The Young Eagle - A Napoleon Quest
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Napoleon and the Easter Insurrection in Corsica
Apparently Dwyer's book paints him as a tyrant, while Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts is more ambiguous, praising and criticizing Napoleon in equal measure. I haven't read Dwyer's book though.
I love this so much.
This is how I picture Hachiman in a (hypothetical) Napoleon/Oregairu crossover, in which he is a naval officer in the French military; wearing a green uniform and carrying a British Baker rifle and a cutlass.
We now live in an age where anyone could just instantly create an image of anything. Imagine being in an era where images could take hours to make.
I'm smiling so much...he was only in his early twenties, and already his ambition soared so high.
"Got everything money can buy...except what it can't."
And now I'm imagining Napoleon becoming a boxer.
Military.
Just one word, but it says so much, doesn't it?
In my opinion, Napoleon Bonaparte is the best military commander who ever lived.
That does not mean he was unbeatable, nor that he was incapable of making mistakes.
He is the very last person in history to have a combination of complete political power, ruling a mighty empire, and a frontline military genius.
There hasn't been anyone like him since.
Without chaos, whence come heroes?
I wonder what Napoleon would think of Cao Cao (styled Mengde).
By the way, my favorite character/historical figure of the Three Kingdoms period is Sima Yi (styled Zhongda).
Of all his siblings, Lucien was apparently the most talented, but also the most unpredictable; he was a wildcard.
Joseph was a skilled diplomat, but that was it; he had no business being a governor, much less a King.
Louis actually turned out to be a good King in Holland, and is still fondly remembered in the Netherlands to this day. Napoleon's treatment and eventual ousting of him was despicable in my opinion.
Jerome was a complete idiot.
By the way, Jerome's first wife - Elizabeth Patterson - is in my opinion a waifu.
Jerome threw her and his son away like they were nothing, at Napoleon's behest.
This only made me roll my eyes and think of Admiral Yi of Korea.
A military genius. One of the best naval commanders of all time.
And a goddamn fool.
I'm sorry, but that's my opinion of him.
Why the bloody hell didn't he launch a coup?
Sod duty, I say. Look after yourself and the people you care about. That's it.
"I shit on the people, and what they want and what they're ready for."
I dunno, Tjf...but I'm a cynic. I don't have a lot of faith in human nature.
"If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing."
- Napoleon
(looks at France) That country is honestly really weird. I say again; it was in France that modern democracy was born.
France protests.
"Hi, my name is Luis..."
Tsar Alexander the Second implemented reforms in Russia.
He encouraged Finnish nationalism and autonomy (the Finns refer to him as 'The Good Tsar'. Even now, with everything that is happening, a statue of him still stands in Helsinki)
And he is responsible for the emancipation of the serfs. He ended serfdom in Russia.
The Russian people thanked him by murdering him.
It's a fascinating topic for me; this veneration of despotic rulers (Stalin still gets flowers placed on his grave to this day) while disliking or despising the reformist ones.
"Being a victim of evil can actually make it harder to see what was done to you as evil, rather than easier. Hence the Russian practice of remembering Stalin as a great leader."
- Vlad Vexler
"Hoorah! Hoorah for the Tsar!"
By the way, in my opinion, the Russian Army in the 1700s and 1800s was capable and dangerous.
Victories over Sweden.
Victories over the Ottomans.
And yes, they suffered defeats to the French at Austerlitz and Friedland, but ultimately they prevailed in the Napoleonic Wars and marched all the way to Paris.
(looks at the Russian Navy) ...that one on the other hand, for some reason, has always been bad. I don't know why.
"You do any terrifying thing you're asked to do but you have to do it running...the only thing that really scares you guys is stillness."
I've read the book Vengeance by Juval Aviv.
When 'Avner' (it's really Juval himself) asked his handler why he was chosen to lead the 5-man team, the handler told him that they picked him because he is stubborn and determined; he is the sort of person who just keeps going no matter what.
Arguably the most famous painter of this era is Jacques-Louis David.
Without a large and growing middle class, you cannot expect much economic growth or social, cultural or even political development in a society.
In my opinion, in Planetos in A Song of Ice and Fire, it would make more sense for the first Republic to be created in Essos, not Westeros. I find it more likely that Essos conquers Westeros instead of the other way around.
Italy.
A country with so much history, whose actions and decisions shaped the entire world.
Napoleon making himself Emperor of the French (and King of Italy) as well as making his own siblings monarchs was a means of him trying to balance the ideals of the Revolution with the old ways of absolute monarchy.
It didn't work.
No matter what he did, the champions of the old ways never stopped trying to bring him down.
However, the legacy he left behind didn't die. It was not forgotten by the people of Europe.
1848: The Year of Revolutions
In my opinion, Paoli was not a man who was true to his beliefs.
In real life he handed over the island to the British.
Of course they do! They are French.
In real life, Napoleon was a Jacobin. Though it is clear that he was very much a pragmatist. The man himself said that he adopts the religion of whatever society he is presently in.
At the People's Will.
This was what Germaine de Stael wanted. But she also was an admirer of Talleyrand, so I don't think her judgment was all that acute.
Napoleon in real life was very much an authoritarian dictator...but he was weird.
Napoleon: (reforms currency, improves education and infrastructure, introduces central banking, reduces corruption, creates a civil code)
Me: "Wait, that's not what dictators are supposed to do."
Napoleon: (takes away women's rights)
Me: "Ah, that's more like it."
By the way, here's a video in Sam Aronow's Jewish History series (I'm way behind on that series. My next episode to watch is The Russian Haskalah (1815-1856)):
Napoleon's Sanhedrin (1797-1815)
I love the ending of this video. EMANCIPATION AT THE END OF A GUN.
Some of the fiercest and most loyal soldiers in Napoleon's Grande Armee were Polish.
From the National Assembly to the National Convention to the Committee of Public Safety to the Directory, the handling of the French economy was terrible. I wanted to tear at my hair while reading about it.
Then Napoleon became First Consul and within a week he stabilized the French currency.
"There are people who claim to be conservative, but they do not want to conserve anything. They want to destroy. They are fake conservatives."
- Vlad Vexler
"A civilization based on the principles of absolute order and uncompromising discipline."
(looks up) That is so Prussian. 'An army with a state.'
Me: (points) "You. I like you."
"Us, our blood runs hot. Because our hearts are big."
In my opinion, Giuseppe "Joe" Masseria was a greedy pig. He refused to share New York; he wanted it all for himself. And that's why he lost it all in the end.
Luciano on the other hand became one of the founding fathers of The Commission, which in my opinion seems similar to the Balance of Power in Europe.
Never, ever underestimate how stupid people can be. Assume incompetence first before assuming deliberate malice.
Apparently the Bengal Famine was more due to incompetence than to outright genocidal intent (though it is true that Churchill was a racist and imperialist. And a moron. Yes, he was an important and pivotal figure in terms of Britain's political stance in the Second World War. However, when it came to the actual running of the war itself, he was an incompetent and drunken idiot. It's like a CEO who can make rousing speeches to inspire and motivate the employees, but for the love of God, keep him away from the actual managing of the company)
STOP FIGHTING.
In my opinion he deserved to die just for being that stupid. Trigger discipline, moron!
I absolutely love what happens next. The young Bonaparte brother will make himself known here. It also made me think of Napoleon successfully bluffing Austrian soldiers into believing he had troops nearby when in reality he didn't.
- Location
- Where beer flows and men chunder
Going to respond to more of this in the morning since I think you raised some interesting points. For now, though, I wanted to bring up this:
As for Paoli and Britain, I'd cut him some slack. During Paoli's exile in England, he was a guest of the wealthy, and so he saw all the best things about British society - the progress, the entrepreneurial spirit, and none of the poverty, corruption and injustice present in the poor areas away from his host's homes in the West End. He thought bringing England to Corsica was a good thing. And it's not like the Corsicans were necessarily uniformly against foreign rule. They'd offered the crown to the king of Spain, the king of Naples, the king of France, and of course the German Theodore von Neuhoff, in exchange for throwing out the Genoese. Many Corsicans actually felt that foreign rule was useful - a foreign liege, unconnected to the blood feuds of Corsica, would be a good unbiased unifying force, as well as making the island less isolated. What the Corsicans wanted was to stop being treated like beasts of burden, not necessarily independence.
As for the whole "our blood runs hot" thing, I think you can lay the fact that the vendetta was such an important fixture in Corsican society (as well as Sardinia and Sicily) is that all of these islands were ruled by foreign powers that treated the populations like second-class citizens. Law and order on these islands only applied to the foreigners, not the natives - the only time a native Corsican would deal with the courts is if the state was trying them for a crime ('crime' in this sense often meaning hunting or eating oysters, which only Genoese were legally allowed to have).
The courts and magistrates left the natives to fend for themselves. You've been robbed? Deal with it yourself. Your brother was shot? Deal with it yourself. You think your neighbour is encroaching on your land? We'll deal with it - by rewriting the boundaries so that both your farms belong to us now. People were forced to resolve their problems themselves - and as in most cases where people have to settle their differences without a disinterested arbitrator, did it very poorly.
Finally, the start of the Easter riot was actually crazier than what I wrote. It's true that it was started by two sailors who'd been enjoying each other's company just moments before, and who drew stilettos and a pistol on each other after their young cousins got into a scuffle during a game. I left it there for simplicity.
What actually happened was that the man with the pistol was tackled and disarmed by the crowd - a shot was fired, but hit no one. The sailors were dragged away from each other, and the incident was over. Then the Garde Nationaux arrived... They asked what happened, but of course no one said anything because of Omerta. Then they had the genius idea of randomly grabbing people and searching them for weapons.
A completely unrelated mason happened to be going by and got grabbed. The mason fought back, grabbing one of the guard's muskets. A stand off ensued, but it looked like the mason and guardsmen were about to back down. Then the mason's brother ran up with a pistol and shot a guardsman in the back... Absolute bloody chaos all around.
Napoleon...didn't handle this well in real life. To his credit, he stepped into the line of fire and tried to de-escalate the situation, showing bravery and initiative. But after his attempt failed, he totally lost his shit. The crowd chased him and a few men into a building and tried to stab him to death, at which point he got angry at the town council for not backing him up and refused to deal with them from then on. After escaping, he came back the next day with more men, opening fire on a church procession and killing a widow and a teenage girl. After that he burnt several fields outside the town, cut down several olive trees the locals used for food, and tried to convince the French garrison to help him attack the town. When the French (wisely) told him they wanted absolutely nothing to do with a Corsican blood feud, he formed a plan to kidnap the commander and was only barely talked out of trying it.
Quest Napoleon has avoided so many problems by succeeding in that first roll. I'm genuinely amazed the IRL Easter Riot didn't kill Napoleon's career - or lead to someone murdering him.
Paoli was a man of energy, vision and diplomacy. And then he got old. Paoli became extremely petty and vindictive as an old man - the whole reason he was a popular figure in the first place was because he didn't have any vendettas, and could bridge the gaps between the various groups of Corsica. He was one of very few Corsicans to be respected in the Diqua and Dila, because he was able to not take things personally. Anyone who insulted him wasn't an enemy, but a potential future ally, and so he tried his best not to burn bridges. Once he returned to France after the Revolution, though, he did nothing but burn bridges. Interestingly enough, his father was the same way - Giacinto Paoli's petty vendetta against King Theodore led to the collapse of Theodore's Rebellion, and several more years of oppressive Genoese rule.
As for Paoli and Britain, I'd cut him some slack. During Paoli's exile in England, he was a guest of the wealthy, and so he saw all the best things about British society - the progress, the entrepreneurial spirit, and none of the poverty, corruption and injustice present in the poor areas away from his host's homes in the West End. He thought bringing England to Corsica was a good thing. And it's not like the Corsicans were necessarily uniformly against foreign rule. They'd offered the crown to the king of Spain, the king of Naples, the king of France, and of course the German Theodore von Neuhoff, in exchange for throwing out the Genoese. Many Corsicans actually felt that foreign rule was useful - a foreign liege, unconnected to the blood feuds of Corsica, would be a good unbiased unifying force, as well as making the island less isolated. What the Corsicans wanted was to stop being treated like beasts of burden, not necessarily independence.
As for the whole "our blood runs hot" thing, I think you can lay the fact that the vendetta was such an important fixture in Corsican society (as well as Sardinia and Sicily) is that all of these islands were ruled by foreign powers that treated the populations like second-class citizens. Law and order on these islands only applied to the foreigners, not the natives - the only time a native Corsican would deal with the courts is if the state was trying them for a crime ('crime' in this sense often meaning hunting or eating oysters, which only Genoese were legally allowed to have).
The courts and magistrates left the natives to fend for themselves. You've been robbed? Deal with it yourself. Your brother was shot? Deal with it yourself. You think your neighbour is encroaching on your land? We'll deal with it - by rewriting the boundaries so that both your farms belong to us now. People were forced to resolve their problems themselves - and as in most cases where people have to settle their differences without a disinterested arbitrator, did it very poorly.
Finally, the start of the Easter riot was actually crazier than what I wrote. It's true that it was started by two sailors who'd been enjoying each other's company just moments before, and who drew stilettos and a pistol on each other after their young cousins got into a scuffle during a game. I left it there for simplicity.
What actually happened was that the man with the pistol was tackled and disarmed by the crowd - a shot was fired, but hit no one. The sailors were dragged away from each other, and the incident was over. Then the Garde Nationaux arrived... They asked what happened, but of course no one said anything because of Omerta. Then they had the genius idea of randomly grabbing people and searching them for weapons.
A completely unrelated mason happened to be going by and got grabbed. The mason fought back, grabbing one of the guard's muskets. A stand off ensued, but it looked like the mason and guardsmen were about to back down. Then the mason's brother ran up with a pistol and shot a guardsman in the back... Absolute bloody chaos all around.
Napoleon...didn't handle this well in real life. To his credit, he stepped into the line of fire and tried to de-escalate the situation, showing bravery and initiative. But after his attempt failed, he totally lost his shit. The crowd chased him and a few men into a building and tried to stab him to death, at which point he got angry at the town council for not backing him up and refused to deal with them from then on. After escaping, he came back the next day with more men, opening fire on a church procession and killing a widow and a teenage girl. After that he burnt several fields outside the town, cut down several olive trees the locals used for food, and tried to convince the French garrison to help him attack the town. When the French (wisely) told him they wanted absolutely nothing to do with a Corsican blood feud, he formed a plan to kidnap the commander and was only barely talked out of trying it.
Quest Napoleon has avoided so many problems by succeeding in that first roll. I'm genuinely amazed the IRL Easter Riot didn't kill Napoleon's career - or lead to someone murdering him.
I think I created something that would make Berthier (Chief of Staff of the Army of Italy) just faint from the amount of work having to be done..
[Deleted since I'd fear it'd put off people from the quest until the reform is ready]
N/A: First Draft for the Future Grande Armee, are there any suggestions on changes, additions that can be added to be reasonably justified for t the era? (Knowing this is 1793, it'll take us years before we can use the Final Draft as a Military reform for the Grande Armee.)
[Deleted since I'd fear it'd put off people from the quest until the reform is ready]
N/A: First Draft for the Future Grande Armee, are there any suggestions on changes, additions that can be added to be reasonably justified for t the era? (Knowing this is 1793, it'll take us years before we can use the Final Draft as a Military reform for the Grande Armee.)
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- Location
- Where beer flows and men chunder
Managed to get a glimpse of what you wrote before it got deleted. I thought it was exquisite, and it really makes me feel good to see people participating to that extent.
I think it all could be justified for the era - though you'd need to be in a suitably high position to implement it all, or have the ear of someone in the military capable of doing so (*cough* Carnot *cough*). I'd say it would take actions over many turns to get it all implemented as well - change on that scale takes time, no matter how brilliant you are.
So yeah, you could inplement it all, but it would be a big job, taking multiple turns and several rolls - and until you have authority behind you, they're just ideas.
This chapter was really intense to read. Time to review it now.
I don't think I'm good at following these Quests; so much being dependent on the roll of a die makes me nervous.
Many of the Decembrists losing their nerve at the very last minute and wanting to back down.
The Decembrists were idiots.
If you are going to carry out a coup or a mutiny, you either go all the way or you don't start one at all.
Once you start it, there is no going back. You must go all the way.
Have I mentioned that I love the writing of this Quest?
It is a philosophical discussion.
You were smiling while writing this, weren't you Tjf?
Be gentle and kind when you can, but also know when you need to be firm and ruthless.
We are in the late 1700s...it's doubtful he'd survive a wound like that.
Napoleon's Moment of Realization of Destiny was after the Battle of Lodi in 1796, but in this story he may experience it earlier than that.
"The moment when I felt the difference...between me and other men...was a few days after the Battle of Lodi. I felt that I was worth much more...and that I was destined to save France."
- Napoleon on St Helena to General Bertrand
Typical Napoleon. He's just been through a terrifying and exhilarating experience in which he came very close to being cut down in a crossfire, and his way of dealing with it is to throw himself into work.
Napoleon High School Movie when.
Aiming cannons himself at Lodi as enemy cannon and musket balls flew and landed around him.
Brandishing a standard while standing in the open at the bridge at Arcole.
Riding close enough to enemy Prussian units that he was within pistol-shot of their cavalry.
Having lunch while in range of Russian artillery at Friedland.
Getting so close to the Austrian lines that he was within musket range, then taking a (very) short nap while enemy cannonballs strike his headquarters at Wagram.
The Sardinian Expedition's failure was owed largely to the invading troops choosing to mutiny.
Bruce Wayne: "Stay cold. Use the dark. Rage and fear swirl all around like an angry tide. Can't let them touch me."
Frank Castle: "Let the blood rise. Ride the hate. Only way to survive the madness is to join it."
- Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights
Napoleon the Workaholic.
This reminds me; I need to get back to reading that epic Star Wars fanfiction series in which Obi-Wan Kenobi is a sith.
Napoleon in Star Wars-story when.
...goddammit. I hate that Corsican so much.
When I look at Berthier, I think of the overworked Scribe Bigsley from Fallout 3. Guy is probably the one person keeping the Brotherhood of Steel from falling apart.
Secretary: "Marshal Berthier, Sir, there is a-"
Berthier: "I'M BUSY."
(looks at Napoleon and Berthier) Hm. Makes me think of this:
Billy Butcher: (about Mother's Milk) "If it weren't for him, the whole thing would fall to pieces. I'm in charge, but he's the one who makes it work."
- The Boys comic series.
I'm sure Paoli was someone to be admired...but then again, so was Napoleon.
In my opinion, Napoleon became stupid after 1807.
Never, ever meet your heroes.
Hmph. Paoli seems to just not care anymore. He's getting old after all.
If you truly hate someone, what you should do is to become their dearest, closest and most trusted friend.
Have to give him credit; Tsar Alexander completely fooled Napoleon in 1807.
I feel like I should be listening to Sicilian music now.
You'd think Napoleon would have learned from his experiences that nepotism is usually not a good idea...
Why?
From reading about him, he seems to be a decent bloke. But of course there is always more to a person than what their Wikipedia page says.
In my opinion, the people who openly sneer at you, insult and threaten you, are not the ones you should be worried about.
It's the ones who smile at you, offer handshakes and friendship, that you should be careful around. Tsar Alexander again.
A certain country: "We will nuke you. We will nuke you all. You better give us everything we want, or we'll nuke you!"
Another certain country: "We are peaceful and neutral. We seek economic ties and bilateral cooperation. We are your dearest and closest friend."
I'm smiling so much now.
Chaos is a Ladder.
Logistics and supplies.
Even if this campaign to capture Sardinia is successful, can the French ensure that the island would be adequately manned and supplied? The Royal Navy...in my opinion, boss music should be playing every time a British fleet shows up in this story.
I can now see Paoli berating Cesari for his idiocy; had he planned his strategy more carefully, that damn Bonaparte boy wouldn't have pointed out its flaws to everyone.
Honestly, I kinda like that while you got Cesari's command, Treguet refused to change his overall plan. It makes everything seem more 'real', so to speak.
However, I will say that I'm ok with the rules of reality being bent here and there. What's important is that we all have fun.
I really loathe and despise the stereotype of French people being cowards. France has won more military battles than any other country.
From 2nd Lieutenant to Captain to Major to Brigadier-General to General of Division to First Consul...to Emperor.
"Since you gave me your name, I shall give you mine. I am Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine, Mediator of the Helvetic Confederation. I shall accept becoming your partner, Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, and I will look forward to crushing our enemies and seeking the world. Now, let us complete this contract."
- Emperor of Zero, Chapter 2
Said it before; I'm a Singaporean.
The movie Big Fish (2003) by Tim Burton...the protagonist saying that his hometown is too small for his ambition. I can relate to that.
I work in logistics by the way. In my opinion, there is not a single business that can function nor grow without good logistics. We are now in a global economy. Creating bubbles around ourselves and refusing to pay attention to anything beyond that bubble...well. It makes me think of the majority of a population of a certain country going "I'm not interested in politics."
Being passive and depoliticized is what many political leaders want you and me to be. They don't want us to actually actively support them, they want us to not care; to sit in our homes, watch TV, eat ice cream and go to work while they take more and more of our freedoms and rights away.
Never, ever say that you cannot make a difference. Because that is what they want you to believe.
It was the people of France - the commoners, the middle class, the poor - who rose up against the Ancien Regime.
In my opinion, we can all learn from the French people.
Hm. It would be interesting if the Bonapartes were become more secure in Corsica, instead of in real life where they were forced to flee Corsica and settle down in France.
Hm.
This made me think of Xi Jinping's decision to not stay in Beijing but to instead build influence elsewhere in China. That ended up paying off for him big-time.
Also, I wonder what it would be like to compare Napoleon's 1796 campaign in northern Italy to Caesar's campaigns in Gaul.
@RealOtto I'd like to know what your chosen numbers would be too. Please add:
- The number of men for each force.
- The number of men who will be remaining in the town (if any), and any instructions/orders for them
- What is to be done about the Sardinian doctor
EDIT: RealOtto has updated Operation Salad to include the troop numbers. Thanks!
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Fun Fact: The Original Name was going to be: Operation Ceasar Salad, before realising that salad didn't exist yet.
- Location
- Where beer flows and men chunder
The randomness can be frustrating, but also fun. Just keep in mind that the rolls are modified by stats and traits.
Cesari was an ally of the man Bonaparte defeated - or more specifically he was an enemy of the local business magnate who was funding the Buonaparte faction. I don't actually know if they were rivals - the internet seems completely bare of any information on the man. All I can find is relating to his brief scuffle during the La Maddalena debacle, so I'm filling in the blanks a lot. Napoleon, after the defeat, claimed that Cesari was not just spineless, but was intentionally sabotaging the expedition by refusing to carry out the night attack and waiting for the enemy to overwhelm their position. This could potentially be true - the Paoli faction would exile the Buonaparte faction almost immediately after this.
Agreed. Coincidentally, I just recently wrote up a Decembrist quest idea:
1: December Quest - The Russian Imperial Revolution
The year is 1815, Napoleon is vanquished and Alexander I stands as the unquestioned autocrat of all the Russias. His will is law, and that law is the preservation of Russia's reactionary regime, backed by his secret police.
Alexander is not unopposed, though. Inspired by reforms in the West, many Russian officers seek the destruction of the old regime, the end of serfdom, and the rise of a new, enlightened government. Take control of Russia's first revolutionaries, spread your popularity among the peasants, the nobles and the middle class and prepare for liberty or death.
The year is 1815, Napoleon is vanquished and Alexander I stands as the unquestioned autocrat of all the Russias. His will is law, and that law is the preservation of Russia's reactionary regime, backed by his secret police.
Alexander is not unopposed, though. Inspired by reforms in the West, many Russian officers seek the destruction of the old regime, the end of serfdom, and the rise of a new, enlightened government. Take control of Russia's first revolutionaries, spread your popularity among the peasants, the nobles and the middle class and prepare for liberty or death.
Aw shucks...
Wouldn't happen to have a link?
So, it's a bit of a complicated story, but it has its links in Bonaparte's election to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the National Guard. The campaign, like basically all Corsican elections of the era, was extremely dirty with both sides rigging the vote, intimidating and bribing voters and in the case of the Buonaparte faction, literally kidnapping an election observer (the other side also tried doing this but the Buonapartes executed their plan a day before their opponents).
Cesari was an ally of the man Bonaparte defeated - or more specifically he was an enemy of the local business magnate who was funding the Buonaparte faction. I don't actually know if they were rivals - the internet seems completely bare of any information on the man. All I can find is relating to his brief scuffle during the La Maddalena debacle, so I'm filling in the blanks a lot. Napoleon, after the defeat, claimed that Cesari was not just spineless, but was intentionally sabotaging the expedition by refusing to carry out the night attack and waiting for the enemy to overwhelm their position. This could potentially be true - the Paoli faction would exile the Buonaparte faction almost immediately after this.
Vote closed
Here is the FF profile of the author of the series: Kurenaino.
The stories in the series are:
1) From Grace, I Fall
2) From Darkness, I Rise (I'm still at this one)
3) In Chaos, I Thrive
4) From Flames, I Soar
It's ridiculously well-written, so much so that I both love and hate it.
Thanks for sharing this!
Yeah, looks like the decision to get Cesari removed from command may be the correct one...if someone is determined to be your enemy no matter what you say or do, Appeasement is not going to work.
Battle of La Maddalena Part 2 - February 1793
- Location
- Where beer flows and men chunder
Attack on the Bay:
French Roll:
D100 => 97
Sardinian Roll:
D100 => 56
Reinforcing the guns:
French Roll:
D100 + 10 + 10 + 10 => 91
Swiss Roll:
D100 => 39+10 (Swiss Combat Efficiency)
Does the doctor try anything?:
D100 => 67
French Roll:
D100 => 97
Sardinian Roll:
D100 => 56
Reinforcing the guns:
French Roll:
D100 + 10 + 10 + 10 => 91
Swiss Roll:
D100 => 39+10 (Swiss Combat Efficiency)
Does the doctor try anything?:
D100 => 67
February 23, 1793 - La Maddalena Archipelago:
Bay Offensive:
"Psst! Pietro!" Sergeant Gamboni calls out in a loud whisper, making the Sardinian sentry across the way jump to his feet in fright. Gamboni, an ex-smuggler currently enrolled in the 2nd National Guard Battalion, cackles to himself as he sees his 'enemy' raise his musket. "Put that down, Pietro, for God's sake. We both know you're a shit shot anyway." The Sardinian's eyes narrow, then he grins. "Adolfo? Hey! Come have a drink!" The two old smuggling mates move in for a hug, sharing some liquor at the sentry's perch overlooking the bay.
"Yeah, it's an old flotilla - they brought it here for demolition a few weeks ago. Crews left for the mainland in ferries. I hear they're planning to break 'em up and sell the wood to the British." Pietro, now thoroughly buzzed, gestures to the six old ships moored in the bay that Bonaparte sent the French force after. "No guns or nothin', but..." He leans in conspiratorially. "The Savoyardi in charge of the demolition is storing some nice stuff in the hold of the flagship, or so I heard. Shame it's guarded, though." He sighs dramatically, before Gamboni plays his part in the drama. "There's a way we could get the guards away... I'm sure a guy like you knows a path through which an army...say a Corsican army...could get behind the Sardinian lines. Well, in the fight to follow, no one would be there to guard the cargo, would there?"
As two smugglers creep toward the bay and the contraband therein, the French force slips through a goat herder's path, catching the Sardinians on two sides. The firefight is brief, and afterwards the French have a company of prisoners, and 6 old ships.
Afterward the day's events, you head to the bay and examine the ships. They're old, crusted with barnacles with rotten wood and no guns in the old gunports - though you do find a decent stash of olive oil that one of your men tried to steal with one of the Sardinians. The olive oil is really only good for selling, but the ships could be either sold, used as transports, or used as fire ships.
Reward: 6 Transport Ships, Cases of Olive Oil (Sellable)
Losses: 12 Men
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Attack on San Stefano:
You crouch at the top of a bluff, a few dozen soldiers laid out over the ground around you, taking pot shots at the oncoming scarlet-coated Swiss infantry. You see the captain fall, then two lieutenants, and order a retreat, noting how the iron discipline of the elite Swiss unit begins to fall apart with no one to keep the approaching line in order. Still, once you've fallen back to the gun battery the Swiss do a commendable job. Lining up in front of your position, they fire a volley, then another, showing the results of drills as your men begin to fall. Then the gunners of the 6th finish aiming. There's a series of loud booms, and the Swiss company goes from being in a solid line to a few patches of red. Grape shot slams through their ranks, tearing through whole platoons, and your Corsicans follow up with musketry. Even the Swiss have their limits, and the survivors turn tail and run.
Reward: Swiss Demi-Company annihilated. Gain Trait: Voltiguer (+10 to rolls utilising skirmishing tactics)
Losses: 14 Men
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Doctor Moretti:
"Need help, doctore?" One of the Corsican guards assigned to the town doctor kneels down beside the patient - a woman wounded by broken glass. "Si, grazie!" The doctor nods enthusiastically.
A few hours later, all the townsfolk's injuries are dealt with, and Doctor Moretti returns to his office. You're informed that the civilians seem relieved to find that the French aren't the murderous, raping devils they'd been warned about, and soon feel confident enough to end the curfew and allow them to roam the streets once more, without public order issues.
La Maddalena Public Order: Stable
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Status:
Napoleon's Forces:
1st Battalion, National Guard:
738 Men
Morale: 90/100
Supplies: High
2nd Battalion, National Guard:
736 Men
Morale: 90/100
Supplies: High
6th Company of Artillery:
84 Men
Morale: 100/100
Supplies: High
Known Enemy Forces:
400 Men
Morale: 100/100
Supplies: High
Company guarding enemy warships:
200 Men
Morale: Unknown
Supplies: Unknown
Demi-Company attacking San-Stefano:
100 Men
Morale: Unknown
Supplies: Unknown
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One Day Later:
Sitting in the requisitioned mayor's office, you sit at your desk, writing out your report of the now quite successful operation, wondering when news will arrive from Treguet about the results of the Southern language. Dipping your pen in ink, you go to scribble down another line when one of your men's voices rings out. "Sails sighted!" You stand up, looking around for your hat before remembering that it's at the bottom of the sea, before rushing out of the room, heading towards the roof where you can get a good view of the coast.
Heading out into the open air, you look around, quickly spotting sails coming from the Western side of the strait separating La Maddalena and San Stefano. Then you do a double take, as you spot more sails coming from the East. Why would Treguet be sending his ships from both sides of the island? Unless... You shout for someone to get you a spyglass.
Pointing the optic to the East, your see a French ensign on Treguet's flagship, a 4th rate warship. Turning back to the West, though, your fears are confirmed - the incoming ships fly Sardinian colors. The two fleets head towards the town with no intention of stopping - clearly aiming to come alongside one another in a line of battle. Quickly, you formulate a plan of action.
Strategic Situation:
Red Line: Sardinian Fleet (1 4th Rate, 3 3rd Rates, Several Frigates)
Blue Line: French Fleet (2 4th Rates, 1 3rd Rates, Several Frigates)
Green Spot: Captured Transports (6 Unarmed Transports in Napoleon's control)
Yellow Spot: 6th Company of Artillery (84 Men, 8 guns)
Choose one:
[] Use the ships you captured as fire ships, sailing into the rear of the enemy fleet: This could potentially be devastating, but you'd be sacrificing ships that could be put to use at another point. Additionally, you don't have any sailors, let alone sailors with fire ship experience, meaning you'd be doing this entirely with landsmen.
[] Write in: How many ships you use
[] Bombard the ships with your guns: With heated shot, your howitzers and 6 prs can do more damage to ships than their small size would suggest. Of course, if you fire upon the Sardinian fleet with those guns, the Sardinians might fire back.
[] Gather row boats and board the ships from the rear: With their attention on the French fleet, the Sardinians might not notice a group of rowboats coming towards them from behind. Even if they do, they might not be able to properly angle their guns to fire down at you. At that point, it becomes an infantry battle, with bayonets and cutlasses.
[] Combine Tactics: Combine two or more of the above tactics
[] Write in: Tactics for getting involved in the naval battle
[] Don't get involved: You didn't join the army to fight naval battles. You've done your job, let Treguet do his.
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QM Note: Hey all, sorry for the low quality of the writing in this. No matter how much I've stared at this post, I can't really get it to be any better, and I figured it was better to just post it as-is and get a move on.
- Pronouns
- He
Dont sell yourself short, it was a great update
I am for [] Combine Tactics but dont know how to make a good plan
I am for [] Combine Tactics but dont know how to make a good plan
- Location
- Hawaii
Fireships and boarding would be the high-risk, high-reward options, while artillery would be the middling risk with middling rewards. Sitting out obviously carries no risk to our men and materiel, but it may come up in a board of inquiry back in Paris, as the Terror is ramping up, why Napoleon chose not to contribute when we could have potentially turned the course of the battle if things go poorly. Of course, in such a case he could be extremely petty and mention the conversation with Treguet about "staying out of naval matters which you have no knowledge of" as a defense for malicious compliance.
Edit: Depending on how high up the hills and cliff the 6th is deployed on, it might require too extreme elevation of the guns for effective counter-fire, so take that into consideration.
Edit: Depending on how high up the hills and cliff the 6th is deployed on, it might require too extreme elevation of the guns for effective counter-fire, so take that into consideration.
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In my opinion Napoleon should do something to assist in the stopping of the enemy ships. A strong enemy naval presence could become very bad for the expedition, as it may strain/disrupt his means of supply.
I'm not keen on using the ships, considering Napoleon has no experienced sailors with him. This option may cause more harm than good.
If artillery bombarding of the ships is carried out, I would want whatever defenses/fortifications that could be quickly thrown up to be established to protect the artillery. Everything would have to be done fast.
As for using rowboats to approach and board the ships, I would want to cover the approach by having my artillery fire on the ships (Combined Arms!), but this will require precise communication and coordination (goddammit Berthier where are you when we need you?!)
Also, whatever plan is chosen, in my opinion it is crucial that Napoleon get in contact with Truguet. Without good communication, nothing works. Last thing I want is for my rowboats of troops to fall victim to friendly fire.
I'm not keen on using the ships, considering Napoleon has no experienced sailors with him. This option may cause more harm than good.
If artillery bombarding of the ships is carried out, I would want whatever defenses/fortifications that could be quickly thrown up to be established to protect the artillery. Everything would have to be done fast.
As for using rowboats to approach and board the ships, I would want to cover the approach by having my artillery fire on the ships (Combined Arms!), but this will require precise communication and coordination (goddammit Berthier where are you when we need you?!)
Also, whatever plan is chosen, in my opinion it is crucial that Napoleon get in contact with Truguet. Without good communication, nothing works. Last thing I want is for my rowboats of troops to fall victim to friendly fire.
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Luminous
God Save The Queen
- Location
- Victoria, BC, Canada
[] Use the ships you captured as fire ships, sailing into the rear of the enemy fleet:
[] Bombard the ships with your guns
These two together seem like the best option. I'm not convinced that trying to board the ships would result in anything but being shot out of the water by Frigates.
[] Bombard the ships with your guns
These two together seem like the best option. I'm not convinced that trying to board the ships would result in anything but being shot out of the water by Frigates.
Here's something I've just cooked up as a concept:
Map out different points of the area of different points the Artillery Company to be able to take shots against the Sardinian Navy, What we'll be doing would be Hit-and-Run Tactics but using the idea of Horse Artillery as a way of Transportation (Those experienced with horses in our Infantry will get to help the Artillerymen to relocate after each volley.)
This would, if it works as intended, make the Sardinians think there are more Cannons on land than expected, and with the Navy engaging them, they would see themselves pincered and potentially have a theoretical Town-based Flank of another Artillery (Which we don't have unless we can somehow split and travel them before battle) to open fire on them to finish the job.
if we do a Boarding Motive as an add-on, I say perform it after the first two volley of fire.
Or. We do something Napoleon in his early years would've done:
Blaming his superiors while introducing a plan he could've implemented but would be against the views of his superior commander, expressing his exact orders as a direct quote to sit and have his hands tied to do anything on any Naval Defense affairs.
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[X] Bombard the ships with your guns: With heated shot, your howitzers and 6 prs can do more damage to ships than their small size would suggest. Of course, if you fire upon the Sardinian fleet with those guns, the Sardinians might fire back.
It will at least distract our enemy and allow our navy to do their job
It will at least distract our enemy and allow our navy to do their job
Spylobster
Centrist-Malenyevist
[X] Bombard the ships with your guns: With heated shot, your howitzers and 6 prs can do more damage to ships than their small size would suggest. Of course, if you fire upon the Sardinian fleet with those guns, the Sardinians might fire back.
[X] Bombard the ships with your guns: With heated shot, your howitzers and 6 prs can do more damage to ships than their small size would suggest. Of course, if you fire upon the Sardinian fleet with those guns, the Sardinians might fire back.
It doesn't seem smart to try the naval options when we don't have any expertise in those matters, we don't have subordinates who have expertise in these matters, nor do we have sailors to carry our the operations. Trying to is just pure arrogance and diminishes the fact you need years if not decades of experience to create an effective naval force.
Understanding artillery, getting the sightings mapped out, building up of walls or mounds for protection from counter battery, or clearing foliage for easier maneuvering of cannon however is within Napoleon's skill set and his soldiers so should be reasonably effective.
It doesn't seem smart to try the naval options when we don't have any expertise in those matters, we don't have subordinates who have expertise in these matters, nor do we have sailors to carry our the operations. Trying to is just pure arrogance and diminishes the fact you need years if not decades of experience to create an effective naval force.
Understanding artillery, getting the sightings mapped out, building up of walls or mounds for protection from counter battery, or clearing foliage for easier maneuvering of cannon however is within Napoleon's skill set and his soldiers so should be reasonably effective.
Duke William of
I really need to finish my quests. :V
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Bombard the ships with your guns: With heated shot, your howitzers and 6 prs can do more damage to ships than their small size would suggest. Of course, if you fire upon the Sardinian fleet with those guns, the Sardinians might fire back.
Foetune favors the bold!
Foetune favors the bold!
[X] Bombard the ships with your guns: With heated shot, your howitzers and 6 prs can do more damage to ships than their small size would suggest. Of course, if you fire upon the Sardinian fleet with those guns, the Sardinians might fire back.
Sertorius
Rebellious Legate
- Location
- Roma Invicta
[X] Bombard the ships with your guns: With heated shot, your howitzers and 6 prs can do more damage to ships than their small size would suggest. Of course, if you fire upon the Sardinian fleet with those guns, the Sardinians might fire back.
By far the most logical thing to do. The rest are simply way too risky. We are to support the naval battle after all, not win it for Treguet.
By far the most logical thing to do. The rest are simply way too risky. We are to support the naval battle after all, not win it for Treguet.