He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 146

(146) The World’s Adversaries Recognize Napoleon

In the late 18th century, for Europeans, the true West was the New World [the Americas].

“What? The war is over? Who decided that?”

The HMS Captain was anchored near the port of Barbados, the heart of the British West Indies [a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea controlled by Britain].

HMS stands for His Majesty’s Ship.

So, this ship could be called the [Royal Captain].

This peculiar yet grand ship was a third-rate ship of the line, a massive vessel equipped with 74 cannons [a type of warship in the 18th century, classified by the number of cannons it carried].

Though smaller than first or second-rate ships, it was easier to handle, making it a mainstay of the British Navy.

The captain of this state-of-the-art warship, built in 1787, was none other than the one-eyed admiral, Nelson.

He had been dispatched as the admiral of the British West Indies fleet.

The messenger from the home country, Sidney Smith, coldly informed Nelson.

“The war in continental Europe is over. But Great Britain will continue to fight.”

“Of course, we should! We’ve won so much here!”

“You may have won naval battles, but you haven’t conquered many islands, have you? Especially Martinique.”

Nelson retorted defensively at Sidney’s blunt assessment.

“The former royalists are putting up such fierce resistance. It’s chaos, and we’re not getting proper supplies!”

The former French royalists, the Vendée rebels [royalist rebels in the Vendée region of France who opposed the French Revolution].

Currently, the New World Legion defends the French West Indies, centered on Martinique.

It was Rochejacquelin’s unit, dispatched by Eugene through political compromise.

Surprisingly, despite the lack of support from the home country, Rochejacquelin successfully defended the West Indies.

Especially, he protected Martinique Island.

Despite repeated naval defeats, they largely preserved their warships and prevented any invasion of the island.

That’s why Nelson, the admiral of the West Indies invasion fleet, was struggling.

However, Sidney tilted his head with a cold expression.

“Is that all? Then you should have conquered the island of [Hispaniola]. Isn’t the western part of the island, the French colony of Saint-Domingue, currently in rebellion?”

“Your news is outdated, Colonel Sidney. The revolutionary army has already taken it over.”

“What? A revolutionary army?”

Hispaniola, the large island where modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located.

It boasts a territory comparable to Cuba, about 70 times the size of Martinique.

However, it was less developed, with the east belonging to Spain and the west to France.

Occupying the western part is one of the missions of the British West Indies fleet.

However, Nelson is an admiral, not an army general.

Moreover, in the western part of Hispaniola, the French colony of Saint-Domingue, there was another situation.

“Yes, a black man named Toussaint Louverture liberated the island. He leads as many as 4,000 men. Isn’t that almost the same number as Rochejacquelin’s French mainland army? I heard that even the French mainland has compromised with him?”

A slave liberation rebellion had broken out.

In most of the West Indies, whether British, French, or Spanish, black slaves made up the majority of the population.

This was due to the hot tropical climate, endemic diseases, and the harsh labor conditions of sugarcane cultivation.

After the outbreak of the French Revolution, slaves in the French colonies launched liberation movements.

Governor Damas successfully suppressed it in Martinique.

However, this was not the case in Hispaniola.

Toussaint, a rebel who would later be remembered in history as a pioneer of the black slave liberation movement, had virtually seized the island.

Despite repeated attacks by British and Spanish forces, he succeeded in repelling even foreign enemies.

Robespierre, the former leader, took note of this situation and attempted to compromise with Toussaint.

He would recognize the emancipation of slaves if Toussaint became a member of the revolutionary army and belonged to France.

Toussaint, aware of the power of the Europeans, agreed to this compromise.

As a result, in 1794, France resolved to emancipate slaves within its territory, and Toussaint became a French revolutionary army.

This would allow Hispaniola and Martinique to link up and fight against the British forces.

Sidney Smith clicked his tongue.

“Tsk! So that’s why Martinique is difficult too.”

“It would be easier if the old rebels in the New World helped us. If not, then [Spain].”

“That will be difficult. The United States is hostile to us, and ‘Spain’ has just signed a non-aggression pact with France.”

Then Nelson turned his gaze with satisfaction.

“Then, we can defeat the Spanish guys, right?”

Sidney turned his gaze with him and clicked his tongue again.

“It seems you’ve already defeated them.”

“Oh, well, the Spanish fleet invaded our territorial waters. Isn’t it natural to repel them?”

“It’s not just repelling, this is called an engagement.”

Ships are burning everywhere.

The flags on the ships are the flags of the Spanish Royal Navy, the red ensign [a red flag with the Union Jack in the upper left corner].

The flag that former King Carlos III personally chose.

So, this is the Spanish fleet that Nelson destroyed just before Sidney arrived.

The commander of the Spanish fleet, José de Córdoba y Ramos, knelt before Nelson and cried out.

“Spare me! Spain has no intention of fighting England! This captain demands an honorable surrender!”

He was once a famous captain and explorer who sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to Manila.

However, he was taken prisoner after engaging the British Navy in the West Indies.

The one-eyed admiral, Nelson, who achieved the feat of destroying four ships of the line, pointed his sword.

– Shhh!

Nelson twisted his lips and smiled at the trembling Ramos.

“If you were going to say that, you should have raised a white flag or left our territorial waters before the first engagement. Didn’t you know all along? That France and Spain have already formed an alliance in mainland Europe!”

No matter how reckless Nelson is, he would never attack the fleet of an allied nation without reason.

Only because the Spanish fleet first invaded the British West Indies, and then did not surrender during the engagement, did they end up fighting.

Sidney didn’t know why the engagement had started, but he finally understood the reason when he arrived.

Spain is no longer an ally of England.

Rather, to protect its homeland, it has become an enemy fighting against England even in these West Indies.

Without hesitation, Nelson gave the order and shouted to Sidney.

“Disarm them all. Confiscate the ships. Sidney, make sure to spread the word of my achievements to the home country! Especially, let Bonaparte, who defeated the empire, hear about it far and wide!”

Sidney looked at Nelson with a displeased face and snorted.

“I will, Admiral Nelson.”

A country that loses in continental Europe but wins at sea.

It was the achievement of the British Navy in the West Indies.

***

Once, there was a country of a great king who roamed continental Europe with an iron-blooded army.

Prussia, the country ruled by Frederick the Great.

It is still home to the Prussian army, famous as the best army of the 18th century.

Unfortunately, it did not play a significant role in this anti-French war and was frequently pushed back.

However, it never completely lost like Austria.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, how can this be? A truce! What on earth is His Majesty thinking?”

So, it is natural for Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, one of the generals who had been active on the front lines, to be furious.

Of course, it is anger directed at the wrong person.

The person who signed the armistice was not Crown Prince Wilhelm, but King Wilhelm.

However, there is a reason why General Blücher came to the Crown Prince instead of the King.

Unlike the King, who is unreasonable, the Crown Prince is a person of common sense.

The Crown Prince, Friedrich Wilhelm, greeted the general and replied concisely.

“General Blücher, I am sorry. But, I am only the Crown Prince.”

“Then are we going to succumb to France like this! We can certainly fight more!”

“Alone?”

Blücher hesitated at the very concise question.

The Crown Prince is famous for being brief, but also known for not saying unnecessary things.

With Austria out of the picture, it is impossible to fight France alone.

Although there is the great wealthy nation of England, its army is weak.

Can Prussia alone fight against France, which mobilizes hundreds of thousands of troops?

It is extremely unreasonable.

Suddenly, the Crown Princess, Louise, who was pouring tea next to the Crown Prince, smiled brightly.

“Yes, General. Now is not the time for unreasonable war. It is better to prepare a new army in peacetime.”

At the words of the Crown Princess, famous for her beauty and elegance, Blücher briefly calmed his anger.

Originally, Blücher was an old general who had been kicked out during the reign of Frederick the Great because of his personality.

His fiery temper is why he had to live as a recluse for as many as 18 years.

If the Crown Prince had not accepted this personality, he might not have been able to return to the military.

Blücher, barely suppressing his resentment, spoke to the Crown Prince in a rapid tone.

“Then we need a new military reform. Right now!”

The Crown Prince was lost in thought.

King Friedrich Wilhelm II is still alive.

However, he has been branded as incompetent and has lost the trust of the aristocracy and the military.

Although war is the King’s responsibility, the Crown Prince could push forward with some policies.

“Do you have a plan?”

“It’s difficult. The military elders are interfering. They have been obstacles several times in this war. Instead, you must recruit new talents to prepare for the next generation.”

“How?”

Blücher explained at the same speed as rapid-fire shooting to the Crown Prince Wilhelm’s concise question.

“There is a military academy in Berlin. It was founded by the late Frederick the Great. You should recruit those who have made achievements in this war as instructors there. And then, establish them as the new officers of the army later.”

Blücher had not just been playing during his 18 years of seclusion.

He had been constantly thinking about how to change the Prussian army.

The people who are essential when the next monarch creates a new army.

It is a new elite officer corps.

The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and nodded.

“Good. That much is possible. Do you have any talents in mind?”

The impatient Blücher had already picked out talents.

“Yes. He is an officer in the [Hanover] principality’s army, a friend who was active in the Flanders campaign. His name is Scharnhorst.”

Prussia, the country of Frederick the Great, which suffered a defeat that was not a defeat.

It was the moment when the [officer corps] that might one day confront Napoleon was first born here.

***

In Mysore, southern India, where extreme heat dominates the four seasons, the sound of gunfire is loud.

– Bang! Click, bang! Click, bang!

The soldiers in red uniforms, firing in three ranks, scattered and hid behind the hill.

Because the other side also started shooting.

Young Arthur Wellesley glanced at the soldiers wearing turbans and turned his head.

“Ugh, do the [Hindus] use guns now? Where did they get them?”

Arthur’s brother, Commander William, adjusted his military cap and frowned.

“I heard they got them from the French East India Company.”

“Wasn’t that company dissolved, brother?”

“It was dissolved. But it seems the remaining employees sent the last of their supplies.”

The British soldiers of the [Red Coats] led by Arthur and William are not actually regular troops.

They are closer to a private army belonging to the British East India Company.

Of course, they are official in that the British cabinet authorized the troops, but they are not regular troops.

However, this corporate army is currently at the forefront of protecting British interests in the vast Indian peninsula.

Even fighting against the major power in southern India, the Kingdom of Mysore, which is trying to drive out all the British.

The problem is that the European powers that have set foot in India are not only British.

Arthur smacked his lips as he watched the Indians holding French guns and fighting the British army.

“I think we need to change our strategy a bit.”

“Huh? How?”

“We need to create collaborators locally. We’ve already secured the sea, right? The problem is the land.”

Arthur smiled as he looked at the Mysore soldiers who used European-style guns quite well.

“Then, if we have allied forces to fight with us on this land, that would be great, right? Don’t you think so, brother?”

William Wellesley, the commander of the East India Company’s expeditionary force, stroked his beard.

It is a solution that the directors in the home country would love.

Anyway, wouldn’t it be cheaper to recruit troops locally than to recruit army soldiers from the home country?

“Create a local collaborator army?”

“If possible, train them in the British style too.”

“How can we trust them? What if they start a rebellion?”

Arthur brightened his eyes and reinforced the idea he had just come up with.

“We can control the gunpowder and bullets. It’s a simple matter.”

In actual history, this is one of the ways the British army controlled local Indian collaborators.

A method of supplying gunpowder and bullets at the start of battle.

However, until now, no British person had even thought of this method.

William nodded.

“Okay, let’s get out of here first and think about it.”

Arthur waited for the opponent’s gunpowder to run out and reloaded his gun behind the hill.

It has been a year since he, an Irish British aristocrat, came to India to change his fortunes.

However, Arthur and his brother William are still just waging a war of attrition here, without achieving any meaningful achievements.

It was the same when he first engaged in battle in Flanders.

When Hoche [Lazare Hoche, a French general], who was about the same age, conquered Flanders, Arthur served as a captain and repeatedly suffered defeats.

Half a year ago, there was news that a general of the same age as Arthur had dissolved the Holy Roman Empire.

Arthur grabbed his Brown Bess musket [a type of musket used by the British army] and smiled strangely.

“Sigh, in Europe, generals my age are taking over the continent, but I’m stuck here.”

However, it is also in Arthur Wellesley’s nature to fight optimistically instead of being discouraged.

The next moment, Arthur jumped up.

Because the gunfire had stopped.

“Okay. Let’s deal with you guys first, and I’m going up! Let’s go, 33rd Regiment!”

Arthur Wellesley led his regiment, the 33rd, and charged towards the Mysore Kingdom army.

It was the day when the young man who would later receive the title of Duke of Wellington ran through India.