With the 123,000 men under his command he marched out against Wellington, who had 112,000 British, Dutch and German troops, and Blücher, with another 116,000 Prussians and north Germans, who were cooperating closely. Napoleon’s only hope was to drive a wedge between them and defeat one after the other. At Ligny on 16 June he took on Blücher and his Prussians, and drove them back in some disorder while Marshal Ney held off the British at Quatre Bras. The following day he handed over the pursuit of the Prussians to General Grouchy, while he himself set out to defeat Wellington.
