Kutuzov with his transport had still to march for some days before he could reach Znaim.

Hence Bagration with his four thousand hungry, exhausted men would have to detain for days the whole enemy army that came upon him at Hollabrunn, which was clearly impossible.

But a freak of fate made the impossible possible.

The success of the trick that had placed the Vienna bridge in the hands of the French without a fight led Murat to try to deceive Kutuzov in a similar way.