He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 222

(222) Eugene Annihilates the Janissaries in Konya

The Janissaries, once the symbol of the Ottoman Empire, had terrified Europe since the 16th century.

“Form ranks! Raise your muskets! If we form a square, we can defeat any cavalry!”

Of the 60,000 Ottoman troops gathered in Konya, 20,000 were Janissaries.

In fact, the Janissaries originally meant “New Army,” making them a sort of precursor to the Nizam-i Cedid [Ottoman army reforms implemented in the late 18th and early 19th centuries].

In an era dominated by old-fashioned swords, spears, and arrows, the Ottomans were the first in the Islamic world to embrace gunpowder weapons and build an empire.

The Janissaries were an elite infantry slave group, a symbol of the early arquebus era.

Now, they were no longer formed by kidnapping, were not freed slaves, and the prohibition of marriage was largely ignored.

However, the pride of the Janissaries remained strong.

They believed they were the pillars protecting the Ottoman Empire.

“Load gunpowder! Insert bullet! Quickly ignite and fire!”

Pazvantoğlu supplied these Janissaries with muskets instead of arquebuses.

This was possible because he was the governor of Vidin, a region bordering the Austrian Empire.

In any case, fighting the Austrians with arquebuses in Vidin would have been suicidal.

However, unlike the Bulgarian Janissary corps directly commanded by Pazvantoğlu, the Sipahi [Ottoman cavalry] were still largely equipped in the old style.

Therefore, Janissaries were needed to counter the Mamluks firing with cavalry rifles.

The Janissaries hastily formed an infantry square.

Pazvantoğlu shouted to his adjutant, Hassan.

“Play the instruments of the Mehter military band!”

“Sir? Pasha! We are under surprise attack!”

“That’s why we need the military band even more!”

Pazvantoğlu drew his kilij [a type of Turkish saber] and urgently ordered.

“Boost morale and form ranks against the enemy! Once the cannons arrive, we can sweep away the enemy cavalry in an instant! Prepare the Sipahi for deployment!”

The Mehter military band was a traditional Ottoman military band that accompanied the Janissaries.

In the 16th century, the Turks pioneered the use of military bands solely for boosting morale, predating their widespread adoption in Europe.

The once-pioneering Mehter military band blew their trumpets in unison.

-Puuu! Puuu! Puuu!

Only then did Pazvantoğlu’s corps, shaken by the surprise, begin to form ranks properly.

The first to be ready were the Janissaries from the Vidin region, directly under Pazvantoğlu’s command.

Under Hassan’s command, the Janissaries raised their muskets.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Janissaries, arranged in ten ranks, fired in succession before turning to reload.

It wasn’t comparable to modern line infantry, but it was enough to disrupt a cavalry charge.

Soon after, Pazvantoğlu mounted his horse and ordered.

“Now, let’s go! Sipahi of Rumelia, show them that you are no less than the Kapikulu [elite Ottoman troops] of the capital!”

As expected, the Sipahi, veterans of many battles against European cavalry, rode forth fully armed.

There was still no support from the artillery, and the Anatolian auxiliary infantry, the Sekban, had not yet arrived.

However, the enemies before them were not European armies, but the more familiar Mamluks and Kurdish cavalry.

“Kill the Mamluks!”

Pazvantoğlu personally led the cavalry charge from the front.

The cavalry on the right wing of Pazvantoğlu’s army rushed forward in unison.

On the other hand, the Kurdish cavalry, who were preparing to charge the French army’s left wing, were caught completely off guard.

The Kurdish cavalry commander, Abdullah Bey, was startled and grabbed the reins of his horse.

“Retreat, retreat! The enemies are charging head-on!”

The 3,000 Kurdish cavalry scattered and fled into the mountains surrounding Konya.

Following them, 4,000 Rumelian Sipahi rushed in like a storm.

Pazvantoğlu, who had been taken by surprise just moments before, shouted with satisfaction.

“Look, this is the Sipahi of Turkey! Let’s crush the French army with this momentum!”

At that moment.

-Boom!

A cavalryman running next to Pazvantoğlu was blown away by a sudden explosion.

The 4,000 cavalrymen hurriedly halted.

Pazvantoğlu looked around and shouted.

“What is it! Did they bring cannons? There’s no way they could advance this quickly with cannons!”

At that moment, Adjutant Hassan shouted, looking skyward.

“It’s a balloon! They are using balloons!”

Looking at the sky, Pazvantoğlu gritted his teeth.

“Ha! That French brat is using petty tricks. Ignore it and charge!”

Balloons were certainly an amazing scientific innovation, but in Europe, they were still largely seen as novelties.

Pazvantoğlu, who had fought in Europe, had seen balloons before.

It was annoying to have bombs dropping from above, but that was all.

If you were aware of them, you could just charge while watching the sky.

However, Pazvantoğlu missed one crucial detail.

-Swoosh, Boom!

The French army *did* have cannons, and they *had* come to Konya.

***

Here, there was an artillery commander who was often overlooked.

“Don’t dawdle, shoot! Show those old-fashioned soldiers the power of the Gribeauval cannons!” [a standardized French artillery system introduced in the 18th century].

Konya sits at the edge of the Anatolian plains, surrounded by mountains.

Therefore, all the paths approaching Konya offered high ground.

Taking positions on the high ground and bombarding the enemy with cannons was a specialty of the French artillery.

Elzéar Auguste Cousin de Dommartin, the man who had brought horse artillery to these mountains, was no different.

High-ground bombardment was the tactic Dommartin was most confident in.

Adjutant Alexandre Dumas, who was observing the situation with a telescope, rushed over and reported.

“The cavalry is in disarray, Brigadier General!”

“Good. Pour it on with all your might! No need to save the shells!”

“It seems the Ottoman army is waiting in the rear, is that alright?”

The moment Dumas’ dark complexion seemed to darken further, Dommartin snorted.

“Forget it, Saint-Domingue native! That’s the commander’s business!” [referring to Dumas’s Haitian heritage, as Saint-Domingue was a French colony on the island of Hispaniola].

The black-mixed-race general, Dumas, gritted his teeth for a moment in humiliation, then nodded.

“Well, it’s the boy commander’s job!”

In the late 18th century, the flower of the battlefield was the line infantry.

Also, the hussar cavalry was in charge of surprise attacks and parades.

However, anyone who commands an army knows.

In the end, firepower is the responsibility of the artillery.

A unit that is not glamorous but essential in battle.

An army without or with insufficient artillery is doomed to lose.

However, Dommartin had never had the opportunity to play an active role in the Egyptian or Syrian expeditions.

Therefore, he couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.

The Ottoman Empire expedition was clearly the core project of this expeditionary force returning to France.

Dommartin, who was usually never excited, now had a glint in his eyes.

“Yes, just achieve what you have been instructed to do perfectly! Then, I will definitely become a meritorious person in the conquest of Constantinople!”

In Toulon, he was left behind by Napoleon.

In Italy, Marmont and Duroc were holding on.

In the Egyptian expedition, there were a series of battles where the artillery had no chance to play an active role.

But this Ottoman expedition was different.

Dommartin was the only artillery commander, and a battlefield where artillery could play an active role had been presented to him.

If he missed this opportunity, Dommartin might never have the chance to be promoted to major general.

That’s why Dommartin desperately ran to the mountains of southern Anatolia.

“Shoot at full speed with all your might! The enemies have no artillery! That will be the key to this battle!”

As if in response, the sound of gunfire rang out continuously.

-Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the plains of Konya, Sipahi cavalrymen were falling to the ground as if ships were sinking.

***

The cavalry’s preemptive strike, the balloon unit’s delayed advance, and the artillery’s bombardment followed in quick succession.

No matter how large an army of 60,000 may be, it was bound to fall into chaos.

Moreover, the most important element, the commander-in-chief, had gone to the front of the battlefield and was caught in the bombardment.

Even if the adjutant tried to command, the ranks were bound to be disrupted.

At this moment, Desaix rushed out from the French camp.

“Commander! Now is the time. Order the attack!”

Eugene watched the situation with a telescope and nodded.

“As expected, the balloon unit cannot deliver the final blow. Good, General Desaix. While Dommartin is pouring down shells, bypass to the right wing of the battlefield and strike.”

At that moment, Junot also shouted.

“Me too! Commander, I can’t miss this spot!”

“No, you can’t.”

“What, why!”

Eugene shook his head and stared ahead.

“In this kind of melee, someone as brave as you, Junot, is likely to be injured. I’ll have you play an active role in a more decisive battle, so wait.”

Originally, in the original timeline, Junot suffers a serious head injury in a battle.

It was the Battle of Lonato in the Italian campaign.

In that battle, the Austrian and French armies engaged in a melee surrounding the city.

In the midst of this, Junot bravely charged, injured his head, and suffered lasting mental damage.

After Eugene welcomed Junot as his subordinate, there was no such battle.

But it is something that can happen at any time in a melee.

He is trying to make a reckless charge even now.

Junot shouted in anger.

“Then, Desaix! Is it okay for him to go and get hurt!”

“It’s okay.”

“Why!”

Eugene replied coldly.

“Because he accurately distinguishes between the place where he must die and the place where he doesn’t.”

Desaix is also a master of rapid attacks who fights bravely throughout his life.

However, moving quickly does not mean recklessly charging.

In the original timeline, there is only one battle where Desaix moved recklessly.

It was the Battle of Marengo, where Napoleon almost died.

“That’s a compliment I don’t know if I should take. I’ll be on my way!”

Desaix, not knowing Eugene’s true feelings, smiled wryly and charged.

Junot, on the other hand, threw his hat on the ground and complained.

The senior division commander, Marceau, who was watching the situation, asked Eugene in a low voice from beside him.

“Why don’t you tell him to advance? You’re going to win anyway.”

“We’re going to win anyway, so we have to save him. There’s a time to use Junot’s bravery separately.”

“When? Junot might lose his motivation.”

Eugene glanced at Junot and chuckled.

“That’s not going to happen. He’s the kind of person who will say he’ll be at the front even when he’s old.”

In the meantime, the battle situation was already turning decisively.

Desaix’s infantry advanced in columns and then deployed into lines with practiced ease.

The guns in their hands were breech-loading Boarneau muskets that fired with percussion caps instead of flintlocks [a more reliable ignition system].

The gun barrels were aimed at the Janissaries, who were in chaos after their commander, Pazvantoğlu, was caught in the shelling.

Three ranks deep.

In Europe, it was just an ordinary line of infantry.

But here, it became a line that could literally project firepower across a wide area.

-Bang! Click, Keerik. Bang! Click, Keerik, Bang!

The Janissaries tried to counterattack, but were cut down by the first volley and fell.

Behind them, cavalrymen were dying, caught in the relentless shelling.

Far away, the artillerymen who were coming along the road approaching Konya heard the noise.

“Pasha, what should we do? Ah, it seems our troops are under attack!”

Haji Mustafa looked at the artillery commander, Muhammad Ali, and sighed.

“It’s too late. We’re turning back!”

The carts hauling the 60 huge cannons turned around in unison.

-Rumble!

The Pazvantoğlu Corps, the 60,000 troops that the Ottoman Empire had gathered as its last hope.

All of them were annihilated in the Battle of Konya.

Even the artillery, which arrived too late, was never deployed.

-Viva France! Waaaa!

October 10, 1798.

The shouts of Eugene’s army echoed through Konya.

As if announcing the end of the Ottoman Empire.