I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 128

1784.

The biggest buzz at the prestigious Paris Military Academy was undoubtedly the trio of freshmen who had just enrolled this year.

Among them, the one attracting the most attention was none other than Napoleon Bonaparte, a young nobleman rumored to be the favorite of Prince Louis Christian.

Napoleon himself was not at all intimidated by such attention.

Rather, he seemed to relish it, brimming with composure.

A graduate of the Brienne Military Academy with top honors, he was full of confidence.

The formal education course at the Paris Military Academy was four years, but he had no intention of staying there that long.

At most two years, or even just one, he would pass the officer’s exam and quickly join Christian’s ranks.

To be honest, he didn’t even spare much thought for the other military academy cadets.

They were merely stepping stones to be crushed under his feet as he climbed higher.

Of course, there were some who caught his eye.

One of them was Louis Nicolas Davout, one of the three freshmen who came with him from Brienne.

He, too, was a so-called proven talent, chosen by Prince Christian like himself.

And the other was Jean Lannes.

He, like Napoleon and Davout, was a student sponsored by the Orléans Scholarship Foundation.

Although he was from a commoner’s family, he was said to have entered the military academy thanks to Christian, and he had also achieved excellent grades there.

All were outstanding talents, and as they gradually became aware of this, a subtle rivalry arose from their first meeting.

“Nice to meet you. I am Jean Lannes. You must be Napoleon Bonaparte and Nicolas Davout?”

Jean Lannes was a boy who seemed blunt and straightforward at first glance.

The problem was that Napoleon was not a very sociable person either, and Davout was also a man of few words and stubborn.

Of course, Davout had already met Napoleon, and their relationship was not bad.

In fact, Davout was showing a one-sided admiration for Napoleon.

“Yes, I am Napoleon. What do you want?”

“I heard that you are also a student of the Orléans Scholarship Foundation.”

“You too?”

Napoleon smirked.

Jean Lannes slightly frowned at the smile mixed with strange mockery and superiority.

“Why are you showing such a reaction? Aren’t you a student of the Orléans Scholarship Foundation?”

“I am. But it’s a bit of a misnomer to call you the same as me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jean Lannes, was it? Have you ever met His Highness the Prince in person?”

It was a childish question, but Napoleon and his friends were only fourteen or fifteen years old.

For students at this age, even seemingly insignificant pride was very important.

“No. I heard that the students of the scholarship foundation are contacted by nobles who have received orders from His Highness the Prince.”

“That’s usually the case. But I am different. His Highness himself came to see me in person. He came all the way to the Brienne Military Academy to see me in person and even encouraged me.”

“…What? Is that true?”

“I have no reason to lie by boasting about His Highness, do I? Davout here is also a witness, so ask him if you doubt it.”

If the students of the Orléans Scholarship Foundation were treated specially, he was even more special among them.

Jean Lannes shrugged, trying to appear calm at the remark filled with pride.

“Well… those are just past evaluations, so I don’t care. The important thing is that it will be proven by grades here at the military academy from now on.”

“That’s probably true.”

“If you are the talent that His Highness values so much, you must have something more extraordinary than us. But I have no intention of losing either. I have no intention of giving up the top spot in the grade…”

“Okay. You be the top of the class. I’m not really interested in that.”

Jean Lannes’ eyes widened.

“You’re not interested in being the top of the class? Why?”

“Napoleon said he would graduate from here in two years at the latest. So even if we are in the same grade, we won’t be competing.”

Before Napoleon could say anything, Davout spoke first.

“Jean Lannes, you may not be competing with Napoleon, but we are all students who have been chosen by His Highness. If we show a sloppy performance, it could tarnish His Highness’s reputation, so let’s all do our best in our respective positions.”

“Davout, was it? Don’t tell me you’re also thinking of graduating early like Napoleon?”

“I intend to do so as long as my abilities allow. Napoleon says he will become an officer as soon as possible to repay His Highness’s grace, and I feel the same way.”

“I see. I see…”

After thinking for a moment, Jean Lannes nodded his head as if he had made up his mind.

“Then I will also pass the officer’s exam in the shortest amount of time. We can compete with that.”

“Aren’t you making a decision too impulsively? If you fail, you might end up tarnishing His Highness’s reputation for no reason.”

“That goes for both of you as well. I am confident.”

The rivalry, which could be seen as a childish battle of pride or a competition of good intentions, flared up fiercely after their first meeting.

Napoleon, Davout, and Jean Lannes devoted themselves to their studies with a frightening intensity to keep their word.

It was strange that rumors didn’t spread when all three freshmen were clamoring to graduate early.

Moreover, they were all students of the Orléans Foundation established by Louis Christian, so even more attention was focused on them.

“Are you going to pass the officer’s exam in a year? Do you think the officer’s exam is a joke?”

“Leave them alone. Kids who coasted through military academies always make such absurd noises.”

Most military academy students prepare for the officer’s exam at the end of their four-year course.

The exam period is about two years.

Of course, this is based on the standards of fourth-year students, and it was not a difficulty that freshmen who had just entered could challenge.

Above all, depending on the branch of service, the officer’s exam often included mathematics or physics subjects.

In particular, the artillery that Napoleon was trying to apply for required a considerable level of knowledge in both disciplines.

It is not an easy exam that a first-year student can pass.

But Napoleon easily laughed off the surrounding ridicule.

Thanks to Prince Christian, Napoleon, who was free from economic problems, had developed remarkably over the past four years.

If he had any questions, he bought books to his heart’s content, and the teachers at the military academy, who had received orders from the prince, tried to solve his questions in any way they could.

Thanks to this, Napoleon, as well as Davout, had already accumulated more than enough knowledge of basic studies.

His intention to graduate early was not just a casual remark.

And exactly in September 1785,

When the list of successful candidates for this year’s officer’s exam was released, the Paris Military Academy fell into chaos.

Napoleon Bonaparte, ranked 5th out of 60 graduates.

Louis Nicolas Davout, ranked 12th.

Jean Lannes, ranked 13th.

The names of these three were prominently listed in the top ranks.

“Three students who graduated early in 11 months, not just one?”

Moreover, one was in the top 10, and the other two also achieved the feat of entering the top 20.

This was the first time this had happened since the Paris Military Academy opened its doors.

“Tsk, he didn’t graduate at the top.”

Even in the midst of this, Napoleon clicked his tongue, dissatisfied with his ranking.

Jean Lannes humbly admitted defeat and acknowledged that Napoleon was one step ahead of him.

“Indeed, you have the ability to be specially treated by His Highness the Prince. I lost.”

“You admit it quite coolly, considering you were pushed back in the graduation rankings?”

“I don’t care about such rankings. What I acknowledged was the genius you showed in class, discussions, and practical skills. I can roughly understand why His Highness only gave you special treatment. At first, I was upset, but you seem to have something similar yet different from us.”

“…Okay, thank you. I think we will be spending a lot of time together in the future, so let’s get along well.”

Napoleon had also witnessed Jean Lannes’ abilities more than enough during the past 11 months.

Jean Lannes was inferior to him in terms of quick wit and improvisation, and his steadfastness and operational capabilities were inferior to Davout.

However, his understanding of strategy and tactics and his ability to apply them were second to none.

In particular, his ability to intuitively grasp the situation when presented with the state of war was top-notch.

Once they acknowledged each other’s abilities, it didn’t take long for friendship to blossom between the three.

“By the way, now that we’re all together like this, can’t you see at a glance why His Highness the Prince chose us?”

At Napoleon’s question, Jean Lannes and Davout immediately nodded in agreement.

“Perhaps if the three of us take on the role of commanders in the future and form an army, it will be an invincible army that no country in Europe can defeat.”

“Yes. Each of our strengths is very clear. And I heard that there are quite a few people who have been chosen by the foundation besides us. We are young, so we are at the military academy, but I heard that there are also people who are already in the military and are building a reputation.”

At Davout’s words, a warlike look flashed in the eyes of Napoleon and Jean Lannes for a moment.

Go to the battlefield and prove your abilities.

These talented and motivated individuals desperately wanted this opportunity more than anything else.

“Davout, who are those soldiers who have been chosen by His Highness the Prince and are active?”

“Well, I just heard it as a rumor, so I don’t know everything. André Masséna or Alexandre Berthier? These two are very famous for winning every battle when they command the army in New France [French colonies in North America].”

“So, is the only option to go to the New World to prove our abilities in actual combat now?”

“Because there is no war in Europe. Unlike America, New France is friendly to the Indians, but there are bound to be those who don’t understand what we say, and that’s when we have to step in.”

Logically speaking, a rookie officer who has just been commissioned will not be given a major role no matter where he goes.

But the New World is a different story.

Just looking at the rumors, it is now a land of opportunity for talented young people.

Above all, it was the land of Louis Christian, the lifelong benefactor who brought them to where they are now.

“Perhaps whether we want it or not, His Highness the Prince will send us to the army in the New World.”

“I agree with Napoleon. Isn’t it good for us? If we want to surpass the seniors who were chosen first, we need to build up achievements that match them.”

“To be honest, I don’t think our abilities are below those of our seniors. In particular, Napoleon is being watched by His Highness the Prince, so he may get an opportunity sooner than expected.”

Napoleon, Jean Lannes, and Davout looked at each other and smiled warily.

“Okay. Anyway, His Highness said that he will call us to the palace soon, so let’s ask him then.”

“I agree. We have to get ahead quickly and repay his grace.”

“I was going to follow you wherever you went from the beginning, Napoleon… do as you please.”

After the graduation ceremony, a title was created at the Paris Military Academy to refer to these three people who left legendary records.

The Children of Orléans.

It was a title referring to the geniuses of the first nobility and chosen by the prince.

End