He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 475

(475) Kutuzov’s Unicorns Breathe Fire

Right now, the Russian Imperial Army has only one advantage.

“The number of cannons! So, fire with all your might!”

A staggering 1,000 cannons were gathered on this battlefield.

Originally, in the original history, the Russian Empire mobilized around 640 cannons for the Battle of Borodino.

However, since the Russian Empire had fought fewer wars, they had a much larger number of cannons remaining.

Additionally, Pavel had collected cannons while preparing for the India expedition.

As a result, although they were outdated, a massive quantity of cannons was assembled on the battlefield.

Push in the gunpowder, slide the cannonball to the front of the muzzle, and then fire.

It’s a simple mechanism, but that’s what makes it even more efficient.

– Bang! Bang! Bang!

The one-eyed Kutuzov grinned as he watched the cannonballs being fired.

In fact, the reason Napoleon’s performance worsened as he fought more wars in the original history lies here.

It’s the problem of the rapidly increasing number of cannons.

If it were simply a matter of increasing the number of troops or the enemy learning Napoleon’s tactics, the Grande Armée could have somehow managed.

However, as Austria, Prussia, and Russia all rapidly increased the number of cannons, the nature of the war changed.

Rather than Napoleon’s tactics of deciding the battle through unconventional maneuvers, the tactic of annihilating the enemy through concentrated firepower became popular.

But now, Napoleon, along with Eugene, had dismantled or prematurely defeated Austria and Prussia, so there was no time for [firepower warfare] to take place.

So, Napoleon is experiencing concentrated firepower warfare for the first time in Russia.

Of course, Russia is different.

They had war experience accumulated from fighting the Ottoman Turks.

At that time, a surprised voice was heard from behind Kutuzov.

“What’s the total number of cannons right now? Good heavens!”

Kutuzov was startled and turned around, bowing his head.

“200 in the front, 100 on the left flank, 300 on the right flank, and 450 in the center, Your Majesty.”

“Truly amazing. As far as I, no, as far as I know, even in major battles, both sides could only fire about 200 to 300 cannons!”

“That’s not surprising. From the beginning, our Imperial Army gathered all the cannons from the entire country here.”

Tsar Alexander nodded in admiration.

However, Kutuzov looked around with a slightly displeased expression.

The monarch taking the lead on the battlefield boosts the morale of the soldiers, but it also disrupts the chain of command.

He needs to be sent back to the rear quickly.

Rolling his one eye, Kutuzov continued to explain.

“What you should be surprised about is something else. It’s that our army can mobilize all the cannons even though it rained.”

Alexander blinked, then admired again.

It rained in Borodino just before the battle.

That means there’s a lot of moisture, and the gunpowder would be wet.

Even if Corning [a process to improve gunpowder by glazing the grains] is done, Russia’s black powder, which has relatively more impurities, is even more vulnerable to moisture.

How can the shelling be so smooth?

“Indeed, that’s true. How is it possible?”

“It’s England.”

“Huh? Suddenly, England?”

Then, a gentleman in a green uniform walked out from the crowd.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”

Alexander was surprised again at the very familiar face.

“Ambassador Charles Whitworth, you’ve come! How on earth?”

“There’s no place that British diplomats can’t penetrate. Although St. Petersburg is still in the clutches of the [Mad Emperor, referring to Pavel I’s erratic behavior], smuggling is still rampant.”

“Mad Emperor, hmm. Wait a moment.”

The British diplomat who originally tried to assassinate the Mad Emperor, Pavel.

Charles Whitworth has come all the way here.

But why is a British diplomat on the Borodino battlefield?

“You brought British gunpowder?”

Although St. Petersburg is blockaded, he used the fact that smuggling ships come and go to the nearby coast to bring British-made gunpowder.

England uses Indian saltpeter, so it boasts the highest purity gunpowder in Europe.

That’s why shelling can be done even in the rain.

The former Ambassador Whitworth smiled contentedly.

“That’s right, Your Majesty.”

“That’s why it’s so resistant to rain! How much did you bring?”

“I can’t say it’s a lot, but it’s enough for today’s battle at least. Also.”

Suddenly, Whitworth’s eyes flashed as he glared at the southwestern battlefield.

“Enough to kill that outrageous Corsican [dwarf, a derogatory term for Napoleon due to his height].”

Across the Koloch River, the shallow hills spread out to the southwest.

The flags of eagles and bees, engraved in gold, flutter there.

It is a symbol of the French Imperial Family.

Alexander nodded and smiled with satisfaction.

“Good. Then concentrate all forces as soon as the shelling is over. Marshal Kutuzov!”

“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

“Marshal! Surely you know? It’s not just Napoleon who needs to win this decisive battle. I do too!”

Alexander urged the suddenly embarrassed Kutuzov.

“When the ranks are broken by concentrated shelling, put in all your forces and capture Napoleon! Only that will make me the true Tsar of Russia!”

In fact, the reason the Battle of Borodino ultimately took place in the original history is because of Alexander.

Originally, the leaders of the Russian Imperial Army, including Barclay, tried to stick to the scorched-earth tactics until the end.

However, Alexander, unable to resist the opposition from the nobles and hardliners within the military, demanded a decisive battle.

Of course, Russia won because Moscow was burned down in an [accident] after the battle, but it was a very dangerous moment.

But even now, Alexander is demanding a decisive battle.

Kutuzov knows that a decisive battle is dangerous, even if he doesn’t know history.

But in this case, Kutuzov’s way is to use the Tsar rather than resist him.

Kutuzov blinked for a moment and then made a counter-proposal.

“I understand. Then, please lend me your Imperial Guard for a moment.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“Unfortunately, there are no reserves in the main force right now.”

Kutuzov waved his baton, aimed at the battlefield, and said.

“There will be only one chance to break through the enemy lines. We must put in all our forces, Your Majesty.”

This is not a lie but the truth.

Kutuzov deliberately induced shelling and a chaotic battle, and thanks to that, most of the 400,000 troops were deployed on the front lines.

Also, the artillery unit operating 1,000 cannons does not just move but needs the escort of line infantry.

But you have to catch Napoleon?

Then, of course, you need reserves.

The only remaining force in the current Russian Imperial Army is the Imperial Guard, the Leib Guardiya, which is in charge of guarding the Emperor.

At that moment, Stroganov, the Tsar’s closest aide who was serving as the temporary commander of the Imperial Guard, shouted in surprise.

“What nonsense is that!”

“Enough, Stroganov.”

“Your Majesty, no matter how advantageous the battlefield becomes, the Imperial Guard must protect Your Majesty!”

However, Tsar Alexander shook his head firmly.

“On the contrary! My Imperial Guard must capture Napoleon. No, they must kill him! You decide when to deploy them!”

Although he is more rational than Pavel, Alexander is also Pavel’s son.

The point of making decisions on the spur of the moment and trusting his intuition was the same.

That’s why Alexander won in the original history.

The moment Kutuzov saluted, the sound of cannons echoed through the sky.

– Bang!

The sound of 1,000 old-fashioned or original Russian-made Unicorn cannons hitting the French army camp.

***

The other Emperor, who had been relaxed until now, was flustered.

“What on earth is going on! Why are there so many cannons! Surely, it rained!”

Originally, Napoleon was from the artillery.

Therefore, he prided himself on knowing more about cannons than anyone else.

But the French Empire is being hit by shelling.

Even though it clearly rained and there should be many misfires, concentrated shelling is taking place from the Russian army camp.

Faster and stronger than France.

It is inevitable that Napoleon would fall into panic.

Marshal Berthier hurriedly stopped the Emperor, who was about to rush out on horseback.

“Your Majesty, please stay put for now.”

“Stay put? My Grande Armée! My soldiers are dying! Good heavens, retreat them immediately!”

“There are still reserves left, Your Majesty.”

Berthier said in a firm tone.

“The Guard, the 6th Corps, and the Cossacks!”

Lan’s Guard, Bernadotte’s 6th Corps, and Platov’s Cossack light cavalry, which had been pulled back to the rear.

The French Empire still has strength.

Originally, in the original history, Napoleon was so tired of the tremendous attrition that he couldn’t even deploy the Guard.

But now, there are reserves in addition to the Guard.

Napoleon barely calmed his excitement and muttered.

“I can’t trust the Cossacks. Especially if the situation is unfavorable.”

“I will send a messenger to Bernadotte.”

“Tell him to come quickly! Right now! Before the ranks break!”

At that time, the situation arose where the central redoubt was breached again.

– Bang! Dudududu, Bang!

In a situation where concentrated shelling was taking place, the Russian Imperial Army began to charge.

“Madmen! They’re charging in this situation?”

“They don’t have shrapnel shells. So, the damage isn’t as great as you think.”

“So, they’re shelling where their own troops are? Is that really telling the soldiers to die!”

Napoleon, who had experienced quite a few battlefields, shuddered and shouted.

“This isn’t war. It’s a massacre!”

However, just because he shouts doesn’t mean the Russian Empire will suddenly realize humanitarianism.

Amidst the continuous shelling, the French Grande Armée began to retreat, facing the Russian Imperial soldiers.

No matter how brave the soldiers are, they are no match for cannonballs.

Lan, who died from cannonballs in the original history, rushed out again.

“Good heavens, Your Majesty! The ranks are collapsing. I will go!”

Napoleon looked around.

Should he deploy the Guard?

But Bessières has already been deployed.

Lan is certainly brave, but he is a little lacking in demonstrating breakthrough power in this situation.

In an instant, Napoleon’s eyes caught sight of the right person.

“No, you can’t! You can’t do it! Murat!”

The moment the curly-haired general Murat ran up, Napoleon snapped.

“The ranks on the central redoubt side are collapsing. The enemies are advancing with shelling. Can you stop them?”

Murat’s eyes widened and he grinned.

It is a battlefield that cavalry cannot withstand.

No, even the line infantry, especially Napoleon’s famous Old Guard, would not be able to withstand it.

If there is a commander who orders them to be deployed in such a place, it is not strange to disobey the order.

Nevertheless, Murat willingly got on his horse.

“You’re telling me to die. Heh! A man only has one life anyway! I’ve been waiting for this kind of battlefield. Let’s go!”

A man who has never retreated in war, only afraid of naval battles, Murat ran.

– Dudududu!

Murat’s [Hussars, a type of light cavalry] brandished their sabers and rushed to the center of the battlefield.

***

Although it is a wide-area battlefield, you can see the charge through a telescope.

“It’s open!”

The one-eyed Kutuzov shouted.

Finally, the opponent’s iron-clad Guard’s defenses were opened.

It is the commotion and gap created by Murat’s cavalry charging.

“Stop all shelling!”

“Yes, stop shelling. Send a messenger!”

“Leib Guardiya, sortie!”

As soon as Kutuzov’s order fell, the Emperor’s Imperial Guard began to charge.

“Now is the time to catch the Corsican dwarf!”

Anton Lachinsky, the commander of the Leib Guardiya’s Guards Infantry Regiment, charged.

Piotr Petrovich Uvarov, the commander of the Tsar’s Hussar Regiment, also got on his horse.

The cannon fire that covered the sky stopped, and the Tsar’s Imperial Guard began to run through the gap in the center of the war.

– Dudududu!

Kutuzov shone his one eye and roared.

“Now, the history of Europe is changing in my hands!”

He had been waiting for this moment.

Consuming all the troops, pouring firepower, and waging a war of attrition while sacrificing mobility.

Until France could not stand it and opened the way to the Emperor.

If Napoleon is killed or captured here, Russia will be the true victor.

That’s when it happened.

– Rumble.

A strange roar echoed through Borodino, where the cannon fire had stopped.

“What is that sound?”

Count Tolstoy, the Emperor’s messenger, stuttered to Kutuzov, who was blinking his one eye.

“Commander-in-Chief, please look over there.”

“Smoke?”

“That, that, behind the smoke.”

Count Tolstoy swallowed hard and shouted.

“I, Iron carriages are coming!”

The battlefield of thick smoke created by black powder.

One hundred iron carriages, or [steam cars], were running there.