Dominate the Country

Life is so magical. An opportunity that is not an opportunity can make a dusty pearl emit a dazzling light.

Of course, you can also say that gold will shine sooner or later.

This is the case with Napoleon.

He was transferred to a coastal defense force, but he met his fellow countryman and old friend Saliciti on the way in Toulon.

It is not important whether Napoleon encountered the revolutionary self-guard attacking the Toulon fortress. What is important is Saliciti. Saliciti helped him and recommended the young Napoleon to replace Major Martin. And that Major Martin fought hard in the previous battle of the revolutionary self-guard attacking Oriol, and did achieve good results, but he fought the powerful artillery and rocket artillery units in his hands, and he was seriously injured and disabled.

Artillery is a powerful firepower pillar in land warfare, and it plays a particularly important role in siege operations. For this reason, the officers in the self-guard were in a dilemma, worried that they could not find a person who could replace Major Martin. Without an artillery commander who is proficient in the business, it is simply unimaginable to conquer the Toulon Fortress.

On the other hand, the anti-French coalition, with the support of the British fleet, controlled the entire area from the Franco Mountains to the Malbosc Fort, and still occupied Cape Kerr and the Sepe Peninsula, which could control the large and small anchorages of Toulon Port. At the same time, the subsequent reinforcements of the anti-French coalition also arrived in Toulon one after another, and the prospects for the Self-Defense Army to recapture Toulon were very bleak.

But it was this "recommendation" that was not an opportunity at all but a pit of fire that made Napoleon find the second turning point in his life.

The first turning point in his life came when he was very young, when his father, Charles Bonaparte, chose to rely on France instead of following the Corsican hero Paulie to England.

At that time, France had just become the new ruler of Corsica and was actively trying to win over the traditional noble families on Corsica. The Napoleon family was one of them, although the Bonaparte family was very poor.

But Napoleon's father believed that the family's reliance on France could properly improve the family's status and economic conditions.

If Corsica was ruled by the French, it would inject new vitality into the island's economy and make Corsica more prosperous. In addition, it could open up a brighter future for his children in the French army. At that time, the French army was like the British lobster soldiers, and the appointment of officers was limited to the children of nobles.

At that time, many people on Corsica made the same choice as Charles Bonaparte, but Napoleon, a teenager, was very indignant about his father's betrayal of Corsica.

The young Napoleon was very passionate, and when he heard that low-status civilians were bullied by French soldiers, he would often be furious. When he entered the Brienne Military Academy at the age of eleven, he saw the statue of Choiseul again-Choiseul was a minister who advocated France's conquest of Corsica. He was extremely angry and scolded the statue.

Even after his father's death, he still claimed that he could never forgive his father for choosing France instead of following Paulie to exile in England.

Londoners may not know that they were once so close to the Corsican monster in history. It's a pity that Charles chose Paris instead of London.

So, an insignificant little thing can sometimes affect the pulse of history. If Napoleon's father, Charles Napoleon, chose to follow Paulie to exile in England, then the young Napoleon would probably choose to join the British army and navy, follow Paulie, the Corsican hero he deeply admired, and firmly oppose France and the French revolution.

Perhaps he could rise as in "history" and become a greater general than the Duke of Marlborough. He would definitely defeat the army of the Paris revolutionary government. Or he would induce the British government to launch a war of conquest against the entire European continent!

Under such circumstances, except for the French "territory", the monarchy and aristocracy in Europe will not be greatly affected, and other European countries except France will not be challenged to shake their foundations. Then the whole of Europe will be dead in the old monarchy and aristocracy, and will prolong its life in the state of being divided into countless small states.

Therefore, Charles Bonaparte's one thought at that time has profoundly changed the course of the entire European history and the course of the world. He made France shine with the most dazzling light in history, and also created the most powerful enemy for the rising Chinese Empire.

Of course, Napoleon of this era has changed a lot compared with Napoleon in history.

Because he has broadened his horizons and gained more knowledge than his peers in history.

His eyes are no longer fixed on this small piece of land in Europe, nor does he sigh at the British conquest in India. His goal and his idol were no longer the heroes of ancient Greece, such as Leonidas and Cortius, or ancient Rome, such as Cincinnatus. Instead, he surpassed these heroes, and also surpassed his idol in his youth, the hero Paoli of Corsica, and rose to the level of Alexander and Caesar.

Napoleon really admired Paoli when he was a teenager. He once said to his brother Joseph: "Paoli will come back. Once I have the power, I will help Paoli. Maybe together with him, we can smash the hateful shackles on the neck of Corsica."

But the military academy career and the biographies of great figures in the military academy library made Napoleon's vision higher and longer-term. I don't know when Caesar and Alexander replaced Paoli and replaced Sparta to Leonidas.

A book that records the deeds of great men can really change a person's ideals in many cases.

When Napoleon read the book "The Gallic War", his admiration and extreme love for Caesar exceeded that of Paoli.

Perhaps this is because Caesar is Italian, and the Gallic War tells the story of Caesar's conquest of Gaul, which makes Napoleon, an Italian who has just enjoyed the pain of being conquered by the French, feel very excited. It is said that Napoleon recited the chapters and passages in the book with full enthusiasm.

However, unlike the Napoleon in history, Napoleon on the Toulon battlefield was the same age as the one in the same period in history, but his inner core was very different. Because he had a three-year experience in the East in his life.

During the three years in China, Napoleon learned a lot about Chinese history and got to know many figures in Chinese history.

For example, Qin Shihuang, Liu Bang, Li Shimin, Zhu Yuanzhang, and the current Chinese Emperor Chen.

China has the most detailed historical records in the world, and countless figures who shine in history have their own biographies.

This is also a burdensome task for Chen Han's Ministry of Culture and Education. In addition to compiling history and other miscellaneous things, another order Chen Ming gave to the Ministry of Culture and Education was to let the Ministry of Culture and Education organize the compilation of biographies of historical figures.

During Napoleon's three years in China, he absorbed too much nutrition from history, which greatly broadened his horizons.

In a horizontal comparison, who wins and who loses when comparing the achievements of Caesar and Alexander and Caesar's great achievements with Qin Shihuang?

And in Chinese history, there is also a freak like the Mongol Empire. Although the Chinese still have a lot of controversy about the status of the Mongols and whether they belong to Chinese history, in Napoleon's eyes, the Mongols are clearly part of Chinese history.

Napoleon officially arrived at the Toulon battlefield in September of the Western calendar. First, he needed to reorganize the artillery.

Major Martin destroyed the artillery in his hands, and then he was seriously injured and went to the hospital, but the artillery was left there. Napoleon took over an extremely messy mess. The artillery there was in name only, with neither enough artillery nor sufficient ammunition. Before his arrival, the so-called artillery unit only had a few broken field guns and mortars, which were guarded by a low-level officer at a loss.

The soldiers also had no basic qualities. The experienced gunners were almost killed in the previous battles. These people were transferred later. But not only did they not receive serious training before, but they also did not receive serious training after arriving at the artillery unit. They could not use artillery, let alone how to repair it. What's even more ridiculous is that Napoleon's superior, General Carto, lacked basic common sense in artillery and had no idea about the range of his few cannons.

If an ordinary person faced such a mess, he would have been devastated and had no hope for work.

But Napoleon was not an ordinary person. He was a man of accomplishment. Facing such a scene, he thought of Liu Paopao in Chinese history, who was indomitable; he thought of Zhang Xun in Chinese history, who was loyal to his duties and died. Napoleon was an outstanding talent who could carry out extraordinary and creative work even in a harsh environment.

First, he tried every means to collect various artillery from nearby positions. In a short time, he got nearly a hundred large-caliber artillery, including long-range cannons, heavy artillery that fired 24-pound shells, and a large amount of ammunition.

Paris was very interested in "recovering Toulon" and allocated a large amount of materials and manpower. Everything is available, it depends on whether you are attentive or not.

Then, Napoleon sent special people to Lyon and Grenoble to collect all useful military equipment, and established an arms factory with 80 workers in Oriol. In order to solve the problems of artillery mobility and fortification construction, Napoleon requisitioned horses from Nice to Valence and Montpellier, and arranged the production of tens of thousands of wicker baskets for building artillery forts in Marseille.

Napoleon was not only an excellent organizer, but also a down-to-earth doer. He often went deep into the front line of Marseille, rolled with the soldiers, influenced the soldiers with his actual actions and exemplary role, and inspired their enthusiasm and revolutionary spirit. Soon after, General Dopp, who succeeded Carto as commander, arrived, and the incompetent Carto was gone. When General Dopp later recalled Napoleon, he wrote with great admiration: "I found that he always stayed at his post. Even if he needed to rest, he would wrap himself in a cloak and sleep on the ground. He never left the artillery group." In this way, Napoleon's amazing talent and spirit of hard work quickly spread among French soldiers. He won the respect and praise of his superiors, and soon he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of artillery.

…

After the European Office withdrew from France, it never moved its core institutions back to Paris.

Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not want to place the European Office in London, England, because there were really many Qing Dynasty veterans hiding there, but looking around Europe, there was really no more suitable place except London.

Prussia is anti-China. When the "Yellow Peril Theory" was hot in Europe, Prussia was waving the flag in the middle. Until now, the two sides have not established formal diplomatic relations.

And Vienna's attitude towards the Chinese is not very friendly. They are one of the main enemies of the Ottoman Empire, and China is indeed a good friend and loyal ally of the Ottoman Empire.

In this case, the Netherlands and Spain are not suitable, Portugal is too remote, and so is Italy. The small German countries in the Rhine are very unsafe, and the European Office really has to be in London.

Last winter, the European Office received important instructions from the country to keep a close eye on France's every move. Among them, Chen Ming also specifically pointed out Toulon.

The latter is the home port of the French Mediterranean Fleet.

The European Office did not think of it at first. How could Toulon be in danger? The French would not be so confused.

But when the Toulon Fortress surrendered to the British and Spanish, the people in the European Office were convinced. The emperor had a long-term vision and was very opinionated. If he said Toulon was going to have problems, then Toulon really had problems. And this "prophecy" was released more than a year ago.

When Jieyang King Chen Zhan traveled thousands of miles to Europe, it was already the fourth day after Christmas. According to the lunar calendar, the twelfth lunar month in China was about to arrive. Chen Zhan contacted the European Office as soon as possible and also learned about some of its responsibilities.

So he saw the records related to the Battle of Toulon.

Then he found Napoleon.

"Promoted directly from lieutenant colonel to major general?"

While Chen Zhan was amazed at the rich life experience of the French army's top hero in the Battle of Toulon, he couldn't help but feel incredible about Napoleon's rapid rise. From lieutenant colonel to major general, this is three steps.

Lieutenant colonel to colonel, colonel to brigadier general, brigadier general to major general.

And Napoleon's rank of lieutenant colonel was also earned in this Battle of Toulon.

"What does this guy think of us?"

"If he feels good about us, then we can actively develop this line. The rank of major general is already a position that can be promoted or demoted. It is already eligible for investment!

"I don't know if you have received any calls from the country, anyway, I can give you a hint first. The current emperor is salivating over the French land in North America. This king is also hungry!"

The six uncles have fiefs, but the fiefs of their brothers are still not settled. And if the French are willing to trade Louisiana to China, this is really a good deal that cannot be better.