Napoleon in 1812

Chapter 25

4. What happened at the diner – 3

The dinner hall of the Druskininkai Palace was small. Asit was a meal for the top French and Russian people, the quality of food was very high, but other things had been disregarded due to the urgent situation. In particular, the interior of the dinner hall had a simple and rough design, with messy curtains and faded decorations and patterns.

Some generals looked disappointed, as they had expected a fancy party venue where aristocrats in luxurious clothes and ladies in colorful dresses gathered to dance passionately, with musicians pulling out enchanting tunes, and opera singers singing magnificent songs. It could not be helped because Druskininkai was a small and remote city from the beginning. Alexander I liked parties, but he was not crazy enough to dance and play during the war.

At the table, generals and diplomats who had been arguing with each other were different now. They drank sweet wine together and shared food in a friendly manner. Although they did not like each other, their conversation went smoothly and they burst into laughter.

‘I should take care of my body.’

Napoleon mumbled as he touched his bouncing belly. While he was trying to separate greasy food from vegetables on his plate, someone sat across the table. It was Tsar Alexander I. He asked Napoleon.

“You don’t like the taste? Why are you separating the food? The Russian imperial chefs are the best. You don’t need to do that, just eat.”

“Hmm… I’m trying to control what I eat because I think my health has gotten worse these days. But the cooking is absolutely excellent.”

“Your health… Well, health is important to a nation’s leader. Strong muscles, strong vitality, and a thick beard are symbols of masculinity and health.”

It was a voice filled with pride, so Napoleon glanced at Alexander I and saw that he was looking alternately between their bodies, elated.

‘No, this guy?’

It was true that compared to Alexander I’s robust body that was a strong as a grey wolf of Siberia, this fat penguin-like body was not attractive… But Napoleon could only be relieved by returning what he received.

One corner of his lips went up and he said.

“If you change your lifestyle, then exercise sincerely and control what you eat, your body can be healthy again at any time. The problem is things that can’t be reversed anymore. Once it’s gone, it will never come back again.”

Napoleon’s gaze reached the broad forehead of Alexander I, who was shining brightly. Hmm, is that enough to make the Guard intervene? Alexander I laughed loudly, but he could not hide his half-hearted voice.

“The Emperor will also ‘soon’ be the same. Apparently, it seems to have progressed to some extent… I’m sorry to hear that from someone in the same situation.”

“What are you talking about? We’re in the same situation?”

Napoleon quickly combed his hair and checked for anything missing. Fortunately, his hair was fine.

‘I can’t believe I’ve heard this from Alexander … I wasn’t this bad in the other world! This is all because this Nabot is a mess!

If your health recovers, your hair will grow again. Napoleon decided to believe that. After the war of nerves, which was meaningless but respectful, Napoleon and Alexander | still sat at the same table and continued to eat. Only the clatter of cutlery and crunching food could be heard in the room.

Amid the awkward silence, Alexander I drank a bit of wine and opened his mouth in a soft voice.

“Although the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are talking about this and that… Aren’t we going to make the final decision anyway? Even if they have a lot of professional work experience, they can’t follow the Emperors who decide from a national perspective.”

That’s true. But I want to respect the opinions of experts in this field? Napoleon, however, hid his inner thoughts and simply listened to Alexander I. He wanted to hear his true intentions.

“Just as the Emperor does not want to fight our country, I do not want to be hostile to France either. As you said before the talks, we have an obligation to hold down the nose of our countries’ old enemy that is the arrogant island nation. In order to do that, we should not harm each other’s national power by arguing.”

“Russia will join again the Continental Blockade isolating Britain. We will also be responsible for persuading Sweden to do the same. All loot from Hrodna will belong to France. I promise on the honor of the Tsar that there will be no further discussions with the Duchy of Oldenburg about marriage. So… let’s end the war here.”

Napoleon did not answer immediately.

He knew better about Russia’s potential. They had the largest territory in the world, elite troops that never retreated, and had outstanding generals and officers. It was truly an empire that could fight against France for European supremacy.

Even if Napoleon demonstrated his superior strategic and tactical skills, he could not conquer that vast and strong country. That was why he chose not to fight Russia in the other world by offering relatively generous terms.

‘But things are completely different now.’

Napoleon in this world had thoroughly smashed Austria and Prussia and crushed their pride, making them enemies. Enemies that were nominally allies of France but were gritting their teeth.

Russia had continued to contact the two countries and had demanded that they rebelled against France even before the preparation for the expedition. A number of secret letters bearing the Tsar’s seal were found, most of which criticized Napoleon’s regime and asked for active internal response.

This was an unbearable act for France.

Napoleon’s diplomatic side was not less shocking. Before his awakening, Nabot had separated the Duchy of Warsaw, the successor of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, for which Russia had fought for supremacy for hundreds of years. And he had sworn to restore the old land and received Poniatowski’s pledge of allegiance.

The old land of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was now a territory controlled by Russia.

On the contrary, it was disrespectful and an insult that Russia could not pass over.

Trust between France and Russia had long been lost. They could never trust each other.

‘Will they be grateful and keep their promises with us if we are merciful? That can’t be. Trust that had already been broken once cannot be gained again. No matter how hard we try, it’s useless.

Well, of course, even without trust, they could have generous conditions depending on the international situation. Ending the Iberian War in the meantime was not a bad strategy, at least the hostillity of Russia and the Tsar would certainly go down.

But there was another problem.

Napoleon had not yet been to Paris in this world. However, he could guess the atmosphere from the rough news and information. The people of Paris had long lost support for Napoleon. To compensate for the financial and human expenditure caused by frequent wars, Napoleon had repeatedly lowered the conscription age and standards. The French citizens, who were already very tired, had to face tougher taxes and military burdens as they formed the largest expeditionary force in French history. The Empire’s press had given them a vision of the enormous spoils they would receive from Russia to appease the public sentiment.

As such, the citizens’ expectations for compensation had been inflated without countermeasures. Nevertheless, he was going to return with a few generous negotiations without earning proper profits and spoils? Who was the anger of the citizens likely to focus on?

“That’s not enough.”

His anger had soared at the international diplomatic and internal affairs situation that Napoleon of this world had ruined before, but now it was his turn to admit that this was the reality. Napoleon now made what he thought to be the coolest and most reasonable decision.

“France suffered an unspeakable loss due to your betrayal. It’s a terrible loss that can’t be made up with just a few trophies. Although my country invaded you, it was because you eventually broke your promise and did not participate in the Continental Blockade. You have to get your facts straight. In addition, the Tsar sent several disturbing correspondence to Prussia, Austria and others. We are strongly displeased about this.”

“The brave French warriors killed 50,000 Russian elite troops and captured all the rest. France is definitely the winner of the battle, with 400,000 soldiers participating. If the Tsar wants to end this war, he’ll have to make a satisfactory offer to the winner.”

As soon as he woke up in the body of this Nabot, he had wanted to negociate with Russia, not because of a difficult situation in France, but as a part of a two-sided tactic. A little bluff was mixed in it, but it was okay. When the negotiations broke down, the burden was still greater on Russia.

Alexander I’s face hardened in an instant, but Napoleon did not stop talking.

“The first things the Tsar suggested were the conditions that Russia must grant for our victorious country. So I’ll tell you the ‘additional terms of negotiation that we hope for here. We have suffered severe damage and a retreat of the front line in the Iberian War while we were at war with you. I want a compensation of 75 million francs, as well as the right to use the forests and mines near the Black Sea. The Duchy of Warsaw has made considerable sacrifices to help our country in this war. To repay their noble sacrifices, we would like you to give up on the provinces of Podolia, Volhynia, and Pripyat.”

75 million francs was more than 20 percent of Russia’s one-year gross domestic product, and the provinces of Podolia, Volhynia, and Pripyat were densely populated and granary areas to Russia. There were also part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Alexander I could not contain his anger and banged his fist on the table. All the food on the table spilled onto the ground.

The atmosphere at the dinner hall cooled down in an instant. The tense eyes around them focused on the emperors of the two empires.