I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 275

< If They Don't Fight, So Be It >

“Th-This can’t be happening…”

“Wang Qing… where was Wang Qing! Did he defeat those guys?”

The leaders of the Boxers, who had been observing the war situation with relatively light hearts, were now in complete panic.

“Myung-ryang! What about General Myung-ryang?”

“He was caught in the enemy’s shelling and lost a leg! General Myung-ryang’s unit is requesting assistance…”

“Shut up! Taking a cripple with a missing leg will only slow us down! Turn the horses around right now!”

“That’s a wise decision! We have to survive, at least!”

The two leaders of the Boxers, who had boasted so much about their magical powers, turned and fled without looking back as soon as the war situation turned against them.

Now that things have come to this, they need to take their hidden assets and flee overseas as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, there were more than enough soldiers to use as bait, so they had plenty of time to escape.

The problem is the remaining Han Chinese soldiers.

Since they were mainly infantry, they didn’t know what to do when their top commanders all ran away.

“W-What? What’s going on!”

“They said we were immune to swords and spears! They said we had already won against these enemies once before!”

“If we Han unite… Ugh!”

Tat-tat-tat!

“R-Run away! Let’s run away!”

“C-Cao [Damn it]! We were deceived! We were deceived!”

The soldiers in the rear could see how the situation was unfolding, but most of those who were unknowingly deployed in the front lines could not escape death.

When the French army began to advance, the Boxers, realizing they were doomed, fled without looking back.

However, that didn’t mean the fleeing Boxers were able to save their lives smoothly.

“Hey! There are Boxers here!”

“You goddamn murderers!”

Those who barely escaped scattered in all directions, but what awaited them was the wrath of the ethnic minorities who had been massacred by the Boxers.

“W-Wait! I’m not a Boxer! Just because I’m Han doesn’t mean I’m a Boxer…”

“Who cares! You Han bastards! Your kind killed my family!”

“How do we know who’s a Boxer and who isn’t! Just kill them all!”

“They were the ones who threw my father into the river and laughed! Let’s do the same to them!”

The ethnic minorities who had suffered at the hands of the Boxers unleashed their pent-up anger as soon as they heard the news that the French had won.

The reason why there were so many victims was simple.

The method the Boxers used to raise military funds was to falsely accuse innocent ethnic minorities of being French spies and extort their property.

Since most ethnic minorities, except for the Manchus and Han Chinese, were not treated well under the Qing Dynasty, they had nothing to lose.

Zhang Lan had asked the surrounding ethnic minorities in advance to hand over any captured Boxer remnants to them.

However, of course, none of those handed over to the French army survived.

The moment they were captured, they were all subjected to bloody revenge.

The two leaders of the Boxers, Zhao Dechang and Zhang Fugu, who had fled in a hurry, were killed by Miao people burning with revenge while hesitating to recover the assets they had lost thanks to Wang Qing.

The collapse of the Boxers, who had plunged the entire Qing Dynasty into a cauldron of fear, happened so suddenly.

※※※

The Boxers’ crushing defeat and collapse.

This fresh news naturally reached my ears, which were on high alert in Beijing.

Even Napoleon, who was calmly briefing the operation, widened his eyes and asked again as soon as he heard the report.

“Good heavens… the Boxers weren’t just defeated in battle, they were completely crushed?”

“Hmm? Didn’t you say there was a 50% chance the Boxers would fight?”

“…I did. But I expected them to regroup their forces and switch to a defensive posture after seeing the situation. How can an enemy force estimated at 300,000 be completely disintegrated by fighting…”

“Could it be that Marshal Lan’s command was good?”

“No. This isn’t just a matter of being good on our side. Perhaps… Lan exaggerated his achievements… no, that’s impossible.”

Napoleon, the great man, was so flustered.

Not because of a crushing defeat, but because of a great victory?

Of course, I couldn’t help but understand his feelings.

The picture Napoleon had originally envisioned was to send Lan’s 3rd Corps down to Guangdong to create a balance of power.

As long as Lan was down there, Guangdong would not be breached.

He was going to develop future operations based on that, but he was bound to be dumbfounded when they completely crushed the enemy.

“It seems the shogunate’s willingness to listen to our demands was quite helpful. I thought the forces in the south were under Nelson’s command.”

“That seems to be the case. Nelson’s top priority is to cut off our supplies, so he couldn’t have left the ships coming from that side alone.”

I had asked the shogun to send some supplies to our side, but from the beginning, I didn’t think they would be able to reach our port.

The Japanese supply ships were just a smokescreen to draw out Nelson.

If it caused even a little confusion in the command system of the enemy forces in the south, it would be a great success, and even if it didn’t, we wouldn’t lose anything, so there was nothing to regret.

But it seems this was a bigger hit than expected.

“So, what do we do now? Now that the Boxers are crushed, the British navy alone can’t control the south, can they?”

“Yes. Our breathing room has increased a little. But it’s only a little, and the fundamental problem hasn’t been solved.”

“That’s right. The important thing is whether or not the fleet from the homeland can reach this side.”

“For now, Vietnam and the shogunate don’t seem to be of much help. There’s no way they can break through the British fleet’s encirclement. So, the only thing left is Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom]… but I’m not sure about that side.”

“Joseon…”

Certainly, Joseon and Beijing are within traveling distance by land, but I didn’t really trust them either.

In the first place, can Joseon, in its current state, provide a meaningful level of assistance to our side?

And that’s not by sea, but by land?

No. Let’s just not expect anything.

I’d be grateful if they just didn’t try to maintain the Chinese order without understanding the situation.

“That side… well, it won’t hurt to send a message, but it’s better to consider them outside of our forces, don’t you think?”

“I see. The Prime Minister knows the political situation in Asian countries much better than I do, so I’ll trust the Prime Minister’s judgment. Then, we’ll have to create variables with our own strength.”

I didn’t bother asking if it was possible.

Who is the person in front of me?

He’s famous for saying that there’s no such thing as impossible in my dictionary… although Leipzig and Waterloo are a problem, but anyway, he’s Napoleon, who is capable of many things.

Let’s just trust him and leave it to him.

In the original history, he failed because he couldn’t overcome the alliance between Russia and England, but the situation is different now, and our forces are different too.

Perhaps the reason I put so much effort into drawing out Napoleon’s abilities was for times like these.

He will overcome the limits that were originally impossible and advance to a realm that no one in history has ever seen.

I watched Napoleon, who was staring intently at the map, in silence for a while.

※※※

“The best gift we can give to the Prime Minister is our victory! Fire! Fire!”

“Don’t let those uncivilized landlubbers crawl out to the sea! Retreat slowly while continuing to concentrate our firepower!”

As the Asian front fell into a stalemate, the battles in Europe were growing in scale.

After the idea of striking Russia by land was rejected, France began to mobilize its naval forces.

The Mediterranean was firmly held by Spain and France, but the prestige and power of the British Empire were still intact in the Atlantic.

The Cape of Good Hope was also in the territory of the British Empire, although it was said to be declining now.

Since the British Empire also held India tightly, it was difficult to use the route through the canal to the Indian Ocean.

As soon as they entered the Indian Ocean, they would inevitably face an attack from the British fleet, which was fully prepared.

There was also the option of crossing the Pacific from New France, but the long distance to be sailed without an intermediate supply base was a concern.

Then, the number of cases that can be selected is naturally limited.

In fact, this is the simplest and most reliable method of all.

Just crush the British Atlantic Fleet and land the French army on the British mainland.

Then, within a few months, they would be able to capture London and get the signatures of the British Prime Minister and King on the surrender document.

Of course, the British were well aware of this fact, so they focused all their attention on the movements of the French Navy and did not let their guard down.

The French side also made a lot of noise, but did not rush to a decisive battle.

If they were to suffer a crushing defeat, they could truly hand over maritime dominance to the other side.

If that happened, they would not be able to guarantee the safety of Christian, who was in Asia.

The fact that Spain, which had to provide support, was still preoccupied with Turkish privateers was also a headache.

“There is no doubt that Turkey and Prussia are British spies.”

“Prussia’s intention is to check the Holy Roman Empire, and Turkey’s intention is to check Spain.”

“We have replenished our naval forces, but there is no reason for us to fight the British alone, is there? If Spain continues to stall, we should use some coercive methods.”

The French parliament, where opinions differ every day.

Moreover, Massena, who was serving as the temporary Grand Marshal, was not very confident in naval battles, so he was not showing active movements.

On the surface.

“There are as many as the 2nd Corps and 3rd Corps, as well as Napoleon, Davout, and Zhang Lan, on the Asian front. They will never be breached until all the resources that can be supplied locally are exhausted.”

Massena, who was also a marshal, knew the abilities of those war demons better than anyone else.

There was no way they would be defeated by the incompetent British or Russian army soldiers.

Then, the right thing to do is not to be too impatient and to open the floodgates with a sure method.

Bertier, who was ordered by Massena, continued to take the form of leading the fleet out in the Atlantic, drawing the attention of the British.

The British naturally assumed that the French’s goal was to land on the mainland and did not let their guard down.

But.

“Andre Massena has led the corps and set out!”

“Where? Which side are they aiming for?”

“It’s not the Atlantic! Their fleet has gone to the Mediterranean! And Massena himself seems to be leading the army north.”

Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood roared at the report of the staff who were flustered by the embarrassment.

“You didn’t even grasp this sloppy feint? You useless eaters!”

“That’s… the prediction that their goal is definitely to land on the mainland is dominant…”

“You pathetic bastards! Then you should analyze and grasp their intentions as quickly as possible! What will be solved if you just panic here!”

Now that I see it, it wasn’t just the French who were having difficulties due to the absence of the commander-in-chief.

This side also had a solid force, but the absence of Nelson and Wellesley was too painful.

That’s why they couldn’t even predict such a simple feint and their actions were constantly delayed.

In fact, even though it was a belated realization, it was not difficult to guess what the French were aiming for, since they had allowed them to move so far.

After leaving England behind, they would preemptively strike Prussia and Turkey.

In order to prevent this, they would inevitably have to enter the field where the enemies were most confident.

‘If we combine our army with Prussia… can we stop them?’

A dark shadow fell over the eyes of Admiral Collingwood, who was urgently sending a telegram to the army.

< If They Don't Fight, So Be It > End