He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 495

(495) Sydney Smith Comes to the North Sea

The admiral, who had been waiting for this moment, roared.

“Today, we capture the King of Spain in the North Sea! This is an achievement that even Francis Drake couldn’t accomplish!”

It has been over 10 years.

In fact, many others in the British Royal Navy have directly fought against Eugene besides Sydney Smith.

Because those who survived the Battle of Alexandria number 20 ships in line of battle.

However, Sydney confidently believes that he is Eugene’s arch-enemy.

Of course, Eugene would half agree with that statement.

Because in land battles, no one has ever won against Eugene.

On the other hand, Eugene has a history of running away from Sydney.

Moreover, Eugene’s position is very ambiguous.

“Isn’t he just the Crown Prince of France?”

When Vice-Admiral Edward Berry made a sharp remark, Sydney scoffed.

“Ah, capturing the Crown Prince of France would be an even greater achievement! Let’s see, was that an achievement the Black Prince couldn’t accomplish?”

“The Black Prince captured both the King and Prince of France. Well, he never captured the Crown Prince.”

“That’s right! Then, from now on, call me the Black Admiral! Hahaha!”

Of course, Eugene may simply be a prince of France, but he is not the Crown Prince.

However, what is important is not Eugene’s exact status.

What matters is that he is the one who has been tormenting England all along.

Eugene is the one who has taken away England’s major interests, from the Canadian colonies, control of the Mediterranean Sea, and even the Russian trade monopoly.

Above all, there is something that only Sydney clearly knows.

“Someone must sink that Sharpshooter into this sea. Only then will France no longer covet the sea!”

If I had to choose, I wouldn’t necessarily want to kill him.

That is Sydney’s impression after meeting Eugene in person.

However, from a strategic point of view, Eugene is more dangerous than Napoleon.

First of all, Napoleon can only maneuver on land, so a London invasion is impossible if England puts all its efforts into it.

But Eugene is different.

Here, we eliminate France’s only card at sea.

Moreover, this North Sea is unfamiliar to Eugene, and there are no [steamships] that were a headache in the New World, right?

It was when Sydney Smith felt a sense of victory and vigorously waved his baton.

-Click, Bang!

Surprised, Sydney turned his head at the sound of the shelling.

“Who told you to shell first! It’s not even in range yet!”

“It’s not shelling, it’s a rocket.”

“Rocket? Ah, that cheap weapon they brought from India?”

Berry nodded as he watched the Conqueror pass by.

“It may be cheap, but the range is much longer. It’s worth shooting. It seems Admiral Bowole fired first.”

The flagship, Invincible, and Bowole’s Conqueror met.

Bowole, who used to be the vice-admiral of Nelson’s fleet, is a rather difficult senior to Sydney.

Instead of scolding him, Sydney began to listen to Berry’s report on the enemy’s situation.

“First of all, the enemy fleet has at least 21 ships of the line.”

“So, is there even one French ship?”

“Well, they’re all in the Port of Calais. By now, they may have fallen into the hands of the rebels.”

Sydney smiled contentedly.

“No matter how great Eugene Freiherr is, he has unfamiliar ships and a mismatched crew. Besides, he doesn’t have those steamships, does he?”

In fact, Eugene’s excellence in naval battles comes from two things.

One is that he avoids danger zones like a ghost amidst the shelling.

The second is that he boldly finds the flagship accurately and then carries out a longitudinal breakthrough there.

This is also what he showed in the Battle of Alexandria, where he clashed with Nelson, and the Battle of Acre, where he fought with Sydney.

Sydney knows this better than anyone else, but he also knows that there is a problem with this tactic.

He needs a ship of the line that can break through.

Is that even possible with the ships of the line from Sweden, Russia, and Denmark?

At that time, Berry made another sharp remark.

“But don’t forget that this is the coast of Denmark.”

“I didn’t even know how to read a map. I just found out.”

“It means there are coastal guns, Admiral.”

Berry glanced at the rear with his telescope and said.

“If we get within range of the coastal guns, it’s our defeat.”

This is the sea off Zealand, soon to be Danish waters.

Therefore, there were numerous coastal defense guns along the Danish coast.

If they get within range, it is difficult to guarantee that even the British fleet will be safe.

Of course, in this era, the range and accuracy of coastal guns were low, so Sydney ignored the words.

At that time, Admiral Bowole of the Conqueror, who was passing by, also shook his head and joined in.

“If that were possible, Eugene Freiherr would have annihilated our fleet in Alexandria, Vice-Admiral Berry.”

“The Danes are better at coastal defense than the French. This is also their capital.”

“I’d bet one shilling that our fleet will burn Copenhagen instead.”

That was something that actually happened in the original history.

However, Nelson, who would have burned Copenhagen, is not here.

Suddenly, Sydney shouted energetically.

“Now, Admiral Bowole, Admiral Berry! Focus! If we catch Freiherr here, this war is ours!”

Even with 21 ships of the line in front of them, the British fleet was full of confidence.

First of all, the fact that two major ships were close enough to talk to each other is telling.

Unlike the line of battle on land, setting up a line of battle at sea is a task in itself.

However, the British naval officers looked down on their opponents and were confident that they could form a line of battle at any time.

Bowole and Berry exchanged glances.

“First, let’s divide the fleet into three.”

“That’s good. I was uncomfortable moving together.”

“Huh, do you think I like you, Berry?”

At that time, Sydney waved his baton and ordered.

“We’ll encircle them on three sides off Copenhagen and pour fire on them and sink them into the sea.”

The highest authority in this fleet is Sydney anyway.

Bowole nodded with a disgruntled look and moved his ship of the line again.

However, Berry, who was listening to the order and looking at the nautical chart, narrowed his brows.

“If we do this, the right wing, which is closest to the coast, will be in danger.”

“I’ll go.”

“Admiral Smith, is there any reason to take such a risk?”

Suddenly, Sydney burst out laughing.

“If you could catch an enemy who ran away from you at sea, wouldn’t you risk your life? And the opponent is a king, a king!”

To Sydney, Eugene is a fish he once missed.

To make a comparison, it’s similar to a whaler who missed a whale.

Berry stared at Sydney, a man who was hell-bent on catching the whale named Eugene, and began to disembark.

“I don’t quite understand, but do as you please. However, I must also avenge Admiral Nelson.”

Berry, who was once the captain of Nelson’s Victory, is also aiming for Eugene.

***

The old British admiral, Alexander Bowole, was looking ahead as he moved forward.

-Swish!

The waves are definitely rough.

It wasn’t Bowole’s first time in the North Sea, but it was his first experience leading a large fleet.

Can we completely defeat the enemies here?

Moreover, the weather is cloudy and could change at any time.

Bowole, who was fiddling with his telescope, asked the squadron commander, Thomas Hardy.

“The waves are rough. What do you think the weather will be like?”

Hardy, a member of Nelson’s Band of Brothers who had participated in the Battle of Alexandria, replied.

“Besides Sydney Smith, there are no captains in this fleet who have experience in the North Sea. Anyway, Smith has made a confident statement, so shouldn’t it be okay?”

“Do you trust that guy? I’m rather uneasy.”

“Excuse me?”

The moment Hardy blinked, Bowole muttered, looking at the Invincible far ahead.

“Sydney Smith became a knight in the Baltic Sea battle by sacrificing his British fellow officers. He could do that again this time.”

Originally, Sydney Smith had been sailing since he was very young.

Born in 1764, he is now 46 years old, but he even has experience participating in the American Revolutionary War.

However, it was the Russo-Swedish War that made Sydney famous.

At that time, Sydney participated in the war as part of the Swedish Navy and defeated the Russian Navy.

The problem is that Russia was an ally of England, so many British naval officers fought in Russia.

Sydney didn’t care and sank ships captained by British naval officers.

Thanks to this, the Swedish king gave Sydney a knighthood, but he was ignored in England.

If Nelson hadn’t died in Alexandria, Sydney might not have been so prominent.

However, Bowole is worried about something else.

Sydney is someone who can throw away his colleagues to achieve his goals.

“Anyway, the decisive moment will come soon. We will advance to split the enemy fleet.”

As Hardy licked his lips and spoke, Bowole also nodded.

“Good. Fleet, all in column formation!”

Usually, a line of battle means a horizontal line in this era.

However, only the British fleet has a naval battle tactic of advancing in a column towards a horizontal line.

Nelson used this bold tactic the best, as well as Nelson’s subordinates, the Band of Brothers.

The Conqueror, along with 8 ships of the line in Bowole’s squadron, rushed forward.

-Swish, swish, swish!

The British fleet in the North Sea consists of 24 ships of the line and 10 frigates.

Of course, it is objectively superior in strength to Eugene’s fleet, which has 21 ships of the line and 21 sloops.

There seems to be no possibility of defeat.

Moreover, their gunnery is also superior.

England’s famous naval gunners shouted.

“Close range!”

“Start firing!”

“Fire!”

At this time, the British cannons, which fired cannons one second faster than any other European country, were fired.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

While the enemy is reloading, the British gunners have already fired their shells.

It is a method of solving the problem with rapid fire, even if the accuracy is poor.

Soon, Eugene’s line of battle was seen shaking.

“The formation is broken!”

“Keep pushing in! There are no tricks here!”

“It’s over!”

It was just when Bowole’s squadron was about to advance vigorously.

-Thump!

Suddenly, the Conqueror shook violently.

“Ugh?”

Bowole, who was blinking, widened his eyes as he looked at the sea below the deck.

“Oh, the tide started early!”

Suddenly, the water was rushing to one side.

***

However, Sydney Smith grinned.

“Tide? No. This is a combination of the unstable weather and waves unique to the North Sea.”

Maelstrom, the so-called whirlpool phenomenon.

The most famous one is actually Moskstraumen off the coast of Norway, a spectacle where a pit-like whirlpool rages in the middle of the sea.

However, these drastic changes in the sea exist throughout the North Sea.

Of course, the sea off Denmark is still calm, but abnormal phenomena often occur during seasonal transitions like now.

Sydney, who had predicted this problem from the beginning, was not surprised and only focused on the front.

“Admiral, if we continue like this, a storm will come.”

“Yes, the spring storm. The sea I’ve been waiting for!”

“Then there is a risk that other ships will be caught up in it.”

When Captain Samuel Hood reported, Sydney scoffed.

“Who cares? As long as we can catch Eugene Freiherr!”

Soon, a rapidly changing storm in the North Sea is coming.

But that is the sea Sydney has been waiting for.

Now, as the only British admiral who knows the North Sea in this sea, Sydney spread his arms wide.

“Come, storm. Catch Eugene Freiherr!”

As if waiting, a strong wind blows from behind.

-Whoo!

The sails of the Invincible were wide open.

“This will be your grave, Freiherr!”

This is the rough North Sea.

Sailing ships advance by catching the wind.

The largest ship of the line that Eugene is on is in sight.

That’s when it happened.

-Kwaang!

Sydney turned his gaze at the sudden explosion and widened his eyes.

“What, a suicide ship?”

Hulk ship [an old ship filled with explosives and set alight].

The fire ship tactic that Sydney used in the Toulon harbor attack in the past.

But now, a fire ship was approaching Sydney’s fleet before his eyes.

At that moment, Sydney shouted.

“Could it be, Eugene Freiherr! Was he also in Toulon!”

Soon after, the hulk ship approached and exploded.

With very brilliant flames.