He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 140

(140) 1796, The First Coalition War Ends

The cavalry gallops along the coast, the sound of waves echoing loudly.

-Whoosh! Thump thump! Whoosh!

This is the sea, not ideal terrain for a cavalry charge.

However, despite the muddy ground where their horses sink with every step, a line of cavalrymen charges forward, their military caps fluttering in the wind.

The man at the front, like a standard-bearer, waves the tricolor flag vigorously and shouts.

“Let’s go! Amsterdam will soon be in our hands!”

Behind the man, 14 French battleships are visible.

However, all of these ships are floating not on the sea, but on ice.

The sound of the waves comes from beyond the ice.

The frozen sea, or rather, the inland sea protected by the Netherlands’ unique dikes.

Inside, the Dutch battle fleet, preparing for departure, is being seized by French light cavalry.

January 1796: a surprise raid taking advantage of the severe cold.

An unprecedented event has occurred: battleships being captured by cavalry.

In front of the line infantry following in formation, a general on horseback marvels.

“Good heavens, to capture a fleet with cavalry! This is truly a miracle!”

“What’s so surprising about that? General Jourdan. It’s just good luck!”

“Luck is also a skill, General Pichegru!”

Jourdan, soon to be the commander of the Army of the North and formerly in charge of the Flanders campaign, shouts.

“Now, the Netherlands has lost the ability to fight any longer! Furthermore, it will be impossible for the British fleet to support the Netherlands!”

This is the sea right in front of the port of Amsterdam.

Finally, the Flanders Corps led by Hoche has broken through the Amsterdam defense line.

The battlefield where the Netherlands, Britain, and the Prussian allied forces fought together.

The water barrier that even Louis XIV could not penetrate, the support of Britain, the largest economic power in Europe, and the powerful Prussian army created by Frederick the Great.

It was truly a difficult battlefield, but Hoche succeeded in breaking through with a winter maneuver.

Of course, the Austrian army withdrawing from the allied forces played a very important role in this process.

However, it is clear that this was an achievement that had never been accomplished in France before.

Nevertheless, Pichegru, one of the three generals of the Flanders Army Corps, could not accept it.

“Their center is originally ‘La Haye’ [The Hague]. Amsterdam is just a symbolic port!”

La Haye, in Dutch is Den Haag, and in English is called The Hague.

It is the location of the Dutch Stadtholder (Governor) and the States General (Federal Assembly).

In fact, Amsterdam is a symbolic center, and the actual capital is The Hague.

However, The Hague is south of Amsterdam, and it had already fallen into French hands early in the war.

The Alsace Corps led by Pichegru had occupied it.

Jourdan smiled at Pichegru, a 35-year-old young general who was one year older than him.

He could see that Pichegru was jealous of Hoche, who was 28 years old, a mere stripling compared to them.

“Are you trying to say that your contribution is the greatest? I understand. I will explain it well to the Directory [the French revolutionary government].”

“That’s not what I meant, Commander Jourdan! I’m saying that Hoche isn’t the only one who made contributions!”

“I understand, Pichegru. It’s entirely your idea to get past the Holland Line, after all.”

Holland Line, or the Dutch Water Line.

Originally, the Netherlands was a country created by reclaiming wetlands (polders).

Therefore, from the early days of its founding when it became independent from Spain, it built a barrier of water using wetlands and canals.

Especially in the border area that separates modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands.

The plan to cross this border area with a ‘winter surprise attack’ was Pichegru’s idea.

However, Hoche went one step further.

If the canals freeze, wouldn’t the sea freeze too?

A thought that no one in France, not on the North Sea, could have imagined.

It’s just a slight difference, but this one difference separates an ordinary general from an extraordinary one.

Jourdan knew this fact, but he just smiled and rode forward.

“But neither The Hague nor Amsterdam is entirely ours yet. Let’s advance first! Huh?”

At that moment, Jourdan witnessed Hoche and the Hussar cavalry stopping.

“Why did you stop? Commander Hoche?”

The commander of the Flanders Army Corps, Hoche, was receiving a messenger.

A postal regiment soldier in black uniform, who seemed to have run desperately from the rear, was panting.

Those with a keen eye would recognize him as Armand Ganet, who was once a page to the former queen.

Hoche did not bother to introduce Armand, but instead looked back at the revolutionary generals.

“It seems that very good news has come from Paris. General Jourdan.”

“Good news? What do you mean?”

“Bonaparte has occupied Vienna.”

Jourdan, Pichegru, and even the brigade and regimental commanders who heard the words were all shocked.

Occupation of Vienna.

The meaning of those words is clear.

This war is over.

Hoche said with a smile.

“Now, let’s officially demand surrender from Amsterdam. Our comrades who have been preparing for the revolution will also rise up.”

Originally, in the original history, when the French army advanced, a revolution also occurred in the Netherlands.

Revolutionaries who sympathized with Jacobin ideology revolted to establish a republic.

Even before that, it was actually a republic, but it was only a noble republic that inherited the position of Stadtholder [President].

Now, the 50,000-strong French Flanders Corps has come right in front of Amsterdam.

Moreover, it is said that even Vienna has been occupied by the French.

There is no reason for the revolutionaries not to revolt.

Jourdan cheered.

“We’ve virtually won! If the Austrian army withdraws, then the Flanders front is over!”

“Not yet, General Jourdan.”

“That’s the same thing! Congratulations, Hoche. You have become the conqueror of Flanders and Batavia [the Roman name for the Netherlands]!”

In modern terms, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg are at the feet of the Hoche Corps.

Hoche, the man who conquered the Netherlands, which even Louis XIV could not achieve, shook his head.

“All of this is the victory of the revolution. Not my victory.”

Nevertheless, the Hoche Corps all burst into cheers.

“Viva Hoche! Viva France! Viva Batavia!”

“We won! We won!”

“Throw all the British bastards into the sea!”

In the midst of the joyfully advancing Flanders Hoche Corps, only Pichegru gnashed his teeth.

“This victory should have been mine!”

With this, the Flanders campaign also ended with a complete French victory.

In the original history, the man who truly conquered the Netherlands left behind Pichegru’s resentment.

***

Not everyone can be immersed in the cheers of victory in war.

“Congratulations, Desaix.”

In front of Mainz, which had been ruined by a long battle, a taciturn man, Moreau, greeted a young man with a tired face.

The young man, whose appearance was also a mess, had been marching with subordinates who looked just as bad.

From Munich, where he had been held as a prisoner far away.

It was General Desaix of the Army of the Rhine, who had been captured while guarding the rear until the end during the retreat from Bavaria.

Desaix, who had been released in a prisoner exchange after the war, replied to Moreau with a bitter smile.

“Is being released from being a prisoner something to celebrate? That’s a bit of an excessive taunt, Commander.”

“No, I’m congratulating you on your promotion. You are now a division commander, not a brigade commander.”

“Yes? I haven’t made any achievements.”

To the bewildered Desaix, Moreau replied with a still taciturn face.

“Not at all. All the credit for defending the Rhine front goes to you. If you hadn’t protected the main force from the rear, we would have all been annihilated in Bavaria.”

If the Army of the Rhine had won in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, Moreau would have become a hero.

But conversely, what if the corps had been caught off guard in Munich and annihilated?

All of France might have been destroyed.

In that respect, Desaix saved the country from crisis.

Moreau emphasized this point and tried to get Desaix’s achievements recognized.

It was also to get the retreat from Bavaria recognized, but more than that, it was because Moreau was a fair person.

Moreau shook his head at Desaix, who had a slightly touched expression.

“Of course, Paris tried to refuse. They forgot that we defended the Rhine and only thought about victory.”

“Victory?”

“Yes, Flanders and Italy, and Vienna.”

Suddenly, emotion appeared on Moreau’s face for the first time.

“Ironically, the person who approved your promotion was Bonaparte, the victor of Vienna. Is it the victor’s generosity? Huh!”

Desaix widened his eyes and said with a joking laugh.

“Thanks to that, we were safe too. I should say hello when I see him later. General Bonaparte, I mean.”

It’s a joke that may come sooner than expected.

With this, the Rhine campaign also entered the process of ending the war.

***

In war, there are also complete losers who hear the news only after everything is over.

“Say it again. What? The Empire is dissolved?”

There is a city called Salzburg on the border between Austria and Bavaria.

It is the hometown of Mozart and a city ruled by the Archbishop of Salzburg, who is loyal to the Habsburgs.

It is an easier fortress to defend than Vienna, making it a good place to regroup troops in case of emergency.

It was also the place where Archduke Karl was recovering from his injuries after the Battle of Pressbaum.

However, it was only after a month that the news was finally delivered.

It was because the adjutant Kerpen and other generals who knew the news had deliberately hidden it.

Kerpen, Reiberich, Kolli, and Schwarzenberg turned away from the archduke with devastated faces.

Only the young man who brought this news, Metternich, was calm.

“It is already a decided fact, Your Highness.”

“Even if the French army won, the walls of Vienna are strong! We should have waited at least until the army from the Turkish front returned!”

“There is no such army, Your Highness.”

Metternich uttered cruel words without any emotion.

“Because they were all annihilated in Italy. Also, didn’t the main force of the Rhine army retreat in front of Vienna?”

It is a fact that Archduke Karl knows even without having to explain it.

He was just being stubborn.

But if they had forcibly conscripted troops from Hungary and Bohemia, wouldn’t they have been able to put up at least a defense?

If Archduke Karl had not been suffering from the aftereffects of epilepsy, resistance might have been possible.

Karl, overwhelmed by anger at himself and despair that the empire had been dissolved, clutched his head and asked.

“What happened to Flanders?”

“It is said that France won there too. They even say that the fleet was annihilated.”

“What? Didn’t the French fleet only have the Mediterranean fleet left?”

This time, even Metternich frowned slightly and said.

“It is said that the cavalry attacked the stationary fleet. Crossing over the frozen sea.”

Originally, Metternich had served as the governor of Flanders, that is, modern-day Belgium, since his father’s time.

The highest position Metternich had held until then was also the governor of Flanders.

So, he couldn’t have been happy about the bizarre incident of the cavalry capturing the fleet.

Archduke Karl, stunned and slumped down, lamented.

“Fortune is with France. No, is misfortune with the Empire? No, the Empire doesn’t exist anymore, does it?”

“There is no need to be so discouraged. His Majesty has not given up yet.”

“The Empire is gone, would you be happy and jumping for joy if you were me? Besides, what hasn’t he given up on? The Hungarian throne? Or the lost Grand Duke of Tuscany? The King of Bohemia?”

Metternich calmly said to the archduke, who was listing the titles of the Habsburg family.

“His Majesty will proclaim a new empire. This time, not the Holy Roman Empire that is only a facade, but a true empire of the Habsburg family.”

It is not yet the era when nationalism has emerged.

Unless it is a republic like France, the Netherlands, or Venice, the symbol of a country is the monarch.

Even if the imperial system is dissolved, if the monarch has the throne, the country can reunite.

But if the empire is dissolved, the imperial throne disappears.

That is why Karl was in despair.

But to proclaim a new empire again?

It means that the symbol that can unite the scattered Habsburg family, the emperor, will rise again.

It is by no means an easy task.

Nevertheless, it was completely different from giving up like this.

Archduke Karl’s eyes lit up.

“His Majesty, no, my brother has not given up.”

“All the nobles who are loyal to the imperial family are the same. That’s why I came to tell Your Highness this fact, isn’t it? Because we have to rebuild the empire.”

“Then Bonaparte is not going to destroy our imperial family? He’s a soldier of the monsters who killed the king?”

Metternich brought up the words he had said to the new Secretary of State, Weinzberg, to the Archduke as well.

“He is sensitive to profit. He is also thirsty for glory. Rather, we may be able to use him.”

Karl sat back down on the bed with a complicated feeling.

Everyone would want the person who defeated them to be a hero of the age if possible.

The story that he is just a greedy philistine was not very welcome.

“Well, anyway, the war ended in defeat after all.”

In the end, Karl, the last bastion of the Empire, had no choice but to accept defeat.

January 1796.

The confrontation between the anti-French allied forces led by Austria and France ended.

With a complete French victory.