Napoleon in 1812

Chapter 15

Battles between great powers begin with guns and end with talks – 2

Pyotr Bagration left the barracks after the military meeting. In order to prepare for the battle that would take place from early tomorrow morning, he had to rest his tired body on a bed, but instead of doing that, Bagration headed straight to the city of Izmonti to meet someone. The city of Izmonti, which was farther behind the town of Putrishki, where the main Russian troops and headquarters were currently stationed, was holding enemy prisoners captured in today’s battle.

Bagration’s expression was very stiff, as he was on his way to meet the prisoners while being escorted by Russian officers and soldiers.

‘No matter how much I think about it, there are so many suspicious things. Why would foreign troops fight so hard for France? And the number of deployed cannons is abnormally high.’

He knew Napoleon well because he had fought many battles against him. He was not someone who would distribute the most important strategic materials, such as field artillery, to foreign troops in such large quantities. The suspicion did not turn into conviction because it was confirmed that the enemy was not using the French unique troop deployment or tactics. However, Bagration still did not let go of his doubts.

“Bring some Hrodna’s prisoners. Do not distinguish between rank, nationality or physical characteristics, but choose randomly.”

“Yes, my General!”

While Bagration burned some tobacco for a while, the officers dragged the captive prisoners. They were soldiers who had struggled against the Bagration corps many times in the fortress, so the hands of the officers dealing with them were rough. Bagration opened his mouth as he watched the prisoners’ sharp glance.

“You! Stand up and introduce yourself.”

Bagration, who had followed Suvorov in the Northern Italy expedition, had traveled all over Bohemia and Germany to form a coalition front with Austria and Prussia, and had also studied many foreign languages. He was therefore fluent in German.

Bagration thought ‘if they’re really soldiers from the Confederation of the Rhine, their German skills can’t be clumsy’, as he looked at the soldier.

“I’m from the Kingdom of Westphalia. I live on a farm near the Herrenhausen Palace, and I’m called Hans there…”

The first soldier stuttered because of the tension, but his pronunciation and accent were no different from a true German.

“Stop, you’re next! Introduce yourself. Start with your name, where you live, your family, etc.”

“I’m Anton, 21 years old, I live in Wittenberg, in the Kingdom of Saxony. My father passed away when I was young, and now I live with my mother…”

Bagration continued to confront the prisoners in this way. The prisoners were all terrified, but they spoke German fluently and not a single French word.

“…Bring them back to their original positions. And bring other prisoners. Likewise, chosen at random.”

“Yes, my General!”

Bagration also pretended to ask for personal information with the other prisoners and listened to their German accent. Most of the soldiers’ pronunciation was the same as that of native speakers. There were some awkward German-speaking soldiers, but they were Irish, American, or Croatian mercenaries hired by the Confederation of the Rhine, not Germans. None of the soldiers were from France.

Bagration was lost in thought with his fist covering his mouth. An officer opened his mouth while looking at him.

“Well… can I bring others in?”

“…No. It’s meaningless.”

Bagration said, after thinking a little more.

“Bring in the commander of the Rhine forces.”

Soon after, the Russian officers brought in someone with a generous impression. Unlike the tightly bound soldiers, he was enjoying complete physical freedom and was treated luxuriously for a prisoner. This was because the status of Commander of the Confederation of the Rhine’s forces was that high. He was Karl von Württemberg, the younger brother of king Friedrich I of the Kingdom of Württemberg.

“Even though I am a prisoner, I am devoted to my kingdom and to the Empire. I will not cooperate with you until the end of the war. I don’t have any information to give you.”

Although he was speaking confidently, his slightly trembling voice and his eyes moving from side to side could not be hidden.

‘He’s a scared and timid person. It’s a piece of cake to cook this kind of people.’

“I heard that the number of troops mobilized by the Confederation of the Rhine was 130,000, and the number of those crossing the border was close to 90,000… There were only 2,000 or 3,000 soldiers guarding the fortress. Where are the rest of the soldiers stationed?”

“…I made my position clear. I won’t answer.”

“Don’t speak so stubbornly… Think carefully before answering. You and the Kingdom of Württemberg are currently under the fake emperor Napoleon, but will it be the same in the future? People speak ill of bats, but it wasn’t the beasts or the birds that survived without getting hurt until the end.”[1]

“Is it true that the soldiers you were commanding are the soldiers of the Confederation of the Rhine? I don’t mean to disparage the Rhine soldiers, but I’ve never seen or heard of an army from several nations fighting to death in a foreign army and on a foreign expedition. They’re actually French, pretending to be from the Confederation of the Rhine, right?”

“It’s hard to listen to this anymore. Please observe the international law on war prisoners. I’ll go back now.”

Karl von Württemberg jumped out of his seat with a red face and reached the door. The officers looked at Bagration, but he did not make any expression. Instead, he left a message for Karl von Württemberg, who was about to completely leave the room.

“A nation will surely destroy France, led by a fake emperor. Under this great and just cause, tens of millions of Slavs are willing to march forward. When that time comes, you will regret today’s choice.”

Karl von Württemberg left without answering. How much time passed?

Clink!

Bagration could not control his anger and punched a bottle of wine on the table. The glass bottle fell and shattered, soaking the floor with red wine.

“M-My general! Oh, come on, call the medics!”

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“That’s enough! It’s okay, don’t call them!”

Bagration shouted while wiping the blood and wine on his fist with a handkerchief. The officers were overwhelmed by his ferocious spirit. Bagration gripped his forehead.

It was really a difficult day.

TL notes

[1] A reference to the Fable of Aesop The Bat, Birds, and The Beasts. During a war between the birds and the beasts, the bat switched sides easily depending on which looked more likely to win. At the end of the war, neither side would accept it.