La Chanson de la Victoire (The Song of Victory): La Petite Arpenteuse (Non, SV, you are a General of France in the Napoleonic War!)
- Thread starter Plausbius
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- Mature Alt. History
ThatGuyWithIdeas
Treize died for our sins
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- Romania
[X] Plan Names except Brits frothing at the mouth.
Daniella_c2
Commie Ice fairy
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- She/Her
[X] Plan Names are hard
This quest is really nice! So a bit of a question, how is Joseph Hugo, the father of Victor Hugo, doing at this point ITTL since we greatly butterflied things with both the army of the Rhine and the Vendee? Since he seemed to have started his career there.
I'm mainly asking on if there is any possibility of an Alt!Victor Hugo equivalent writing the equivalent of the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables.
This quest is really nice! So a bit of a question, how is Joseph Hugo, the father of Victor Hugo, doing at this point ITTL since we greatly butterflied things with both the army of the Rhine and the Vendee? Since he seemed to have started his career there.
I'm mainly asking on if there is any possibility of an Alt!Victor Hugo equivalent writing the equivalent of the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables.
Magoose
SV's Questing Fanatic
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He's a colonel under General Jourdan though general Soult has made him aide during his writing for counter insurgency tactics.
It may not happen or there will be significant changes to the stories themselves.
Hmmm...
I was honestly thinking about that Story and how it would play out in this Universe too, mostly because I've recently watched the Musical Movie and loved it.
Honestly, I think it would be a radically different story here, though the Theme of Valjean (Freedom) vs Javert (Law and Obedience to the Law) may still play out in some manner.
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Daniella_c2
Commie Ice fairy
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Oh it wold definately be very different from OTL, the massive influence that the Napoleonic era had, and the major divergences that have happened ITTL to it, will ensure that.
For one I doubt the conflicts between the republicans, royalists and bonapartists will be nearly as pronounced as OTL since those conflicts were very definately a thing from what I remember. And we may very well end up completely butterflying the Bourbon Restoration, and all the conflicts that ended up being born of it.
So that itself will cause massive changes in the narrative of Les Miserables.
Hunchback of Notre Dame, assuming that a Victor Hugo equilavent is born and falls in love with Notre Dame like his OTL counterpart did, probably will write some sort of story like it since it was basically a novel length treatise on the beauty of architecture and why Notre Dame is awesome and that France really should start working to preserve it from what I understand on the matter. Assuming of course that the issue of working to repair and keep maintenence on it wasn't already fixed somehow and so utterly butterfly it.
For one I doubt the conflicts between the republicans, royalists and bonapartists will be nearly as pronounced as OTL since those conflicts were very definately a thing from what I remember. And we may very well end up completely butterflying the Bourbon Restoration, and all the conflicts that ended up being born of it.
So that itself will cause massive changes in the narrative of Les Miserables.
Hunchback of Notre Dame, assuming that a Victor Hugo equilavent is born and falls in love with Notre Dame like his OTL counterpart did, probably will write some sort of story like it since it was basically a novel length treatise on the beauty of architecture and why Notre Dame is awesome and that France really should start working to preserve it from what I understand on the matter. Assuming of course that the issue of working to repair and keep maintenence on it wasn't already fixed somehow and so utterly butterfly it.
Magoose
SV's Questing Fanatic
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The thing is that due to our actions in regards to the royalists and Republicans and bonapartists is that thanks to Louis heroics and his wish to not be King… and us adopting him
They think that Napoleon is going to make him his heir when he abdicats
The thing is, Louis hates the idea so much that he has planned with his sister to found a republic if Napoleon or the senate try something that stupid.
And once the royalists hear about that, they might either fall in line or they will… start a civil war they cannot win.
That is far more likely.
While the church hasn't been damaged like it was IRL, it has lost some of its many artifacts due to looting by private collectors.
Any chance we can get those back?
Magoose
SV's Questing Fanatic
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Yes. We just have to loot Austria for them.
It's really only pieces of the true cross that were taken, we still got the crown of thorns and other artifacts.
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[X] Plan Names except Brits frothing at the mouth.
- Location
- Hawaii
Once he recovers, Mashengo is going to be our Nick Fury with his snazzy eye patch, isn't he?
Magoose
SV's Questing Fanatic
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Once again, Napoleon is the one who leads the spynetwork.
He has different ideas.
We are not good enough to do that yet.
Yes.
Daniella_c2
Commie Ice fairy
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- She/Her
So I came across the Fate/stay Night character sheet gag and it makes me wonder just how she would be written as a FGO servant in the presumption of the IU Nasuverse (completely butchering butterflies in regards to it existing IU of course 
) and something I imagine is that they would probably have her be, as she is here, an Archer since she's best with artillery military wise like Napoleon.
... I have the feeling FGO would have a lot of fun with how Napoleon and Therese are such a famous power couple and probably go with a bit of meme 'sickening sweethearts' during gag interludes and events since (and later meme versions of the two servants because Fate/Grand Order).
...The interactions of Servant Therese and Marie Antoinette would be interesting I imagine (fully assuming Marie Antoinette is treated as she is in OTL FGO because butterfly massacre here) due to how Therese due to the fact that whilst Therese is highly sympathetic to/ a true believer of the revolutionary and democratic ideals of the New World of the time whilst Marie Antoinette is/was in many ways the symbolic representation of the Old Order to the revolutionaries, they are also united by how both of them were the mom of Louis and Charlotte Bourbon/Auclair, Marie by being their birth and original mom, Therese by being their adopted mom.
Therese interacting with Jeanne D'arc would also be fun to see.
...I wonder if other major marshals/figures of ITTL Revolutionary/Napoleonic Era France would also show up as servants such as Brian Auclair as an example.
) and something I imagine is that they would probably have her be, as she is here, an Archer since she's best with artillery military wise like Napoleon.... I have the feeling FGO would have a lot of fun with how Napoleon and Therese are such a famous power couple and probably go with a bit of meme 'sickening sweethearts' during gag interludes and events since (and later meme versions of the two servants because Fate/Grand Order).
...The interactions of Servant Therese and Marie Antoinette would be interesting I imagine (fully assuming Marie Antoinette is treated as she is in OTL FGO because butterfly massacre here
) due to how Therese due to the fact that whilst Therese is highly sympathetic to/ a true believer of the revolutionary and democratic ideals of the New World of the time whilst Marie Antoinette is/was in many ways the symbolic representation of the Old Order to the revolutionaries, they are also united by how both of them were the mom of Louis and Charlotte Bourbon/Auclair, Marie by being their birth and original mom, Therese by being their adopted mom.Therese interacting with Jeanne D'arc would also be fun to see.
...I wonder if other major marshals/figures of ITTL Revolutionary/Napoleonic Era France would also show up as servants such as Brian Auclair as an example.
- Location
- Hawaii
Murat is definitely a rider, Severin would be a berserker, Dumas might qualify for saber, given his formal sword training and 19 combat score. Louis, deffo an archer, same with Julian. Brian may as well be a caster, given his "all according to keikaku" Battle of the Adige from one of the Life of Brian interludes. Now that I think about it, pretty much everyone in the Severin family could qualify for the berserker class, even Evelyn, who is more suited as an archer. It's hard to do lancers, given spears have fallen out of popularity aside from cavalry weapons, and thus, would be better suited as a rider. Muskets with bayonets are technically spears, but in this era of warfare, those who are renowned for their prowess in melee would fall into either saber or berserker, I think. Maybe assassin, but most famous fighters/warriors/soldiers in this period aren't exactly the stealth type.
Aw shucks, Therese is either gonna be one of the saberface or a rinface isn't she? Hair color be damned.
For the novel, don't forget all the stories Charlotte wrote about us in England. She did just get saved by a dashing knight across half the world because of a dream, so that'll be fun catharsis. Not even part of the main plot, just the B-plot of a B-plot, or a story within the story.
Bashfic's pretty well-timed cause of the world's opinion on the British right now, though that'll be one of the few political opinions Therese will have voiced. Doubt it'll happen, but I hope the Brits won't get ahead of us in lighting the fuse for the powderkeg.
For the novel, don't forget all the stories Charlotte wrote about us in England. She did just get saved by a dashing knight across half the world because of a dream, so that'll be fun catharsis. Not even part of the main plot, just the B-plot of a B-plot, or a story within the story.
Bashfic's pretty well-timed cause of the world's opinion on the British right now, though that'll be one of the few political opinions Therese will have voiced. Doubt it'll happen, but I hope the Brits won't get ahead of us in lighting the fuse for the powderkeg.
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Magoose
SV's Questing Fanatic
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- California USA
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- He
FGO will have the Meta where get Nappy and Therese and Brian in a Team, or any of Therese's Marshals working for her, they are utterly broken in terms of power and skills.
Because they were utterly brilliant, and Natsu and crew still don't know how to patch them without utterly breaking the Game.
Marie: You are a good mother....The interactions of Servant Therese and Marie Antoinette would be interesting I imagine (fully assuming Marie Antoinette is treated as she is in OTL FGO because butterfly massacre here
Therese: So are you.
Above Them: No Politics zone.
It would actually be heartwarming, knowing that Jeanne is remembered and looked at so fondly in France.
And Therese would try to teach her how to read.
Yes.
I mean, if he were anything else, he'd be fucked.
I can't argue with that.
He is the Saber face of the French Army!
Louis might also qualify as a Beserker as well, especially his younger days, as he literally does whatever he the hell he wants.
Caster.
If she is, I'll riot, you want to know why?
She is not a saber face, she deserves to be nothing more then a truly unique person.
Indeed.
I have not rolled yet.
Two (Former) Sergeants Walk into a Bar (AvidFicReader)
- Location
- Hawaii
Two (Former) Sergeants Walk into a Bar
Denis Martin Severin, one of the new Marshals of France, sits at his desk filling out paperwork.
"O Lord our savior, please send me some sign to interrupt this dreary monotony."
No sooner has the prayer fallen from his lips does his chief of staff, Cazerne, enter.
"Severin, it's here! Orders for postings and corps assignments!"
"Thanks be to you, O Father on High! Enough with the suspense, man! Open it!"
"As you command, oh exalted marshal."
"Wipe that smug smirk off your face, Cazerne, you know all those empty words mean nothing to me. Let's see, a whole bunch of pretentious bullshit to start, office of the Emperor and commander-in-chief; that's Nappy B-"
Cazerne makes a choking sound at the sheer disrespect in Severin's nickname for the emperor.
"A bunch of flowery flattery, a reminder that what was granted can be revoked- ah! Here it is, just took a whole paragraph of fluff. Command of II Corps, how nostalgic! Therese must've had a hand in that. What in the name of the Lord's breezy dangly bits is this?! Command of the Army of the North in the event of war, barring the dispatch of a higher commander? I know Nappy's met me, he handed me the damned baton himself. Why would he put me in charge of an army?"
"Er, Severin? Read the next section. Perhaps that will explain why you were granted the army command."
"Hmm... Dumas? In all honesty, he would likely be the better candidate, especially since he served as the second of that bastard, Lannes. In the same sector, as well. I suppose I'll be relying heavily on his guidance, especially with how each of our corps are laid out. Look here, three infantry divisions, but only a regiment of dragoons for scouting and screening."
"I see, that may be a problem, though it seems General Dumas is fielding three whole cavalry brigades."
"Makes sense. He was always most comfortable with his horsemen. Helluva fighter though. Every time we've sparred since I met him while the Army of the Orient was mustering in Toulon, he came out on top. Gave him a run for his money every time, though. Learned a few neat tricks off him, too. One of the most dangerous men I've ever crossed blades with. A shame he gets shafted so much for something as paltry as the color of his skin."
"Ah, yes, it seems he was passed over for the army command for such a reason."
"Yep, damned shame, that. But given he's in command of I Corps, I think that's Therese's way of honoring him without flaunting it. After all, whenever someone goes over the rolls of the army, Dumas will be first on the list due to the ordinal numbers. Cazerne, what does it say about our division commanders?"
"Hmm... looks like two specifically requested to serve under you again? Colonels Achille Geroux and Hector Bouchard? The irony of two men named Hector and Achille fighting side by side."
"Yep, they get along well enough, but they are competitive. They were with me from Mayence, served as my division commanders in Sicily and Italy. It'll be good to have them back. Who's our third?"
"One General de Brigade Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. Formerly of the Army of the Rhine. His file is attached, comes with a fairly glowing review from Marshal Jourdan. An excellent head for tactics, and skilled at motivating his troops. There's a report of how he rallied his routing regiment at the Battle of Beaumont in early '94 and led them in a counterattack. Didn't work out, as the whole army was routing by that point, but noteworthy nonetheless. According to eyewitness accounts, he tore off his colonel's epaulettes, threw them to the ground, and shamed his men into rallying with a single sentence."
"Interesting, he certainly has a commanding presence, and his men liked him enough to rally for a doomed counterattack. Anything more recent?"
"The Battle of Mannheim. Marshal Jourdan was able to bait General Blucher into crossing the Rhine, strung him out with what looked like an easy win, then collapsed upon his army, driving them into the river. Both armies suffered ruinous casualties, but the Prussians were halted and quit the field. Bernadotte was tasked with holding the center against relentless assault. Bernadotte credited several of his subordinates for holding under immense pressure."
"Serves them fucking right! So he's a tenacious commander, and humble, too. Could I get a look at his file?"
"Aye, here you go."
"Hmm... enlisted 1780, Regiment Royal La Marine, now 60e Ligne- I always get La Marine and Royal La Marine confused, from my father's old war stories. In some ways, the simple numbered regiment system makes things easier, but you also lose a bit of the regiment's character in discarding the names. At least we're not using that idiotic demi-brigade nonsense anymore. Too royalist, my a-"
"Ahem, in any case, Bernadotte attained the highest grade of non-commissioned officer, but was prevented from rising higher due to the Ancien Regime's prejudicial promotional practices."
"Ah, like you were prevented from rising beyond lieutenant, Cazerne?"
"Aye. In the case of Bernadotte, he was promoted to General de Brigade by mid-1794, and was part of Marshal Jourdan's push back into the Netherlands, though Austrian and Dutch resistance had all but collapsed by that point."
"He probably could have risen higher, if the fighting had continued, and Nappy took charge of the Rhine not long after Jourdan's Pyrrhic victory at Mannheim, so he didn't get any further chances to prove his mettle. Had that been the case, I feel like he might be the one with a marshal's baton."
"One other note from the marshal: While Bernadotte's tactical and command skill is unquestionable, he has proven difficult for his peers to work with. He was frequently embroiled in feuds with other officers over one slight or another. He might prove to be difficult for our other division commanders to work with."
"I'll not judge him without getting a measure of his character myself. Let me have a look at our assigned units. If my request went through, I might have the beginnings of a plan."
"Also, dispatch a courier to relay a summons for Bernadotte. At his earliest convenience. I'd normally leave it to my aide, but he went haring off across Europe after he had a bad dream about his princess."
---------
A series of sharp knocks sound on Severin's office door.
"Enter!"
In walks an immaculately dressed man in a fine general's uniform, bearing a stern expression on his sharp features.
"Apologies for my tardiness Marshal Severin, I chanced upon your messenger while returning from visiting my family."
"No apologies needed. The fault was mine. I hadn't realized you were on leave, and a lot of these junior officers and soldats put far too much stock in my being a marshal. Some overeager messenger went and hared off after you, when I meant for you to meet me whenever it was most convenient. Lord knows, my father served under far too many self-important incompetent marshals in the Seven Years' War who got their batons for knowing the right people rather than knowing how to wage war. It's what we got for promoting for status and blood over merit. As for me, you can cut that marshal bullshit. From your file, you've got seniority on me, both as a sergeant and as a general."
"It is refreshing to have a commander who is willing to admit fault and prefers merit over status. Far too many of the other sort under the Ancien Regime."
"Aye, way I see it, I just did my job as best I could, and if Nappy and Therese saw fit to reward me, then that's how it is. For you? Jourdan wrote a fairly glowing review of your performance under him on the Rhine, but you haven't had as many chances to cut your teeth in major campaigns. Even so, you're my most senior division commander. Bouchard and Geroux are only colonels, for all that they've been running brigade- to division-strength units over the past year. That means you're my second in command, and if I end up in charge of the Army of the North, you'll effectively be running II Corps yourself. Chain of command is me, you, Bouchard, Geroux, then Cazerne, my chief of staff. Questions?"
"None, Marshal Severin. You were quite clear and concise."
"Enough of that Bernadotte, you can ease off the formality with me. It's a waste of time, and all it's good for is puffing up windbags who think too much of themselves. I'll warn you ahead of time, I can be pretty irreverent and I like to give people nicknames to make them lighten up and not take themselves so seriously. I even got Nick to pull the stick out of his ass. Now he just beats people to death with it, heh." The most minute of smirks is visible on Bernadotte's lips, before he affixes his stern expression once more. "Now, walk with me, I've been cooped up in this office doing paperwork for too long. I need some fresh air and to stretch my legs."
"As you wish, sir."
"I'll get you to loosen up yet. In fact, I'll be nice and let you pick which of my nicknames I'll call you. So far, I've got Johnny, an American version of your name, or from your last name, there's Bernie and Dottie."
"Ahem, well, if you absolutely must, then Johnny would be the least objectionable."
The two generals walk and talk, exchanging their various war stories, horror stories of incompetent commanders, and tales of bored idiot soldats. Their short walk leads them to a nearby bar, not yet crowded with men ending their workday.
"Come on, lets share a drink- nothing too strong, we can continue our chat and talk some business."
"That's fine with me. As long as it isn't too crowded."
"All right, Johnny, a drink, to the future, and to France!"
"To the future, to France!"
The toast is taken up the neighboring patrons, toasting as much to the two men in uniform as France's future.
"So, the way I see it, if I concentrate all of our best men in one division, the others will get shafted, and there might be a large section of our line that is vulnerable. A good commander can tell just by watching and comparing how formations move- hesitation when executing orders, or sloppiness of maneuver really stands out next to veteran troops, and elites moreso. The best way to mitigate that is to disperse them among the divisions, to stiffen the greener lads and spread out the frontage that is comparably weaker."
"Aye, there's nothing like knowing you've got a battle-hardened unit holding down your flank to boost your men's confidence. Combined with our relatively generous allotment of artillery for our size, allows us to break down enemy formations, or disperse our guns to support individual regiments."
"Most of the artillery officers I've worked with personally have favored concentration and central direction for their batteries. That's how we made use of it in Italy, and that's how Therese used it at Mayence, accounting for splitting the army to cover two bridges, of course. Also, most of the other corps are even smaller than ours, so proportionally, they have even more artillery support."
"Right, so spread our best troops out to stiffen the line, batter down one section of the enemy line, then exploit. The only concern is our relative lack of cavalry support."
"The other corps we'll be working with in the Netherlands is Dumas' I Corps, and he's got three full brigades, six thousand cavalry, split between heavy and light."
"That's reassuring. Between our two corps and whatever the Batavians can bring, we're well covered in terms of army composition."
"Right, I know Nick was pulling his hair out trying to hit that perfect balance of speed, ease of supply and combat strength. Seems like he went for somewhat specialized units that can also cover other areas. Hah, I wonder if that Pampered Pony Princess has realized he's got more than his beloved horsey boys to work with now!"
"Pampered Pony- you mean Marshal Murat?"
"Yep! Let me tell you, he boasts about that dashing scar on his cheek, but when he got it, he whined so much about his good looks being ruined before he fainted! He'll go on about how much blood he lost, but it's his own damned fault, dressing up so much for a patrol that his fancy pants got us ambushed by the last competent Austrians in all of Italy."
"I see, so there are clear downsides to being well dressed."
"It's not so bad on a battlefield, with dozens of officers among thousands of men, but when you're the fanciest man in the land with a small escort of horsemen, you might be a tempting enough target for the enemy to reveal themselves. It's why I keep my uniform rather plain, and my marshal's baton is also a weapon, rather than a ceremonial stick."
"Hmm... so those are the considerations one must make at the highest of ranks, eh? Perhaps the good old days in the line regiment was not so bad after all."
"Speaking of, your division has three regiments. I handpicked one from my old command in Italy, some of the best troops you'll ever find. The other two are a mix of veterans and unblooded troops, freshly reorganized. I remember from your file you had your start in Regiment Royal La Marine? Well, one of your regiments is the 60e Ligne, your old unit. The other is my former unit, 33e Ligne, once upon a time Regiment Touraine. Four generations of my family have served in that regiment, I entrust it to you. Use them proudly."
"Severin... you honor me. I will ensure your trust in me is not misplaced."
Denis Martin Severin, one of the new Marshals of France, sits at his desk filling out paperwork.
"O Lord our savior, please send me some sign to interrupt this dreary monotony."
No sooner has the prayer fallen from his lips does his chief of staff, Cazerne, enter.
"Severin, it's here! Orders for postings and corps assignments!"
"Thanks be to you, O Father on High! Enough with the suspense, man! Open it!"
"As you command, oh exalted marshal."
"Wipe that smug smirk off your face, Cazerne, you know all those empty words mean nothing to me. Let's see, a whole bunch of pretentious bullshit to start, office of the Emperor and commander-in-chief; that's Nappy B-"
Cazerne makes a choking sound at the sheer disrespect in Severin's nickname for the emperor.
"A bunch of flowery flattery, a reminder that what was granted can be revoked- ah! Here it is, just took a whole paragraph of fluff. Command of II Corps, how nostalgic! Therese must've had a hand in that. What in the name of the Lord's breezy dangly bits is this?! Command of the Army of the North in the event of war, barring the dispatch of a higher commander? I know Nappy's met me, he handed me the damned baton himself. Why would he put me in charge of an army?"
"Er, Severin? Read the next section. Perhaps that will explain why you were granted the army command."
"Hmm... Dumas? In all honesty, he would likely be the better candidate, especially since he served as the second of that bastard, Lannes. In the same sector, as well. I suppose I'll be relying heavily on his guidance, especially with how each of our corps are laid out. Look here, three infantry divisions, but only a regiment of dragoons for scouting and screening."
"I see, that may be a problem, though it seems General Dumas is fielding three whole cavalry brigades."
"Makes sense. He was always most comfortable with his horsemen. Helluva fighter though. Every time we've sparred since I met him while the Army of the Orient was mustering in Toulon, he came out on top. Gave him a run for his money every time, though. Learned a few neat tricks off him, too. One of the most dangerous men I've ever crossed blades with. A shame he gets shafted so much for something as paltry as the color of his skin."
"Ah, yes, it seems he was passed over for the army command for such a reason."
"Yep, damned shame, that. But given he's in command of I Corps, I think that's Therese's way of honoring him without flaunting it. After all, whenever someone goes over the rolls of the army, Dumas will be first on the list due to the ordinal numbers. Cazerne, what does it say about our division commanders?"
"Hmm... looks like two specifically requested to serve under you again? Colonels Achille Geroux and Hector Bouchard? The irony of two men named Hector and Achille fighting side by side."
"Yep, they get along well enough, but they are competitive. They were with me from Mayence, served as my division commanders in Sicily and Italy. It'll be good to have them back. Who's our third?"
"One General de Brigade Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. Formerly of the Army of the Rhine. His file is attached, comes with a fairly glowing review from Marshal Jourdan. An excellent head for tactics, and skilled at motivating his troops. There's a report of how he rallied his routing regiment at the Battle of Beaumont in early '94 and led them in a counterattack. Didn't work out, as the whole army was routing by that point, but noteworthy nonetheless. According to eyewitness accounts, he tore off his colonel's epaulettes, threw them to the ground, and shamed his men into rallying with a single sentence."
"Interesting, he certainly has a commanding presence, and his men liked him enough to rally for a doomed counterattack. Anything more recent?"
"The Battle of Mannheim. Marshal Jourdan was able to bait General Blucher into crossing the Rhine, strung him out with what looked like an easy win, then collapsed upon his army, driving them into the river. Both armies suffered ruinous casualties, but the Prussians were halted and quit the field. Bernadotte was tasked with holding the center against relentless assault. Bernadotte credited several of his subordinates for holding under immense pressure."
"Serves them fucking right! So he's a tenacious commander, and humble, too. Could I get a look at his file?"
"Aye, here you go."
"Hmm... enlisted 1780, Regiment Royal La Marine, now 60e Ligne- I always get La Marine and Royal La Marine confused, from my father's old war stories. In some ways, the simple numbered regiment system makes things easier, but you also lose a bit of the regiment's character in discarding the names. At least we're not using that idiotic demi-brigade nonsense anymore. Too royalist, my a-"
"Ahem, in any case, Bernadotte attained the highest grade of non-commissioned officer, but was prevented from rising higher due to the Ancien Regime's prejudicial promotional practices."
"Ah, like you were prevented from rising beyond lieutenant, Cazerne?"
"Aye. In the case of Bernadotte, he was promoted to General de Brigade by mid-1794, and was part of Marshal Jourdan's push back into the Netherlands, though Austrian and Dutch resistance had all but collapsed by that point."
"He probably could have risen higher, if the fighting had continued, and Nappy took charge of the Rhine not long after Jourdan's Pyrrhic victory at Mannheim, so he didn't get any further chances to prove his mettle. Had that been the case, I feel like he might be the one with a marshal's baton."
"One other note from the marshal: While Bernadotte's tactical and command skill is unquestionable, he has proven difficult for his peers to work with. He was frequently embroiled in feuds with other officers over one slight or another. He might prove to be difficult for our other division commanders to work with."
"I'll not judge him without getting a measure of his character myself. Let me have a look at our assigned units. If my request went through, I might have the beginnings of a plan."
"Also, dispatch a courier to relay a summons for Bernadotte. At his earliest convenience. I'd normally leave it to my aide, but he went haring off across Europe after he had a bad dream about his princess."
---------
A series of sharp knocks sound on Severin's office door.
"Enter!"
In walks an immaculately dressed man in a fine general's uniform, bearing a stern expression on his sharp features.
"Apologies for my tardiness Marshal Severin, I chanced upon your messenger while returning from visiting my family."
"No apologies needed. The fault was mine. I hadn't realized you were on leave, and a lot of these junior officers and soldats put far too much stock in my being a marshal. Some overeager messenger went and hared off after you, when I meant for you to meet me whenever it was most convenient. Lord knows, my father served under far too many self-important incompetent marshals in the Seven Years' War who got their batons for knowing the right people rather than knowing how to wage war. It's what we got for promoting for status and blood over merit. As for me, you can cut that marshal bullshit. From your file, you've got seniority on me, both as a sergeant and as a general."
"It is refreshing to have a commander who is willing to admit fault and prefers merit over status. Far too many of the other sort under the Ancien Regime."
"Aye, way I see it, I just did my job as best I could, and if Nappy and Therese saw fit to reward me, then that's how it is. For you? Jourdan wrote a fairly glowing review of your performance under him on the Rhine, but you haven't had as many chances to cut your teeth in major campaigns. Even so, you're my most senior division commander. Bouchard and Geroux are only colonels, for all that they've been running brigade- to division-strength units over the past year. That means you're my second in command, and if I end up in charge of the Army of the North, you'll effectively be running II Corps yourself. Chain of command is me, you, Bouchard, Geroux, then Cazerne, my chief of staff. Questions?"
"None, Marshal Severin. You were quite clear and concise."
"Enough of that Bernadotte, you can ease off the formality with me. It's a waste of time, and all it's good for is puffing up windbags who think too much of themselves. I'll warn you ahead of time, I can be pretty irreverent and I like to give people nicknames to make them lighten up and not take themselves so seriously. I even got Nick to pull the stick out of his ass. Now he just beats people to death with it, heh." The most minute of smirks is visible on Bernadotte's lips, before he affixes his stern expression once more. "Now, walk with me, I've been cooped up in this office doing paperwork for too long. I need some fresh air and to stretch my legs."
"As you wish, sir."
"I'll get you to loosen up yet. In fact, I'll be nice and let you pick which of my nicknames I'll call you. So far, I've got Johnny, an American version of your name, or from your last name, there's Bernie and Dottie."
"Ahem, well, if you absolutely must, then Johnny would be the least objectionable."
The two generals walk and talk, exchanging their various war stories, horror stories of incompetent commanders, and tales of bored idiot soldats. Their short walk leads them to a nearby bar, not yet crowded with men ending their workday.
"Come on, lets share a drink- nothing too strong, we can continue our chat and talk some business."
"That's fine with me. As long as it isn't too crowded."
"All right, Johnny, a drink, to the future, and to France!"
"To the future, to France!"
The toast is taken up the neighboring patrons, toasting as much to the two men in uniform as France's future.
"So, the way I see it, if I concentrate all of our best men in one division, the others will get shafted, and there might be a large section of our line that is vulnerable. A good commander can tell just by watching and comparing how formations move- hesitation when executing orders, or sloppiness of maneuver really stands out next to veteran troops, and elites moreso. The best way to mitigate that is to disperse them among the divisions, to stiffen the greener lads and spread out the frontage that is comparably weaker."
"Aye, there's nothing like knowing you've got a battle-hardened unit holding down your flank to boost your men's confidence. Combined with our relatively generous allotment of artillery for our size, allows us to break down enemy formations, or disperse our guns to support individual regiments."
"Most of the artillery officers I've worked with personally have favored concentration and central direction for their batteries. That's how we made use of it in Italy, and that's how Therese used it at Mayence, accounting for splitting the army to cover two bridges, of course. Also, most of the other corps are even smaller than ours, so proportionally, they have even more artillery support."
"Right, so spread our best troops out to stiffen the line, batter down one section of the enemy line, then exploit. The only concern is our relative lack of cavalry support."
"The other corps we'll be working with in the Netherlands is Dumas' I Corps, and he's got three full brigades, six thousand cavalry, split between heavy and light."
"That's reassuring. Between our two corps and whatever the Batavians can bring, we're well covered in terms of army composition."
"Right, I know Nick was pulling his hair out trying to hit that perfect balance of speed, ease of supply and combat strength. Seems like he went for somewhat specialized units that can also cover other areas. Hah, I wonder if that Pampered Pony Princess has realized he's got more than his beloved horsey boys to work with now!"
"Pampered Pony- you mean Marshal Murat?"
"Yep! Let me tell you, he boasts about that dashing scar on his cheek, but when he got it, he whined so much about his good looks being ruined before he fainted! He'll go on about how much blood he lost, but it's his own damned fault, dressing up so much for a patrol that his fancy pants got us ambushed by the last competent Austrians in all of Italy."
"I see, so there are clear downsides to being well dressed."
"It's not so bad on a battlefield, with dozens of officers among thousands of men, but when you're the fanciest man in the land with a small escort of horsemen, you might be a tempting enough target for the enemy to reveal themselves. It's why I keep my uniform rather plain, and my marshal's baton is also a weapon, rather than a ceremonial stick."
"Hmm... so those are the considerations one must make at the highest of ranks, eh? Perhaps the good old days in the line regiment was not so bad after all."
"Speaking of, your division has three regiments. I handpicked one from my old command in Italy, some of the best troops you'll ever find. The other two are a mix of veterans and unblooded troops, freshly reorganized. I remember from your file you had your start in Regiment Royal La Marine? Well, one of your regiments is the 60e Ligne, your old unit. The other is my former unit, 33e Ligne, once upon a time Regiment Touraine. Four generations of my family have served in that regiment, I entrust it to you. Use them proudly."
"Severin... you honor me. I will ensure your trust in me is not misplaced."
When a man is constantly in prayer, he will eventually have them answered. Severin is infamously disrespectful, and Cazerne has known him for only a couple of weeks by this point. He'll get used to it eventually. Severin briefly (two turn/quarters) commanded II Corps of the Army of the Orient while mustering in Toulon before it was handed over to Davout. I am assuming command will default to the marshal, since only I and II Corps are assigned to the Netherlands/North sector, alongside whatever the Batavian Republic (soon to be Kingdom of the Netherlands) can field. And since Dumas and Nappy are politically opposed, on top of racism in general, I figure Dumas would be passed over for command in spite of his friendship with Lannes. As well as a reminder that Dumas is more of a murderblender than Severin (19 vs 18 combat). Meanwhile, Severin couldn't give a shit about racism, just about how good of a commander or how killy someone is. And a bit of in-character commentary on the differing corps compositions, and how they correspond to their command preferences and skill sets. And yes, that is exactly the reason why I gave Dumas command I Corps.
Regarding division commanders, II Corps is an infantry/assault corps, with 3 infantry division, two commanded by Severin's old subordinates from the Republican/Bridge Guard days. Bernadotte makes three. He was the son of a prosecutor, and was apprenticed under another lawyer from age 14, but his father died when he was 17, and he had to end his apprenticeship. He went on to join the army later that year (1780). And yes, there was a Regiment La Marine and a separate Regiment Royaux La Marine, I kid you not. The former was at Krefeld with Matteo and Regiment Touraine where they held against a surprise flanking action for three hours, while the latter saw action in the Mediterranean at Minorca. Bernadotte's first assignment was occupation duty in Corsica. The anecdote about rallying his men actually happened, and as best as I can tell, happened in April 1794, which lines up approximately with 2 related battles, but I chose Beaumont, the bigger disaster that involved significantly more troops. Bernadotte tore of his colonel's epaulettes, threw them to the ground, and reportedly said: "If you dishonor yourselves with flight, then I refuse to be your colonel!" His men pressed them back into his hands, reformed, and counterattacked.
Bernadotte actually got shafted hard in this timeline. The rumor mill rolls had the Austrians collapse in the Netherlands right before the Battle of Flaurus, that made Bernadotte famous OTL; he was able to seize a bit of high ground and force the Austrians to cede their defensive positions or risk having their flank turned. This also earned him a promotion to general at the end of June 1794. Then ITTL, peace breaks out, and the one battle Jourdan fights ends in a Pyrrhic victory (the only reason it isn't a stalemate is because the Prussians withdrew and were unable to cross the Rhine in force). I placed Bernadotte in charge of the holding action at Mannheim, where @Alexander Sturnn's omake took place featuring the Sharpe characters. OTL, Bernadotte campaigned multiple times along the Rhine under other commanders, leading vanguards and fighting rearguard actions in a dozen battles. Here, he hasn't had the experience and polish that saw him as a renowned officer, and used by the Directory as a counterweight to Napoleon himself. Before Napoleon departed on his risky 1800 Italian campaign, he left Bernadotte, his brother-in-law and one of his foremost rivals, with a 40k-strong army right outside Paris, and entrusted the future of the republic and family to him. Bernadotte, despite not being one of Napoleon's avid supporters, was among the first 18 OTL marshals. Historically, Bernadotte had a great many feuds with his fellow marshals, such as Berthier (Milan, 1797), Davout (Jena/Auerstadt, 1806), Soult and Murat (Lubeck, 1806) for various reasons, as well as many slights from Napoleon. Thankfully, none of the events that triggered these feuds have happened in-quest, so there is still a chance for these officers to get along yet.
For Julian, even if we the audience know it was legit, and turned out well due to a super-mega crit cascade, from the outside and in-character, it looks like madness and desertion at worst, and a fool's errand at best. I like to think Julian realized it was a legit vision because Charlotte wasn't surrounded by shoujo sparkles this time.
Bernadotte, even as a sergeant, had a reputation for being well-dressed. He was known as Sergeant Belle Jambe. The stick thing is a Mass Effect 2 reference. Ha-hah, a joke! Davout is already balding! The dialogue meandered a bit, as conversation tends to. Then BAM! Severin hits Bernadotte in the feels. Double whammy nostalgia bomb and entrusting family legacy. Hopefully that combination of recognizing his talent, ensuring a clear chain of command and acknowledging Bernadotte's seniority, building rapport, then the double feels punch should go a long ways towards helping ameliorate Bernadotte's compatibility issues. Or at least get him to view Severin as someone friendly, rather than a rival. Severin may not be conventionally smart, but he know how to get the best out of people, and he has a track record of befriending prickly people like Davout, people he shouldn't get along with like Chamans and Murat, so there's a chance! It's not zero!
Regarding division commanders, II Corps is an infantry/assault corps, with 3 infantry division, two commanded by Severin's old subordinates from the Republican/Bridge Guard days. Bernadotte makes three. He was the son of a prosecutor, and was apprenticed under another lawyer from age 14, but his father died when he was 17, and he had to end his apprenticeship. He went on to join the army later that year (1780). And yes, there was a Regiment La Marine and a separate Regiment Royaux La Marine, I kid you not. The former was at Krefeld with Matteo and Regiment Touraine where they held against a surprise flanking action for three hours, while the latter saw action in the Mediterranean at Minorca. Bernadotte's first assignment was occupation duty in Corsica. The anecdote about rallying his men actually happened, and as best as I can tell, happened in April 1794, which lines up approximately with 2 related battles, but I chose Beaumont, the bigger disaster that involved significantly more troops. Bernadotte tore of his colonel's epaulettes, threw them to the ground, and reportedly said: "If you dishonor yourselves with flight, then I refuse to be your colonel!" His men pressed them back into his hands, reformed, and counterattacked.
Bernadotte actually got shafted hard in this timeline. The rumor mill rolls had the Austrians collapse in the Netherlands right before the Battle of Flaurus, that made Bernadotte famous OTL; he was able to seize a bit of high ground and force the Austrians to cede their defensive positions or risk having their flank turned. This also earned him a promotion to general at the end of June 1794. Then ITTL, peace breaks out, and the one battle Jourdan fights ends in a Pyrrhic victory (the only reason it isn't a stalemate is because the Prussians withdrew and were unable to cross the Rhine in force). I placed Bernadotte in charge of the holding action at Mannheim, where @Alexander Sturnn's omake took place featuring the Sharpe characters. OTL, Bernadotte campaigned multiple times along the Rhine under other commanders, leading vanguards and fighting rearguard actions in a dozen battles. Here, he hasn't had the experience and polish that saw him as a renowned officer, and used by the Directory as a counterweight to Napoleon himself. Before Napoleon departed on his risky 1800 Italian campaign, he left Bernadotte, his brother-in-law and one of his foremost rivals, with a 40k-strong army right outside Paris, and entrusted the future of the republic and family to him. Bernadotte, despite not being one of Napoleon's avid supporters, was among the first 18 OTL marshals. Historically, Bernadotte had a great many feuds with his fellow marshals, such as Berthier (Milan, 1797), Davout (Jena/Auerstadt, 1806), Soult and Murat (Lubeck, 1806) for various reasons, as well as many slights from Napoleon. Thankfully, none of the events that triggered these feuds have happened in-quest, so there is still a chance for these officers to get along yet.
For Julian, even if we the audience know it was legit, and turned out well due to a super-mega crit cascade, from the outside and in-character, it looks like madness and desertion at worst, and a fool's errand at best. I like to think Julian realized it was a legit vision because Charlotte wasn't surrounded by shoujo sparkles this time.
Bernadotte, even as a sergeant, had a reputation for being well-dressed. He was known as Sergeant Belle Jambe. The stick thing is a Mass Effect 2 reference. Ha-hah, a joke! Davout is already balding! The dialogue meandered a bit, as conversation tends to. Then BAM! Severin hits Bernadotte in the feels. Double whammy nostalgia bomb and entrusting family legacy. Hopefully that combination of recognizing his talent, ensuring a clear chain of command and acknowledging Bernadotte's seniority, building rapport, then the double feels punch should go a long ways towards helping ameliorate Bernadotte's compatibility issues. Or at least get him to view Severin as someone friendly, rather than a rival. Severin may not be conventionally smart, but he know how to get the best out of people, and he has a track record of befriending prickly people like Davout, people he shouldn't get along with like Chamans and Murat, so there's a chance! It's not zero!
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- Location
- leiden (NL)
[X] Plan Names except Brits frothing at the mouth.
Magoose
SV's Questing Fanatic
- Location
- California USA
- Pronouns
- He
calling the vote:
Plan Names except Brits frothing at the mouth.
Also, I need to say this right now.
There is one action on this update where the roll bonuses will not apply Due to Napoleon's mental state we put him into after our talk.
I am saying this now, because all the other actions will have bonuses.
Plan Names except Brits frothing at the mouth.
Also, I need to say this right now.
There is one action on this update where the roll bonuses will not apply Due to Napoleon's mental state we put him into after our talk.
I am saying this now, because all the other actions will have bonuses.
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Magoose
SV's Questing Fanatic
- Location
- California USA
- Pronouns
- He
@PlazmaStryke ,@Sturmi ,@Macros, @AilingStar, @Astra Myst, @Shadowhope, @SzechuanSauce, @Foxwood, @AvidFicReader, @Random Member , @Tjakari, @mouli, @Always Late, @Alexander Sturnn, @EzordCyborg45, @Azeazyazitgetz
I summon you all, You have Roll bonuses. If you wish to use them, let me know.
You have 24 hours to respond and give roll bonuses before the Update will be finalized.
I summon you all, You have Roll bonuses. If you wish to use them, let me know.
You have 24 hours to respond and give roll bonuses before the Update will be finalized.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
I still have debts to cash in? Guess I have a few hours to spend on... 40-ish updates? Sound about right, I did tune out awhile ago. That's just plenty more insanity for me to get smashed in the face with!
Magoose
SV's Questing Fanatic
- Location
- California USA
- Pronouns
- He
You have over 60.
I uh... haven't update the front page due to me making a spread sheet with everyone's roll bonuses.
Yeah... blame work for me not having more time.
As for insanity. I shall tell you this:
You're going to love the next update.