He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 395

(395) Scharnhorst and Eugene Meet

Leipzig, originally an independent city, is located within the Duchy of Saxony.

“So, strictly speaking, conducting operations there requires my permission, Friedrich August, the Duke of Saxony!”

The Duke of Saxony, Friedrich August von Sachsen, the head of the House of Wettin, exclaimed.

In fact, there is a slight contradiction in his claim of being the [main family or head lineage].

This is because, originally, tracing back to their ancestors, the Saxon ducal family was a cadet branch [a branch of a family descended from a younger son or daughter].

However, due to the exploits of Moritz von Sachsen, who outmaneuvered Charles V during the religious wars, the main line became the cadet branch, and the cadet branch became the main line over 300 years ago.

Now, in the turbulent 19th century, when the aristocratic system itself is facing a crisis, the Duke of Saxony refers to the ruler of the Duchy of Saxony, with Dresden as its capital.

He is also the man Eugene encountered at the party commemorating the launch of the Rhine Confederation.

However, the person the Duke of Saxony is meeting now is a diplomat from the opposite side of France and Eugene.

Metternich, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary, smiled leisurely.

“Your Grace, I believe you were formerly a member of the Rhine Confederation.”

“I withdrew from it! The demands of the French Empire must be reasonable!”

“Or were you perhaps wary of the Prussian army? In any case, the French Imperial Army is currently encroaching upon Saxon territory, Your Grace.”

Metternich subtly threatened the Duke of Saxony with an elegant demeanor.

“So, shouldn’t you fully cooperate with the Prussian army?”

The Duke of Saxony gritted his teeth.

Originally, the Saxon territory boasted the strongest power in Germany, even during the Thirty Years’ War.

However, after suffering a major defeat in that war, it has repeatedly declined and is now in a worse state than the Duchy of Bavaria.

The bigger problem is that Prussia is located directly north of the Duchy of Saxony.

Therefore, the Duke of Saxony actively participated in the Rhine Confederation, but eventually withdrew.

This was because he could not ignore the pressure from Prussia, which threatened him from the north.

However, no matter how powerful a great power is, it is excessive to advance troops across the border without permission.

Moreover, it is absurd that the Prime Minister of Hungary, not Prussia, came to mediate.

“Are you telling me to just stand by and watch as the Prussian king’s army tramples on my territory?”

“It’s not just about watching. You must participate in the war.”

“Huh, is this how [Ungarn – the German name for Hungary] wages war? You are the parties to this war. If Austria had not lost to France in the first place, this situation would not have occurred!”

[Ungarn] is the German name for Hungary.

It is a term that reflects the Habsburg family’s diminished imperial glory.

Of course, Metternich only smiled without any agitation at the Duke of Saxony’s words.

He had experienced enough humiliation when the empire was dissolved.

Metternich calmly used the Hungarian name for Hungary, referring to Hungary.

“Our Magyar Legion is containing Russia, Your Grace.”

“Ha! Are you talking about those Ivans [a common, sometimes derogatory, term for Russians] who don’t even move! They declared war on England, which they can’t even reach! Thanks to that, England is launching a massive offensive in the North Sea!”

The Russian population is 40 million, and one-third of them are serfs [agricultural laborers bound under the feudal system to work on their lord’s estate].

Although Russia does not adopt a national conscription system, it is easy to mobilize a million-strong army by forcibly conscripting serfs.

Of course, deploying them on foreign expeditions is limited to a maximum of 200,000 due to supply issues, and usually, about 100,000 are sent.

But what if Hungary suddenly opens the way?

Although unrealistic, the Duchy of Saxony cannot ignore it.

Once, during the Second Coalition War, Austria really opened the way for Russia.

As a result, the central German region was looted by the Russian army and became a mess.

Just as the Duke of Saxony was trembling, Metternich brought up another aspect.

“If necessary, I can petition the King of Austria, my former sovereign, to invade Saxony first.”

Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds to threaten like that.

In any case, Bohemia and Galicia, the former territories of the Austrian Empire, remain pro-French satellite principalities.

If Austria recklessly attacks Saxony, it will naturally be threatened by the satellite principalities.

However, the Duke of Saxony cannot ignore the fact that he is adjacent to the remaining kingdom of Austria.

The Duke of Saxony, trembling, glared at Metternich.

“Don’t be presumptuous, Metternich. Do you still think Austria is an empire? It’s no different from our Saxony now!”

“Your Grace, you are greatly mistaken. I am merely a subject of the Magyar King. Furthermore, it is advantageous for Your Grace to participate in this war.”

“What? How is fighting against the mighty French Imperial Army advantageous?”

Just as the Duke of Saxony was about to voice his disbelief, Metternich began to speak in a peculiar manner.

“The one you will be facing this time is a young boy, Napoleon’s adopted son.”

The Duke of Saxony, who had seen Eugene before, raised his eyebrows, and Metternich whispered with a subtle air.

“Certainly, Napoleon is audacious, but also brilliant. He is the one who destroyed the Holy Roman Empire and forcibly divided Austria’s legitimate inheritance.”

“I would like to show your lord this sight of you defending the head of the enemy country.”

“But his son has only borrowed his father’s halo.”

The Duke of Saxony’s expression changed noticeably.

The persuasion was starting to take effect.

In fact, during the First and Second Coalition Wars, Napoleon clearly achieved remarkable feats.

He conquered Italy, defeated the Russian army, and dissolved Austria.

However, Eugene mainly achieved achievements in the Orient and always worked under a commander-in-chief who served as a supervisor.

He was famous among military personnel as a commander killer, but the Duke of Saxony saw him as just a lucky kid.

And now that kid is coming to serve as the commander of an army.

Maybe he can win?

“And if the vanguard led by that kid is broken, will the remaining French marshals really follow the leader?”

Now interested, the Duke of Saxony urged Metternich.

“Explain it properly.”

“The characteristic of the great upheaval that the French call the revolution is one thing: humble people can rise to the top.”

“That’s why I couldn’t follow France in the end. The order of social classes is the law established by God! How can humans shake it!”

After watching the Duke briefly become enraged, Metternich nodded.

“However, a country bumpkin from a humble island is claiming to be the emperor. Wouldn’t other generals harbor similar ambitions?”

Metternich’s words are not empty nonsense.

The French Empire has only been around for a little over 3 years since its birth.

There are countless people who will try to challenge Napoleon’s authority at any time if it falters.

However, marshals holding corps-level forces have been dispatched to the front lines.

What if the vanguard is broken and Napoleon’s defeat seems possible?

Will the marshals blindly be loyal to Napoleon?

That’s unlikely.

“If the vanguard is broken, the seemingly powerful French army will scatter at once.”

At Metternich’s bold statement, the Duke of Saxony finally decided to hedge his bets.

“I will cooperate from behind. However, I will not raise our army’s flag.”

That alone will be a great help to the Prussian military operations.

“Very well, Your Grace. The [Allied Forces] will surely reward Your Grace handsomely.”

Of course, that’s if they win the war.

***

Now, the Prussian army, consisting of four army groups, also began to move.

“We have deployed scattered troops throughout the Saxon territory and its cadet branch, the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar. Soon, reports will come in if they encounter the enemy!”

Boyen, a staff officer of the Prussian Army General Staff, hurriedly reported.

The 1st Army of Braunschweig and the 2nd Army of Duke Hohenlohe had already departed.

However, the 1st and 2nd Armies were also monitoring the French Imperial Army approaching the Flanders border, so they were moving a little slower.

Instead, the 3rd and 4th Armies were hurrying south.

The man who became the commander of the 3rd Army, Prince Louis Ferdinand, the youngest brother of the late king, tilted his head while looking through the report.

“Why can’t they penetrate south? It’s clearly the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar.”

“Ah, they say the enemy is causing a ruckus by deploying a lot of light cavalry.”

“What? Light cavalry? Then we must engage in interception! Chief of Staff!”

Then, Scharnhorst, the chief of staff of the 3rd Army, calmed Louis.

“The entire cavalry of the main army is only 10 regiments, Your Highness. We cannot afford to divide the army.”

Also, most of that cavalry is currently concentrated in the [4th Army].

Why?

The reason is simple.

Unlike later perceptions, Blücher, the commander of the 4th Army, is actually a cavalry expert.

Originally, Blücher first joined the army as a hussar [a type of light cavalry] cavalryman in the Swedish army.

Since then, he has been active as a cavalry expert and is currently the most senior cavalry general in the Prussian army.

Of course, the problem was that Prussia did not value cavalry as much as artillery.

That was why the Prussian 3rd Army lacked cavalry, even though it was not particularly divided like Eugene’s army.

Prince Louis clicked his tongue and nodded heavily.

“Damn it. Okay, Chief of Staff Scharnhorst. I trust you and General Blücher. So, don’t disappoint me.”

“Of course, Prince.”

“So, what I’m asking is, this operation is not a simple piecemeal destruction, but a sequential input destruction [a strategy of committing forces in stages]?”

Scharnhorst nodded and explained.

“Yes. Eugene’s detachment is currently moving north. He sent a cavalry ‘brigade’ as an advance party, but to fight a war, you need line infantry [standard infantry units deployed in a line formation].”

The Prussian army is misunderstanding Eugene’s movements.

In fact, Eugene dispersed his troops for two reasons.

One is high-speed maneuvering, and the other is for [luring and annihilation].

However, even Scharnhorst did not know this absurd intention and mistakenly thought that the main intention was to disrupt the front by sending cavalry first.

Of course, the fact that it produced a similar effect as a result also contributed to deepening the misunderstanding.

Therefore, Scharnhorst is ignoring Ney’s cavalry brigade stirring up the front of Leipzig and only looking at Eugene’s main force.

However, there is one problem here.

As Boyen reported, they have not yet explored the south of Weimar.

Although this is enemy territory for Eugene, it is the same [foreign country] for Prussia.

So, although they know the geography, they must find out about military deployments or sudden maneuvers through reconnaissance.

However, the scattered troops could not move south because Lasalle and Champot’s detached force were rampaging.

This means that they did not notice Eugene’s real movement.

While misunderstanding the other party’s intentions, Prince Louis nodded.

“You mean we’re going to catch the enemy in the Weimar area, which is good for operating large armies.”

“That’s right.”

“Where do you think the enemy will stop?”

Grollman, Scharnhorst’s adjutant, who was closely examining the map, reported.

“Based on the current rate of advance, it is likely to be near Naumburg, southwest of Leipzig.”

Considering that reconnaissance is being hindered, the Prussian General Staff has made an accurate judgment.

Eugene was really advancing near Naumburg.

Prince Louis stood up vigorously.

“Good. If our 3rd Army Group and General Blücher’s 4th Army Group attack sequentially, we will fight with at least twice the strength. We can fight with overwhelming superiority!”

“That’s right, Your Highness.”

“If the enemy comes to us like this, it will be a great victory for our Kingdom of Prussia!”

At that time, a staff officer urgently entered from outside.

“Urgent report!”

Indeed, Colonel Karl von Müffling, a member of the Prussian Army General Staff, shouted.

“The enemy cavalry has retreated from Leipzig and is moving south.”

“Indeed! Where is it?”

“It’s a village called Auerstedt, south of Naumburg!”

As Scharnhorst nodded, Prince Louis Ferdinand gave the order.

“Hurry up the march! We must catch up with the enemy before they retreat!”

At that moment, the Prussian 3rd Army, 50,000 line infantry, began to march south all at once.

***

Of course, Eugene himself has no intention of stopping here.

“Are you moving south again?”

Ney, who barely joined Eugene, asked with an incredulous face.

However, Auerstedt is not a very pleasant place for Eugene.

This is because it is the place where Napoleon almost lost in the original history.

Moreover, this place is too open and flat, making it a disadvantageous place for Eugene’s corps of 35,000, including cavalry.

Eugene shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Ney.

“Yes, Ney. It’s obvious that it won’t be easy to fight a large army here, right?”

“The entire cavalry brigade is exhausted, Your Highness.”

“Unfortunately, the artillery is in the south.”

Ignoring Ney, who was showing a troubled face, Eugene smiled brightly.

“However, if we engage in a skirmish here, we can properly lure the enemy, right?”

It is a statement that does not consider the exhaustion of manpower resources due to forced march at all.

But the real problem was different.

Suddenly, Soult got up from one side of the headquarters tent while writing army supply documents.

“Your Highness, are you going to fight the enemy without artillery now?”

“Yes. That’s right, Soult.”

“Good heavens! That is against the common sense of war!”

It is already absurd enough that the artillery, cavalry, and infantry advanced separately.

But now they are fighting without artillery at all?

Isn’t that something that was only possible in the days before cannons?

However, Eugene smiled very calmly.

No, it’s not just Eugene.

Junot, Davout, and Eugene’s staff, including Jomini, are all smiling.

What they have in common is that they all fought with Eugene in the New World.

Suddenly, Marshal Junot, the commander of the Eugene Imperial Guard, chuckled and patted Soult on the shoulder.

“So, aren’t we just going to engage in a skirmish? Watch how our [Imperial Guard] fights. It’s the way we fought in the New World, where ammunition was scarce.”

“What is it?”

“Oh, Eugene said it in English.”

Junot tilted his head and grinned.

“Hit and run.”

Soon, hit-and-run tactics.

It was just before Eugene met Scharnhorst in Auerstedt.