I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 132

The Genius of the French Royal Family 132. War Doesn’t Wait When You’re Ready (132/355)

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Satisfying.

The pleasure of watching events unfold according to plan surpasses any cinematic masterpiece.

Jefferson, arriving to sign the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, wore a determined expression.

That is, until he was right in front of the conference room entrance.

“Your Highness, the tea is excellent! Hahaha!”

“It’s a top-quality blend sourced directly from Qing [Dynasty China].”

“I’m only disappointed I can’t witness Adams’ expression when he hears this news.”

In the United States, this was touted as a negotiation of the century, but in reality, the agreement had been fully drafted in advance.

Perhaps news of the agreement’s conclusion has already reached the United States.

And with such groundbreaking conditions that even the Federalists [a political party in early America] can’t object.

“To think you’re selling Florida after Louisiana, I truly don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“We were planning to dispose of Florida quickly anyway, as it’s land we can’t effectively manage from the start.”

“Thanks to you, I have an excellent excuse to attack Adams politically. No, the gap between us will probably be so large that I won’t even need to attack him anymore.”

“Didn’t I say? There’s no one more suitable for the next president than you.”

The price at which France sold Louisiana was so low that anyone would consider it a bargain from a purely financial perspective.

In modern times, people might even joke, ‘Do you have some kind of compromising video?’

Still, it’s not as though we sold it at a complete loss.

In this era, Louisiana’s strength lies, of course, in its geographical advantage in the Gulf of Mexico.

In exchange for selling this area, I obtained significant concessions regarding logistical transportation using the Mississippi River’s waterways.

Since the upper reaches of the Mississippi River were already under our control, there was no reason for the United States to refuse.

“By the way, won’t Spain express dissatisfaction if we sell Louisiana so quickly?”

“Spain? What can they possibly do about it?”

As long as we control Gibraltar, Spain will never be able to side with England.

In other words, if they want to protect Gibraltar from England, they must remain allied with us.

Even if they were to lose all of New Spain in the New World, the Gibraltar region is a place they must absolutely defend.

“Having Spain occupy Gibraltar was a brilliant move. It effectively tied Spain to France…”

“That’s right. Even if we had occupied it ourselves, we wouldn’t be able to stop England alone, so there was no reason to be greedy. Those with short-sighted views frothed at the mouth, saying we should have taken it, but everything must be viewed in the long term.”

José Moñino, who originally devised this plan, must feel like he’s been struck in the back of the head with a hammer right now.

But if he concocted a scheme, shouldn’t he be prepared to receive one in return?

What can he do if he was less capable than me?

He should just consider it a valuable life lesson; there’s really no other way to look at it.

If he holds a grudge over this and tries to engage in more behind-the-scenes maneuvering?

Then I’ll simply eliminate him.

“Spain has been burned once this time, so they probably won’t do anything rashly. By the way, although we’ve gained some breathing room by acquiring Louisiana, I’m still worried when I think about the future.”

“Is it because of the re-election?”

“Yes. Even if we incorporate Louisiana and Florida, the desire for expansion won’t disappear. Frankly, I didn’t think the citizens’ aspirations would be this strong.”

“The New World is vast, after all. The desire to expand will inevitably grow that much larger.”

How many indigenous people and neighboring countries have suffered because of that Manifest Destiny [the 19th-century doctrine or belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable]?

In fact, the signs are already appearing.

As long as Spain maintains New Spain, they will inevitably be constantly harassed.

But if we can properly guide this flow?

We can easily resolve various problems without lifting a finger.

“What do you think, Your Highness? Will I be able to effectively manage American public opinion?”

“Of course. You possess the capabilities to do so.”

“But will Spain even consider selling us land?”

“In reality, New Spain lacks the capacity to manage the border areas with the United States. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll sell the territory.”

Spain’s greed for territory in the New World is also extraordinary.

If left unchecked, a conflict will almost certainly occur, but there is still a deterrent in place to prevent that.

“Still, both Spain and the United States are members of the alliance centered around France, so wouldn’t it be excessive for diplomatic friction to arise?”

That’s right. As long as France is present to mediate disputes between the two countries, armed conflict will likely be avoided.

Coincidentally, New France also borders New Spain and the United States.

“Certainly, if either side requests it, we can’t refuse our duties as an ally. However…”

“…However?”

“If New Spain is no longer Spanish territory, wouldn’t the United States have no reason to hesitate?”

Jefferson, pondering my meaningful words, soon nodded with a knowing smile.

That’s why intelligent people are so valuable.

No further explanation is necessary.

※※※

Arkansas River in the Arkansas region of New France.

The newly appointed Captain Napoleon, leading his artillery company on-site, is far from at ease.

The Native American soldier and the white soldier who caused the problem were kneeling with solemn expressions, awaiting their punishment.

“Explain yourselves.”

At his sharp command, the non-commissioned officer quickly gave a report.

“Yes, Captain. Some time ago, as you predicted, a portion of the Indian forces opposing our army attempted to flee along this riverbank.”

“If you had followed my orders, you could have fired shells at the backs of those fleeing, but why did it turn out like this?”

“Yes. That is… this soldier made a remark to the effect of, ‘How can a soldier of Indian descent shoot his own people? What if he does something that threatens us instead?’ The Indian soldiers became enraged by that, and suddenly they were fighting among themselves in front of the fleeing enemy…”

“You crazy bastards.”

Napoleon glared at the soldiers who caused the problem with murderous eyes.

What a disgrace at this historic moment, their first deployment into actual combat after completing extensive training and education!

He heard that the companies of Davout and Lannes, who had set out with him, had achieved considerable success.

But his company made the absurd mistake of letting the enemy, who were retreating and vulnerable, escape right before their eyes.

‘Stupid and incompetent bastards who reject the food even when it’s offered to them…’

His plan was flawless.

He could confidently say that he had issued the optimal command after comprehensively reviewing the deployment and movement of friendly forces, as well as the size and terrain of the enemy.

But what’s the use of that?

Even if the commander gives perfect orders, the soldiers who have to execute them are the epitome of incompetence.

Of course, he didn’t reveal these inner thoughts outwardly.

Napoleon generally enjoyed good popularity among the rank-and-file soldiers.

Even though he was a super-elite who graduated from the military academy with excellent grades and was under the prince’s patronage, he shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers.

He had never had difficulty controlling the soldiers until now.

However, one thing he had overlooked was that the army of New France was now composed of multiple races.

It was one thing for all the soldiers to respect and follow Napoleon, but it was another matter for them to get along well with each other.

‘Anyway, I didn’t do anything wrong this time. My operation and command were perfect. Everything would have gone well if it weren’t for those incompetent guys, so let’s emphasize that point in the report.’

Napoleon was unaware, but even he, a military genius, had a significant flaw.

The most prominent of these was his constant blaming of others, but he didn’t consider this a serious problem.

No, rather, he attributed even this to the fact that they didn’t follow his perfect orders.

Of course, the soldiers’ mistakes were indeed significant this time, but the phrase ‘it’s my fault’ did not exist in Napoleon’s vocabulary.

Just as he was diligently racking his brains to avoid taking any blame, the advice he had heard from Prince Christian before coming here suddenly flashed through his mind.

“Napoleon, your talent is undoubtedly outstanding. I think it’s probably the most outstanding among the excellent soldiers I’ve gathered.”

“It’s an honor. I will do my best to live up to Your Highness’s expectations…”

“No, what I want to hear is not that kind of talk, but I wanted to give you advice, because even you have shortcomings. Still, you’ll listen to my story to some extent.”

It was true that Napoleon was arrogant and 독선적인 [self-righteous], but he tended to listen to the stories of people he 인정한 [acknowledged] to some extent.

And the only person in the world he 인정한 [acknowledged] as superior to himself.

Even Napoleon could not ignore Louis Christian’s words.

“What is my flaw? If you tell me, I will definitely fix it.”

“Your military talent is certainly on a different level from ordinary people. But that’s why it’s easy to be 물들기 [tainted] in 독선 [self-righteousness]. But no matter how much of a genius you are, you can’t always make accurate judgments. You may make mistakes somewhere, and you may overlook some issues.”

“Yes. Of course, I don’t think I know everything.”

“And because you’re so 뛰어난 [outstanding], the commanders under you may find it difficult to make independent judgments. Soldiers only have to follow your orders, but officers are different, aren’t they?”

Napoleon, who had not yet personally experienced Christian’s 지적 [point], did not fully understand its meaning.

Still, Christian calmly said everything he had to say.

“Don’t forget that a genius can inadvertently erase the individuality of those under him. To avoid that, you must start practicing covering up the mistakes of your subordinates and blaming yourself from now on. I will focus on these points when I receive the accomplishments you have achieved, so don’t forget.”

Yes. Prince Christian must have foreseen the current situation and given that advice.

Napoleon calmed his anger and took a deep breath.

“First of all, it cannot be denied that the soldier who made 폭언 [abusive remarks] to the soldier of Indian descent caused this incident. Let me make it clear that discriminating based on origin and race in New France is the same as 반기를 들다 [revolting] against the Governor-General’s will. In particular, making such 망언 [outrageous remarks] in the army, where we risk our lives together, is an absolutely unacceptable serious crime.”

The white soldier’s face turned pale.

Napoleon didn’t even glance at that soldier and continued to speak calmly.

“I should strip him of his uniform and discharge him immediately, but the truth is that this problem is also my fault for not providing proper education in advance. The officers should have looked into the sense of alienation felt by the new soldiers who have not yet been assigned, and it cannot be denied that this part was insufficient.”

In fact, when 따지고 보면 [upon closer inspection], Napoleon should be seen as having no fault in this incident.

However, the commander’s words came as a fresh shock to the non-commissioned officers and soldiers.

“Of course, the soldiers who ruined the operation cannot go without punishment. However, this case is something that would have inevitably happened someday in the army of New France. I will report that point to the upper echelons and focus on the soldiers’ consciousness education. I would like to apologize to the soldiers of Indian descent who have had an unpleasant experience as a Frenchman, regardless of rank.”

Napoleon bowed his head very slightly and then immediately raised it again.

It was only that much, but the complexions of the Native American soldiers, who had been wearing expressions as if they had eaten dog poop, noticeably improved.

Napoleon looked around at the other soldiers and emphasized again for the last time.

“Keep in mind. This is a battlefield where we have to risk our lives. Those next to you are not just colleagues who fight together, but comrades who can trust and entrust each other’s lives. Race? Origin? Discriminating based on those kinds of factors is nothing more than an act of treason that increases the damage to our allies. From this moment on, no discriminatory remarks will be forgiven!”

“We will keep that in mind!”

“Thank you for your leniency, Captain!”

Napoleon is not just a simple captain, but a person who has ties to the Governor-General who controls the military power of New France.

His opinion should naturally be seen as being conveyed to the top echelons of the military.

Shame and apology crossed the faces of the soldiers who had been making discriminatory remarks, and a sense of pleasure flashed across the faces of the Native American soldiers who had been suppressing their anger.

Napoleon, having confirmed the 면면 [expressions] of the soldiers, took a sigh of relief and decided to report today’s events to Christian.

‘Come to think of it, Prince Christian said that his goal was to create an army that could overcome even a great war when it approached.’

I roughly 흘려 넘겼는데 [dismissed] at the time, but now that I think about it, it was a meaningful statement.

Currently, New France’s enemies are only a few Indian tribes who do not stop 반항 [resisting] to the end.

Fighting these people mainly takes on the nature of suppression, not a war-like aspect.

Then what exactly is the great war that the prince mentioned?

Could there be some connection to the fact that he told me not to take my eyes off the United States and Spain to the south?

Napoleon’s gaze inadvertently turned to the Gulf of Mexico below Arkansas.

The river breeze, which had felt cool just a moment ago, felt as if it contained the smell of blood somewhere.

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