He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 180

(180) Nelson’s Band of Brothers is Coming

Bristol, a British port facing the Atlantic, saw a large fleet return after a long absence.

“Alright, drop anchor! We’re finally on land!”

The fleet consisted of 17 ships of the line, 20 frigates, and 20 transport ships.

Bristol was originally a major port overseeing the Atlantic for Britain, but it had been a while since a fleet of this size had returned.

Moreover, this fleet was returning after a series of victories.

However, there was no boisterous welcoming party.

The admiral ordering the anchor to be dropped, Nelson, also did not look pleased.

Why?

Because although they had won at sea, they had returned without winning the war.

The West Indies campaign.

They failed to conquer Saint-Domingue [modern-day Haiti and Dominican Republic], which was the strategic goal, didn’t even touch Cuba, and, unexpectedly, Florida fell into French hands.

Of course, all of this happened for reasons unrelated to the navy.

So, it was inevitable that the strategic defeat itself was unpleasant.

For the soldiers, or the citizens of Bristol alike.

Still, the naval officers and sailors who were stepping onto land after a long time all disembarked with light hearts.

Suddenly, the young officers surrounding the admiral asked in unison.

“Are you going to see your wife now, Admiral?”

“Wow. Lucky you. I should get married soon too!”

“Ahem, you’re supposed to respect your wife, not love her. Isn’t that right, Admiral?”

Flagship Captain Edward Berry.

Rear Admiral Alexander Ball, the second-in-command of the fleet.

Captain Thomas Hardy, who was with Nelson at the end in the original history.

In addition, the top naval officers of this era, such as David Gould, Samuel Hood, Ralph Miller, and Thomas Troubridge, looked at the one-eyed admiral with expectant eyes.

Would he go see his wife, who was famous for her beauty?

But Admiral Nelson nonchalantly replied.

“Me? I don’t have time to see ‘Fanny.’ I have to go straight to London.”

“Yes? Why is that?”

“I have to go and demand why they summoned us despite winning! To Secretary George Spencer!”

Fanny was the nickname of Frances Nelson, his wife.

She was a famous beauty when she was young, so much so that Prince William, the second son of the king, pursued her.

But now she was a 39-year-old middle-aged woman, so Admiral Nelson didn’t seem so enthusiastic.

Besides, Nelson seemed to be more angry about the summons itself than about his wife.

Just then.

“There’s no need to argue, Admiral Nelson.”

An old man walked from deep inside Bristol Harbor to greet Nelson.

It was Admiral William Hotham, whom Nelson used to have as a subordinate when he was resting.

Nelson tilted his head, looking at Admiral Hotham, who had once gone to Martinique with Eugene.

“Admiral Hotham?”

“Oh, Uncle! What brings you here?”

“Hmm, ‘Little’ William is here too. Does this fellow fight well?”

Nelson glanced at another ‘William Hotham’ working as his adjutant and chuckled.

“Of course. He’s braver than Admiral Hotham. He’s so brave that he dodges all the bullets. Hahaha!”

The Hotham family was a noble family famous for being in the navy for generations.

Not only Hotham, the commander of the Mediterranean Fleet in front of Nelson, but also his nephew Henry later rose to the rank of vice admiral.

William ‘Junior’ Hotham, who is currently working as Nelson’s adjutant, will later rise to the position of Admiral of the Indian Ocean.

But the Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet would not have come here just to pick up his nephew.

Why did Admiral Hotham come here?

Just as Nelson was wondering, Junior Hotham and Senior Hotham were talking to each other.

“Don’t tease me, Admiral. Well, I’m confident that I can do my part.”

“Okay, then you’ll do well enough in the next battle.”

“Yes? What next battle? Wasn’t our war over now?”

Admiral Senior Hotham clicked his tongue at the surprised Junior Hotham.

“It seems you didn’t meet another ship on the way. The war will resume.”

At that moment, Nelson glared with one eye and rushed towards Admiral Hotham.

“Where is it! Cape of Good Hope? India? Or back to the Caribbean!”

“It’s none of those. For now, it’s Gibraltar.”

“Gibraltar? What does that suddenly mean? What happened to Gibraltar in the meantime?”

Then, from deep inside the harbor, another old man’s voice was heard.

“It’s not just Gibraltar that has something going on. Genoa has something going on, and Naples has something going on.”

Nelson, turning his right eye, which still had vision, widened his eyes even more.

“Ambassador Hamilton? What’s going on with you, Ambassador? Huh?”

The old man’s name was William Hamilton, the former ambassador to Naples.

Nelson had visited Naples when he was working as a military attaché in Genoa, Italy, cruising the Tyrrhenian Sea [part of the Mediterranean Sea] in the western part of Italy.

Besides, Hamilton himself was originally a naval admiral, so he was once Nelson’s superior.

So, he visited his house, and Nelson stayed there for a while.

Why?

Because of a woman next to Hamilton right now.

A red-haired beauty looked at Nelson with tearful eyes and parted her lips.

“Horatio.”

Gould, Hood, and Captain Miller looked at each other and whispered.

“Who is that woman?”

“I think she’s Lord William’s wife. Wait, I’ve seen her somewhere.”

“Oh, Amy Lyon? Isn’t she a model for the Temple of Health?”

However, they didn’t have time to figure out the woman’s identity.

Because Nelson jumped forward.

Nelson hugged Emma tightly and shouted.

“Emma, how did you get here!”

Emma also hugged Nelson back and burst into tears.

“Oh, God. Thank you! I can’t believe I’m seeing you again!”

Anyone who saw it would think it was a wife welcoming a soldier returning from the battlefield.

But there is one problem with this beautiful sight.

Admiral Hotham looked at Hamilton, sweating coldly.

“I think I’ll have to deliver the military orders a little later. But are you okay, Ambassador?”

“What do you mean?”

“No, but your wife is now…”

Hamilton, a 67-year-old man, stroked his beard leisurely and smiled.

“Oh, you don’t know anything. Since Mr. Nelson came to Naples, the three of us have been one.”

So, the problem is that the red-haired woman, Emma, is Hamilton’s wife, not Nelson’s.

***

In later original history, there are three most famous women of this era.

Marie Antoinette, Josephine, and Emma Hamilton.

The first two were queens and empresses in the original history, but Emma was just a noble lady.

But why did she leave a reputation equal to the other two women?

First, she was called the most beautiful woman in England, and second, because of her lover.

It’s Nelson.

“Mrs. Hamilton has been the admiral’s lover since the admiral visited Naples.”

Edward Berry, who is Nelson’s adjutant and captain of the flagship, muttered while riding his horse.

The group is currently rushing to London.

The officers are on horseback, and the high-ranking admirals are in a carriage.

Even with Emma, who is someone else’s wife.

Suddenly, Rear Admiral Alexander Ball, who was riding next to Berry, complained.

“Hey, Berry. Does that make sense? That woman used to do nude shows?”

“Captain Ball. If that’s what you say, how did she become Mrs. Hamilton in the first place? A woman who did such nude shows.”

“That’s, that’s right. What’s going on?”

So, as Miller pointed out, Emma’s past is the problem.

Emma was a model at the so-called Temple of Health.

The Temple of Health was a pseudo-hospital that was popular in London in the late 18th century, which advertised that all diseases could be cured with pleasure.

One of the treatments there was sexual therapy, and Emma was one of the nude models involved in that treatment.

Of course, she didn’t just do that, she also worked as a maid and became a painter’s model.

Most of Emma’s portraits that have survived to modern times are paintings left when she was working as a painter’s model.

Then she met Ambassador Hamilton, who had lost his wife, and this ambassador was so-called [impotent].

Still, Ambassador Hamilton respected Emma as his wife, and Emma lived satisfied with her elevated status.

It was then that she met Nelson.

While living in the Naples ambassador’s residence, in 1793.

Four years have passed since then.

Nelson wandered around the West Indies after his defeat in Corsica.

Emma was still playing the role of the British ambassador’s wife in Naples, and then came to London like this.

Inside the carriage, Nelson hugged Emma tightly and asked urgently.

“Emma, how did you get here from Naples?”

“The French invaded Naples. I almost got caught, but I barely escaped.”

“What? How dare they, our Emma! I’ll blow those damn cheese bastards away with cannonballs!”

Emma giggled at Nelson’s boast, then was startled.

“In the meantime, you lost one eye!”

Of course, it had actually been two years since he became one-eyed, so Nelson smiled nonchalantly and replied.

“Well, this is like a medal. Hahaha!”

“What should I do! Oh my god, is your other eye okay? Mmph!”

“It’s fine. Rather, it sees too well! To be able to see you like this!”

Seeing them hugging and giving each other deep kisses from the outside, Gould, Hood, and Miller looked at each other.

“Aren’t they paying too little attention to us?”

“No, I guess they think we can’t see because it’s a carriage.”

“Anyway, aren’t you really going to see Mrs. Fanny? No matter how much you don’t have children with each other, you still have a formal wife separately.”

Then, someone was seen gesturing from the leading carriage ahead.

Ball, the second-in-command, approached the carriage with the officers.

Hotham, the Mediterranean Fleet Admiral who was riding in the carriage, looked at Alexander Ball and said.

“Ahem, it seems I have to tell you the operation first.”

Alexander Ball laughed and replied.

“Tell me, Admiral. Where is our fleet going again? Gibraltar?”

“Yes. Spain is aiming for Gibraltar. In cooperation with France.”

“Do we just have to defend Gibraltar?”

At that moment, someone shouted fiercely from behind.

“Absolutely not!”

Everyone was startled and turned their heads.

Then, Nelson, half-naked, was seen sticking his head out of the rear carriage window.

Nelson shouted frankly, not even ashamed.

“Of course, we have to take revenge! We have to reclaim the western Mediterranean, Corsica! Furthermore, Naples too!”

Seeing him go back into the carriage again, Hotham clicked his tongue.

“His spirit is very good. By the way, it would be better to lower those carriage curtains, wouldn’t it? Captain Ball?”

Nelson’s friend, Ball, clicked his tongue and hurriedly turned his horse towards the rear carriage.

“I guess so. Tsk.”

Anyway, it wouldn’t be good for the love affair in broad daylight to be exposed to the outside.

***

London, Nelson stood before the one commonly referred to as the British Navy Chief.

The current Navy Secretary, who holds the position of Navy Chief, is Earl George Spencer.

Later generations only know him as a nobleman who lived a comfortable life with a beautiful wife.

But it is not well known that he is one of the people who made Nelson successful.

The good-natured Navy Secretary, Earl Spencer, greeted Nelson with a bright smile.

“Welcome, Rear Admiral of the Blue!”

Nelson’s eyes widened as he was greeted as soon as he entered the Navy Office.

Rear Admiral of the Blue.

Originally, from the 16th century, England divided the admirals’ uniforms into red, white, and blue.

The commander-in-chief was red, the vice admiral was white, and the rear was blue.

Even at the end of the 18th century, when these distinctions had long disappeared, the tradition of dividing the colors of the uniforms for each admiral remained.

Rear Admiral of the Blue is the 9th in the naval hierarchy.

Although he won at sea, it is not a position that would be given to Nelson, who did not win the war.

“What did you just say, Secretary?”

“The man who conquered the West Indies, the ruler of the Caribbean, the terror of Spain! It’s the nickname our Navy gave you. Now, receive the rank insignia that suits it!”

“Oh, I don’t have that much money?”

Buying ranks with money is one of the oldest traditions in the British army.

Of course, that applies to officers, not generals.

So, Nelson retorted, sarcastically asking why they were giving him the position.

Then, someone entered the Navy Office and said.

“You can buy a captain’s rank insignia with money, but you can’t buy an admiral’s rank insignia. Admiral Nelson.”

At that moment, even Nelson, who was usually arrogant, became nervous.

“Prime Minister?”

“Yes. Prime Minister Pitt. Now, Admiral. You’ve probably heard why I called you on the way, right?”

“I heard. You told me to defend Gibraltar.”

William Pitt, the most powerful man in Britain, asked Horatio Nelson.

“Can you defend it well?”

Nelson stared at Pitt, smiled, and turned his head.

Then, the officers standing behind Nelson were seen standing with excited expressions.

The admiral commanding them has been promoted.

That means glory awaits the officers too.

The elite group of officers who roamed the Caribbean together and defeated the French and Spanish fleets.

Looking at his subordinates, Nelson said.

“Prime Minister, why are you saying such weak words when you have Nelson’s Band of Brothers, the best naval officers in England?”

“Band of Brothers? I think I’ve heard of it somewhere. Was it Shakespeare?”

“It’s a line from the play Henry V. I am confident that our fleet is the strongest in England. But.”

At that moment, Nelson shot a flame from his one eye and glared at Pitt.

“Are you going to use this fleet to defend just one cape? You have to see bigger. Behind Spain is France. The Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Sicily are waiting for us. The salvation of England!”

Pitt and Spencer were surprised and widened their eyes.

It’s a very reckless request.

But Nelson’s judgment had a corner that pierced the core.

Would France really resume the war aiming only for Gibraltar?

Besides, Pitt knows something Nelson doesn’t.

Attempt to overthrow the regime.

It is strictly something that the East India Company did alone, but from France’s point of view, it would seem like something that England did.

If this battle is revenge for that, perhaps the war will be much larger.

Pitt, who was lost in thought, asked.

“That’s not wrong. Then, what operation does the admiral want?”

Nelson shouted very cheerfully.

“I want the Mediterranean Liberation Operation. Give me the entire Mediterranean as an operational area!”