He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 464

(464) The Iron Duke Pursues the Grande Armée

The Great Expedition commenced, with a total of 600,000 troops on the move.

-Thud, thud, thud!

To get from the Rhine to the Volga, there were essential routes that had to be traversed.

Among them was a small country called the Kingdom of Hanover.

Originally, during the Holy Roman Empire, it was a country ruled by descendants of the House of Welf, who had been pushed out of the succession competition.

However, through successful marriage diplomacy, the Hanoverian royal family even ascended to the British throne.

That was after the Seven Years’ War, when they rose to the ranks of European powers.

Moreover, without fully understanding the situation in England, the Hanoverian royal family, also known as the House of Hanover in English, made the historic decision to entrust full power to the Prime Minister.

However, even after the entire royal family relocated to England, the Hanoverian territory remained.

Of course, now it was in the position of opening the [Road to Russia], the path for the French Empire to reach Russia.

Compared to becoming the territory of Jerome Bonaparte in the original timeline, it could be said to be in a better position.

Conversely, this Kingdom of Hanover was also a British stronghold in the heart of Western Europe, dominated by the French Empire.

A man watching the procession of the French Imperial Army through a telescope frowned.

“Truly magnificent. A force that we in Britain could never imagine.”

“Not necessarily. I’ve seen quite a few in India.”

“India?”

On a hill outside Hanover, the Iron General, Arthur Wellesley, nodded.

“Indeed. To face those French bastards’ forces, we’ll need the [Sepoys] [Indian soldiers serving under European command], after all. As originally planned.”

The man holding the telescope next to Wellesley was Viscount Castlereagh.

Based in the Hanover area, he was in overall command of the diplomatic maneuvers directed by Pitt in Europe.

He was also the mastermind behind inducing the Tsarist civil war, the catalyst for the Russian Great Expedition.

However, even the usually unflappable Viscount Castlereagh was taken aback by Wellesley’s plan.

Bringing [Sepoy] soldiers from India was such a bold idea.

“General Wellesley, I respect your brother.”

“My brother is a great man. He eventually brought most of India under the rule of the East India Company.”

“But I also know that it was all due to your strategies, tactics, and victories. Only through reports, though.”

Castlereagh truly respected Richard Wellesley, the former ambassador to Spain and governor-general of the East India Company.

He was the epitome of an excellent diplomat and the one who effectively made India a British colony.

Thanks to him, Britain was still reaping huge profits as a maritime hegemon, even after losing its New World colonies.

Furthermore, he knew that the achievement was due to his younger brother Arthur’s strategic victories.

Nevertheless, the idea of bringing troops from India was too audacious.

“I find it difficult to fully trust your skills, General, and I don’t like the idea of transporting troops around the [Cape of Good Hope]. Am I being too paranoid?”

This was the [plan] that Arthur Wellesley had presented to Pitt.

The Cape of Good Hope airlift operation.

Gather the elite from all over the British-controlled mainland and colonies.

Then, when the French Empire had exhausted its forces in the war on the European continent, launch a landing operation in Flanders or Portugal.

Thus, put an end to Napoleon.

At first glance, it was grand, but there were too many unreasonable elements.

But Wellesley shook his head and replied calmly.

“That’s ‘Plan B,’ Lord Castlereagh. Plan A is separate.”

“Oh, I see. It must be a more realistic plan, right? Like gathering conscripts from our England, Scotland, and Ireland, training them, and creating an army.”

“It’s about passing through the Suez Canal.”

Wellesley suddenly twisted his lips, looking at the column that had stopped to receive food supplies in Hanover.

“That’s the fastest and wisest path. Also, it will give us time to familiarize the Sepoy soldiers with the European climate.”

However, at the mention of the Suez Canal, Viscount Castlereagh was so dumbfounded that he exclaimed.

“That’s a crazy plan, General Wellesley!”

“Look at that march. The Grand Army led by the Emperor of the French. Can’t Britain do at least that much?”

“No, that’s an overland march! Besides, isn’t Suez French territory!”

However, Wellesley, the Iron General, as he would later be called in history, was firm.

“If France moves 600,000 troops from Paris to Moscow, we must move 200,000 Sepoys from India to Flanders. That is the power of the Great Britain [Empire] that dominates Asia.”

In fact, the army in front of him was about 150,000 men.

It consisted of Lannes’ Imperial Guard, Brune’s 1st Corps, Augereau’s 3rd Corps, and Junot’s 4th Corps, all departing from mainland France.

In addition, Massena’s 2nd Corps stationed in Spain, Moreau’s 5th Corps stationed in Austria, and Bernadotte’s 6th Corps from the Duchy of Warsaw were scheduled to participate.

However, even combined, all those forces, including cavalry and artillery, amounted to about 200,000.

Of the 600,000 troops boasted, the remaining 400,000 were all composed of foreign troops.

200,000 were troops joining from the Confederation of the Rhine, 50,000 were forcibly conscripted from Prussia, 50,000 were Hungary’s share, and 100,000 were Poles from the Duchy of Warsaw.

The cavalry numbered as many as 100,000, with 150,000 horses, and there were said to be about 600 cannons.

When Wellesley obtained this information secured from the Kingdom of Hanover, he was convinced.

Even if Napoleon was defeated in Russia, Britain would have to gather strength from around the world to win.

And that required the elite army that Wellesley had led in India.

Castlereagh frowned deeply and asked.

“So, how exactly do you intend to transport 200,000 Sepoys through the French canal?”

“It’s simple. We disguise the transport ships as merchant ships, dividing the troops and transporting only personnel without weapons. It will be even easier if we use [Goa], a Portuguese territory.”

“From Goa to Aden, and then to Suez? That’s too reckless.”

[Goa] was a port city in southeastern India and an old territory of Portugal.

Later, it would be controlled by Portugal until after World War II.

It would be easy to deceive the managers of the Suez Canal unless the ships were coming from British colonies.

Also, all of France’s attention was currently focused on Russia, not Britain.

Therefore, the transport operation had to be successful before France and Britain engaged in full-scale war.

Of course, this was a gamble.

But could Napoleon be defeated without gambling?

“Lord Castlereagh. The man we have to face is a madman who is mobilizing 600,000 to conquer Russia. To defeat such a man, we must also take a gamble!”

At Wellesley’s assurance, Castlereagh looked at the Grande Armée column again and sighed.

“I will return to the home country and request it from the Prime Minister. Will the General stay in Hanover longer?”

“I need to confirm which route the [Grand Army] is taking. Rumor has it that the Polish route is likely, but I need to see it with my own eyes.”

“As you wish. However, the General’s gamble may not be accepted.”

At Viscount Castlereagh’s warning, the same-aged General Wellesley chuckled.

“Hahaha! It will be accepted. Prime Minister Pitt must have bet everything on this war, just like me.”

In the distance, the 150,000-strong army began to march again.

-Step, step, step!

Wellesley watched from the hill until the column disappeared.

Somewhere in that column, Napoleon would be there.

Wellesley’s eyes flashed as he thought of the adversary he would face in the future.

“Then, shall we see where the Emperor’s skills lie?”

Indeed, whether Napoleon could conquer Russia depended on the march.

***

Berlin, the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, was a city that had been at the heart of anti-Napoleon sentiment until just two years ago.

“Welcome to the French Imperial Army.”

King Frederick William III of Prussia greeted the 150,000-strong army with a miserable face.

However, William III was not alone in welcoming the forces from the west.

He stepped forward with 50,000 fully armed Prussian infantrymen.

These were the troops for the Russian expedition that would be dispatched east according to the Emperor’s orders.

King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria got off his horse and took William’s hand.

“Your Majesty, King of Prussia, it has been a while.”

“Your Majesty, King of Bavaria. I am sorry for being so late in congratulating you on your succession to the throne.”

“No need to mention it. More importantly, has the King of Hungary not arrived yet?”

King William replied with a still stiff expression.

“It seems that he is in a serious state of epilepsy. I know that a messenger has been sent to the French Empire to ask for understanding. However, our Prussia will participate directly with me.”

In this Russian expedition, more than 200,000 so-called [Germans] would participate.

Among the soldiers conscripted into the French Empire’s Grande Armée were former Germans from the Rhine region.

However, the main force was the Confederation of the Rhine, which was to participate with 150,000 troops under the treaty.

In addition, Prussia and Hungary had also dispatched troops under Napoleon’s compulsion.

However, it was only forced on the Confederation of the Rhine that the king would participate directly, but Prussia insisted on having the king step forward.

Maximilian had a strange expression, then nodded.

This meant that the Prussian army could make its own decisions on the battlefield in an emergency.

“I understand. As the [Deputy Commander] of the expeditionary force, I gladly accept Your Majesty’s personal participation.”

“By the way, where is His Imperial Majesty? I heard that even the scouts have not yet discovered him.”

“Oh, do you even mobilize scouts domestically? As expected of a military state.”

The commander of the Prussian corps blurted out a harsh cry at Maximilian’s joke.

“It is difficult to say such things now, Your Majesty. The entire army of the country is only 80,000!”

A man with an impressive, bristling white beard and hair, Blücher.

As Blücher complained, Prussia was currently restricted in its military spending.

According to the agreement, the allowed troops were only 80,000.

Since 50,000 of them had been drafted, it was natural that the king, as well as the generals and soldiers, all had miserable faces.

However, Maximilian knew that was not all.

“You are the famous [Lightning] General. Nice to meet you.”

“Haha! I am just an old man who could not die and remained in the military. I was really smashed at Austerlitz. You should have seen it then, Your Majesty!”

“I have always regretted not being able to move actively at the time. There is no need to criticize me so much.”

Maximilian lowered his voice.

“You must still be looking for an opportunity, right? I heard there is a reserve army.”

At that moment, the face of King William of Prussia hardened.

Prussia certainly had only 80,000 active soldiers.

However, they had secretly organized a reserve army in the concept of a local defense force, not a formal army.

The troops that could be mobilized in an emergency numbered nearly 200,000.

Of course, most of them were new recruits who had not experienced actual combat, but that was something to be overcome with a well-trained officer corps and 80,000 elite soldiers.

However, no matter how many troops there were, there would be no opportunity if the French Empire was strong.

Unlike King William, Blücher replied calmly.

“No one knows how this expedition will turn out. By the way, is the Emperor really not coming?”

“I have not received any other instructions. What we have been instructed is to move the 130,000 troops of the Rhine Confederation, 50,000 Prussian troops, 30,000 Hungarian troops, and 100,000 Polish troops who volunteered from the east to Warsaw.”

“Warsaw is the starting point. Hmm.”

Blücher, who was stroking his mustache, distorted his lips.

“If we move as slowly as possible, the war itself will be delayed, right?”

Maximilian nodded and looked around.

“Probably, that’s right. However, there are those who are in a hurry.”

“Who is it?”

“The Grand Duke of Warsaw. Or should I say the Duke of Saxony, which is easier to know?”

The man aiming for the throne with this expedition, Duke Frederick Augustus of Saxony.

He was the next most powerful figure in the Confederation of the Rhine after the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the army he had drafted was also the next largest after Bavaria.

The reason why it was difficult for the Rhine Confederation army to turn against France recklessly when the Russian expedition failed was precisely because of the Duke of Saxony.

Blücher, who had obtained information about the internal affairs of the alliance, nodded.

“I will make that guy shut up, even if I have to yell at him. Your Majesty.”

In short, this meant that Prussia would block Saxony in an emergency.

***

However, when something unexpected happened, both the king and the general had to be embarrassed.

-Whirr!

Warsaw, a city that originally should have been ruled by Grand Duke August, was visited by an unexpected person.

“Welcome to all of you here. Haha! I am Louis Bonaparte, Grand Duke of Bohemia. I am in charge of the supplies for this war, instead of His Highness Grand Duke of Warsaw, who is personally participating.”

Grand Duke Frederick Augustus of Warsaw stepped forward with a displeased face.

Even though Poniatowski and Bernadotte were exercising leadership, it was a situation where he, as Grand Duke, was not standing tall.

However, he could not help but be displeased that even the supply was being handled by the Grand Duke of Bohemia.

“It has been a while, Grand Duke Bonaparte. By the way, where is His Imperial Majesty?”

“Are you talking about my brother? Oh, haven’t you heard yet?”

Louis Bonaparte said to the embarrassed Grand Duke of Warsaw as if it were natural.

“My brother is advancing to Krakow. So, to the south.”

The King of Bavaria, the King of Prussia, and Blücher were all shocked.

No, the entire 200,000 [German] corps, who had struggled to march to Warsaw, were perplexed.

The Emperor was not with them.

This meant that he was only going to Russia with the Grande Armée.

At the same time, a man burst into the British Consulate in Warsaw.