Another good bluff that shouldn't have worked in a million years.
During the campaign in Austria, the bridge of Thabor was critical for the french army that just took Vienna to advance along the Danube and further on Bohemia and Moravia.
Austrians did knew that well,and planned the destruction of the bridge if it was in any danger to fall under French control. Two maréchaux, Murat and Lannes, decided to prevent this to happen in the most bullshitted bluff of all times.
They advanced, alone, towards the Austrians (while having order their troops to advance cautiously and without being noticed). Murat and Lannes saw an Austrian noble they already knew of, the Prince Auersperg that they considered as a complete tool. They advanced cheerfully, loudly proclaiming their relief that an armistice between France and Austria was finally agreed on and thay everyone were pals again, oh and you look positivly splendid in your uniform old chap.
Meanwhile, a squadron of french grenaders advanced the most casually way to the bridge, weapons down and began to hurl powder and artillery pieces into the river.
The Austrian soldiers and especially an old sergent saw trough the ruse because obviously it was so thinly veiled that even a blind man could see it for ****'s sake, and tell the prince "My Lord! You're being decieved! Let me gun these liars and destroy the bridge as our orders are!"
Lannes immeditaly reacted "Oh, my I NEVER. Prince, don't tell me you suffer that a mere seargent order you away like this! Truly the famed austrian discipline is dead if we witness this"
And of course, Auersberg arrested the sergent, allowing French to clean the bridge out of any threat, and as more troops came, and most of Austrians were definitely going to fire, but both men kept telling the prince they were securing what was now a private property and could the prince be kind enough to ask other officers to stop targeting them thanks you very much? And of course, he did obliged them, as Lannes apologized himself to sit on a barrel of powder because he was tired, and not at all because it was the quickest this he pulled to prevent austrian soldiers to use it.
As soon the last artillery piece was out of order, the troops left behind did crossed it, and everyone was for a good laugh, probably riding on the sunset with a 50's serial show music opening.
