‘It seems that you do not think it wise for France to risk another war at the moment?’
Talleyrand nodded. ‘Indeed, sire. We would risk being isolated and fighting another war against a coalition of enemies.’
Berthier patted a handkerchief against his temple. ‘I thought it was only Prussia that constituted a threat.’
‘No,’ Talleyrand replied flatly. ‘My sources in Moscow tell me that even though the Tsar was overawed by our victory at Austerlitz he is still an implacable enemy of the Emperor. If Prussia goes to war, then the Tsar will pledge his support to Frederick William. Worse still, since we defeated Austria and imposed harsh terms on them, there has been no shortage of resentment in Vienna and the danger is that the war party may yet sway the opinion of Emperor Francis towards intervention.’ Talleyrand paused a moment and then continued, addressing Napoleon directly. ‘I am sure that your army could defeat Prussia on its own, sire. But could it prevail against the armies of three nations? Four, if we count Britain.’
Napoleon pursed his lips. It was true that a victory against such odds was unlikely. Worse still, the last campaign had cost him the lives of many fine men who would be difficult to replace. The fresh drafts of conscripts that had filled out the ranks of the Grand Army were younger than ever and lacked experience of war. And yet his enemies, who had suffered so many defeats, still seemed able and willing to raise fresh armies to oppose him. In the end they must be defeated once and for all, before they bled France dry. He looked up at his foreign minister.
‘What would you advise me to do,Talleyrand?’
‘Sire, war with Prussia would not serve the interests of France. Our true enemy is Russia. She looms across Europe from the icy wastes of the north to the Black Sea in the south. Her lands are vast, and her people countless. The Tsar’s inner circle have ambitions to spread the influence of Russia into Poland towards Prussia, and into the Balkans, the Ottoman empire and even across the mountains that border India. All the while the powers of central Europe are fighting each other Russia is biding her time, and waiting for the opportunity to snap up the lands that border her frontiers. You cannot guarantee the predominance of France while Russia remains undefeated, sire.’
‘And how would you propose to defeat Russia?’ asked Berthier. ‘To reach Moscow would take a march three times as long as between Paris and Berlin, across trackless lands that are baking in summer and as cold as hell in winter. No hostile army could conquer such a vast country. It is unthinkable.’
‘Nothing is unthinkable, Berthier,’ Napoleon cut in. ‘But I agree. At present, we are not ready to march on Moscow.’
‘I doubt that we will ever be ready to undertake such a campaign, sire.’>
‘We shall see.’
‘In any case, sire,’ Talleyrand continued, ‘there is no need to wage war on Russia, provided we can secure alliances with the other European powers against the Tsar. Given our current difficulties with Prussia the obvious move would seem to be repairing our relations with Austria.’
‘Austria?’ Berthier raised his eyebrows. ‘But we were at war with them only eight months ago.’
‘Precisely.A large dose of magnanimity on our part, at present, would go a long way towards securing their gratitude. And once we have that, we can cultivate Austria on our side of the balance of power.’
Napoleon suddenly laughed. ‘You are a schemer to the very core of your soul,Talleyrand.You talk of a balance of power.We do not need to concern ourselves with such things. One either has power or one does not.That is all.’
‘Surely, sire, power consists in getting others to do what one wishes them to do. If that is achieved bloodlessly, then it has to be the optimum result.’
Napoleon wagged a finger at his foreign minister. ‘No! It is not enough to trick them into doing what you want.They have to be aware that they do it because it is your will.That is the true meaning of power, my friend.’
Talleyrand stared expressionlessly at the Emperor for a moment, and then bowed his head a fraction as he responded, ‘If you say so, sire.’
‘I do. Now then, gentlemen, enough philosophy. We must concentrate our thoughts on Prussia. Let us assume for the present that they intend to wage war on us. If that is the case then what chance of victory do we have?’ Napoleon turned to Berthier. ‘You have assessed the intelligence reports?’
‘Of course, sire.’ Berthier reached for his notebook and flipped to the right page. He cleared his throat and began to read. ‘King Frederick William has over a hundred and seventy-five thousand men available to him at present. If he mobilises, then another seventy-five thousand could be under arms within ten weeks. That said, we know that the Prussian army has inherent weaknesses. It marches slowly and there is hardly a general under sixty years of age. The only officer with any outstanding ability is Prince Louis. As for the rest, they still conceive of war as it was thirty years ago.’
Napoleon smiled.‘That is why I shall defeat them.What of our own forces?’
Berthier ran his finger across on to the facing page. ‘A hundred and sixty thousand infantry are available in southern Germany for the campaign, plus another thirty thousand cavalry.’ Berthier glanced up. ‘The cavalry are in particularly fine form, sire. Murat helped himself to the best of the Austrian horses after Austerlitz.We have the finest cavalry in Europe now. Like the rest of the army, their officers report that the men’s morale is high. I’d say that the Grand Army is as ready for war as it has ever been.’
‘Good!’ Napoleon clasped his hands together. ‘Then it only remains to isolate Prussia as far as possible before the war begins. Talleyrand, you must make it quite clear to the Austrians that if I detect the slightest hint that they are mobilising, or that they are even considering an alliance with Prussia, then they will feel our wrath and next time I will not spare Vienna.’
‘As you wish, sire.’
‘And it would be as well to try to keep Russia out of this as long as possible. Send word to the Tsar that we earnestly wish to discuss peace with him.Tell him we propose a treaty to end hostilities and, as proof of our good intentions, we are willing to give him a free hand in Poland. That should tempt him long enough to fit our purpose.’
‘Yes, sire,’ Talleyrand replied flatly.
Napoleon fixed him with a penetrating stare. ‘You wish to add something?’
‘Only that you are taking France to war yet again, sire. Barely half a year on from the end of the last.’
‘So?’
‘So, the people are growing weary of war, sire. I hear it all the time in the Paris salons.’
Fouché stirred. He had been sitting still and silent until now. ‘If that is true, then give me the names of these defeatists. They will need watching.’
Talleyrand turned to regard the police minister disdainfully. ‘I am terribly sorry, Fouché, but I cannot recall their names.’
Fouché smiled coldly.‘Really? I have men on my staff who might be able to help cure your memory.’
‘Is that a threat?’
‘No . . . at least not yet. Besides, I only said they needed watching. That’s all.’
‘That’s all, for now,’ Talleyrand replied quietly. ‘Until they are arrested and sent into exile, or simply disappear.’
Fouché shrugged. ‘As the saying goes, you can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs.’
‘But I am not talking about eggs, my dear Fouché. I am talking about people.’
Napoleon slapped his hand down on the table. ‘Eggs, people, no matter. Fouché, if the war happens I want any opposition to it put down at once. Once the mobilisation is authorised I suspect there will be the usual malcontents who’d rather abscond than serve in the army. When they are caught you may hang some of them to serve as an example. And Berthier, you will give the order for the corps of the Grand Army to begin concentrating about Bamberg. Understand?’
Fouché and Berthier nodded. Talleyrand regarded them coolly and then rose from the table. ‘Sire, i
t would appear that you are determined to go to war against Prussia, in which case my work is done, and you have no further need of me.’
‘On the contrary.’ Napoleon paused and stared at his minister, until Talleyrand resumed his seat.‘You have one more service to perform for your country, for your Emperor, before any war begins.’
‘Really, sire? And what service would that be?’
‘When war comes, then I will not be seen as being responsible for causing it. So we need a casus belli.’
‘Evidently, sire,’ Talleyrand replied drily. ‘What did you have in mind?’
‘The Prussians have made little secret of their desire to annex Saxony. I would like you to let them know that we would not take exception to such an eventuality. Naturally, I want this to be an informal understanding. There is to be nothing on paper, do you understand?’
Berthier frowned.‘Saxony? But, sire, that is part of the Confederation of the Rhine. It is under your protection. I don’t understand.’
Napoleon sighed wearily. ‘Berthier, please confine your contributions to areas where you have expertise. Leave diplomacy to others.’
Berthier’s lips pressed together, and he bowed his head and looked down at his notebook. Napoleon returned his attention to Talleyrand. ‘Let Frederick William know that Saxony is his, provided Prussia keeps its peace with France. I doubt that he will turn up the chance to add Saxony to his inventory. And when he does, we will have our reason to go to war.’
Chapter 21
Bamberg, 7 October 1806
‘And, unless his imperial majesty replies to this ultimatum by the eighth day of October, and pledges to order his forces back from the frontier, a state of war will exist between Prussia and France . . .’
There was silence in the imperial headquarters as Talleyrand finished reading aloud from the document that had been sent from Berlin. He stepped towards Napoleon’s desk and laid the despatch down. Josephine stood behind the Emperor and rested her hands on the back of his chair as she glanced down at the despatch and saw the seal of Frederick William on the document. There was no doubt that the threat was genuine and that Prussia was set on war.
‘When did this arrive?’ Napoleon asked coldly.
‘It was delivered in Paris only five days ago, sire, and immediately forwarded here.’
Napoleon nodded slowly. ‘This is a calculated insult. Not by that weakling Frederick William. He would not have the nerve. This is the work of that witch, Queen Louise, and her war party of cronies. Very well then. If they wish to insult us, then we will deliver our reply in kind.’
Talleyrand cleared his throat lightly. ‘I beg your pardon, sire. But the deadline is tomorrow. There is no question of a reply’s reaching Berlin in time.’
‘Nevertheless, they will have their reply in the clearest possible manner. The invasion of Prussia will commence tomorrow. I imagine that will communicate our intentions unmistakably. Wouldn’t you agree?’
Talleyrand arched an eyebrow. ‘Invasion is eloquence itself, sire.’
Napoleon smiled at the comment and then continued, ‘At least our enemies had the kindness to fall into our trap.’
As Napoleon had hoped, the Prussians had annexed Saxony the moment they had been told that Napoleon would not oppose the move. As soon as the Prussian troops had marched in, a formal protest was sent to Berlin and the men of the Grand Army had begun to concentrate close to the border with Prussia. The Imperial Guard had been sent to the front in a fleet of hired carts and wagons, and finally at the end of September the Emperor himself had set off from Paris, accompanied by Josephine and Talleyrand. They arrived at Bamberg to find that Berthier had co-ordinated the preparations for the coming campaign with his usual efficiency. A hundred and sixty thousand Frenchmen, and ten thousand Bavarian allies, were poised to cross the border into Prussia in three vast columns led by Soult, Bernadotte and Lannes.Ahead of them, as ever, would ride Murat’s cavalry, screening the Grand Army from the prying eyes of Prussian scouts.
Before the Grand Army lay the Thuringer forest, a dense mass of ancient trees sprawling across rolling hills, through which many roads and tracks had been cut. It would take the Grand Army two days to pass through the woods and emerge deep inside Prussian territory. Since there had been little firm intelligence on the location of the Prussian armies Napoleon had arranged his columns in such a way that should any one of them run into enemy forces, it would pin them in place while the rest of the army converged on the location, a manoeuvre that would take little more than a day. Even with the earliest of reports to go on Napoleon estimated that his army would encounter the Prussians shortly after passing through the Thuringer forest.The most logical position for the Prussian army would be across the route towards Berlin.
And that was where Napoleon intended the Grand Army to find and defeat them.
He turned to Berthier.‘Very well, then. Give the orders for the army to advance. At dawn tomorrow the Prussians will have their reply.’
‘Yes, sire.’ Berthier bowed his head to the Emperor. ‘At once.’
As the chief of staff strode off to implement his master’s will, Josephine leaned forward and spoke quietly into Napoleon’s ear. ‘It seems that you have contrived yet another war for yourself.’
Napoleon twisted round in his chair and looked up at her with an angry expression. ‘I did not ask for this.’
‘You have done all but that.’ Josephine smiled faintly. ‘You manipulated the Prussians into this war.’
‘They made their choice,’ Napoleon replied bluntly. ‘They could have chosen peace, but they chose to wage war on France, to wage war on me. And they will learn the price of such folly soon enough.’
‘And once they are humbled, what next? One day you will run out of enemies, my love, and then what will there be left for you to do?’
Napoleon stared at her for a moment and then shrugged. ‘Enjoy the peace.’
She was silent for a moment and then shook her head sadly.‘War and peace. I don’t think you even know the difference between the two any more.’
‘Difference?’ Napoleon thought for a moment. ‘I wonder if there is a difference in the end. One cannot have one without the other.War is an extension of diplomacy by other means, and peace is merely the continuation of war by other means. There will always be war and peace, Josephine, just as surely as the rising of the sun. All that one can do is try to keep winning, however one can. Else there is only surrender or defeat. To me, war is not an aberration, but the essence of human nature.’
Josephine straightened up and regarded him with a look of despair. ‘God save us,’ she muttered in a low tone that only the two of them could hear. ‘You are a monster.’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I am Napoleon.’
As the first hint of dawn lightened the horizon, the men of the Grand Army formed into their battalions and tramped across the border. The night had been cold and the chilly dawn air about the marching columns was marked with the swirling puffs of exhaled breath as the soldiers hunched in their coats, waiting for the warmth of their exertions to spread through their bodies. The din of nailed boots crunching over the hard ground was accompanied by the jingle of harness and rumble of heavy wheels as the limbered guns and wagons of the Grand Army rolled forward between the columns of marching infantry.
Napoleon had taken his leave of Josephine in a soured atmosphere. She had kissed him dutifully, but there was no warmth in her embrace, no affection in her eyes, and he felt an ache in his heart at her cold expression. He hoped that it did not portend an ill outcome for the coming campaign. Fortune had blessed him in the past, and where many men had been killed or crippled on the field of battle Napoleon had come through unscathed. The odds against his survival must surely be growing with each new campaign, he mused, as he took her hands and squeezed them.
‘I will return, my love.’
‘Yes,’ she responded softly. ‘I know. Until the next war.’
Napoleon looked sadly i
nto her eyes, then released her hands and turned away to mount the horse that was held ready for him by one of his staff officers. Once he had heaved himself into the saddle, Napoleon adjusted his stirrups and took up the reins, and at a click of his tongue and a nudge from his heels the horse walked forward.
‘Napoleon!’ Josephine suddenly called out. ‘Be careful, my love. Come back to me.’
Napoleon turned to her with a smile and waved his hand, then spurred his horse into a trot and rode away to lead the Grand Army to war.
Berthier and his staff proved their worth once more as the three columns of the French army followed their carefully planned marching orders. They passed swiftly through the Thuringer forest in an orderly manner and emerged into open countryside towards the end of the second day of the campaign. The reports from Murat’s scouts still provided no conclusive intelligence as to the location the Prussians had chosen to concentrate their forces.
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