He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 235

The Genius Son of Napoleon – Episode 236 (236/547)

(236) Eugene Goes to Italy

Adrianople, the place where the fate of the Ottoman Empire was decided just six months ago.

“Conversely, it means we’ve been delayed here for almost half a year, Hippolyte.”

June 1799, a military camp was established outside Constantinople.

Strictly speaking, it’s like the Camp de Constantinople.

Just like the Boulogne Grand Army Camp in the original history, Eugene formed a new army here.

He divided the troops to take and those to leave, reorganized the formations, and trained them.

In particular, the cavalry was mainly composed of the troops led by Eugene and Junot since the Italian campaign who were in the returning unit.

– Clank!

Eugene said, putting on the black military uniform newly woven by the Constantinople textile workers.

Of course, Hippolyte just followed Eugene with a big smile.

Anything is better than nagging when you have a fever.

“I prepared as quickly as possible, Commander.”

“Recite our forces.”

“Hmm, 10,000 line infantry, 3,000 cavalry brigade, 1,000 artillery brigade. The artillery was formed by supplementing some from the sailors. Dezaix commands the infantry, Junot the cavalry, and Dommartin the artillery. Ah, and the Mamluk cavalry that is coming with us is 1,000, right?”

At that moment, a man wearing a turban who was doing mounted marching training behind Eugene shouted.

“That’s right! We have decided to follow the Little Pasha!” [Pasha was a high-ranking Ottoman title.]

Very fluent French comes right into my ears.

Hassan Tubar, a prominent merchant in Egypt, is the one who commanded the Mamluk cavalry to this place.

In fact, Tubar has more than achieved his goal in the reorganized Ottoman Empire.

He overthrew the Turks who ruled Egypt.

In the process, he built a deep friendship with the French Revolutionary Army, who became the rulers.

In addition, he acquired spoils from the Ottoman Imperial treasury.

Furthermore, he has opened a commercial trading post in Constantinople, so he may be the person who has gained the most from this expedition.

Eugene, a banker who barely broke even, looked at Hassan enviously and said.

“Sheikh Hassan Tubar. All your business is based in Egypt. You don’t have to overdo it like this.”

“Hahaha! It’s not like I’m going to be with you forever. I’m just going to follow you until this war is over.”

“Then, I’ll give you a definite reward when this war is over.”

Suddenly, Eugene smiled and promised.

“Your European trading partner will be me. I will invest 2 million francs.”

Of course, this is not a deal that only benefits Tubar.

Currently, the total funds of the Boarne Bank that have entered the Egyptian expedition is 40 million francs.

20 million francs of that was covered by Suez Canal bonds.

The rest was covered by occupying Syria, Cyprus, and Constantinople.

For example, it was taken from the Ottoman Imperial treasury.

Half of the wealth that had been accumulated to create the Nizam-i Jedid [New Order, referring to Ottoman reforms] was transferred to the French army.

But most of this huge amount of money is silver.

It is impossible to transport it by land march, so it must be transported by sea.

Even with the remaining transport ships, it is likely to go back and forth 10 times.

Therefore, a considerable amount needed to be reinvested locally.

Even today, when investing in so-called emerging markets, financiers from developed countries look for local cooperative businessmen.

Tubar is the ‘local’ businessman that Eugene has set his sights on.

Hassan Tubar, the rebel who harassed the French army in the original history and became a leading tycoon in Egypt in the early 19th century, shone his eyes.

“Wow, I must survive! Hahaha! Then I’ll give you a gift!”

When Tubar snapped his fingers, a boy came up from behind and saluted.

– Chuck!

Eugene tilted his head and asked.

“Who is this friend?”

“He is a Mamluk [slave soldier] I trained myself. I heard he was originally from Georgia.”

“What’s his name? Boy?”

When Eugene asked lightly in Arabic, clumsy French came out.

“Rustam Raza, your faithful soldier. Freischütz [German term for a marksman or sharpshooter, often associated with folklore].”

At that moment, Eugene’s eyes widened.

Rustam Raza, one of the very few famous spoils that Napoleon of the original history acquired during the Egyptian expedition.

This boy is Napoleon’s Mamluk bodyguard who even followed him on the Russian expedition.

Other than that, there is a horse along with the Rosetta Stone.

Tubar smiled and asked.

“How is it, do you like it? In Egypt, it is a traditional custom to raise young Mamluks as bodyguards for influential people from an early age.”

“I wish you would give me a horse if possible.”

“Huh? Oh, there is a spare horse.”

Tubar blinked and had a handsome Arabian horse brought over.

Leaving the horse he had been riding so far, Eugene looked at the horse with greedy eyes.

It’s not because this horse is special.

Again, there is a famous horse left in history that Napoleon of the original history acquired.

“Let’s name that horse Marengo.”

“No, there’s another name.”

“I like that name.”

Stroking the gray-colored, maned horse, Eugene’s eyes lit up.

“Because it could be the battlefield of fate.”

The name is the name of the battlefield of fate in the original history, and also the name of Napoleon’s famous horse that survived Waterloo.

***

Of course, Eugene has no intention of participating in the Second Coalition War with only 13,000 men.

“The Greeks are joining as auxiliary troops?”

It was when Junot was busily following Eugene and asking.

“I will follow you myself, Major General Junot.”

“Huh? W-what, Your Highness? When did you come? Aren’t you busy with Greek independence?”

The new King of Greece, Constantine I, suddenly appeared at the camp and shouted.

“I want to see a new world of revolution! Will you allow it, Commander?”

Originally, he was a man who went into exile in Western Europe after engaging in the independence movement in the original history.

Perhaps he was greatly shocked to see the Ottoman Empire being overthrown this time.

But from Eugene’s point of view, Constantine was quite a useful person.

If he simply needed an auxiliary commander, a more experienced general would be better.

However, Constantine is a model case of constitutional monarchy [a system where the monarch’s power is limited by a constitution].

He is a perfect example for Eugene, who is thinking of restoring the monarchy after returning to France.

A monarch who admires the revolution, introduces a parliament, but commands the army.

Isn’t that Napoleon?

Eugene asked with a worried face, without revealing his true feelings.

“Of course, Your Majesty. But it will be quite a forced march, are you okay with that?”

“Anyway, I should have already died when Kutuzov killed my father. I can endure a forced march.”

“I’ll treat you with a particularly good horse.”

At that moment, Constantine stared at Eugene and asked.

“Kutuzov, do you really have to spare him?”

Kutuzov, that is, the commander of the Russian-Moldavian mixed army that Eugene defeated.

It may seem insignificant to say it this way, but it will look different if another title is attached.

He is the victorious general of the Russian Grand Expedition in the original history.

If Kutuzov hadn’t been there, Napoleon might have been able to win Russia.

So, would it be solved if Kutuzov was killed, as Constantine wished?

Eugene shook his head.

“It’s better to spare him.”

“What’s the reason?”

“If you kill him, the possibility of revenge in Russia may disappear in the future.”

Eugene whispered to Constantine in a very low voice.

“He has excellent insight, but he has a fatal weakness. So Kutuzov must become the top of Russia so that you can take revenge.”

Kutuzov has a significant weakness as a general.

His instantaneous judgment is very poor.

This problem is not very noticeable if a modern army fights under a meticulous plan.

But the era is not yet modern, and until the mid-19th century, the ability to respond to instantaneous tactics on the battlefield was essential.

Of course, Constantine could not understand.

This is a judgment that only Eugene, who knows the Kutuzov record in the original history, can make.

However, Constantine owed Eugene a very large debt.

The debt of Greek independence.

“······Okay. I’ll be patient. But when you attack Russia, you must let me participate too.”

“I will. First of all, please observe from this battle.”

“I will fight too!”

But Eugene refused firmly this time.

“Isn’t the Moldavian Governor-General’s army the main force? It’s still a long way off. You’ll see when you see the battlefields of Western Europe.”

The Greek troops participating as auxiliary soldiers total 20,000.

They will mainly transport food, gunpowder, and cannons instead of the French army.

Eugene had no intention of entrusting them with combat.

They are an army that cannot even beat the Netherlands, let alone the Ottoman Empire or the European army.

Constantine frowned and asked.

“We have fought against the Austrian Empire and the Russian Empire in our own way.”

“That was when you fought with the massive amount of supplies that the Ottoman Empire put in. It’s a different story on long-distance expeditions away from your homeland.”

“Huh, isn’t that your hometown? By any chance, can you tell me the approximate strategy?”

It is natural for Constantine to have doubts.

Isn’t Eugene returning to France now?

Why would he say it’s a long-distance expedition?

But there is a reason for this.

Eugene looked to the west and said.

“There’s nothing difficult about it. There’s no secret in this war. Both the enemy and the allies will fight on the chessboard while watching each other’s moves.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Your Highness Constantine, in the end, the battlefield is the border area of France. The enemy will aim for the Rhine and Holland, and France will aim for a detour route to Italy. But there is a strong enemy who has not yet participated.”

In this war, France is fighting against almost all of Europe again.

However, there are three main enemies.

England, Prussia, and Russia.

But there is an enemy who has not yet intervened.

Constantine, who was once an exile who left the Ottoman Empire, narrowed his brows.

“Austria?”

“I heard you were exiled to Vienna, so you know it well. That’s right.”

“But wasn’t your father, Commander Bonaparte, completely crushed it?”

Eugene shook his head.

“It seemed that way here. No. Austria has only lost the throne of the Holy Roman Empire, it has lost nothing. Rather, it has become even stronger.”

This misunderstanding is actually a common phenomenon even in modern history in the original history.

Napoleon won Austria at least three times.

Once in Italy, once after visiting Egypt, and again at the famous Austerlitz.

But Austria survived perfectly and became Napoleon’s in-laws.

Why did that happen?

There are several reasons, but the fundamental reason is one.

The real problem is that Napoleon was a very generous man.

Whether it’s the balance of power, the imperial marriage, or just a whim.

On the other hand, Eugene has no intention of repeating that mistake.

With a calm face, Eugene said something terrifying.

“Conversely, this time we have to destroy Austria. That’s the key goal of this war.”

There is no second time.

Last time, he had to be satisfied with dismantling the Holy Roman Empire.

Neither Eugene nor Napoleon had the power to do so.

Now Eugene has the title of conqueror of Constantinople or liberator of Jerusalem.

Also, Napoleon will soon achieve new achievements.

If he doesn’t get it, Eugene will force him to get it.

There is something he must do with that power.

The dismantling of the arch-enemy Austria.

That way, the fundamental army that will overthrow France will disappear no matter what happens.

Constantine opened his mouth blankly and shook his head.

“I’m going to witness a huge war.”

This is the goal that Eugene must achieve in the Second Coalition War, or the anti-revolutionary war.

***

Camp de Constantinople, Eugene’s returning army finally lined up here.

“Colonel Surcouf! You command the fleet going to Venice!”

Robert Surcouf saluted.

The fleet that Surcouf will operate consists of 3 battleships, 5 frigates, and transport ships.

This fleet is solely heading to Venice and is not responsible for supplies.

At that moment, Shaila, who was watching the scene, limped and smiled.

It seems that he was injured in the last Syrian naval battle and has not yet recovered his leg.

“I’m a remaining member, Your Excellency.”

“Please, Admiral Shaila. If something goes wrong in Constantinople, you have to take the ambassador and Commander Marceau and escape in case of emergency.”

“Why didn’t you just destroy everything?”

Eugene smiled at Shaila, who was saying something as scary as himself.

“If I did that, Russia would take over this land, Admiral.”

Shaila is also a participant in the American Revolutionary War and a sympathizer of the revolution.

It seems that he didn’t like the autocratic Ottoman in many ways.

However, he also introduced the House of Lords, and a general is needed to assist Marceau for a while.

Besides, in case of emergency, there must be a fleet to evacuate the French army, as Eugene said.

Instead of Shaila, who was lightly retreating, Junot inspected the cavalry and asked.

“Okay, horse riders. Salute the commander! Ah, so are we mobilizing to Austria?”

“No, Junot. You’re going to the place you conquered.”

“Where? Wait, are you talking about Venice?”

Eugene checked his military gear while receiving the cavalry’s salute and replied.

“The belt doesn’t seem to fit properly? Anyway, that’s right. Our forces are only about 13,000. We’re taking 100 cannons, but with this amount of troops, we can’t even cross Hungary.”

These cannons are the Unicorn cannons [a type of Russian howitzer] looted from the Russian Imperial Army.

It is a weapon called the Shvalov type because General Shvalov made it.

It is a howitzer cannon that fires explosive shells, but it is actually not as good as the Gribeauval type [a French artillery system].

However, it is a different story if 100 such cannons are gathered.

Especially in battlefields where long-range shelling unique to howitzers is needed, it may be more powerful than the horse artillery’s cannons.

Of course, Eugene was just thinking about the quantity and dragging them along.

Junot, who was listening to Eugene’s words, frowned.

“So you’re going to Venice?”

“My father will come that way too.”

“How are you so sure? He’s not the commander of the Italian army anymore, he’s the commander-in-chief. The Rhine is the main battlefield, right?”

At those words, Infantry Division Commander Dezaix also had a strange expression.

In fact, it is a natural question.

There is no inevitable reason for Napoleon to come to Italy.

Any sensible soldier would fight on the Flanders or Rhine front to defend Paris, France.

But Napoleon is not a sensible soldier.

Napoleon only fights on the Rhine in one case.

That’s when he invades the so-called German region.

Instead of explaining, Eugene shrugged.

“There will be a rebellion in Venice. A condition will be created that Austria will have no choice but to mobilize. Then, my father will naturally come that way too.”

Junot tilted his head, but Dezaix opened his mouth wide and shouted.

“Good heavens, you’ve been plotting, Commander Freischütz!”

Of course, it’s a complete misunderstanding.

But Rochejacquelein, who is walking behind Eugene, is the head of the Sureté [French secret police], and recently visited Venice.

Instead of correcting the misunderstanding, Eugene got on the Arabian horse, Marengo, and shouted.

“Okay, then. Start marching!”

June 6, 1799.

Finally, Eugene’s division set out on a return trip to the West.