I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 174

Christian Has to Do It!

Late autumn of the fierce battle.

The Northern Federal Army, following Lafayette’s advice, decided to leverage their superior naval power.

Their audacious plan was to land troops at Fort Monroe, across the Chesapeake Bay, and strike directly at the Southern capital, Richmond.

Debate raged within the military, but the majority eventually supported Lafayette’s strategy.

Passing through Virginia was geographically too disadvantageous for the Union.

And, the Federal Army successfully landed, driving the Confederate forces back towards Richmond.

If they could secure their supply lines and establish a solid defensive line, the Federal Army would have an 80% chance of victory.

However, the Confederate Army, driven to the brink, recklessly threw troops against the Federal Army’s defensive line.

Naturally, the Confederate Army suffered heavy losses, but the Federal Army, with its inexperience in war, made a critical misjudgment.

‘Could it be that the Confederate Army is stronger than we thought?’

Suddenly anxious, the Federal Army urgently requested reinforcements.

Washington headquarters also fell into confusion upon receiving this news.

“We need more support troops?”

“The Confederate Army has that many men?”

“That can’t be possible?”

Not only the generals but also the ministers and even the president failed to make a sound decision.

“Minister.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Is there a possibility that the Confederate Army anticipated our movements and concentrated all their forces in Richmond?”

“…It’s not impossible.”

What if the enemy anticipated our troop movement using the sea route, concentrated all their forces to block us, and launched a counterattack? This time, Washington, the capital of the Union, might be exposed to danger.

This might be mere speculation, but the Confederate movements were certainly well-organized.

It was as if they had anticipated our naval superiority and were preparing to pressure us.

“Aaron Burr, who currently leads the South, is a man who contributed greatly to the War of Independence. It wouldn’t be strange if he anticipated our movements.”

“…Then should we issue a retreat order?”

“Even if we didn’t capture Richmond with this operation, we still gained something.”

“That’s right. We have achieved our initial objectives…”

In the end, the Federal Army, prematurely frightened, issued a retreat order to the troops that were advancing smoothly.

And the field commanders, already uneasy, immediately complied with the order and withdrew the troops.

The smiles disappeared from the faces of the Northern soldiers, who had been gleefully anticipating the end of the war, in an instant.

Unfortunately, the South also lacked the strategic ability to capitalize on the North’s retreat.

“What? The Federal Army is retreating?”

“Yes. It’s just as that Englishman said.”

“…He didn’t seem that old, was he just lucky? Or did he really foresee this?”

“At least the English have some insight when it comes to naval warfare.”

Aaron Burr recalled the advice of the British officer who had infiltrated as a merchant and nodded unhappily.

“What was that guy’s name… Nelson?”

“I believe it was Horatio Nelson. Should we modify the strategy as he advised?”

“No. Even if they have insight into the navy, the army is a different story.”

From the beginning, Nelson suggested that if the Federal Army retreated, they should exploit the gap in their forces and push forward.

However, Aaron Burr had no intention of following British advice in every detail.

This was partly due to emotional reasons, but also because the South lacked the courage to bear the risks.

Lafayette and Nelson, who heard all these facts, grabbed the back of their necks and despaired in their respective camps.

Originally, battles between seasoned war machines involve fierce mental games with intense strategic calculations and schemes.

In other words, it is a place to prove who is better and who is more qualified to be the winner.

However, how can all wars unfold in that way?

In fact, sports games are similar.

When world-class teams compete, they never miss even the slightest mistake.

But what if weak teams face each other?

They don’t even notice what mistakes the opponent made or what opportunities there were.

At that point, it becomes a battle of attrition, a slugfest.

If the other side screws up, this side retaliates by blundering even harder.

The current battle between the South and the North was exactly like that.

If only the leader of the North had been George Washington, this would not have happened, but unfortunately, the giant who had already retired from politics never rose again.

The war, which missed the opportunity for a short-term victory, eventually dragged on sluggishly, endlessly consuming time and money.

※※※

Two years have passed since the outbreak of the American Civil War.

The war, which was expected to end quickly, began to drag on smoothly thanks to the blunders of both sides.

“Prime Minister, we have received a request from the Union to sell additional weapons.”

“Then sell more. I don’t think you need to report such issues to me now?”

“The problem is that we are already running the production facilities to their limit… It seems we need to build additional facilities.”

“Is that so? Then do so.”

It is nature’s law that a wildfire that fails to be contained in its early stages burns down the entire forest. [This is a metaphor for how a small conflict can escalate into a larger one if not addressed promptly.]

When a war becomes entrenched, it begins to suck money like a water-guzzling hippopotamus. [This is a simile comparing the war’s financial demands to the insatiable appetite of a hippopotamus.]

Of course, all that money goes into our pockets, so I welcomed it.

“What is the current state of the war?”

“Yes. Lafayette says that the Union is clearly at an advantage, but not to the extent that they can achieve a swift victory. Therefore, he expects them to expand their troops and weapons even further. He also added that he is really worried.”

“I know, right? I was really worried too.”

I was worried that the war would end too quickly.

It was a pity for the United States, which was endlessly consuming its national power, but using that as a stepping stone, Nouvelle France [New France, referring to the French territories in North America] has made remarkable progress in the past two years.

The cities near the Great Lakes, which had only a few hundred or thousands of residents, already have populations in the tens of thousands, and they are still growing.

The finances are also becoming stronger every year, and Lavoisier and Laplace [Antoine Lavoisier and Pierre-Simon Laplace, prominent French scientists] are always smiling.

I wouldn’t have any more wishes if this situation lasted for another two to three years.

While watching the fire across the river [a metaphor for observing a conflict from a safe distance], a messenger came from France.

Originally, we exchanged regular correspondence, so there was nothing strange about it.

But this time, there was one strange thing.

“Napoleon. I don’t remember calling you, so why did you come all the way here?”

Napoleon, holding several bundles of letters, handed them forward as if embarrassed instead of answering.

“I think you will understand if you read all of these first.”

“…Don’t tell me another accident happened?”

It doesn’t make sense for a division commander of a country to cross the Atlantic just to be a messenger.

The obvious fact that there must be a reason made my neck feel stiff.

Looking at the senders, I saw names from all over the place looking for me.

From Louis XVI to several members of the Senate and House of Representatives, and even from my beloved wife, Marie.

I first took out the letter from my dear King and brother and examined its contents.

Perhaps he thought that someone else would explain the details, so there was nothing specific written.

There was only one sentence written.

[I’m sorry! Please come and solve this again!]

Do it, do it, do it!

The familiar phrase seemed to be engraved in my eyes like an imprint, but it was nothing.

Okay, so I need to see what the problem is.

Looking at the letters from Marie and the members of Congress, I could roughly guess what was going on.

“So… the Senate and the House of Representatives had a fight?”

“Yes. I didn’t do anything because the Prime Minister ordered me not to get involved in politics.”

“Yes, that was good. If the military intervened in politics, it would only add to the chaos. Is the cause of this commotion Robespierre and Danton again?”

“To be precise, I think it’s because they and the nobles of the Senate wouldn’t budge an inch.”

The spark that ignited the incident was the appointment of the president of the newly established French bank.

The House of Representatives recommended Jacques Necker, a renowned economist and former president of the Geneva Bank.

He had a track record of achieving numerous successes with Turgot in the Ministry of Finance, so he was not an unqualified person.

However, the Senate wanted a noble who was well-versed in economics to take the lead as the first president of the French bank.

Robespierre and Danton, who had been busy checking each other until now, joined hands on this occasion.

And they started a kind of rampage that I was worried about before leaving France.

Originally, the Senate was given the power to veto bills passed by the House of Representatives in order to check the House.

When the House tried to push through the person they wanted, the Senate naturally exercised this veto power to block it, and gradually this conflict spread to all aspects of the state affairs.

“So, the heated Senate started to veto all the bills passed by the House, and the House took control of the parliament and passed the bills in a snap?”

“Yes. It was a bill that would prevent the Senate from indefinitely vetoing the same issue. No matter how many times the veto is exercised, if the House re-adopts it, the veto can no longer be exercised…”

They blocked the entrance so that the senators could not enter the parliament and passed the bill, isn’t this a scene I’ve seen a lot?

“It’s a complete mess.”

“The Senate is condemning the House for this procedural violation, and the House is responding by saying that the Senate is simply trying to disrupt the state affairs by being stubborn. His Majesty is not showing any reaction, as if he has no intention of mediating.”

It’s not that he doesn’t want to mediate, it’s that he doesn’t know what to do.

So he urgently sent me a letter asking me to step in instead.

“Hoo… yes. It was bound to happen someday, but I wish they had held out for another two years.”

If Lafayette had been in France, he might have been able to mediate to some extent, but even that was not a good result as he came here.

It was as if all the confidants who would adjust the conflict on my behalf had come to Nouvelle France.

If someone like Napoleon or Berthier had intervened, it would have only backfired.

“But what does that have to do with you coming here?”

“The Princess said that the Prime Minister would need me. So I told His Majesty and he officially sent me here. Lan [Jean Lannes], Berthier [Louis-Alexandre Berthier], and Massena [André Masséna] will probably be here in a few days.”

As expected, only my wife is there to support her husband when he is in trouble.

I am just sorry for this incompetent husband who couldn’t even be by your side when our third child was born!

I sincerely thanked Marie, who was waiting in Paris, and turned to Lavoisier.

“I think we need to change the plan. I will return to Paris immediately, so tell President Jefferson that we will participate in the war. And as soon as the answer comes back, send the troops. Napoleon, how long do you think it will take to end the war as early as possible?”

“By the time the Prime Minister finishes his work in Paris and returns, everything will be settled.”

I wanted to have a little more fun and extract more, but I’ve already made enough profit.

There will be no problem even if I implement the plan to the next stage.

Right now, the urgent priority was to stabilize the political situation in France, which was on the verge of explosion.

‘Christian, you have to do it again this time.’

Why is that?

It was as if I could hear Louis XVI awkwardly smiling and asking for help.

Yes.

Since there is no one else who can do it, I have to do it.

But until when do I have to do it?

···I hope I don’t have to retire until I die.

Hey, no way. I refuse a lifetime position.