He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 186

(186) Drop Bombs from the Pyramids

It was literally a wave of cavalry crashing down.

“Emergency! Emergency! Emergency! A large enemy cavalry is charging!”

The desert is a place with all the wrong conditions for battle:

Scorching sun, sinking sand, rapidly changing winds.

That’s why Napoleon, in the original history, had difficulties just marching across the desert.

On the other hand, O’Hoche’s Egyptian Expeditionary Force was waiting right in front of Alexandria.

Of course, the enemy would be mistaken.

Alexandria was their territory, so they’d think the French army was fighting unprepared in unfamiliar enemy territory.

Nonsense.

Even the Egyptian Mamluks didn’t really know Alexandria well.

Because it’s such a declining city that unless Mamluk military aristocrats were assigned here, they had no reason to come.

So, the terrain conditions were virtually equal for both armies.

No, to be precise, the Egyptian Mamluks who ran across the desert were more exhausted.

Nevertheless, 6,000 cavalry mixed with camels was clearly overwhelming.

“Each division, prepare to advance. Entire army, column advance!”

As O’Hoche issued orders to the entire army, five divisions of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force infantry advanced.

-Step, step, step!

The five divisions, nearly 50,000 line infantry, began to march out with dignity.

There was not a single tremor even in the face of the cavalry wave rushing in from afar.

Strictly speaking, the Egyptian Mamluks were professional soldiers, and the French line infantry were conscripted soldiers.

Nevertheless, the French line infantry had one advantage.

They were battle-hardened soldiers who had fought in the deadly War of the First Coalition until a year ago.

Suddenly, Colonel Tournai, the head of the guard, said to Eugene, who was observing the situation from the rear.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen our Horse Grenadier Brigade running away like that. Usually, they defeat the enemy and gleefully return.”

Eugene chuckled, looking at Junot, who was running away at the very front, through a telescope.

“You’ll see it often here, Colonel Tournai.”

“Why is that? The enemy seems to have outdated weapons and formations at first glance.”

“It’s actually advantageous in cavalry skirmishes. Besides, the guns they’re holding are actually British muskets, not matchlocks.”

That’s why the Mamluk corps confidently allowed themselves to be lured to Alexandria.

In fact, the Mamluk rulers, the Beys [chiefs or governors], were not fools either.

They knew that the French cavalry were using a kind of lure.

Nevertheless, the reason they advanced was not only because this was Mamluk territory or because of Eugene’s propaganda leaflets.

It was because they trusted the cavalry muskets that Britain had supplied for Indian trade.

They had all been trained to load cavalry guns while on horseback.

Tournai asked, startled.

“Then, aren’t we at a disadvantage?”

“It would be if they threw grenades like we did in Italy.”

“That’s a relief. How should we respond?”

Eugene lowered his telescope and shrugged.

“We don’t need to try too hard in this battle. Kléber, Desaix, and Marceau will take care of it.”

Kléber of the Vendée, Desaix of the Rhine, and Marceau, who was chosen by Napoleon.

They were division commanders recognized as first-class even in the French army, which had begun to be called the strongest in Europe.

In particular, Desaix had experienced deadly infantry warfare on the Rhine front.

Even amidst the rushing wave of cavalry, he was firmly advancing, taking charge of the vanguard division.

Then, O’Hoche, riding a horse next to Eugene, came out of the headquarters and whistled.

“Wow, a wave of cavalry is rushing in? I feel like we don’t have a small number either, but we look very pathetic.”

“It’s just for show, O’Hoche.”

“Didn’t you say those guys were armed with British cavalry guns?”

Eventually, Eugene burst out laughing.

“Pfft! So, when fighting the British army, were there any who charged with cavalry?”

In the age of line infantry with developed gunpowder weapons,

Cavalry cannot defeat infantry.

This is truly common military sense in Europe.

What if the Mamluk army had brought in British army officers as instructors instead of cavalry guns?

They would have been horrified and stopped the cavalry charge.

O’Hoche also chuckled and then said seriously.

“No, that can’t be. Chief of Staff, issue the orders.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Stop the march for the entire army.”

Soon after, O’Hoche’s battle commencement order was issued.

“Deploy square formations!”

Chief of Staff Eugene relayed O’Hoche’s orders through messengers.

Soon after, non-commissioned officers in charge of messenger duties ran to each division and reported.

Then, the divisions that were advancing in columns stopped.

In an instant, each infantryman began to form a square formation.

Square.

It’s an old-fashioned one, but it’s a Boarneau-style musket [a type of firearm] that fires with fulminate of mercury instead of flint.

-Tap, tap!

Ippolito wiped away cold sweat as he watched the infantry square formation facing the rushing cavalry from afar.

“Wow, it’s chilling.”

“We annihilated a lot of units doing this in Italy.”

“Are we going to get hit too?”

Eugene snorted.

“If a European-style army was in Egypt, the Turkish Empire would have already collapsed.”

Of course, it will happen later in the original history.

Because France won this battle.

But not now.

-Doo doo doo!

In an instant, the cavalry came right in front of the line infantry.

***

Of course, that cavalry is actually the French cavalry.

“Heigh-ho! Run and run away from the enemy! As fast as you can!”

Lasalle shouted excitedly at the front.

Even in this moment of escape, Lasalle is always cheerful.

Of course, not everyone can be like that, so most of the cavalry running with him were driving their horses madly.

Champot looked back and burst into anger.

“Damn it, we should be annihilating them with a cavalry charge! Running away!”

“What are you talking about? Can’t you see those swords? Our sabers will die against them, Champot.”

“Then let us shoot at least! What did we bring the Boarneau-style pistols [a type of firearm] for?”

Then Lasalle chuckled and turned in front of the infantry square.

“Now is the time for the infantry to shine, Champot. Come on, Joubert! Run fast! If you’re late, you’ll be raped by those guys!”

This chilling joke is actually real.

In the original history, French soldiers who were stranded or captured were humiliated by Mamluk soldiers.

Moreover, behind the French cavalry, cavalry familiar with the desert are really rushing in like a wave.

-Doo doo! Doo doo doo! Doo doo doo doo!

The 26 Beys shouted from various parts of the formation.

“Mamluks, we will defeat the enemies today!”

“Waaaaa!”

“Raise your guns! Show those Franks the skill of mounted shooting!”

Mamluk military commanders, Beys, who divide and rule the 26 provinces of Egypt.

All of them participated in this battle, expecting victory.

In the past, they had defeated the Turkish mainland army by gathering the entire strength of the Mamluks.

Today, they all came running, confident of victory.

“Load!”

The second-in-command, Ibrahim Bey, shouted.

-Click, bang!

In an instant, the Mamluk cavalry began mounted shooting.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

6,000 bullets poured out.

The Mamluk cavalry smiled with satisfaction, but were startled when the smoke cleared.

As if taking a freeze pose, the French infantry in blue uniforms stood tall.

Ibrahim hurriedly rode his horse back to the main camp and shouted.

“Their formation is not shaken!”

“What, didn’t the guns hit?”

“Mounted shooting originally has a low hit rate, Bey! However, it’s supposed to scatter the formation with noise and shock, but those guys must be deaf!”

The Mamluk’s number one, Murad Bey, gritted his teeth and shouted.

“It doesn’t matter. Then, we’ll just cut them down with Kilij [a type of saber]!”

The Mamluk cavalry drew their Kilijs all at once.

Here, the Mamluk corps does not only have cavalry.

Strictly speaking, there is a large infantry army of over 60,000 lurking behind.

Under the command of Murad in the main camp, the infantry also began to form ranks and charge.

That’s when.

“Huh, what’s that?”

Suddenly, the third-in-command, Ayub, who was whipping his horse and running, looked at the sky.

-Whoo-oong.

Something large was blocking the sun.

There were a total of 10.

It was a strange phenomenon with a square box hanging from a sphere.

Without realizing it, Ayub stopped his horse and muttered.

“Something is floating in the sky?”

At that moment, something fell from the box under the sphere.

-Swoosh.

Just as he thought it looked like an arrow, the falling object exploded.

-Bang!

With the roar, the Mamluk cavalry fell into chaos this time.

To be exact, the horses and camels began to run around like crazy.

Soldiers who realized the identity of the sound shouted from various places.

“Get out of the way! It’s, it’s gunpowder!”

“What, what is it? Why is gunpowder in the sky!”

“A person, the sky, is flying!”

That is, the balloon unit appeared in the Egyptian sky.

***

France is the first in the world to organize balloons into military units.

“Nicolas Jacques Conté! My god, the balloon unit is earning its bread and butter!”

Without realizing it, Kléber bounced his plump cheeks and shouted.

In fact, it was Kléber who was introduced to Conté by Carnot.

Since the former Minister of War recommended it, he had no choice but to bring him, but of course, he thought it would be useless.

In fact, in the original history, the balloon unit does not play any role.

However, the moment the balloon unit received Eugene’s special grenades, a role was created.

As a primitive bombing unit.

Of course, Eugene himself shook his head as he looked at the balloon unit through a telescope.

“I can’t use it in real combat. It shakes too much in the wind.”

“What. Isn’t that real combat?”

“Ippolito, wake up. What real combat is it for us to fight against Egypt’s pre-modern army? I just used the balloon unit to reduce casualties.”

Eugene, who lightly scolded his adjutant Ippolito, suddenly smiled.

“Anyway, it’s effective enough to break the enemy’s formation.”

Anyway, they succeeded in completely destroying the Egyptian cavalry formation.

Originally, the infantry in the square formation should fire at the cavalry rushing into the infantry square.

This is less effective because the amount of firepower projected is smaller than the firing of ordinary line infantry.

But now there is an opportunity to deploy the flower of European infantry tactics, the line [a military formation].

“Come on, infantry line! Now spread out the line!”

Desaix, who was at the head, shouted loudly.

Starting with the Desaix Division, the Kléber Division, the Eugene Marceau Division, the Junot Division, and the O’Hoche Direct Division spread out the line.

It was as if the line of soldiers blocked the front of Alexandria.

Ippolito tilted his head as he looked at the scene.

“Oh, it’s a three-row formation. I think I’ve only seen two-row formations in Italy.”

“Don’t forget that the main force of our army is the Flanders and Rhine Corps. They are not trained in Thin Red Line. There are no Bluecoats either.”

“That’s a shame. Should I send a messenger to change even the Marceau Division to a one-row line?”

Eugene shook his head.

“It’s okay. The firepower is enough with the balloon unit’s grenades.”

The reason why the ‘thin’ red line deployed by the British Redcoats [British soldiers] is scary is because of the fire net.

This is because the amount and speed of firepower fired by the infantry deployed in a single row is three times that of the three-row force.

However, the fire net of the Boarneau-style fulminate rifles prepared by Eugene is excellent enough.

-Bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!

Here, Colonel Conté’s balloon unit threw grenades.