Chapter 85:
14. End of the SecondHundred Years War 1
By thetime theentire United Kingdom was sufferingfrom measles in the aftermathofthe Great Crash. Changesalso began on theIberian front.
The French, who finally found their basewith thehelp of local intelligence, attacked and dealt a decisive blowtothe Spanishresistance.
Thatday, Napoleon unleashedhis rigid defenses andunched a full-scaleattack on the Lines of TorresVedras.
The corps of Joseph Bonaparteand GabrielSuchet moved fromMurcia to ga. Jean-BaptisteJourdans Corps marchedfrom Galicia to Vigo.
Then Napoleon led hisown armytoFort Badajoz where Arthur Wellesleywas staying.
TheAllies weresurprised by thissudden attack andpreparedtorespond, but the Frenchhad alreade close to them.
We havea good advance, maybe becauseweveeradicated therats that nibbledonthe wagons! Hahaha!
Michel Neyand the other marshals were happy to havebroken the boringconfrontation.
The soldiers whomarched with confidencewith thepossibilityofvictory lookedbraveand powerful. They did notwastetheirtime duringthe break thatdid not have muchfighting.
Thecorps, which raised itsphysicalcondition and discipline under Napoleonsleadership with hardtrainingand adequate rest, was showing off itssupreme discipline, even though it hadlong been off thebattlefield. Confidence. Theyhad confidencethat they could win against any enemy.
Imsure we would be able to keepupwith theRepublics standing army.
Napoleon tried to hidehis satisfaction while looking around. The French were about to cross abridge on their way to Badajoz. Acrossthe bridge, some cavalrymen withwhitegswere waiting for Napoleon. Therewas amessenger of the British armyamongthem.
This is aletter fromourmander-in-chief to HisMajesty theEmperor of theEmpire.
On his waytoBadajoz, Napoleonreceiveda letterwritten by ArthurWellesley fromthe messenger. Inthe interest and attentionofmany, heopened the letterand readit.
I greet YourMajesty theEmperor, the ruler of France.
Itisthe first timethat I am writingsuch a direct lettertoYour Majesty, even though I havebeen facingFrance for a longtime. Please forgivemeifthereisany awkwardness in mannersand expressions.
It was a hardhandwritingthat felt rigid and strict. Napoleonsgaze went down.
Thelong-running war is causing trials andsuffering not only to the peopleofthe IberianPenins, butalso to thecitizensofBritain andFrance, andtothe people of neighboring countrieswho havea supporting roleinthis war.
I am surethat this willdoharm to thedeveloped civil society, the state andnationalismthat developedinthe 19thcentury(omitted)
The frontier drawn by the Alliedforces, includingFort Badajoz where YourMajesty troops are marching, issolidand did notmiss your advance.
It cannotbedenied thatYour Majesty havesuperhuman military strength that willneverbeseen again in thehistory of war, but it is notenough to win in enemy territory, evenifyou had at least three times thepower.
Thefortresses andfortificationsformed by the blood andsweatofthe Allies andtheirresentment against France will remain unbroken by anyodds. I hope thatthe brilliant Emperor of France will makethe right decision withconsideration forthe subjects of the Empire.
Althoughheaddedlong phrases, thecontent meant Dontsuffer fromour defense, and turn backnow. Atthe provocation, Napoleon smirked and calledJean-Andoche Junot, whowas in the rear.
Did youcall, Your Majesty?
Read this. Itsa letterfrom Wellesley.
Napoleongave theletter to Junot. Junot read it carefully, spat outa low-pitched swear word and then spoke.
Hesmaking aclumsy excuse on theoutside, but itsreally alousyprovocation. The more scared a wildcatfeels, the louderitcries. YourMajesty, you dont havetopay any attentiontothis.
The mainreason why I showed this letter to youisbecause youhave exchangedmany letters withArthur Wellesley.
Napoleon understood thatthis wasa psychological battle between topmanders. However, because he had mostlyheardaboutWellesleystendencythrough rumors, he handed over the judgment on thesituation to Junot, whocouldbesaid to know Wellesley well. Junot thought for a moment andreplied.
Theres certainly nothing strangeaboutthis letter. He is amember of ahigh-ranking noble family in Ennd, andhevalues mannersand praiseschivalryand gentlemans will. Iveneverseen this kindofuglinessfrom himbefore.
Napoleon nodded. Healso thought thatitwas far from Wellesleys usual disposition. He hada rough idea of whatthis meant.
HisExcellency said thatI shouldwait forYour Majesty the Emperorsreply, stayinghere fora while
No, you dont haveto.
Napoleon, smilingatthe messengers words, continued.
Myreplywill be shown on thebattlefield.
One thing for sure was that he had no intentionoffollowing Wellesleys letter. Napoleonincreased the speed of thecorps. Arthur Wellesleywas waitingatFort Badajoz, looking forwardtothe final battle of this war.
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Located betweenhills, FortBadajoz stood like an outpost, blocking the Frenchand Allied forces.
Thecoalition forces, whichwere densely deployed behind thefortressand on its side, were standing by withanoptimal formation,pletelyblockingthe entrance to the city of Badajoz.
It wasa solid andstrong fortress, with troops cedinthe right way. Ifthey attacked them likethis, even a corps of elite soldiers would havetosuffer enormous losses.
Advance!
The left wingofNapoleons Corps advanced to thesoundofthe military band. The coalitionseemed rather surprisedbythe French armysapproachinghead-on with suchpace. Napoleonnodded quietly, and oneofthe officers who sawitsent a signal to theleft wing.
Turnleft!
Thehead of theprocession turned.
Andthe battalionsthat followed in line withthe leadturned together. As they headed forthe fortress, theleft wing exposedits right sidewhen it turnedsouth.
Once again, Napoleon lookedthrough histelescope at the enemies on the fortress andbehind it.
Ha, those idiots Tell them to speed up on the left!
I willfollow yourorders, Your Majesty!
The French armysmarchinfrontofthe fortress elerated. After advancingfor about 4 to5 kilometers fromthe corps headquarters, the troops stood by andupiedthe southern partofFort Badajoz.
Then, thepanyreorganizedits batteries with pleteformation. AndNapoleons Corps wapletely divided intotwo likethis. The two parts took formation, surroundingthe south and east of the city of Badajoz.
What about Massnas Corps?
He is almostthere. It willtake about an hour for himtodeploy his troops.
Tellhim to set up a campnorthofthe fortress and proceed withthe operation as nned.
Yes, YourMajesty!
After speaking, Napoleonexpressed his willingness to fight. Hewas determinednot to end this confrontationwith a simple siege.
There must be astorminthe ind country across thesea by now.
Nevertheless, the descendants of proud pirates would not easilysign an armistice. Balloons could onlypop wheninted. All they needed wasa trigger and a shock.
And thiswouldbethe captureofFort Badajoz, which wasatthe coreofthe Lines of Torres Vedrasand was guarded by Arthur Wellesleys Corps.
Gentlemen.
The eyesofthe marshals and officers staying inmandfocused on him.
Its time to end this longwar.
Newsarrived that MassnasCorpshad arrivednorthofBadajoz. Napoleongave theordertoattack.
The French tricolor gs began to flyascannons rang out from the north, southand east.
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The battle between the Frenchtobreakdown thedefensive barrierand the Alliestostop it continuedtodayaswell.
Fearless warriors fromboth sides pushedthemselves into the battlefield, whereshells and bullets werepouring in, and struggled to puttheirgsonhigh grounds.
The dominance changed severaltimesa day. The body filled thefields, andbloodcolored thesurroundingrivers red.
Desperate battles weretaking ce all over the battlefield, but the armiesofboth sides followed oneunwritten rule. Do not aimguns andcannons at theemergency evacuationteamswho immediately cametotake care of injuredsoldiers.
TheAllied and Frenchforces wereinthe midst of awar in which onlythe heartless andcruelcouldsurvive, but theynevertouched theevacuation convoy.
ArthurWellesley saw it as an effortmade by thepeople not to lose their humanity and chivalry.
There is a holeinthe wallsurroundingthe city, sir! Atthis rate, we mayhave to give up the city today or tomorrow
Arthur Wellesley hadtosoothe his bitterstomach at thewordsofthe chief of staff. Thesituation got twisted whenMassnas Corps, whichhad beenadvancing north to supportJourdans Corps, quickly turned aroundand tookover thenorthernpart of Badajoz.
The Allies were outnumbered and were attacked on three sides, makingthem at a structuraldisadvantage. If it hadbeen only thismuch, Wellesley might havebeen able to block the Frenchoffensive withthe power of his men.
However, theFrenchscurrentbatcapabilities exceeded the expectationsofWellesley and theAllied officers.
Theywere notatthis level when we faced themonthe Anzn River. What kind of magic did he do!
Anyway, it was clear that the time thatthey could hold out here was limited. Oneofthe clever officers came up witha bold suggestion.
The citycan be recapturedatany timeaslong as thefortressdoesnt fall. Thesituation is not very goodrightnow, so I think it would better to step downfor awhile.
The fortificationofFort Badajoz, known forits robustness, did notbudgeatall during this short siege.
Also, without much support, Wellesleys Corps could retreattothe cityofvora, where thecoalitionswarehouses were located, get more men andenough supplies.
Itwouldbea strategicretreat. Ofcourse, they would havetogive up this cityuntilthen, but under the circumstances, they could not find abetter option.
Lets retreat. Butwemuste backand retake this ce.
Theywouldlet the owner of thecity surrounding thefort change. However, during that time, Wellesleys troops would be able to regain strength to attackthe French forcesbesieging the fortress.
Arthur Wellesleys decision wasthe bestone to defend both his troopsand his cause as thmander-in-chief of the AlliedForces againstthe French.
But theworldwas so cruel thatitsometimes madefun of humans with the mischief of fate. This time, its targetwas the coalitionforces led by ArthurWellesley.
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The fall of Badajoz! The shocking news of the waronthe penins.
The door to Portugal opens wide. The KingdomsArmy is in theworstsituation.
Wecantcontinuethis waranymore We need to negotiate a ceasefire as soon as possible
Arthur Wellesley wrote a post-war report, calling it a strategic retreat, butbreakingnews of theoverall situationarrived much earlieronthe maind.
And the breaking news was enoughtopanicthe entire court of Westminster as well as the citizens of London.
Thecopseofthe stock market andbankruptcy of businesses werecausing despair and were paralyzingmajorindustrial citiesone after another.
Britainseconomy wasstruggling in great darkness, and it would takea long timeofpatiencetoget throughit. There was no time or money for them to invest in a war that seemed already over.
Stop thewar on the peninsthat kills theyoungpeople of Britain!
We wanttohold bread, not guns! The peopleare starving to death. What goodisthis wardoing?
Abolishthe ie taximmediatelyand blowupthe previous agreement! Wake up Westminster!
ThecitizensofLondon yearnedfor peace moreintensely thanever. They took collectiveaction, demandinganend to the war, the abolitionofie taxes (thetaxesconducted to cover the cost of war), and thepayment of overdue wages.
If there is no ceasefire, wedemand the resignation of theCab!
They demonstrated in front of Westminster Pce, 10 DowningStreet, andeven St. James Pce (the pce of theBritish royal family).
Some of theprotesters didnot hesitate to engage in violent confrontations withpolice officers or evenpulled out swords. Meanwhile, a secondshockwave hit theindustrial economy of Britain.
Nowthat exports of metallurgical, shipbuilding andcotton industriesplummeted, numerous businesses wentbankrupt, and were soldtosecuritiespaniesand banks.
Britains economyonce again faltered heavily, andcitizenstook to thestreets, usingthe governmentand the royal family. Someradical citizens even demanded achange of government.
Prime Minister RobertJenkinson and theTory members werecornered. In the end, theyhad onlyone choice.