Napoleon in 1812

Chapter 5

Napoleon’s cry from the middle of the grasslands – 4

The messengers sent by Alexander I, Tsar of the Russian Empire, arrived in Vilnius and Minsk a few hours later. At Vilnius, Barclay de Tolly, a commander of the Russian army, was currently under camp with 120,000 troops. In Minsk, Russia’s proud commander General Pyotr Bagration (1) was standing by with 52,000 soldiers. The original purpose of the two corps was to control the speed of the French expeditionary forces advancing inland, cutting off subsequent units and supply units.

However, as the situation changed, the operation was stopped and the French were watched closely. Prince Bagration, who was still sharpening the blade of revenge against the French, was delighted at the Tsar’s command to pursue the French army that really seemed to be retreating, while General Barclay, who practically led the field tactics, looked disappointed.

“The French expeditionary forces have yet to suffer any damage. The French Emperor is not just any enemy, he would have prepared for his retreat… What’s the benefit of chasing after him?”

In order to reduce the amount of local supplies the French expeditionary forces could take, they had already carried out a devastating operation on the French expected march. If they stepped back and started chasing from here, wouldn’t the devastating side disappear?

“But isn’t this His Majesty’s order? And if something really urgent happened to the French mainland, how much could Napoleon do?”

“The grassland is the land of the Empire. The Neman River area is also a place where the Imperial Army has conducted numerous maneuvers. Our army has an advantage in mobility and intelligence.”

It was the words of the staff officers who wanted to chase and fall back if they could not. General Barclay nodded his head after much thought and ordered his troops to be ready to move. Barclay made his way to Minsk.

===

“That landboy Nabot has been scrambling to capture the nation from the start of the war to the moment he reached the Neman River. If such a belligerent fellow is pulling back, there’s probably a good reason. I’m sure he’s not the type to retreat without setting up proper countermeasures.”

Bagration, originally stationed in Minsk, urged Barclay to act. The belligerent and straightforward Prince Bagration said Barclay’s field tactics were no longer effective and that he should focus his efforts on chasing the expeditionary forces.

“The information is not clear yet. Napoleon is a deceptive genius. Remember to watch out for his sly head at any time.”

The General, who had been overly cautious since the beginning, was not popular among the Russian soldiers. As if to prove it, not only the officers of the Bagration Corps, but also the officers of the Barclay Corps, frowned slightly at General Barclay’s words. Bagration made a fierce smile at the sight.

“The Empire (Russia) is a nation of beasts and warriors. Soldiers who are not brave will eventually be slaughtered. The late General Suvorov 21 always emphasized the bravery and recklessness of each soldier. You’d better remember what His Majesty really wants.”

“… Thank you for the advice.”

Barclay sighed quietly and shook his anger. He was only a general in name, filling the vacancy of Kutuzov,131 who had briefly stepped down from the front line. Feeling the sorrow of a foreign-born general, Barclay had to soothe his depressed heart.

It was around the time that intelligence that Russian soldiers stationed in Vilnius were moving to Minsk arrived at the expedition. Napoleon was currently dealing with quite a nuisance.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Forgive this Marshal’s disloyalty! But I can’t go on without saying a word about this! Isn’t this different from what we promised with the Polish people!?”

Since he became Napoleon of the world, Napoleon diligently collected various information by reading letters, documents, and reports, and was lucky to know who was in front of him. Józef Antoni Poniatowski, 41 a member of the Polish royal family that had fallen into ruin, was confident in taking a position among the 26 marshals under Napoleon.

‘He was a complete stranger in the other world.

Napoleon had always emphasized his friendship with the Empire of the frozen land, Russia, so he had refrained from doing things that could provoke Russia. Of course, he had never dreamed of liberating Poland, but it seemed that the Nabot in this world had acted differently for a long time. He had intelligence making him believe that an alliance against Russia would be properly maintained after making the Duchy of Warsaw. And what else did you promise before your expedition?

“Well… I’m sorry, Duke. But from the beginning, this expedition was stupid, no, burdensome, and I only realized it now. I’m not sure I can keep my promises right now. But I’ll give you a reasonable reward somehow. So I want you to trust me and France and wait.”

Poniatowski had run energetically, arguing, but he had never thought the proud Emperor would apologize so gently. Rather, the Duke of Warsaw, who had a look of surprise, bowed his head in a hurry and replied.

“Oh, no. Your Majesty. This Marshal was too hasty. I had no intention of questioning the sincerity of the Emperor. But… if the expedition has been canceled, what should our Duchy and the military do now?”

The Duchy of Warsaw was the second largest country after France, with about 90,000 troops on this expedition. There must have been tremendous financial and administrative bleeding just by recruiting these soldiers… Napoleon felt very sorry.

“Thank you for understanding. However, I haven’t ordered yet the dissolution of the expeditionary force. We’ve already thrown the cheese, and soon the mice will come. Don’t you think we should catch the rats?”

‘If they sign the agreement without even fighting, they’re not Russian.’

The people who ate foie gras knew, and Napoleon, who had dealt with Russia many times, knew it well. Alexander I would show his face to the negotiating table in a big and proper way.

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TL notes

[1] Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly. [1] Pyotr Bagration

[2] Alexander Suvorov

13] Mikhail Kutuzov

[4] Józef Antoni Poniatowski