He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 501

(501) The Collapse of Deutschland at Leipzig

Gambling is a game of choices.

“This is a bad hand.”

Maximilian I, commander-in-chief of the Confederation of the Rhine, muttered as he stared intently at the battlefield.

The army of the Confederation of the Rhine gathered here numbered 130,000, approaching 150,000 including non-combat personnel.

Among them, the Kingdom of Bavaria was by far the most dominant, commanding 80,000 troops.

However, under Karl’s command, which had focused on artillery battles until now, there had been no chance to fight.

Now, just as they were about to launch a siege, they encountered an obstacle.

It was fortunate that the British Hanoverian army had brushed aside Ozuro and arrived from the north.

However, the sudden appearance of troops from the direction of Denmark reversed the situation.

Moreover, the one at the forefront was none other than the Sharpshooter of Mantua, King Eugene of Spain.

Maximilian knew Eugene’s fearsomeness better than anyone.

Because he had been a prisoner before.

Suddenly, Bavarian Commander-in-Chief Brede rushed over and reported urgently.

“Your Majesty, you must retreat!”

“General Brede, if I retreat here, what future is there for us?”

“Even so, this war is lost. We must withdraw at least our Bavarian army to plan for the future!”

Instantly, Maximilian shook his head firmly.

“Nonsense, have you never played cards, Brede?”

“Yes?”

“Now is the time to change the game.”

Every gamble stakes fate on a choice.

But what does an excellent gambler do when defeat is in sight?

They consider this game ‘void’ and quickly pull out.

What Maximilian chose was to withdraw from the gambling game called the Allied Forces.

How?

“The entire Bavarian army will strike the rear of Hungary.”

“Y-Your, Your Majesty, wh-what does that mean?”

“Not a moment to lose! There are no more chances! Send a messenger to the French side to inform them of this fact accurately. With a white flag or whatever!”

That is, by switching sides.

“The fate of our Kingdom of Bavaria depends on this surprise attack!”

The Bavarian Royal Army began to change direction all at once according to the royal command.

Naturally, the sudden change of stance caused confusion regardless of friend or foe.

The same was true for the remnants of the Prussian army, who had been confronting the French army with the Kingdom of Bavaria until recently.

“Who is Bavaria attacking now? Has Maximilian gone mad?”

Just as Blücher was about to glare, his hand on his military cap, the one-eyed general clicked his tongue beside him.

“Marshal Blücher, it seems the time to choose has come.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Either die here, or find another opportunity to avenge Napoleon and Eugene.”

At the words of the one-eyed Kutuzov, Blücher stood silently on his horse before widening his eyes.

He never imagined that the worst-case scenario would become a reality.

He had truly rushed here with all his might.

He believed that the power of the old Holy Roman Empire, once called ‘Deutschland’ [Germany] beyond the Rhine, had gathered here to confront the treacherous French Empire.

But as the situation became chaotic, a mutiny broke out among the crowd.

“Damn those southern bumpkins! Are they betraying and attacking their allies now!”

However, Kutuzov calmly stopped Blücher.

“Now is not the time to argue. We won’t be able to turn the tide of the battle even if reinforcements come now.”

“The Allied forces number over 400,000! If we just reorganize our ranks, we can overwhelm the enemy!”

“Who will reorganize them? You? Will Hungary and the Confederation of the Rhine listen to the words of the Prussian Marshal?”

Kutuzov scoffed.

“This battle is over. Unless King Karl performs some kind of miracle.”

Only then did Blücher see the main force of the alliance, not Prussia and the Confederation of the Rhine.

The Hungarian Royal Army was in complete disarray.

If the general headquarters were properly controlling them, they wouldn’t be moving like that.

The ranks were already broken, and the units were fighting separately, not in divisions, but in regiments, or even platoons.

Blücher grabbed the reins and gritted his teeth.

“It’s over.”

“Are you going to save even the king and leave?”

“Of course. I’ve been indebted to the Prussian army since the time of the great Frederick [Frederick the Great, King of Prussia from 1740 to 1786].”

Suddenly, Blücher’s gaze turned towards the rear of the Prussian army.

“Oh, oh, the ranks, the ranks are collapsing! Stop them! Defend the lines!”

King Wilhelm of Prussia, who until recently had called himself the Kaiser [Emperor] of the New Prussian Empire, could be seen.

Even though he had already lost his capital, kingdom, and queen, Wilhelm had not yet given up.

Of course, there are enemies that cannot be overcome with willpower alone.

Nevertheless, Blücher never gives up either.

“Napoleon, and Eugene. It’s not over yet!”

It was the moment when the collapsing battlefield of Leipzig saw the desperate escape of the Prussian army.

***

In the center of the camp, 280,000 soldiers of the Hungarian Royal Army were scattered and running.

“Your Majesty, you must retreat!”

There were even guards fleeing, leaving the king behind.

After all, the Hungarian army was basically composed of Hungarians, with Bosnians, Czechs, Poles, and Romanians conscripted.

But that was only when they were winning; now, defeat was certain.

How many soldiers would be willing to die to protect Karl, who was clearly a Deutsch [German]?

Karl turned to Metternich, who was urging him to flee, and asked.

“Where to? Are you saying I should return to Hungary from here?”

“That’s one way, but we must go where reinforcements will come. The Kingdom of Hanover is the first place that comes to mind.”

“Hanover? Ah, there was a way to go to Hamburg. Haha, a British exile would be good too.”

After letting out a hollow laugh, Karl said.

“Metternich, you should escape.”

In fact, the Allied forces numbered a total of 430,000.

Furthermore, the Hungarian army alone numbered over 280,000, approaching 300,000.

Even if there was the unexpected participation of the Danish army and the French 4th Corps, it was not impossible to confront them if the lines were reorganized.

However, the enemy’s offensive was too fierce, and the allied response was too slow.

This was actually due to Karl’s fire concentration tactics.

During the six-day Battle of Leipzig, Napoleon launched a constant offensive using mobility.

On the other hand, Karl focused only on firepower, keeping all his troops stationary.

Therefore, they were not trained to respond to sudden changes in the situation.

That’s why the lines were collapsing so quickly.

But no matter what, they couldn’t abandon the emperor and run away.

“Your Majesty, I am a subject of the empire. I followed you, believing that Your Majesty would revive the empire. Please, preserve your life!”

“That can be done by other members of the Habsburg family. Isn’t my youngest brother in Vienna? Or it would be good for my older brother, who was exiled to America, to return.”

“Emperor Franz is just the emperor of a ruined nation. Only with Your Majesty can the empire be restored.”

But Karl shook his head.

“No, not the Holy Roman Empire, but Deutschland [Germany].”

At the strange words, Metternich blinked.

Deutschland [Germany], the land of the Deutsch [German] people.

In the old days, during the time of the Holy Roman Empire, the emperor’s successor was called the Deutsch König [German King], the German King.

But Karl was probably not trying to talk about a medieval concept.

Karl gritted his teeth as he looked at the golden eagle flag of the French Empire.

“The country, territory, and people that should have been revived here. We should have created a nation-state like France.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Unfortunately, I, I don’t think I can do it. But.”

Karl’s eyes turned back to Metternich.

“If we defeat Napoleon and Eugene, anyone in the Habsburg family can do it.”

Originally, in the original history, Metternich goes almost to the point of success.

Just with Emperor Franz, a mediocre monarch with no talent other than enduring.

If Karl had been the successor of the Habsburg family from the beginning, what kind of empire would have been created?

Even so, he might not have been able to defeat Napoleon.

“Now only England remains in Europe, no, the world.”

“It’s not too late yet.”

“No, you’re saying that because you don’t know the army. You. It’s already too late.”

Karl shook his head and ordered.

“Tell British Prime Minister Pitt, and the commander who will lead the army. Napoleon must be killed. And Eugene too, without fail.”

This is different from what Karl originally ordered Radetzky.

Not capture, but assassination.

He was saying that a decapitation strike was the only solution.

With regretful eyes, Karl looked at the battlefield.

“I wanted to capture Eugene, subdue him, and reclaim the imperial territory. It was my greed.”

“Your Majesty, even now.”

“At this rate, you won’t be able to escape either.”

Without looking back, Karl spurred his horse and ordered again.

“Go.”

In the end, Metternich left the battlefield.

Now, only the last of the guards remained by Karl’s side.

Suddenly, Karl spoke to the Austrian marshal who was following closely beside him.

“Radetzky, you’ll have to stay with me.”

“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

“What honor? Honor can freeze to death. I was thinking we could greet those friends together if they come to hell.”

Karl spurred his horse, glaring at Napoleon and Eugene in the distance.

“Napoleon, and Eugene. You two will go to hell. Like me!”

Because they are mass murderers who kill hundreds of thousands of people in one place.

-Rumble, crash!

The explosions resounded loudly across the battlefield.

As if commemorating the last monarch of the Habsburgs.

***

There is a saying, a Pyrrhic victory [a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat].

“Damn it, even though we won, it doesn’t feel like a win!”

Clearly, the battlefield was advantageous in the end.

Nevertheless, the damage from the two-fold difference in troop strength and the six-day artillery battle could not be helped.

The French army suffered immense damage.

It was a war of attrition comparable to the Battle of Borodino [a major battle during the Napoleonic Wars fought in 1812].

However, Eugene shook his head at Napoleon and said.

“This is a great victory, Your Majesty.”

“All the cannons are destroyed and the horses have fallen. Is everything alright as long as the soldiers are safe, Eugene?”

“The enemy coalition has virtually collapsed.”

Suddenly, Eugene waved the king’s baton towards the other side of the battlefield.

“Now is the time to demand loyalty from the princes of the Rhine. In particular, we must demand the return of those who fled from the Russian campaign!”

Only then did Napoleon realize that ‘former’ enemy troops who had not yet died remained on the battlefield.

Most of them had escaped or surrendered early, so their forces remained intact.

The armies of the Rhine princes.

Eugene whispered to Napoleon, who was narrowing his eyes and pondering how to deal with those troops.

“Look, Your Majesty, the King of Bavaria is raising a white flag.”

“A very quick friend.”

“Let him know that a declaration of surrender is the best self-help measure. So, you must prevent the Deutsch [German] people from ever uniting again.”

The Deutsch [German] people, the people of Deutschland [Germany].

If France had lost this war, Deutschland [Germany] might have been born under Karl’s leadership.

But Napoleon won.

Now, the name Deutschland [Germany] will never exist in Europe.

Napoleon looked at the King of Bavaria, burst into laughter, and spurred Marengo forward.

“Hmph, I was going to take that man’s daughter as my concubine, but I’ll give it up. Yo, Maximilian! Long time no see. Hahaha!”

June 17, 1810.

The Battle of Leipzig ended.

And Deutschland [Germany] collapsed.

Now, the European continent was virtually unified in Napoleon’s name.

Leaving only the island nation of England.