He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 426

(426) Local Collaborators Are Essential in the Peninsula

Why did the Great French Empire fail to conquer Spain in the original history?

“Because they won the war but failed to win the hearts of the people.”

“Huh? What did you say? Out of nowhere?”

“No, I’m saying Masséna has completely failed to win the people’s hearts.”

Suddenly, Eugene stopped his horse while riding with Hippolyte.

“Wellesley is certainly skilled at portraying us as villains.”

In the vicinity of Madrid, with the city walls visible, the town was already empty.

This was the result of the 2nd Corps of Masséna entering, retreating, and attempting to re-enter.

However, the town walls were covered with:

-〈All Jacobin invaders, get out!〉

-〈Down with the foreign queen! Down with the island bumpkin’s son too!〉

-〈Tear the enemies’ crotches and feed them to the dogs!〉

Ironically, the insults were written in French, not Spanish.

It was as if they were being kind enough for the French [invaders] to understand.

Above all, unspeakable sexual insults were directed at Marie.

Hippolyte glanced at Marie on her white horse behind Eugene and licked his lips.

“T, terrifying.”

Stéphanie de Beauharnais, who came along as a lady-in-waiting, looked like she was about to faint.

But Marie remained calm.

Of course, so did Eugene.

In the past, the insults written on the walls of the Tuileries Palace were much worse.

“Why are you like this? You’ve seen worse during the revolution.”

“No, that’s true, but if we’re not careful, a riot will break out as soon as we enter Madrid.”

“That’s why we brought an envoy from the Vatican, isn’t it?”

Then, Cardinal Fesch, approaching from a distance in his red hat, clicked his tongue.

“If you’re trusting me and feeling relieved, I advise you to stop. Your Royal Highness. Or should I call you His Majesty now?”

Eugene chuckled and matched his pace with Fesch, moving closer.

“Of course not, Uncle. I trust His Holiness the Pope and the Archbishop of Toledo behind Your Eminence.”

“Is Archbishop Balabriga even coming? He still recognizes ‘Fernando VII,’ who is currently a prisoner, as the king.”

“I might not like it, but Marie will recognize her as queen. They’re relatives, after all, right?”

Luis Maria de Borbón Vallabriga.

A grandson of Philip V and the head of the Archdiocese of Toledo, the highest religious position in Spain.

Since Louis XIV’s second son was Philip V, he and Marie are from the same ‘Bourbon’ family.

However, they are so distant that Marie, who had been silent until now, looked dumbfounded.

“He’s Louis XIV’s great-grandson, and I’m the great-great-grandson’s granddaughter? That’s not even close to being relatives.”

“It’s enough if they don’t oppose us. Besides, there’s someone else I trust.”

“Who else is that?”

As Marie tilted her head, Eugene raised his binoculars and nodded.

“They’re coming.”

In the distance, a horseman was seen riding from the direction of Madrid.

-Doo-doo-doo!

Suddenly, as the horseman approached from enemy territory, the Royal Guard raised their guns.

However, the head of the guard, Junot, was surprised and stopped the soldiers.

Because it was a face Junot knew.

“Good heavens, Admiral Cisneros?”

Cisneros, the naval admiral of New Spain in the New World, jumped off his horse and paid his respects.

“It’s been a while, Princess, and Your Royal Highness. I should be addressing you as Your Majesty soon, but please forgive my reduced courtesy as the coronation has not yet taken place.”

“Good heavens, how did you get here? The Atlantic should be blockaded?”

“Unfortunately, France is blockaded, but New Spain is not, Your Highness.”

Even Marie was surprised and asked, but Cisneros replied as if it were obvious.

“As you know, Spain is still an ally of England.”

This situation perfectly illustrates the chaotic state of Spain.

First, in 1806, the Spanish mainland had its king replaced by a royal coup.

Because the British ambassador, Richard Wellesley, intervened at this time, Spain was covered in pro-British factions.

Therefore, they joined the anti-French alliance, and naturally, the blockade of Spanish colonies was suspended.

This situation continues even after the anti-French alliance war effectively ended in 1807.

As a result, Cisneros was able to return home safely.

In any case, Cisneros was not particularly pro-French, and the Spanish government had no reason to keep a capable admiral confined to the New World.

However, when Eugene and Marie, who controlled Cisneros in the New World, came, the situation changed.

“Fantastic! So, all our friends in the New World have come here!”

“Not all of them, Commander Junot. By the way, I’m worried about whether you’ll continue to be the commander of the guard even after Spain is normalized.”

“Why are you doing this again, Admiral Cisneros? Don’t worry about that already. His Majesty, our new King Eugene, will decide everything.”

Junot, who knew him, chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, but Cisneros replied sternly.

“It will be His Majesty Eugenio. Anyway, the friends you mentioned are waiting.”

Eugenio, the Spanish pronunciation of Eugene.

It’s a name that emphasizes that even if Eugene becomes king, he will be the king of Spain, not the king of France.

Of course, the pronunciation of Eugene itself is actually American.

Chuckling, Eugene asked.

“How did you persuade them, Cisneros?”

“Well, I told them that a rightful queen was returning. It wasn’t difficult for friends from Galicia or Aragon. The last friend is from a naval family, so it was even easier for me.”

“Good.”

Eugene entered the town of Alcobendas, north of Madrid, and led Marie.

“Let’s go meet the talents of Iberia. Your Majesty.”

Here, in the abandoned church of the town, are those waiting for Eugene and Marie.

People who, in the original history, would have become heroes of the Peninsular War.

***

In the Alcobendas church, José Rebolledo de Palafox jumped up, looking at the crumbling statue of the Virgin Mary.

“Hoo, I’m really nervous. What do you think, Señor Alava? Could this be a trap?”

General Alava, 37, slightly raised the military cap he was wearing.

It seems Palafox is anxious because his hometown has been occupied.

But it is necessary to remain calm in times like these to engage in negotiations.

“José, even General Joaquín Blake is calmly waiting here. Let’s wait and see. I don’t know what level of negotiator will come, but they said the person in charge is coming.”

“The French have kidnapped the king. They burned my hometown of Zaragoza! Besides, the French Emperor’s adopted son is famous for his tactics, isn’t he?”

“Nonsense. He may use many tactics in war, but he has never used deception.”

Lieutenant General Miguel Ricardo de Alava, the commander of the Madrid insurgents, said coldly.

“The problem isn’t deception. The question is whether the new queen and her consort will become the rulers of Spain or puppets of France.”

Originally, in the original history, Alava was a participant in the famous Battle of Trafalgar [a major naval battle in 1805].

He even became friends with Wellington and went to Waterloo [the final defeat of Napoleon].

He was also the first general to welcome the French king when Joseph became the King of Spain, and he bravely stood up as a resistance fighter when Napoleon became oppressive.

But now, amidst the rapidly changing political situation in Spain, he is defending Madrid without joining the Marquis of Romana’s army.

Along with Joaquín Blake, who also made a name for himself in the Peninsular War.

Blake, who had fought in various wars from the American Revolutionary War to the First Anti-French Coalition War, replied.

“I’m not calm. I just trust General Alava. I’m also curious about the face of the new king.”

Palafox, looking back at the two generals, licked his lips.

“Everyone seems to be accepting the co-monarchy itself.”

“José, then who should we follow? King Carlos clearly designated Princess ‘Maria Teresa’ as his successor. Are we perhaps going to restore King Carlos?”

“We don’t even know where the British took King Carlos, so what are we going to restore? Besides, I don’t want to see Godoy come back again!”

Palafox has another difference from Alava and Blake.

He is from a prestigious family in Aragon [a region in Spain].

Later, in the original history, he rose to the position of Commander-in-Chief of Aragon and fought bravely against the French army.

However, he is not a very narrow-minded man, as he rebelled to protect the liberal constitution when the returning king committed tyranny and was eventually expelled.

Nevertheless, he had a burning anger towards the French army that destroyed his hometown of Zaragoza.

“Then we have no choice but to meet the new queen. Even if Commander-in-Chief Castaños were here, or if the Marquis of Romana had received the offer, they would have had the same concerns.”

Palafox closed his mouth at Alava’s words.

The Marquis of Romana, who joined forces with the British army, and General Castaños, the commander-in-chief of the Spanish army, are still in a state of resistance against France.

However, in the end, in a monarchy, the army is the king’s army.

Marie Therese, who came to the vicinity of Madrid, is clearly the rightful heir appointed by the former king.

Therefore, it is difficult not to respond to the proposal to have a conversation.

Especially if the mediator is Admiral Cisneros, famous as a master of naval battles in the New World.

Then, a guard officer standing behind Palafox gritted his teeth and said.

“Shouldn’t we fight once and then decide?”

Alava tilted his head.

“Who is that friend?”

“Ah, this is Juan Martín Díez. He participated with me in the Battle of the Pyrenees before. He is quite a brave officer and has a promising future.”

“Then we must keep that in mind even more.”

Alava approached Díez, who would later become famous as a hater of France in the original history.

“Señor Díez? Let me make it clear. Our Spanish army must fight to be loyal to His Majesty and protect the people. But if a rightful monarch arrives, why should we fight?”

Díez couldn’t even say a word.

In fact, the real reason Díez becomes a hater of France is because his fiancée is raped and murdered by the French army.

However, this tragic event has not yet occurred because the Peninsular War has not yet escalated.

Just then.

“Those are very pleasing words.”

Alava was surprised to see those entering the church.

“Your Majesty?”

All the Spanish Madrid garrison officers in the church stood up.

“Nice to meet you, everyone. Are you the people who will become my subjects?”

Queen candidate Marie and her fiancé Eugene had come to the church in person.

***

Of course, Eugene had intended to meet them directly from the beginning.

“Miguel Ricardo de Alava, Joaquín Blake, José Rebolledo de Palafox. The elites of the Spanish army have all come here.”

All three are people who left their names in history as heroes of the Peninsular War.

But at the same time, they were friendly people when France first ousted the king.

So to speak, they loved the French-style liberal constitution.

Conversely, they became rebels when Napoleon began to enforce oppressive direct rule, starting with the Continental System [a trade embargo against Great Britain].

Alava opened his mouth first, maintaining a polite yet dignified attitude even in front of Eugene.

“We have not yet recognized you as His Majesty. Your Royal Highness, Viceroy of New France.”

“I know that you must recognize us for a safe coronation in Madrid. If you recognize Marie and me as king and queen, your rights will be fully guaranteed.”

“What do you mean?”

Eugene looked back at Alava, Blake, and Palafox and said.

“I know that the Spanish nobles are afraid because I was called the standard-bearer of the revolution. I will respect the traditions of Spain and recognize the rights of the nobles. Furthermore, I will revive the old Cortes [Spanish parliament].”

Cortes, the aristocratic assembly based on social status.

It is a declaration that he will respect the rights of the nobles.

But now Eugene’s words have another meaning for Spaniards, not foreigners.

Since the Bourbon family became the royal family of Spain, the Cortes has disappeared.

Suddenly, Palafox stammered and asked.

“Wait, does that mean you will also revive the Cortes of Aragon?”

“That’s right.”

“Good heavens, Your Majesty, that’s!”

The moment everyone in the room, except Marie, was about to be surprised, Eugene smiled.

“Didn’t I say? I, and Marie, respect the traditions of Spain.”

In fact, even the guards behind Eugene, including Junot, were not completely surprised yet.

Until Eugene added one more declaration.