Napoleon in 1812
Chapter 85:

14. End of the SecondHundred Years’ War – 1

By thetime theentire United Kingdom was sufferingfrom measles in the aftermathofthe ‘Great Crash’. Changesalso began on theIberian front.

The French, who finally found their basewith thehelp of local intelligence, attacked and dealt a decisive blowtothe Spanishresistance.

Thatday, Napoleon unleashedhis rigid defenses and launched a full-scaleattack on the Lines of TorresVedras.

The corps of Joseph Bonaparteand GabrielSuchet moved fromMurcia to Málaga. Jean-BaptisteJourdan’s Corps marchedfrom Galicia to Vigo.

Then Napoleon led hisown armytoFort Badajoz where Arthur Wellesleywas staying.

TheAllies weresurprised by thissudden attack andpreparedtorespond, but the Frenchhad alreadycome close to them.

“We havea good advance, maybe becausewe’veeradicated therats that nibbledonthe wagons! Hahaha!”

Michel Neyand the other marshals were happy to havebroken the boringconfrontation.

The soldiers whomarched with confidencewith thepossibilityofvictory lookedbraveand powerful. They did notwastetheirtime duringthe break thatdid not have muchfighting.

Thecorps, which raised itsphysicalcondition and discipline under Napoleon’sleadership with hardtrainingand adequate rest, was showing off itssupreme discipline, even though it hadlong been off thebattlefield. Confidence. Theyhad confidencethat they could win against any enemy.

‘I’msure we would be able to keepupwith theRepublic’s standing army.’

Napoleon tried to hidehis satisfaction while looking around. The French were about to cross abridge on their way to Badajoz. Acrossthe bridge, some cavalrymen withwhiteflagswere waiting for Napoleon. Therewas amessenger of the British armyamongthem.

“This is aletter fromour commander-in-chief to HisMajesty theEmperor of theEmpire.”

On his waytoBadajoz, Napoleonreceiveda letterwritten by ArthurWellesley fromthe messenger. Inthe interest and attentionofmany, heopened the letterand readit.

I greet YourMajesty theEmperor, the ruler of France.

Itisthe first timethat I am writingsuch a direct lettertoYour Majesty, even though I havebeen facingFrance for a longtime. Please forgivemeifthereisany awkwardness in mannersand expressions.

It was a hardhandwritingthat felt rigid and strict. Napoleon’sgaze went down.

Thelong-running war is causing trials andsuffering not only to the peopleofthe IberianPeninsula, butalso to thecitizensofBritain andFrance, andtothe people of neighboring countrieswho havea supporting roleinthis war.

I am surethat this willdoharm to thedeveloped civil society, the state andnationalismthat developedinthe 19thcentury…(omitted)…

The frontier drawn by the Alliedforces, includingFort Badajoz where YourMajesty’ troops are marching, issolidand did notmiss your advance.

It cannotbedenied thatYour Majesty havesuperhuman military strength that willneverbeseen again in thehistory of war, but it is notenough to win in enemy territory, evenifyou had at least three times thepower.

Thefortresses andfortificationsformed by the blood andsweatofthe Allies andtheirresentment against France will remain unbroken by anyodds. I hope thatthe brilliant Emperor of France will makethe right decision withconsideration forthe subjects of the Empire.

Althoughheaddedlong phrases, thecontent meant ‘Don’tsuffer fromour defense, and turn backnow’. Atthe provocation, Napoleon smirked and calledJean-Andoche Junot, whowas in the rear.

“Did youcall, Your Majesty?”

“Read this. It’sa letterfrom Wellesley.”

Napoleongave theletter to Junot. Junot read it carefully, spat outa low-pitched swear word and then spoke.

“He’smaking aclumsy excuse on theoutside, but it’sreally alousyprovocation. The more scared a wildcatfeels, the louderitcries. YourMajesty, you don’t havetopay any attentiontothis.”

“The mainreason why I showed this letter to youisbecause youhave exchangedmany letters withArthur Wellesley.”

Napoleon understood thatthis wasa psychological battle between top commanders. However, because he had mostlyheardaboutWellesley’stendencythrough rumors, he handed over the judgment on thesituation to Junot, whocouldbesaid to know Wellesley well. Junot thought for a moment andreplied.

“There’s certainly nothing strangeaboutthis letter. He is amember of ahigh-ranking noble family in England, andhevalues mannersand praiseschivalryand gentleman’s will. I’veneverseen this kindofuglinessfrom himbefore.”

Napoleon nodded. Healso thought thatitwas far from Wellesley’s usual disposition. He hada rough idea of whatthis meant.

“HisExcellency said thatI shouldwait forYour Majesty the Emperor’sreply, stayinghere fora while…”

“No, you don’t haveto.”

Napoleon, smilingatthe messenger’s words, continued.

“Myreplywill be shown on thebattlefield.”

One thing for sure was that he had no intentionoffollowing Wellesley’s letter. Napoleonincreased the speed of thecorps. Arthur Wellesleywas waitingatFort Badajoz, looking forwardtothe final battle of this war.

===

Located betweenhills, FortBadajoz stood like an outpost, blocking the Frenchand Allied forces.

Thecoalition forces, whichwere densely deployed behind thefortressand on its side, were standing by withanoptimal formation, completelyblockingthe entrance to the city of Badajoz.

It wasa solid andstrong fortress, with troops placedinthe right way. Ifthey attacked them likethis, even a corps of elite soldiers would havetosuffer enormous losses.

“Advance!”

The left wingofNapoleon’s Corps advanced to thesoundofthe military band. The coalitionseemed rather surprisedbythe French army’sapproachinghead-on with suchpace. Napoleonnodded quietly, and oneofthe officers who sawitsent a signal to theleft wing.

“Turnleft!”

Thehead of theprocession turned.

Andthe battalionsthat followed in line withthe leadturned together. As they headed forthe fortress, theleft wing exposedits right sidewhen it turnedsouth.

Once again, Napoleon lookedthrough histelescope at the enemies on the fortress andbehind it.

“Ha, those idiots… Tell them to speed up on the left!”

“I willfollow yourorders, Your Majesty!”

The French army’smarchinfrontofthe fortress accelerated. After advancingfor about 4 to5 kilometers fromthe corps headquarters, the troops stood by andoccupiedthe southern partofFort Badajoz.

Then, the companyreorganizedits batteries with acompleteformation. AndNapoleon’s Corps wascompletely divided intotwo likethis. The two parts took formation, surroundingthe south and east of the city of Badajoz.

“What about Masséna’s Corps?”

“He is almostthere. It willtake about an hour for himtodeploy his troops.”

“Tellhim to set up a campnorthofthe fortress and proceed withthe operation as planned.”

“Yes, YourMajesty!”

After speaking, Napoleonexpressed his willingness to fight. Hewas determinednot to end this confrontationwith a simple siege.

“There must be astorminthe island country across thesea by now.”

Nevertheless, the descendants of proud pirates would not easilysign an armistice. Balloons could onlypop wheninflated. All they needed wasa trigger and a shock.

And thiswouldbethe captureofFort Badajoz, which wasatthe coreofthe Lines of Torres Vedrasand was guarded by Arthur Wellesley’s Corps.

“Gentlemen.”

The eyesofthe marshals and officers staying in commandfocused on him.

“It’s time to end this longwar.”

Newsarrived that Masséna’sCorpshad arrivednorthofBadajoz. Napoleongave theordertoattack.

The French tricolor flags began to flyascannons rang out from the north, southand east.

===

The battle between the Frenchtobreakdown thedefensive barrierand the Alliestostop it continuedtodayaswell.

Fearless warriors fromboth sides pushedthemselves into the battlefield, whereshells and bullets werepouring in, and struggled to puttheirflagsonhigh grounds.

The dominance changed severaltimesa day. The body filled thefields, andbloodcolored thesurroundingrivers red.

Desperate battles weretaking place all over the battlefield, but the armiesofboth sides followed oneunwritten rule. Do not aimguns andcannons at theemergency evacuationteamswho immediately cametotake care of injuredsoldiers.

TheAllied and Frenchforces wereinthe midst of awar in which onlythe heartless andcruelcouldsurvive, but theynevertouched theevacuation convoy.

ArthurWellesley saw it as an effortmade by thepeople not to lose their humanity and chivalry.

“There is a holeinthe wallsurroundingthe city, sir! Atthis rate, we mayhave to give up the city today or tomorrow…”

Arthur Wellesley hadtosoothe his bitterstomach at thewordsofthe chief of staff. Thesituation got twisted whenMasséna’s Corps, whichhad beenadvancing north to supportJourdan’s Corps, quickly turned aroundand tookover thenorthernpart of Badajoz.

The Allies were outnumbered and were attacked on three sides, makingthem at a structuraldisadvantage. If it hadbeen only thismuch, Wellesley might havebeen able to block the Frenchoffensive withthe power of his men.

However, theFrench’scurrent combatcapabilities exceeded the expectationsofWellesley and theAllied officers.

‘Theywere notatthis level when we faced themonthe Arlanzón River. What kind of magic did he do!…’

Anyway, it was clear that the time thatthey could hold out here was limited. Oneofthe clever officers came up witha bold suggestion.

“The citycan be recapturedatany timeaslong as thefortressdoesn’t fall. Thesituation is not very goodrightnow, so I think it would better to step downfor awhile.”

The fortificationofFort Badajoz, known forits robustness, did notbudgeatall during this short siege.

Also, without much support, Wellesley’s Corps could retreattothe cityofÉvora, where thecoalition’swarehouses were located, get more men andenough supplies.

Itwouldbea strategicretreat. Ofcourse, they would havetogive up this cityuntilthen, but under the circumstances, they could not find abetter option.

“…Let’s retreat. Butwemust come backand retake this place.”

Theywouldlet the owner of thecity surrounding thefort change. However, during that time, Wellesley’s troops would be able to regain strength to attackthe French forcesbesieging the fortress.

Arthur Wellesley’s decision wasthe bestone to defend both his troopsand his cause as thecommander-in-chief of the AlliedForces againstthe French.

But theworldwas so cruel thatitsometimes madefun of humans with the mischief of fate. This time, its targetwas the coalitionforces led by ArthurWellesley.

===

The fall of Badajoz! The shocking news of the waronthe peninsula.

The door to Portugal opens wide. The Kingdom’sArmy is in theworstsituation.

Wecan’tcontinuethis waranymore… We need to negotiate a ceasefire as soon as possible…

Arthur Wellesley wrote a post-war report, calling it a strategic retreat, butbreakingnews of theoverall situationarrived much earlieronthe mainland.

And the breaking news was enoughtopanicthe entire court of Westminster as well as the citizens of London.

Thecollapseofthe stock market andbankruptcy of businesses werecausing despair and were paralyzingmajorindustrial citiesone after another.

Britain’seconomy wasstruggling in great darkness, and it would takea long timeofpatiencetoget throughit. There was no time or money for them to invest in a war that seemed already over.

“Stop thewar on the peninsulathat kills theyoungpeople of Britain!”

“We wanttohold bread, not guns! The peopleare starving to death. What goodisthis wardoing?”

“Abolishthe income taximmediatelyand blowupthe previous agreement! Wake up Westminster!”

ThecitizensofLondon yearnedfor peace moreintensely thanever. They took collectiveaction, demandinganend to the war, the abolitionofincome taxes (thetaxesconducted to cover the cost of war), and thepayment of overdue wages.

‘If there is no ceasefire, wedemand the resignation of theCabinet!’

They demonstrated in front of Westminster Palace, 10 DowningStreet, andeven St. James’ Palace (the palace of theBritish royal family).

Some of theprotesters didnot hesitate to engage in violent confrontations withpolice officers or evenpulled out swords. Meanwhile, a secondshockwave hit theindustrial economy of Britain.

Nowthat exports of metallurgical, shipbuilding andcotton industriesplummeted, numerous businesses wentbankrupt, and were soldtosecurities companiesand banks.

Britain’s economyonce again faltered heavily, andcitizenstook to thestreets, accusingthe governmentand the royal family. Someradical citizens even demanded achange of government.

Prime Minister RobertJenkinson and theTory members werecornered. In the end, theyhad onlyone choice.

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