Chapter 98: The Great - 4


    17. The Great  4


    So far, the history of the FrenchNavy hadbeen paved with manydefeats. Althoughthey hadsuperiorship manufacturing technology, courageoussailors, and superior woodand artillery than any other European country, theFrench hardly won.


    This was because their opponent was none other thanthe BritishRoyalNavy, the kingofthe ocean. Thepassionate anpetitiveFrench had been learning and growing up constantlyreflecting on their defeat. However, the British Navycontinued to widen the gapasitevolved at an even faster rate.


    Enteringthe 19thcentury, the French Navy had benothing more thana meal for theferocious Britishbattleships. The Frenchadmiral instructed his subordinatestorun awaywithout looking backifthey sawbattleshipsdisying theUnionJack.


    Its pathetic and miserable. France, whichconquered the continent, cannot breathe at sea.


    TheBritish Navy was by no means invincible. Napoleon knew it better than anyone else, because he had learned it fromhis own experience.


    Infact, inthe world where he originallylived, HoratioNelson, an invincible admiralwho was iparabletothe currentgeneralsofthe BritishNavy, was holdingout.


    Nevertheless, theFrench Navy, which had continuedtogrow tremendously, eventuallyseeded in blocking Nelsons fleet.


    This wasthe result of leading the sailors in the right direction, making continuous investments and givingthem faith in victory, despite theck of talented people that happened due to thepurgeofnavalofficers.


    ButwouldNapoleon, who hadalready provedonce that the Frenchwere notweak at sea, be abletodothe samehere?


    Theinstructors evaluationpapers are full of favorable reviews of cadets. Its nota trick to tter me or intemyachievements, is it?


    OnmyfaithinGod and thehonorofmycountry, I dere to YourMajesty that thisisbynomeanssuch a shameless move! Thecadets are allpassionate about learning, and their abilities areexcellent and exceptional, they deserve to be called warriors of thesea! They are showing infinite loyaltytothe Empire andtoYour Majesty, andare lookingforward to getting on the deck as soonaspossibleandmandingthe battleships.


    The reportbyMajorGeneral DAutriche, vice-principal of theNantes Naval Academy, was full of confidence, withoutaninch of falsehood.


    Theprincipal of thismilitaryacademy wasLieutenant General Pierre de VaugirauddeRosnay, an oldroyalistnoblemanwhom Napoleon hadhad ahard time gettingunderhismand.


    In peacetime, he would pretendtobea retired admiralworking as a teacher, but in theeventofa war, he would immediatelymandthe elite fleet of the Empire. No one would be more suitable thanLieutenant General de Rosnay, who did notlose against AdmiralNelson.


    The faceofDenisDecrs[1], the Minister of the Navy and theColonies, who waslistening to the reportwith Napoleon, also showedsatisfaction. It wasnatural that the stronger theFrench Navywas, thestrongerhis voice in the cab would be. Thereason why theBritish Navy was strongwas thatithad skilledofficers, sailors, and marines withcountlessbat andsailing experiences.


    Theydid not lose or suffer much damage in themaritimewar againstFrance, so they survived while umting experience.


    And by passingthat valuable experience and know-how to their sessors, thevirtuouscyclewas repeated, andthe strength of the British Navywas maintainedover generations.


    On the other hand, Francelost every time it fought, soitwas unable to maintain a force of skilledofficersand soldiers.


    Inthe end,tergenerationsoftenclimbed to thedeck without proper education. Thiswas how thegap betweenthe two countrieswidened.


    After all, excellent manpower was thebasicfoundation to achieve strong maritime power.


    The NantesNavalAcademy wasa newly created naval academythat implemented naval policies that had been sessfulinthe world where Napoleon originallylived.


    Naval officers learned about artillery, deck shooting, maritimesignals, and loading, which wereessential for them, andwere trained countless times inbatpractice.


    In this process, cadets could experience leadershipthat they musthave as officers while leading sailorsand nonmissionedofficersassignedundertheimand, and developtheirability to respond to unexpectedevents at sea.


    As the educational curriculum was revised to be as close to practice as possible and money andtime were generouslyinvestedforbat training andnavigation practice, satisfactory resultswereingout in ashorttime.


    The cadetswere graduallytransforming intosea men as theyadapted to theharshenvironmentonthe deck.


    Napoleon wasreceiving abunchofpapers containinggrades and instructor evaluations of naval cadets from Major GeneralDAutriche, who cametoParishimself forreporting, andread them one by one. There was amon intense desire felt fromthem.


    It was theyoungpeoplesambitiontosomeday surpass Britainand establish Europes best maritime empire, and to stand tasthe leader of theera. Theyoungpeople of the Empireattheirpeak were so determinedthat they could do anything.


    Theresa separate reasonwhy I called the minister andthe vice-principal, whomust be already busy.


    Afterreading thst report, Napoleonswordsmade their heads tilt.


    Since the armisticenegotiations thatendedthe PeninsrWar, there have beena numberofgood investment proposals received by theimperialgovernment. Amongthem, therewere projects that wereconsidered to be so powerful that theywere regarded as topsecret.


    WhenNapoleonpped hishandsand senta signal, the door to the officeopened and a man with his servants entered. Hisuniform showedhis rank, indicatingthat he wasanartillery officer.


    Myname is Henri-JosephPaixhans[2], fromthe 17thBattalion of the Imperial Guard Artillery. I salute YourMajesty theGreatEmperor of theEmpire!


    Wee, Lieutenant Colonel. I wouldlike to askyou to presentthe new weaponyou made.


    It would be suchanhonor, YourMajesty!


    Then lets go to thedemonstration hall. Everyone, get ready to be surprised.


    Napoleon andLieutenant Colonel Paixhans leftthe office first, and Major GeneralDAutriche andMinisterDecrs shrugged andfollowed.


    ===


    Ivealready said it, butonce again, pay attention. I think this new project is an innovativeweapon thatwill changethe situation on thesea, so youshould strictly think about its confidentialityasI do.


    Thecewherethey arrived was an ownerlesssite in thesouthofParis. However, although there was no name to it, it belonged to theimperialfamily, andNapoleonhad beenstrictlycontrollingess to thiscefor severalyears.


    This is it. Lieutenant Colonel, pleaseexin it to them.


    Yes, YourMajesty!


    There wasone veryhuge cannoninfrontofthem.


    Its too bigtobea field cannon, right? Its not one. Itsa cannonthat canbeused in battleships on thefrontline. But of course, its still bigeven fora ship.


    LieutenantColonel Paixhans began exining witha triumphant look.


    Sofar, cannons havebeen usefulbycarryingiron balls andsending them throughenemylinesand units. Modifications weremade, and the cannonballs varieddepending on the purpose of artillery fire, such as shotguns, grape bullets, andchainbullets. Artillery officers havelearned to usethem in therightce, and so have their subordinates. But thisnew cannon andits cannonballs are fundamentally different from those usedbythe imperial armysofar. In particr, I am confident that theywill be able to givea fatal blow to wooden sailing ships.


    Whatonearthwas thiscannon and theshells contained in it fora lieutenant coloneltobesocondescending in front of them? Major General DAutricheand Minister Decrslooked grim.


    Watching them, Napoleon smiledinwardly. He usedtobelike that, too. But he changed his expression immediately after confirmingthe power of thisinnovative cannon.


    Itwouldbebetter to see a demonstrationthan to hear ahundred exnations. Well, get it ready.


    Lieutenant ColonelPaixhansordered subordinate nomissionedofficersand researchers to operatethe hugecannon. Ammunition was brought, loaded, and then the chamber was adjusted. Ata nce, it was undergoing amuch moreplicated and difficultprocess than ordinary cannons.


    It wasnot until sometime that it was possible to install the ignition detonator, the final step before shelling.


    Cover your earstightly.


    Yes, yes? YourMajesty?


    Fire!


    Aaahhhhh!


    Even if lightningstruck at aclosedistance, it would not be as loud as this. LikeNapoleon, who wascoveringhis earswith hishands, LieutenantColonel Paixhans, the nomissioned officers andthe researchers, whohad coveredtheirears with cotton balls a while ago, were safe, butthe two were verysurprised by the unimaginablesound.


    In particr, thewig of Minister Decrsflew off, revealing hisbald head ridiculously. But he was so astonished by whathappenedinfrontofhis eyeswith hismouthwide open thathedid not even think of pickinguphis wig.


    Woaaaaahh!!


    The bulletfiredfrom thecannon hit theabandoned house thatwas chosen as target. If it had been aregr cannonwith regr bullets, whetheriron or shot, thedemonstration would have beepleted by breaking downthe house withphysicalforceorbymaking rgehole in it.


    However, the purpose of the shellsproducedbyLieutenant Colonel Paixhans was different. Theywere designed to explode. A red-yellowmethat rose witha roar hit theabandoned house and ck smoke swallowedupthe surroundings.


    Whenthe smoke subsided, thehousehad disappeared, andonly tracesand debris of theexplosion wereleft scatteredaround it.


    YourMajesty! Were there anymmable substancesinthe house, like gunpowder, sulfur, or oil!?


    Theresearcherswouldknow betterthan that, wouldnt they?


    Th-then!?


    Lieutenant ColonelPaixhanscontinued to exintothe two, theirsurprisemaking themforget the pain in their ears.


    The shell I made is notaniron cannonball thatpasses throughthe target, but an explosiveshell thathits thetarget and then explodes.


    Thatwas right. This was thereason why Paixhans, who usedtobea captain, waspromotedtolieutenant colonel at once, and whyNapoleonprovidedhim withanopen space to conduct top-secretresearch.


    When Napoleon heard about the research n for this cannon andshells fromCaptain Paixhans, hejudged thatthis would be a decisive weapon in thetimesahead.


    He immediately invested generous resourcesinit, and twoyearter, LieutenantColonel Paixhans faithfully met hisexpectations.


    To brieflyexin theprinciple, theshellisequippedwith a fusethat ignites whenthe cannon is fired, and thatmakesthe shell explodewhen it reaches its target.


    The principle of theexplosive shell was rtively simple. Simrly to conventional cannonballs, a chargebehind the warhead exploded, allowing theshelltofly to the target.


    However, themain difference was that high-performanceexplosives were concentrated in thewarhead of theshells produced by LieutenantColonel Paixhans.


    Whenthe shell hit thetarget, theimpact activated thedetonator inside thewarhead, stimtingexplosives andcausing a hugeexplosion.


    The resulting high heat, mes, and blowwoulddevastate the entirearea andcausegreatcasualties anddamage to the enemy.


    Special cannonsare needed to usetheseexplosive shells. They arposedofmuch more preciseandplexdevices than conventional cannons. Unfortunately, this cannon, whichcontainssuch devices, is toobig and heavy to be used as afieldgun. However, if it undergoesa slightminiaturization and weightreduction process, there is asufficient possibility that it can be used on aship.


    Napoleon wasconvinced thatdue to the natureofthe explosion, itwouldhave a stronger effect in maritime warfare thanind warfare.


    A sailing shipmade of wood, on a deckwheretherewas not much space to avoid, wasa huge and slow target. Innavalbattles where ships on thefirstline fired artilleryshells, this cannon would bring disaster to theenemy.


    What if French officers, who had been reborn as sea men through an efficientandbat-oriented training process, were given abattleship armed with these gunsand explosive shells? Minister Decrsand Major GeneralDAutriche, who werelistening to Napoleon, also had their heads twirled.


    Decrs wasfrom thenortheast, thepolitical center of France, and DAutriche was from asoutherncoastal city witha very strong regional feeling.


    The countryitself was so wide thattherewere many quarrels and disputes between regions, but allofthem hadone thing inmon: the French gathered under theg of France.


    Through the blood of allthe French wasflowing thesame feeling since the Hundred Years War, after having been brutally beaten by thepirates of that ind country.


    They hada great dream of conquering Britainbybreakingdown thewooden walls blocking the Dover StraitandndingFrancesGrandArme (Grand Army). Theireyes reflectedsuch a strong desire.


    Thetwo naturally felt joy from finallyacquiring areliableweapon thatcouldbreakdown theBritish fleet dominating the sea.


    I named this cannon Paixhans Cannonafterits creator. Arent youlooking forward to it? Theday whena Frenchfleetofwarshipsarmedwith Paixhans cannons and explosiveshells fires mercilessly at the British Royal Navy.


    !


    Ill askthe minister and thevice-director. Are you ready to defeatthem whohold theworlds maritime hegemony, and achieveFranceslong-cherisheddream?


    They hadonly oneanswer to this.


    TL notes


    [1]DenisDecrs


    [2]Henri-JosephPaixhans