He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 178

(178) The Egyptian Fleet Sets Sail with Pauline

At that moment, the expeditionary force bound for Egypt reached the tip of Italy.

-Clank, clank, clank!

Deception, rapid marching, and swift maneuvers.

These are the core elements that would etch Napoleon’s army into history.

However, it would be hard to find a march more fitting of those words than the troop movement gathered in Brindisi today.

They had converged nearly 50,000 troops to Brindisi through dispersed marching, without any special communication devices.

“Good, the soldiers have successfully gathered in Brindisi! Well done, General Marceau.”

Hoche chuckled and praised him, and Marceau nodded with a wry smile.

“It wasn’t easy, Commander.”

“Why are you being so formal with me? Speak casually.”

“This is an official setting. The same goes for Chief of Staff Eugene.”

Originally, both men were guards and non-commissioned officers from the time of the old royal family.

Now, Hoche had been promoted faster and become the commander, but their friendship remained deep.

In fact, this was the reason Eugene had specifically chosen Hoche and Marceau.

The general command had to be united to ensure the success of the expedition.

Especially since Eugene did not officially have command.

There was also the issue of heterogeneity among the divisions of the Egyptian expeditionary force.

First, Eugene formed divisions from his direct Grenadier Cavalry Division, the Marseille Postal Regiment, and the Paris National Guard.

Next, Commander Hoche selected his direct division from the Flanders Corps.

Naturally, Kléber had the Mainz Division, and Desaix brought his direct division from the Rhine Corps.

Only Junot formed his direct division from the Italian Corps.

So, among these, the only generals who had actually worked together were Eugene, Marceau, and Junot.

Many of the other generals were experiencing large-scale warfare for the first time.

Suddenly, Kléber clicked his tongue and looked at Eugene.

“In a way, the old adversary is the most familiar. It’s been a while, Rochejacquelein.”

The leader of the Sureté [French internal security organization], Rochejacquelein, bowed his head with a bitter smile.

“It has been a while, General Kléber. I look forward to working with you on this expedition.”

Of course, Eugene and Marceau had also fought with Kléber during the Vendée rebellion.

However, they had mostly carried out independent operations, so they had rarely worked together.

On the other hand, Rochejacquelein had fought against Kléber, so he was very familiar with his tactics and fighting spirit.

But why had Rochejacquelein come along on the Egyptian expedition?

Ippolito tilted his head, looking at Rochejacquelein.

“Is it okay to leave the Sureté behind?”

“Colonel Ellie is in charge of the Sureté anyway. It’s better for me to accompany my ‘lord.’ I also need to establish an intelligence network in Egypt.”

“Hmm, do as you please. Just don’t forget that I am Eugene’s adjutant.”

Rochejacquelein politely nodded to Ippolito, who was subtly asserting his authority.

“Of course, General Ippolito.”

Eugene glanced at them before turning his gaze away.

It seemed that Ippolito and Rochejacquelein were having a war of nerves, but he didn’t have time to pay attention.

Especially since the person he was about to meet would become more famous than anyone else in this place in later original history.

Eugene took a step forward and extended his hand to the last division commander.

“General Desaix. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Eugene Bonaparte. We met once before at General Moreau’s encampment.”

Louis Charles Antoine Desaix.

Born in 1768, he was still a young general in his twenties.

He had once been labeled a royalist, but he had cleared his name with his achievements in the Revolutionary Wars.

Also, in the original history, he was the one who saved Napoleon’s life and died.

Louis Desaix shook his hand with a calm face and replied.

“The pleasure is all mine, General Freischütz. I never thought you would call a defeated general like me to such a glorious expedition.”

“Defeated general? Everyone in the French army knows that General Moreau would have been annihilated without your achievements.”

“If I had done better, such a crisis would not have occurred in the first place.”

During the War of the First Coalition, Moreau had been on the verge of annihilation in the Battle of Bavaria.

At the time, Moreau had won victories in the Rhine and was on the verge of conquering the Duchy of Bavaria.

However, he was caught in Archduke Charles’ counterattack and was defeated instead.

It was Desaix who bravely fought at the rear of Moreau’s army, which was on the verge of annihilation, and allowed the remaining troops to escape.

However, Desaix himself was eventually captured by Charles and had to live as a prisoner.

If the war had not ended in victory, he might have lost his life in prison.

In that respect, Desaix seemed to feel quite grateful to Napoleon and Eugene.

Eugene smiled and shook his head.

“No, you couldn’t have done better than that. I look forward to working with you in Egypt as well.”

Crisis escape, that’s Desaix’s specialty.

Whether it was Bavaria, the Egyptian expedition, or the Battle of Marengo, which became the final battle in the original history, they were all crisis situations.

Each time, Desaix used his quick wit to break through the crisis.

This is why Napoleon highly valued Desaix in the original history.

Eugene had specifically called Desaix for that reason.

Even though he had prepared thoroughly, Eugene didn’t know what unexpected situations might occur in Egypt.

At that moment.

In the distance, Commander Hoche was seen encouraging a general who had brought the Kléber Division.

“So, this is the famous one-legged General Caffarelli. I heard you were originally in the navy?”

“That’s right! I participated in the Siege of Mainz under General Kléber!”

“General Kléber praised you highly. He said that everyone who survived Mainz owed it to you.”

Louis Joseph Caffarelli du Falga.

A general with a distinctive one leg.

This general was brave, knowledgeable, and had quite decent achievements, but the reason he remained in later history was absurd.

He lost a leg during the Revolutionary Wars and had one leg, but he lost an arm in the Egyptian expedition and then died in battle.

Eugene hadn’t particularly headhunted this one.

However, Kléber had brought him along, considering him a particularly outstanding subordinate.

Caffarelli stamped the ground with the prosthetic leg on his left leg and shouted energetically.

“I am confident in siege warfare and defense warfare. No matter where it is!”

Eugene blinked and smiled wryly.

This was because the battlefield where Caffarelli died in the original history was Acre, a fortress in the Mediterranean.

It was one of the two sieges that Napoleon failed miserably.

Of course, Caffarelli had done nothing wrong.

He was just unlucky enough to be hit by a bullet and lose an arm just before he was about to capture it.

However, Eugene vowed that if he ever had to fight in Acre, he would definitely send Caffarelli to the rear.

-Swish!

In the distance, the fleet entered the harbor.

Naval officers were seen disembarking from the fleet.

It seemed that the time had come for the army to board the ships.

“Commander, Admiral Brueys is coming!”

The real transport fleet that the Toulon and Naples deception fleets had tried to hide.

The best French naval force that Eugene and Napoleon had protected in Toulon.

The Mediterranean Fleet had arrived.

From where?

Venice.

While Junot was suppressing the rebellion in Venice, Brueys had also rushed to Venice to suppress it.

However, he had left most of the fleet in Venice and came to Brindisi for this Egyptian expedition.

The stern-looking Admiral Brueys of the Mediterranean Fleet stood before Eugene and Hoche.

“The French Mediterranean Fleet has arrived.”

“What are the numbers, Admiral?”

“10,000 sailors and crew members have gathered. There are 33 ships of the line, 22 frigates, and a total of about 400 transport ships. Chief of Staff Eugene.”

The original Egyptian expedition fleet was only about one-third of that size.

There were 13 ships of the line and 12 frigates.

Moreover, because a ship of the line had burned down in Toulon, they had to urgently deploy newly built ships.

But now, they were able to deploy the almost perfect Mediterranean Fleet.

Eugene, who was feeling proud as if he was being rewarded for his hard work four years ago, widened his eyes.

“Robert Surcouf is here too. Huh? Who’s that?”

“Hello. My name is Pierre Villeneuve.”

“Ah, a naval officer from the Atlantic Fleet? I look forward to working with you.”

Eugene shook hands with ‘Villeneuve’ in a very welcoming manner.

However, the next moment, his expression turned very cold.

Eugene whispered to Admiral Brueys, who was a little surprised.

“Keep that guy in the rear.”

“Yes? Do you know him?”

“He’s a coward. Are Armand de Chayla, Honoré Ganteaume, and Denis Decrès here too?”

Villeneuve, the most famous man among the French admirals of this era.

Why?

He was none other than the commander-in-chief of the French Navy who was defeated at the Battle of Trafalgar.

He wasn’t particularly incompetent, foolish, or evil, but he was the one who ruined the entire French fleet.

Of course, his opponent was Nelson, but it was also true that Villeneuve was very timid.

Eugene chose the bravest person in the Egyptian fleet.

“Use Chayla as the vanguard. He’s a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, so he’ll be the best.”

“Understood.”

“And install this on Robert’s ship.”

It was an item brought by Eugene’s direct division, led by Marceau.

It was a secret weapon developed by Poly.

A breech-loading cannon with bursting shells.

Admiral Brueys had heard about it in advance, so he nodded and then smiled.

“Understood. Then, you should say your last farewells.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look over there. [Patron].”

Eugene paused when Brueys suddenly used a nickname instead of a general’s title.

This title was only used among Eugene’s cartel members.

But why was he suddenly using that title?

Eugene turned his head, following Brueys’ gaze, and his eyes widened.

“Eugene.”

Marie was getting out of a carriage there.

***

Marie hadn’t heard directly that Eugene was leaving.

“What are you doing here? What were you thinking?”

“You didn’t even say goodbye, Eugene.”

“I left a letter instead. Didn’t you see it? Who brought Marie here?”

Eugene seemed angry.

Perhaps this expedition was confidential, so he had planned to leave without seeing Marie at all.

Maybe Eugene was so anxious that he avoided meeting her on purpose.

Because he might have to be prepared for death.

The desert land, Egypt, was a country where one had to be prepared for death even without fighting a war.

But shouldn’t he have seen Marie even more so?

Marie glared at Eugene with tearful eyes.

Just as Eugene was hesitating, unsure of what to do, Hoche chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

“Hmm! Don’t do that, just say your farewells. We’ll board first?”

“Hoche! This isn’t the time for that!”

“Marceau brought her, not me. And, strictly speaking, I’m the commander, right? Chief of Staff.”

Hoche winked and headed onto the ship.

Conversely, Marceau, who had secretly brought Marie here, pretended not to notice and hurried to the ship.

Soldiers from the Italian Corps, who knew about the relationship between Eugene and Marie, whistled and marched onto the ship.

-Whistle! Whistle! Whistle!

Of course, the story of the princess’s knight and the princess of the old royal family was a scandal that everyone in France knew about.

Soldiers from other divisions also watched them with curious eyes.

Marie’s face turned bright red, but she felt better.

She felt that if Eugene was with so many soldiers, he would be safe.

“You’ll win and come back, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, promise me.”

Suddenly, Marie grabbed Eugene’s hand.

“When you come back, make me your real [Patron]. Eugene Freischütz.”

At that moment, Eugene couldn’t help but hug Marie.

“I promise, my princess.”

Eugene and Marie, who could no longer be called young, kissed.

At the port of Brindisi, as the sun was setting.

***

Now it was time for the Egyptian expedition fleet to depart.

Eugene’s ship was named [Horus], after the god of Egyptian mythology.

That meant it was a new ship built for this expedition.

Marceau, the commander of Eugene’s division, who was smelling the wood of the new ship, glanced at the coast and smiled.

He could see [Patron] Eugene, who had just finished kissing, boarding the ship.

Marie could be seen watching from the port in the distance.

It was a scene that he seemed to have seen somewhere before.

Was it when he first went from Paris to Toulon?

“Wow, the army’s morale is going to plummet. They’re breaking up with their lovers, but the real commander is kissing.”

“It’s the opposite, isn’t it?”

“Why?”

Marceau said jokingly, and Ippolito scoffed and replied.

“Eugene kissed and won every time during the Italian expedition. Huh? Wait. It wasn’t the princess back then. Oops.”

At that moment, Ippolito let out a word as if he had remembered something.

Marceau, who had not participated in the Italian expedition, tilted his head and turned his gaze away.

Eugene, the Chief of Staff and de facto commander, was boarding the ship.

Eugene barely got on the ship and asked.

“Whew, busy. Is the fleet ready to depart?”

“Yeah, we were just waiting for the Chief of Staff. Hehe.”

“Good. Then, raise the sails!”

At Eugene’s command, Robert Surcouf, the captain of the Horus, smiled and unfurled the sails.

-Flap!

Soon after, Eugene gave a cheerful command.

“Now, send a signal to the entire fleet and announce it. Our army is going to Egypt!”

“Yes!”

“Wow, so I’m going to Egypt too? I didn’t know!”

At that moment, Eugene stopped.

The fact that it wasn’t a response to the order was a secondary issue.

This was clearly the Egyptian expedition fleet, which should be full of only men.

But clearly, he had just heard a woman’s voice.

Eugene turned his head and widened his eyes.

“Pauline?”

As Ippolito quickly backed away, one of the cavalrymen who had run with Ippolito stepped forward with a smile.

When she took off the military cap that she had pressed down deeply, her long ebony hair fluttered.

Pauline, Napoleon’s sister.

The stowaway Pauline winked.

“Oh my, how did I end up here?”

It was already when the Egyptian expedition fleet, 400 ships, had come out into the middle of the sea.

It was too late to turn back.

May 31, 1797.

Eugene’s Egyptian expedition began.

With the stowaway Pauline.