Napoleon in 1812 - Chapter 80
Chapter 80
13. Golden War – 4
Asphyxia. This word was the best to express the terrible feelings that the members of the Spanish resistance were feeling now.
The French army’s strategy and movement were so different from the past. They were no longer launching reckless offensives against the coalition forces, nor were they robbed and defeated by the resistance. They took over the Spanish territory and simply sat there.
They cracked down the inside and stabilized it, instigated the people to divide them, and ruthlessly wiped out the hidden insurgents.
The more pressure the French were putting, the more difficult it was for the resistance to find the supplies to use for guerrilla operations.
In the past, they could have been obtained from the Spanish people or the Allied forces, but with the vicious divisions and spread of the revolutionary spirit that France had conducted, the resistance could no longer trust the ‘contaminated’ locals.
Eventually, they had to get supplies from the Allies, and the French could not ignore it.
As if stable supplies were unacceptable, the French were very persistently harassing the resistance, attacking and crushing their supply lines.
“If we go on like this, we’re going to sit down and die!”
Spanish Resistance Commander Juan Martín Díez wrote directly to the Allies to overcome the situation.
‘If you want us to hold our breath even if it’s a weak one, we desperately need you to send us war supplies as soon as possible.’
The Allies, who knew the value of the Spanish resistance, did not turn a blind eye to his demand.
Francisco da Silveira, Count of Amarante and Commander of Portugal’s Royal Army, volunteered to take on the heavy duty of providing supplies to the resistance.
“Our goal is not to fight the French, but to give hope and courage to our comrades.”
Of course, to provide supplies to the resistance forces in the territories occupied by the French, they had to contact them and infiltrate the enemy’s lines, which was a considerable risk.
The Count of Amarante, daring to take risks anyway, had prepared a surprise infiltration through the plains of La Mancha.
Who would dare to openly cross the plains of La Mancha, the heart of the Iberian Peninsula? Therefore, there was no bolder operation to pierce the enemy’s lines than this.
Count of Amarante led a corps of about 12,000 troops to the north. Right behind them were carts and wagons carrying wheat, rice, corn, salted beef, beans, oats, and war supplies such as muskets, rifles, ammunition, lightweight cannons, shells, gunpowder, etc.
The French did not even dream of the Allies passing through the plains of La Mancha, instead of going by sea through ports such as Almería and Murcia.
The troops of the Count of Amarante were able to quickly run to their target areas, simply defeating their enemies along the way, who were greatly surprised. In fact, this operation was on the verge of success.
It would be over as long as they could deliver a new spark to the dying Spanish resistance and then go back. It would have been possible, if it was not for the intrusion of the ‘Spanish Fox’, Louis-Gabriel Suchet.
“Africa’s vulgar dishwashers and coachmen of Estrela’s countryside have gathered here! Give a gift of rest to those who want to meet Philip II and João IV in the underworld!”
The Spanish Resistance Army and the Count of Amarante’s troops responded well to the sudden appearance of Suchet’s Corps, showing their skills.
From the beginning, however, it was impossible for the resistance and coalition forces to overcome Suchet’s troops, which had artillery on the high ground and were fully prepared.
Count of Amarante and Brigadier General Alberio (of the resistance forces) were able to save many soldiers by quickly ordering them to step down, but could not protect the supplies that the Allies had been struggling to bring.
“You’ve done a great job bringing these all the way here! We’ll keep your tribute safe and use it well for the next battle! Hahahaha!”
At the taunt of Louis-Gabriel Suchet, officers of the Allies and resistance forces had to hold back. And this incident became a fatal blow to the resistance who was already in a tight spot.
===
France had fostered and utilized a large number of spies composed of locals to gain intelligence and divide the enemy forces.
Because of them, the Spanish resistance was facing a great threat that it had never experienced before, and had now to worry about its own survival without receiving supplies from the Allies. However, the same possibility also existed on their side.
Couldn’t they use the same cards as the French against them? The number of Spanish people who were hostile to France was still, and far greater than the pro-French.
They were willing at any time to sell information about the French movement to the coalition or the resistance.
If France had made locals become spies, the Allies could also run intelligence units of citizens in the occupied territories.
On a bigger scale, this would help to amplify the volume and accuracy of information coming to the Allies.
The Spanish resistance was also still alive, although it was struggling for survival, which allowed the Allies to maintain their front lines without retreating even further.
However, knowing information about the enemy in advance did not always have a positive effect.
“Last time, we received a letter of protest from 10 Downing Street (the British Prime Minister’s residence), but this time, it’s the Provisional Government of Seville?”
“It is true that the delegation from Seville has arrived… Coincidentally, people on the Westminster side arrived around the same time.”
“The army’s life is very eventful!”
“This is the one… whether we want to go to war or not. Tsk tsk…”
Thanks to this, Commander Arthur Wellesley was forced to leave his post urgently during a military meeting. This was why the officers who were attending the meeting clicked their tongues and looked displeased. The crisis had subsided across the peninsula, so there was a lot of fuss here and there.
“Well, I understand that Seville is nervous, too. We didn’t know that Nabot was inciting the Spanish people in such a heinous way.”
“There’s no equal to this reincarnation of the true devil! In the entire history! I will never forget that damn Corsican slayer!”
“Haa!…”
Each of the Allied generals vented their anger or sighed to clear their minds. The news that France had established its own administrative entities and was ‘ruling’ the occupied Spanish territories had left the Provisional Government of Seville dumbfounded.
The story of King Fernando VII, the king of Spain, running wild and smashing all kinds of furniture was already a widespread rumor among the Allied forces.
Fernando VII and other members of the Spanish cabinet were much more angry and afraid of France encroaching on the empty Spanish administrative vacuum than hundreds of thousands of their people being slaughtered.
It was because they knew. The Spanish territories that were now under French control were thoughtfully polluted by the ideas of revolution and freedom, and even if the war ended and they were returned to Spain, they would never return to their former state.
“Don’t we have to stop the demise of the resistance by any means necessary? When we were with them, we used to call them ‘a bunch of elephants sucking money and gunpowder’, but to be honest, only the resistance forces could sway the French’s rear.”
“The reason why we can maintain the front line despite the lack of coalition troops is because there are insurgents and militias in the territories occupied by the French. We can’t lose them. We need to make sure to provide them with supplies.”
Officers from Spain and Portugal wanted to protect the resistance by all means. British officers, on the other hand, were skeptical.
“…There is no clear way to help them. Right now, we’re in a hurry to maintain the front line of the peninsula.”
“The French bastards are not usually sneaky people. But they’re cutting all the connections between us and the resistance.”
“To break this crisis, the Count of Amarante himself led the corps and marched into the plains of La Mancha… Of course, as we all know, the Count’s majestic operation failed.”
The operation led by the Count of Amarante was carried out with thorough information control. The fact that the enemy was preparing for it in advance was evidence that there were French spies inside the coalition and resistance forces.
All the Allied officers at the meeting looked dark. A lot of supplies from the coalition had been sent to feed and support the Spanish resistance.
Nevertheless, Arthur Wellesley and the other British, Portuguese, Spanish generals, and even the British politicians were not questioning support for the resistance, because they admitted that its existence was necessary.
When the situation turned unfavorable, the Allies gave up their occupied territories and retreated behind the Lines of Torres Vedras, as they always did.
Their move was aimed at preventing the French from attacking, including Napoleon, through this defensive front while they were catching their breath.
However, the French army, which was marching as if to wipe out the entire Iberian Peninsula, stopped advancing. And then it started to conciliate and stabilize its control over the occupied territories.
It was as if the French were not interested in any other area of the peninsula other than the one they were currently occupying. They were using all sorts of tactics to exterminate the Spanish resistance and militias.
Their strategy succeeded in making the members of the Provisional Government of Seville, British, Portuguese politicians and the media beyond the strait more hasty and anxious than the soldiers on the peninsula. All that led to the present day.
“At times like this, I just want to go out and fight hard.”
“An impatient commander fights a hundred times and loses a hundred times. Don’t say stupid things, kid.”
“Bullshit! But isn’t it true! As time goes by, the enemy is only getting stronger and less vulnerable! The French have dispersed their forces to rule over that vast occupied area. This may be our last chance!”
“Although we have ignored our Spanish friends, it is undeniable that their assistance allowed us to bring the war here…”
Opinions were also divided among generals and officers within the coalition. It meant that there was no clear answer to overcome the current situation. That was why the Allied command was even more unsettled.
“The Commander is coming in!”
Arthur Wellesley, Marquis of Wellington, walked into the foreign office of Fort Santino, an outpost of the Lines of Torres Vedras, where the meeting was being held. The officers did not know what he had heard, but his poker face remained the same.
“Today the delegation of the Provisional Government of Seville has spoken to us. His Majesty Fernando VII recognizes the hard work of the soldiers and asks us to return to the front line of September 1812 as soon as possible.”
“…”
Wellesley spoke calmly, but the officers who knew about Fernando VII’s personality could imagine how agitated he must have been when asking this.
“Also, a final notice from Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson and Westminster Parliament has arrived, asking us to break through that bloody ‘Santiago-Almería’ line before April and turn to the offensive. So, our troops can’t continue with the defensive strategy.”
Grunts poured out from all over the place. Some generals expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister and the Parliament, who did not respect the judgment of the field at all. Wellesley calmed them down with his quiet charisma.
“The new war with the United States has added to the kingdom’s financial burden. The leaders of both parties in Westminster and His Majesty agreed to send fleets and troops to protect the kingdom’s territory in the New World and approved additional budget spending. And so the opposite action is…”
“A cut in the budget for the Allied forces in the Peninsular War.”
“Oh, my God, damn it! Are they really going to hand over the whole Iberia to Nabot!?”
Disappointed soldiers spat out curses. They could no longer be compensated for all the hard work they had had in their service here for nearly five years.
Now it was completely in vain. But the Portuguese and Spanish officers were even more shocked. Without the help of the British, how could they survive against those ferocious French?
In fact, it was like telling them to surrender. All kinds of negative emotions spring up, but among them Arthur Wellesley smiled.
“You have to listen to people until the end. The Westminster Parliament has clearly passed a budget cut for the troops currently operating in Europe. But it is not our Army that is included in the cuts.”
“S-Sir! Well, then!…”
“That’s right. The target being cut is the kingdom’s naval strength. And a big part of the support that was put into it… will be redirected to form an additional army force that will join us here.”
“!!…”
A wave of silence swept the military meeting. Soon after, the officers who came to their senses let out harsh cheers.
That was right. Britain had declared that it would abandon its current strategy and more aggressively engage in the war against France.
