Napoleon in 1812 - Chapter 137

Alexander I and Friedrich Wilhelm III were at a loss when the rafts and spikes, believed to have been sent down by the French, cut off the floating bridges connecting the White Elster River.

However, the blessing for them was that competent and experienced generals and staff officers were under their command, Not only Baron Diebitsch, chief of Russia’s general staff, and Gneisenau, chief of Prussia’s general staff, but also Clausewitz, who now boasted a certain maturity, were all staff members who could be called top-notch strategists.

“The Elster Bridge alone is not enough for us to help our troops across the river, nor can we cover them so that they can step down safely! We must immediately deploy all available engineers to restore the floating bridges. Right now, materials are insufficient, so even wooden warehouses, carts, and temporary military barracks should be dismantled to make up for the shortage.”

“Our troops across the river have been fighting without eating since morning, and their fatigue must be at its I imit now. It is urgent to distribute drinking water and food through reliable bridges.”

“If we deploy our artillery forward and use cover fire, it will strike the enemy across the river and give us strength to hold on. If we complete the floating bridges while Bagration’s corps holds out and advance the main unit, we can reverse the situation.”

The advice of wise staff was sufficiently reasonable, so Alexander I and Friedrich Wilhelm III entrusted the work to their advisors. Indeed, the situation went as expected.

Bagration’s corps fought well against Napoleon’s direct corps, matching its reputation, and thanks to the supply of materials, engineers were able to complete the bridges earlier than expected by the commander.

At this rate, the Allied command would have greatly celebrated the defeat of Napoleon with champagne. If it were not for the large-scale reinforcements following the cavalry division that suddenly appeared on the French side.

“I believe in the strength of our soldiers. I won’t give up until the end!”

The war situation had long been reversed. Among the three monarchs, Alexander I, the leader, never gave up on his dream. He made a strong bet with all the troops he had left out as reserve forces, Now, ingenious strategies and tactics had disappeared.

Only the head-on competition of power and strength to occupy the riverside, the bridge, and the surrounding area remained. The battle took place everywhere, and the bloody smell of the river breeze grew stronger and stronger.

The battle along the river, which had been pushing and pulling bodies over it, gradually turned against the Coalition, contrary to Alexander Ts expectations or wishes.

Although a large number of floating bridges were built to move various battalion units at once, they had to take risks when crossing the river because they were exposed to enemy artillery shells, and it was difficult to advance as quickly as on the bare plain.

In addition, it was hard to secure a place to station troops west of the Elster River, as the forces who came as reinforcements quickly took control of major strong holds.

In the end, the Coalition’s forces had no choice but to fight in unfavorable situations, both when crossing the river and after crossing it, and because they were not against an average army but France’s elite corps, they were foreseeing an overwhelming disadvantage.

“What are you doing nowi? Blow the trumpet of retreat immediately and call them back from across this river of deathi!”

An old man awoke the command headquarters’ members, who were panicked and disappointed as they looked at the deepening war situation. The person walking with a cane supported by a young officer was Bliicher, Prussia’s Marshal Forwards, who had been away from the battlefield for a while due to his poor health.

“Are you going to slaughter all the soldiers of the Coalition!? If you really intend to give the whole of Europe to a Corsican villager, the three of you will have no choice but to get down here, even if you are shot!”

“Marshal! What kind of rudeness is this in front of the monarchs!?1′

“Russia, Sweden, England and Prussia are determined to end Napoleon’s regime with all their might! This is not the judgment of individual monarchs, but the ‘decision of the state’ in which the people, nobility, ethnicity, religion, and ideology are collectively gathered! Betraying this decision is unacceptable as the commander of the Coalition ! Even for the ruler of a country!”

At that, Alexander I, who was wriggling, shouted as if he was hit,

“So you are saying that I betrayed the decision of the Russian Empire!? Who here hates Napoleon more than me! If anyone has made more investments and sacrifices than me to end Napoleon’s rule, come out!”

“Then you should have gathered your forces and held on to your reason! The results of the investment and sacrifice made by Your Majesty are melting away there! We are about to give Bonaparte another myth!”

Even at the gathering of the Tsar of Russia, the King of Prussia, and the King of Sweden, Bliicher did not stop this rude scolding,

The dreary momentum shut up even the prominent generals and officers. Bliicher glared at the people in the command line except for the three monarchs. He had strong eyes that could not be thought of as an old man who had difficulty even moving a few hours ago.

“You mock me for being ignorant, straightforward, and belligerent in the manners of the nobles, but in my view you are the real fools. Even monarchs are human, so they can make mistakes. Then, when the monarch made a mistake, you had to make a wise statement and correct it, not only with honor and dignity, but also with your life.”

The Coalition’s generals and officers averted their gaze in shame. Without Baron Diebitsch, Gneisenau and Clausewitz who had disappeared from the headquarters to fulfill their respective assigned duties, there was no one to refute Bliicher’s words as he said that they were no different than scarecrows.

Bliicher had caused many problems in the court and the army because of his peculiar personality. However, at least at this moment, his stubbornness worked positively for the allies.

His shouting awakened the panicked command and made it possible to make rational judgments. Alexander I was finally able to give up his greed and order the retreat.

War was the most similar to gambling. The winner of the bet won sweet trophies, but the loser had to leave the game after giving up everything he had bet so far. And the bleeding that occurred in the process was often more terrible than the battle itself.

Thanks to Bliicher’s appearance, the allies across the river were able to retreat in time, but the situation was still gloomy.

The French side would never miss this opportunity to reduce the strength of the Coalition’s forces, and at this rate, countless officers and soldiers would have to bury their bones there without crossing the Elster River.

‘Finally, it’s our turn.’

British officers, including Rowland Hill, who had remained still so far, stepped up. They gave a courageous suggestion to Bliicher, who was struggling with his superiors’ mistakes.

“The Marquis of Wellington has prepared a number of tactics for such a time. If the Marshal entrusts us with the task, we will do our best to minimize the damage to the Coalition.”

“If it is the Marquis of Wellington… He’s a great commander I know well. Are you really confident?”

“Red coats don’t make promises they can’t keep. We have already prepared everything, so please look forward to it.”

Eventually, Bliicher nodded, In this way, 15,000 British soldiers accepted the mission of leading the allies across the river to the rear while saving as many of them as possible.

“Rocket engineers and the Rifle Regiment should proceed with ‘our operation’!”

It was Rowland Hill’s order from the command headquarters. As a result, the Congreve rockets, which had fed the French army on the Iberian Peninsula, showed its power again here on the Elster Bridge battlefield.

The hit rate was also not at an expected level, but the gray smoke emitted and the dust scattered after the explosion served as a smoke screen to prevent enemy artillery from aiming at the bridges over the Elster River.

Meanwhile, the Coalition’s forces, including Bag ration’s corps, struggling west of the White Elster River, quickly crossed the river at the headquarters’ command.

Of course, the troops who endured at the front line still had to face the enemy with guns and swords, but they had to bear such a sacrifice in the retreat.

Tatatata! Tatata! Tata! Tatatata! Tatata!

The White Elster River was about 40 meters wide, which was enough to fit within the effective range of muskets.

On the other hand, it was close enough to shoot with one eye closed for riflemen of the British Army, the unit with the best shooting skills in the world, with the Baker rifle, the world’s most accurate gun.

Riflemen stared at the battlefield in a unique lying position under cover such as bushes, poles, and stone walls. They distinguished between allies and enemies even in chaotic situations and showed their ability to shoot only enemies neatly.

“Shoot and kill the officers in their fancy uniforms!”

The Union’s forces, chasing Bagration’s corps and other retreating troops, were greatly slowed down by accurate shots from across the river, especially concentrated on officers.

The performance of riflemen shooting with only their guns out of cover was like death falling on them from a place out of their sight.

Thanks to this, the retreat of the Coalition’s troops that were west of the river was safer. The frequency of massacres inevitably occurring on the retreating side also decreased significantly.

“That’s a new concept of defense transition. Available only to the British military among the great powers of Europe.”

Bliicher, who watched their tactics supported by lieutenants, commented this way. All of these were tactical moves that could only be done with the British army’s excellent rifles, shooting skills, and Congreve rockets.

Bliicher was not very impressed by the rifles or the rockets themselves. However, the ingenious creativity in the soldiers’ movements, the organic training of the troops, and the tactical understanding of the officers were very high for Bliicher.

‘…Perhaps the country that achieved the most military innovation and progress in the period of peace (between the Peninsular War and the Great War) was Britain.’

Anyway, the cover of the British army led by Rowland Hill had the best effect. The Union’s forces, the winners of the battle, ended their pursuit of the ‘winner’s rights’! The British made them give up. The Coalition’s side was able to save a much larger number of soldiers than expected.

“It was a splendid performance, Lieutenant General! What you and the British army did in today’s battle was truly heroic!”

Alexander I had been very depressed by his defeat in this decisive battle. But now he greeted Hill and the British army with a big smile as if it had never happened.

“Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty.”

Hill replied, bowing his head, without even forming a smile on his face, Twenty-nine thousand. It was the number of soldiers lost by the Coalition in the battle (casualties and prisoners).

Although the damage was reduced thanks to Bliicher’s timely shouting and the performance of the British army, more than 20% of the main force, which boasted a size of 130,000 men, disappeared. And the elite troops from each country that were consumed could not be easily replaced.

It was clearly a bitter defeat. Nevertheless, Alexander I praised the British army with a bright face. Hill understood the reason.

‘You’re going to make us heroes.’

By making Hill and the British army heroes, the Tsar would dilute the corps’ distrust and sense of defeat, and save his own face. It was funny, but it was a basic way of speaking used by those who could not separate politics and war.

Hill joined him because the British had nothing to lose. It was strictly true that the damage to the Allies would have snowballed without the Red Coats.

“The Allies have not yet been defeated in this battlefield. There are still reserves in our country that have not yet been sent, and if they join and defeat Napoleon, they will be able to repay the disgrace of this defeat twice.”

Hill smirked as Alexander I looked at the British officers. It could be a reminder that the Duke of York a nd the Marquis of Wellington were preparing a combined corps of 100,000 men.

It was really interesting to see him change his face and reach out to the British side when he was in an unfavorable situation, but refuse to share his plans when he was full of confidence.

“That’s right, Your Majesty! A giant will not fall down with a single scratch, The strength of the Coalition is stronger than that of the Union, which also means that even if we change our strategy according to the situation, we will still have an advantage.”

“Hahaha I Exactly! The lieutenant general does not know yet, but General Dokhturov has come with a large army of 115,000 to eliminate the French army south of the city, and if we wipe them out, we will be able to rebuild Leipzig like how it was a month ago.”

Alexander I had no doubt of victory over the southeastern battlefield. He had reasons to believe so, as it was 120,000 against 40,000. Although the elite level of Dokhturov’s corps was lower than that of the main forces here, the numeric gap was far more severe there, in Liebertwolkwitz.

There was no monstrous Napoleon there, so no one here spoke of defeat. Their will to win in the battlefield there showed an explicit intention to wash away the defeat here.

In any case, Alexander I and other Allied commanders tried to ignore the bitterness of today, thinking about a hopeful tomorrow.

However, hope and despair were as fickle as the two sides of a thrown coin. The next day, the allies faced hellish bad news.

“The German army, which had been attacking the town of Liebertwolkwitz and the hills of Galgenberg, was defeated by the French army’s counterattack! General Dokhturov, the commander of the army, Major General Olsufiev, and 117 officers were captured by the enemy!”

The silence that encroached on the command headquarters was colder than immediately after the defeat of the Battle of the Elster Bridge. Rowland Hill could see veins appearing on Alexander I’s clenched fist.

At the same time, at the temporary position of Dokhturov’s corps that had been destroyed by bombing and fierce battles. Napoleon, the winner of the battle, was drinking the champagne of victory over the flowing blood and piled up bodies of the Russian, Prussian, and Swedish armies.

In the meantime, he received a report on the Battle of the Elster Bridge. After reading the report carefully while stroking his neatly groomed chin, he smiled satisfactorily.

“It seems that the battlefield of Lindenau was also victorious with a development similar to ours here. The presence of reinforcements arriving on time was a decisive factor in itself that reversed the outcome of the battle.”

“All of these victories are thanks to Your Majesty’s strategies. They will remain entirely as a feat of Your Majesty.”

This honest man who naturally praised the Emperor was Louis-Gabriel Suchet, He, who, along with Davout and Macdonald, had been in charge of the entire Polish front while helping King Jozef I, had now appeared on the battlefield of Leipzig with the whole army. What was clear was that Suchet’s contribution to defeating the enemy corps of 115,000 men was very great.

“Now, I am going to drive the Coalition out of Saxony.”

It was the best time. It was before Britain sent a large army in earnest, before the International situation in the Americas shook greatly, and before the arrival ofeastern troops from Siberia.

And most of all, it was before Napoleon’s old enemies came to their senses due to the bad news coming from all sides. With a series of heroic victories, the entire corps was singing a song of praise for the Emperor.

“Tell Soult to proceed with the operation. It’s time to cut off the right arm of the Coalition.”

Napoleon was looking at Berlin, the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia.

TL notes

I suppose that this is referring to the attempted assassination of Napoleon, planned by Russia without telling Britain.