Napoleon in 1812
Chapter 93:

16. Sea Men – 1

‘Cloud. Springwill notcome to thestolen fields. Because theGod of nature will not give thema time whensprouts bloom andnew lifepulsates.’

Thesewere thelast words left by his oldfriend who wasdyingwith a bullet piercing hisabdomen. Red Cloud’sface wasengravedwith thetraces of time, as he rememberedthem without missinga singleword. Now, long after the death of hisfriend, RedCloudwas abletoanswer him.

“Youwere wrong, East Wood, theland taken away by the invaders hasspring likeour fields. Ithasn’t changedover thepast 30 years.”

On thecontrary, the invaders were rapidlydeveloping at a pacethat thetribesmen of Americadid not dare to imagine.

Looking at themachieving an absolutelybrilliant and splendid civilization, Red Cloud thought thatthey might be thepeople truly blessedbythe God of nature.

Thewhite-skinned invaders were not satisfiedwith theterritoriesthey occupied by brutally slaughteringthe natives.

Even though they alreadyhad vastand fertileland, they were greedily turningtheirguns towardnew fields. The native tribesagainst them werefragile like lanterns in front of the wind.

The Mohicantribe[1], led by RedCloud, was probably thetribefacing the most transformation in these turbulent times.

Living in theHudson River basin, they settledinGeorgia, migrating as manyasthreetimestoavoidthe flames of warand persecution.

Red Cloud, whohad beenthrough allkindsoftrials and experienced theprocess himself, hadgained an eye to seethe world.

Rather thanprotesting against invaders who didnot hidetheirgreedfor the land, RedCloudinsistedonactivelylearningtheirculture andskills.

The Mohicantribesidedwith Britain in the American Revolutionary War andfought againstthe new country, theUnited States, but in return, they were brutally slaughtered and their territorywas devastated.

They pretended to devotetheirloyalty by actingsubmissive in front of their opponent. The chief needed to be themost courageous. RedCloudwas proud, even if he had to face fierce criticismfrom theelders.

‘In order to catch agiant, you must be abletoclimbonthe giant’sshoulder.’

Ifhis family hadnot beenexterminated by the UnitedStates, andifhis close friend, who vowed to staybyhis sidefor the rest of his life, hadnot diedbytheirhands, his loyalty to the tribe would have beenquestioned andhewouldhave been brandedasa traitor and expelled. Anyway, RedCloudand the other Mohican tribesmen were currently havinga hard time.

Havinglearned to obey their enemiesbysuppressingtheirsouls, it was nowtime to transplant and develop the strength that theyhad gained from the invaders. The Mohicanpeople received specialguests not long after theyrealizedit.

“Weare fromParis.”

Some strangersintroduced themselves likethis. Itwas truethat therangeoflife andperception of NativeAmericans was narrowcomparedtothoseofEurope.

However, nomatter how narrowitwas, they knewwhichcity ‘Paris’ was. Itwas especiallytrue forthe Mohicantribe, which was tryingtoget usedtothe civilization of white people. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NøvᴇlFirᴇ(.)nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“I have always thought of France as a countrythat is fighting Britain handinhand with the UnitedStates.”

“Of coursethat’s true. However, there is asaying in the iron rules of internationaldiplomacy: ‘Thereisnoeternal ally or enemy. There areonly opponentswho can benefit me and those whocan’t.’ We came herethinkingofthe Mohicans as the former.”

What theFrench suggested wassurprising.

“Youwant to hire the warriors of ourclan as guardsfor the villages of Dahlonegaand Villa Rica?”

“That’s right. His Majesty, the Emperor of the Empire, has been delegated economic anddevelopmentrights to severalvillagesinGeorgia for50 yearsinexchangefor tolerance forthe United Statestradeagreement. AndHis Majestywantstosharethe wealth andvalues thatgrow naturallywith thenatives whowere theoriginalowners of the land.”

“…!!”

The Mohican tribesmen were stirredupbystories that could not be easilybelieved. Red Cloud narrowed hiseyes. Therewere several nativesliving in Georgia, and among them was theMohican tribe.

He had heard about thenumber of French migrants increasing sharplyinthe pastyear or two.

He thought thatthe involvement of the FrenchEmperor wasquitesuspicious. The storiesofNapoleonBonaparte, theEmperor of France, had been toldacross the seaand had reached thisplace.

Stories about Europe, the landofwhitepeople likethe invaders, andaboutthe kingwho conquered it. But why washetrying to coaxthem from far away?

“Share the wealthand values… It soundslike youknow exactly whatwealth is produced in the villages there andhow big thevalues are. AmI right?”

“That’s right. Then, canI take it as meaningthat thechiefknew about thehidden values of thevillagesofDahlonega and Villa Rica?”

Red Cloud smiledand leaned against achairmade of elk’s fur.

“Itwasn’t longago thatour tribe settledaround here. But even our sources are notclumsy. I’ve known for a longtime that there are gold mines in bothvillages.”

Itwas not necessaryfor themtounderstand right away why Napoleon, who owned the gold mines in exchange for a legitimatedeal with the UnitedStates, would want to share themwith thenative tribes instead of monopolizing them.

Inany case, theywouldhave time after accepting thecontracttofind outwhether these peoplewere true friendsorinvaderswith hiddenknives behind their smiling faces.

“I thinkyou willreachout to not only our tribe, but alsomany tribesliving on the continent…”

“The morefriends we have in the distance, the better it is. Our Ministry of ForeignAffairs hopes to form aprogressiveand complementaryrelationship betweenthe Empire andthe indigenoustribes, starting with small cooperation.”

If France hadbeen a countryrightnext to theUnited States, they would nothave fallenfor sucha deal. Because in the end, it would justhave been atricktocovetthe landofthe natives.

However, Francewas far away across thesea in Europe, and it was difficulttoactivelyintervene in the battlefor supremacy between Britainand the UnitedStates.

Red Cloud’ssenses, as he hadled atribeofthousands of people formany years, were speaking. This could be an inflection point thatwoulddramatically change theMohican tribe, whichwas currently in a tight spot.

“Our first encounter wasgreat. If we build trust and keep our promises while narrowingthe gap between our positions, we willbeable to accomplish manythings.”

For thefirsttime in hislife, Red Cloud reachedout to awhiteperson first and asked fora handshake. Thiswas an expressionofcourage andwill in itsown way.

For revenge, freedom, andsurvivalofhis tribe, he could make friendswith peoplewith faces that resembled theinvadersatany time. The manfrom Francedid not rejectit.

“I would like to givea word of advice to thenew friendsofour tribe. It is betternot to expect that all nativetribes willbehostile to theinvaders. Keepinmind that there are nota fewofthem whodreamofextremely privateand shallowpurposesinharmony with them.”

“Of course, weare wellawareofthat. France willonly reach outtotribes who arefullyawareofthe value of freedom. At least the chief in front of me is a brave man whomeetsthat standard.”

“That’s nicely said.”

Laughing withhis eyesglowing, Red Cloud asked the tribesmenaround him to step down. The Frenchman, who came as the head of the delegation, also senthis men away and faced RedCloudone-on-one in response.

“Among thetribesmen of the continentwho harbor thebanner of rebellion against the UnitedStates, there is oneofthe mostcourageous andoutstandingwarriorsI know. However, he is currentlyindanger of losing hisfamily and tribe, and is runningwild recklessly. Please, findhim before theothertribes, stop him, and convince him to plan for thefuture.”

“Hmm… Who is he?”

“Tecumseh. Wecall himTecumseh.[2]If he joins our cooperation, you willsurely not regretit.”

The wheel of historywas gradually deviatingfrom itsorbit.

===

France, a great and glorious Empire. Had theGaulsever hadsuch a brilliant goldenage since theysettled on this land?

Franceoverpowerednumerouscompetitorswho covetedits fertileancient lands with strength and wisdom, evensubdued Britain, andcame to reign undisputed overthe European continent.

The citizens of this countrywho werewalking under thetricolorflag also deserved to share thisgreathonor. However, European societyinthe 19thcentury hada complex composition scattered with numerous directionsand diversity.

There werealso peoplewho wereexternally pleased withthe great successoftheircountry, but weredissatisfied or bitter on theinside.

Therewere mainlytwo kinds of suchdissatisfied people. The first werethosewho wereopposed to Napoleon’s reign itself, and the secondwere those whohad beenshunned, orlet alone, in thecurrent imperial system.

Theformer was highlylikely to commit treason or rebellion, and so deserved to be classifiedasdangerous, butthe latter shouldbeembracedand comforted.

Eventhough theyhad not been appointed so far, there was among them important ‘rightpeople’ indispensable for thetransformationand development of the Empire.

Like Carnot, a university professor at Heidelberg, andColin, afraudulent taxcollector, there were people whowere wasting their timenot using their talents. Theywere the‘possibilities’ hidden withinthe French Empire.

===

“On the seapainted in black, the creaking noise of asailing boat!

A hugeswirlingwave of salt, butthe devil’sholy water that can never be drunk!

The deckfull of saltedbeef, moldybread, and thesmellofrotting wood are exclusivetobravesailors!

Exploring the legendaryHoly Grail, we’regoing, we’re going!”

“Ah! The men wear albatrosses around their necks instead of crossesaftera damn longday!”

“Cryingout to God in groaning andweeping, I pray thatI will be awake tomorrow!”

One could tell by lookingatthe lyrics of this sailors’ songthat it wasnevermeanttoglorify sealife. Rather, it lookedlike a songaboutwanting to quickly end this difficult life as soonaspossible. But Frenchsailors andmarines often sang thissong. Even more than‘Le Chant du Départ’, thenationalanthem of the FrenchEmpire. Through thissong, whichdirectlyexpressed the hardshipsand difficulties of sealife, many boatmen wereable to comfort and relieve their emotions.

“Haha! Yourvoiceissoloud today! Come to think of it, you’re overflowing withenergy these days! Did somethinggood happen!?”

“Howcan I not be happy thatthe demonicoppressors lickedGaul’s ground andbegged for life!”

“Hahaha! I keep forgetting thatyou’re fromIreland! Isitbecause I’mgetting old?”

The transport ship headingtoward the mainland, whileriding the rough waves of theAtlanticOcean, was full of cargo.

The two mentalking next to the mizzenmast seemedtobeold friends. The sight of a man with impressivered hairand an old manwith white hair nexttohim was very unique.

The name of the red-haired Irish man wasDrennan, and the oldman withwhitehair wasPierre.

Aftertraveling along the ocean andwind, the wooden sailboat arrived at the docks on theBrittanyPeninsula.

Whilesailors andporters disembarked thecargofrom thetradeship, Drennan andPierre weresupervisingthem andburning tobacco. Thesailors calledPierre Captainand DrennanQuarter Master.

“Once theBritish bastards’ terriblecoastal blockade is lifted, the traders willbebusy. Therewill be more workfor people like us.”

“Haha… Thanks to it, I won’t be hungry.”

But for Drennan, whoknew Pierre’s true identity, it just soundedlike a joke.

As with all thesailors, therewere many personal circumstancesthat ledthem to do such hardand dangerous work. Thesame wastrue of Drennan. He hadsettled in France, dreaming of avery personal revenge.

“Today is my lastday.”

“Oh… Areyou leavingnow? Well, you’veenjoyed it forquitea long timefor ahobbyofa rich former noble.”

“Ha, but… you’releaving with me as well.”

Pierre smiled at Drennan, whohad astrange expression on his face, andturned to the peoplewaiting forhim outsidethe port. In the attentionofthe sailors, theysaluted Pierrerespectfully.

“WithoutYour Excellency, howcouldwedefeat the powerful navy of those islanders? Wegreetthe heroofthe Battle of theChesapeake Bay.”

The identity of the oldman withwhitehair calledPierre was PierredeVaugiraud de Rosnay, the bestcaptain of thetime, who commanded theflagship‘Ville-de-Paris’ under theFrench admiralCountFrançois Joseph Paul de Grasse duringthe Battle of theChesapeake Bay, France’s mostdecisivenavalvictory in theAmericanRevolutionary War.[3]

TL notes

[1]Mohicans

[2]Tecumseh

[3] François Joseph Paul de Grasse, Battle of the Chesapeake.

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