I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 290

< Trafalgar (2) >

“Watch out for close combat! Those French bastards will try to board!”

Boom! Boom!

Bang! Bang!

Despite the cacophony of cannon fire and gunshots echoing around him, Nelson dashed across the deck, rallying his sailors.

“Don’t be afraid! Victory is within our grasp!”

“Admiral! Please, fall back to a safer position! It’s too dangerous here!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! When have you ever known me to retreat from a battle?”

“Admiralllll!”

Nelson disregarded his aide’s frantic plea. The poor man felt his heart would give out from sheer anxiety, even before a stray bullet found him.

While his behavior defied the British Navy’s established protocols, Nelson was convinced he had no other choice.

“If I don’t lead from the front, the men won’t be willing to risk their lives either!”

“Then, at least change your uniform!”

Nelson glanced down at his uniform, devoid of medals or decorations. He snatched a spare coat from his subordinate’s hands and flung it to the deck.

“If I wore something like that, my men wouldn’t recognize me! If you’re scared, you can fall back!”

“Admiral! If you’re targeted by a sniper, it will crush the soldiers’ morale!”

“How can we secure a decisive victory in this battle without taking risks!”

Even as he dismissed his subordinates’ concerns, he constantly assessed the unfolding battle and issued orders.

In truth, Nelson had always been this way.

The British Navy’s official doctrine dictated that officers remain on the rear deck.

The reasoning was clear: if an officer was shot while running around on the front lines, the soldiers would inevitably descend into chaos.

However, Nelson, with his characteristic impulsiveness, invariably led his men from the vanguard, resulting in a collection of minor injuries over the years.

The officers had practically begged him to stay back this time, some nearly in tears, but Nelson remained unmoved.

This wasn’t mere stubbornness.

To achieve an overwhelming victory, not just a marginal one, they had to relentlessly press the enemy, giving them no respite. Retreat was unthinkable.

“The enemy ships are attempting to board! Their weapons are superior to ours! Brace yourselves for ship-to-ship combat!”

Once the battle devolved into a chaotic melee, flag signals became useless.

Nelson was determined not to allow the French the opportunity to fully exploit their advanced warships.

Ultimately, the outcome would hinge on the on-the-spot decisions of the captains and officers, and Nelson had already provided them with all the necessary guidance.

Conversely, the French, caught off guard by this turn of events, often found their ships’ movements tangled or isolated, making them vulnerable to concentrated fire.

Still, some among them displayed sound judgment.

Certain warships fired indiscriminately and charged at the British vessels, initiating close-quarters combat.

The British held a distinct advantage in fighting on a rocking ship, but the French navy, equipped with superior weaponry, was also a force to be reckoned with.

This was precisely why Nelson couldn’t afford to retreat.

“Don’t be afraid! No matter how advanced their weapons are, they can’t aim properly on a swaying deck! Keep the pressure on!”

“French soldiers! Ship-to-ship combat is our forte! Let’s turn these British bastards into fish food!”

The entangled forces of both sides clashed in a brutal struggle.

Contrary to expectations, neither side could easily gain the upper hand in the ship-to-ship fighting.

This outcome surprised both commanders.

Nelson had been confident that even with the French’s superior weapons, they wouldn’t be able to fully capitalize on their advantages in close combat, and therefore, they couldn’t possibly win.

Conversely, Admiral Villeneuve was equally frustrated, as he had drilled his men to dominate in ship-to-ship engagements, yet they were struggling.

‘Indeed, my decision to deny them any breathing room was correct. If we had waited just one year, victory would have been far more elusive…’

‘I thought we could win, even if it was a close fight… Can’t you just die easily?’

Despite the intensity of the battle, Nelson remained relatively composed.

In reality, the naval strength of the two sides could be roughly estimated at 100 for the British and 120 for the French.

However, the British were maximizing their 100 strength, while the French, with their formation disrupted, were struggling to utilize even half of their potential.

No matter how advanced the warships were, they couldn’t unleash their full power unless they could effectively bombard the enemy.

In this chaotic melee, it was difficult to bring their superior firepower to bear.

As Admiral Villeneuve had feared, the additional ships, intended to bolster their numbers, became a hindrance, impeding their own movements.

Had they used their reinforced hulls to ram the enemy, they might have been able to shift the course of the battle.

However, the captains, fixated on adhering to the coded instructions, failed to exercise sound judgment.

The hybrid sailing-steam ships, their masts damaged by the relentless bombardment, also suffered a significant loss of maneuverability.

“Captain! The mast is broken!”

“You stupid bastards! We didn’t use the sails when we passed through the canal anyway! Just maneuver as we did then! Our line-of-battle ship is surrounded over there! Open fire!”

“We can’t get a clear firing angle!”

“Then create one!”

As the French captains hesitated and displayed poor command skills, the battle situation continued to deteriorate.

Of course, some of these battleships managed to take down British ships one after another, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

A prime example was the French state-of-the-art battleship Victoire, under the command of Rear Admiral François.

This ironclad ship, incorporating France’s latest technology, rammed and crippled two British frigates and even sank a line-of-battle ship.

However, no matter how formidable its power, a single ship couldn’t turn the tide of the battle.

It would have been a different story if the other steamships had followed suit, but some of them were even committing the disgrace of fleeing the front lines out of fear.

Above all, while the British maintained coordinated combat even in the midst of the chaos, the French were only putting up isolated resistance with a handful of ships.

Nevertheless, the fact that they were managing to maintain a battle situation of roughly 6:4 to 7:3 was a testament to their far superior technology.

“At this rate, we’ll be surrounded…”

They were steadily destroying enemy ships, but more enemy ships than allied ships were appearing around them.

Considering the capabilities of the Victoire, it was tempting to continue fighting, but what if this ship were captured?

François coldly assessed the value of his allies.

In truth, even if they lost all those outdated line-of-battle ships, safeguarding this ship alone would not be a significant loss.

Conversely, if he risked everything to save the remaining allies and this ship fell into enemy hands, he would be committing an unforgivable crime against the nation.

The captains of the other ships that had already abandoned the front lines must have fled with similar calculations.

Since the supreme commander, Admiral Villeneuve, seemed unable to issue clear instructions, they had no choice but to make their own decisions.

“Let’s secure the Admiral’s safety first. We’ll consider our next move after that…”

It was a wonder they hadn’t been completely annihilated while putting on such a pathetic display.

François bit his lip tightly and ordered his ship to move away from the approaching enemy vessels.

※※※

The enemies are stronger than I anticipated.

While the French army was in a state of disarray, Nelson was also growing increasingly anxious.

“No! Capture as many ships as possible! Don’t let them escape the front lines!”

“Admiral! The Trinidad has been crippled by the enemy’s ironclad ship!”

“The enemy’s resistance is too fierce!”

“Destroy their masts and their maneuverability will be severely hampered! Disable their masts and surround them with three or four ships to capture them!”

Nelson was inwardly alarmed by the power of the enemy’s ironclad ship, which had broken through the allied encirclement single-handedly.

If they had encountered this situation when their forces were evenly matched, this battle should have been a resounding victory for the allies.

Of course, victory was still almost assured now.

However, the damage inflicted on the allies was nearly as significant as the damage they had inflicted on the enemy, and, most importantly, they had failed to capture any of the enemy’s key ships.

What if they deployed a fleet of these steamships?

In a scenario where they couldn’t rely on this one-time strategy again, what would happen if they had to confront them with sheer force?

‘No. We must destroy as many of them as possible on this occasion, or there will be no future.’

Considering the rapid pace at which naval power was being developed, the unsettling feeling that even a historic victory here wouldn’t guarantee long-term security gnawed at his mind.

“We’ll end it here! Signal Admiral Collingwood’s fleet! Intercept that escaping ship!”

Fortunately, Admiral Collingwood, anticipating Nelson’s intentions, advanced his warship before anyone could voice their objections.

At this rate, there’s no problem.

Nelson managed to encircle the enemy’s hybrid sailing-steam ship and engage in ship-to-ship combat, while sacrificing one of the allied line-of-battle ships as bait.

“Let’s quickly decide the outcome before the enemy’s reinforcements arrive! Attack, attack!”

The French warships, realizing that one of their key ships was surrounded, were closing the distance to rescue their allies.

Nelson, displaying unwavering courage, rallied his subordinates from the front lines, dodging bullets as he moved.

Several heart-stopping moments occurred as projectiles whizzed past his head.

The resistance of the enemy navies, overwhelmed by the desperate offensive of the allies, noticeably weakened.

“The enemy’s offensive is faltering!”

“Good! Keep pressing them and demand their surrender!”

If they could capture the French bastards’ ships and drive them away, they could easily deal with the Nouvelle France line-of-battle ships that would arrive later.

Just as Nelson was congratulating himself for successfully navigating this precarious situation.

Bang!

“Cough!”

The legend of the British Navy, feeling a sharp pain in his abdomen, collapsed to his knees.

What?

For a moment, his body refused to obey him, and a searing heat, as if his entire body was on fire, radiated from his stomach.

He had to continue commanding, but only a weak, raspy sound escaped his lips.

“The… the entire army, continue… continue the offensive…”

“Admiral! The Admiral has been shot!”

“Get the Admiral to the rear! Medic! We need a medic!”

“We have to get the Admiral to safety!”

Ah… I see. I’ve been hit.

It would have been unrealistic to expect to run around like this on the front lines without catching a bullet or two.

I was prepared for it, but it really hurts like hell.

Recently, I’ve come to realize just how absurd the stories of protagonists who shrug off gunshot wounds in novels are.

But I can’t lose my focus here.

Now is the most critical moment, and if I retreat now, we might win the battle, but we’ll lose the war.

“Ge, get out of the way! I can still command! We have to… push them… harder…”

“Admiral! This battle is already ours! We’ve won! Please, think of your health!”

“That’s right! You must withdraw now!”

“Ah… no…”

“Medic! Get the Admiral out of here immediately!”

No! Now is not the time to celebrate victory!

You stupid bastards.

Ignoring Nelson’s desperate pleas, the soldiers carefully placed the precious Admiral’s body on a stretcher and quickly carried him to the rear.

Even as he was being carried away, Nelson scanned the battlefield, trying to assess the damage sustained by both sides.

If I can’t command anymore, I have to at least issue one final order…

‘I have to… hold on to my consciousness… God, don’t abandon England…’

In the end, the steam billowing from the French warships as they broke through the allied encirclement and fled came into Nelson’s view as he gritted his teeth and moved his lips.

Nelson finally lost consciousness as he stared blankly at the thick smog that stained the sky.

< Trafalgar (2) > End