I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 244

Became a Genius of the French Royal Family Episode 244: There is No Compromise in My Dictionary (244/355)

< There is No Compromise in My Dictionary >

The Forbidden City couldn’t mask its shock at the sudden arrival of Crown Prince Minning and Commander-in-Chief Mingliang, who looked like they’d been dragged through the mud.

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be commanding the army?”

The Jiaqing Emperor couldn’t fathom that the battle was already over.

Why would he?

Even with the strained domestic situation, they had managed to assemble a large army of 100,000 men.

Frankly, even if he were leading them himself, such a massive force shouldn’t be defeated so quickly and completely.

“Surely, the situation isn’t so desperate that you’ve abandoned Jiangxi Province? Even if we lose Jiangxi, if Henan Province falls too, we’ll be in serious trouble…”

Henan Province, located south of the Yellow River, holds significant symbolic value with its ancient capitals like Luoyang, Kaifeng, Xuchang, and Anyang.

If France were to advance that far, it would create major problems.

“If we’ve fallen back to defend, we must hold Henan at all costs…”

“N-No, that’s not it, Your Majesty!”

Interrupting the Emperor was usually a death sentence, but Mingliang’s face was etched with desperation.

Even the Crown Prince was staring blankly, looking half-dazed, so the Emperor held back his reprimand.

“What do you mean ‘not that’? Speak calmly and slowly. What’s happening at the front?”

“W-Well, the battle… the battle… it’s already over.”

“What?”

After hearing Mingliang’s explanation, the Jiaqing Emperor cried out in anguish, his eyes bloodshot.

“We lost again? And this time, it was a total rout!”

“W-Well, not a complete annihilation. However, the unit is in such disarray that it’s beyond recovery…”

“If that’s not annihilation, what is it then!”

One hundred thousand men. They had committed a full 100,000 soldiers.

Even for a powerful nation like Qing, deploying such a large army amidst the current turmoil was a huge gamble.

Even if they couldn’t win decisively, they should have at least achieved some tangible results.

“Alright. Then how much damage did we inflict on the enemy? How much did we slow down their advance?”

“T-That is…”

“Enough! You’re testing my patience. If you don’t speak quickly, I will hold you accountable for this defeat!”

“Although a precise assessment hasn’t been made, it’s likely that the enemy suffered virtually no damage…”

“We threw in 100,000 men and didn’t inflict any damage on the enemy?”

Now, instead of anger, a sense of utter absurdity washed over him.

Could this be a nightmare?

Was he still in bed, and the scene unfolding before him was just an illusion brought on by extreme stress?

Surely, there was no way this ridiculous claim—that they couldn’t inflict any damage on the enemy despite outnumbering them four to one—could be true.

However,

No matter how hard he pinched his arm beneath his dragon robe, the sharp pain only confirmed that this was reality.

He had to face it.

His army was utterly crushed, and the fate of the imperial family hung precariously in the balance.

“To think you incompetent fools! Do you even realize what you’ve done! You are traitors! Traitors who have doomed the imperial family!”

At the Emperor’s furious outburst, the other officials also rose to their feet, adding their voices to the condemnation.

They couldn’t bring themselves to directly curse the Crown Prince, so their criticism was focused entirely on Mingliang, who had commanded the army.

“There’s a limit to incompetence! How could you possibly produce such a disastrous outcome!”

“We must suspect intentional sabotage! Investigate whether he colluded with France!”

Of course, Mingliang had his own defense to offer.

With the most aggrieved expression and tone imaginable, he pleaded with the Emperor.

“Your Majesty! It is true that I suffered an irreversible and devastating defeat, but there is a reason for it! Please, hear me out. It is all a cunning plot orchestrated by the ministers of the Grand Council!”

“What?”

This unexpected accusation caused the Jiaqing Emperor’s gaze to snap towards the group of Grand Council ministers.

“Your Majesty! This is merely a pathetic excuse from a defeated general trying to evade responsibility!”

“That’s right! We have done our utmost to gather accurate information, but this is the height of audacity. Anyone with even a shred of honor would humbly accept their responsibility and face execution!”

The criticism intensified, but Mingliang stood firm.

He was genuinely convinced he had been wronged.

“Your Majesty! If you listen to my explanation, you will immediately see that these despicable ministers have been deceiving you. The Crown Prince can attest to my words!”

“…Speak, then. For now.”

Even if he was destined for execution, he deserved to be heard.

As the Jiaqing Emperor granted him a temporary reprieve, Mingliang, filled with resentment, tearfully recounted the reasons for their defeat.

His shocking testimony plunged the great hall into stunned silence.

When the Crown Prince, the heir to the throne, corroborated Mingliang’s account, the atmosphere in the hall shifted dramatically.

The Jiaqing Emperor, who had been roaring with anger, repeatedly questioned them, as if unable to believe what he was hearing.

“None of the information received through the Grand Council was accurate?”

“No! The enemy’s new incendiary shells far outranged our cannons! Their firearms had a completely different design from the matchlocks [early type of firearm] we use! And their rate of fire and range were unbelievable! Nothing was correct! Not a single detail!”

“What is going on here? Ministers, explain yourselves.”

If this was true, Mingliang might be an innocent victim.

Everyone knew that completely wrong information was worse than having no information at all.

He would have based his strategy on the information he had received, but if that information was entirely false, how could he possibly have won, even if Sun Tzu [ancient Chinese general and strategist] himself had been reincarnated?

“From the beginning, France’s military strength was far superior. There was absolutely no chance of winning in a direct confrontation! Yet, those who controlled the flow of information from the Six Ministries [the six main government departments in ancient China] concealed the truth. If I hadn’t sensed the danger and fled with the Crown Prince, who knows what might have happened to His Highness at their hands!”

“So, what do the Grand Council ministers have to say for themselves?”

“W-We are being falsely accused!”

“That’s right! We reported the information received from the Six Ministries to Your Majesty without any changes. We also don’t know why this discrepancy in information occurred…”

“Could it be that France introduced a large number of new weapons for this battle…?”

The voices of the ministers, who knew that their explanation sounded implausible even as they spoke, trailed off.

The Jiaqing Emperor turned to the officials of the Ministry of War in disbelief.

“Is that even remotely possible?”

“How long has it been since France last fought a war with us? Could their weapons have developed so dramatically in such a short time? It’s a theory not worth considering.”

“Then either the Grand Council was incredibly incompetent, or they deliberately provided false information.”

“Your Majesty! Absolutely not! It’s also possible that France’s weapons have improved slightly since the previous war, and Mingliang is exaggerating to justify his defeat!”

“That’s right! The Crown Prince was in the rear, and the shock of the defeat may have clouded his judgment!”

Now that he thought about it, that could be true.

According to Mingliang’s claims, the French guns had doubled their reloading speed and significantly increased their range, but there was no guarantee that he wasn’t exaggerating.

Of course, they might have become slightly faster and more accurate, but his claims were ultimately based on his own battlefield observations.

It was possible that both sides were partially telling the truth.

“…For now, let’s calmly analyze the current situation and formulate a plan…”

“Despicable traitors who deceive His Majesty! How dare you call yourselves servants of the imperial family after what you’ve done!”

“Is that something a failed general who caused the worst disaster in the history of the Central Plains dynasties [historical region in China] should be saying! You’re slandering innocent people to cover up your own incompetence!”

“Stop talking nonsense! Don’t think I don’t know you’re plotting to enthrone the young Third Prince and rule from behind the throne like the Ten Eunuchs [powerful eunuchs who controlled the emperor]!”

“Did you read too much Romance of the Three Kingdoms [classic Chinese novel] that your brain is stuck in that era! That’s why you suffered such a miserable defeat against the Westerners!”

The officials, now completely divided into two opposing factions, forgot the Emperor’s presence and began hurling insults at each other, pointing fingers and making accusations.

The Jiaqing Emperor quietly closed his eyes and leaned back against his throne, observing the chaotic scene.

‘Ah, this damn country is truly beyond saving now.’

Letting the officials’ shouts of ‘It’s your fault, I was right’ wash over him, the Jiaqing Emperor decided to mentally check out.

The face of his late father, the Qianlong Emperor, who had offered him so much guidance, flickered in his mind.

He missed his father dearly today.

※※※

“Congratulations on a historic victory!”

“Thank you, General.”

“Indeed! Commander Napoleon! I’ve heard the stories, but seeing you in person, you truly live up to the legend! I’m constantly realizing that the rumors were actually understated.”

The Netherlands, which had been observing the situation from the sidelines without getting involved in the chaos in Uyghur, quickly joined forces as soon as France mobilized its army.

Herman, nominally the commander of the Netherlands but already facing criticism for being France’s lackey, was busy flattering Napoleon, clasping his hands together obsequiously.

“We wish we could have witnessed that heroic battle firsthand…”

“It was an opportunity to showcase our country’s new weapons, so it couldn’t be helped. The general information has been released, but there’s a significant difference between seeing it with your own eyes and simply hearing about it.”

“Hahaha, of course. I understand completely. We are grateful just for being allowed to record the details of the battle.”

“Then, as promised, please deliver this information to all the countries in Asia, just as you did before.”

This was one of the few direct orders that Prime Minister Christian had issued.

In other words, it was a top-priority task for Napoleon.

“Leave it to me. Once this astonishing victory is known, the countries of Asia will know for sure which side they should be on.”

“I suppose so. The last battle wasn’t very decisive, so many were hesitant, but this time it’s different.”

“However, the battle results are so unbelievable that I’m worried some might think the data is fabricated.”

Napoleon had enlisted the help of the Netherlands, a neutral third party, for this very reason, but even so, the outcome this time was almost too good to be true.

“But we can’t invent non-existent casualties, can we?”

“That’s true. You’re absolutely right, but…”

To fight against an army of 100,000 and suffer no deaths, with only two injuries from stray bullets or soldiers being trampled by allies while changing formations…

Wouldn’t the Dutch side have reacted with ‘Hey, you’re lying!’ if they had received these results initially?

“…Let’s increase the number of injuries a bit. There are some soldiers with blisters and knee pain from marching, so if we add them all up, it should be around a hundred.”

“About a hundred injuries… That’s much more believable. Understood.”

“Anyway, Qing will definitely request a truce, so if we include that information as well, it will lend credibility to our reports.”

“That’s right. An envoy has already arrived from Beijing. They suggested concluding the treaty in Tianjin or near Beijing.”

“Oh, and what did you say?”

“What did I say? I told them to come here themselves if they want peace. And I made it clear that there would be no compromise on the conditions we set.”

What kind of conditions were they that he felt the need to announce them in advance?

Herman, watching Napoleon with a questioning gaze, widened his eyes when he heard the words that followed.

‘Is this guy crazy?’

His eyes, filled with unconcealed emotion, seemed to scream the question.

< There is No Compromise in My Dictionary > End