Napoleon in 1812

22. Battle of Le'pzig - 9

Now the battle in Leipzig was taking place on three battlefields. The first was the village of Liebertwolkwitz and Galgenberg's hill, where Napoleon was now located, southeast of Leipzig.

The second was the main road of the village of Connewitz, where Soult took command of the defense, in the south of Leipzig. The third was between the White Elster River and the village of Lindenau, west of Leipzig.

Napoleon left his flag in Lindenau and secretly moved to Wachau to lead the army, devastating the southeast of Leipzig,

The allies responded by turning some of their main forces there, but were still most wary of the White Elster River.

It was because they thought that Napoleon was still here. The current Napoleon was a commander that could deceive the enemy at any time, throwing away things that symbolized the Emperor, such as his own flag, the Imperial Guards, and the training barracks.

However, Napoleon of this world, before the change, did not do any of these acts. No, not only that, but also other European monarchs did not commit to downgrade their symbols to deceptive tools like this. Napoleon after the change was unique.

Boom! Bang! Booom! Booom! Bang!!

On May 28, 1818, the Coalition troops launched an attack to cross the White Elster River. The spectacular multinationaI forces marching in line as they densely spread in the fields might be a magnificent sight from a third party’s point of view, but it was a very frightening scene for the French soldiers who had to stop them.

"Levin August von Bennigsen's flag was seen 1.6 kilometers northwest of here! The Russian Marshal's troops are also around."

"The informants say that the traitor Bernadotte and the Prussian king, Friedrich Wilhelm III, also appeared on the outskirts of the battlefield. However, we have not yet discovered the flag of Marshal Forwards (Blucher)."

Outside the bridge was a shower of shells fired by enemy artillery, but intelligence from the commander's barracks was similar in frequency.

Andoche Junot personally took a telescope and scanned the Coalition's troops preparing to cross the White Elster River. As soon as he checked their uniforms, he cursed inside.

'Those demons are clearly of the Pavlovsk Guards. Those standing next to them are the Life-Guards Grenadier Regiment! On the other side are the Jaeger Special Forces, the Chevalier Guard Regiment! Damn, these bastards are so determined to push us away!'

As expected, they were convinced that the Emperor was in charge of the army here. The fact that Napoleon’s movement was kept secret was welcome in itself, but the list of notorious special forces and elite units, including the Russian Imperial Guard, the Prussian Senior Guard, and the Swedish elite Grenadier Regiment, was enough to dazzle Junot.

Of course, the French army, which had fought against the great powers of Europe, had dealt with those elite European soldiers several times, Junot also had some experience fighting them and even won against them.

But the biggest reason for this was that the Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, was leading the French army.

The different strategies and new tactics dictated by a being nicknamed 'the God of War' made those elite soldiers look like children. That was why Junot could not be afraid or worried about them.

But now, at this moment, the existence that would protect the French army like an iron wall had left for another battlefield, and Junot had to take the baton on his behalf and blockthem.

Even though he had set up suitable strategies and tactics in advance, his fingertips trembled under the tremendous pressure as soon as he confirmed the enemy unparalleled power.

"The French soldiers guarding Lindenau are holding their positions without being shaken in the face of a fierce offensive. This is because they believe in the power of His Majesty, who they think is still here."

The voice that awakened Junot was the one of Louis-Alexandre Berthier, Marshal of the Empire and Chief of Staff of the Emperor.

After Napoleon left, Berthier was the highest-ranking soldier on the battlefield. He had a longer military career than Junot, was older, and had been made Marshal much earlier. Nevertheless, the actual commander here was Junot.

"His Majesty has handed over the baton of the corps to you himself. If you doubt yourself, trust His Majesty's choice, and put everything else aside, Do you think the Emperor has ever made a wrong decision?"

"Of course not... His Majesty has always been right,"

He did not know if it was in the past, but his faith in the Emperor now was as high as mountains. Junot rubbed his cheeks and nodded at Berthier's words. Anyway, this was the best stage.

He had been granted the baton of the Marshal of the Imperial Army, and could prove h is qualifications. Junot had been implicitly evaluated as having poor military abilities compared to other prominent marshals, and had not been able to refute it.

To Junot, who was feeling a little intimidated, the Emperor entrusted without hesitation the Imperial Guard corps, including the most elite troops of the Empire, the Old Guard.

It was a sign of absolute trust that the Emperor could show to a general. Junot was recognized by the greatest man in European history.

That was right. As Berthier said, if he was not confident in himself, he could believe in the decision of the great Emperor who chose him.

"Let's do what we can do well. I risk my honor, my body, and my soul in this battle. I will definitely win and put the shining tricolor flag on Leipzig."

Andoche Junot was a general who was ready to sacrifice his life for the man who believed in him.

A time war between the Coalition and the Union broke out over Leipzig. It was the allies who won the fight. The first reinforcements to arrive were the Russian-Prussian combined corps led by Alexander I and Friedrich Wilhelm III.

With the addition of these 150,000 troops, there was a momentary overwhelming power gap in the battlefield.

300,000 against 100,000, three times the number of men. The strategy that Napoleon had often used in the past, defeating divided enemies by using the superior mobility of his army, was now being used against him.

Napoleon was cornered by his own fighting method! The Russian generals, including Alexander I, who was obsessed with this conceited idea, could not hide their excitement.

'Let's repay the disgrace of Hrodna!'

The Slavs were united under this one thought, The atmosphere of the crazy battlefield quickly spread around, sweeping even Prussian and Swedish soldiers.

Their will to end the battle in the present overwhelmingly favorable situation, and not to give Napoleon time, forced them to give the order to advance without composure.

"Be sure to capture Napoleon! This is where we end this Great War and Napoleon’s rule with our own hands!"

Pyotr Bagration, who took the glorious lead in this battle, and the Russian army, united under his orders, crossed the river first of all the allied forces along the bridge and temporary bridges over the White Elster River.

They blocked the French artillery and sporadic attacks solely with their bodies, and continued to advance again and again. They suffered heavy damage while crossing the river, but they continued to push forward recklessly.

"Long live the Russian Empire! For the great Slavic nation!"

"God, please protect our Tsar!!"

In the battlefield with a terrible smell of gunpowder, Russian combat infantry armed their bayonets. Bullets fired by the French took countless lives again them.

But they could not take away as much courage and will. After a fierce close battle, Bagration's corps eventually succeeded in taking over the bridgehead west of the river by pushing out the French army.

However, in front of them, another French army appeared, forming a new line and preparing for a counterattack. A pure white top and bottom uniform with a blue torch and a dark gray coat with a bearskin hat. Among the French Imperial Guard, it symbolized the Young Guard.

"Proud sons of the Empire! Save your place by death! Give your body and soul generously for the future of our country!"

"Uraaaah!!"

Russian military bands were playing a series of thrilling marches. Bagration exploded the anger and madness inherent in the Slavs,

"It could have been different if it were the Old Guard or the Middle Guard, but kids like them dare stand in our way!?"

The fierce charge of Bagration's corps, the strongest and most elite in the Russian army, made even the Guards, the pride of the French Empire, falter.

"Brave cavalry! Follow me!"

The competent and experienced field commander, Bagration, judged in the current situation that it was time to do something in the tactical stage. He himself led the Cossacks and turned to the side of the French Guard, which was engaged in close combat.

The shots of the enemy light infantry and snipers were concentrated in his direction, but Bagration did not care. Like Alexander the Great, he was also a brave man who set an example by leading directly the soldiers at the forefront.

"Charge!!"

His efforts and judgments were exactly the same. The risky cavalry charge took a significant toll on the side of the French Guard. The Guards officers ordered a retreat, and the white army stepped back.

Bagration defeated even the French Imperial Guards, who were known for never surrendering even if they died. Only then did Russia's brave commander become confident of victory. He clenched his fists in the enthusiastic cheers of the troops.

"Your Excellency! The Prussian and Swedish armies are also crossing the river! They have only been looking at us, and now they're moving!"

"Those fuckers (BnaTb) only want to take the golden path we've opened!"

The officers’ fierce complaints broke out. By shedding a lot of blood, they broke through the French army, which had been guarding the western river bank, and defeated all the guards who came to reinforce them.

When they fought so fiercely, the Prussian and Swedish stayed still and crossed the river only after the battlefield was organized to some extent, so they could not say anything good about them.

"You don’t have to speak III of the cowardly. They are herbivores by birth! However, people in the world will remember who the protagonist in this battle is. It is you who will remain in history as the ones who brought down Napoleon!"

Bagration did not scold or defend them, but simply flaunted them. His choice was extremely wise. Only then did the Russian officers relieve their expressions. Bagration, who was smirking at them, froze his face at the thought that suddenly came to his mind.

’But it’s a little... strange. No matter how unfavorable the war may be, Napoleon’s army was defeated that easily...? Isn't his corps proud of its strength that will never collapse under any circumstances?'

He knew this fear well because he had fought with Napoleon several times, tasting the bitter taste of defeat many times.

Even an army of the same number of men could be two or three times as powerful if commanded by Napoleon. To be honest, he still could not believe that Napoleon was about to collapse so blandly.

'I don’t think that should ever happen, but could all this be his deception?’

Bagration felt the need to analyze the situation over time. Even though victory was just around the corner, he could not relax because his opponent was Napoleon.

While Bagration's troops were guarding the bridges along the western bank of the river, the other troops of the Coalition hurried across the river. Among them, a commander of the Prussian army visited Bagration, who was observing the enemy, accompanied by a lieutenant.

"I am Osten-Sacken, the commander of the second division under General Tauentzien (commander of the 4th Prussian corps). I express my utmost respect for your remarkable tactics and bravery."

"Thank you very much. Is there any instructions or messages from the Allied Command to me?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. In this operation, the command will send the main unit to destroy Napoleon’s headquarters by the end of the day. The most prestigious corps of the Russian Empire should take the lead, but the command asked that the soldiers of your corps take a short break and defend the bridgehead."

In fact, the damage received by Bagration's corps was significant, so time was indeed needed to recover from it. There was no problem with the order itself, but Bagration could not erase his still uneasy feeling.

"What was the atmosphere of the command?"

"The Tsar of the Empire praised the overwhelming performance of your corps. The soldiers were stimulated by Your Excellency and looked energetic. It seemed that everyone wanted to participate in this glorious battlefield as soon as possible."

Indeed, the moment had come to defeat Napoleon and his troops, who boasted invincibility, It was natural that the excitement of those who had suffered from Napoleon countless times had reached its peak. If it had been another time, Bagration would have shared the joy of victory with them, but now the atmosphere was not good enough.

"The battle is not over yet. There's no way we don’t know what a terrible monster our enemies are, but everyone seems to be moving too fast."

"Hahaha! You don’t have to worry too much. I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t know that the tactics established by Your Excellency are the best."

At the moment when Bagration was about to respond to the division commander, scouts rushing on horseback appeared in his sight.

Their white faces and their actions revealed their urgency. Bagration let out a groan, as he held his anxiety deep in his heart, Russia's greatest warriors caught their breath before they could speak.

"Rafts! The French have released a huge number of rafts upstream of the river!!”

The scene that came into Bagration's field of view was floating bridges and temporary bridges, installed so that soldiers and horses could cross, being smashed by rafts flying from the upstream.

"Napoleon, that bloody man again...!!"

The allies across the river were instantly isolated. Then a large French counterattack began.

TL notes

Here's a painting of made by George Dawe: