He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 182

(182) Acquiring the Hospitalier Knights, the Golden Goose

Originally, the Knights of Malta’s real nickname is the [Hospitalier Knights: a medieval Catholic military order that provided medical care].

“Allow us to surrender honorably, Commander.”

In front of the Knights’ headquarters, the Casa Leoni fortress, the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, Hompesch, knelt.

Knights in antique ceremonial robes stood in rows behind him, their expressions grave.

However, Eugene’s attention was drawn to those *behind* the knights.

Non-military personnel in black attire.

Soon, another component of the Knights of Malta appeared, following the tradition that began in the hospitals of the Holy Land: the [Doctors: medical professionals who provided care, a key aspect of the Knights’ original mission].

At that moment, Commander Ochre, standing in front of Eugene, shrugged.

“Hmm, we didn’t really want to fight much either, Grand Master.”

“It was friendly fire. But I, Ferdinand von Hompesch, have no intention of evading responsibility. Neither do our knights.”

“He says so. What should we do? What does the Chief of Staff think?”

Eugene shook off his thoughts and met Commander Ochre’s gaze.

The island of Malta had already been captured by the French expeditionary force.

Faced with the bombardment from the line-of-battle ships, the Knights of Malta had lost their will to fight. Maintaining a medieval knightly system of governance, the general population simply followed the knights’ decisions.

So, how could they best utilize this Malta that they had come to occupy?

“First, disarm them and take control of Malta. Malta will become our expeditionary force’s base for this campaign.”

Making it an intermediate base for the expeditionary force was the primary task.

In fact, in the original timeline, Napoleon occupied Malta somewhat impulsively.

On the other hand, Eugene came here with the intention of fully utilizing Malta from the beginning, especially with the judgment that he could use the knightly order that Napoleon had dissolved.

Having come here directly, it was certainly a useful organization, not in a military aspect, but in an organizational one.

Grand Master Hompesch blinked at Eugene’s words and asked, “Where are you going, anyway?”

“Egypt, didn’t you know?”

“What? Egypt? Good heavens!”

Hompesch exclaimed in shock, then stepped back, muttering to himself, “Wasn’t Sicily the target? Could it be that the information the British ambassador gave was wrong!”

Sicily, and the British ambassador.

Eugene raised an eyebrow slightly at those words but didn’t bother to ask. He was also aware that the Knights of Malta had been in contact with England after the revolution.

Besides, if England had the wrong information, it would be even more welcome.

-Clatter!

First, Hompesch and the Knights of Malta were detained in Casa Leoni.

Watching Deje’s division soldiers searching the Leoni fortress, Ochre stroked his chin. The words Hompesch had said earlier seemed to bother him.

“It seems some information got to the Knights of Malta. The British ambassador, you say?”

“It’s not as much as it used to be, but the Knights of Malta also have branches throughout Europe. Being Catholic is a requirement for joining, so there aren’t many recruits in England.”

“But, it seems England thought we were aiming for Sicily, thanks to gathering the diversionary fleet in Toulon.”

Ochre nodded, then whistled as he looked at the supplies piled up in front of the fortress.

“By the way, the spoils are more substantial than I thought.”

The Knights of Malta had ruled this small island for 250 years.

During that time, they weren’t just playing around on the island. The Knights of Malta, originally created to protect the Holy Land, had been fighting Muslim pirates on this island.

Therefore, they had stored plenty of cannons, guns, and gunpowder.

Even from the perspective of the French expeditionary force, which had come with 50,000 troops, it was a substantial amount of supplies.

However, Eugene shook his head. “Even so, it will all be used up quickly if we wage war in Egypt.”

“Will the war last long?”

“If you want to create a permanent bridgehead, yes, Ochre,” Eugene said, throwing meaningful words at Ochre. “Maybe you’ll have to dedicate your whole life.”

In the original timeline, Napoleon ultimately failed to conquer Egypt. Also, in the end, it is not France but England that colonizes Egypt.

So, the talk of a lifetime is by no means an exaggeration.

Ochre turned to Eugene and smiled. “Well, let’s go and judge. By the way, what about Malta?”

“We are soldiers of the Republic, aren’t we? We have to set up another satellite republic.”

“Then what about the Knights of Malta?”

In front of Casa Leoni, Eugene responded with a strange smile. “How about moving the headquarters from Malta?”

To Egypt, for example.

***

In fact, in the Middle Ages, the Hospitalier Knights had really aimed for Egypt.

“1,200 cannons, 40,000 muskets, and 680,000 kilograms of gunpowder. It’s an enormous amount of military power for such a small island, isn’t it?”

In addition, the fleet consists of 4 galleys, 1 frigate, and 2 ships of the line.

It’s insignificant on a national scale, but excessive for a single military group.

Marceau exclaimed as he looked around the armory.

Eugene, who was walking next to him, recalled the vault he had just seen in Casa Leoni and added, “There’s also 5 million francs in gold and 1 million francs in silver.”

“Can we really take all of this?”

“Yes. After all, if we leave it behind, they’ll only use it for piracy.”

At that moment, Marceau was about to leave the armory when his eyes lit up. “Really? Wait. Oh, the ladies have arrived.”

Noble ladies, who did not fit in the desolate armory, were lined up. Among the ladies who had boarded the expeditionary force, they were gathered from those whose husbands or lovers held high positions.

Of course, among them was Pauline, who was still young and unmarried to be called a noble lady.

Suddenly, Marceau’s wife, Angelique, asked, “Why did you call us, Francois?”

“Ah, General Eugene had an interesting idea. Oh, Professor Lareille has arrived too.”

“Why did you call Professor Lareille? Is it for the ladies’ medical treatment?”

Women are relatively weaker than men, so they are more likely to get sick abroad. Therefore, medical checkups are essential for long journeys.

However, Eugene shook his head and answered instead of Marceau. “You have to do that too. But you will have to do it yourselves from now on.”

Just as the noble ladies were blinking at the very strange story, Lareille, who was walking in a hurry, clicked his tongue. “Um, I’m a little reluctant. Originally, medical care is a man’s job.”

“In the Middle Ages, nuns did medical work.”

“It’s a very rough job. It would be a problem if women fainted at the sight of blood.”

Listening without knowing what they were talking about, Angelique snorted. “What are you talking about? We see blood every month. Hmph.”

At those words, the generals and soldiers made up of men coughed dryly. She was talking about menstruation.

But the blood seen on the battlefield is a completely different kind of terrible thing.

Eugene smacked his lips and told Angelique, “Well, you’ll have to see blood that can’t even be compared to such physical phenomena, since you’ve come to the battlefield.”

“I survived the civil war, General Bonaparte. Besides, everyone here is the wife or lover of a soldier. We are used to the horrors of war.”

“I’m saying that because not everyone is like that. Anyway, that’s good.”

That’s why he didn’t call Desiree to this place.

In fact, in terms of her husband’s position, Desiree Clary Ochre is the highest-ranking woman. But she is also the woman who is least suited for the work Eugene is planning now, because it requires courage, thorough organization, and leadership.

“We will organize you into a nursing unit under the Hospitalier Knights.”

Angelique asked with wide eyes, “Nursing unit? Hospitalier Knights? What does that mean?”

“If we just want to organize you as a unit under the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, we have to get government approval. It’s difficult to go and get that now, and in fact, organizing women into the military is not as easy as it sounds.”

“I suddenly feel bad. Women can fight too. We all fought together in the Vendée [a region in France that was the site of a counter-revolution during the French Revolution]. But why are you organizing us into a unit?”

This time, Eugene scoffed and retorted, “Well, if we go on like this, legally you are all stowaway criminals.”

At those words, Angelique Marceau, Francois Marceau, and the other noble ladies and generals exchanged glances.

Most of the people here are women who have stowed away, and their husbands and lovers.

According to military law, women are stowaways and soldiers are accomplices.

Even if they were all punished and made to get off the ship, they would have nothing to say.

Didn’t Malta, a safe port of call, just happen to appear?

At that moment, the only woman here who was not a noble lady burst into laughter. It was Pauline Bonaparte.

“Pfft! Tell the truth. Our soldier nephew doesn’t like uncontrolled civilians, does he?”

“Shut up, aunt. You’re the biggest problem. You! It’s probably been reported to Paris that you came here. What do you think ‘Father’ [likely referring to a high-ranking official or family member] will react?”

“What can I do? There won’t be time to send pursuers now, will there? Wars will start everywhere.”

Pauline giggled, twirling her hair teasingly, and turned to Angelique. “Anyway, I like it. Are you going to do it, Angelique?”

Angelique Marceau pondered. Becoming a soldier as a woman. She had never thought about it.

But when you think about it, in the Vendée, soldiers and civilians really had to fight. Besides, if they don’t have military records, they are all just stowaways, as Eugene said.

Perhaps her husband, Marceau, will be held accountable for this issue later.

Above all, the nursing unit sounded a little interesting.

“Okay. Then who is the commander?”

Eugene smiled and told Angelique, “Originally, the commander’s wife should do it, but you seem to be the most suitable person to be a soldier here, Madame Marceau.”

Thus, the first female military nursing unit in the French army was born.

***

Of course, the Knights of Malta were hearing about the formation of the nursing unit and the Egyptian campaign for the first time.

“What did you say? Are you telling me to go to Egypt?”

Hompesch shouted in shock again. In fact, for Hompesch, the last three days have been nothing but shocking events: the army of the French Revolutionary Government suddenly invaded, Malta was occupied, and the 700-year-old Knights were in crisis.

But the revolutionary army, which he thought would demand the dissolution of the Knights, demands participation in the war.

Egypt, which he had never even thought about, is the target.

Eugene looked around the Grand Master’s office in Casa Leoni and turned his head. “To be exact, it’s the entire Knights, Grand Master.”

“Listen, General Freischütz. We are a monastic order that only obeys the orders of His Holiness the Pope. Although we surrendered due to force, there is no reason to listen to the orders of the French government.”

“Grand Master, times have changed. Also, His Holiness the Pope, to whom you pledged allegiance, has surrendered to us.”
The Knights of Saint John, a group of monks formed to protect the Holy Land.

Once you join, you cannot marry for the rest of your life and must spend your life in war with the infidels. It is truly an anachronistic organization for the Enlightenment Europeans of the approaching 19th century.

Perhaps that is why Napoleon dissolved the Knights in the original timeline.

However, to Eugene, who knows the history of later generations, the Knights are an extremely useful organization, especially in that it has [extraterritorial rights: the right to be exempt from local laws] that can even escape the nominal control of the French government.

What if Eugene could get this organization into his hands?

Another Surete [French intelligence agency] is created for Eugene.

Even in the Egyptian expedition right now, he is placing the female soldiers, who are not in the regular army’s table of organization and equipment, under the Knights.

Moreover, in fact, the Knights of Malta have branches all over Europe, and through these branches, they are running a huge international financial organization that is rolling in wealth.

It’s a golden goose that’s perfect for the financier Eugene.

Instead of revealing these inner thoughts, Eugene mentioned the internal problems of the Knights to the Grand Master.

“Above all, don’t forget that most of the knights are French. Everyone wants to return home in their later years. Isn’t that right?”

The country with the strongest tradition of the Crusades is France. So, when you look at this Knights of Malta, the most people who have joined are French.

The current Grand Master is from Cologne on the Rhine, but he was also fluent in French.

Just as Hompesch was frowning, Eugene threatened again. “Besides, this is a new era of holy war. What was the original reason for the birth of the Knights of Saint John? Surely piracy in Malta isn’t everything, is it?”

“Be careful what you say. Fighting infidel pirates and protecting Christianity is our mission!”

“That’s what I’m saying. Recapture the Holy Land, protect the Church!”

At that moment, Eugene’s eyes flashed. “Who is going to do this now? It’s us, the French Revolutionary Army!”

The French Revolution is, in fact, an anti-religious revolution. So, the idea of using Catholicism is very unfamiliar to the Revolutionary Army.

But Eugene was trying to use the Knights, a legacy of medieval Catholicism. He is going to get all the Knights’ assets, naval know-how, and medical groups.

With a serious face, Hompesch muttered, “So, you’re also organizing women under us?”

“It’s a temporary organization. If the Grand Master allows it.”

“It’s not impossible. We originally hire doctors and mercenaries. Hmm.”

Eugene nodded and added, “Instead, I will give you a much larger territory for the Knights than Malta. Egypt, or the Holy Land.”

After all, Malta has already been occupied by France. In the original timeline, the entire Knights of Malta are dissolved and expelled.

Of course, Hompesch didn’t imagine that far, but he realized that he was in the hands of France.

Here, instead of small Malta, he will have territory in Egypt?

Hompesch turned his head and looked towards the sea. It’s the French fleet of 400 ships.

If he were fighting another European country, he wouldn’t know, but if he were fighting the Egyptian army, which is backward compared to Europe, he could definitely win.

Eventually, Hompesch nodded. “Okay. Then, we should give you some information to commemorate our joining the French army.”

“What is it?”

“The former British Ambassador to Naples, William Hamilton, stayed in Malta. He said that the French army had gathered in Toulon, and that Sicily was probably the next target. It was wrong, though.”

Hompesch narrowed his brows and conveyed the information that had been bothering him. “But, as Hamilton returned to England, he left this message. He said that he would return with the Caribbean Fleet Commander Nelson, so let’s meet again then.”

In an instant, Eugene grabbed Hompesch. “Wait, what did you say?”

“He said the Caribbean Fleet is coming. It will probably be the most elite fleet in the British Navy.”

“No, I’m talking about the person who’s coming with him.”

Hompesch blinked and asked back, “Nelson?”

For a moment, Eugene, who had been holding Hompesch, deliberately smiled and let go. “I guess we need to hurry up the schedule.”

It seems that the time has come to go to Egypt even faster.