He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 513

(513) Murat’s Cuirassiers Decorate the Early Battle

Originally, since firepower became dominant on the battlefield, cavalry armor has been trending towards lighter designs.

“That’s why Hussars are the best! Hahaha!”

Lasalle laughed, brandishing his saber.

Normally, the sight of him dashing around with feathers fluttering would have been met with admiration.

But now, it’s a rainy situation.

Moreover, it’s a cavalry charge towards an encampment where line infantry and artillery are waiting.

Immediately, even his own side is looking at Lasalle’s charge with faces of astonishment rather than admiration.

-Pitter-patter! Thud! Splatter!

The ground is muddy because it’s grassland.

The horses barely manage to push off from the ground, which has been softened by the heavy rain.

Even walking is difficult for people, but for horses, once their hooves sink into the mire, it’s hard to move properly.

Besides, horses have a lower ability to see in the dark than humans.

Above all, they are surprisingly timid, often stopping in emergencies.

Therefore, wise cavalry commanders often don’t use cavalry tactics until they have perfect conditions.

For example, sunny weather, dry ground, and the horses and riders fully prepared.

So, it’s natural that the commander of the British Hanoverian Hussars, Baron Charles Linsingen, shouts like this:

“Madmen! Running through the mud now is against all cavalry common sense!”

As the French Hussars charged towards the Hussars who hadn’t even mounted their horses yet, they sneered.

“Common sense is bullshit! Heh heh heh!”

Literally a short sprint.

Lasalle’s horse, cutting through the rain, approached Baron Linsingen.

The moment Baron Linsingen hurriedly tried to mount his horse.

The saber blade grazed past him.

-Thwack!

With a loud noise, Baron Linsingen fell from his horse, headless.

-Splash!

Lasalle splattered blood and roared with laughter.

“Hah, blood shower! I love it! This is the taste of a Hussar’s blade!”

“You look like a barbarian, Lasalle, brother.”

“Come on, Praline! You’ve been to Egypt, why are you being so picky!”

Lasalle shouted at his adjutant and cousin, Pierre de Praline.

“Cavalrymen are those who kill enemies in mounted combat! Run, our King’s blade must not be stained with blood!”

It’s a charge tactic that even medieval knights wouldn’t have committed.

Rather, medieval French knights would have lance charged; fighting with swords was rare.

However, it has already been 200 years since light cavalry became the mainstream due to the development of firearms.

Except for the Polish Uhlan lancers, Hussars are the standard cavalry unit in every European army.

However, when these Hussars start a battle, they usually start with pistol fire.

It’s extremely rare to see them charging with sabers alone like now.

Because cold weapon charges can be repelled by the line infantry’s shooting alone.

Nevertheless, today is different.

Because it just rained heavily, most of the gunpowder weapons are wet.

Although the British use high-quality gunpowder, it’s still black powder, which is vulnerable to moisture.

So, they had no choice but to be helpless against the sabers.

However, cold weapons depend greatly not only on the user’s skill but also on a ruthless mindset.

Even someone who has rolled around on the battlefield for quite some time may not be used to killing people with swords rather than bullets.

First, Ipolite, the chief aide to the King of Spain, screamed while waving his sword.

“Aaaah! Damn it, die! Die!”

“If you’re not good at swordsmanship, just run, Ipolite! Just don’t drop your saber! It’s the only weapon that will protect your life!”

“Isn’t it customary for the monarch to stay quietly in the camp if possible? You can’t even use a gun!”

King Eugene snorted at Bogatzan, who was audaciously protesting to the monarch.

“The safest place right now is where I am, Ipolite. Have you forgotten?”

Only then did Ipolite recall his 20 years of following Eugene.

Even when crossing the Atlantic and jumping into slave revolts, the area behind Eugene was safe.

It was as if he was born with a premonition specialized in avoiding danger.

Perhaps that’s why he was called a genius of gambling?

Nevertheless, Ipolite grumbled at the charge that he couldn’t understand at all.

“How can the enemy camp be the safest place?”

“I don’t know either. It’s [Intuition].”

“Tch, lucky you with your good intuition. Uh.”

Suddenly, Ipolite pointed at something with his blood-stained saber.

“There, the artillery unit.”

Beyond the British main camp, the artillery battery is visible in the rear.

Amidst the bewildered soldiers, steel pillars stand tall, forming a line.

If that artillery battery had been properly operational, the Grande Armée Imperial Guard might have been blown away entirely.

However, while they were launching rockets, heavy rain poured down, and the British missed their golden opportunity.

Suddenly, Eugene frowned, gauging the distance.

“The breakthrough power is a bit lacking.”

“What should we do? If we continue like this, the enemies might come to their senses and do a bayonet charge. Besides, I see other races too?”

“Those aren’t other races, they’re Indians. Anyway, they’ve made tremendous preparations.”

Before he knew it, those who appeared to be Indian soldiers were forming ranks.

They seemed more accustomed to close combat than the British soldiers.

To be precise, they probably had more experience in cold weapon engagements.

If Eugene charged like this, he would be surrounded by the enemy’s encirclement, making it impossible to destroy the cannons.

However, Eugene smiled calmly.

“But we have the strongest cavalry commander in Europe.”

For a moment, Ipolite looked around, confirmed that Lasalle was far away, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Don’t say that to Lasalle, King Eugene.”

If Lasalle had heard that, he would have charged directly at the cannons.

***

Then, who is the strongest cavalry commander in Europe, even recognized by Eugene?

“Hussars? Nonsense! There are still none who can stop the charge of the Cuirassiers! Especially Murat’s charge!”

It is Joachim Murat.

Murat’s cavalry is different from Eugene’s Imperial Guard cavalry led by Lasalle.

The gleaming metal breastplate stands out.

It cannot be compared to the knights of the Middle Ages, but it is a completely different sight from other 19th-century armies running around in light armor.

Soon, it is the Cuirassiers [heavy cavalry known for their breastplates].

-Clang, clang, clang!

The Cuirassiers, belonging to Murat’s Imperial Guard, run with a metallic sound.

The speed is a trot, that is, about [a canter, a moderate gallop].

Murat spurred his horse and shouted.

“Let’s go, brothers of Gascony! Today, we will show the Saxons the greatness of the [Gauls, ancient inhabitants of France]!”

Gaul refers to the natives who lived in ancient France.

In the late 18th century, specifically around the time of the revolution, there was a Roman craze in France.

But no matter how much they insisted, it was certain that the Romans were not the ancestors of the French.

So, they found the [Gaul] tribe, the ancient French natives called Gauls in Latin.

To the Gauls, the Saxons are a kind of enemy.

Because the Anglo-Saxons invaded and conquered their brethren living in Britain, which is the origin of the current British.

In short, Murat was boosting morale in a somewhat educated way.

Of course, the cavalrymen from Gascony didn’t even know what Gaul was.

“But what is Gaul?”

“They say they were our ancestors in Roman times.”

“Were we enemies with the British back then too? Heave-ho!”

But that doesn’t mean their momentum decreases.

-Swoosh!

Suddenly, the muddy ground that the light cavalry had faced greeted the Cuirassiers.

“It’s mud!”

“Shut up and run! Can’t you even get out of that!”

“Damn it, if it were the horse I brought from Gascony! This one is from Russia, so it’s lacking!”

In an instant, Murat’s roar echoed throughout the unit.

“Overcome the crisis with courage! We are the best of the Grande Armée [Napoleon’s army]!”

Murat is a cavalry commander, but he is said to have known nothing about horses.

Furthermore, he was not interested in how to care for the cavalry and horses to get out of the mud.

He was also the one who lost many horses on the way back during the original history’s Russian expedition.

So, there is even a story that Napoleon hardly used cavalry after the Great Expedition.

Nevertheless, there is a reason why Eugene chose this ignorant and reckless Murat.

-Crunch, crunch, crunch!

With momentum, the Cuirassiers run.

If there are obstacles, they smash them.

If there are enemies, they cut them down.

They only run forward.

Three thousand Cuirassiers, unstoppable by anything, charged through the center of the British army.

“More than half are being knocked down!”

When his adjutant, Major General Dominique-Catherine de Pérignon, shouted, Murat scoffed.

“Only breakthrough is needed! The King of Spain will take care of the rest!”

In fact, Murat doesn’t care about what happens next.

It’s Eugene’s problem to take responsibility for.

So, all he has to do is run forward.

It was when this reckless charge ended.

“We broke through!”

All the Cuirassiers shouted in victory.

When you think about it, they just ran, and they didn’t achieve anything.

Even during the famous charge of the original history’s Battle of Wagram, Murat just ran back and forth, and he killed few enemy soldiers.

However, a cavalry breakthrough is meaningful in giving shock to the enemy camp.

Looking back at the enemy camp, which was in complete panic, Murat whistled.

“Well, I’ve done all I can do.”

“Now, how do we get back? There are enemies over there too?”

“Huh?”

Murat, who confirmed the approaching enemy reinforcements at the adjutant’s question, licked his lips.

“Looks like I have to run away?”

If he continues like this, he is in danger of being surrounded and annihilated.

Murat started running again.

***

Meanwhile, at Waterloo, the [nail, referring to disabling the cannons] was finally hammered in.

-Clang!

In the original history’s Battle of Waterloo, the French Imperial cavalry fails.

In the very simple task of hammering nails into the cannons.

Because, coincidentally, all the soldiers with nails had died.

But now, King Eugene of Spain has brought the nails.

“Reporting! All 156 cannons held by the British army have been shut down!”

“Good, there’s no more time to delay. Run!”

“Yes!”

As soon as he heard Lasalle’s report, Eugene got on his horse and ran again.

-Pitter-patter!

Even a slight delay is a luxury.

From the beginning, it was a reckless charge.

Now that the cannon shutdown has succeeded, you will die if you don’t retreat immediately.

Ipolite chattered with a face that finally had some composure.

“Hah, Marmont or Duroc should have come at times like this! An environment where you can shoot cannons into a demilitarized zone! Besides, the rain is stopping too, right?”

“The rain stopping means that gunpowder weapons can be used soon. The British are in a much better condition.”

“Are we doing nothing? Huh?”

Suddenly, Ipolite’s eyes widened.

“Are my eyes deceiving me? What is that over there?”

Before he knew it, the French Imperial main camp was getting closer.

But the main camp is under attack.

By soldiers who are definitely Indians with dark skin.

“Surprise attack?”

“Uh, they look like infantry?”

“Curved swords, light armor, could it be.”

Ipolite tilted his head at Eugene’s words.

“What the heck is that?”