Chapter 1:Prologue

The French Republic, which achieved a revolution that overthrew the old system called the Ancien Régime, became the target of all other powers in Europe. After the revolution, the military officers who were of the nobility disappeared, leaving only empty shells, and the republican army became simply a bunch of idiots.

Napoleon Bonaparte appeared at that time.

Napoleon defended his country by defeating all the allied forces that invaded French territory despite leading these fools. He also marched west of the Rhine to reclaim the French 'natural frontier' he so longed for and, in the heat of the invasion, conquered northern Italy, forming the largest territory for France since Charlemagne.

Napoleon was the savior of the Republic and the hero who strengthened France. As Napoleon gained popularity and national fame, the leaders of the presidential government became jealous and distrustful of him. To overthrow Britain, the Republic's greatest opponent, the government ordered him to attack India, his colony and, in the process, capture Egypt.

"... Even if we land in Egypt and overthrow Cairo, we cannot continually supply the troops to hold our position. Moving from Egypt to India is impossible, no matter what the cost. The operation planned by the government has no chance of success and it would be foolish to turn a potential ally of the Republic (the Ottoman Empire) into an enemy. I am not a leader who will lead the youth of the Republic to hell .... ".

Napoleon, who was relieved of his duties because he refused to follow orders, used the media to reach the people and the soldiers. The impact of the sincere words of the hero of the Republic was beyond imagination.

The people rose up and protested, and intellectuals and the media criticized the government. The national army of the Republic was also on Napoleon's side. The panic-stricken government cracked down hard on the protesters, which gave Napoleon a reason to raise the army.

Napoleon used the division loyal to him to seize chaotic Paris, establishing a government under his leadership, and assigning himself the office of president.

"The Legislative Assembly, the National Assembly, and the General Government. All played politics for their own interests and power. No one was concerned with the lives of the people. I will deal with them from now on. The people of the French Republic are those who deserve the protection and respect of the State from the moment they are born. I will make the French proud of their country wherever they go in the world."

After becoming president, Napoleon stopped the war and devoted himself to the internal affairs of the Republic. He worked to revive the economy and industry, while minimizing the outflow of national wealth, corruption and inefficiency of the administration. As capital began to accumulate to some extent, Napoleon established a state-owned bank, which sought to improve the credibility of the international financial market. His government invested military spending in the quality of life of the people and the revitalization of the national economy, including the construction of canals, roads and irrigation waterways for the development of agricultural land and the construction of towns and cities.

Napoleon considered cotton looms, spinning machines, cotton cloth and steam engines, which had been invented in Britain, to be the industries that would lead the future world economy. He led the process of copying and improving British models by gathering numerous engineers and scientists in France, and established an industrial complex to extract coal from coke ovens. From 1798 to 1802, when Napoleon was president, the size of the French Republic's economy more than doubled, iron production tripled, and the average income of the people and national finances grew by 20 percent annually.

The slowdown in the population growth rate rapidly increased again, exceeding 40 million people. People were no longer starving and joyful laughter flooded the streets and towns. The French considered Napoleon their savior because of his mythical achievements and gave him absolute support and praise. Generals, bureaucrats and ministers urged Napoleon to become emperor.

Napoleon refused to do so.

Britain was the most cautious country as France grew stronger. Especially, looking at France, which dominated the European cotton and wool market by imitating the industrial revolution in its own country, Britain even felt a threat to its own survival. Britain doled out numerous political lobbying funds at Schoenbrunn Palace, Potsdam Palace and St. Petersburg, 21 calling for the reestablishment of the anti-French alliance. Britain was not the only country threatened by the growth of France, so the Coalition, centered on Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia, was formed again.

"I declare the existence and security of the French Republic. Those who attempt against the sovereignty and the people of our good Republic will be unconditionally defeated and there will be no compromise."

On November 1, 1802, Napoleon declared war on the Coalition, which included Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, Portugal and Sweden, on the occasion of the 'Declaration of Nemours'. Soon, Napoleon called on his allies Spain and Denmark and asked for troops from France's sister republics, such as the Batavian Republic and the Parthenopean Republic. It was the beginning of a great war involving almost all European countries.

"The very God of War". - Carl Ludwig - "We were only dwarfs in the hands of giants". - Alexander "What strategy can you use against a man who can win an unwinnable battle?". - William Pitt -

Despite not being on the battlefield for four years, Napoleon's strategy and tactics were not rusty at all. He won 10 battles throughout Germany and northern Italy, including the battles of Ulm, Austerlitz, Jena and Auerstedt, and achieved the feat of suppressing 180,000 of the Allied troops against him with only 40,000 losses.

Prussia and Austria, which were directly hit, were surprised and quickly called for a cease-fire. They never again confronted France. On the other hand, Napoleon considered that it would be difficult to defeat Britain at sea. Therefore, he only sent the navy to destroy British merchant and merchant ships, avoiding naval battles as much as possible.

It was a strategy to increase the financial burden on Britain, which needed a large number of ships and sailors to blockade all French coasts. Meanwhile, Napoleon made a tremendous record by killing 115,000 Russian soldiers at the Battle of Eylau and the Battle of Friedland, and even led Russia to secede from the Coalition. Portugal was unable to counterattack Spain, and Britain was left alone when Sweden ran away when Russia fell.

Britain's finances were already at their limit after the war of commercial destruction of the French fleet, which weakened British control in the European market and with the exploding war funds, huge military subsidies for each country and the worsening domestic economy. British taxes increased exponentially during the war. British citizens, unable to bear the taxes, organized mass protests and strikes, calling for an immediate halt to the war. Having defeated all his enemies on the continent, Napoleon announced a naval project and planned to build 50 of the last warships. British Admiral Horatio Nelson was killed in a fierce battle with the combined French, Spanish, Neapolitan and Danish fleets. The United States prepared for a new war, targeting the British colonies in the New World. Britain could no longer stand it.

The other allies were able to conclude the end-of-war talks on light terms, but that was not the case for Britain, which had led the anti-French alliance from the beginning and held out to the end. Britain had to face very humiliating and harsh demands to surrender all colonial land in the North American New World rather than be subject to compensation, tariff cuts or patent adjustments.

On February 2, 1805, two years and three months after the Declaration of Nemours, Napoleon declared an end to the war. France was recognized by the major powers as the greatest hegemon in Europe and the world's superpower. The French people proudly sang the anthem of the Republic and praised Napoleon.

"I think I am done with my work now. I have served my 10-year term, so I want to resign."

In 1808, Napoleon declared his honorable retirement. All the generals, ministers, bureaucrats and even the media and the people clung to him, but he resigned neatly, following George Washington's example, saying that more power would be no different from despotism. The last thing he did was to propose a referendum for a five-year presidential term.

After his retirement, the new government always looked to Napoleon, who was supported and loved by all the French people. Napoleon had quietly retired to his hometown in Corsica and only intended to take command of the armed forces in case of a national crisis. He was therefore very annoyed by the government's attitude of asking for his opinion every time a new policy or bill was implemented.

Napoleon finally undertook a journey to Louisiana. The North American colonies of France, including Louisiana, which was returned by Spain, and Canada, formally controlled by Britain, were now larger than all of Europe.

"The potential of this enormous land is infinite. The future of France is right here."

The western part of the New World, which had not yet been explored, had been recognized by the European powers as implicitly French territory. France's North American colonies still had plenty of room to expand and develop. Although yellow fever and other infectious diseases had struck the pioneers, they did not stop their enthusiasm. Napoleon decided to spend the rest of his life in this new land.

***

"... Your Majesty, Your Majesty! It's time for you to wake up." What kind of idiot calls me with the title of monarch? Hearing the wrong title, Napoleon frowned at the trembling man and woke him up in extreme exhaustion.

"...How the hell are these attendants trained..... Huh?"

"Y-Your Majesty?"

The resentful face of the middle-aged man clutched by the collar (he later learned that his name was Baron Fain and he was Napoleon's secretary) belonged to a stranger he had never seen in his life. All the people around the middle-aged man looked at him with a surprised face. Napoleon jumped up from his seat with a feeling of discomfort running through his whole body. Then he opened the curtains covering the carriage and closed them again.

...I don't know where this is, but I can certainly see that it's not New Orleans, Louisiana's main port city, where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico to create a magnificent vista. A thick endless forest, the smell of fresh water, different from the sea, and a line of French troops. When he confirmed that this was the Neman River, in Russian territory, Napoleon could only ask.

"What the hell is this?"