He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 26

(25) The Real Problem with the Army is the Commander

Of course, in a military council, the superior’s word is law.

Until now, the commander of the Toulon suppression army, Major General Carteaux, had ignored Eugene completely.

He considered him merely an attendant accompanying Napoleon, not worthy of his attention.

But now, suddenly, he’s interjecting, claiming he can procure cannons.

This would infuriate anyone, even a seasoned soldier, let alone someone who used to be a painter.

Especially since Carteaux knew exactly who Eugene was, which only exacerbated the situation.

Carteaux glared at Eugene and snapped,

“Who told you to bring this brat here?”

“I am a second lieutenant, sir.”

“Shut up! Did Paris send us a troublemaker? I’m not playing house with a kid! Get out of here right now!”

Instantly, Eugene produced something from his pocket.

-Swish.

Carteaux, startled, stepped back, paused, and blinked.

It wasn’t a pistol or a dagger.

It was a piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a gold-backed bill guaranteed by the Hope Bank of the Netherlands. It’s convertible to about 1.5 million livres [French currency].”

“1.5 million livres? This scrap of paper?”

Eugene smiled at Carteaux, who was gaping.

“Wouldn’t that be enough to borrow cannons from the Army of Italy nearby?”

In fact, Eugene hadn’t arrived empty-handed.

Even though he was marked by the National Convention, Eugene was still a respected bank manager in Paris.

He couldn’t exactly bring sacks of silver coins to the battlefield, so he brought a bill of exchange instead.

A bank that still held credit during the revolutionary era, and a place where France could still trade.

A bill issued by the largest bank in the financial powerhouse of the Netherlands, Hope & Co.

This bill has value anywhere in France right now.

For example, even in the border army of Italy stationed east of Toulon.

You can present the bill and borrow cannons.

Eugene counted on his fingers and said.

“There are armies in Marseille, Avignon, and the Italian border area around here.”

“H, how do you know that?”

“I saw it in a report from Paris. All three have just suppressed the rebels and have no immediate need for guns. The most urgent need is here, in Toulon.”

Eugene flourished the 1.5 million livre bill and smiled lightly.

“You can request cannons and firearms from each unit under the name of the commander of the Toulon suppression army.”

Money makes the world go round.

Even in a revolutionary era and in the midst of war, the financial system hasn’t completely collapsed.

And what if it’s a bill issued by the top bank in the Netherlands, which is neutral in the war?

Even the commander of the Army of Italy would accept it.

Of course, the fact that a regular army of a country is offering money to borrow cannons is itself a sign of the chaotic times.

Carteaux, speechless at the plausibility of the story, shook his head violently.

He had to object somehow.

Otherwise, he would actually have to attack the Cairo Heights fortress, where the British army was waiting.

“B, but! Who will fire the cannons! Boy, are you going to shoot? Or this short young officer here?”

Then the ‘short’ young officer, Napoleon, snorted and retorted.

“Hmph, just re-enlist them, General.”

“What?”

“There are retired old artillery officers all over southern France. I will forcibly enlist all of them.”

This time, not only Carteaux but also Marceau, Hippolyte, and Junot, who were listening, opened their mouths wide.

The old army of the former royal court was lax.

Forcibly re-enlisting retired officers was unheard of.

In fact, that’s why Napoleon hadn’t retired and could go to Corsica as he pleased.

However, Napoleon, generous to himself but strict to others, said shamelessly.

“It’s perfectly possible. It’s an emergency now!”

Of course, the civil war is an emergency.

When Eugene’s bill was combined with Napoleon’s logic, the operation became realistic.

The number of cannons that could be mobilized was about to increase tenfold.

Nevertheless, Carteaux insisted.

“I still don’t like it! I am the commander!”

At that moment, Napoleon suddenly snatched something from Marceau’s hand.

It was the pamphlet, .

Waving the pamphlet, Napoleon said.

“Are you not going to listen to Congressman Auguste Robespierre?”

“What?”

“A supervisor from the National Convention will be dispatched here soon. Auguste is an avid reader of my pamphlet!”

Napoleon’s eyes flashed.

“Who do you think will win Auguste’s favor, you or me?”

Robespierre.

The family name of the most powerful man in this revolutionary situation.

Even if it’s not him, even his brother’s name is terrifying.

At any time, counter-revolutionaries can have their heads cut off by the guillotine.

Already, countless nobles have been caught and killed while fleeing overseas.

What would happen if he incurred the displeasure of his brother?

Carteaux gritted his teeth and frowned.

“This guy, is he threatening me now…”

In an instant, something no one had predicted happened.

-Slap!

A woman slapped Carteaux on the cheek.

Everyone stared at the scene with their mouths open.

But Carteaux couldn’t touch the woman.

It was Madame Carteaux, his wife.

“Get a grip, François!”

“N, no. Wife. What are you doing?”

“Don’t you understand? This young man is much smarter than you! No, even this young boy!”

Madame Carteaux scolded Carteaux with a brave spirit.

“Stop talking about messing up by mixing paint, and listen to the experts!”

Hippolyte barely closed his open mouth and nudged Eugene, who was standing next to him.

“Wow, Madame Carteaux. That’s really amazing, isn’t it, Eugene?”

On the other hand, Eugene was admiring it in a different sense.

“This is quite a historical moment.”

Madame Carteaux intervening and mediating when Napoleon and Carteaux fight.

In other words, it’s actually one of the historical anecdotes left to posterity.

***

Anyway, just because you witnessed a historical anecdote doesn’t mean the problem is automatically solved.

“Hey, you rebel scum! This is the order of the Republic. If you don’t supply the materials, you can’t prove your loyalty!”

The one shouting at the front is Sergeant Junot.

Junot was bold enough to subdue the rough farmers.

If he glares and shouts, the farmers who were trying to resist will obediently hand over their food.

But the more important talent is that he is intimidating but not cruel.

In short, he had an excellent talent for taking things without bloodshed.

Eugene was thinking that he would have been really good at being a robber when Captain Marceau clicked his tongue, as if he had the same thought.

“I don’t know if we’re really robbers or an army.”

“Are you all giving out conscription notices?”

“Will that be exchanged later? Besides, robbers only take things. We’re even taking people away, aren’t we?”

Far away, a wife was seen wailing as she grabbed an officer being dragged away.

“Jacques! No! If you’re dragged to the battlefield!”

He is one of the artillery officers who was a retired officer until yesterday.

However, he had no choice but to be dragged away because of the threat that he would be reported as a ‘counter-revolutionary’ if he did not enlist.

Who made such a terrible threat?

“This won’t do.”

Napoleon, the person in question, frowned as he watched the scene.

Could he have felt sympathy?

Eugene looked at Napoleon with an interesting face and asked.

“Yes? What is it? It seems like things are going according to Lieutenant Colonel’s wishes.”

“Not at all! If we don’t occupy Cairo Heights, it’s meaningless anyway!”

“Yes? But that place is…”

During this period, the Siege of Toulon is a very famous battle.

So Eugene, as a veteran, almost memorized the structure from his previous life.

Cairo Heights is definitely a key point.

But the British army also knows that fact, so they defend it thoroughly.

In the end, the French army fails to occupy Cairo Heights.

Instead, they use a tactic of using other hills surrounding Toulon.

Napoleon was obsessed with Cairo Heights without knowing that fact.

“If we occupy that place, we can put pressure on the enemy at once. To do that, we need a bold attack. But that painter doesn’t intend to do that at all!”

Eugene blinked and narrowed his brows.

Maybe it’s too fast.

But history is already flowing faster than it should have.

Besides, Eugene had already decided to ride the inevitable fate, hadn’t he?

Eugene, who was quietly watching Napoleon, opened his mouth.

“Then there’s only one way left.”

Suddenly, Napoleon, who was ranting, widened his eyes.

“Don’t tell me, you had the same thought as me, kid?”

“Isn’t it inevitable? Because the decision maker ultimately decides everything.”

“Ha! I thought so from the first time I saw you, but you’re no ordinary kid!”

Marceau and Hippolyte, who didn’t understand at all, just looked at each other.

Sergeant Junot, who had finished his requisition work and was returning to report, heard the story.

Junot scratched his head and asked.

“What are you talking about? Lieutenant Colonel?”

Napoleon twisted his lips and turned his gaze.

“It’s simple, Sergeant Junot. We need to solve the root of the problem.”

To the west of Toulon, where the suppression army headquarters is located.

“We need to bring that painter down!”

At this moment, Napoleon had made up his mind.

If the problem is the commander, let’s change the commander.

Everyone was shocked, but only Eugene agreed.

“That’s right. If you can’t solve the problem, you have to solve it by eliminating the problem!”

This is also Napoleon’s way of solving problems.

It’s a way of breaking complex and difficult problems with a single blow, or rather, with shelling.

Of course, in the original history, he ended up going all the way to Russia.

That’s still 20 years away.

Napoleon’s way is right now.

***

The problem with this Napoleonic solution is that it is a series of outrageous moves that are amazing to ordinary people.

“What are you going to do? Can that be done? No, no matter how incompetent the commander is, how can you change him?”

Hippolyte, Marceau, Tournai, and Ellie and Gomi, former employees of Banque Boerne, gathered.

Among them, Ellie and Gomiya are just soldiers who follow, but Hippolyte is still a sergeant.

He has received quite a bit of secondary education and knows about the army within common sense.

What kind of soldier changes the commander just because he doesn’t like the operation?

But Eugene didn’t care about that.

“It smells terrible.”

“What?”

“No, I need to hire a laundress. There’s a limit to changing uniforms.”

It’s natural because there are no washing machines in this era.

However, Hippolyte had no choice but to jump up and down because it was an absurd thing.

Anyway, he came to the battlefield betting his fate on Eugene.

It’s a problem if you only talk nonsense.

“Eugene!”

“I’m listening. How do you change the commander? It’s simple.”

Eugene turned to Hippolyte and shrugged.

“Back in the Seven Years’ War, even generals who were winning the war were replaced with a royal order. Do you know why?”

“Oh, I’ve heard of it. I heard that King’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour, intervened at the time? It’s one of the inefficiencies of the royal family.”

“That’s right. Do you know what that means? No matter how high the commander is in the army, if the top decision maker decides, his head will be cut off that day. That’s what the government army is.”

Suddenly, Eugene smiled bitterly and asked back.

“But who do you think is the highest person in the current revolutionary government, the Committee of Public Safety of the National Convention?”

Only then did Hippolyte get a little sense of what he was talking about.

“Robespierre?”

“That’s right. I’ll give you 10 points.”

“What’s the highest score? Anyway, are you going to send a letter to Robespierre? Isn’t that the person who eventually sent you to your death?”

Marceau, who had been listening quietly, nodded and joined in.

“Yes, Eugene. No, Second Lieutenant Eugene. Robespierre is rational, but he is a cold person. It is highly likely that he will ignore Second Lieutenant Eugene’s intentions.”

Marceau was not just speaking as Eugene’s protector or as a vice president.

Marceau has experience in military service as a dragoon [mounted infantry] since before the revolution.

Besides, he now holds the rank of captain.

In short, he was saying that replacing the commander as a soldier was absurd.

In particular, the method of mobilizing the supreme ruler is even more so.

But Eugene was calm.

It’s not just Eugene who knows it, but there’s still top-secret information.

It’s just information that will remain as a record in history.

“Yes. But there are two Robespierres. The one who will arrive here soon.”

“What? Wait, could it be?”

“Augustin, that is, Auguste Robespierre is coming soon. As a corps supervisor [political officer].”

Robespierre’s younger brother, Auguste de Robespierre.

The one who remained in history with the nickname of young Robespierre.

A relative who can directly contact the supreme ruler.

But ‘young’ Robespierre is now fascinated by a book.

“, that avid reader.”

At this moment, everyone understood.

The legendary Battle of Toulon.

One of the legendary episodes, the commander replacement drama.

Eugene has the opportunity to take a step into the legend of Toulon.

***

The revolutionary army has a decisive difference from the regular army.

It is the existence of [Supervisors].

A political commissar, a civilian supervisor sent by the central government, is always attached to the corps.

It is a countermeasure of the revolutionary government that did not trust the aristocratic old system army.

However, the control itself was quite useful.

Thanks to this, the armies of all the countries where later revolutions took place followed the model of the French Revolution.

The so-called ‘political officer’ is such a person.

There were the same beings in the Toulon suppression army.

The man Napoleon came to meet with Eugene now is that man.

“So, you want me to bring down Carteaux? Is that what you’re talking about, Bonaparte?”

A Corsican member of the National Convention who lost his constituency.

Military and political commissioner of the National Convention in southern France.

Most of all, Napoleon’s political connection.

Antoine Saliceti asked with an absurd face.

Of course, Napoleon very shamelessly ranted to Saliceti.

“That’s right. Saliceti. This man is an enemy of the revolution. He is the most powerful general of the rebels. If we leave him alone, Toulon will be completely handed over to England!”

“Ah, don’t get excited. But Carteaux is a general highly trusted by those in Paris.”

“Saliceti, have you forgotten? Paris also trusted Paoli!”

Napoleon exclaimed, waving his fist in excitement.

“And what was the result? We were all driven out of Corsica!”

Saliceti was speechless at that.

Napoleon’s words were accurate.

The Corsican independence activist, Paoli, was actually a celebrity to Enlightenment thinkers even before the revolution.

By establishing the so-called Corsican Republic, he showed that a country without a king was possible.

Therefore, the revolutionaries in Paris trusted Paoli.

However, Paoli, who became pro-British in London, betrayed France and handed Corsica over to England.

In fact, the reason the British fleet was able to enter Toulon in the first place was because of that.

Corsica, located in the heart of the western Mediterranean and strategically important, fell into British hands.

Conversely, someone trusted by Paris is not very trustworthy.

But Saliceti shook his head again.

“Still, it’s very difficult. It’s beyond my power. It’s a change of commander, no less.”

“Then isn’t there anyone else with power? Anyone will do. Someone who can overthrow that man!”

“No, even if you say that… Hmm, wait.”

Suddenly, Saliceti’s eyes widened.

“Oh, right. Auguste Robespierre is coming here. No, that guy likes Carteaux.”

At that moment, Napoleon didn’t miss the opportunity.

“If it’s Auguste, it’s possible. Please let me meet him!”

“Why? Do you know him?”

“Uh, no. B-but… I-I heard he’s a fan of my pamphlet?”

Just as Napoleon hesitated, Eugene subtly stepped forward.

“That’s right. I guarantee it, Monsieur Saliceti.”

Only then did Saliceti notice Eugene’s presence and blinked, asking.

“And you are?”

“Eugene de Beauharnais.”

“Ah, the real mastermind behind Banque Beauharnais? Hmm, I heard you were young, but this young? Wow, amazing?”

Saliceti looked at Eugene with a very interested expression.

A completely different attitude from Carteaux.

In fact, Saliceti was the founder of an ‘information organization’ comparable to Fouché [Joseph Fouché, a French statesman known for his role as Minister of Police under Napoleon] in the original history.

After the conquest of Italy, he created a ‘secret intelligence agency’ connecting France and Italy.

He’s just less famous because he didn’t work in Paris and died early.

Indeed, he still has a good grasp of information.

Just as Eugene was subtly hiding his admiration, Saliceti shook his head coldly.

“Good. But that’s not enough.”

“Yes? Why? The owner of Banque Beauharnais is vouching for me here!”

“No, why else? I’ve seen your pamphlet too. Well, it’s well-written. It might make me feel favorable, but it’s not enough to bring down the commander of an army, is it?”

In fact, is just a booklet.

It is true that Auguste was impressed by this booklet and became a fan of Napoleon.

But that admiration is enough to make Napoleon an artillery officer.

Bringing down a commander is a completely different story.

After all, it’s a matter of depriving military power and giving new military power to someone else.

Of course, if Auguste met Napoleon in person, he might have been persuaded.

Because Auguste is a bit naive and quite easily agitated.

However, Saliceti was calm and cautious.

In the end, Napoleon failed to persuade Saliceti.

“Damn it, to miss such an opportunity! Saliceti, that man is really slow! That’s why he was kicked out by Paoli!”

Watching Napoleon kick a random stone outside, Eugene suddenly asked.

“Lieutenant Colonel, does any method matter?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean, does it matter if our side suffers damage?”

Napoleon’s eyes flashed as he grabbed Eugene.

“If we can ultimately occupy Toulon in the future, we have to accept sacrifices, right? What is it?”

Eugene stared at Napoleon for a moment and took a deep breath.

Originally, in the original history, Carteaux’s downfall had a slightly complicated process.

Again, it may be difficult to bring down the commander without this process.

Also, since he had already stepped forward, he wanted to impress Napoleon with himself a little more.

Even if it means shedding blood.

Having made up his mind, Eugene opened his mouth.

“There’s something like this in gambling. To win big, you have to lose first.”

“So? What are you going to lose?”

“The opportunity for merit.”

Eugene said, staring at Napoleon.

“Give Cairo Heights to Carteaux.”

In short, it means accepting the defeat of our troops.

***

When catching a sucker in gambling, you first need to genuinely lose.

“This is the key. If we occupy this place, we can definitely take back Toulon!”

Napoleon exclaimed, pointing to a map of Toulon.

Cairo Heights.

A protruding cape south of Toulon.

In fact, if this place is occupied, even the cannons currently held by the Toulon suppression army can bombard the city of Toulon.

Napoleon had been tirelessly visiting and advocating the importance of occupying this hill for a week now.

Of course, Major General Carteaux was indifferent.

“Ha, geez. Here we go again. I told you to do as you please with the artillery, right?”

“I’m saying this because this fortress cannot be occupied by artillery alone. Give me one infantry regiment. Then I will definitely take it back!”

“Hey. I’ll return your words.”

Carteaux retorted sarcastically.

“Just as I am a painting expert, not a military expert, you are not an infantry expert either. Am I wrong? My words?”

These words are actually true.

Napoleon was named a great general in later generations, but he was not particularly good at handling infantry.

This is related to the fact that Napoleon’s main battle method is mobile individual breakthroughs.

Fracturing the enemy lines through artillery, flanking maneuvers, and breaking through the front lines with dense columns of mixed arms.

Napoleon’s forte is to launch a blitzkrieg by comprehensively utilizing the three arms of artillery, cavalry, and infantry.

So his performance is quite low on battlefields where infantry is the main arm.

Moreover, he is now a rookie who has been trained in artillery tactics and put into actual combat.

If Carteaux really gives him infantry, it would be a big problem.

Just as Napoleon was frowning, Eugene subtly interjected from the side.

“Then, give the order to Major Delard here, General.”

Major François Delard.

He is an infantry officer who is Carteaux’s deputy.

Carteaux frowned and replied.

“Huh, what do you mean? Boy Lieutenant?”

“He’s an infantry commander, has a high rank, and isn’t he the General’s close aide?”

“Pfft, why would I send a close aide to take that risk?”

Eugene narrowed his eyes and smiled.

The bait has been taken.

To avoid being caught in a gambling scam, you shouldn’t even get involved in the game in the first place.

Especially in front of a master of gambling.

But Carteaux has already stepped into the game.

By starting the conversation.

“Then just do it moderately.”

“What?”

“Isn’t what the General is afraid of is the annihilation of troops or taking damage? You just have to avoid that.”

Eugene said in a low voice with a confident expression.

“Whether you occupy the fortress or not, the General will not suffer any damage.”

Carteaux rolled his eyes.

He’s already worried about the last conversation.

The story that Auguste read Napoleon’s book, [The Supper at Beaucaire, a pro-republican political pamphlet written by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1793].

In the age of revolution, a general’s position can be blown away by almost nothing.

What if the high-ranking officials of the revolutionary government ignored the author of a book that impressed them and blamed Carteaux for it?

In that case, it’s better to pretend to listen and then blame the failure on him.

“Okay, François!”

Major François Delard raised his eyebrows and saluted.

“Yes, Major General.”

“Conduct military operations towards Valagier and Léguillette. Don’t overdo it! The goal is just to threaten this place and shake up the enemies.”

“You mean, there’s no need to occupy it?”

Carteaux said firmly.

“Of course! It would be nice to occupy it, but the important thing is the soldiers! Damage is absolutely unacceptable!”

This is the limitation of Carteaux, who is a painter and a former private.

It is certainly a good attitude to cherish the lives of soldiers.

However, this era is still the late 18th century, when direct clashes between soldiers cannot be avoided.

There is no way to seize a strategic point without the sacrifice of soldiers.

Carteaux still doesn’t know that fact.

As expected, Hippolyte, who is also ignorant of war like Carteaux, subtly asked Eugene in a low voice.

“It sounds very plausible, what’s the problem with that?”

Eugene shrugged.

“This is a battlefield, Hippolyte.”

“Who doesn’t know that?”

“You can’t get anything without damage in war. Besides.”

The real problem is different.

“Paris doesn’t have time to wait right now.”

It is the impatient situation of Paris, soon the National Convention [the first government of the French Revolution].

***

It’s already been a week.

-Waaaa!

It is the time when Major Delard attacked the fortresses on Cairo Heights, south of Toulon.

However, the morale of the royalist rebels, centered on the British army, was high.

Delard, who could not easily break through the defense line, ordered a retreat again.

“Retreat! We must retreat! No damage!”

Having repeatedly failed again today, Delard returned to Carteaux’s headquarters.

The order is being diligently carried out.

The attack continued, and the damage to the soldiers was not that great.

Then, was Carteaux satisfied?

No.

-Thump!

Carteaux slammed the command table and crumpled a report.

“Damn it. They’re strengthening the fortress even more!”

The Toulon rebels had one advantage over the French Revolutionary Army.

The supply through the sea is free.

When they learned that the Revolutionary Army was aiming for Cairo Heights, Admiral Samuel Hood issued an urgent order.

「Build one more fortress on top of the hill!」

The fortress was built under the command of Lord Mulgrave, the British Army commander defending Cairo Heights.

It happened in just a week, while Delard was repeatedly attacking.

The defense of the enemy lines in front of them has only become stronger.

Carteaux shouted at Major Delard, who had just entered.

“What the hell is going on! You could have occupied it, François!”

“W-well, you told me not to overdo it at first.”

“Still, you have to occupy it when you can! What is this!”

Carteaux trembled, staring at the fortress mark built on the high ground on the map.

“Rather, they’re about to bombard us!”

It is difficult to bombard Carteaux from the Valagier and Léguillette fortresses beyond Cairo Heights.

However, from the newly built fortress on Cairo Heights, it is possible to bombard if you approach nearby.

Rather, a situation has arisen where the enemy can defend against bombardment.

At that time, the sound of gunfire rang loudly.

-쾅!

Carteaux, flustered, tried to give an order to Delard.

“That won’t work. First, give the order to retreat to the troops that were rushed in······!”

It was then.

-Thud!

The door of the temporary command post of the Toulon suppression army opened.

Carteaux’s eyes widened.

Someone who is quite familiar but has no reason to be seen here was standing there.

Auguste de Robespierre.

Moreover, Napoleon, Eugene, and Marceau were behind him.

Marceau said as if introducing.

“That is General Carteaux over there. Here, he is the commander.”

Auguste nodded and approached Carteaux.

“General Carteaux?”

Auguste is not scary.

But the person behind Auguste is scary.

Maximilien de Robespierre, one of the highest authorities in the National Convention.

Carteaux swallowed hard and asked back.

“No, Monsieur Auguste Robespierre. What’s going on?”

“I am inspecting southern France under the orders of the Revolutionary National Convention. But I heard a strange story and came here, and it seems to be true.”

“W-what is it.”

Auguste coldly, but with sparks in his eyes, shouted.

“There is a rumor that General Carteaux is so incompetent that he is only strengthening the opponent’s defense.”

Carteaux waved his hands in embarrassment.

“It’s a misunderstanding. After all, I am trying to occupy Toulon without harming the Revolutionary Army······.”

“Unnecessary. The National Convention wants quick results.”

“C-Councilman!”

However, Paris has no time to wait.

There is a fact that only Eugene knows in this place.

Paris is now in a crisis of repeated defeats.

Royalist officers betrayed in the Rhine region, and a financial panic occurred as the Flanders campaign began.

Above all, there would have been a rebellion in the Vendée [a counter-revolution region in France] .

March 1793, around this time.

Without saying all of that, Auguste shouted firmly.

“As of this moment, General Carteaux’s command is revoked. General Dugommier will be the successor. Also!”

Auguste’s gaze, turning his head, changed slightly softly.

“I will promote Napoleon Bonaparte here to Chief of Staff and make him absolutely participate in the decision-making of the operation!”

It is the gaze of a devoted reader.

Napoleon Bonaparte saluted vigorously.

The position of Chief of Staff is soon Colonel.

It is a special promotion of one rank in an instant.

On the way out of the headquarters, Napoleon looked at Eugene and clenched his fist tightly.

“Amazing, Lieutenant Eugene. Your strategy, no, your gamble was successful!”

Eugene smiled and replied.

“But the game of this gamble ultimately ends with one. You know that, right?”

It means nothing if you don’t win.

Of course, Eugene was confident of victory.

Toulon is nothing compared to the countless achievements that Napoleon will build in the future.

Napoleon, who still doesn’t know that fact, nodded excitedly.

“Of course! Now, I’m going to go according to my plan!”

Toulon, the stage where Napoleon will unfold his first operation.

It was the moment when the legendary siege began.