He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 519

Grouchy Stands Before the Emperor

There was only one chance.

“I have run here with all my might, Your Majesty.”

Grouchy reported, his whole body soaked in sweat, panting for breath.

Although his mild personality often made him a figure of fun within Napoleon’s strong-willed general staff, Grouchy was, without a doubt, a Lieutenant General and a member of the generals.

Yet, he had ridden alone, without even his subordinates, across the lowlands of Flanders.

This was something that would never happen unless it was an extremely urgent matter.

However, instead of praising Grouchy, Napoleon hurriedly asked,

“So, what is the current situation?”

“First of all, the main force has come this far and stopped. A riot has broken out.”

“What?”

Grouchy spoke without even swallowing the water in his canteen.

“Germans and Russians have revolted.”

However, Grouchy did not know that this situation had occurred only 20 kilometers away.

He was merely reporting what he had heard from Rochejacquelein’s informant on the way.

He couldn’t even remember how many horses he had changed along the way to get here.

It was said to be a postal system prepared by the Bank of Milan Beauharnais, but even Eugene probably didn’t know it would be used like this.

Instead of asking unnecessary details, Napoleon inquired about another matter.

“Where is Augereau?”

“That, I don’t know where he is.”

“Is that what you call a report! Do you expect me to conjure up infantry out of thin air!”

In the end, Napoleon vented his anger at Grouchy’s inadequate report.

“Where the hell is Augereau!”

Of course, in the original history, Napoleon never even saw Grouchy’s face at Waterloo.

Considering that, Grouchy had done his part.

It was thanks to the decision of another marshal, not his own judgment, that he had come running.

Moreover, only Augereau’s corps commanders knew where Augereau was.

Even Rochejacquelein, who was coordinating the situation in the rear, did not suspect that he had gone to Lille.

Still, the diligent Grouchy hung his head, feeling that he had done something wrong.

Napoleon, ever the harsh leader to his loyal subordinates, snarled angrily.

“Good, there must be a reason you brought this kind of report. Did you want to recreate the Battle of Marathon?”

“Yes? Ah, of course, I have completed what Your Majesty ordered me to do. In the first place, I was stationed in the rear with Marshal Moreau.”

“Then, has he really come?”

When Napoleon questioned him as if he would grab his collar, Grouchy finally reported confidently.

“He is coming in a direction that no one can stop.”

However, the curiosity of the frustrated person next to him was not resolved.

In any case, Napoleon had only mentioned that Grouchy was coming, but had not explained the detailed circumstances.

But as far as Massena, the frustrated person himself, knew, Grouchy was clearly in the rear with Moreau.

Could it be that Moreau was coming?

But as far as Massena knew, Moreau was never a man who acted quickly.

“Who the hell is coming, Grouchy? Don’t just talk in riddles! Is it Moreau?”

“Yes? Didn’t you know? Marshal Marceau is coming.”

“What? Marceau returned to Constantinople after the Russian expedition because of the Ottoman Empire countermeasures, didn’t he?”

Massena was surprised by the unexpected name.

But there is a reason why Marceau was unexpected.

In fact, after the Russian expedition, Marceau did not stay in Russia at all and had returned to Constantinople long ago.

Constantinople was Marceau’s base of operations, almost like returning home, so Massena was mistaken.

When did Napoleon call Marceau?

“Yes, so he passed through the Bosphorus, went around the Mediterranean, and came. With reinforcements.”

Grouchy boasted as if he himself had accomplished the feat.

However, it is true that it was a great journey.

In any case, even if you travel straight from Constantinople by land, it is not easy to get to Flanders.

But now that I hear it, Marceau seems to have gone around by sea.

Grouchy boasted to Massena and the generals of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard.

“I’ve only heard about it, but it was really amazing! He went around the eastern Mediterranean clockwise and broke through between Sicily and the French territory of Naples, which are still enemy countries! After arriving in Genoa again, he followed the old Spanish route to here!”

“The Spanish route? Ah, you mean the route that used to control Flanders – the Spanish guys.”

“That’s right! It was a really amazing journey!”

It is called the Spanish Road.

This route was created to supply the Flanders region when Spain ruled it.

A supply route from the port of Genoa, which was virtually controlled by Spain, to the land of Flanders, along the border between France and Germany.

It was also a forgotten road after the land of Flanders became the territory of the Austrian Empire.

Marceau is coming along that old supply route now.

“So, Marceau brought the Constantinople garrison?”

But Grouchy shook his head at Massena’s question.

“No, the army came from somewhere else.”

“Where? Naples?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you that.”

Grouchy said with a strange expression, like someone who possessed a juicy secret.

“What’s coming here now is the garrison of the Egyptian Governor-General’s Office.”

This is beyond all expectations.

Even the fact that Marceau was coming was surprising enough to Massena.

But the Egyptian garrison? He didn’t even remember if such a thing existed.

Who the hell was even in Egypt?

Massena, scratching his head, widened his eyes.

“What, Hoche is coming!”

A man who was called one of the three great commanders along with Napoleon in the early days of the revolution.

The very person who conquered this Flanders.

However, he achieved the unprecedented feat of conquering Egypt, was wary of Napoleon, and had to live as governor in Egypt.

Also, more than anyone else, Napoleon’s wife, Josephine’s ex-lover.

Now, Napoleon has called his real rival, Hoche.

“Do you know how much I have bet everything on this war!”

Massena nodded as he watched Napoleon shout with joy.

Really, Napoleon threw everything into this battle.

***

There are those who think this is their only chance as well.

“If we lose this battle, we won’t be able to return home anyway! Project all our forces!”

Originally, Hindu mercenaries recruited by the British army in India were mainly from Bengal in eastern India.

Bengal is the area of modern-day Bangladesh in the original history, and in this era, most of them are still Hindus.

The place where the British East India Company first settled was the port of Bengal called Calcutta, so naturally the people in that area became British collaborators.

However, there were many restrictions for Bengalis to come all the way to distant Europe.

First of all, they have to go around the huge subcontinent of the Indian peninsula.

The voyage to Europe itself is difficult, but having to circumnavigate India makes it even more difficult.

To solve this problem, Wellington decided to procure troops from Bombay in the western Indian subcontinent.

However, the Bombay area was the territory of the Kingdom of Mysore, and furthermore, it was an enemy that Wellington fought against.

Therefore, most of the Sepoy soldiers in Flanders now are unexpectedly former enemies.

Conversely, that’s why they are more desperate.

Krishna Raja, who was once a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Mysore, shouted.

“Tell them to shoot the Flames of Agni [ancient rockets]! Why can’t they shoot!”

“They can’t shoot that rocket because of the gunpowder. Damn it.”

“The weapon called a cannon! We lost because of that and came all the way here!”

Chama Raja, a relative of Krishna Raja, shouted.

“They can’t shoot that either. What did they say, it’s nailed?”

Clearly, when fighting in India, the British army seemed invincible.

But after coming to Europe, there is an even more troublesome opponent in front of them than before.

How nice would it be if they could shoot ‘rockets’ coolly?

In fact, the Congreve rockets fired by the British army are, in fact, weapons developed from the Flames of Agni fired by the Kingdom of Mysore.

Krishna’s subordinates charged with bloodshot eyes.

“Hey, I’m going to kill them all and go home!”

“Waaaa! Shiva, send them to hell!”

“I am Asura!”

Now there are no enemy gunshots or cavalry charges.

Therefore, the Sepoy soldiers had nothing to be rough with anymore.

They run across the field, not marching, but jogging, and then sprinting again.

If they catch the guy called the Emperor of Europe on that hill, they can return home.

In exchange for being granted a huge territory in the British-controlled Kingdom of Mysore.

Above all, they will not be able to return home if they lose anyway.

That’s when.

-Bang!

A loud noise echoed around.

Krishna and Chama looked at each other.

This loud noise is clearly similar to the cannons fired by the British army in India.

“This is thunder! Indra’s lightning? Or rain?”

“It’s not that, it’s the sound of cannons. Where is it coming from?”

“It’s definitely not on our side.”

Again, a loud noise echoes above the ground.

-Bang!

Now you can’t ignore it as a delusion or thunder.

Clearly someone is causing an explosion, and it’s getting closer and closer.

But the Indian Sepoys are the people who lost because of that ‘explosion’ and came all the way here.

“Did the enemy bring cannons?”

“The British ran to the cannons on that hill and blew themselves up.”

“It seemed like the cannon unit blew themselves up. Anyway, what is this sound?”

It was the moment when Krishna and Chama were trembling.

-Bang!

Still, Krishna, who was a member of the royal family in his home country, ordered.

“Someone, go up that hill and see.”

Chama ran with reluctant steps and climbed a slightly higher hill.

-Ta-da-dak!

The high ground offers a new view even to those without telescopes.

In other words, it allows you to see enemies that you couldn’t see before.

First of all, you can see a considerable army coming from the ground.

“What kind of guys are they? Huh?”

The number is about 30,000.

Clearly they are enemies, and it is not advantageous.

But even so, the British army is still numerically superior, and their recklessness is also ahead.

But Chama couldn’t take his feet off.

The land is not the problem.

“Why are those things in the world? Is it, by any chance, the Vimana [flying palaces or chariots of the gods] of the Mahabharata!”

An unidentified flying object that I have never seen before is floating in the sky.

***

In the ancient Indian mythology, the Mahabharata, there is a chariot called Vimana that the gods ride.

-Boo Woong!

Of course, what is floating in the sky is not a chariot, but a balloon.

However, the number of balloons is no joke.

At least dozens of colorful balloons are filling the sky everywhere.

Above all, there are more than three huge balloons, reminiscent of airships in later original history.

“What the hell is that?”

“There’s something flying in the sky! In the world!”

“Something is falling from above!”

While the British country soldiers and Sepoys, who were seeing balloons for the first time, were all surprised, Wellington opened his mouth in disbelief.

“A balloon, are there people who use that on the battlefield?”

In fact, there is a reason why balloons are not used on the battlefield even though they are the latest science.

First of all, if the wind blows, it will fly far away, and the sustained flight time is low because hydrogen gas or helium has not yet been discovered.

But, who is using this brutal method now?

At that time, Clinton, who was also opening his mouth in amazement next to him, jumped up.

“Oh, that, could it be?”

Something metallic is falling from the huge balloon.

-Kwaaang!

A balloon unit full of the French Empire’s golden eagle patterns has arrived in Flanders.

With grenades and bombings.