He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 254

(254) Fighting the Master Craftsman of Original History

Once, there existed nobles who were called Prince-Electors.

“Your Highness, Grand Duke, I am deeply grateful for your assistance. Austria will never forget this favor.”

Karl, Erzherzog von Österreich, in English, Archduke of Austria.

A title only the royalty of the Habsburg family could use.

Thus, when the Holy Roman Empire was intact, he never bowed his head to anyone except the Emperor.

However, the person before him, judging by title alone, was merely a Duke, yet Karl had to show respect.

Because he was a great noble who once held the glorious position of being one of only seven in the Empire.

Namely, Maximilian Joseph, Duke of Bavaria, a Prince-Elector (Kurfürst) [one of the nobles entitled to elect the Holy Roman Emperor].

So, Karl was currently addressing Maximilian by the commonly used title, ‘Grand Duke’.

Strictly speaking, the position of Prince-Elector no longer exists now that the Holy Roman Empire has been dissolved.

“Hahaha! Do not worry, Your Highness, Grand Duke. Just three years ago, we were one empire. And we must become one empire again.”

“I am grateful that you would say such a thing.”

“The previous Grand Duke was foolish to accept the dissolution of the Empire. That idiot Karl Theodor!”

Maximilian Joseph greeted the dust-covered Karl very heartily.

“This time, we must defeat the rebel traitors of France and restore the rightful world! Now, first, wash up! Soon, we must march out again!”

The exhausted Archduke Karl simply thanked him for the hospitality and left for his lodgings to rest.

Grand Duke Maximilian quietly watched him from behind.

Then, a middle-aged general standing next to the Grand Duke spoke.

“Your Highness, Grand Duke, there was no need for you to personally step forward like this.”

“What do you mean, General Bredow? The Austrian Empire has sent the Archduke himself. How can I not step forward in this situation?”

“It’s not like the Emperor came himself, Your Highness.”

Maximilian shook his head at the words of Karl Philipp von Bredow, Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Duchy of Bavaria.

“I have no intention of leaving everything to the Empire like the previous Grand Duke. Besides, this is an era without the [Holy] Roman Empire.”

The previous Grand Duke, Karl Theodor, was an apathetic man.

Originally, Karl Theodor, Count Palatine, was not in a position to inherit the Duchy of Bavaria.

He simply became the Grand Duke after the capable previous Grand Duke and his cousin, Maximilian III, died without descendants.

However, Karl Theodor was so dissolute that he had no legitimate heir.

So, he spent his life trying to get his illegitimate children recognized for succession, only to die powerlessly.

He had little interest in governing the country.

Even when the revolution broke out and the world changed, he merely sought help from Austria.

It was Karl who protected Bavaria at that time.

However, the new Grand Duke and Karl Theodor’s cousin, Maximilian IV, is different.

He is not only full of ambition but also has a broader perspective.

Suddenly, Grand Duke Maximilian looked at his close aides and said,

“We must think about what comes after this war. General Bredow, and Baron Montgelas.”

“That is correct, Your Highness. But Your Highness’s safety is the most important thing, is it not?”

“Hahaha! If things don’t go well, my son Ludwig will inherit. In that case, I’ll be counting on you, Montgelas.”

Maximilian laughed as he looked at his chief secretary, who was encouraging the war but also worried about the Grand Duke’s safety.

“We must showcase Bavaria’s presence this time, Montgelas. Whether we win or lose, otherwise, there is no future.”

This is Maximilian, who would later become Napoleon’s ally in original history.

Maximilian already knows.

That Revolutionary France is the trend of the times.

However, if he surrenders powerlessly, Bavaria has no future.

The other noble territories scattered along the Rhine are in danger of having their territories confiscated by France.

To protect the territory and the family at the same time, extraordinary measures are needed.

At the very least, they must win this battle.

It was then.

“Daddy!”

Suddenly, a girl ran towards the Grand Duke in his white military uniform from inside the palace.

The Grand Duke was startled and turned around.

Women and children in dresses are visible.

“Oh, Caroline. I told you not to bring the children.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. They just wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Amalia, didn’t I tell you to listen to your mother!”

The girl, Amalia, got angry.

“That person is not my mother, Father! You don’t even stop Father from going to the battlefield! You might die!”

Grand Duchess Caroline von Baden is the Grand Duke’s second wife.

She has no children yet, as they married two years ago.

So, all three children who ran here are from his previous marriage.

The Grand Duke looked at Amalia, the eldest daughter, and held her shoulders.

“Amalia, listen to me carefully. If I die in this war, you must take care of your siblings with Ludwig.”

“I don’t want to! Stay home, please. The French Revolutionary Army are like devils. They say there are sharpshooters among them who shoot [magic bullets]!” [referring to highly accurate and deadly shots].

“Yes, I have to go fight those scary people. To protect you.”

Suddenly, Grand Duke Maximilian burst out laughing.

“Besides, magic bullets can’t dare to shoot me. Jesus Christ will protect me. Hahaha!”

Of course, neither Maximilian nor his eldest daughter, Augusta Amalia Ludovica, knew.

That in the future of original history, that sharpshooter of magic bullets might have become their son-in-law and husband.

As if heading towards a fork in the road of destiny, Maximilian spoke strongly to Caroline.

“I leave the children in your care, Caroline.”

Caroline answered with tears in her eyes.

“Please come back safely, Your Highness.”

It was the day Grand Duke Maximilian, the commander of the 40,000-strong Bavarian army, marched out.

Perhaps to fight Eugene, who might have become his son-in-law.

***

There are also those here who are not pleased with the active performance of allies.

“Why on earth is Bonaparte rushing to Munich first!”

Moreau, who had just occupied the Duchy of Württemberg in eastern Rhine, shouted.

In fact, Moreau had virtually intimidated this area during the First Coalition War as well.

However, at that time, he was too busy advancing into Bavaria to pay attention to the rear, so he charged forward.

Haunted by the supply problems he had then, he conquered this place first.

But in the meantime, Moreau received news like a bolt from the blue.

The Commander-in-Chief Napoleon’s Alpine maneuver.

He thought that he might be aiming for a direct strike on Vienna like in the last war.

However, he did not expect him to charge towards the Duchy of Bavaria.

Suddenly, Laharpe, sitting in the tent with an unshaven face, retorted.

“Originally, blitzkriegs [lightning warfare] are the forte of the Commander-in-Chief.”

“I didn’t ask you, Laharpe. This is a matter of division of roles. Commander-in-Chief Bonaparte is in charge of Italy, and I am in charge of the Rhine! Isn’t this the arrangement that Bonaparte himself originally made!”

“War is!”

At that moment, Laharpe shouted with a face full of stubble.

“Not a game of paperwork for bureaucrats, Commander!”

Moreau, Bernadotte, and Brune, who were sitting in the headquarters tent, flinched.

The generals in this place had all been defeated in the previous Swiss campaign.

So, Laharpe’s words hit a nerve.

If things had gone according to plan, the Rhine Army would have seized Switzerland by now and be directly striking Austria.

Or they would have been blocking Prussia in Flanders.

Moreau was repeating the path he had succeeded in before, without achieving either.

The capture of Bavaria, in the central part of the Rhine.

The only difference from then is that Desaix is not here.

Suddenly, Laharpe shouted, looking at all the generals in the headquarters.

“Situations on the battlefield are always changing rapidly. Division of roles? So, even after losing in Switzerland, you continue to obsess over and fight only in this place?”

“Hey, Laharpe. Your words are excessive!”

“Shut up, Bernadotte!”

Laharpe pointed his finger at Bernadotte.

“The Commander and I have both lost. That’s why Commander-in-Chief Bonaparte is advancing recklessly. Because he doesn’t trust us, and also because he thinks we’ll be late!”

At that moment, Bernadotte couldn’t stand it and drew his saber.

-Shwing!

As the tip of the sword pointed at Laharpe, Moreau waved his hand with a tired face.

“General Bernadotte, put your sword away.”

“This ‘Swiss’ is presumptuously insulting the hero of the revolution.”

“That’s enough. It’s what the Commander-in-Chief has decided anyway.”

Moreau frowned and turned to Brune.

“Whether we win or lose, it all means it’s the Commander-in-Chief’s glory and responsibility. How many troops does the Commander-in-Chief have under his command right now?”

Brune rolled his eyes.

Of course, the French army should be one as the guardian of the revolution.

But realistically, it is also true that it was divided into three factions after the First Coalition War.

Moreau’s Rhine Army, Hoche’s Flanders Army, and Napoleon’s Italian Army.

Strictly speaking, Brune, like Laharpe, belongs to the Italian Army on the Rhine.

But at the same time, Brune is also a staunch Jacobin.

In fact, there is a slight mismatch with Napoleon, who seems to be walking the path of power.

In the end, Brune, who was lost in complex thoughts, spoke about the current state of the Italian Army, which he already knew.

“65,000 from the Italian Army and 13,000 from the Orient Return Army.”

“Huh? It seems less than the report?”

“The rest are 2,000 Egyptian cavalry and 20,000 Greek auxiliaries. Oh, and there will be some artillery here.”

Moreau frowned as he listened to the military information and calculated.

“How can he cross the Alps with artillery? Unless he waits until our army arrives.”

Only then did Bernadotte put away his sword.

Because he liked the way Laharpe’s face had turned pale.

Bernadotte smiled smugly, sticking out his shoulder.

“In the end, it is highly likely that they will be hit by enemy artillery.”

“That is highly likely. What about the Bavarian army’s artillery? Division Commander Brune?”

“It will be at the regimental level. I know they operate about 20 cannons. However, they are 12-pound cannons.”

Moreau fell into thought again.

Whether he likes Napoleon or not is a secondary issue.

It would be a problem if France fell into crisis here.

He wondered if it was a desperate crisis, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

“Then they will fight by checking the artillery with cavalry. It seems that the battle will be decided by the operational capabilities of the infantry.”

For a moment, Moreau smiled as he imagined how he would fight if he were him.

“But Karl is a terrifying general in defensive warfare. I wonder if Commander-in-Chief Bonaparte knows this.”

It seemed that Napoleon was about to get a hit.

That was just the right match for Moreau.

It would be a problem if he won too big, and of course, it would be a problem if he lost too big.

This is even more so if Moreau is to become the savior of France.

***

However, Napoleon is a man who became a hero by turning impossible plans into reality.

-Thump!

A 12-pound cannon, a Russian-made Unicorn [a type of howitzer], was placed at the foot of the northern Alps.

The total number is 100.

It is much more numerous and has stronger firepower than the 30 cannons of the horse artillery unit originally possessed by the French Italian Army.

Eugene whistled as he looked at the cannons engraved with Russia’s unique majestic patterns.

“That’s amazing. Did you bring all of this?”

“That’s right.”

“How on earth?”

Then, Constantine, the Greek king who crossed the Alps with Como Routro [a military unit], laughed heartily.

“The Carpathian Mountains, which divide Wallachia and Moldavia, are also mountainous. They are by no means inferior to the Alps.”

He is talking about the Carpathian Mountains, also known as the Alps of Eastern Europe.

This mountain range surrounds the old Magyar kingdom and looks like a horseshoe.

In modern history, it crosses Slovakia, Ukraine, and Romania.

It is a high mountain range with an average altitude of over 2,000 meters, and the total length is actually longer than the Alps.

It is a very familiar area for Constantine, who was originally the son of the governor of Wallachia and Moldavia.

The same was true for the former Moldavian garrison that Constantine led.

So, they were more skilled in mountain marching than the French soldiers who had lived on the plains.

Suddenly, Napoleon, looking around at the cannons, laughed heartily and patted Eugene on the shoulder.

“The [constitutional monarch] of Greece had unexpected capabilities. Hahaha! Well done, Eugene.”

“No, I didn’t expect it at all either.”

“It doesn’t matter. The important thing is the result.”

Napoleon looked greedily at the 100 Unicorn howitzers and tilted his head.

“Now, the problem is enduring the enemy’s attack until those Unicorns are fired.”

Then, Eugene stared at Napoleon and replied.

“Let’s use the hammer and anvil strategy.”

“Who will take on the anvil? Even if we deal with the hammer with that.”

“Use Moreau.”

Suddenly, Eugene said, shining his eyes.

“Order him to rush to Munich. Then, that maneuver itself becomes an anvil that makes it difficult for the enemy to move easily.”

Hammer and anvil.

The famous Greek tradition often used by Alexander [Alexander the Great].

Just as infantry endures the offensive like an anvil in a blacksmith’s shop that withstands metal, cavalry strikes directly like a hammer that tempers metal to break the enemy.

However, in the age of artillery, firepower itself can become a hammer.

Napoleon, who had been listening quietly, twisted his lips.

“Good. Then, let’s make ourselves the hammer. Son, are the grenades ready?”

Eugene smiled and saluted.

“Of course, Father.”

Early September 1799.

Finally, the Napoleonic Legion reached the Duchy of Bavaria, north of the Alps.

Along with 80,000 French main forces and 20,000 Greek supply soldiers.

Of course, Eugene did not even think that the master craftsman of original history would be waiting.