He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 409

(409) The Sun of Austerlitz Finally Rises

No matter how perfectly a tactical genius plans an operation, war never goes exactly as intended.

– Bang!

Napoleon seemed to control everything.

However, he couldn’t control every incoming shell, bullet, or charging soldier.

Moreover, this battlefield involved 80,000 allied troops against 220,000 enemy troops, a clash of 300,000 in total.

Even with the early withdrawal of the Austrian army and the panic of the Hungarian forces, at least 100,000 Prussian troops were still active.

Thus, Napoleon was also exposed to a hail of artillery and bullets.

“Your Majesty! Take cover! The battery is collapsing!”

Berthier screamed as the battery right next to them, manned by horse artillery, crumbled.

However, Napoleon was not watching the shell.

He suddenly waved his imperial baton and declared,

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Look at that flag. The royal standard with the lion!”

Napoleon pointed to a flag fluttering far to the south and shouted.

“Eugene is here. Indeed, Eugene has grown beyond my expectations! To exploit this timing and launch a surprise attack!”

The sight of Eugene’s 1st Corps’ light cavalry brigade surging from the south was vivid.

Originally, Eugene was moving towards Berlin.

No one expected him to rush to the southern battlefield, which was much farther away.

Neither Karl nor Napoleon had factored it into their calculations.

But Eugene’s maneuver was so swift that even the renowned commanders of the Empire and the Coalition couldn’t predict it.

However, something was odd.

Normally, Napoleon wouldn’t be pleased when a subordinate executed an unexpected operation.

Berthier clicked his tongue.

“Then, we should end the war, Your Majesty. If possible, it would be good if we could do it easily.”

“Why are you like this, Chief of Staff? Don’t you know the real operation I’ve planned?”

“Because I know, it’s even more tiring.”

Berthier grumbled and pulled his hat down low.

“Even if you stay in the rear, there’s no problem with executing the operation, Your Majesty.”

There was no reason for the Emperor to push all the way to the north of the Pratzen Heights.

Of course, this was only in hindsight.

Napoleon’s maneuver had the problem of leaving the right flank completely exposed, making it vulnerable to attacks on the central rear.

Therefore, Napoleon’s rapid movement to the left flank also had the effect of preventing a rear attack.

At that moment, Lannes, who was busily commanding the Guard cavalry, turned his head sharply.

“Your Majesty, what are you talking about? A real operation?”

Napoleon whistled, glancing at Berthier.

“Whew, Lannes. I’m sure you have many complaints. I didn’t tell you even though you were right next to me.”

“In the army, secrecy is important. If Your Majesty deemed it confidential, then naturally, I wouldn’t be privy to it. But I think you should tell me now? Murat is on the verge of annihilation.”

“Many valuable cavalrymen will die. Have the Guard commander prepare to sortie as well.”

Napoleon twisted his lips, looking at Murat, who was facing the Austrian counterattack north of the heights.

“We must welcome our allies who will arrive soon.”

It seemed that the ally Napoleon was talking about now wasn’t Eugene.

From the start, it was clear that neither Napoleon nor Berthier had predicted Eugene’s arrival.

Lannes was about to narrow his brow.

– Bang!

Again, the sound of a shell flying made Lannes’ horse recoil.

“Eek, retreat, Your Majesty!”

“What would the soldiers think if I retreated from here? Even the soldiers who mustered their courage would lose their will to fight!”

“No, I mean, if you had just stayed in the rear from the beginning, there would be no retreat or anything! Damn it!”

In the end, Lannes couldn’t hold back and shouted, cursing.

“Who the hell is coming that makes you so confident! Looking at it now, it seems even King Eugene barely made it with just the cavalry!”

Even though it was wartime and they were close in age, it was too rude to the Emperor.

Louis Charles, who was waiting nearby, was startled and just rolled his eyes.

However, Napoleon didn’t get angry; instead, he burst into hearty laughter.

“Puhahaha! Lannes, now I see how much you usually disregard your comrades.”

“Yes? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Have you forgotten? We have a perfectly good army very close to us!”

Napoleon’s eyes gleamed with a knowing smile.

“Augereau is coming!”

Lannes widened his eyes.

Augereau.

One of the three main generals of the Italian campaign, along with Massena and Lannes.

Therefore, the man who was appointed as one of the first Marshals of the Empire.

However, he was known as a general who was treated coldly because he was not pleased with Napoleon’s ascension to the throne.

So, rumors abounded in the army that he was acting passively in this war as well.

In fact, Lannes thought the same.

But in reality, Augereau was near Vienna, the closest to this battlefield.

– Bang! Bang! Bang!

Now, the sound of cannon fire began to be heard from the southwest.

***

The only thing a wildly galloping wild horse fears has appeared before him.

“Well, Prince Eugene! Fancy meeting you here!”

Murat, the commander of the Imperial Guard’s Chasseur à Cheval [light cavalry], forced a hearty laugh.

However, Murat’s adjutant, Colonel Miron, and Brigadier General Bessières, who followed behind, knew.

That Murat was very nervous.

Murat, who had been calm even when he was almost killed in the Austrian counterattack just a moment ago.

But he couldn’t be like that in front of King Eugene.

“Isn’t that the name of a famous general of the Austrian Empire, Murat?”

“Hey, who doesn’t know that Your Highness’s name was taken from there! How did you get here!”

“Well, I didn’t come to rescue you, but absurdly, that’s how it turned out.”

No sooner had Eugene finished speaking than he fired his pistol.

– Click, bang!

A straggling Austrian soldier who was charging fell, his breath cut off.

So, Eugene had now rotated counterclockwise.

First, he bypassed Berlin and came to Moravia.

Next, he advanced between Brno and Austerlitz, appearing from the rear before the enemy noticed.

Finally, he advanced north right in front of the heights, rescuing Murat.

Of course, he didn’t come to save Murat, but he ended up striking the retreating Austrian army while targeting the relatively easier side.

Nevertheless, the sight of him shooting without hesitation clearly inspired fear.

Looking back at the generals who were tired of the Sharpshooter of Magic, Eugene asked.

“You’re still charging recklessly as always. Bessières, aren’t you his leash?”

Bessières smacked his lips.

“Only Marshal Lannes can do such a thing. I’m just an assistant. Only.”

“Weren’t your ranks equal?”

“Such ignorant breakthroughs are impossible for me. No, if it’s Lasalle next to Your Highness, he might be able to do it.”

Then Lasalle, who was constantly looking around next to Eugene, chuckled.

“Hey, Brigadier General Bessières! Don’t compare me to General Murat. I look before I leap!”

Murat’s expression turned resentful, but he couldn’t dare to argue in front of Eugene.

In fact, if Murat had become Caroline’s husband as in the original history, he would have acted superior to Eugene and Lannes.

However, because Eugene had suppressed Murat’s spirit from the beginning, Napoleon considered Marmont as his brother-in-law instead of Murat.

Also, Murat couldn’t act carelessly because of the memory of being scolded by Eugene.

At that moment, Ney hurriedly ran up and reported.

“Your Highness. The enemy is approaching again!”

The regiment under Laudon in the Austrian army could be seen beginning to return.

Eugene grabbed the horse’s head and his eyes flashed.

Cannons left behind by the artillery were visible.

“Do you have any nails, Ney?”

“Yes? Oh, I do.”

“Good. It’s difficult to block the enemy’s new cannons with nails, but old cannons can be blocked with nails. Run, suppress, and block them.”

It was one of the 18th-century tactics to block cannons.

It was a method of blocking the fuse part of the cannon with nails to prevent it from being lit.

It was a method that couldn’t be easily used with breech-loading cannons, but muzzle-loading cannons were still the mainstream.

Ney, the man who would later fail to block the cannons at Waterloo in the original history because he didn’t have nails, responded loudly.

“I understand! Giddy up!”

Watching Ney run off, this time with the nails properly챙겨, Eugene turned his gaze.

“Murat, you follow me.”

“Well, my command is only to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Do you know that the navy was smashed? I might become the admiral of the navy after the war, and I’m choosing which general to take with me then.”

At that moment, Murat, recalling the sea off Corsica, turned pale.

“I hate ships! I will gladly follow you only here!”

Of course, there was no admiral in the navy now who could suppress a general like Murat with charisma, like Brueys.

But if Eugene took office himself, he would naturally be able to suppress Murat with authority.

Thinking about what he might suffer, Murat desperately ran out.

Eugene smirked and ordered Lasalle.

“Good. No matter how good the cavalry is, it cannot break through the infantry! We will continue to find gaps and run back to the rear!”

“Rear attack?”

“Well, maybe.”

For a moment, Eugene muttered lowly, looking at the silver letters that came to mind.

“It might be going out to meet them. I don’t know if it’s Moreau or Augereau.”

Allied appearance.

Whoever it was, the reinforcements Napoleon had prepared had arrived.

Eugene’s light cavalry brigade and Bessières’ dragoon brigade all turned south again in a clockwise direction.

– Duduudu!

But when they got close to the south, an unexpected report came in.

“Oh, I see smoke!”

Eugene frowned at Lasalle’s report.

It was definitely cannon smoke.

But there might be allies, so who would be shooting like this?

“They’re shooting mercilessly. Evasive maneuvers!”

“Is that Augereau?”

“If it were Moreau, he wouldn’t shoot like this!”

Immediately after Eugene hastily moved the cavalry brigade out of the artillery range.

– Bang!

The artillery fire of the 3rd Corps of the Grande Armée began to cover the Pratzen Heights.

***

Even in an era when the accuracy of cannons was low, the appearance of new enemy soldiers caused panic.

“Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate! New enemy soldiers appearing from the, the, the rear!”

King Karl, who had been defending the key areas of the Pratzen Heights until then, raised his head.

He tried to reverse the situation somehow.

But now there was a limit.

“Your Majesty, you must take cover!”

Rosenberg hurriedly grabbed Karl and pleaded, but Karl shook him off and said.

“Surely, I was convinced that I had calculated everything.”

“This is not the time for this!”

“Why, oh why did God bring me into this world, and also!”

Suddenly, Karl pointed to the eagle flag fluttering in the northern sky.

“Bring that Napoleon into this world!”

Karl, trembling all over, suddenly foamed at the mouth and collapsed.

“Your Majesty! Medics!”

“Take him out first!”

“The enemy, the enemy is coming!”

As the Hungarian command hurriedly ordered a retreat, Chief of Staff Weyerother, whom no one was looking for, adjusted his broken monocle and muttered.

“The battle line has completely collapsed.”

French Imperial soldiers were rushing in from three sides.

– Waaaa!

Weyerother raised his pistol with trembling hands and lit the gunpowder.

– Bang!

The sun of Austerlitz was shining red on Weyerother’s fallen body.