Napoleon in 1812

Chapter 26

4. What happened at the diner – 4

“Did you think we’d accept such an offer without consequences? How ignorant, foolish and shameless! How did the genius of war lose his sense and become so arrogant? I think you and your country want to fight till the end. Great! Let’s give it a try! I’ll see how long you can hold out between many fronts and many enemies!”

Alexander I was well aware of the current domestic and international problems of France. That was right. It was undeniable that France would be in a very difficult position if Russia insisted on war until the end. But Napoleon knew how to hide his weaknesses.

“Whew… this is a pity.”

“Why the hell would this be a pity!”

“As an honorable victor, we have given the utmost generosity and mercy to your defeated country. But now the Tsar rejected it with such simple words.”

“Hahaha! Was it a proposal of generosity and mercy? The Emperor must have lost his head in the long war!”

After quietly rising from his seat, Napoleon put his bicorne on his head.

And he declared.

“The negotiations between France and Russia broke down. After this, the two empires will resume war, and the expedition to the East will march again. Generals, I expect great achievements like the Battle of Hrodna.”

“Veillons au salut de l’Empire (Let’s ensure the salvation of the Empire)!”[1]

Sensitive, Marshal Claude Victor-Perrin shouted in a loud voice, followed by the French generals and officers at the dinner hall, who also sang the French national anthem. Napoleon had a solemn expression on his face, but clapped inwardly in satisfaction with their acting skills.

‘It’s worth the stubborn push.’

Before sitting at the negotiating table, Napoleon had ordered his loyal subjects. If the Russians rejected their proposal or showed willingness to fight, they should act as bold as them. Negotiations between countries were like gratins (traditional French food), where truth, lies, and bluff were properly mixed. And among all that, the momentum they were showing could be considered as high-level bluffing.

[We can quit this negotiation at any time and fight. Come if you’re confident.]

Couldn’t this bravado against a monarch like Alexander I who had a fiery temperament be counterproductive? That was why it was more effective. Fear was like pain, and the concept of threshold and immunity existed. When the intensity of the stimulus broke through a certain point, a person began to feel pain, and a person who had been rarely exposed to it felt more pain than a regular person. If pain was replaced with fear, then Alexander I was just like that.

‘It must be a great shock for him that I completely crushed his proposal and that the French generals cried out for war. It’s enough to obscure his rational judgment for a while. When did he ever face such threats?’

Even before entering the room, Napoleon’s psychological warfare had been aimed at Alexander I from the beginning. lexander I, whom Napoleon knew, was a man of high pride. But that was why he would never resume the war. This was because he knew how terrible and desperate the humiliation that a national leader had to endure when he was completely defeated.

Because he was very proud, he paradoxically avoided the possibility of the worst moments happening. That was what Napoleon thought Alexander I was like.

The French generals and officers immediately put down what they had eaten and drank, with a burning will to resume war, and lined up behind Napoleon. The friendly Napoleon from before was nowhere to be seen. He left the dining room without hesitation with a firm face. The generals and officers under his command followed the French Emperor in a solemn way.

Alexander I asked the General Peter Wittgenstein 21 in the quiet dining room.

“Where are the surviving troops of your corps right now and how many are they? Can they stop the French from advancing?”

“Currently, the Tormasovi31 Corps is guarding the Kiev area. n Finland, 40,000 troops are heading south. Except for them, the regular corps… are not anymore. Except for Your Majesty’s Guard.”

There were also troops led by Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov and Marshal Levin Bennigsen, but they withdrew from the front line. That was how the Bagration Corps and the Barclay Corps were born. It was not for nothing that they were now called Russia’s main forces and the elite corps.

All of them had fallen into Napoleon’s hands. This alone was a sufficient answer to the question of whether it would be possible to prevent the advance of the French army.

“What if we recruit more soldiers? Is it too much to call troops from the Black and Baltic fleets?”

“Not really. The Slavs are warriors who are not afraid of war and death. In order to protect our country, we will fight with all our might, crying out for Your Majesty’s noble name. But the problem is… time. It takes two to three months just to conscript, arm and organize them. At least we need an army to support that time.”

General Wittgenstein said two to three months, but Alexander I knew it was well aware of the reality. An army would not be made with just conscription and organization. At least, basic training such as gun handling, hand-to-hand combat, and formation training was also required.

In particular, Russians with a high illiteracy rate took longer to educate their soldiers. It would take a considerable amount of time to march here, so it would take at least half a year to command a corps here that could confront the French. It would be a little better to call some troops from the fleet, but… How helpful would they be if they were 20,000 or 30,000?

“In the end, there is no way to stop the French from invading the Empire.”

“…l beg your pardon, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“What about England? Didn’t they say that if our country goes to war with France, they would land a large army in the Netherlands and respond greatly!?”

The Deputy Minister of Foreign affairs, Kochu Beiman, replied with a bow.

“People in London protesting against the increase in war taxes are demonstrating on a large scale and the British cannot afford to deploy additional troops. They said that the situation on the Iberian Peninsula was urgent… Instead, I received a reply saying that they would increase the amount of financial support.”

“It’s not money that matters right now!”

Alexander I shouted to leave the dining room.

“bragt (Fuck)! We’re like Austria in 1809! I shouldn’t have believed the disgusting people of this island country!”

In 1809, Britain had declared that if Austria attacked France, it would launch a large-scale landing campaign in the Netherlands at the same time. However, when Austria declared war on France, Britain gave up the landing operations under the pretext of mosquitoes in the Netherlands.

Only Austria was destroyed by the collaboration of France and its allies. Alexander I, who could not understand how people could protest against their own country, was only angry, saying that Britain was only making excuses.

“What about Prussia and Austria? I’m sure they promised to step in with us!?”

Britain changed its face, and Russia was defeated in the first round. At this point when France and Napoleon’s momentum was not dampened at all, of course Prussia and Austria were forced to remain silent.

“In the end, we can’t stop France. That rootless Corsican villager is running wild, and I, who inherited the blood of Peter the Great, can’t control anything. Hahaha… hahaha!!”

Alexander I rushed out of the dining room. The Russian officials and generals were forced to bow their heads, even more bewildered and miserable. The reason why the Tsar and the Empire suffered such humiliation was because they were weak. Because they were incompetent.

In a surge of humiliation and insults, they once again increased their bitter hostility to France.

“…Call Napoleon I. He wouldn’t have gone far yet.”

Several generals gritted their teeth in tears at Alexander I’s helpless words. This shame, this humiliation. They would never forget.

The French side was also concerned about the breakdown of the negotiations. With a decisive victory, they succeeded in splitting Russia’s main corps. Surely Russia had lost the power to continue the war for some time.

Nevertheless, no French generals wanted to continue to fight Russia. The same was true for Napoleon.

‘During the annihilation of 51,000 Russian troops, 20,000 of our soldiers were injured as well. Don’t tell me that the deterioration of the quality of the Great Army is so serious.’

Napoleon secretly lamented after the Battle of Hrodna. If the war with Russia continued, France would have to endure considerable damage and expenditure. Russia had too much territory. And it was too far away to be incorporated into the French sphere of influence.

Far from controlling it effectively, just occupying the frozen grasslands was difficult. Once again, he realized that fighting Russia would do more harm than good.

No one said a thing, but they all understood that much. They wanted anyone to come forward and say to Napoleon, ‘It is still difficult for the Empire to resume the war.’ Napoleon smiled lightly when he noticed their thoughts.

“I can hear you rolling your eyes all the way here.”

“Oh, no. Your Majesty!”

“I’ll correct it. Hmm…”

Napoleon continued to speak among the generals and officers who avoided his eyes with an embarrassed look.

“I know what you’re thinking. But you don’t have to worry about it anymore. The war with Russia will not continue.”

What do you mean, you’ve just shouted at the Russian Tsar’s face the resumption of the war? While the generals of the Empire tilted their heads, a loud voice calling Napoleon’s party came from behind.

He shouted in French mixed with Russian words and had a strong Russian accent. It looked very urgent.

That’s right. Napoleon smirked.

‘It was worth walking slowly on purpose.’

TL notes

[1] You can listen to “Veillons au salut de l’Empire’ 

[2] Peter Wittgenstein

[3] Alexander Tormasov