I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 274

< Hunting Moths to a Flame >

The Righteous Harmony Society [also known as the Boxers, a Chinese secret society] and the Qing Eight Banners Army, led by Myeongnyang, marched onto the battlefield with great fanfare.

“Once the battle begins, a consistent command system is paramount. Therefore, I would like to take command here. What do you think?”

“Are you suggesting that the Righteous Harmony Society should fall under the command of the Eight Banners Army?”

“This is a judgment based on practical considerations. If we falter amongst ourselves, we might lose a battle we could otherwise win.”

“Hmm… that’s true. Wang Qing is still recovering from his injuries from the last battle and is stationed in the rear, so we are not at full strength either.”

In truth, the leaders of the Righteous Harmony Society had no intention of commanding from the front lines from the start.

How could they possibly command hundreds of thousands of soldiers when they knew nothing about military strategy or tactics?

They were only thinking of subtly passing the responsibility onto the government troops, so they were grateful that Myeongnyang was taking the burden upon himself.

“Speaking of which, is Lord Wang Qing alright?”

“It seems he was grazed by shrapnel. He said he didn’t realize it until later. He should recover if he rests well, as it’s not life-threatening.”

“Injuries sustained in battle are badges of honor. Let’s do our best.”

Myeongnyang left to rally his commanders, his fighting spirit renewed.

The leaders of the Righteous Harmony Society saw him off, subtly retreating to the safety of the rear.

“We can leave it to him, right?”

“Of course. He may be a defeated general, but he has experience fighting the French. He’ll know what to do.”

“I wish we had enough talismans for everyone…”

“How many do we have left?”

“Less than a third.”

The amount consumed in the last battle was far too great.

Even so, it felt a bit excessive to have used up almost all of the reserves they had accumulated.

Well, they could overlook it since they had won, but it was still a cause for concern.

“Since those charging at the front are the most important, shouldn’t we focus on distributing the remaining talismans to them?”

“No, no. The front lines are just cannon fodder anyway. They’ll be the first to charge and die, so there’s no reason to waste precious talismans on them. How about giving them to those in the rear ranks instead?”

Jang Bok-gu clapped his hands as if he finally understood, seeing the sinister smile on Jo Deok-jeong’s face.

“Ah, I see! It’s better to give the talismans to those who will be demoralized by seeing their comrades die, rather than to those who are already dead or dying.”

“Exactly. And if they see their comrades still charging fiercely even as the front ranks fall, others will be influenced as well.”

“Oh! You truly are a genius sent from the heavens!”

“Hahaha! You flatter me. This is all a collaborative effort, isn’t it?”

They had grown their organization by manipulating information, promoting racism, demonizing specific countries, and inciting hatred through propaganda and distortion.

The reason these organizations were able to gain power in such a short period was that they amplified these negative emotions to the extreme.

The beginning was difficult, but once the system was in place, it was surprisingly easy, even astonishing.

Looking around at the mid-level officers commanding the troops, Jo Deok-jeong shouted with an unparalleled solemn voice.

“Warriors! The moment of決戰 [decisive battle] has finally arrived! How cruelly have those arrogant Westerners trampled our land with their dirty feet! How many of our wives and daughters have been humiliated by those cruel Westerners! Why is this happening! Is it because our strength and wisdom are lacking? No! Our Han people have been the center of the world for thousands of years. We are the most superior and intelligent race in this world!”

The greatest driving force behind the rapid growth of the Righteous Harmony Society.

The propaganda that the Han people were the masters of the world and the most superior race worked better than imaginable in the current situation.

But why is the reality so different now?

It’s all because of the machinations of those Westerners.

And all the surrounding countries and peoples fear and are wary of the Han people.

Because they know that when their era returns, everyone will have to live in fear.

“Now, let’s begin! Let’s kill all those Westerners and usher in our era! We are the masters of this world!”

“Ooooooh!”

Even without talismans, boosting morale before battle is a piece of cake.

If they win this war, they will overthrow the incompetent emperor and build a new empire centered on the Han people.

And they will be at the center of it.

The leaders of the Righteous Harmony Society couldn’t hide the smiles on their faces as they watched their pawns advance, stirring up a massive cloud of dust.

※※※

Kwaaaang!

The sound of a French-made new model cannon shell tore through the air, signaling the start of the battle.

“Don’t spare the gunpowder! Pour it all in!”

“Fire! Fire! Prioritize shooting the ones entering the valley!”

The French army, positioned on relatively high ground, showed incredible accuracy against the approaching Qing army.

Ta-ta-ta-tang! Ta-ta-ta-ta!

“Load diligently! Each person must shoot down at least ten!”

“If you can’t hit them at this range, you’re an idiot! They’re practically begging to be killed. Just shoot as fast as you can!”

“Artillery! No need to aim precisely! Just shoot roughly!”

The firepower of the French army, which had been preparing for this, was even more concentrated than before.

No matter how ragtag the enemy may be, an army of over 200,000 is no child’s play.

The moment they get caught up in that overwhelming numerical advantage, they would inevitably suffer tremendous damage.

That’s why Jang Ran had made every effort to meet the enemy from a strategically advantageous position from the start.

Fortunately, the enemy army was mostly infantry, so as long as they occupied key strategic points, the enemy could never ignore them.

“Even so, I didn’t expect them to charge in so mindlessly… Do they not have the ability to learn?”

“It seems they didn’t learn any lessons from the last battle.”

“I expected it from the moment they brought out all their forces. To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure, but this makes it clear. The ones we massacred last time probably reported it as their victory.”

“…Is that possible?”

Ran nodded without taking his eyes off the enemy troops being swept away by the allied artillery fire.

“Having a large number of troops is meaningless if they are not properly commanded. Look. Right now, they have a large number, but their troop deployment is terrible. In the first place, even I or Davout wouldn’t be able to easily command an army of over 200,000, so it’s only natural.”

Just because 250,000 are fighting against 30,000 doesn’t mean the latter is fighting against more than eight enemies simultaneously.

If the troops are not properly concentrated, the number of soldiers actually fighting can be less than 50,000, let alone 250,000.

In reality, the current deployment of the Qing army was exactly like that.

Moreover, the French army was occupying the relatively high ground, so the Qing army had to run up a slope of several kilometers without any cover.

Due to the sieve-like terrain, it was also difficult to push all the troops in at once.

Therefore, the fact that they inevitably had to commit troops piecemeal was a huge burden for the Qing army.

Kwaaaang!

“6 o’clock! Enemy infantry has crossed the defensive line!”

“3rd Battalion! Clear out the 6 o’clock side!”

“They keep coming even when we kill them. These crazy bastards!”

“Shut up and shoot! They’re coming from the other side too!”

“Artillery! Concentrate fire on 6 o’clock, they’re breaking through!”

Of course, even for soldiers with excellent combat skills, fighting against more than eight times their number was not an easy task.

The continuous piecemeal commitment of troops meant that the battle would last longer.

The soldiers, who were constantly loading, firing, loading, and firing, gradually stopped even cursing.

Bang! Bang, bang, bang!

With each pull of the trigger by the soldiers with bloodshot eyes, the overlapping explosions and the smell of death filled the air.

“2nd Battalion! Move positions!”

“6 o’clock is vulnerable! Artillery, concentrate fire on 6 o’clock!”

Even though they didn’t have the same reputation as the 2nd Corps, the strength of the 1st Corps led by Massena and the 3rd Corps led by Ran was by no means inferior to the 2nd Corps.

The true value of the French army, honed through rigorous training and numerous real battles, was revealed as the battle dragged on.

A truly capable marshal is not simply someone who has an excellent understanding of strategy and tactics.

They must be able to share what they see with their subordinate officers without any exaggeration or omission.

“The enemy’s rear ranks are slow!”

“Artillery, target the enemy’s waist!”

“Loading complete!”

“Fire!”

The roar that never ceased to shake the earth.

The 3rd Corps moved as if it were a single living organism, independently judging and acting on what they needed to do.

“Hit! Enemy advance speed slowed at 8 o’clock!”

“Good, did we get them?”

“Hey! You crazy bastard! Didn’t you learn in training not to say such things? Delete the words ‘did they die’ and ‘did we get them’ from your brain!”

“Ah, yes! Sorry!”

Ran, having confirmed that the enemy’s offensive had subsided to the point where the artillerymen were exchanging casual remarks, scanned the distant enemy main force with his telescope.

“I see… they’re still coming. It seems they have no intention of stopping.”

“About a third of the enemy is combat ineffective.”

“Yes. So, if we hold out just a little longer, it will be over. Kill as many as possible, kill and kill again.”

No matter how recklessly they charge, they are still living people, so if they push a little harder here, they will reach their limit.

Didn’t the ones who rushed in as if they had lost their minds last time falter for a moment after we killed about half of them?

“In that respect, these guys don’t seem to have as much tenacity as the last ones.”

The fact that their offensive was already slowing down was proof of that.

Thanks to that, the damage was only about half of what he had expected.

From the perspective of a marshal who cares about his subordinates, this was truly fortunate.

However, he wasn’t completely relieved.

“I don’t like it. Is this what war is?”

It was natural for people to die and for a mountain of corpses to unfold before his eyes when war was waged.

This wasn’t the first time he had seen such a horrific sight.

However, he had never experienced such an unpleasant massacre before.

Of course, it wasn’t unpleasantness directed at his allies or himself.

What could be in the heads of those higher-ups who were pushing their subordinates into a battle with no chance of victory?

And what were those who were being swayed by such absurd propaganda, throwing away their lives like worthless objects and spewing hatred?

He even felt sorry for them, floundering under the influence of the higher-ups’ intentions.

Of course, that didn’t mean that there would be any mercy in their bullets and cannons.

After all, a gun doesn’t lose its power just because you shoot it weakly.

“It seems they all want to die, so we will grant them their wish here. All troops, switch to offense!”

“Understood! All troops, forward!”

The French army did not show any leniency just because the enemy’s momentum had waned.

Judging that the enemy’s culmination point of attack was imminent, they stepped over the enemy’s corpses and drove bullets into the enemy’s bodies even more fiercely.

While the 3rd Corps was becoming more and more accustomed to war, sublimating the army of over 200,000 into their experience points.

The corpses of the Han soldiers, groaning in pain and spilling blood on the battlefield, piled up even higher.

< Hunting Moths to a Flame > End