He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 379

(379) Divide the Empire to Save the Tsar

Crossing Siberia in six months—it was truly an adventure.

“But, General Joubert, even if you’ve arrived, the situation hasn’t changed. Damn it. The Emperor has screwed things up!”

Joubert sat on the embassy sofa, stroking the leather with a strange feeling, then looked up.

Right in front of him were two familiar but unfamiliar faces.

One was a very handsome gentleman, Caulaincourt.

Joubert remembered him rising rapidly through the ranks from the early days of the revolution, despite being from a noble family, and fighting on the front lines.

However, the more important person was undoubtedly the ambassador, former Director, and once one of the three giants of the radical faction during the early revolution, Danton.

The thick flesh and pockmarked face were still fierce and distinctive, easily recognizable at a glance.

On the other hand, his frank yet sarcastic attitude remained unchanged.

Somehow feeling the reality of being back in Europe, Joubert chuckled, and Caulaincourt suddenly asked, as if remembering something.

“By the way, how did you get here? The border is completely blocked by the military right now.”

“The border? Isn’t that the west? I came from the opposite side, and there were no friends blocking me. Well, the fur trappers from the Alaska Development Company, funded by the Emperor, helped me.”

“The opposite side? No, that’s… Wait.”

Suddenly, the gentleman Caulaincourt couldn’t maintain his elegant demeanor and widened his eyes.

“Are you saying you came from the New World to Siberia?”

Joubert somehow wanted to boast.

So-called pioneering, exploration, and adventure are one of the driving forces behind Europeans dominating the world in modern times.

And Joubert had achieved feats of traversing Egypt and the Levant, the Midwest and Northwest of the New World, and even the Bering Strait and Siberia.

Considering that his Egyptian adventure was a bestseller in France, he might be able to make a living just by publishing his adventure stories when he returned home.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere wasn’t right for boasting, and Joubert was quick-witted.

“Well, that’s how it happened. By order of His Royal Highness Viceroy Eugene, I went around half the globe.”

“Incredible. It’s amazing that it was even possible, but why did you do such a thing? Viceroy Eugene seems to have returned to Paris.”

“His Royal Highness? It seems the war in the New World has reached a turning point. But, he didn’t give Russia any particular solution, did he?”

Eugene returned first?

This could mean that Joubert’s Siberian crossing was a waste of time.

Eugene’s order was for Joubert to inform the Russian Tsar of the risk of a coup and to take action.

However, if Eugene returned to Europe, wouldn’t it be enough to deal with it directly?

Not at all.

He could guess without needing any further instructions from Eugene.

Eugene, now back in Paris, would be struggling with domestic issues, the Spanish problem, and the long-standing enemy, Britain.

The Viceroy could never save the Russian Tsar.

“He said something awful! He told me to escape Russia! Saying he couldn’t stop the Tsar’s assassination!”

Indeed, Danton shouted, panting.

Apparently, he wasn’t worried about spies in the French Embassy in Russia.

Well, Danton was a surprisingly thorough man, unlike his appearance.

After the state of emergency, he would have already identified and expelled anyone who posed a risk of being a spy.

Joubert nodded.

“Indeed, His Royal Highness has no solution.”

“Yes, he didn’t even tell us how to escape. No, can you just say ‘escape’? Immediately forming an escape team, planning a route, and returning safely to Paris are all difficult tasks!”

“You could take a ship and return. But you’re reluctant to lose your assets, aren’t you?”

Danton frowned, feeling stung by Joubert’s sharp remark.

“What! Do you see me as a petty person who would ruin his ambassadorship because he’s afraid of losing a few coins! I’m just worried about the interests of France rooted in the Russian Empire!”

“But you’re also worried about your assets, aren’t you?”

“Damn it, so what! Are you going to protect my assets for me!”

Suddenly, Joubert’s eyes flashed.

“Why not? If the Tsar doesn’t die, can’t we protect our interests by using him as a shield?”

Danton and Caulaincourt looked at each other.

The coup was planned.

France had predicted this problem but found it difficult to prevent.

The complex power structure of Russia was a problem, and the distance from France was also a problem, but the biggest problem was the Tsar.

Tsar Pavel, who already had an unstable mental state.

But when Britain pressured him and the great nobles harbored resentment, the Tsar reached a point where he was not in his right mind.

Therefore, it was difficult for foreigners like Danton and Caulaincourt to prevent this problem.

But now, did Joubert, who had just arrived in Saint Petersburg via Siberia, have a solution?

“How do you save the Tsar? Is it still escape?”

The moment Danton looked at Joubert with hopeful eyes, Joubert shook his head.

“General Caulaincourt seems to have such expectations, but that’s not the order I received.”

“Hey, I don’t know what orders you received from Viceroy Eugene, but that was decided at least half a year ago, wasn’t it?”

“Almost a year ago. But whether it’s half a year or a year, if the Tsar hasn’t died, and one person hasn’t died either, a reversal is possible.”

Joubert enjoyed the attention of France’s top figures as he asserted.

“If the one-eyed general, Kutuzov, is in Saint Petersburg.”

Of course, Joubert was actually just saying that to show off.

When Eugene gave this order, [Plan B], they were both in the New World.

Moreover, it was a judgment made almost a year ago.

In addition, generals of great powers like the Russian Empire always moved between borders and vassal states, so they wouldn’t always be in the capital.

But Danton’s eyes widened.

“How did you know? Coincidentally, Kutuzov is the military governor of Saint Petersburg?”

At that moment, Joubert realized that he had to take responsibility for his bluff.

***

Kutuzov, famous in later generations as Russia’s savior, was known differently in his time.

“Hehe! How did the Tsar’s playmate come to meet this body, notorious as the Tsar’s sycophant?”

Danton and Joubert came to the Saint Petersburg military governor’s office, where the capital’s garrison commander resided.

Kutuzov’s appearance, rolling his one eye and laughing boldly, looked more like a tavern owner than a soldier.

However, Joubert knew that the other party was one of the best soldiers in Russia.

After all, Joubert had participated with Eugene when he fought Kutuzov near Constantinople.

However, Joubert subtly asked Danton, as Kutuzov’s joke grated on his ears.

“What’s a playmate, Ambassador?”

“Well, whenever the Tsar’s hobbies changed, I went and 맞춰줬거든 [catered to them]. It’s a nickname given to me in the Russian court.”

“It seems that if the world turns upside down, there’s a high possibility that you won’t be safe either, Ambassador.”

Then Kutuzov raised an eyebrow and smiled strangely.

“What about you? Judging by your uniform, are you a new military attaché from France?”

No matter how friendly he seemed, Kutuzov was the military governor of Saint Petersburg.

It was natural for him to be concerned if there was a foreign military attaché he didn’t know.

And Joubert had a rather rough appearance at first glance.

In fact, it was because he had gone through all sorts of hardships while traveling around half the globe.

Joubert replied politely, but with an unwavering attitude.

“My name is Barthélemy Joubert. I am a cavalry commander in the Nouvelle France Viceroy’s Guard and came to Russia as a savior of His Majesty the Tsar.”

“Savior? What does that suddenly mean? Ah, now that I think about it, Prince Philip was involved in strange things in the New World? I heard he’s entered into a state of war with Britain? Is that the problem?”

“Of course, that may be one of the causes. But, the information we obtained from Nouvelle France is different.”

For a moment, Joubert took a deep breath and exhaled shallowly before uttering the words he had prepared.

“Count Platon Alexandrovich Zubov. Do you know him?”

In an instant, Kutuzov blinked his one eye.

“Of course, I know him. He was a powerful figure during the reign of the late Tsarina.”

“A confidant, right? The important thing is not that. The fact is that he has a deep friendship with the general and is also leading an assassination plot.”

“Wait, what did you just say?”

Looking at the bewildered Kutuzov, Joubert twisted his lips.

“I said he is leading an assassination plot. And it’s a plot against His Majesty the Tsar.”

Even if Kutuzov was just a simple capital garrison commander, this would have been shocking news.

He had heard about an assassination plot against the Tsar, the supreme ruler of the empire, from a foreigner.

But the fact that the leader was ‘Platon’ was even more shocking.

Because he was the one who had helped Kutuzov rise to prominence.

Kutuzov, who had been frowning, rolled his one eye.

“Can you take responsibility for that? I can go to Count Zubov right now and confirm the facts!”

“You shouldn’t do that.”

“You’re telling me to trust a foreigner I’ve never seen before instead of my benefactor, the ‘loyal subject’ of the late Tsar, and a great noble?”

Then Joubert boldly retorted.

“Instead, Count Zubov is also the one who lost all his power because he lost favor with Pavel Tsar. If you want, go and ask him. Instead, we French will go to Bennigsen.”

In an instant, Kutuzov jumped up.

“How can you trust that German bastard! Fine, I’ll believe you! But if it’s not true, you’ll have to give up the lives of the entire French embassy!”

Only then did Joubert smile, breathing a very shallow sigh of relief.

“I can give up my life right now. Just like I did in the Battle of Edirne [modern-day Edirne, Turkey].”

“What? Were you by any chance in Adrianople?”

“I almost died because of the general’s excellent tactics. Fortunately, we won thanks to good luck.”

This time, Kutuzov made a strange face and burst into laughter.

“Before we start talking seriously, let’s talk about the battle then. Well, a conspiracy isn’t something that will happen today, is it?”

Danton, who was watching from the side, muttered with a dumbfounded face.

“No, why is my life on the line?”

Anyway, the first hurdle had been crossed.

***

So why was Kutuzov needed?

“Platon Zubov was the last lover of the late Tsar, Catherine. He was in his 20s at the time, and Catherine was in her 60s.”

“A male prostitute, indeed. So?”

“Zubov rose rapidly in favor with Catherine, but his power base was unstable. So he sponsored the generals of the Russian military, especially Suvorov and Kutuzov.”

In particular, Kutuzov flattered Zubov by even brewing Ottoman coffee for him himself.

Thanks to that, Kutuzov, who had difficulty rising in the ranks, rotated through key positions in the military and was promoted to general.

But when Catherine died in 1796, Zubov fell into ruin at once.

Still, he had the foundation, wealth, and territory he had built up over the years, so he managed to hold out, but recently there was an incident that cornered him.

As was common among Russian Empire nobles, Zubov’s main source of income was exporting produce from his territory to England.

However, Pavel chose a pro-French policy instead of a pro-British policy, and a situation arose in which Russia and Britain clashed in the New World.

Naturally, exports to Great Britain were completely suspended, and Zubov was on the verge of bankruptcy.

It was then that the British Ambassador Whitworth approached Zubov, who had lost power and was in financial straits.

「If, when you arrive, the Tsar is still alive and the coup is in progress, seize Kutuzov. Because of his relationship with Zubov, Kutuzov will have no choice but to cooperate.」

Of course, Eugene, who gave this order, didn’t say it thinking it would work.

He was just talking about a plan that Joubert could use if he arrived while Pavel was still alive.

Also, because Eugene had already changed Russian history, it was uncertain whether events similar to the original history would occur.

But even though Pavel lived longer, his personality and geopolitics had not changed, so in the end, Anglo-Russian rivalry occurred.

Joubert, who knew the internal affairs of Russia grasped from the New World, even if he didn’t know this history, shrugged his shoulders.

“In short, the collusion between the British ambassador and the fallen Russian great noble is the core of this assassination plot.”

“You found out all that in the New World? Viceroy Eugene’s Surêté [French secret service] is amazing.”

“But this is just the first step. The problem is what comes next.”

Joubert sat on the sofa in the French ambassador’s office and licked his lips.

“We must now perform a miracle. To break this plot involving the Russian Guards, the great nobles, and even the Crown Prince.”

Danton and Caulaincourt blinked and shouted together.

“What?”