He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 512

(512) Waterloo Originally Has a Lot of Water

It’s raining again today.

-Swish!

It’s raining so hard you can’t even see.

In times like these, it’s tough for the officers who have to stay in the barracks, but it’s even tougher for the soldiers on guard duty.

After all, even in the rain, there’s always a chance the enemy might attack.

So, even with such a slim chance, they can’t afford to slack off on their guard duty in the rain.

The chief aide, Ippolito, returned from checking on the soldiers who were suffering in the rain and shook off his wet hat.

“Damn it, it’s really pouring! If I’d known it would be like this, I would have suggested we come in the winter!”

Of course, he was just joking.

In the first place, this battlefield wasn’t chosen by Napoleon or Eugene.

It was entirely decided by Wellington, who even seized the initiative in the skirmishes.

Rather, the French Imperial Army was able to avoid a complete rout thanks to the rain.

That’s how it looks from the outside.

For Eugene, however, it’s a different story.

Because the rain makes it difficult to use the tactics Eugene is good at.

Napoleon, who was staring at the map in the middle of the Emperor’s camp, opened his mouth.

“I didn’t expect the war to be delayed like this.”

“Considering the speed of our troops gathering and the enemy’s assembly time, the longer it takes, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us.”

“The fact that shelling is difficult is an advantage for our side.”

Napoleon, a former artillery officer who came to the battlefield without an artillery unit, asked.

“As soon as the rain stops, we’ll carry out a raid. Eugene, is that possible?”

This is the problem Eugene is facing.

Of course, Napoleon cares about Eugene, but that doesn’t mean he won’t hesitate to use him when he’s needed on the battlefield.

Of course, Eugene came along to do just that, but when it rains, tactical options are greatly reduced.

Even sniping, which he’s best at, becomes difficult.

For the first time, Eugene replied with an unsure look.

“If you want a show of force, it’s possible.”

“I want more than that.”

“It’s difficult to inflict damage.”

Eugene replied, examining the estimated deployment of the British army on the map.

“My specialty is avoiding danger. Now is the time to avoid it, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Anyone can see that the British army is far superior.

Of course, Napoleon isn’t stupid, so he’s calculating the time it will take for the main force and detachment to arrive.

As soon as they arrived, he dispatched a messenger to Bertier, ordering him to hurry.

Then wouldn’t it be right to evade until the main force arrives?

In a situation where any sensible commander would say that, Napoleon came to the opposite conclusion.

“No, it’s time to gamble. Eugene, you still have a lot to learn from me.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Eugene, get a grip. What have you learned from watching my wars so far!”

Suddenly, Napoleon slammed the table.

“What element do the enemy have that we don’t? Rockets? No. Cannons!”

Who doesn’t know that?

For a moment, Eugene, Lando, who was listening, and Junot, who was standing beside him, opened their mouths in disbelief.

But Napoleon didn’t stop and began to rant.

“If our troops were to gather here, would we have an advantage in firepower? Absolutely not. No army in Europe can match the British in terms of the quality or quantity of gunpowder!”

“That’s true. The purity of the saltpeter is different.”

“You still haven’t succeeded in creating synthetic gunpowder at your factory, have you? Well, maybe you have, but it’s the same because you can’t use it on this battlefield!”

Napoleon, who was sneering at Eugene’s Boarneh Cartel [Eugene’s industrial enterprise], glared.

“So, before they can use their cannons, we have to run over and smash them all!”

Only then did Eugene feel a chill.

It rained, so they can’t use the cannons.

Even ordinary generals can judge that much.

Furthermore, a sensible general would try to buy time for the main force to arrive by taking advantage of the enemy’s inability to use the artillery.

But Europe’s greatest gambler, Napoleon, says this.

When the enemies can’t fire shells, go and break the cannons.

But how can you break cannons that are like pillars made of steel?

It is possible.

There is something that Ney, who died in the Flanders battlefield, tried to do in the original history but failed.

To fire cannon fire, you have to light a fuse.

The place where you have to light that fire is called the vent, and if you block it, you can’t use the cannons of this era.

“Nails.”

“Yes, nails. Drive nails into the cannon vents. So that no one can fire the cannons!”

“What happens when the enemies bring in spare cannons?”

When he pointed out that the enemy had more advantages in supply, Napoleon burst into laughter.

“That’s a stupid question. By then, the game will already be over!”

This is the solution Napoleon found in a desperate situation.

***

Of course, just because a solution has been found doesn’t mean it’s easy to implement.

“This is crazy, Your Majesty.”

Junot, one of Napoleon’s nine marshals, said in a disgruntled voice.

Currently, Junot is practically the commander of the Spanish King’s Guards.

However, he still holds the title of Marshal of the Grande Armée [Great Army], so he participated in this war just like Eugene.

But Junot thinks it would have been better for him to just protect Queen Marina as the commander of the Guards.

But Eugene turned to Junot and chuckled.

“If it’s a reckless charge, it’s what I’ve always done. Do you remember the Italian campaign?”

“At that time, at least one thing went well.”

“Well, you were younger than you are now, Junot, weren’t you? Did you stand up straight?”

Junot shouted at Eugene, who was making a sexual joke for the first time in a while.

“That’s not it, the ignition worked well! Even with an old-fashioned musket!”

In an instant, Junot, unable to contain his anger, snatched the gun from the soldier standing next to him.

-Click, clank!

It’s clearly a Boarneh breech-loading rifle, but it doesn’t even fire.

In particular, it should be very resistant to moisture because it uses fulminate [a type of explosive primer], but it’s the same.

It shows the effect of the heavy rain, especially the sudden rain, on the weapon.

Eugene smacked his lips.

“It’s all wet.”

“Do you think a fulminate ignition is any different from a musket? If it’s this humid, it won’t fire!”

“Then another friend will have to join us. Murat!”

Instantly, Murat, who was hiding under the eaves of the tent to avoid the rain, turned his head.

“How about it? The [Lion] here says he’s not confident. Does the [Wild Horse] have the same thought?”

Lion is Junot’s nickname, who has a mane-like hair.

On the other hand, Murat, who has curly hair, was mainly called a wild horse in the army.

Originally, in the original history, Murat would have betrayed Napoleon as the King of Naples around the time of the Battle of Waterloo, then rejoined him and failed again.

But now he is neither Napoleon’s brother-in-law nor the King of Naples.

Rather, he was deprived of his position by Marmont, but Murat doesn’t even know that far.

On the other hand, as the commander of the Grande Armée’s Guard Cavalry, he has made achievements including Austerlitz.

Murat stared at Eugene and said.

“I’m not married yet, Your Majesty.”

Feeling somehow guilty, Eugene frowned.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Usually, you’d be afraid of death because you don’t have a son to carry on the family line. But I’ll say the opposite. Since I don’t have a woman to take responsibility for, it’s not difficult to die.”

“I didn’t mean for you to be prepared to die.”

But Murat laughed heartily and waved his senior commander’s baton towards the rain.

“Ha! Isn’t it the same? It’s practically a breakthrough in the rain, a charge I’ve never done before, but how about it? After all, medieval knights charged in this situation too!”

Murat has never backed down from a charge.

Whether in the original history or now.

In an instant, Murat’s gaze turned to the cavalrymen who were loafing around with their horses, also avoiding the rain.

“What can’t we do that the knights of the old royal family could do!”

The cavalrymen glared.

The knights of the old royal family, the Kingdom of France, were never afraid to charge.

So they were smashed several times in Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt.

But there has never been a case where they avoided the duty to charge just because it was raining.

Junot trembled and jumped up.

“Damn it, this Gascon fool is setting fire to the hearts of the revolutionaries!”

“Oh, Duke of Abrantes. What did you say? A person who should have his head cut off in the revolution.”

“Shut up! Surely our King wouldn’t tell me to die! What do you want? What are you going to do!”

Junot glared at Eugene with a fierce look.

Now the cavalrymen, Eugene’s charge leader, were on fire.

It’s difficult to use firearms carelessly now.

Perhaps the flying grenades that Eugene used to use as his specialty are also likely to misfire.

Then, rather than waiting for gunpowder weapons to explode by chance, they have to fight with cold weapons.

“Sabre charge. That’s the only option left now. After all, the enemies won’t be able to shoot either.”

Eugene is sure of one thing.

In this era, the Poly Armory is the best in terms of the performance of gunpowder weapons.

Eugene has invested in it for nearly 20 years and has worked hard to create new weapons.

So if you can’t use the guns made by Eugene’s Poly Armory, the British can’t either.

No matter how good the Brown Bess musket is, it can’t shoot.

Then, in the end, there is only one means that the enemy can use.

Bayonet charge.

It’s no different from a sabre charge.

-Shiek!

In an instant, Lasalle drew his sword from behind Eugene.

“If that’s the case, the 21st Breakthrough Man! The true hussar [a light cavalryman] of the French Empire! I, Lasalle, can’t be left out!”

Eugene turned to Lasalle and chuckled.

Originally, in the original history, Lasalle would have been hit by a shell and died long ago.

At the famous Battle of Wagram, the epitome of artillery warfare.

But because the time when firepower warfare became mainstream was delayed, a man who lived as dangerously as Lasalle is still safe.

But now it has become a battlefield where neither the enemy nor the ally can use cannons.

“Good. But today won’t be the 21st. Let’s go, Guards!”

Behind Eugene, who directly drew his sabre, the Spanish King’s Guard Cavalry, or the 4th Corps Cavalry, shouted.

“Follow Freischütz [a marksman or sharpshooter]!”

Three thousand sabres were drawn in the rain and soared into the air.

***

The rain is still falling.

“Whew, it’s really raining a lot. It rains often in London too, but not this kind of downpour?”

Wellington frowned.

You might think he’s used to the rainy season because he fought in India, but that’s not the case.

Because it was customary not to fight during the rainy season even in India.

But Wellington is a little embarrassed to be in this situation on the Flanders battlefield, which he chose because of supplies.

Chief of Staff Clinton frowned.

“I guess the battle will take place after the ground dries up?”

“I guess so. The French army’s gunpowder must be all wet.”

“The Deputy Commander’s insight stands out at times like this. If we bring gunpowder from Brussels right away.”

Then Clinton’s eyes widened.

“What is that?”

Wellington, who was turning his gaze, also opened his mouth wide.

“Crazy, could it be. Are they doing a cavalry charge now?”

Flanders field in July, where heavy rain is pouring.

Three thousand cavalrymen are running.

Breaking through the rain, without stopping.

-Doo doo doo!

Wellington jumped up and shouted.

“Emergency! The crazy knights of France are coming!”

Charge in the rain.

The crazy cavalry charge of Waterloo that will remain in history has begun.