Napoleon in 1812 - Chapter 55

Chapter 55

10. Defense master, offense genius – 1

The march of Napoleon’s corps, which arrived on October 14, was far beyond the normal scope of this era. The overall pace of the march was amazing, but what was more shocking was their acceleration as they reached their target. The standard of troops’ march so far was to walk a little fast when they first departed and gradually slow down as they reached their destination. This was because they needed time to save the strength of the soldiers before the battle and focus on identifying the battlefield through reconnaissance in dangerous areas.

But Napoleon did not move like that.

‘Concealing information, leading to confusion, and deception. I’ve always been victorious like this.’

Telling the enemy when and where to move was a duty of the commander leading the unit. Thus, in the other world, Napoleon broke countless military rules that many commanders tacitly acknowledged and followed.

His troops do not have a firm set of principles. They look like uneducated, unruly children. But when I met him on the battlefield, I feared him more than any other army. The war against him was always accompanied by variables and extraordinary events, and surprisingly all of them worked in Napoleon’s interest.

This was the evaluation of Napoleon made by Mikhail Kutuzov, the commander who had fought him the most in the other world. Napoleon, by his own judgment, always fought in unexpected times and places, never missed to take the initiative, and eventually won the war. That was the crucial difference between Napoleon Bonaparte and the historical leaders who were destroyed while ignoring the iron rules of war with clumsy strategies and personality.

Wellesley’s intelligence unit calculated the estimated arrival time to Burgos, expecting Napoleon’s corps to gradually slow down to catch their breath. In fact, however, Napoleon’s troops began to walk at a faster pace after breaking through the Spanish border. This was how the gap between the messenger’s report and the actual reality was born.

Of course, this ever-changing march of troops was not performed without worries. The marshals of the Empire, the chief of staff Berthier, as well as various generals and officials expressed their anxiety over this unconventional situation. To them, Napoleon said:

“Gentlemen, what matters now is not the strength of the soldiers, but time. Look at the nature of this war.”

After all, this time again, his judgment was not wrong. Fort Burgos, which was in danger of falling, was able to stand thanks to Napoleon’s rapid march. Acting unconventionally was accompanied by risks. But those who were accustomed to it would achieve decisive results as they did now.

Napoleon decided to stay overnight in the city center of Burgos to receive supplies from the supply wagon that followed behind. They were able to defend Fort Burgos, one of the key points, but it was not without the aftereffects of the rapid march. The soldiers needed to rest, so Napoleon decided not to pursue the Allies, but to move on with the time.

“The town of Renuncio, where the coalition forces are currently stationed, is about 8.5 kilometers southwest of Burgos. It’s characterized by open grasslands and pastures, and from summer to early autumn, reeds grow thickly.”

After serving in the area between Madrid and Burgos for about two years and three months, Lieutenant Colonel Neelan, an Irish chief of staff, gave Napoleon and his marshals an explanation of the terrain through a map of the area of Burgos with a scale of 1:10,000

The Arlanzón River was about 50 to 80 feet wide (15 to 20 meters), and was a small stream rather than a great river. The deepest part of the Arlanzón River was shallow enough to reach only the chest of an adult man, and the flow was not that fast. But on a battlefield where speed, time and balance were important, that alone could be a hindrance. If they advanced only thinking that the river was shallow and narrow, they would be exposed to intensive British fire and shelling and would be defeated in an instant

“The composition of the enemy army, as determined through various sources of intelligence, is approximately 55,000 British, 15,000 Portuguese, and 8,000 Spanish troops.”

“So they outnumber us, don’t they? The British must have brought in a lot of mercenaries in a hurry to prepare for a decisive battle.”

“That’s right. Arthur Wellesley, the commander-in-chief of the Allied forces, has called in irregular troops across the peninsula and is still doing so.”

“What about the cavalry and artillery forces?”

“There are about 200 cannons in the possession of the coalition, including heavy artillery and light artillery. The number of cavalry men is estimated to be about 11,000. Most of these are British.”

So it was 70,000 against 78,000, and the cavalry was about of the same size. There were about 40 more cannons on the French side. At this point, it was a truly equal amount of power.

“What is the possibility that they will take the initiative by crossing the Arlanzón River?”

“According to Arthur Wellesley’s actions until now, it’s highly unlikely… But a 100% certainty on the battlefield is a dangerous thing.”

“Well, it’s hard to expect a consistent tactic from a fox-like guy.”

Napoleon’s gaze was still directed at the topographical map of Burgos while the marshals and officers talked. On the map, he looked for a long time at the reed forest, which would grow thickly between the Arlanzón River and the village of Renuncio.

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On October 15, 1812, at dawn.

After a day’s rest in the city center, Napoleon’s troops marched to the Arlanzón River, where the coalition forces were staying. It was a short distance that could be reached in less than two hours at a normal pace, so before noon, they would face Wellesley’s corps waiting on the other side of the river. Heavy tension hung around the Arlanzón River.

Taking a rough look at the formation and deployment of Wellesley’s corps, Napoleon established himself on the northern banks of the river and set up camp. Until then, no attacks or provocations were made on either side.

“It’s the first time since serving in the army that I’ve seen two enemy armies so close to each other without any confrontation, shooting, or battle.”

Marshal Bessières said so, while stroking his nice mustache.

Around the Arlanzón River, the Allies were about 2 km south and the French were about 2 km north. Considering the range of the cannons, it was true that both sides were out of reach. Of course, Napoleon and Wellesley were confident enough that they could respond immediately if the enemy came out on the offensive.

The fact that there was a small river between them prevented both sides from launching a surprise attack.

“It means that the coalition forces don’t want to fight right now. Well, it’s the same for our troops.”

Before he knew it, Napoleon, who was on a simple watchtower built with wood by the engineers, looked again at the deployment of the Wellesley Corps, and this time in detail. Deep trenches were dug, the artillery was placed on the sides on two lines, and the cavalry was deployed on the flanks and in the rear. The campsite along the Arlanzón River was narrow and long, with evenly distributed officer barracks and ammunition supplies… What Napoleon realized from this was that Arthur Wellesley never intended to attack first. It was a deployment with only defense, defense, and unconditional defense in mind.

‘If you want to fight, you come yourself. I don’t mind waiting like this.’

That was what Arthur Wellesley seemed to be saying. The French also needed more time to relieve fatigue from their long and arduous march. Napoleon decided to keep up with this pace for now.

“Write this letter to my dear brother: Don’t hide like a scared puppy in Valencia and focus on taking back the plains of La Mancha. Oh, and I’d like to tell you this. You are not good at commanding the military at all, so don’t waste your time and leave it to Marshal Suchet.”

“…O-Of course, Your Majesty the Emperor!”

The staff officers thought they should filter the Emperor’s words, who had become more talkative these days. Napoleon also called for moves consistent with the grand strategy he had envisioned in the early days of the expedition, listening to the recent moves of the Masséna Corps and the Suchet Corps.

The real battlefield of the peninsula war, where the main forces of the coalition and the Empire faced each other, was right here on the Arlanzón River. However, if there was a lead role, there was also a supporting role. Throughout the peninsula, several corps were fighting to create a gap in both forces, and according to their results, Arthur Wellesley and Napoleon could decide whether to move or wait.

‘I can’t just attack when you’re on the defensive like that. I’ll have to wait until something unusual comes up.’

In anticipation of a prolonged war, Napoleon had brought in officials to help leading the Empire. So he thought it did not matter if he was sitting here all this time. Well, it would still be less efficient than sitting in the palace in Paris and doing business, but that was why he had made such efforts to bring in François Carnot.

Even if he was on an external expedition, he was confident that the gradual reforms would continue and that the Empire’s state affairs would be taken care of.

October 16, the second day after he arrived in Burgos.

Napoleon was going to rest and wait until the picture he wanted came out. But the French generals, however, had a slightly different opinion.

“The soldiers are completely different from the past. Their morale and willingness to fight have reached its peak!”

“Your Majesty’s words in front of Fort Burgos seem to have touched their hearts. Why don’t we use this momentum to attack the enemy?”

In front of the soldiers of the corps, he gave the defenders vacations and rewards, and promised them the same gift if they won the war. Thanks to this, Napoleon’s soldiers became victory-hungry warriors like hyenas for food.

When Napoleon checked for himself, he saw that the soldiers were voluntarily grooming the muskets, sharpening the bayonets, and burning their will to fight. Promising an important reward to boost morale ahead of a big battle had often been used in the other world.

However, it had never worked to this extent.

‘It’s rare for the Emperor to make such a promise, so it must have worked a lot more. Indeed, Nabot rarely accepted complaints from soldiers except for the Imperial Senior Guard.’

Nabot gained their infinite loyalty by giving special treatment only to the elite military, but Napoleon now had no intention of doing so. He wanted to be the leader of the entire French army, not the Emperor of the Imperial Guard.

“If their will to fight is beyond our imagination, then there is not need to stick to a defensive strategy. In two days, most of the fatigue caused by the rapid march will be relieved.”

“Then…”

“The offensive begins at dawn.”

The officers made puzzled expressions, saying that this was too extreme of a change. Napoleon clicked his tongue.

“What are you doing? Come on, follow my orders!”

If he found something unusual that could help him win, he would not hesitate. That was a characteristic of Napoleon.