Napoleon in 1812 - Chapter 142

23. In tne siege surrounding the G’ant – 6

“…This idea is very disrespectful and may be unpleasant to you… But right now, I can’t help but feel skeptical about parliamentary democracy. Ha! How can the educated citizens of London be so easily instigated and confused…”

Some objections were raised against what a Tory lawmaker said, but it was also quietly received with sympathy. Parliamentary democracy had the advantage of being able to lead the entire country in a fair and right direction by adding opinions and rationality from all walks of life, but it had been very vulnerable to external or internal incitement and political attacks.

Perhaps at this moment of war, wouldn’t it be better to have a despotic monarchy that could bring the entire nation’s capa bilities together like France? But what they did not know was that the reason why France was able to unite and work together under Napoleon was not because the system of governance was an autocratic monarchy.

Administration and tax reforms to correct all kinds of evils accumulated in society, reform of laws, the end of futile wars, the circulation of goods and enhancement of added value, development of new economically intensive industries, revitalization of national and local economies, a sharp decline of poverty, improvement of the welfare system, etc…

Napoleon built the absolute trust of the French people, leading all these reforms and innovations. From this stage, it created a difference in level from the relationship between British politicians and the people.

In Strasbourg, he emphasized European peace by using the framework of a tolerant and enlightenment monarch, and added sincerity by even talking about giving up the throne.

With a war that would inevitably break out, all this secured Napoleon’s justification and legitimacy to declare war for the attempted assassination with the support of most of Europe except the Coalition. He achieved national unity by doing everything possible.

Prime Minister George Canning and members of the Tory party were only absorbed in the beauty of the swan swimming on the water, without seeing its legs busily moving underneath. It was the difference between British politicians and Napoleon, not between parliamentary democracy and despotism.

“A king who has abandoned his country and his people is no longer worthy to wear the Prussian crown!”

“Lies and deceit! Incompetence and neglect! IrresponsibiIity and arrogance! Down with the rabies king’s subordinates!”

“Prussia is a country of soldiers and warriors! We don’t need a coward king, coward government, or coward army!”

“We will not fight for this shameless king!”

“The king and the military government must come back to Berlin right now and explain this! Or come down from the throne!”

In Berlin, protests by angry citizens continued after hearing the full story of the last incident. And the measles was spreading throughout Prussia, including Neumark, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, and Pomerania.

As the royal and court figures, officials, cabinet leaders, and senior officers had all left for Kbnigsberg, the city hall and government offices to manage the states, regions, and cities came into the hands of the Union. In fact, Prussia lost its local administrative power in all provinces except East Prussia.

The Union forces were inciting the Prussian people by ignoring or encouraging the protesters’ actions.

The provisional government of East Prussia had no choice but to watch the anti-royal, anarchist protests that dared insult the king and royal family and deny the government.

“Verdammt, verdammt (damn it, damn it)!”

Friedrich Wilhelm III, who was so moderate that he had never uttered a curse in his life, was furious as he tore up the letter that came to him,

The temporary palace, built in the middle of the Kbnigsberg monastery, was filled with silence between the angry king and his wary ministers.

“What did I say?l I told you that if you deceive the people with this ridiculous trick, there will be a backslash! How on earth are you going to take on these responsibilitiesl?”

There was nothing the court ministers and generals could say to Friedrich Wilhelm III, who was beating his chest as if he were dying of injustice.

Friedrich Wilhelm III had been in Berlin just before the end of the Battle of Leipzig. After the defeat of the Battle of the Elster Bridge, he realized again that he was not fit for the battlefield.

When Blucher, who had been handed over the command of the Prussian army by the king, return to the palace shortly afterwards, Friedrich Wilhelm III was disappointed to hear of the defeat of the entire army. As a result, Prussia fell once again into France’s hands.

Anyway, the allies decided to regroup in East Prussia. Sooner or later the British would land and join in on a large scale, so the war was not over yet.

There was enough room for reversal. Friedrich Wilhelm III prepared for evacuation as he did in 1806. He had originally intended to sneak away at night.

But there was a problem: a procession of Prussian refugees leaving or preparing to evacuate was already filling the main road. If the Union’s forces continued to pursue them, they would be caught before they could leave for East Prussia. It was also dangerous to expose the royal journey to refugees.

So the court ministers came up with a trick. If they declared in the name of the king that the capital would be protected, the refugees would come back and stay.

Friedrich Wilhelm III, who could not bear to lie to the people, refused to make the statement after much consideration, but the chief of staff and some ministers disobeyed the king’s order and arbitrarily carried out the plan with the mindset that it was a sacrifice for the country.

As a result, Friedrich Wilhelm III became a rare tyrant who did not just abandon his people, but even lied to them. Tens of thousands of protesters were shouting that they did not need a king who ran away.

The citizens of Kbnigsberg, where he stayed, also looked at him with suspicious eyes. For Friedrich Wilhelm III, it was really crazy.

“Your Majesty! In my opinion, there is no need to worry too much about that unsavory thing.”

“Oh, what do you mean, Chief of Staff! The honor of the Hohenzollern family has fallen to the ground and everyone in the world is laughing at me!”

Even in the face of the king’s anger, Gneisenau, the chief of staff, calmly expressed his thoughts.

“If Prussia wins the final victory in the Great War, Your Majesty’s decision will be regarded as a gra nd judgment to regrou p the country’s forces. If you cover it up with achievements that overwhelm it, that’s enough.

There will certainly be no Prussian people who will not bow to His Majesty, who has broken the history of decades of repression from France and established a new order in North Germany.”

The record of history was also the record of the winner. As long as Napoleon, who conquered Europe, was defeated, Friedrich Wilhelm III could become the greatest king in Prussian history. Who would dare to speak III of the past to such a king?

“Public opinion is like a reed. Your Majesty, open your heart proudly. It will not be too late to resolve the misunderstandings between the people and Your Majesty after everything is done.”

Besides, were there not obvious culprits behind this? The court officials and officers, including the chief of staff, who took the king’s name recklessly and issued a statement.

If they were put up as shields and given reasonable trials and punishments in Berlin Square, the public would turn their anger towards them and praise the king.

It was not known that everything wouId go as the Ch ief of Staff Gneisenau had expected. Could the angry protesters rage further, saying ‘Put away the bulIshit, you cowardly king!’ at Friedrich Wilhelm III’s appeal?

In any case, however, it was clear that the words of the chief of staff calmed the king, who had been engulfed in anxiety and anger, to some extent.

“…But to create the situation as you said…”

“Yes, victory in the Great War is indispensable. But isn’t that the same as before?”

Prussia had no future if it were to lose the Great War anyway. Napoleon would tear Prussia to shreds and destroy all its potential so that it could never use force again,

Losing the war meant losing everything; winning meant winning everything. The situation was the same as before. So there was no need to bother. It was an extreme change of thought, but Friedrich Wilhelm III felt his beating chest calm down.

“The Marquis of Wellington’s expeditionary forces of 100,000 are the most powerful weapon of the Coalition that can change the course of the Great War in a flash. Don’t worry too much, Your Majesty! The Prussian army is still alive and well.”

Yes, it was just one more reason to win.

Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of the French Empire and the ruler of this era. Baron Fain was the chief secretary who served Napoleon from the nearest distance. He was the one who could observe him the most.

People from all walks of life in many countries who were curious about the figures representing this era used to ask Baron Fain. About Napoleon’s personality, personal life, taste, inclination, etc. Whenever that happens, Baron Fang replied:

“When he is wearing a laurel crown, he is more like an emperor than anyone else. When he is riding a horse, he is more like a general than anyone else. To the ministers and secretaries of the court, he is more like a monarch than anyone else. In front of the royal family, he is more like a father and a husband than anyone else.”

People laughed, saying that he had great loyalty and respect for the Emperor, but Baron Fain was 100% sincere.

Baron Fain had watched Napoleon Bonaparte, who was fully aware of his duties and responsibilities and fulfilled them accordingly. He was a perfectionist wearing the mask of simplicity and devolution,

“Your Majesty! It’s time to wake up, Your Majesty.”

“Oh… right… it’s already morning.”

It was 5:30 a.m. The Emperor was originally a person who woke up like a clock at 5 a.m. every day, but his sleepy face showed that he could not sleep because the changed bed was not very good.

As usual, Baron Fain placed Brazilian coffee, buttered bread, and a morning newspaper on the bedroom table, The half-asleep Emperor drank a cup of coffee and then his eyes regained their focus,

“Thank you. Ah, you did it good today, too.”

“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

The chief secretary did not have to make coffee. He could just let the servants or the other secretaries do it. However, the Emperor’s sensitive palate always recognized whether it was Baron Fain’s hand that made the coffee or not.

The Emperor liked the coffee that Baron Fain made himself. Baron Fain could happily make coffee for the great Emperor more than a hundred times if needed.

Reading newspapers while drinking coffee and eating bread was an indispensable part of the Emperor’s morning routine. Originally, the Emperor had a very irregular lifestyle.

His time of sleep, wake-up, and meal were arbitrary, and on the battlefield, he did not sleep at all or made up for it with a nap.

However, after sometime, he changed drastically, and became a man of upright life who moved according to a set schedule.

Like a machine without error. The results for this change were clear. Baron Fain checked the Emperor’s body and health with a side glance.

He could not see anymore the Emperor with a penguin-like body who suffered from all kinds of diseases. He could only see a man with an angular body full of vitality, even though he was close to 50.

The common belief that regular life, steady exercise, and management of eating habits had an immediate effect on health had been re-proven by the Emperor.

“Hahaha…”

The Emperor, who was reading the newspaper, let out a small laugh. It was a playful laugh that was not usual for the Emperor who ruled Europe’s most hegemonic power.

“What is so funny, Your Majesty?”

“Oh, it’s funny to see the islanders having seizures every time we touch them.”

Quick-witted, Baron Fain knew immediately why the Emperor was happy. British society was now suffering from measles,

The Emperor had thrown a rock, and this was the ripples caused by it. In fact, the Emperor’s direct target was Prussia, not Britain.

Domination and stabilization of Prussia were essential to support Poland, which was acting as a shield at the forefront of the Union, and to launch a fierce counterattack on Russia-Sweden, as Prussia was in the middle.

That was why he tried to make political gains by diverting the hatred of the Prussian people toward their royal family and government.

The Emperor gently coaxed German writers, including Goethe, who was disappointed by Friedrich Wilhelm III’s madness.

This allowed the free press to launch effective political offensives and raise insurgency and demonstrations by anti-government forces, dramatically aggravating the public opinion of the Prussian people against their king.

In other words, it was the Emperor who raised and led the unrest in Prussia. But in that situation, something happened out of the blue on the British side.

A random bomb thrown at the enemy’s camp in anticipation exploded and swept away the enemy’s leaders, An unexpected performance in an unexpected place was the cause of the Emperor’s laug hter.

“If their management of state affairs had been fully supported by the public and the economic situation had been stable, would such luck have worked? It means that we can use it as an indicator that things in Britain are much worse than we expected. It’s a very good and desirable thing. The goddess of victory favors France.”

Britain, which had been pushed out of the market battle with France, was weakened by the continued economic downturn. Debts also piled up, and social problems such as rising unemployment and crime rates were added to the rest.

In addition, due to external expeditions and the failure of the war, British citizens had not been very passionate about the war from the begi nni ng. It was like looking at France at the end of the Seven Years’ War. The hegemony of the maritime empire was being shaken greatly at this point.

They had their antipathy against France, but their friends and family were going to die on the battlefield, so who would to welcome this? The victory of the Union at the Battle of Leipzig was the most decisive blow.

As the tide of the Great War was leaning towards France, the Emperor’s political trick swept London right in time. There could be no greater stimulus than this to ignite the hearts of the anti-warists.

Westminster seemed very embarrassed by the will of the citizens to stop the war immediately. It was a very savory and interesting sight.