The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 846 The Tragedy of the Sea - Trafalgar

The Strait of Gibraltar, Cape Trafalgar.

The sea was filled with countless warships, their dense sails even blocking out most of the sunlight, reflecting a dazzling white light.

This was a long-planned naval battle, which had been in the works since Napoleon began his expedition to England.

However, Napoleon Bonaparte clearly did not know much about the navy; he overestimated the French navy and underestimated the English navy.

In Napoleon's mind, the English navy was indeed quite powerful, but not powerful enough to overwhelm the French navy.

But in this timeline, the English Navy actually had 173 main battleships with a total displacement of 660,000 tons.

France, on the other hand, had only 65 main battleships with a total displacement of 250,000 tons.

Furthermore, both sides' steam-powered sailing warships were still in the experimental stage, with no significant generational difference.

In particular, the horizontal reciprocating steam engine technology that France obtained from Da Yu, and the new generation of steam-powered sailing warships built on this basis, will take at least three more years to achieve combat readiness.

If Napoleon had waited a little longer, perhaps the gap between the two sides wouldn't have been so large.

But Napoleon couldn't wait. He wanted to conquer England and unify Western Europe immediately before he could compete with the Great Yu. He had a strong sense that time was of the essence.

Indeed, time was of the essence, because at this time, the Great Yu had 217 main battleships of various types, with a total displacement of nearly 800,000 tons (the Great Yu did not build a large number of first-class battleships, and the average displacement of each ship was not high).

Moreover, this is without even starting to build ships. If they really went all out, they could easily create a navy with a total displacement of 1.5 million tons.

This is the reality. The gap between individual European countries and Dayu is too great. Therefore, in order to gain the qualification to compete with Dayu, becoming the hegemon of the West, or even the emperor of Europe, is the only option.

Under these circumstances, Napoleon devised a plan to launch an expedition to England.

In this plan, the combined French and Spanish fleet led by Villeneuve needed to first leave France, pretending to be heading to attack English overseas colonies, in order to attract the main force of the English fleet to pursue them.

After the main English navy went to pursue, the Franco-Spanish fleet turned back to cover the landing of hundreds of thousands of elite troops on the British Isles, thus completing the destruction of the Hanoverian dynasty and the control of the Kingdom of England.

Yes, the plan is perfect, but unfortunately the French Navy does not have the capability to execute such sophisticated operations.

The French Navy was far behind the English Navy in terms of warship performance, officer command ability, and soldier quality.

French commander-in-chief Villeneuve had already been terrified and broken in the spine by the English during the Battle of Aboukir Gulf during the French expedition to Egypt.

Therefore, the Franco-Spanish fleet led by Villeneuve was immediately targeted by the English Navy shortly after leaving France.

Villeneuve sailed toward the West Indies, only to find that the English fleet had not relaxed its surveillance of the English Channel, and Nelson quickly located him.

Fearing the formidable strength of the English navy, Villeneuve dared not continue with Napoleon's strategy and hastily chose to return to his homeland. Upon his return, he remained in the port of Cádiz, Spain, passively avoiding battle.

Napoleon repeatedly urged him to carry out the orders, but Villeneuve always made excuses to avoid them, seeking neither merit nor demerit.

An enraged Napoleon could not tolerate such cowardly behavior, so he decided to replace Villeneuve with Lieutenant General Rossini.

This, however, deeply angered Villeneuve, because Villeneuve knew that Napoleon was not satisfied with him, but as long as he still held the fleet, Napoleon would have to rely on him.

But if he were replaced, everything would be over, and he would likely be thrown into prison upon returning to France.

Upon receiving news that Vice Admiral Rossini was coming to replace him, Villeneuve hastily devised a battle plan and, before Rossini arrived, led almost all of his warships from the port of Cádiz.

He wanted to go to the Mediterranean to cooperate with Marshal Andrea Massena's attack on the Kingdom of Naples in southern Italy in order to regain Napoleon's trust and consolidate his position.

But as soon as Villeneuve led his main force out of port, the English navy closed in.

Villeneuve was now frightened. He knew he couldn't escape the pursuit of the English navy, so he ordered his fleet to make a 180-degree turn, confining the battlefield to the area around Cape Trafalgar.

Villeneuve's plan was that after the fleet turned, it would be able to position its home port of Cádiz downwind, meaning it would be able to sail downwind into Cádiz for repairs if any warships were seriously damaged.

In this way, even if defeated, many warships could be preserved, maintaining the ability to continue engaging the English navy.

But at that very moment, the English Navy miraculously appeared, led by Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Faced with the Franco-Spanish fleet that was rotating its formation, Nelson immediately gave the order to attack.

"Intersect in the middle, cut the fascist fleet in two, and aim our broadsides at the bows of the fascist fleet!"

The adjutant looked at Nelson in shock. While inserting themselves into the middle of the French and Spanish fleet could inflict heavy casualties on enemy warships, the English fleet would first need to position their bows against the sides of the French and Spanish fleet during this insertion.

In other words, England would have to withstand concentrated firepower before it could launch a concentrated attack on the French and Spanish fleet.

"Execute the order!" Admiral Nelson resolutely issued the decision, and his flagship HMS Victory sounded the famous signal, 'England expects everyone to do their duty,' and was the first to charge towards the French fleet.

The deafening roar echoed across both sides of the strait as dozens of battleships fiercely clashed on this small stretch of sea, the orange-red flames from their cannons contrasting sharply with the burning battleships.

Nelson's bravery inspired the English navy, which was superior to the French fleet in every respect.

HMS Victory initially pursued the first-class battleship HMS Trident relentlessly, only to discover that the Trident was not the flagship of the French fleet, but rather the nearby HMS Bousentauer. HMS Victory then gave chase.

Finally, the English fleet, represented by HMS Victory, secured the T-position and unleashed a barrage of fire from dozens of broadside cannons at the bow of the French and Spanish fleet, inflicting heavy casualties.

In the naval battle that lasted more than two and a half hours, the French and Spanish fleet was like a stupid old ox, getting slaughtered by the powerful English tiger.

At 3:50 p.m., the French army launched its final counterattack, and the vanguard of the Franco-Spanish combined fleet led by Major General Manudieu was defeated, officially ending the battle.

More than 8,000 sailors of the French and Spanish fleet, including Commander Villeneuve, surrendered to England.

In addition, nearly 4,500 men were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded. Of the 33 battleships, 21 were captured after being severely damaged, and one was destroyed.

On the English side, only 458 men were killed and over 1,200 were wounded, with none of their 27 battleships damaged.

This was Horatio Nelson's brilliant victory, the greatest victory in the history of the English Navy, and Nelson could even be called the savior of the Kingdom of England.

If England had not won the Battle of Trafalgar with such a 1:10 attrition ratio, but had instead drawn or achieved a Pyrrhic victory, Napoleon's next step would not have been to continue his all-out land attack on Russia and Austria, but rather to make peace with both countries and launch a nationwide expedition across the sea to England.

The Kingdom of England would be doomed as soon as the French army landed.

But the cost was also enormous. As the battle neared its end, Nelson, who was on the deck directing the operation and boosting morale, was shot at close range by a sniper on the sail firing platform of the French ship Respect.

By the time Captain Hardy of HMS Victory found Nelson, he was nearing the end of his life. Hardy quickly reported the battle situation to him: the Franco-Spanish fleet had suffered a crushing defeat, with at least twenty warships captured.

A look of joy appeared on Nelson's face as he uttered his last lucid words, "They did it, they pierced my spine, but thank God, I did my duty!"

Two hours later, this naval hero of England, the savior of the kingdom, died from blood loss due to internal organ damage and the torment of lead poisoning from the bullet. The Battle of Trafalgar ended, and France lost its last chance to set foot on English soil.

. . . .

The Battle of Trafalgar and the Austrian defeat at Ulm occurred almost simultaneously.

When Napoleon learned of this news, he desperately cursed Villeneuve for his incompetence and then began to suppress the information.

With the navy essentially destroyed, Napoleon was left with only one option: to defeat the Russo-American and Austrian empires, force them to submit to French bayonets, then blockade the entire continent, leaving England unable to sell a single piece of cloth or metalwork, effectively impoverishing England to death.

Once England runs out of money, it will lose the ability to continue its attack on France. Once France's new generation of steam-powered sailing warships are launched and undergo pre-war training, another transoceanic expedition can be launched.

In mid-November, Napoleon arrived north of Vienna and began to personally command the French army.

But the situation is actually not very favorable for France.

Because the Austrian Empire abandoned Vienna, seemingly losing its capital and suffering a major defeat, it actually shed a burden and was able to move forward with a lighter load.

The Austrian Empire was also a large empire. Even though it lost 60,000 men in the Rhineland, it still had more than 100,000 troops. At the same time, Tsar Alexander I also brought more than 50,000 main Russian troops.

At this time, the Russo-Austrian allied forces, nominally commanded by Kutuzov, numbered approximately 100,000 and were confronting the main force of the French army around Olomouc, just north of Vienna.

Northwest of Vienna in Bohemia, there was an army of about ten thousand men under Archduke Ferdinand Joseph and several thousand Bohemian militia.

To the southeast of Vienna was the southern army of Archduke Charles, which had just withdrawn from Italy, including the 30,000 men originally sent to support the Rhineland, for a total of 70,000 troops.

To the northeast and slightly north of Vienna were 20,000 Belgian troops (Lu Fan Army) and 10,000 Hungarian armed cavalry, commanded by the veteran general Reinstein.

France, on the other hand, had a total of about 90,000 troops around Vienna, and they also had to occupy cities such as Vienna, so the number available for mobile warfare was only a little over 70,000.

In other words, the French army is now actually surrounded by approximately 210,000 Russian and Austrian troops.

Meanwhile, having penetrated deep into Austrian territory, Napoleon could no longer rely solely on procuring food from France to supply his hundreds of thousands of troops. He had to gather provisions locally, which led to conflict between the French occupying forces and the Austrian people.

Finally, before Tsar Alexander I of Russia arrived, he had already reached the Treaty of Potsdam with Frederick William III, King of Prussia.

Frederick William III agreed that if he could not persuade France to abandon its hostile attitude towards the Rus' Empire, then Prussia would conscript 80,000 to 100,000 troops to join the Third Alliance.

Napoleon rejected the mediation of King Frederick William III of Prussia ten days ago. Based on the timeline, Prussia should declare war on France in the next few days, and Prussian troops may appear on the battlefield within a month at most.

Despite the extremely unfavorable circumstances, Napoleon saw a path to victory.

The Emperor said to his confidant and close friend, Marshal Bessier, commander of the Imperial Guard: "Alexander and Franz are both self-righteous fools, and they must be filled with rage right now."

Alexander felt that the Russian army's failure to arrive at the battlefield in time greatly damaged his reputation.

Franz, however, felt that if he had personally commanded the battle, Rhineland would not have lost so badly.

If we show weakness now, it will only embolden those two idiots. I've decided to withdraw from Austerlitz village and the nearby Pratzen Heights to lure the Allied forces into an attack!

With the plan finalized, Napoleon immediately began his preliminary deception efforts, sending his close aide Savary to meet with Tsar Alexander I of Russia.

The statement declared its willingness to withdraw from Vienna, demanding only that the Austrian Empire recognize the ownership of the Rhineland and completely cede the Habsburg family's territories in northern Italy.

They also hoped that Alexander I could meet privately with the French emperor to clear up any misunderstandings between them.

Alexander I immediately agreed to negotiate and sent his distant relative, Prince Petrovich of the Dolgorukov family, to the French camp to negotiate with the French emperor.

But in reality, Alexander I, whose confidence was beginning to swell, had already decided to teach Napoleon Bonaparte, the usurper, a lesson he was about to teach a lesson.

He sent Prince Petrovich of the Dolgorukov family only to lull the French army into a false sense of security and to gather intelligence.

Alexander I never imagined that Napoleon thought the same way, and that Napoleon was far more astute than him.

Meanwhile, Prince Petrovich of Dolgorukov was similar to Joachim Murat, the kind of man whose brains were built on muscles, and who was a world-class muscular man below the head.

Prince Dolgorukov was deceived by the illusions set up by Napoleon as soon as he arrived at the French camp.

In the camp, the French army was demoralized and lacked food. The soldiers were unwilling to fight, clamoring to return to France, and were terrified of fighting the Rus' army.

This is Europe. Napoleon's performance was actually a bit over the top. If you put it in Chinese history, it would most likely not have fooled anyone at all.

It has been said that Europeans did not catch up with the Chinese in this respect until after World War I, and that is not an exaggeration at all.

But Prince Dolgorukov was completely oblivious to the fact that Napoleon was putting on a show; he took it all for real.

He was extremely arrogant in front of Napoleon at the banquet, rejecting all of Napoleon's proposals and making a long list of demands.

He told Napoleon in a commanding tone that only by unconditionally withdrawing from the Austrian Empire and releasing all Austrian prisoners of war could the French army safely retreat to France; otherwise, they would face a merciless attack from the Rus' Empire.

Upon returning to Olomouc, where Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Tsar Franz I of Austria were staying, Prince Dolgorukov received enthusiastic applause and praise, and everyone was filled with confidence.

The only exception was three people.

Russian commander-in-chief Kutuzov, general Prince Balagdion, and long-time opponent Prince Mogonze of Belgium.

"Impossible! We just fought the French in just over ten days. The morale of the French army couldn't have dropped so quickly. It must be a conspiracy!"

Kutuzov looked at Alexander I and loudly suggested, "Your Majesty, we should continue to retreat and lure the French to attack, rather than attacking them when their morale is high."

"Your Majesty, my brother, I agree with Marshal Kutuzov's opinion."

Moreover, according to my intelligence, the French have begun to forcibly requisition grain on a large scale within the empire's territory, and it won't be long before they face opposition from everyone.

"When they are engulfed in a spontaneous attack by millions of people, that will be the time for us to recapture Vienna and recover our lost territory."

Alexander I and Franz I both showed disgust in their eyes, the only difference being that they disliked different people.

Alexander I looked at Kutuzov with disgust; the imposing one-eyed man reminded him of that night ten years ago.

When his grandmother Catherine II died, it was with Kutuzov's support that his father Paul I ascended the throne.

"Retreat, retreat, retreat!" Alexander I roared in fury. "My marshal, you are always retreating!"
This was the case when facing the Khitans; we retreated to the point where we could only defend Tsaritsyn. The same applies now when facing the French.

How are we supposed to retreat? Should we take my brother Franz and retreat to St. Petersburg?

“Ferdinand, you are a prince of the empire, how can you stand by and watch the French wreak havoc on the empire’s lands without doing anything?”

"They are ravaging my land and killing my family. As emperor, I cannot wait until then. I must fight back now and drive the French out of the empire!" Franz I retorted mercilessly to Mo Gongze's words.

Kutuzov and Mokomze exchanged a glance, both revealing expressions of 'this kid is not worth discussing anything with'.

The two emperors, seeing that Kutuzov and Mogongze remained silent, became even more excited, believing that Kutuzov and Mogongze had been rendered speechless by their words.

Just then, intelligence came from the front that the French army had abandoned Austerlitz and the Gulatzen Heights, leaving their right flank wide open and spread thinly across a vast expanse of land.

Now, once the Allied forces cross the frozen Lake Zaqian, they can slaughter the French soldiers who are shivering in the open plains, their morale low and their defenses weak.

"We have decided together: attack! Attack! The warriors of the Rus' Empire and the Austrian Empire will once again join forces to defeat that Corsican cannibal!" Alexander I declared, stripping Kutuzov of his supreme command.

Now, he wants to defeat Napoleon Bonaparte himself.

(End of this chapter)