I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 340

Became a Genius in the French Royal Family < Oppose God >

< Oppose God >

The most important thing in this war wasn’t simply whether we win or lose.

We need an overwhelming victory.

The arrogance of a great power facing a terrifyingly rising new nation.

The complacency of the strong, who don’t even consider the possibility of losing.

It was a typical mindset that would lead to defeat, but Napoleon had already transcended that.

Not arrogance or carelessness.

He simply analyzed the existing forces and the power he possessed, and based on that assessment, the outcome was already decided.

If Napoleon had been a pure warrior, his contemplation might have ended there.

But he was no longer just a military officer.

He was a celebrity, laden with prestigious titles such as the First Marshal General of France’s combined forces and the second greatest Frenchman in history.

In such a position, he was inevitably involved in politics, and in fact, he exerted influence little by little within the limits allowed by Christian.

For him, the outbreak of this Asian war was a disaster.

Winning or losing the war wasn’t the most important thing.

The key issue was that despite the arrival of the Marshal General of France, he had failed in his initial goal of deterring the war.

-It seems Marshal General Napoleon’s influence isn’t what it used to be?

-Originally, he wasn’t particularly skilled in politics anyway. Didn’t this happen because he underestimated the Asian countries?

-Well, the Asian guys wouldn’t have rushed to fight us unless they were crazy.

-Right? Napoleon was at fault this time.

By now, such stories must be circulating back home.

Originally, the public was susceptible to sensational issues and took pleasure in cutting down famous people.

Of course, this kind of talk wouldn’t tarnish the achievements or reputation that Napoleon had built.

However, it definitely damaged his pride.

It was the first blemish on the career of the great Marshal General, which had been a great success until now.

Moreover, the opponent was not England or the Holy Roman Empire, but Asia.

So, in order to restore his wounded pride, he needed to achieve a decisive victory that would be talked about in history for a long time.

An ending like ‘We lost, but we fought bravely’ was unacceptable.

That’s why he directly led the army and landed in Guangzhou [Canton].

He could have waited leisurely for the enemy to prepare to move south and then repelled them, but he had already dismissed that idea.

Napoleon, who had quickly finished organizing the army to advance to Fujian first, surveyed the Guangzhou French corps lined up before him.

It was inferior to the forces back home, but it wasn’t bad at all.

He immediately judged that the staff and field officers were capable enough to hold their own even if they were deployed to Europe, not just Asia.

Just one thing.

The only downside was that they had too little real combat experience.

In fact, that’s why he deliberately stepped forward so that all the soldiers could see his face.

If the respected Marshal General made eye contact and encouraged them, the already high morale would rise even further.

Moreover, as he looked around like this, he was able to discern an unexpected source of anxiety.

“You two over there!”

The two soldiers who received the Marshal General’s command shouted in voices filled with military discipline.

“Captain! Antoine Rey!”

“Lieutenant! Joshua Chua!”

There was no doubt that their morale was high, but apart from that, it was obvious at a glance that their posture was stiff with tension.

It couldn’t be helped.

No matter how high their morale was, the enemy outnumbered them, and for the young officers, the war itself would be the first time.

Even if they weren’t scared, their bodies would inevitably stiffen to some extent.

Napoleon smiled and asked.

“Are you perhaps afraid?”

“No, sir!”

“We are not afraid of the enemies at all!”

“Then are you afraid of your first battle? Are you nervous?”

“No, sir!”

He had been like that too when he first went to the battlefield.

He was excited at the thought that it was finally time to show his abilities, but he also felt like something unknown was filling his chest.

He still vividly remembered bluffing with his friends who had graduated from the military academy together.

Napoleon pointed to his name tag and shouted loudly so that everyone could hear.

“Now! Read it. What does it say here?”

“Yes? That, that’s the commander’s name…”

“Huh! I can’t hear you! Louder! What does it say? Read it as it is!”

“Na…Napoleon! It says Napoleon Bonaparte!”

“Yes! Who is standing in front of you?”

“Napoleon Bonaparte!”

This time, he looked around not only the officers but also the soldiers and asked again.

“Are you still nervous? Is there anyone who is afraid of their first battle?”

The two officers Napoleon pointed out and the lined-up soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs.

“No, sir! We will never lose!”

“Good! Now that you know, everyone back to your positions! We will finish this war in 6 weeks too!”

Since when, Napoleon had been nicknamed the ‘6-Week Man’ for occupying the Qing Dynasty’s capital and accepting their surrender in 6 weeks.

Napoleon was convinced.

That this time would be no different.

※※※

After defeating Italy, Vietnam was overconfident, relying on the strength of its terrain.

-Whether it’s France, England, or Rome, we will never lose if we fight on our land.

This was true to some extent.

If Vietnam deliberately barricaded itself in the jungle, there was no country on earth that could break through it.

It might be possible someday, but at least with the technology of this era, it was not easy.

However, Napoleon had no intention of landing the army in Vietnam in the first place.

There was no way he would make the foolish choice of pushing the army into land that he had no intention of occupying.

The Guangzhou French army operated warships based at the naval base in Hainan Island, turning only the coast of Vietnam into ruins.

Unlike other countries, Vietnam’s naval power, isolated as it was, was nothing more than a sandbag for the French fleet to practice shooting.

Harbors near Hainan Island were completely destroyed, and ships that were being built diligently all sank to feed the fish.

They tried to install cannons on the coast with some effort, but they only realized the desperate difference in range.

“What is the Korean Empire doing? What about the Japanese Empire?”

“They say they can’t cross Taiwan due to the blockade by Guangzhou France! They’re asking us to hold on a little longer…”

“Hold on? There won’t be a single port left that can function normally!”

“But the cities located inland are still holding on…”

“They’re not holding on, they’re being abandoned! In the first place, those guys aren’t sending their armies!”

Guangzhou France’s goal was clear.

It was enough to just tear down all the economic foundations that Vietnam had built up until now and return it to the old days.

Unfortunately, all the cities that Vietnam was currently developing were located on the coast, making them easy prey for Guangzhou France.

In the end, Vietnam had no choice but to watch with tears in its eyes as the warships and port facilities that it had worked so hard to build were completely destroyed.

“In this case, should we just gather the army and enter Guangxi? If the allied army is in Fujian, we can launch a pincer attack from both sides, even if it’s Guangzhou France…”

“Please come to your senses! That’s what they’re aiming for!”

“So are you saying we should just stand by and watch our harbor get bombarded! If all the sea routes are blocked, our economy will have no choice but to revert to the old days!”

Naval blockade.

Guangzhou France, whose purpose was not to occupy Vietnam in the first place but to inflict damage, made sure that there was not a single Vietnamese ship afloat, and turned its forces to the other three countries as if to show off.

The Vietnamese army, unable to bear it any longer, abandoned its defensive strategy and went on the offensive, but it could not even cross Guangxi, let alone Guangzhou, and was forced to retreat.

Vietnam could only hope that its eastern allies would rally and create a miracle.

※※※

“Is the preparation finally over?”

Liu Xiaoyuan let out a sigh of relief as he watched the Manchurian Empire and the Japanese Empire’s armies arriving one after another.

This battle should not be approached as carelessly as when fighting against the mediocre countries of the Central Plains.

According to his argument that all available forces should be mobilized, the three countries gathered a total of more than 30,000 troops in Fujian.

Not just any 30,000, but 30,000 soldiers who have been formally trained and armed with modern weapons.

With this much, he was confident that he could crush even 200,000 people using conventional weapons, not just 100,000.

But the other side was also formidable, armed with even more advanced weapons than this side.

According to the information, it was only about 20,000, but he could not rest assured with this level of numerical superiority.

Liu Xiaoyuan, who continued to request reinforcements, decided not to rush the fight for now.

The reputation of the person leading the enemy was also quite a burden.

‘Napoleon… is he really that great?’

Of course, he did not ignore Napoleon’s achievements or abilities, nor did he consider them to be insignificant.

Napoleon was a legendary general who had made a name for himself from the Central Plains to the Korean Peninsula since the Korean Empire was Joseon [the previous dynasty of Korea].

Napoleon’s strategies were included in the required curriculum at the Korean Empire’s military academy, and everyone admired him and wanted to emulate him.

So much so that in the Korean Empire, there were even those who called Napoleon the Yi Sun-sin [a famous Korean admiral] of the land.

Liu Xiaoyuan was also a person who learned tactics in such an environment.

He was even thinking that he had become like a heretic who drew his sword in front of God.

This was not only true of Liu Xiaoyuan, but also of Kono, who led the Japanese Empire’s army, and the commander of the Manchurian Empire.

In particular, the Manchurian Empire, which had been deeply instilled with fear of France, seemed to want to avoid fighting France even at this moment.

This would not do.

Liu Xiaoyuan, who grasped the situation, called the commanders of the three countries and raised his voice solemnly.

“The time of reckoning is approaching. But even at this moment! I can see that we are shrinking back in fear of the enemy’s reputation. I’m not blaming you. Because I feel the same.”

However, if they lost psychologically like this before the fight even started, they would not be able to win even a fight that they could actually win.

“Napoleon, Napoleon. Everyone says he’s so great. He certainly is. He’s great. We all learned Napoleon’s tactics and worked hard to become like him. And that’s exactly why! We have achieved our current results! Just as Hannibal was defeated by Scipio, who absorbed his strategy! We have all studied and absorbed Napoleon’s tactics.”

Surpassing the teacher.

Just as ice is colder than water, if you do not spare effort and research, a disciple who surpasses the depth of the teacher will inevitably emerge.

The teacher has to pioneer everything on his own, but the disciple who follows can see and learn from the teacher’s achievements as they are.

“We don’t have to become greater people than Napoleon. We probably can’t. But! We can beat him.”

As if brainwashing himself.

Liu Xiaoyuan hit the desk with his fist and shouted resolutely.

“If Napoleon is the god of the battlefield, we will be the ones who defeat God!”

Kono responded with applause to Liu Xiaoyuan’s impassioned speech, and soon everyone in the barracks banged on the desk and shouted loudly.

It was one dawn when Napoleon was snoring and sleeping soundly.