Napoleon in 1812

Chapter 62

10. Defense master, offense genius – 8

“Dear valiant soldiers of the French Empire, isn’t repeated training a little boring? Come here for a moment and take a look at my bayonet posture. Is this how you do it?… Hmm…”

At Napoleon’s words, the officers who were shouting at the soldiers stood still, stopping all movements. It was the same for the non-commissioned officers and the soldiers. Some raised their heads out of curiosity, as they once again recalled that the majestic Emperor was training here with them. How well would an Emperor who was chubby and old handle a bayonet? He was called a war genius, but he was no better than them.

Most soldiers were worried that they might be humiliated while expecting the Emperor’s dignity, but some had mischievous thoughts.

“Step!”

Napoleon moved his feet at the officer’s command, remembering the successive moves. Take your left foot as far as your shoulder and your right foot follows immediately. The bayonet always faces the enemy’s chest. In this forward posture, your right leg is bent at an angle of about 110 degrees and your left leg is standing still while maintaining elasticity. Afterwards, move your left foot again, rotate your heel along the axis, and maintain your balance so that the bayonet can stab forward and backward.

“Guard!”

‘Middle Guard’ was an anti-infantry position with the bayonet tip facing the enemy’s chest and stomach, and ‘High Guard’ was a posture against cavalry with the bayonet raised to 45 degrees upward. In addition, he continued to maintain a posture for walking while in a dense formation, ‘Coup de Mêlée’, and a posture for close combat, ‘Shortened Stroke’. Running sweat soiled his uniform and soaked his entire body, and his rough breathing showed no sign of calming down.

Nevertheless, Napoleon’s movement did not stop. His movements were all flowing, powerful and perfect without a single mistake. The soldiers’ faces were very colorful. Looking at them, Napoleon could smile with satisfaction.

‘I was flying around in my childhood, and now I’m stuck in the body of a fat Emperor and can’t see the light.’

When he was at the Royal Military Academy in Paris, he got a perfect score in swordsmanship, bayonet, and never lost a single duel between cadets. Nevertheless, he was the type to shine in action rather than in practice.

During the Battle of Toulon, he was assigned to the position of division commander, but fought directly against the British and Spanish armies. During the Italy’s campaign, Napoleon fought actively against the enemy soldiers, unlike the other commanders who turned back when the situation became an emergency.

Napoleon, a tough general, showed off his old skills to the fullest, even though he was from a different world. He eventually finished demonstrating all the guard positions. A lot of cheers and applause were heard coming from officers and soldiers alike. The Emperor did not forget any of the bayonet movements written in the textbook and, as if he had not expected that he would do so well, he seemed very surprised.

“Ah, now I remember a little bit! I made a mistake earlier because it’s been a while since I learned bayonet.”

Napoleon smiled and called out the officers who had been shouting at the soldiers before.

Napoleon put his hand on their shoulders in a friendly way, and continued.

“The faces of those who you were scolding are very familiar to me. They were probably friends who were in bayonet training behind or next to me. Isn’t it right?”

“Th-that’s right, Your Majesty!”

“I was right behind Your Majesty. It’s an honor that you remember me!”

“Look at that. I made some mistakes in guard movements some time ago. But if I was the only one who made a mistake, what would I have done? These guys rather saved my face.”

“Is that so, Your Majesty? Then the officers made a big mistake. I am ashamed of us, Your Majesty.”

“I did not understand your deep meaning, forgive me Your Majesty!”

Of course Napoleon did not make a mistake at all. The officers were aware of that. But they had the sense to see what Napoleon wanted now and what his intentions were. The soldiers, on the other hand, who had been scolded by the officers, looked almost as if they were about to cry, knowing that Napoleon took their side.

The same was true of other soldiers. They were all giving Napoleon a look of respect, as if it was not the first time this happened and they were expecting it. It was Napoleon’s leadership that made him instinctively loved by his subordinates.

“Still, the fact that you can pick the one who made a mistake out of all these soldiers means that the officers’ eyesight and teaching skills have reached their peak. That’s great. Marshal Perrin has been able to do so much on the battlefield with such competent officers like you.”

“Th-thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor!”

“It’s an honor, Your Majesty!”

If it had ended just like this, he may have been able to gain trust and favor from the soldiers, but he may not have heard good things from the officers. Napoleon was not foolish to look down on one group, especially with the officers’ sense of belonging and solidarity.

Napoleon smiled at the officers whose expressions had brightened, and grabbed his bayonet again.

“There is still a phase of bayonet attack and defense. Aren’t you curious about my skills? If it’s not this time, you won’t have a chance to see them.”

“We are very curious about the Emperor’s skills!”

“Wooow!”

Napoleon stood in the middle of the training camp, where cheers and applause were pouring in. In no time, officers and soldiers from other units heard the sounds and filled the outskirts of the training camp.

“Attack!”

Push your center of gravity forward in the Middle Guard state and stab the enemy’s chest with your bayonet. To use the maximum reach of the bayonet, extend your left arm, hold the buttplate (the end of the musket, used to strike) with your right hand, and bend your knees. Napoleon perfectly showed the bayonet’s attack postures, including high point, used to stab enemy cavalry, and low point, used to avoid counterattacks by fallen enemies.

“Defense!”

He took the Prime posture to protect his left side from top to bottom with the end of his bayonet, and then Seconde to protect his right side. Napoleon immediately followed with Tierce and Quarte, and even took St. George’s stance to defend against cavalry strikes. Physical problems were unavoidable, his arms and legs trembled relentlessly, his fat belly came out and he could not continue the change quickly.

However, the accuracy, simplicity, and flow were perfect enough to be included in the bayonet manual. At first, the soldiers were enthusiastic, but as time went by, officers and non-commissioned officers rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

An Emperor showing perfect posture and bayonet movements, surpassing active officers!? Once again, cheers, whistles and applause from officers and soldiers poured out at Napoleon, after the end of the demonstration.

Napoleon drank water after being handed a bottle by an approaching officer, and then bent down gracefully, crossing his legs and raising one arm up, just like the last greeting of a dancer after a wonderful dance. Some soldiers cheered or burst into laughter at the Emperor’s performance, and others bowed their heads in respect.

Their common emotion was a deep respect for Napoleon. When a person in the highest position continued to communicate at eye level by putting down his sense of authority, people from the lower ranks would give him blind favor and support

In particular, the Emperor participating in this hard training and showing that he was well versed in bayonet technique was enough to inspire loyalty and respect of soldiers, as well as to prevent them from being scolded too much by the officers.

‘And I can take care of my health.’

Napoleon patted his stomach. Compared to when he first woke up in this body, it seemed to have gone in a lot.

“How was I handling the bayonet, gentlemen? It’s been a long time since I learned this in military school, but from your reactions, I guess I’m not rusty yet?”

“Your Majesty could kill at least a hundred islanders alone!”

At the words of a soldier who had the courage to raise his voice, Napoleon gave a picturesque smile.

“That’s good. When we’re surrounded by the British, I will be able to take care of them.”

“The bayonet instructors will not be able to perform as perfect a movement and posture as the Emperor did today! But if you lose a little weight, you’ll have a much more beautiful form!”

The soldier who made these brave and mischievous remarks was from the Old Guard, the most elite unit of the French Imperial Guard. Some officers opened their eyes wide at the cheeky remark, but they released their expressions when they identified the red shoulder ornaments and the ‘second marching uniform’ symbolizing the Grenadier Regiment of the Old Guard.(1)

Although most veteran soldiers of the Old Guard were sergeants and therefore in a position to receive orders, no one would dare do so except for the Guard officers and Napoleon. The Old Guard had been created from the beginning with only the best non-commissioned officers in the French infantry. Their rank was at least sergeant.

The bond between the Old Guard and Napoleon was also known for being very special. It was not for nothing that the most comfortable when talking with the Emperor were the Old Guards, and not Baron Fain, the Empress MarieLouise, nor the marshals of the Empire.

Of course, the current Napoleon was not the same Napoleon as before, but he took lightly the words of the Old Guard.

“As a guard, you’re even caring about my beauty. But don’t worry! Even though my body is thick, women in Paris will be more attracted to me than to you, who look like a bandit.”

“Hahahaha!”

Napoleon, who gave a shot to the guard soldier with a thick tongue, put down his bayonet and opened his coat jacket to cool off. Summer was long past, but the afternoon after training was terribly hot. During the short break before resuming training, the soldiers sat down and drank water, and the officers sat on rocks or stumps and chatted.

A man dressed in a uniform approached Napoleon who was resting like that.

It was one of his secretaries.

The secretary, who came quietly, looked around and whispered to Napoleon. Napoleon nodded and soon rose from his seat and clapped twice, drawing the soldiers’ attention.

“Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in the next training. Even if I’m not here, you must train hard and follow the instructions of the officers. Don’t forget that the body and spirit of mighty men are the greatest treasures that support the Empire!”

“Long live Your Majesty!”

“Long live the Emperor!”

With the support and cheers of the soldiers, Napoleon left the training ground. He felt like he heard a sigh of relief from the officers, but… he chose to believe that it was an illusion.

===

Gabriel Suchet’s Corps successfully attacked Fort Albacete. Beginning of siege.

André Masséna’s Corps took the city of Almadrones. Beginning to march to Madrid.

“The flour swelled into bread. I should eat it before it gets cold.”

– A line from the play ‘Préjugé à la mode’ (Popular prejudice) – 12]

It was finally time to move.

TL notes

[1] Here’s an painting by Edouard Detaille of a grenadier of the Old Guard:

[2] A play written by Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée. I’ve read it but couldn’t find this line…