Napoleon in 1812 - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

10. Defense master, offense genius – 2

First, Napoleon’s troops set up a camp next to the Wellesley Corps, which was encamped on the Arlanzón River banks, close enough to feel uncomfortable. Then they formed a wide formation accurately matching the Wellesley Corps, then hid the deployment of their battery with tents and barracks.

If you looked from the air, both sides would be symmetrical with the Arlanzón River between them. Arthur Wellesley thought it was a high-level psychological battle led by Napoleon Bonaparte.

‘Whether you attack me or not, I can handle it perfectly. But you wouldn’t be able to do it, would you?’

This was what Napoleon seemed to be saying now.

Although his opponent was a war master, Arthur Wellesley was also an experienced commander not inferior to him. But even though he was not swayed by provocations, he could not help but recognize Napoleon’s plan and confidence. Despite his ascension to the throne, he was still a natural and talented warrior on the battlefield.

“If we have a chance to shake the enemy camp, we’d better use it.”

A chief of staff from Portugal explained that the nearby terrain, with connected reed forests near the river, was suitable for guerrilla warfare. If there was an overwhelming advantage on the Allied side over the French, it was the presence of experienced troops familiar with guerrillas.

All 8,000 Spanish soldiers were from militias belonging to the Spanish Resistance, which had continuously harassed the rear of the French army through guerrillas. In short, they were specialized in guerrilla warfare. Some Portuguese soldiers had also gained experience in guerrilla warfare while defending the lines of Torres Vedras.

The Portuguese officer even suggested separating them from the rest of the corps and forming a unit for guerrilla tactics. It was at the moment that most officers nodded and agreed with him.

Boom! Boom! Bang!!

The sound of artillery shells coming from afar distracted them. As the officers jumped up from their seats, messengers entered the barracks with urgent expressions.

“The French battery has launched an attack. No friendly damage has been revealed yet, but they are advancing their artillery little by little.”

It was a typical type of local provocation.

“…We will also respond with artillery fire, but pay attention to the location of the main enemy unit. Call me immediately if you see any abnormal behavior.”

However, they would do so while hiding the location of their main battery, as it was the core secret of military tactics. Arthur Wellesley ordered them to focus on understanding and monitoring the situation, rather than engaging the fight.

The French provocation did not end here.

“This is a message from the Hamilton Regiment! The enemies are attacking! They are at least of the size of a company unit! They are near Valentine’s supply center! Sporadic gunfights are continuing under Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton’s command!”

“Check if they are enemy squads or scouts exploring nearby. Strengthen the defenses there and dispatch search teams to look for enemy subordinate units.”

“I report to the Commander! A rifleman from the Dettingen Regiment found traces of enemy soldiers. They are thought to have crossed the Arlanzón River through the Miraflores monastery in the east.”

“Send a battalion of light cavalry. Focus on reconnaissance, but if the number of enemies is small, the commander may engage the fight at his discretion.”

Arthur Wellesley ordered responses to the French provocations with a calm face. The staff officers who were listening to the news advised Wellesley.

“Napoleon is now observing how our forces respond. He is probably trying to gather information to prepare for a major offensive.”

“Hmm…”

“The Arlanzón River lies between the two armies. It’s a small river, but it’s enough to cause damages to the attacking side. Sooner or later, they will realize that our troops have no intention of going first.”

Officers claimed that Napoleon was feeling nervous now, and that sending small units here and there was caused by his impatience. But Wellesley’s thoughts were a little different. Of course, if the confrontation continued like this, it would be very difficult for France, but he did not think that a commander like Napoleon would be satisfied with this.

Subsequently, the search continued between the French and Allied forces. Currently, the camp of the coalition was lined up from side to side to cover the entire center of the Arlanzón River basin. The French were getting on the nerves of the Allies by sending separate troops at both ends. It was not easy to figure out whether it was a search to prepare for a main attack, or just a prank to force the coalition forces out of their camp.

“Prepare to respond to a massive French attack. Order all regiments to be on emergency standby and set up interceptor units.”

“Yes, Commander!”

Wellesley looked forward with sharp eyes.

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Colonel Dettingen, who found traces of French troops south of the Arlanzón River, so near the Allied camp, informed the commander-in-chief. Arthur Wellesley sent a battalion of light cavalry to search for French troops hiding south of the Arlanzón River.

But their hiding skills were as good as rat cubs, and the cavalry could not find them.

“That’s the reed forest here, Lieutenant Colonel Kemp. Do we have to go all the way in there?”

The overgrown reed was 6 to 13 feet long (about 2 to 4 meters), and completely obscured the vision of the horse-riding cavalry. A reed forest was a natural enemy for the light cavalry, for whom having a clear view ahead was more important than for any other unit

“…Tsk, let’s go back!”

Lieutenant Colonel Kemp, the battalion commander of the light infantry, could not bear to search the reed forest, which was 2.9 square miles (7.5 kilometers square). As such, the light cavalry had to return empty-handed with the reed forest in front of them.

How long had it been?

The reeds where they left shook from side to side, and dozens of people appeared. They were French soldiers. The odd thing was that they were not wearing blue uniforms, the symbol of the French army. Their yellowish and light-colored uniforms were the same color as the reed forest and blended completely with the background.

“I’m afraid they’re going to bring in additional reinforcements.”

It was the words of a lieutenant.

But the man who appeared to be an officer shook his head.

“Even if they come, they won’t be able to search all of these vast reeds. And with this outfit, they won’t notice us.”

A special mission was given to those who were willing to risk their lives to cross the Arlanzón River and reach the reed forest. They were told that they would receive a generous reward and the vacation they wished for, after finishing it. That was why they volunteered for this job and took the risk.

“Now, let’s get to work.”

It was another arrangement Napoleon had.

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“They’re all backing out. The enemy battery also stopped firing and disappeared.”

It seemed like they were going to launch a full-fledged attack over the river, but everything calmed down again. Arthur Wellesley frowned, trying to read the thoughts of Napoleon Bonaparte, the enemy commander.

What kind of tactics or strategies was this?

No matter how different the actual battles were from textbooks, Napoleon’s corps’ tactics were truly inconceivable.

“Reform the fighting units and the searching teams into battalions and return to the camp. And I think we need to change our deployment a little bit.”

“You’re right. The purpose of their movements is still unclear. In addition, I recommend increasing the number of night guards. We don’t know what else they’re going to do afterwards.”

“Yes, good advice.”

It was impossible to predict what move they would come up with, so it was inevitable to take general measures. The Allies decided to respond to the French’s anomalous operation in a standard manner. Arthur Wellesley and the other officers were quite confused, but did not discuss further.

After the meeting, Major General Rowland Hill came to Arthur Wellesley, who had been resting while reading a book. He got straight to the point.

“The Emperor of France is a very bold, determined and cold-hearted man. The fact that his army moved in a forced march over a thousand miles doesn’t impress him. He can launch a surprise attack at any time. I think our troops should be thoroughly prepared for this.”

Wellesley agreed with Major General Rowland Hill’s remarks. Napoleon had always won by outwitting his opponent. Having met him as an enemy, any preparation felt inadequate. There was a real problem achieving a ‘perfect preparation’.

Wellesley explained that to the Major General who looked just like him.

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At the same time, perhaps as a joke of fate, a similar story was coming and going in the barracks of the French command.

“…To be honest, we still don’t know as much as Your Majesty thinks. The anxiety that comes from ignorance still lingers.”

It was the words of Chief of Staff Louis-Alexandre Berthier.

He was the second-in-command of the corps after Napoleon and opposed the operation, prepared to fall out of Napoleon’s favor.

“There is nothing wrong with the attack itself. However, if we were going to attack, I wonder if we had any reason to do such noisy searches and operations. I’m worried that we might have made them raise their guard by provoking them.”

Berthier’s remarks made sense.

Nevertheless, Napoleon was calm.

“There are two ways to prepare for a strike. First, sending squads to patrol the opponent’s camp to get information from them. Second, increasing the number of support units and guards to prepare for an attack so that they can respond quickly. Of course, it would be the best if we use both methods, but we have limited manpower. An army that keeps its tension tight at all times gets tired quickly. So commanders have no choice but to make concessions.”

No one knew how long the confrontation between the two armies would continue. Not even Napoleon himself or Arthur Wellesley knew. So it was dangerous to keep the soldiers on alert all the time. Because soldiers were people made of flesh and blood, no matter how strong they were, they could not stay at 100% of their capabilities forever. This was why people alone could not establish a perfect surveillance system.

A commander as good as Arthur Wellesley could not ignore the concept of rapid control to maintain the soldiers’ constancy. Due to his defensive and orthodox tendencies and the unpredictable circumstances of the war, he would necessarily focus on it.

“Considering their deployment of troops, the terrain, the location of the bastions and watchtowers they have installed, and the location of officers with their assigned battalions, Arthur Wellesley is by no means an adventurous commander. At least when dealing with me.”

From the beginning, Napoleon had climbed at the top of a tall watchtower and had analyzed the formation of the Allied forces.

He had sporadically sent separate units to various places to find out how the coalition forces responded, and through this, he traced back information and broke down their formation in detail. More important than the deployment and structure of the troops, he wanted to obtain information on the responding ability and mobility of the units. This was the aim of each search operation.

In Napoleon’s head, a strategy to attack the coalition was already drawn and colored.

“You don’t have to worry about anything. Decisive thoughts and judgments are burdensome. All you have to do is follow my orders. Isn’t it simple?”

Berthier only smiled awkwardly beside Napoleon, who was grinning.