Chapter 68: Return to France

De la Mar immediately ordered the deployment of his remaining forces, preparing to march towards Egypt with the aim of reaching there as swiftly as possible and annihilating the French forces stationed there.

However, unbeknownst to them, Napoleon had not retreated to Egypt but had led a small contingent of his troops to a nearby small port. This place was called a port, but it had long been in ruins. During the retreat, Napoleon anticipated that De la Mar would send troops to pursue him, so instead of evacuating with the main forces, he personally led a group of soldiers to the seaport.

By this time, Napoleon could no longer continue fighting. Although his troops had inflicted severe damage on the Turks, his logistics had been cut off, and with the Turks' nearly endless reinforcements, the outcome of the war had already been determined.

Napoleon's reluctance to retreat stemmed from his concern about damaging his reputation. However, the message brought by Marmont the previous day dispelled Napoleon's doubts.

"Report, General Napoleon, there has been a disaster in France. Schérer has been defeated, and we have lost eighty thousand troops and almost all of Italy," Marmont came to Napoleon's bedside in the evening, handing him a newspaper reporting the defeat.

The newspaper, delivered by someone sent by Nelson, aimed to shatter Napoleon's last bit of resolve and to completely destroy him spiritually.

As Nelson had anticipated, upon hearing the news, Napoleon's expression immediately became agitated. He leapt out of bed, snatched the newspaper, and began reading it thoroughly, not willing to miss a single word or punctuation mark. He could not believe that such events had transpired during his absence from France. All night, he read the newspaper, his emotions in turmoil.

"Uncle Napoleon, you seem to be in a bad mood," Roland said as he slowly approached Napoleon inside the tent, expressing his concern.

Unaware of the news about the newspaper, Roland assumed that Napoleon was troubled by the forced retreat. Taking advantage of the night, he came to comfort Napoleon.

"Roland, come here, I have something to tell you. I hope you can give me some advice!" Upon seeing Roland enter, Napoleon was momentarily stunned, then a spark of brilliance flashed in his eyes. He waved Roland over, saying, "Roland, come! Come to my side!"

Indeed, Napoleon had begun to rely on his nephew. His mind was in turmoil, and he was unable to react effectively. At such a time, seeking someone else's opinion was undoubtedly the best course of action. However, given the importance of the matter, Napoleon could not immediately trust anyone else, and Roland's arrival perfectly solved this issue.

In terms of trust, Roland was his nephew, his family, and there was no concern of betrayal. In terms of wisdom, Roland had already proven his intelligence in previous battles, sometimes even considering things Napoleon himself had not thought of. Consulting Roland might provide some valuable advice.

"What is it, Uncle Napoleon?" Roland approached, puzzled, as Napoleon gestured for him to come closer.

"Look at this first," Napoleon said, handing over the newspaper instead of speaking.

"General Napoleon..." Marmont reached out, wanting to stop Napoleon's actions, considering the sensitivity of the information. However, he quickly retracted his hand, thinking about Napoleon's fondness for Roland and realizing that his objections might be futile.

Roland carefully took the newspaper from Napoleon's hands and began to read. He had worked hard on his English during his time at the military academy, so he could easily understand the text on the paper.

The content was straightforward, starting with a bold headline: "The British Empire and the Holy Roman Empire deliver a crushing defeat to the French forces in Italy; the imperial armies successfully conquer Italy."

"Has Italy been occupied by the British?" Roland exclaimed in surprise after reading the headline.

"Exactly! Schérer is such an irredeemably foolish waste. He had eighty thousand troops at his disposal and yet he lost to the Austrians. There's no one more foolish than him in this world," Napoleon said indignantly. After all, Northern Italy was a prize he had wrested from the Austrians not without great effort, and now Schérer had carelessly handed it over.

"Uncle Napoleon, why don't we set off and return to France? The country needs you."

Seeing Napoleon agitated, Roland boldly spoke up.

"Return to France!" Napoleon was taken aback, not expecting Roland to suggest such a thing.

However, Roland's suggestion struck him like lightning. 

"Return to France, huh? That's not a bad idea. I can't make any further progress in Egypt anyway, and staying here is pointless. It might be better to return to France and pursue grand plans. Moreover, going back now, I can say that I did it out of concern for France's safety, which won't affect my reputation."

Napoleon carefully pondered the feasibility of returning to France. As he thought more deeply, he increasingly felt that returning was a perfect solution. It would prevent the embarrassment of potential future failures in Egypt and fulfill his desire to return to France.

"Your idea is good, Roland!" Eventually, Napoleon nodded vigorously at Roland, showing his approval.

"Indeed, France is now in a precarious position due to that fool Schérer's command. And I, Napoleon, must return to save France from this peril," Napoleon said proudly.

"Marmont! I recall we still have some ships left for transporting documents after Alexandria's port, right?" Napoleon turned to ask Marmont.

"Yes, General. I will arrange it immediately," Marmont nodded.

"Find a way to get the navy personnel to bring those ships here. We'll embark from here and return to France. Remember, move quickly. De la Mar won't give us much time. Once he catches us, we'll no longer have the chance to embark."

Napoleon instructed Marmont, his resolve evident. The few ships left from the naval engagements were his last hope to return to France.

He confided to Marmont, "I've decided to return to France, and you must follow closely. We've suffered defeats in Europe. I don't know where the enemy has reached now, and Italy is lost. Those in the Directory are incompetent, what can they accomplish? Fools! Originally, I alone took on the heavy burden, achieving numerous victories and bringing glory to France. Without me, what good days would they have? I've only been away a short while, and they've lost everything. We must depart immediately and reach Paris as quickly as possible. Only then can we restore the morale of the troops, regroup, and give the people hope for happiness once more."

At this moment, the words "return to France" had captivated Napoleon.

Under Napoleon's nearly thrice-daily urgent prompting, the few remaining ships from the Battle of Mount Tabor, which were only meant to transport documents, quietly set sail from Cairo to this small seaport.

Unfortunately, these ships were not designed to carry many people, so Napoleon could only choose to bring a select few generals and elite soldiers back to France with him.

The next day, Napoleon stood on a high point, mounted on his horse, watching the continuous retreat of the French troops below. Seeing this, he couldn't help but feel pity for De la Mar. At that moment, the Turkish forces were still searching for him amidst the swirling sands, but they could never dream that he had already embarked on a ship returning to France.

Poor De la Mar, this time he was destined to return without any achievement.