novelSusiti Chapter 111 The Battle of Cooks 18
Chapter 111 The Battle of Cooks 18
Chapter 111 The Battle of Cooks 18
Of course, Dugen was able to make this judgment entirely because of his identity as a time traveler.
Many later works on Napoleon have compiled and summarized his attitudes toward his generals and soldiers who surrendered or were captured.
In summary, Napoleon almost never paid ransoms for captured soldiers and generals.
His decisions were never based on personal feelings or considerations, but solely on interests, dignity, and the rules of war.
In his view, being defeated and captured was a dereliction of duty by soldiers.
The French Empire can rescue, exchange, and negotiate, but it will never bow down and pay ransom to the enemy.
Napoleon was extremely pragmatic, almost ruthless.
He viewed the entire army as a sophisticated war machine, not as a group of soldiers in need of pity.
The value of soldiers and generals lies solely in their ability to win, expand, and execute strategies for the empire.
In his view, being defeated and captured was the result of insufficient ability, misjudgment, or lack of courage, and the soldiers should bear the consequences themselves, not the country.
He viewed paying the ransom as a sign of weakness, humiliation, and a waste of war resources.
He would rather use prisoner exchanges, diplomatic mediation, and postwar treaties to redeem his men than use gold and silver to "buy back French soldiers" from the enemy.
Because once a precedent of ransom is set, the entire army will develop a dependency mentality, thinking that if they lose a battle or are captured, the emperor will pay to ransom them, and the morale and fighting spirit of the army will eventually collapse completely.
It is said that Napoleon once said, "France can exchange defeated soldiers for their lives, but it will never ransom cowardly prisoners!"
For example, the Battle of Beren in 1808.
French General Dupont led approximately 8000 troops to surrender in Belém, Spain, marking the first large-scale surrender of French troops during the Napoleonic Wars.
Napoleon refused to recognize the surrender agreement, saying that Dupont had "lost his military honor," stripped him of his rank and command, and refused to pay the ransom.
Later, persuaded by his generals, Napoleon agreed to reach an agreement with the Spanish to exchange the captured officers, but still refused to pay ransoms for the ordinary soldiers.
This French monarch abandoned the warriors who had bravely sacrificed themselves for the cause of the emperor, ignoring the fact that they were being brutally persecuted by the Spanish.
It wasn't until 1814, six years later, after Napoleon's first abdication, that the French prisoners of war imprisoned on the Spanish island of Cabrera were released and allowed to return home.
But by then, fewer than 5000 French soldiers had survived; the rest were either buried in quarries, died of hunger and cold, or committed suicide in despair.
The remaining 5 prisoners of war harbored hatred for Napoleon.
Most of the physically strong among them joined the army of the restored Bourbon dynasty.
During Napoleon's restoration, they were the only French soldiers who spontaneously resisted Napoleon and escorted Louis XVIII to flee abroad.
Even for his trusted generals such as Marshal Masséna (captured in 1799) and Marshal Lannes (wounded and captured in 1800), Napoleon still refused to pay ransom.
If the captured figure is a strategically important figure capable of altering the course of the war (such as Napoleon's core generals or a trusted confidant with state secrets), and all other avenues have failed, Napoleon might resort to "indirect ransom" methods (such as secret payments, etc.).
His release was facilitated by an exchange of conditions, but this was extremely rare in his military career.
Therefore, if Napoleon saw this ransom demand, which he considered to be extortion, he would either dismiss it with disdain or fly into a rage.
However, Napoleon is set to ascend the throne at the end of this year, and given his current mental state, Lacourt's behavior undoubtedly tarnishes his coronation ceremony.
Napoleon would most likely have ordered Bernadotte to attack Cux immediately.
Therefore, Dugan was confident that he could make the future Swedish crown prince suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of his carefully constructed defenses.
A few days later, two letters, both from Hanover, traveled hundreds of kilometers and arrived at the Tuileries Palace in Paris almost simultaneously, before Napoleon, who was about to be crowned Emperor of the French Empire.
The first letter was from Bernardot, explaining that Lacourt had surrendered and that his troops were waiting in Fredenbeck.
The second letter was written by Duggan to Napoleon. As a British brigadier general, Duggan openly demanded ransom from the French emperor for prisoners of war. His words were neither humble nor arrogant, showing no respect whatsoever for the French Empire or Emperor Napoleon.
In 1804, Napoleon was at the peak of his power and influence, just one step away from being crowned emperor, and his self-esteem and sense of imperial authority were at their zenith.
Therefore, it's understandable that Napoleon would be furious upon seeing these two letters at a time when he felt most confident.
The French emperor, without any regard for his image, hurled insults: "Absurd! Ridiculous! Disgraceful!"
"What is Bernardo Silva waiting for? My orders? He's the marshal on the front lines!"
Napoleon had one hand behind his back and the other raised high.
In Napoleon's view, Bernardo had superior troops and equipment, and after Lacourt surrendered, even if he could not rescue him in time, he should have launched a full-scale attack on Cux to salvage the situation.
But now?
Bernardo Silva, on the contrary, hesitated and waited for instructions from Paris.
As the supreme commander on the front lines, failing to make the most favorable judgment in the face of the ever-changing battlefield situation, thus missing a crucial opportunity, is a complete dereliction of duty.
What angered Napoleon even more was that Duggan, a mere brigadier general, dared to write directly to him, the Emperor of the French Empire. This was an act of usurpation and a blatant disregard for the diplomatic etiquette of European nobility.
Standing to the side, the Grand Eunuch Michel Duroc and the Minister of War and Chief of the General Staff Berthier exchanged glances.
"Your Majesty, how should we reply?" Grand Eunuch Michel Duroc asked cautiously. Napoleon suppressed his anger, waved his hand, and said, "Reply to Marshal Bernadotte with just one word: Attack!"
""
"And what about the British—" Marshal Berthier, Secretary of War and Chief of the General Staff, also inquired. "—" Napoleon rolled his eyes at Berthier. "I won't pay any ransom, and I can't reply in my name. You'll have to reply!"
At this moment, Napoleon would not allow himself, nor the French Empire, to leave any stain of showing weakness to the enemy or bowing down to redeem others, thus tarnishing the upcoming coronation ceremony.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
As Diroc and Berthier bowed and took three steps back, intending to leave.
A personal palace attendant came to the door.
"Your Majesty, Empress Josephine's coronation dress is almost finished, but the Empress feels it is not magnificent enough to match the majesty of the Empress of the French Empire. She requests Your Majesty to approve an additional 8,000 francs to purchase some gemstones and other silk accessories."
"Absurd! Extravagant!" Napoleon was in a terrible mood at this moment, but Josephine still came to ask him for money to make clothes?
"Dignity is not demonstrated through extravagance and luxury!" In a fit of rage, Napoleon resolutely rejected Empress Josephine's request.
"Tell her there is not a single centenary in additional funding!" (1 franc was equal to 100 centens, the smallest unit of currency in France at the time)
The servants had never seen Napoleon so enraged, and they were so frightened that they slunk away.
Napoleon, still furious, spoke rudely and impatiently to Duroc and Berthier, who were still standing there.
"What are you two still standing here for? Are you waiting for my orders like Bernardo Silva? Do you need me to personally order you to leave before you go?"
Diroc and Berthier quickly bowed and hurriedly left the study.
In the marble-strewn corridors of the Tuileries Palace, Berthier called out to Duroc.
"You and I both know the paperwork between the military and the court! According to normal procedures, that presumptuous letter from the British could never have reached His Majesty's hands." Berthier stared intently into Dirock's eyes. "If it weren't for that letter, His Majesty wouldn't have ordered Bernadotte to attack immediately! You must give me an explanation!"
Dilock remained calm as he replied, "According to normal procedures, ordinary diplomatic documents from enemy states, or private requests from junior officers, if they involve provocation, extortion, or disrespectful overstepping of boundaries, do not need to be reported to the Emperor. The relevant officials can handle or reject them directly, thus avoiding trivial matters and humiliating documents from interfering with His Majesty the Emperor."
Berthier snorted coldly, "Then that Englishman's letter, no matter how you look at it, should be an invalid document that should be intercepted and discarded! But it was precisely this absurd and rude letter that eventually crossed layers of barriers and reached His Majesty the Emperor, arriving at the same time as Bernadotte's official military report."
"Marshal Berthier"
Despite Berthier's questioning, Duroc remained calm and composed.
"I am the Grand Eunuch appointed by His Majesty. All my powers, responsibilities, and actions are solely my duty to His Majesty. I am accountable only to His Majesty and have no need to explain my actions to the military, the marshal, or anyone else."
"Sorry, I'm still very busy." With that, Dirock walked away without looking back.