Napoleon in 1812
Chapter 89:

14. End of the SecondHundred Years’ War – 5

“The biggestreason why I called theMarquis here is becauseI wantedtospendsome time talkingtoeach other in private. Youhave left adeep impression on me, whohave faced andfought againstnumerousenemies. I’m being greedy because I won’thave a chance to talk openly to youunless it’snow.”

If someonehad saidthis to him, Wellesley would noteven have beenangrybecause he would have beensodumbfounded.

Butitwas adifferent story if the personwas Napoleon Bonaparte, who was nowfrowningwith oneeye. A living godofwar, a genius of strategy andtactics, a name thatrepresentedthe era…

Hewas the only man whowas in apositionnot to cause displeasure to those who listened even after saying thearrogantwords‘You deserve my attention’.

ArthurWellesley feltrather ridiculous. He had notwon the battleagainst Napoleon, nor had he ever shown off anything impressive.

Hehad beenhelplessly attacked by schemes and deceit, draggedaround giving up theinitiative throughout the battle, and hadbarely managedtosave hislife with the combination of incredible luckand chance.

Although it was calledthe confrontationofthe century, in realityithad beenpracticallyjust a one-sided attackbyNapoleon. Wellesley hidthis feeling deeply. Asexpected, there was a limit to whatcouldbesaid in this situation.

“…I don’t think I have done sucha great jobagainst Your Majestyand the French. But I willbegratefulfor yourkindness.”

Arthur Wellesley, who spoke out, suddenlyfelt a little regret. Napoleon Bonaparte. Althoughhewas the Emperor of an enemy country, he was a giant who exerted enormous influence andpoweronEuropeansociety to thepointofbeingcalled the name of the era.

If a bookwas writtenaboutthe historyofEurope, then he would takemore than one chapter, along with Alexander theGreat, Julius Caesarand Charlemagne.

With such ahistorical figureinfrontofhim, he wasfrozen, wary and could nottalk properly.

‘I’msure we will meetagainonthe battlefield. Butthat’s for thefuture. Worrying about thingsthat haven’t comeyet, feeling intimidated… I’m ashamed of myself.’

He hadbeen humiliated by Napoleon severaltimes, but he wasthe one whohad humiliatedthe other French commanders except Napoleon.

Choosing himselfasanimpressive enemy commandermeantthat Napoleon recognized him as a dangerous enemy, just as Wellesleyfelt intimidated by Napoleon.

A giantthat would remaininhistory wassoconscious of his existence. Thinking about it thisway madeWellesley feelmuch more comfortable.

The color of his face, which reflectedhis inner feelings, also brighteneda little. Onlythen could Wellesleyobserve andthinkaboutthe man named Napoleon.

===

Considering hisexperience andage, it wasclearthat ArthurWellesley would remain commander-in-chiefofthe Britisharmy afterwards, andthat he would be a man whowouldbringhardshiptomany Frenchpeople.

Hewas anatural soldier who wasloyaltothe state, cared forhis men, and obeyed orders. In addition, hisabilities and reputation wereexcellent.

Hewas Napoleon’sfavoritefigure. It wasinevitable forsomeone like Arthur Wellesley, evenifhewas an enemy.

Ifhewere a French general, Napoleon might have madehim MarshalofFrance. Wellesleyfelt thesame way.

Napoleon Bonaparte, whomhehad onlyheardthrough rumors, was known forsuddenlymaking the peoplesurroundinghim embarrassed and frightened, even though he showeda gentleand humane appearance.

Asa result, Wellesley hadtokeep an eyeonwordsand expressions thatwouldoffend him while talking. Butitonly lastedfor amoment. As he faced Napoleon forreal, hefoundhim verydifferent fromhis own prejudices.

Hehad aserious look witha heavy atmosphere. It washard to seethrough him, but he wasgentle and didnot get irritatedorlose hisfocus.

He sometimesreached peoplewith pleasant words andjokes. Wellesley could notfeel thepartiality of a cruel and ruthless dictator.

There was another reason whyNapoleonand Wellesley were so fondofeach other, and thatwas becausethey were tiedupinone common thing.

“Oh… So theMarquis wasinspiredfor strategy and tactics by readingthe DukeofMarlborough’s history of war?”[1]

“Itwouldbestrange notto. His bold maneuvering, mercenaryskills, andcompetitiveprowess were models formeand other Britishofficers.”

John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, hadcommanded the British and Dutch coalitioninthe SpanishSuccession War. He had covered the battlefield with artillery fire, obscuringthe French view, andthen deployed a large cavalrytogain a decisive victorywith a long-rangecharge.

This wasthe famous BattleofBlenheim, after which France’s victoryinthe war becamevirtually thwarted.

“The Duke of Marlborough… I thinkofhim sometimes. IfI hadbeen a French general during theSpanish Succession War, I would have given the Duke of Marlborough adecent blow, and there would have beennodisgracelike Blenheim, Ramillies, or Oudenaarde.”[2]

Napoleon was sayinghecouldhave wonagainst theDuke of Marlborough. The Britishofficersand guards whowere listeningtothe conversation lookedsullen, butthe French nodded, thinking thatitwas natural. In response, ArthurWellesley alsorevealedsomething.

“Unfortunately, I have a similaridea. IfI hadbeen born in the 15th centuryinthe midst of the Hundred Years’ War, I wouldhave defeated ArthurdeRichemont and Joan of Arc andled the British to victory. Europe’s historywouldhave been completelydifferent.”[3]

Thistime, the French soldiers frowned and theBritish lookedpleased. Napoleonwas justsmiling like he was havingfun.

“Let’s say so. It’s up to ourimagination.”

“…”

“Let’s getback to thestoryofthe DukeofMarlborough. Isn’t there abig gap between strategy and tactics from100 years ago andnow? A large cavalrycharge likethe one theDuke of Marlborough ledwouldnolonger workinthe modern war, where gunsand cannonshave advanced dramaticallyand cavalrytactics have beendevised.”

“Ofcourse, Your Majestyisright. However, justasthe Spanishtercio square wasborn based on theancient phalanx, I think there is acrossroads between continuityand progress depending on howyou accept andchoose whatisuseful in the history of war.”[4]

Although they sometimes putforthuseless nationalistic pride, Napoleon andWellesley bothhad acommon interest in war history and were inspired by it.

They didnot talkaboutanythingpersonal. However, it was very interesting justtotell anecdotesaboutfamous pastmasters. Asthey ate, theydevouredstories of warhistory to thepointwherepeople around them got sick of it.

“I stillrememberwhat yousaid at thebeginning. If youdon’tmind, couldyou tellmewho the enemies werethat made astrong impressiononyour Majesty? I’mvery curious becauseI’m ageneral whohas enemiesinthe military.”

The topic even jumped to Napoleon’s experience. Napoleon, whowas eating Dutch pudding for dessert after finishing hismeal, answeredina gentleway.

“It’snot difficult. Except for theMarquis, thereare three enemieswho impressed me. Karl LudwigofAustria, Gebhard vonBlücherofPrussia andMikhail Kutuzov of Russia. They areall intelligent and courageous commanders.”

The charactersmentioned by Napoleon wereoutstandinggeneralswho eachrepresentedtheircountry. And theywere commanders againstwhom Nabot of this world actually struggled.

The British and Frenchofficerswho werelistening to the story noddedtheirheads. But Napoleon’s realfeelingswere different.

‘Actually, Alexander Suvorov should be on topofthem, but… Nabot of thisworldhas never fought against Suvorov’s troops.’

The battle against Suvorovover Northern Italy wasthe toughest and most difficult battleNapoleonhad everfought.

The experienced frozen foxused therugged terrainofLombardytocut off theFrench supply route anddrovethem into acorner by inducing continuoussporadicengagementsand bypassing detached troops.

Napoleon faced thebiggest crisisinhistory, overlappingthe lackofsupplies, morale of soldiers, and the politicalsituation in France that kepthim in check.

However, when he captured Russian detached units traveling between Switzerland and Tyrol, and obtained information fromtheirmessengers, Suvorov also found his politicalpositioncompromisedbychecks and disruptions from Austriaand Russia.

Napoleon immediately split his troopsinto two, one side striking the defense and blocking Suvorov’sCorps, and theothercommanding supplies, sweepingand lootingthe southern Italiancities.

Having failed to defeatAustria’s hystericalattitude, Suvoroveventually chasedthe troops down south abandoninghis advantageous terrain, andNapoleon, who wasaiming for that time, was able to secure a narrow victory by attacking from the north andsouthatthe sametime.

The Austrian andRussian military, whichhad beenlooking foranopportunity, immediately dismissed Suvorov fromhis postofcommander-in-chief and sent him back to his home country, and thecoalition leftwithout Suvorov was smashed by Napoleon, endingwith France’s victory.

Alexander Suvorovwas the first general againstwhom Napoleon experienced frustration as he wasonthe roadtosuccess, and was also the onewho gavehim the impetus to growashewas now.

He had already fallen illand diedinboth worlds, but Napoleon alwayshad respectfor him.

Not knowing Napoleon’sinnerthoughts, Wellesley noddedassoon as he heard thelist of names.

“They’re all great generals whoare called thebest of each country. It seems rather awkward thatI’m included in thislist.”

“Modesty is notfit for a marquis. I thinkyou’re the best of the four generals.”

“Haha. You’reoverpraising me. I willthankyou for your words, which will remain as an immortal record.”

Arthur Wellesley seemedtothinkitwas justtalk, and Napoleon justsmiled withoutsaying anything more.

Thetwo werehaving tea time withdessert. Wellesley seemed to have become more comfortable withNapoleonand joked around, and the atmosphere became more pleasant. Noise came fromoutside, and someservantsofthe mainpalace of Madrid entered.

“YourMajesty theEmperor, the ViceForeign Minister’s messageisthat theMadrid talks havebeen concluded.”

Itwas finallyover. Napoleon’s eyes lit up, whileWellesley had a blank lookonhis facefor amoment.

“The, the negotiations have alreadybeen concluded?”

“The negotiators of theEmpire and of your countryseem to be quite competent. Let’s go.”

Napoleon rosefrom hisseat, leading a bewilderedWellesley. There wasa strange smile on his face.

===

On April 19, 1813, at 9 a.m., six hours beforeNapoleonand Wellesley heard about theend of the negotiations.

The‘Madrid Conference’ held at the main palace of Madridwas under heavy tensionfrom thebeginning. There wasa line thatall fourcountries should never yield.

In order to protectit, eachside also had to complywith theothers’ requests to some extent, soitwas naturalthat a fierce warofwits washeld forthe national interest of the countries. The Frenchside wasthe first to speak.

“First of all… let’s discuss the most fundamental issue thatled to the Iberian Peninsula War.”

The officials from the other three countriesshoneatthe words of French Foreign Minister Armand Augustin de Caulaincourt, knowingwhat he meant.

“HisMajesty theKing, asthe great-grandson of His Majesty Philip V[5], thefounder of theBorbón dynasty, possessedmore legitimacy and dignity thanany other claimants to thethrone in Europe. I informthe ForeignMinisterofthe French Empirethat HisMajesty’s title cannot be compromised.”

It wasthe words of the Governor of Andalusia, MartinodeBorbón. FernandoVII was originally justa princewho had been entrusted with power fromhis father andformer king, Carlos IV, but was hastily crownedking a weekbefore the ‘Madrid Conference’.

Sincethe storiesofdepriving aprince or aking of thethrone werevery different, theymade it even alittle harder forthe French to claim thetitle.

“Our kingdomrecognizes thelegitimacy of King Fernando VII. Prince Regent GeorgeIV also guaranteed the legitimacy of the Spanish throne to be with KingFernandoVII.”

Britainand Portugal steppeduptosupport Spain. The reason whythey participatedinthe PeninsularWar itself wastoresist the Frenchoppression of theSpanish dynasty.

“I thinkyou are misunderstanding. TheEmpire has no intentionofclaimingthe Spanishthrone.”

Currently, therewere twokingsinSpain, one of them being Joseph I, whom Napoleon had established himself. He wasNapoleon’s ownolderbrother.

The expressions of theofficials of the three countrieswere very colorful as ForeignMinisterCaulaincourt, whowas entrusted with fullpowerinnegotiations, briefly spoke of his deposition. Appreciatingit, Caulaincourt continued.

“The Emperorofthe Empire sacrifices the honor of theImperialFamily for thesake of thenation. This was thedetermination of thecountry to keep the balance, development andprotection of Europe. However, thisisanenforceablematter onlyifconcessionsfrom theothercountries participatinginthe talks are preceded.”

At theend of thatremark, themurmurs of thediplomatic officialsofeach country grewlouder. Their discussions were watchedleisurely by the French, including Caulaincourt.

TL notes

[1]JohnChurchill, 1stDuke of Marlborough

[2]War of theSpanish Succession:BattleofBlenheim,BattleofRamillies,Battle of Oudenarde

[3]HundredYears’ War:Arthur III, DukeofBrittany,Joan of Arc

[4]Tercio,Phalanx

[5]Philip V

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