He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 469

(469) The Franco-Cossack Alliance Executes a High-Speed Maneuver

The night that would determine the fate of the Cossacks had begun.

“Revenge! We must have revenge! How can we surrender without even fighting the enemy!”

The sun had already set, and all the Cossack cavalry had gathered in the middle of the Poltava plain.

Originally, the Cossacks’ plan was to cross the Vorskla River and return to Novocherkassk.

However, Eugene caught them twice, forcing them to stop in Poltava.

Still, if they charged through, at least the leadership might survive.

Even so, it would be difficult for the entire cavalry to escape unscathed.

In any case, as time passed, the encirclement would become more solid, making escape more difficult.

That’s why Ilovaisky was shouting like a madman.

Efremov shook his head.

“The enemy has already surrounded us.”

“We are light cavalry! If we break through at night, it’s possible!”

“If the enemy starts shelling indiscriminately again, we won’t be able to avoid it. And more than anything…”

Suddenly, Efremov shouted, his eyes bloodshot.

“From the start, it was absurd to order us to stop an army of 300,000!”

That’s right.

From the beginning, it was an unreasonable operation to try to stop Napoleon with only the Cossack cavalry.

However, in the original history, the Cossack cavalry often harassed Napoleon’s advance.

The current situation differs from the original history in two ways.

Napoleon arrived in Russia much earlier.

Furthermore, he effectively utilized the Ottoman Turkish Empire, another natural enemy of the Cossack light cavalry.

As a result, the Cossack light cavalry’s specialty, surprise attacks, could not be fully utilized.

Meanwhile, Platov seemed fixated on something else, muttering.

“He says he’ll grant us independence… our Cossacks.”

Ilovaisky looked at Platov with a dumbfounded expression.

“Ataman, do you believe that? Napoleon has been exploiting the Poles all this time!”

“Think about it the other way around. Why are Poles, including Poniatowski, still following Napoleon?”

“Because they’re stupid!”

However, Platov shouted, his eyes gleaming.

“Stupid? We are following a usurper! The rightful Tsar is in Saint Petersburg, asking for our help!”

The knot of conscience that had been bothering him had finally burst.

Tsar Paul was the very person to whom the Don Cossack clan had sworn allegiance.

Alexander could not yet be called a Tsar who had formally undergone a coronation.

Things that are not thought of when winning suddenly become reality when things become unfavorable.

Platov spoke again to the Cossack generals who flinched at his shout.

“Besides, we’re going to be annihilated if we stay like this anyway.”

“We can break through!”

“It’s too late. It would have been different if we had attacked Poniatowski’s side earlier.”

In fact, Platov missed his last chance when he hesitated and listened to the negotiation offer.

If he had desperately tried to break through at that time, the Polish legion’s encirclement might have been broken.

However, the Cossack light cavalry hesitated at Poniatowski’s proposal, and as a result, the encirclement was becoming more solid.

Suddenly, a scouting party that had gone out to explore returned.

-Clatter!

Efremov hurriedly asked the young officer who approached the torch.

“What is it, Chernyshev?”

“It’s as you predicted. We are completely surrounded.”

“So, it’s either death or surrender.”

Efremov replied dejectedly to the report of the young officer, Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev.

Chernyshev was a man who would play an active role as a messenger crossing the French army camp in the original history.

His horsemanship, breakthrough ability, and scouting skills were top-notch.

But if Chernyshev couldn’t find a gap to break through, it meant that escape was difficult.

At that moment, Platov said.

“Now that it’s come to this, we’ll use Poniatowski.”

Efremov tilted his head.

“What do you mean?”

“Poniatowski is a high-ranking general in the French Empire. But as a foreigner, his position must be unstable. If we make Poniatowski our protector, he will accept.”

“Indeed, I heard that a third of the French army are Poles?”

Platov looked around and nodded.

“Furthermore, if the French really allow our independence, can’t we use the Poles for that too?”

In the end, even the hardliner Ilovaisky had to agree.

The inescapable encirclement was becoming a reality.

***

For the Cossacks, it was a long night, but for Napoleon, a very short night had ended.

“Welcome, Cossack warrior. You have finally come into my arms!”

If you want to be a victor in an expedition, there is one thing you must do.

That is to secure local collaborators.

Napoleon knew this well, so he had been working hard to recruit the Cossack clan.

He couldn’t help but be pleased that he had achieved results for the first time.

In the emperor’s camp of the Grand Army, which had advanced to Poltava, the head of the Don Cossacks stated with a stern face.

“Greetings to His Imperial Majesty, Emperor of the West.”

“Oh, that’s an interesting title. Is that because of the Tsar [Russian Emperor]?”

“That’s right. However, if Your Majesty truly wishes to be the ‘only’ emperor, you must promise us.”

Ataman [Cossack chieftain] Platov said, gazing at Emperor Napoleon.

“That you will truly make our Cossacks an independent kingdom.”

Although Eugene was the commander of the 4th Corps, the King of Spain, and the Viceroy of France, he was not an emperor.

Platov knew well that if the emperor changed his mind, promises would not even be considered.

He knew this even more acutely because he had lived as a subject of autocratic Russia.

But Napoleon nodded very readily.

“That is entirely possible. Only the Don Cossacks have cooperated with me, so all the land of the Cossacks will belong to you and the Don Cossacks.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you hear? Zaporozhye, Seversky? All of them will become Cossack territories!”

Suddenly, Napoleon looked back at Poniatowski, who was standing to his left, and added.

“Furthermore! When this war is over, Poland will also become an independent unified kingdom! This is my promise, and the promise of my friend, Tsar Paul!”

Of course, such grand pronouncements were close to the usual empty words of Napoleon.

In fact, Napoleon was a master at promising huge rewards and then changing his words when circumstances changed.

Also, since it was a matter of distributing the territory of the Russian Empire anyway, Napoleon would not suffer any losses.

However, Cossack independence was necessary to weaken the Russian Empire in the future.

Platov, who did not know these inner circumstances, was a little moved by Napoleon’s clear answer.

“Then, I will gladly lead the way, Your Majesty.”

Napoleon asked with a gleam in his eyes.

“Lead the way? What do you mean?”

“What does Your Majesty want to do in Russia?”

“Well, I want to restore my friend, Paul. Also, I need to take care of France’s interests, don’t I?”

Platov, who heard Paul’s pretense and a little bit of his true feelings, explained carefully.

“To make Don Cossacks and Poland independent, you must conquer Russia. Also, the conquest of Russia must be achieved by occupying Moscow.”

The conquest of Russia.

Those words came from a Russian soldier, not a Frenchman.

The marshals in the Grand Army’s camp exchanged glances.

They realized that King Eugene’s victory had succeeded in creating a reliable local collaborator.

Platov said again.

“The road to Moscow is more difficult than you think. Furthermore, the serfs and local residents will all be uncooperative with foreign troops.”

In fact, Moscow is not strictly the capital of the Russian Empire.

But as in the original history, there is a reason why France is aiming for Moscow.

It is the land where the Russian Empire began, and it is practically the gateway to overseeing the entire territory and the secondary capital.

That is why Alexander has not been able to leave, even though almost four months have passed since the sudden fire.

Napoleon asked back with an interested expression.

“So?”

“But our Cossacks are the most violent people in Russia.”

“Oh, you can intimidate the Russian people?”

Platov replied firmly.

“If you entrust it to us, we will use our skills to open the way.”

Originally, the Cossacks’ strengths were raids, looting, and arson.

What if that skill was used on Russia instead of France?

The main defense forces have already been absorbed into the Indian Expeditionary Force and are concentrated near Moscow.

Therefore, most of those remaining on the road to Moscow are militia-level troops.

It is difficult to withstand the Cossacks’ wave of attacks.

“Good. I want to fight a battle in Moscow before the summer is over!”

When Napoleon shouted happily, Platov and the Cossack generals responded.

“If you keep your promise, the Cossacks will be yours!”

Originally, they were the ones who brought about Napoleon’s defeat in the original history.

The moment the Cossacks became the vanguard of the French Grande Armée [Grand Army].

***

Kursk, a key point on the road from southern to northern Russia.

-Whoosh!

Later in the original history, this place should have become a major battlefield of the German-Soviet War.

Also, it was originally an important military fortress city with a garrison of over 10,000 troops.

However, when Paul’s Indian Expeditionary Force was launched, the garrison of Kursk naturally joined the Indian Expeditionary Force.

As a result, the walls are burning, unable to withstand the attacks of 5,000 Cossack light cavalry.

“Aaaah! Why, why are the Cossacks attacking us!”

“Run away! The fortress is collapsing!”

“Oh my god, the walls of Kursk Fortress!”

The defenders screamed and ran away.

The Cossack light cavalry spread out to loot the surrounding villages.

Chernyshev shouted as he rode.

“Burn it! Russia doesn’t need fortresses anymore!”

Of the 30,000 Cossack light cavalry, a total of 20,000 joined the French army.

The remaining 10,000 died or scattered, saying they could not cooperate with France.

However, even 20,000 men were enough to sweep through the southern part of Russia, where there were almost no defenders.

Those who were supposed to attack the supply lines and supply depots of the French Imperial Army are attacking the Russians.

The Grand Army’s advance speed is bound to increase.

Eugene, who was in charge of the vanguard of the 4th Corps, the Grand Army, thought as he watched the scene.

What an ironic situation.

Then, Chief of Staff Jomini whistled next to Eugene and said.

“That’s fast. Then the next one will be Orel, there must be a lot of food there, right?”

“Well, they might have burned it all.”

“Yes?”

Orel is the granary south of Moscow in the Russian Empire.

However, in the original history, Napoleon failed to secure food here as well.

This is due to two reasons: one is that a historical battle took place in that area, and the other is that the food had already disappeared.

Eugene frowned as he pondered this.

“A scorched-earth tactic might have been implemented soon. However, one thing is certain.”

The air is still sometimes warm.

However, as we advance, we can feel the temperature dropping on our skin.

Currently, in the early 19th century, the average temperature itself is low due to the influence of the Little Ice Age [a period of regional cooling].

This year, winter will definitely be cold.

Just like in 1812, when the original Russian Grand Expedition took place.

“If autumn comes, we will lose. We have to advance to Moscow before that.”

July 1809, the time when summer is really coming.

France and the Cossacks joined hands and began to advance north.

The goal is Moscow.

To where the usurper Alexander is waiting.