He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 82

(82) The Debut of the Horse Grenadier Company in the Revolutionary War

The scene returns to the morning, before Junot disrupted the battle lines with his sling grenades.

“Unbelievable. Are those guys morons? Why are they still just standing there?”

None other than Napoleon himself, peering at the front lines through a telescope, jumped up in astonishment.

It wasn’t just the Austrian army that was taken aback.

The French Italian Legion also hadn’t anticipated this situation.

Why?

Because they had already engaged in a skirmish with Colonel Josip Bukasović of Croatian origin.

It wasn’t a major battle, but it was enough for the enemy to know of the French army’s presence.

The opposing forces were clearly about a third of the size of the Italian Legion.

Therefore, Napoleon naturally expected the enemy to retreat towards the Alpine mountains.

He anticipated the first engagement to be in the mountains or further inland, around Marengo, Asti, or Montebello.

From Napoleon’s perspective, it was the obvious conclusion.

Waiting there would only lead to defeat.

However, Count Argentau, a traditional soldier of the old school, was even more old-fashioned than expected.

Leaving only one high ground, they were in a situation where they would face each other.

Napoleon had secretly climbed the hill with only his headquarters staff and was observing the battle situation through a telescope.

“They must be guarding the Montenotte pass because it makes it easier to defend the Kingdom of Sardinia.”

Eugene, using the telescope he had purchased separately with his own money, reported to the commander after observing the front lines.

“What does that matter? Do those guys think they’re part of the Sardinian Royal Army?”

“Aren’t they allies of sorts? Besides, it’s true that Austria would benefit from holding out for a long time.”

“Holding out?”

In response to Napoleon’s question, Eugene replied coolly.

“Yes, if we are delayed here for three days, Beaulieu will also come after us.”

The commander of the Austrian Italian forces stationed in Lombardy, Beaulieu.

He was an old-fashioned soldier, but not a fool.

If Napoleon were held up in Montenotte, Beaulieu would also move.

The high-speed maneuvers to deceive the enemy would be in vain, and they would be counterattacked instead.

Suddenly, General Augereau, with a stern face, spoke from beside Napoleon.

“This is a problem. Since Sérurier’s division is conducting a feigned attack in the rear, our army is not at full strength either.”

Napoleon hadn’t brought his entire army at once either.

Sérurier’s division, which was following with the supply units in the rear, was conducting another feigned maneuver.

This was to deceive General Michelangelo Colli, the commander of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Even if he was distracted by the French Alpine Army, Colli was not a fool either.

He couldn’t possibly ignore Napoleon’s Italian Legion moving south of the kingdom.

So, Sérurier’s division was deliberately making false movements to provoke a response from Colli’s corps.

It was literally a diversionary tactic.

But thanks to that, Napoleon’s legion numbered only about 38,000.

The supply units were also moving with Sérurier’s division, so supplies were running low.

Then Masséna retorted nonchalantly.

“Sérurier’s division isn’t even the main force anyway.”

“Masséna, in a battlefield like this, every soldier is precious. Besides, General Sérurier has experience in this area. He’s the most familiar with the terrain.”

“From here on out, everyone’s a newbie anyway.”

Suddenly, Masséna, his face covered in soot from a previous battle, shouted.

“Commander, let me go out again. I’ll catch that Croatian bastard I missed three days ago!”

The opening battle.

The fight with Bukasović’s Grenz [border guard] regiment.

He looked extremely disappointed that he hadn’t won decisively.

In fact, in the original history, Masséna had rushed too quickly and was counterattacked by Bukasović.

Compared to that, this was a pretty good record, but Masséna himself didn’t seem satisfied.

Just then.

“We need to decide on a course of action first.”

Commander Napoleon turned his head.

It was Berthier, the chief of staff, who had been standing silently behind him since earlier.

With a calm demeanor, Berthier spoke to Napoleon.

“We have been marching forcefully without anticipating a battle, Your Excellency.”

“So?”

“It will be difficult to win if we fight recklessly here. We must decide whether to engage, bypass, or retreat.”

Fight, avoid, or retreat.

He meant that one of the three had to be decided.

But Napoleon listened quietly and smiled.

“How about annihilation?”

Even the usually calm Berthier was surprised this time.

It would be one thing if it were an uncivilized army lacking artillery.

But for European armies with similar firepower and troop types to engage in a war of annihilation was something that had happened two centuries ago.

The standard tactic of early modern European armies was to engage in skirmishes, gain a slight advantage, and repel the enemy.

But now Napoleon was talking about something that would have happened in the Middle Ages or even ancient times.

Annihilation of the enemy.

A dreamlike sound to soldiers.

Suddenly, Napoleon raised his baton.

“Yes, we are not prepared either. But the enemy is just as unprepared. Besides, we have a weapon that the Austrian army does not have.”

For a moment, he looked at one side of the unit resting before Montenotte, the most exhausted unit.

A unit carrying very heavy objects on carts.

Soldiers pulling cannon carriages.

Napoleon’s eyes gleamed.

“That’s right, the horse artillery.”

Horse artillery (artillerie a cheval) [highly mobile artillery units attached to cavalry].

In this era, artillery was divided into horse artillery and foot artillery.

[Horse artillery] was created by combining heavy cannons with horse-drawn carriages to enhance mobility.

However, this unit required another resource along with cannon installation technology.

That is, horses.

Therefore, England, which lacked horses, also lacked horse artillery, and Austria, which lacked cannon manufacturing technology, also had almost no horse artillery.

The Prussian army, which was the first to introduce horse artillery under Frederick the Great, was ironically declining due to the spread of a tendency to disregard artillery.

At this point, only the French army had the best horse artillery.

In particular, the Italian Legion deliberately reorganized the horse artillery.

The effect of separating half of the Pyrenees cavalry and putting them into transportation was now apparent.

Suddenly, Napoleon asked the adjutant sitting on one side of the artillery unit.

“How about it, Marmont? Can you do it?”

Originally an artillery officer, Colonel Marmont jumped up.

Horse artillery did not have a different engagement method from regular artillery.

However, there was something only horse artillery could do.

When a battle broke out, it could quickly advance to the front lines based on operational judgment and strike the enemy’s heart.

In short, it had maximized mobility.

It had been two years since he became Napoleon’s adjutant.

Marmont, who had read Napoleon’s mind, his eyes flashed.

“If you give me three hours, I’ll completely destroy them!”

With this, the Montenotte attack by Napoleon’s Italian Legion was decided.

***

Armies of this era did not simply move because their superiors ordered them to.

“Listen, soldiers. The enemy is right in front of us!”

Napoleon’s impromptu speech began at lightning speed.

For a moment, the soldiers who had been resting from their march looked at Napoleon, who was standing on a makeshift platform.

It was a sight they had seen since he took office at the Italian headquarters, but today it felt unfamiliar.

It couldn’t be helped.

Because he said that there was an [enemy] right beyond the hill in front of them.

Suddenly, Napoleon looked at the nervous soldiers and shouted with a smile.

“The soldiers of Masséna’s division, who have already fought once, will know. They are weak, foolish, and cowardly! As proof, didn’t they all run away when Masséna farted!”

“Wahahaha!”

“They’re cowards!”

The soldiers burst out laughing at the joke comparing the sound of gunfire to a fart.

The enemy is a coward.

Thinking that way suddenly relieved the tension.

In an instant, Napoleon said seriously.

“However, they are definitely an army. Some of us may die.”

Again, the soldiers tensed up.

But this time, the tension was different from before.

The reason they were initially nervous was because of fear of the enemy, fear itself.

On the other hand, now they were nervous about death itself.

Will I be able to survive?

Every battle eventually results in casualties.

Even in the winning army.

Suddenly, Napoleon raised his voice.

“Even so!”

Napoleon’s eyes shone brightly.

“We crossed the Alps and rushed to this land for glory. But can we avoid the enemy when they are right in front of us?”

At that moment, the soldiers who had been with Napoleon since Toulon shouted.

“No!”

“The enemy is waiting, relying on solid fortresses and mountains. Still, will you fight!”

“We will fight!”

Toulon, Vendée, Paris.

It had only been two years, but there were already ‘veteran’ soldiers who had fought with Napoleon.

The veterans’ enthusiasm began to spread throughout the Italian Legion.

At least if it was a dangerous fight, it would be worth it if they could win.

Since they had to fight anyway as long as they were in the army.

But could they win under Napoleon’s command?

They would win.

That conviction was the difference between the mere two-year veterans and the ordinary Italian Legion soldiers.

“Good! Behind them awaits the 300-year-old House of Savoy. The Kingdom of Sardinia! There is gold accumulated by exploiting the people for 300 years! Furthermore, Italian beauties and luxurious white bread and meat too!”

“Gold! Beauties! Meat!”

“Yes, all the spoils that await us are beyond that!”

Napoleon declared to the soldiers with a satisfied face.

“Let’s win. Let’s win and get all of that! Furthermore, let’s overthrow the king and spread the ideals of the revolution!”

Now, the enthusiasm spread to the entire army.

Of course, no one knew whether they would win or not.

But if they won.

Spoils they had never dreamed of would be in their hands.

The Italian Legion soldiers shouted.

“Waaaa!”

Worrying that the shouts might be heard far beyond the hill, Augereau frowned as he watched from behind.

“He’s good at inciting people.”

“Why are you so cynical? Are you going to desert again?”

“Why are you bringing up old stories, Masséna?”

Augereau, once known as a desertion expert, snorted.

“I just want to see the real skill. Bonaparte hasn’t shown me anything yet.”

However, Augereau didn’t know one thing.

That Napoleon had better hearing than he thought.

Napoleon, who had heard Augereau’s words as he came down from the platform, crossed his arms for a moment.

Instead of rebuking the insolent division commander, Napoleon looked for his chief adjutant.

Napoleon, grabbing Eugene’s shoulder as he escorted him, declared.

“You’ll have to show them. Boy jockey.”

Eugene was surprised and asked back.

“Your Excellency, what do you mean?”

“You didn’t make it, did you? I ordered you to create a special reserve unit in advance, didn’t I?”

“That’s right, I prepared it as instructed. But.”

Napoleon shook his head.

“Time is short. If we continue like this, a battle will begin whether we approach or the enemy notices. The problem is that even with horse artillery, it takes time to set up the batteries and prepare to fire.”

The enemy already knew of the Italian Legion’s arrival.

Of course, they wouldn’t know the speed, so an unexpected attack itself was possible.

However, most of Napoleon’s legion was still armed with breech-loading muskets.

That meant that they had to form ranks and fire, just like the tactics of regular line infantry.

The advantage of surprise was clearly disappearing.

Besides, there was even a risk that the enemy would fire their cannons before they had time to set up their own.

It was necessary to break the enemy’s morale and ranks first.

“Buy time, Eugene. Can you do it?”

In response to Napoleon’s question, Eugene smacked his lips and shrugged.

“Unfortunately, Murat isn’t here. He’s the perfect person for this.”

He had a tactic in mind.

However, for a tactic conceived at a desk to become reality, skill was required.

In Eugene’s case, the problem was his horsemanship.

He had only ridden ponies, so commanding a cavalry was impossible.

Just then.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes?”

“I’m better than Murat, aren’t I? I used to operate the cavalry in the Pyrenees Mountains.”

Colonel Jean Lannes smiled and approached Eugene.

Lannes would be of great help.

At least he would be able to lead the cavalry and retreat safely in front of the enemy lines.

Just as Eugene was about to nod in welcome, someone else suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder.

It was Junot, the man with the lion’s mane.

“Ha! Our Napoleon Kleber can’t be left out. Help with the command, Colonel Lannes! I’ll be at the forefront!”

“Wait, Junot. You’re not a cavalry expert.”

“What’s wrong? The unit that Colonel Eugene created isn’t just cavalry, it’s grenadiers, right?”

Junot winked at Eugene.

“Then, all you have to do is throw far, right?”

That was the [sling] grenade that Eugene’s [Horse Grenadier] regiment had introduced.

***

Junot, who had succeeded in a surprise attack, roared like a lion.

“Kiyaaa! Did you see that! My sling skills! Isn’t it almost David throwing at Goliath? Wahahaha!”

Just now, 300 members of the Eugene Special Regiment had begun to retreat all at once.

They had thrown all the grenades they had brought and completed their mission.

They had broken the ranks of the Argentau Legion, demoralized them, and bought time while the enemies were in disarray.

Eugene, focusing on riding his horse, shouted.

“Excellent. Where did you get that idea?”

“Ah, I’m from Côte-d’Or in the east! It’s completely rural there. Since I was a kid, my sling skills have been recognized! Hahaha!”

“You could have been seriously injured if you had dropped it!”

Then Junot, the man Napoleon nicknamed [Red Storm], laughed heartily.

“Hey, how can you be a grenadier if you worry about that! From now on, call me Junot, the guardian of the grenadiers!”

Perhaps that boldness was the reason he would be seriously injured in the Italian campaign.

It was the moment when Eugene vowed to put a steel band around his head [take extra precautions to avoid Junot’s recklessness].

Lannes approached, riding his horse lightly but quickly beside him.

“I’m also a guy with a lot of guts, but he’s no ordinary guy.

“Thank you, Colonel Lannes. Thanks to you, cavalry command was much easier.”

“What, everyone seemed to be able to handle horses, so they weren’t beginners.”

Lannes replied and lightly gestured to the unit members.

Then the cavalry began to turn in the direction Lannes pointed.

With a single gesture, he commanded Eugene’s regiment of horse grenadiers, soon the former postal special squadron.

Certainly not ordinary command skills.

If Eugene had commanded directly, he would have been clumsy at riding and would not have been able to command properly.

However, as Lannes said, it was a great help that the unit members were familiar with riding.

Perhaps it was thanks to riding horses in the Vendée.

Then Lannes asked.

“The problem is what comes next. The ranks are broken, but the enemy is still intact. The enemy will also have artillery.”

Eugene smiled.

There was something only Eugene knew in this place.

In fact, all battles are uncertain, so they are 불안하다 [unstable].

But those who know the outcome are not afraid.

There was something he could know without even knowing history.

[Bombardment scheduled, victory.]

Eugene glanced at the silver letters floating in front of him and replied.

“You don’t have to worry. We bought enough time.”

At that moment, shells began to rain down through the air.

-Swoosh, bang!

To the battlefield that Eugene had already abandoned, where Count Argentau’s legion was located.

Marmont’s bombardment had begun.

Eugene said to Lannes, who was surprised and turned his head.

“Now, it’s the artillery’s time.”

It was the moment when the Eugene Horse Grenadier Company made its first appearance in the Revolutionary War.

Now, it was time for the barrage to pour down the path that Eugene had opened.

Napoleon’s trademark, concentrated bombardment.