He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 503

Batavia: The Arrival of the British Hindu Legion

Helder, located on the North Holland peninsula.

“I can’t believe it. The British have landed here.”

Piter Bridez, the current Prime Minister of the Batavian Republic, clutched his head at the Prime Minister’s residence in Amsterdam.

The current Prime Minister, in reality, would soon be out of office.

Bridez had lost in the recent elections.

The reason for his defeat was simple.

Public animosity towards the pro-French faction.

Originally, the Netherlands was a country formed by the union of twelve provinces, far from being a centralized state.

Even the House of Orange, which had virtually reigned as monarchs, only held hereditary rule for life and did not govern the entire region as one country.

However, the situation changed with the outbreak of the Jacobin Revolution and the rise of the pro-French faction as the mainstream in politics.

An attempt was made to unify the federation, that is, the provinces that had been living as they pleased.

Naturally, the citizens of the Netherlands, who regarded autonomy as freedom, were outraged.

But as France won and the Empire was established, the entire Netherlands was forcibly turned into a federal republic.

Batavia, named after a region from Roman times.

Although it was a satellite republic, Bridez believed this was an opportunity to turn the Netherlands into a nation-state like France.

It was a misjudgment.

The Dutch spirit of independence and pursuit of freedom were stronger than Bridez had thought.

Moreover, Emperor Napoleon of France left for Russia.

As France was embroiled in civil war, the pro-French faction in the Batavian Republic lost the election.

Was this the end of everything?

Not at all.

Prime Minister Bridez clutched his head.

“If we could just hold on a little longer, the Emperor would return and a new election would be possible!”

Finally, the Emperor returned.

He had utterly defeated the anti-French allied forces at Leipzig.

Thanks to postponing the implementation of the previous election results under the pretext of war, he had benefited.

The anti-French factions within the country were also silenced by the results of the Battle of Leipzig.

But then, the British arrived.

With a massive army that the Batavian Republic could not possibly handle.

Prime Minister Bridez suddenly raised his head.

“General Dandels, what should we do?”

“If the British come, we cannot win with our Holland army alone, Prime Minister Bridez.”

“Then?”

The middle-aged general standing before Bridez in the center of the Prime Minister’s office spoke firmly.

“We need the help of the French Flanders Army. Call Generals ‘Bertier’ and ‘Ney’.”

Herman Willem Dandels, the hero who defended the Dutch East Indies [a Dutch colony in Southeast Asia, now Indonesia] from the British.

It is easy to think that the wars after the Great Revolution only took place in Europe and the New World.

However, in reality, battles took place all over the world, spanning the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic, and the Indian subcontinent.

The Dutch East Indies, which would be called Indonesia in modern history, was no exception.

Dandels succeeded in repelling the British Navy’s relentless offensive in the East Indies with land battles.

Recognized for this achievement, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Army after returning home.

He is also a supporter of the federal system and a strong supporter of Prime Minister Bridez.

However, neither the national power nor the military strength of the Batavian Republic is enough to defeat the British forces that have landed with determination.

Moreover, the enemy commander was Arthur Wellesley, not well known in Europe, but already a celebrity in Asian European society.

Dandels judged that it was impossible to win.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Bridez looked troubled for other reasons.

“As the General knows, this Bertier is Victor Leopold. Not Louis Alexandre Bertier.”

“Does that matter? What matters is that he controls ten divisions of the French Flanders Army.”

“Above all, isn’t France still in the midst of a civil war?”

First of all, the French army commander is a so-called second-tier general.

Moreover, the homeland is in the midst of a civil war.

Would they really send troops to help another country, even if it is a satellite republic?

“They won’t move easily for us.”

However, despite the Prime Minister’s skeptical remarks, Commander-in-Chief Dandels replied firmly.

“Even so, we cannot win without the Flanders Army.”

“Isn’t the General a hero of the East Indies colonial war? You defended the colony against the British there too, didn’t you?”

“Colonial wars are different from European wars, Prime Minister!”

Dandels finally spoke the truth, the reality of the Batavian Republic.

“Moreover, the current British army is estimated to be at least 100,000 strong. Our Batavian ‘Federation’s’ mobilization power cannot match them!”

If it were the former Dutch ‘United’ Republic, it might have had the power to resist Britain.

However, the Batavian Republic’s economy was ruined by France’s interference during the Great Revolution, the army was repeatedly disbanded, and the interior was divided.

After France became an empire, interference decreased and life became more bearable, but it still did not regain its former national power.

Prime Minister Bridez lamented.

“There was a time when we competed with Britain for hegemony.”

“Forget the old memories. What matters now is the present!”

“I understand.”

Bridez ordered his secretary with forced vigor.

“Secretary! Send an urgent message to the commander of the Flanders garrison right now!”

At that moment, a scream-like shout suddenly erupted from outside.

-Ughhh!

Embarrassed, Bridez turned to Dandels.

Amsterdam is originally a port city, so it is noisy.

But it is the middle of the night now.

“What on earth is that noise?”

Dandels hurriedly went to the window, returned, and shouted.

“Amsterdam, the city center is on fire!”

“What?”

“Th-th-there, the citizens!”

Suddenly, the window opened in the wind, and a shout was heard.

“Drive out the oppressors, overthrow the puppet government, and reclaim the Stadtholder [a position similar to a governor or head of state in the Dutch Republic]!”

Oppressors, France.

Puppet government, the Bridez Cabinet.

And the Stadtholder is naturally the House of Orange.

The citizens of Amsterdam, especially the people of Holland, the core of the Dutch Union, once drove out the House of Orange as dictators.

But now they are trying to overthrow the French Empire as oppressors.

The problem is that Napoleon is winning now.

Dandels defined the situation.

“They are rioters!”

“Suppress them immediately!”

“Y-yes, sir! Republican Guard! Prepare to march!”

But soon, Republican Guard soldiers ran up and shouted.

“Good heavens, British troops, no, unidentified foreigners have appeared on the outskirts of the capital!”

The flag is British, but the identity of the troops is unknown.

Moreover, they received a report of landing an hour ago, but they have already pushed into Amsterdam.

Prime Minister Bridez cried out.

“How, so quickly!”

Of course, for Wellesley, compared to India, it was like running next door.

***

Flanders, the region of Belgium according to modern history, ‘Bertier’, the commander of the garrison in Antwerp, is in trouble.

“Where should we go now? Amsterdam? Or Paris?”

“Normandy is also a hotbed of rebellion, Senior General ‘Bertier’.”

“Damn it! Just call me Victor! I’m not your brother!”

Victor Bertier tore at his hair and shouted.

“What, what am I supposed to do!”

The man who lost his wife to Lasalle, Victor, is by no means an incompetent soldier.

Of course, he cannot be compared to Louis Alexandre Bertier, the Chief of Staff responsible for the entire French army.

However, Victor has also served in the French army for twenty years since the Great Revolution, accumulating outstanding achievements.

The problem is that all of those achievements were made under Louis Alexandre, the Chief of Staff.

A soldier who thoroughly carries out his duties but has never exercised independent command.

That is Victor Bertier’s weakness.

Normally, there would be no problem because Victor would never be the commander.

However, almost all of France’s stars have gone to Russia.

Moreover, a Jacobin rebellion has broken out in northern France, centered on Paris.

Therefore, Victor was urgently appointed as the commander of Flanders by order of the Empress.

Still, he suppressed all the rebellions near Flanders.

But then, a major event occurred: the British invasion of the continent.

This is a task that Victor cannot handle.

At that time, Lieutenant General Ney, the deputy commander, gritted his teeth and shouted.

“Are you just going to keep worrying? I’m going!”

“Where to?”

“To where the enemy is!”

Ney ran to the encampment where the cavalry was stationed without stopping.

“I will defeat the British and return!”

Originally, Ney would have been active as Napoleon’s Imperial Guard commander in original history.

However, he was caught up in the Pichegru rebellion because he was from the Northern Army and suffered the tragedy of being exiled to the New World.

Fortunately, thanks to meeting Eugene, he returned after achieving the feats of expanding New France and conquering Canada.

He also played an active role under Eugene at the Battle of Jena.

However, as Eugene became the King of Spain, Ney remained in the French army and was unable to participate in the Russian expedition.

Instead, he came to serve in the Flanders Army, the successor to the Northern Army, and faced this situation.

Ney, always a passionate man, hates indecisive situations the most.

The Flanders Army cavalry division sortied.

-Doo-doo-doo!

Victor was surprised and hurriedly called his adjutant and messengers.

“W-w-wait! Flanders Army, prepare to sortie!”

If Ney goes alone and loses, Victor will be responsible.

On the other hand, if Ney, who set out alone, saves Amsterdam, Victor will still have to take responsibility.

As a result, Victor also sortied in haste.

Of course, there are also sensible officers who are uneasy about this sudden sortie.

Three days after the advance, Cavalry Division Commander Marcellin Marbot asked.

“Senior General Ney! Is it okay to go like this without permission?”

“Colonel Marbot, we never went to defend Paris anyway. We’re operating under the pretext of defending the border.”

“B-but.”

Ney, who became famous for being executed, shouted to his subordinate, who would later become famous for his memoirs of the Napoleonic era in original history.

“The important thing is that His Majesty the Emperor is returning, with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Shouldn’t we make some achievements by then!”

Politically, it is correct.

They have not even suppressed all the domestic rebels, and they have not properly stopped the British landing?

This is a matter for which Napoleon will definitely hold them responsible.

So Ney judged that he had to make at least some combat achievements.

Furthermore, Ney’s subordinates were also full of confidence.

“Let’s go, let’s defeat the British seals!”

“Let’s show them that the land is not their territory! Haha!”

“Let’s go quickly! Huh?”

The opponent is the British army, not the Hanoverian army, but an army from the British mainland.

Is it possible to lose in a land battle, not a naval battle?

Rather, if they lose, the French Imperial Army should be ashamed.

But Colonel Marbot urgently reported.

“Front, enemy appearance!”

The distance from Antwerp to Amsterdam is 160 kilometers [approximately 99 miles].

Of course, Ney had been running for three days, but he had only come about halfway.

But the enemy has already arrived?

Moreover, the soldiers’ appearance is somewhat strange.

It is the ‘colored people’ that Europeans, who are severely racist in the 19th century, look down on.

“What, why is their skin so dark?”

“It seems they have mobilized colonial soldiers.”

“That’s absurd. They should naturally mobilize their own people for their own wars. Do those guys use mercenaries even for war?”

Although he fought in the New World, Ney, who still has prejudices about race, gave the order.

“Cavalry formation! First, check if there are line infantry. Also, check the enemies’ armament status.”

That was the moment.

-Bweeek!

A stick-like flame flying through the air can be seen.

“What is that?”

At that moment, a barrage of Congreve rockets [early military rockets developed by the British] was planted in Ney’s cavalry division.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

Amidst the stampede of horses, British or Indian troops rushed in like a tidal wave.

***

In fact, even in original history, Wellesley recalls that conquering India was much more difficult than conquering Europe.

“Reporting. Netherlands, liberation of the entire region!”

In front of Breda, a city between Antwerp and Amsterdam, Wellesley heard the victory report.

Of course, this does not mean that the British army has advanced into the entire Netherlands.

Internal [Unionist] politicians, who had been promised in advance, revolted simultaneously.

However, the uprising would have failed without a successful landing operation and a rapid advance.

Suddenly, Deputy Commander Clinton joked.

“Wow! This is the easiest war ever!”

“Easy? It’s only possible because we did all sorts of work in a foreign country in advance.”

“But we also defeated the French army, didn’t we?”

Wellesley replied coldly with a stern face.

“That’s because the French went crazy and charged line infantry with cavalry, and then the line infantry advanced without artillery.”

Napoleon’s main force is never this easy.

Moreover, Wellesley has never met Napoleon, but he has fought his son.

Right at the Torres Vedras defense line.

“Certainly, there is a huge difference from when I fought Eugene de Beauharnais.”

“It was difficult in Portugal.”

“The real one is coming soon.”

Wellesley looked at the corpses of the enemies he had just fought and got on his horse.

“Before that, we have to do everything we can. Now, return! To Amsterdam!”

The British Indian Sepoy Corps began to turn in formation.

-Thud, thud, thud!

Along with the news that Ney and Victor’s bodies, and the Flanders Army, had been annihilated.

It was the day the Batavian Republic fell and the Hindu Sepoy Corps set foot in Europe.