The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 917 Corsican Running Man Napoleon
Napoleon sat there blankly, as if he had returned to that night in Egypt sixteen years earlier.

Do not!
It was arguably even more terrifying than what happened in Egypt sixteen years ago, because back then there was no behemoth like the Seres Empire to directly intervene.

I've heard that a squadron of the Seres Empire has entered the Mediterranean, and soon southern France and northern Italy will become unsafe.

At this point, even Napoleon, who had dominated Europe, began to reflect on his gains and losses.

However, after reviewing his actions, he came to the conclusion that even if he had to do it all over again, his decision would most likely remain unchanged.

To conquer Europe, he needed the French to follow him wholeheartedly.

If he wanted the French to follow him wholeheartedly, he had to give them the biggest slice of the pie.

The best way to achieve this is to make the French the superior people in Europe, and treat the Germans, Spaniards, Low Countries and other ethnic groups as second-class citizens.

Unfortunately, France was too small to dominate Europe. Perhaps only the Carolingian Empire, which has survived to this day, has achieved such a goal.

Napoleon sighed, a sense of sorrow for being born at the wrong time welling up in his heart. It wasn't until Marshal Bruna came in to apologize that Napoleon put on an act of still being full of fighting spirit and a belief in victory.

“Count, you see, we still have a great chance of winning.”

Because no matter how many troops Austria, Prussia, and Sweden send, the only force that can pose a significant threat to us is the army of the Seres Empire.

Marshal Brune was not highly regarded by Napoleon because he was a member of the Republican faction during the French Revolution and opposed the monarchy.

Napoleon promoted Brune to Marshal in order to appease the Republicans and prevent them from joining General Jean-Victor Moreau in a rebellion after Napoleon's ascension to the throne.

Therefore, once Napoleon's position was secure, Bruna lost her value and basically remained in second-line military positions or even sinecures.

This is also well reflected in the titles of nobility. While other marshals were either princes or dukes, or even rulers of a region as monarchs, Bruna was merely an earl.

Moreover, this countship was not a real title. Bruna had no fiefdom or castle (reservation). The countship was merely an empty title that granted him an annuity.

However, as the Da Yu's involvement in the war intensified, the French Empire gradually ran out of officers, and Napoleon soon began to employ Bruna again.

Bruna, who was feeling uneasy, felt grateful that Napoleon did not blame him.

Upon hearing Napoleon's words, Bruner assumed that Napoleon wanted him to lead his troops to intercept Seris's army, and immediately agreed.

However, Napoleon smiled and shook his head, "There is no use in blocking the Seres army. Delaying their attack is just a delaying tactic. The only way to win is to defeat them completely."

Napoleon took the map and called in the marshals outside the tent. "I have carefully analyzed the data on the Seres army and found that they have a big problem, which is that they are even less food than we are."

Therefore, they cannot concentrate their main force; at most, they have 50,000 men. If we concentrate 80,000 men and suddenly march south, there is a high probability we can defeat them.

In Napoleon's mind, even though he tried to be objective, he still estimated the fighting strength of the anti-French army to be on the same level as that of the French army.

Of course, this is based on evidence. In fact, it could be said that if it weren't for the technological gap in weaponry, the fighting strength of the anti-French army would have been slightly inferior to that of the elite French troops.

“Count Bruna, I am leaving the rest of the army to you. You will lead them to attack Pest. Do not aim to defeat the army of the Grand Duke of Bessarabia, but make sure he does not realize that you are not the main force.”

Napoleon decided to take one last gamble, and his judgment was accurate: the Yu army was severely lacking in food, not just a little, but extremely scarce.

After Mo Gongze implemented the scorched-earth policy, the army fighting against the French could only rely on supplies from the Black Sea.

The Danube's flood season not only delayed transportation, but once it reached Serbia, they couldn't find anyone to transfer the goods.

After a long and protracted war, Serbia's population has dropped from 440,000 to 210,000, with the male population suffering particularly heavy losses, now numbering no more than 40,000.

It can be said that the Serbs have reached the point of extinction, with a population that is 70,000 to 80,000 fewer than the population after Türkiye suppressed the Belgrade Uprising at this time in history.

With such a small number of men, it was impossible to conscript more, so the army fighting against the French had to transport their own food supplies.

As a result, 20,000 of the 80,000 troops were left in Belgrade and downstream, while the remaining 60,000 were dispersed along the way to minimize the pressure on supplies.

This is also why Li Xingtai's harassment of the French army could not be sustained for long, and why the anti-French army's advance on Budapest was so slow.

Furthermore, Li Xingtai did not have the 50,000 men Napoleon had speculated about; in reality, he only had 35,000 men.

With the plan finalized, Napoleon mobilized almost all of his elite troops, as well as the vast majority of his food and heavy weapons, preparing to replicate the miraculous operation he had performed a few days earlier in defeating the Ripple coalition and completely crush the Da Yu army's anti-French forces.

Having defeated the anti-French forces, the Austro-Hungarian forces in Buda and Rienstein's troops in Pest were no threat at all.

With the plan finalized, the French army immediately took action.

On August 11, Napoleon led 8 French troops, taking advantage of the Danube River's water transport, and quickly headed towards Li Xingtai's anti-French army.

It seemed like a perfect plan, but Napoleon overlooked one point: Ryanstein and Li Xingtai were not generals of the same caliber as Mo Gongze and Qin Dingyang.

To use a rough analogy, if Napoleon's command ability at this time was 99, then Kutuzov's was at least 97.

Mo Gongling, Grand Duke Karl, Li Xingtai, and Ryanstein have at least 95.

Further down the list are Napoleon's marshals and Blücher of Prussia.

Moreover, among these individuals whose leadership ability reaches 95.

Mo Gongling's strengths lie in his long-term strategic vision, strict military discipline, clear distinction between rewards and punishments, and ability to win the hearts of his soldiers.

Moreover, as a member of the imperial clan and a highly trusted general, he often had the power to make decisions on his own, making him far more capable of commanding large armies than when he led tens of thousands of troops.

Archduke Karl's greatest strength was actually in training and organizing troops. After each major defeat for Austria, he would take over the defeated army and new recruits, and he could make them look quite capable within a few months. However, he was not particularly good at leading troops in battle, at least not as good as his reputation.

Ryanstein, on the other hand, is a smaller version of a hexagon. He's old and shrewd, with high prestige, making him very effective at leading an army on his own.

However, Ryanstein is emotionally unstable, has a sharp tongue and a ruthless heart, and is not very good at inspiring his soldiers to fight to the death. Therefore, he is not good at fighting tough battles. It is best to let him play a supporting role and attack the enemy's flanking forces.

Li Xingtai, on the other hand, had only so-so strategic vision and was somewhat too unrestrained and unrigorous in his military management.

The soldiers he led always had a strong sense of chivalry and loyalty, valuing friendship over life and death. When their feelings deepened, they treated each other like brothers, much like the famous Western Han general Li Guang.

Well, it seems that all the famous generals in the Li family, except for Erfeng and Li Jing, have this problem.

The reason he was able to reach the same level as Mo Gongling and Grand Duke Karl was entirely because he was very good at commanding cavalry and quite adept at launching surprise attacks.

Compared to Li Xingtai, Napoleon's Hussar King Lasalle was practically a brainless brute.

Qin Dingyang, who had just been defeated by Napoleon, had a command ability of at most 85, which was completely incomparable.

So Napoleon was in trouble this time, because he chose to fight Li Xingtai in the way Li Xingtai was best at, and he ran right into Li Xingtai's comfort zone.

Napoleon underestimated the heroes of the world!

At noon on August 12, Li Xingtai's cavalry discovered the French army's movements.

Meanwhile, Rinstein in Pace also noticed that something was wrong with the French army; their offensive was weak, all bark and no bite, and there seemed to have been frequent troop movements the night before.

So Ryanstein immediately sent a messenger to rush to Li Xingtai via a back road, warning him to be careful that Napoleon might use the same trick again.

. . . .

The small town of Tornau is about 180 kilometers southeast of Budapest.

Li Xingtai received a report from the scouts and a warning from Ryanstein, and immediately realized that Napoleon was planning a surprise attack.

"Order Li Yunlong and Ge Yunfei's units to abandon all food and supplies and quickly approach the main force."

"No one will die from not eating for a day. If we win, we'll eat the French army's rations; if we run out of rations, we'll eat their mules and horses."

Li Yunlong and Ge Yunfei's units each had over ten thousand men. Due to food shortages, they had been moving slowly behind, but now the situation was urgent, and they couldn't worry about that anymore.

"Guihan, I'm taking 15,000 cavalry with me, and I'll leave the remaining 20,000 to you. You know what to do, right?" Upon hearing Li Xingtai's question, Guihan, the former commander of the western route of the expeditionary army against Russia and the commander of the Longxiang Guard, laughed heartily.

“There is a small hill northeast of Tornado. I stationed my troops on the hill and built defensive positions with artillery and machine guns.”

The steepest part of the hill is on the east side, where water is scarce, and the water source is on the east side. We can deliberately expose an opening there, inviting a strong attack from the French. Then, we can unleash a barrage of heavy artillery and machine gun fire from our elevated position, making their lives a living hell!

"Haha, with Gui Han here, we're sure to win this battle!" Li Xingtai had always been very satisfied with Gui Han.

Not only because Gui Han was from Dongxiang County (Xuanhan), and was a fellow townsman of Li Xingtai, but also because Gui Han came from a chivalrous background, which suited Li Xingtai's temperament very well.

At this moment, the two of them had the same idea again. It was as if Tian Boguang had met Yun Zhonghe, and Yuwen Yun had been matched with Gao Wei. They were like kindred spirits who had met too late.

"Your Majesty, I will hold this place for at least twenty days. If Your Majesty defeats the French army within twenty days, the outcome will be decided."

If His Majesty does not return by the 20th, I will lead the entire army in a desperate battle, inflicting heavy losses on the French army to deter future adversaries.

Gui Han knew this was the best opportunity and was determined to fight to the last man to hold off the French army.

"I will return within twenty days, and right here in Tornau, I will annihilate the French army and drink a celebratory toast with my brothers!"

On August 14, the French army arrived in Tornau, and Gui Han took two days to dig simple fortifications and arrange the formation perfectly.

Meanwhile, Li Xingtai had already sped to a point less than 30 kilometers from the French army camp outside Buda.

It turns out that Li Xingtai did not intend to wait until the French army was exhausted before charging them with his cavalry. Instead, he went directly to the outskirts of Buda to join forces with Reinstein and Archduke Karl to attack the French troops left behind, and then returned to fight a decisive battle.

Napoleon frowned. It seemed that the Seres army was well-prepared. He led 20,000 men forward at a rapid pace, but they were still a step too late.

"Let's probe first, and then launch a full-scale attack once the main army arrives. We must wipe out the Seris army on the hill within three days. I suspect that this is not their main force; their numbers are too small."

Just as Gui Han had predicted, the French army indeed launched its main attack from the east.

At this time, the army's water consumption was considerable. People and livestock needed water to drink, artillery needed water to cool, and large water reserves were needed at gunpowder storage sites to prevent fires. They could not be without water at any time.

However, Gui Han guessed the direction of the French attack correctly, but he did not guess the French firepower.

Under the tutelage of Napoleon, a master artilleryman, the artillery of the French Guards was formidable. Even the concept of concentrating cannons for fire coverage was first proposed and implemented by Napoleon.

The fierce artillery fire kept the anti-French troops on the mountain from raising their heads, and on the first day of the battle, the French destroyed more than thirty of their cannons.

The machine guns had to be moved to a new position after firing for only a few minutes, otherwise they would be immediately covered by French artillery fire.

At the same time, the French army was also very adept at using small-caliber mortars, or what could be called primitive mortars.

After this weapon was invented in the early days of the Da Yu dynasty, the French army also began to make full use of it as supplementary firepower for their companies.

Admittedly, at this time, mortars were limited by the explosive power and intensity of gunpowder, and the killing power of such small-caliber artillery was very limited. From a distance, it was no different from throwing a large rock at someone.

However, if it hits accurately, it can still cause damage to the machine gun.

The French army, relying on its superior artillery and manpower, once made it very difficult for the anti-French forces on the hill to deal with them.

However, the French army was not having an easy time either, as half of the troops fighting against the French were equipped with needle-firing muskets, which were fast and accurate.

Although machine guns require you to fire and run, their power is considerable.

These metal bullets cause immense damage to the human body, unlike the lead bullets of the past which allowed soldiers to fight as long as they didn't directly hit the heart or lungs.

Sometimes they could even break a person in half, which put immense psychological pressure on the French army.

By August 18, the four-day battle had left both sides exhausted and with heavy casualties, which greatly puzzled Napoleon.

Because in terms of numbers, they wouldn't be the main force, but in terms of combat power, they are definitely the main force.

Napoleon had a very bad feeling. Considering that there had been no news from Buda for a long time, he suspected that the anti-French army had launched a surprise attack on Buda.

Just then, Li Yunlong and Ge Yunfei's more than 20,000 troops arrived, dispelling Napoleon's doubts; otherwise, the wrecked wheel might have run away earlier.

Feeling confident that he had captured the main force of Seres' army, Napoleon immediately divided his forces to attack. He had less than ten days' worth of rations left and had to defeat the anti-French army as soon as possible.

As for the fact that the French army only had twenty days' worth of rations at the beginning of July, but now, a month later, still has ten days' worth of rations, we have to mention the Ryppe allied forces commanded by Blücher and Qin Dingyang.

Not only did he get beaten up for nothing, but he also supplied the French army with a large amount of supplies and ammunition, just like a transport captain.

On August 20th, the sixth day, Marshal Edien MacDonald, Duke of Taranto, and Marshal Louis Davout joined forces to separate Li Yunlong's and Ge Yunfei's armies.

Having abandoned most of their baggage and arrived quickly, the two armies lacked heavy weapons and even food. After being attacked by 60,000 French troops, they were unable to withstand the onslaught.

However, at this moment, Gui Han on the hill keenly noticed the change in the number of French troops. He organized a large-scale counterattack and once advanced to within 600 meters of Napoleon, forcing Napoleon to abandon his attempt to annihilate Li Yunlong's troops.

Under severe threat, Li Yunlong's troops, which had already lost more than 3,000 men, quickly launched a desperate counterattack and approached Ge Yunfei's troops.

The two armies then retreated together to an island in the river, where they struggled to hold out on a major tributary of the Danube.

August 24th, the tenth day.

Li Yunlong and Ge Yunfei's troops were defeated under the fierce attack of the French army, losing more than 6,000 men. Li Yunlong, the deputy commander of the Right Guard of Liaodong, a major general in the army, and a native of Fucheng, Hebei, was killed in battle.

With the help of a small number of steam gunboats, Ge Yunfei transferred the remaining 10,000 soldiers to the east bank of the Danube River, thus avoiding total annihilation.

Subsequently, the French army launched a full-scale attack, and with high morale believing they were about to win the war, they launched a bayonet charge against Gui Han's troops, with entire regiments or even entire divisions participating.

On August 26, the twelfth day, Ge Yunfei's troops attempted to cross the river again to support Gui Han, but failed.

Gui Han's troops had almost run out of ammunition, with less than 20% remaining, and were forced into a brutal hand-to-hand combat.

On August 27th, the thirteenth day, the French army had suffered more than 8 casualties and was only hanging on by the sliver of hope that they could win the war.

Gui Han's troops were in a similar situation, with more than 30% losing their fighting capacity. If they hadn't been in Europe, surrendering would have meant certain death, and the army would probably have collapsed long ago.

On August 28, the fourteenth day, Gui Han himself rushed to the front line. A lead bullet blew off half of his ear, and a French soldier slashed his face with a bayonet. Because he hadn't washed his face, half of it was covered in scratches.

"I overestimated myself and underestimated the French army. Even if I were to serve my brothers like a slave in my next life, I could not atone for my sins."

However, since we've already come this far, we can't disgrace His Majesty. Please, all of you, die with me!

Gui Han pointed to a corner as she spoke, “I deliberately left five boxes of gunpowder, which we used to send us to our deaths at the last moment, leaving not even our bodies for those yellow-haired barbarians.”

The generals around them exchanged glances, but quickly regained their composure and accepted reality. "We have come from afar on the Emperor's orders; we will either succeed or die trying!"

At this moment, Napoleon thought victory was assured, but then he saw dust rising from the northeast. Dozens of French cavalry sentries rushed back at the last minute, but before they could finish speaking, Li Xingtai's cavalry arrived.

Han Zaibai, who had repeatedly distinguished himself in battle and was awarded at least the title of Earl of the Imperial Family by the end of the war, took the lead and charged into the left flank of the French army, where he began to hack and slash.

Behind him was not 15,000 cavalry, but a continuous army of at least 70,000 to 80,000.

It turned out that when Li Xingtai launched a surprise attack on Buda, Reinstein's troops, Archduke Karl in the city, Prussian Blücher who was eager to redeem himself after resting in Bratislava, and Swedish army commander Qin Dingyang all arrived.

The anti-French coalition of over 100,000 troops attacked Brune's weak French army of over 100,000, quickly crushing the French forces. More than 30 generals, including Brune's Marshal, were killed in battle, and the French troops left behind were almost completely wiped out.

So when Li Xingtai's elite cavalry quickly returned, the force was no longer just the original 10,000-plus cavalry, but 70,000-80,000 infantry and cavalry.

"It's all over!" Napoleon paused for only a second, sighed, and then immediately summoned his confidants Berthier, Davout, and others. After quickly saying "Run," he left without looking back.

Only a little over a thousand members of the Young Guard and more than three thousand members of the Old Guard followed Napoleon away; the other fifty thousand-plus French troops were once again abandoned by their emperor.

Just like Napoleon abandoned his Eastern Expeditionary Force in Egypt.

(End of this chapter)