by his side. In 1794, he was reassigned to the Italian expeditionary force under General Desaix, participating in the Battle of Mainz in October 1795. In 1796, when Napoleon was appointed commander of the Italian Army, Marmont was promoted to major and became his aide-de-camp. First distinguishing himself in the Battle of Lodi on May 10, Marmont later played a critical role in the Battle of Caschierien on August 5, decisively moving twelve heavy cannons to the front line for a concentrated salvo that allowed the French Army to quickly destroy numerous Austrian fortifications and seize the pivotal Medol Heights. He returned to Paris in October, and soon after was promoted to colonel. In 1798, Marmont joined Napoleon’s Egyptian expeditionary force as a staff officer, personally capturing the military flag of the Order of Saint John during the Battle of Malta, earning a promotion to quasi-general. In Egypt, he participated in the Battle of Alexandria on July 2, where, after occupying the city, he was appointed its governor. He later took part in the famous Battle of the Pyramid. The following year, Marmont returned to France alongside Napoleon and participated in the Coup of 18 Brumaire on November 9, 1799, becoming a deputy in the newly formed Congress.