He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 466

(466) The Tsesarevich Corps Counterattacks Southward

A bolt from the blue suddenly struck the newly appointed Tsar [self-proclaimed].

“The enemies are advancing from the Cossack lands!”

Alexander’s close aide, the new Minister of War Kochubey, reported urgently.

In fact, when a civil war breaks out, it is quite common for foreign enemies to invade, especially in Russia.

However, the main thrusts were mostly towards Poland and Sweden.

This is why the previous Tsars had focused on the so-called Northern Conquests.

But the Cossack lands had been completely safe since the famous Pugachev’s Rebellion [a major peasant revolt in the late 18th century].

Therefore, not even the paranoid Pavel had ever worried about the Cossack lands.

Yet, unbelievably, the French army was invading.

In Podolsk, a dilapidated fortress just south of Moscow, Alexander asked with a dismayed expression.

“What is the total number of enemy troops, Novosiltsev?”

“600,000, Your Majesty.”

“Madness! How do they plan to handle rear defenses with that many troops? Aren’t they concerned about rebellion or an attack from England at all? What about Flanders or Hanover!”

The composed aide, Novosiltsev, replied coolly.

“The possibility of England mobilizing a large army for land warfare is extremely low, Your Majesty.”

Of course, unlike Alexander’s concerns, Napoleon had thoroughly prepared for the defense of his homeland.

Firstly, the French Empire was a nation that had mobilized one million troops during the French Revolution.

Also, unlike the original timeline, there had been fewer wars of attrition, so most of the veterans who experienced the revolutionary period were still alive.

Thus, the remaining conscripts and reserves, numbering 200,000, would defend the mainland, excluding the Grande Armée [Napoleon’s main army].

However, from Russia’s perspective, the Grande Armée advancing from the south was not the only enemy.

The Western Army, consisting of 300,000 troops, mainly from the Rhine Confederation [a union of German states under French influence] and Prussian forces, was also a threat.

Even though Alexander had 200,000 troops in the Indian Expeditionary Force, it felt like an overwhelming disadvantage.

Alexander, trembling all over, slammed his desk in the office.

-Bang!

Just as the aides fell silent, Alexander roared.

“Why! Are Kutuzov and Buxhoeveden still resisting [me]! If they had surrendered earlier and taken full precautions, Napoleon would have had no reason to invade in the first place!”

The problem lay with Kutuzov, the commander of the Polish garrison, and Buxhoeveden, the governor of Finland.

These two had sided with Pavel, leading their troops.

In particular, Buxhoeveden had completely abandoned his post in Finland and gathered all his troops in front of St. Petersburg.

On the other hand, Kutuzov had only come in person and was directing the defense strategy.

Bagration pointed out this fact.

“The cunning Napoleon, or his son Eugene, exploited the gap. However, fortunately, the Western Defense Line, created by the Imperial Army since the time of Empress Catherine, is thorough. Because Kutuzov defected alone.”

“It won’t be easily breached. But what about the south? They’ve been fighting the Turks!”

“The Turkish front has never been a major threat until now. Rather, we were on the offensive. Defense is not well-prepared.”

Alexander glared and shouted.

“Then, shouldn’t we come up with a solution! Bagration!”

The demeanor of the Crown Prince, known for his gentleness, was nowhere to be seen.

Bagration fell silent at the sight of his madness, reminiscent of Pavel.

But what solution could there be in the face of the sudden onslaught of the enemy’s large army?

Moreover, the opponent was Napoleon, [the God of War], who had never been defeated.

At that moment, a fox-like man standing to Alexander’s left opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, this is a national emergency.”

Alexander frowned and turned to the fox-like man.

“Who doesn’t know that, Bennigsen?”

“Therefore, you should use this situation as an opportunity.”

“What?”

Bennigsen spoke with the only relaxed expression.

“It is an opportunity to unite all the military unit commanders on the border who are still observing. First, there is Barclay de Tolly, the commander of the Western Army.”

At that moment, Bagration shouted as if having a seizure.

“Barclay! He is a foreigner and a despicable man! He will surely betray us!”

“I’m sorry, but I’m also of German descent. Besides, aren’t you also from the Kingdom of Georgia, if you think about it?”

“Are we the same? He is truly a foreign kind of man, his lineage is unknown, and he always shirks responsibility!”

Originally, even in the original timeline, Bagration was pathologically opposed to Barclay.

Of course, Bagration himself was also of foreign royal lineage, disliked Bennigsen, and disliked Kutuzov even more.

However, Barclay, as his name suggests, was of Scottish descent and had a truly heterogeneous lineage.

For example, even Bennigsen was of German descent, so he had some relatives within the Russian Empire.

However, in Barclay’s case, he was not even a nobleman, and he had no relatives within Russia, so he lacked connections.

Even in an era where it was common for foreigners to become generals, the prevailing view was that someone without connections could betray at any time.

Moreover, Barclay himself was not a very charismatic character, so there were few generals who sided with him.

Nevertheless, Bennigsen was confident in Barclay’s skills, as he had once been his adjutant.

“If he comes, Buxhoeveden of Finland will also fall in line, Your Majesty.”

Alexander frowned.

Barclay’s skills, he didn’t know.

But one thing was certain.

The Western Army defending Poland was currently under Barclay, not Kutuzov.

Therefore, summoning Barclay meant taking control of the Polish garrison.

“Approve.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Bagration! There is no time to waste on your infighting!”

Scolding him, Alexander shouted.

“We must stop Napoleon before he reaches Moscow! Gather the entire army!”

Because Alexander had not yet taken St. Petersburg.

***

Ultimately, if he failed to seize the capital, Alexander would be nothing more than a pretender.

“As you can see, this is the situation, Commander of the Western Army, Barclay de Tolly.”

It only took Bennigsen a day to summon Barclay.

In fact, Bennigsen had already sent a letter to Barclay before making his suggestion.

Since the tide of the civil war had already turned, it would be advantageous to pledge allegiance to the new Tsar.

After much deliberation, Barclay followed Bennigsen’s suggestion.

Thanks to this, when the news of Napoleon’s arrival was reported, Barclay was able to come to Bennigsen immediately.

Conversely, it was no exaggeration to say that the defense of Russian Poland was in disarray.

A prime example of abandoning duty for position.

It was not without reason that Bagration disliked Barclay.

However, with Napoleon’s arrival, no one could point out this problem.

Barclay, a political soldier in his own right, shook his head at Bennigsen, a true political soldier.

“The number of those who arrived in the south is not 600,000.”

“I know. Half of them, 300,000, are moving towards Poland, right? But they are slow, and we don’t know when they will arrive. On the other hand, the main force of the French army, 200,000, and 100,000 Polish auxiliaries have already arrived in the Black Sea area.”

“Do you think there is no need to defend Vilnius and Minsk?”

Bennigsen looked around to see if anyone was outside the tent and laughed softly.

“When the Rhine Confederation army and the former Austrian and Prussian armies arrive from the west, it will probably be next year, won’t it? Heh heh.”

Bennigsen, a political soldier to the bone, could see it.

150,000 from the Rhine Confederation, 50,000 from Prussia, 30,000 from Hungary, and 100,000 Polish volunteers.

All of them had less motivation, less fighting spirit, and, above all, no reason to fight compared to Russian soldiers.

Although they were forced to follow Emperor Napoleon’s orders, their marching speed would be extremely slow.

It was clear that even modern-day Belarus would not be occupied.

At least until the late autumn when the Rasputitsa [the muddy season in Russia] approached.

Therefore, the only enemy that the Russian Empire, or Alexander’s Corps, had to face was Napoleon’s Grande Armée.

Barclay pondered and asked again.

“Marshal Bennigsen, do you intend to fight the enemy head-on?”

“Commander Barclay, is there any other way?”

“I, I think we should consider dividing and defeating the enemy’s large army.”

Suddenly, Barclay made a bold proposal.

“For example, a scorched-earth tactic.”

Burn all food, housing, and facilities.

Preserve only the army and move to the rear.

When the enemies invade, fight back and retreat, then attack again when the enemies rest, and flee again.

Then, just once, when the enemies are exhausted and begin to retreat, launch a massive counterattack.

Originally, this was the tactic that Russia used to defeat Napoleon in the original timeline.

It is known as the operation devised by Kutuzov, but the original planner was Barclay.

However, Bennigsen shook his head.

“Rejected.”

“Your Excellency, this is an effective tactic in defensive warfare. Moreover, the enemy army is conducting a super-long-distance expedition. Winter will probably come before they receive their second supply.”

“It would be possible if we were not in the middle of a civil war, Barclay.”

Bennigsen frowned and looked at the map hanging on the tent wall.

“The damned mad former Emperor has not stepped down yet! He is holding out in St. Petersburg. General Pyotr Wittgenstein is launching attacks every day!”

Pyotr Wittgenstein, not famous in later original timeline, but the best defensive warfare expert of the time.

Furthermore, he was none other than the savior of St. Petersburg.

Why did Napoleon only occupy Moscow in the original timeline?

The answer is simple.

He tried, but failed.

Because he was blocked by the [Northern Army] commanded by Wittgenstein.

Furthermore, Wittgenstein successively defeated Oudinot and Saint-Cyr, collapsing the supply line that Napoleon had created in Russia.

He was truly a hidden contributor to the annihilation of the Grande Armée.

Later, in the original timeline, Alexander also acknowledged this point and, after Kutuzov’s death, entrusted him with the command of the Russian army.

Overruling Bennigsen and Bagration.

However, currently, he was strangely attacking St. Petersburg.

As befitting a master of defensive warfare, he had no talent for siege warfare, and he repeatedly failed every day.

Barclay nodded lightly and ‘easily’ offered another idea.

“Then, there is a way to mobilize the Cossacks.”

“Most of the Cossacks are in this Indian Expeditionary Force, aren’t they? Are you suggesting sending them?”

“No. There is a general who governs the Don Cossack area.”

Barclay, slow to make decisions but quick to think, sparkled his eyes.

“General Matvey Ivanovich Platov. His Cossack light cavalry numbers over three divisions. They are a good army to hinder the enemy’s advance and raid supply lines.”

If he had to make the decision himself, Barclay would not have made such a quick proposal.

It was only because Bennigsen would make the decision that he could give advice with such speed.

Knowing this, Bennigsen would only use Barclay as a staff officer, not as a commander.

Bennigsen slapped his knee.

“Good! Send the instructions. I will also accept some of your scorched-earth tactics.”

“Are you transferring the food supply to the outside?”

“Isn’t Moscow already a ruin anyway?”

A strange smile suddenly appeared on Bennigsen’s lips.

“Move the supply line to Nizhny Novgorod, the starting point for going to eastern Siberia. We will have to use the food stockpiled by the Stroganov family, the rulers of that city.”

Barclay, a half-political soldier, sized up the situation and saluted.

“That is a wise decision, Your Excellency.”

Inwardly, he thought that such clumsy scorched-earth tactics were worse than doing nothing.

***

Bennigsen, a man who turns crises into opportunities, entered Alexander’s office triumphantly.

“Tsar, Your Majesty, I have brought the operational plan.”

In fact, the command of Alexander’s Indian Expeditionary Force belonged to Bagration.

Alexander did not give complete trust to Bennigsen, who had betrayed him once.

However, when Bagration failed to come up with a [strategy] to defeat Napoleon, the direction of command also changed.

Now, the Russian Imperial Army was in Bennigsen’s hands.

In the office of Podolsk, a fortress built by Empress Catherine in the past, Alexander looked at the operational plan and raised his head.

“Hinder the advance with the Cossacks and gather the entire army south of Moscow?”

“That’s right. The key to the strategy is to stop the enemies in Kharkiv. The Cossacks will advance to the south, to the Dnipro River and Yekaterinoslav.”

“Fortunately, it’s not 600,000, but still, an army of 300,000 is advancing. Can 30,000 stop them?”

30,000 is the total number of Cossack light cavalry scattered throughout the Don Cossack area.

If a mobilization order is issued, half of them may flee.

But could they stop an army of 300,000?

Bennigsen twisted his lips.

“In the battlefield, troops only have meaning if they actually fight.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am telling you what Napoleon has shown so far.”

Just as Alexander raised his eyebrows, Bennigsen gave a meaningful explanation.

“Even if the enemy is a large army, the number of troops actually engaged in battle will be less than 30,000. That is what we are aiming for.”

Even though he was a political soldier, Bennigsen was also one of the top players in the Russian Imperial Army.

He had studied Napoleon’s past wars in considerable depth.

Among them, what Bennigsen had looked at most impressively was the concentration and dispersed maneuvers of troops.

If Napoleon moved a large army, the situation would change if 30,000 cavalry could be concentrated on the dispersed army.

That was what the Cossack light cavalry had actually poured out in the original timeline.

“Soon, we will launch a wave of attacks.”

At that moment, Alexander made a decision.

“Good, drive out the French invaders from the territory of this Empire. Also, declare a general mobilization to the entire nation!”

This land belongs to the Russian Empire.

Strictly speaking, in a defensive war, the Russian Empire can mobilize the entire country, the entire population, and all resources.

Even if the result is the ruin of the country.

The generals of the Russian Imperial Army, who did not think about the aftermath, shouted in unison.

“Hurrah!”

Now, the Russian Empire, with no way out, was about to fight the French Emperor Napoleon, who only looked ahead.