He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 412

(412) The Russian Empire’s Dissatisfaction

It was clear: Russia had initiated the war.

“And yet, we haven’t even fought properly and are just repeatedly losing! How can this be happening?!”

Pavel’s angry roars echoed through the Mikhailovsky Palace in Saint Petersburg.

The war had been declared in early August 1806.

However, three months had passed, and the Russian Empire hadn’t engaged in a single proper battle.

The slow mobilization of the army was a secondary issue.

The biggest problem was the nature of Russia’s enemy.

If the Ottoman Empire, Hungary, or Prussia were the clear enemy, things would be simpler.

They could simply mobilize border troops and launch an attack.

However, the opponent Pavel had declared as the enemy was England.

To engage them, they would have to cross the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, but the Russian Imperial Navy couldn’t even manage to leave the Baltic Sea.

The news of defeat that Pavel was now lamenting concerned the Battle of Copenhagen, which had taken place off the coast of Denmark.

Rostopchin, the newly appointed chancellor, cautiously spoke up.

“That is because Sweden and Denmark have sided with England.”

“What are you talking about! Isn’t Denmark a neutral country! Are they not hostile to France?”

“Denmark is not hostile to France. It is hostile to us, Russia, Your Majesty.”

Rostopchin suppressed a sigh as he explained the situation.

“Our navy trespassed into Danish territorial waters without permission, and the Danish King is furious.”

Pavel trembled as if he were about to strike Rostopchin.

However, Rostopchin, a long-time subject, knew that the capricious Pavel was surprisingly not cruel.

Rostopchin, who had been quietly observing Pavel, spoke again.

“As it stands, there is only one way forward, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, only one! We must break through the Baltic Sea! Right now!”

“No, we must formally demand assistance from France.”

Rostopchin glared at the portly man who was observing the unfolding news of the defeat from one side of the court.

“It is time for France to return as much as they have gained from our empire. To help Russia, an ally fighting against England!”

The portly man, the French Ambassador Danton, blinked and tilted his head.

“Oh, it sounds like you’re addressing me, Chancellor Rostopchin.”

“That’s right, Ambassador Danton.”

“I feel very unfairly accused. France has already done enough. We crushed Hungary, Russia’s hypothetical enemy, and prevented the Ottoman Empire from acting rashly, haven’t we?”

At that moment, Rostopchin burst out in anger.

“Not at all! Because of France, our Russian Empire cannot even invade the Ottoman Empire, because your interests are at stake!”

In fact, the Russian Empire had been fighting the Ottoman Empire for a long time over the issue of controlling the Black Sea.

However, by forming a friendly relationship with France, obstacles arose to the Russian Empire’s advancement.

Currently, Marceau, stationed in Constantinople [modern-day Istanbul], is protecting the Ottomans, so Russia cannot recklessly attack the Ottoman Empire.

Since they can’t bother with the easiest target, it’s natural that the Russian nobles are angry.

However, Danton replied with a smooth smile.

“Let’s take things one at a time. Who is fighting whom in the New World right now?”

“What nonsense are you suddenly talking about?”

“Here, our military attaché to the embassy, General Joubert, is a friend from the New World. Now, Monsieur Joubert, tell us. Who did you fight with?”

Joubert, the military attaché who was skinny in contrast to Danton, bowed politely and said.

“I fought against England with Duke Philippe Chartres of Boumais.”

Joubert was a man who had crossed Siberia from the distant New World.

Therefore, Joubert’s words carried weight.

Since the sea route had been cut off, the Russian Empire could only fully trust Joubert’s words, as they couldn’t confirm the situation in the New World.

And what he said was true.

As Rostopchin frowned, feeling caught off guard, Danton said mockingly.

“Look. See how much our France is helping Russia.”

“What good is the New World? The Baltic Sea is blocked right now!”

“Don’t be so stubborn, Rostopchin!”

At that moment, Danton glared and shouted.

“Damn it, our navy has already been half-destroyed by the English and can’t even move from the harbor! If it were possible to come here, we would have already come!”

Even though he usually smiled kindly, Danton was, at heart, a man with a fierce demeanor.

All contemporary records testify to Danton’s grim face.

Thus, just as Rostopchin was about to be overwhelmed, Danton smiled softly again and said to Pavel.

“For that reason, there is no direct support from France, Your Majesty.”

At that moment, Pavel, who was blushing red, shouted.

“Everyone, get out of here! Don’t let anyone in! Not until you bring me a way to kill those English bastards!”

It seemed that even Danton couldn’t appease Pavel today.

***

With the Tsar holed up in the fortress, the Winter Palace was still occupied by the Crown Prince.

“The Tsar’s madness is getting worse day by day, Your Highness,” a courtier observed.

While admiring the palace completed during Catherine the Great’s reign, Crown Prince Alexander turned his head.

In fact, Catherine herself mainly stayed in another palace, so it was rare for her to come to this one.

The Emperor not staying in the Imperial Palace may have been a tradition of the Russian Empire.

Soon, even harsh words came from Alexander’s mouth.

“Shut your mouth, Stroganov. Don’t you know that my father’s surveillance has intensified since the last coup failed?”

“I also know that the Tsar’s interests are always changing. These days, he seems to be re-examining the conquest of India.”

“What? Why India all of a sudden?”

The Crown Prince’s friend, Stroganov, retorted with a sarcastic attitude.

“Hasn’t conquering India through Persia been His Majesty’s dream since before? It seems he’s thinking of harassing England by land since the sea is blocked.”

The Crown Prince opened his mouth wide.

It sounded like a joke, but such jokes often became reality during Pavel’s reign.

Moreover, Russia had often launched offensives in the direction of Persia since the time of Catherine the Great.

Even in modern history, the Russian Empire took a posture of invading India by conquering Persia and Afghanistan.

However, it was now the early 19th century, and steam locomotives were just being conceived in England.

The first steamships were also being tested in the New World or New France.

Naturally, there was almost no way to project military power to distant Persia and India.

The Crown Prince shook his head, sticking out his tongue at the ultra-long-distance expedition plan.

“It’s amazing. Are Rostopchin or Kutuzov only saying good things next to His Majesty? Aren’t they telling him that it’s unrealistic?”

“Would he agree if he heard it? Besides, it is true that India is England’s lifeline. It’s just too far away.”

“From the beginning, do you know how many soldiers England operates in India? I heard it’s over 200,000?”

Of course, that number included the so-called Sepoys [Indian soldiers serving under European command], that is, local soldiers from India’s Hindu population.

Also, the northern part of India, which Russia would invade, was still largely untouched by England.

However, it was obvious to anyone, not just the Crown Prince, that an ultra-long-distance expedition was unrealistic.

Suddenly, Novosilchev, another aide who was writing documents with a cynical attitude, said.

“It would be nice if this ended as a delusion, but will it?”

Originally, the Crown Prince’s friend was Stroganov, a lover of the French Revolution, but the chief aide was the calculating Novosilchev.

That’s why the Crown Prince and his aides all turned their attention to Novosilchev’s ominous words.

The Crown Prince looked at Novosilchev and asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Not all military personnel are loyal to His Majesty. Only sycophants like Kutuzov are.”

“Are you saying that even after seeing what Benigsen is doing?”

Novosilchev retorted to the Crown Prince, who was grinding his teeth, recalling Benigsen’s betrayal during the coup.

“The glorious army of the Empire does not only consist of those people. There is also Bagration.”

Kutuzov, Benigsen, and Bagration.

These were the generals who illuminated the Russian Empire’s military at the time.

However, they all had different personalities, and Bagration was especially famous for being European-friendly and having a fierce temperament.

Also, he was from the royal family of Georgia [a kingdom in the Caucasus, now a country], a country absorbed into Russia.

“He was a descendant of the Georgian royal family.”

“It is difficult for him to aim for the highest position because of his background. He needs the Tsar’s favor, but he is not getting it.”

“Would he be loyal to me? Isn’t his life more important?”

As the Crown Prince showed a skeptical reaction, Novosilchev said with a subtle attitude.

“He is a man with a strong sense of adventure. Also, he often interacts with English merchants.”

The Crown Prince was surprised and jumped up.

“What are you talking about, Novosilchev? England?”

“Would we have brought it up for no reason? Right now, an English envoy is in Saint Petersburg.”

“Damn it, you guys are crazy.”

The Crown Prince, realizing that none of his aides were surprised, lowered his voice to the extreme.

“If the Tsar’s secret police find out, we’re all done for.”

Despite the coup, the Crown Prince was still preserving his position.

Furthermore, after the declaration of war, he was taking care of the country’s finances instead of the Emperor, who had stepped down from domestic affairs.

However, the Emperor firmly grasped the military and the secret police after the coup, and informants might hear what the Crown Prince said at any time.

Nevertheless, this time Stroganov retorted cynically.

“Then, are you going to wait until His Majesty passes away like this? There is no guarantee that the right of succession will be maintained, Your Highness.”

Eventually, the Crown Prince opened his mouth after a long silence.

“Okay. Just once.”

Once is always the most difficult.

***

It should have been difficult for an envoy to enter in a situation where the two countries were facing each other at sea.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince. My name is Castlereagh.”

However, Russia was tacitly condoning English smuggling ships.

This was because exporting grain and raw materials for ships to England was Russia’s main source of foreign currency.

It would have been nice if they could endure without trade, but it was inevitable in Russia’s situation, where industrial necessities were extremely lacking.

The Crown Prince looked at the secret envoy, Castlereagh, who had come on this smuggling ship, and asked displeasedly.

“What do you want to propose?”

“I heard that His Majesty the Tsar wants to conquer India.”

“It’s just an unrealistic plan.”

Castlereagh smiled and said to the Crown Prince, who was looking around in a dark building on one side of the harbor.

“Approve the conquest of India and offer to lead it yourself.”

At that moment, the Crown Prince looked at Castlereagh for the first time with genuine interest.

“Do you know where that means you’re attacking?”

“The British Indian colony. To be exact, it is under the management of the East India Company [a British trading company that controlled large parts of India].”

“Are you proposing that knowing that?”

What kind of envoy would propose attacking their own country?

However, Castlereagh had a reason.

The Crown Prince’s eyes widened at the words that followed.

“Wouldn’t that give military power to Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

Once military power was in hand, the Crown Prince could do whatever he wanted.

If he could go all the way to India, it might be an achievement that would remain in history.

But what if the soldiers’ march route was not south but north?

“Once you begin your march, we will prepare the rest.”

Listening to Castlereagh’s low words, the Crown Prince got up from his seat.

“Give me time to think.”

Looking at the Crown Prince walking away, Castlereagh smiled and replied.