Chapter 110: Toulon 8

 In the midst of the fog, Pauline dashed about, surrounded by the sounds of gunfire, artillery, and shouts. Initially, she felt terrified, but soon, after a series of intense explosions, she realized that the gunfire seemed to diminish. After a while, the cries of "Long live the Republic" echoed all around her.

At this point, the fog began to dissipate gradually. Pauline saw a group of soldiers in blue uniforms not far from her, celebrating. Obviously, they had won the recent battle.

An old bearded soldier noticed Pauline and walked over to her.

"Hey there, little one, what are you doing out here?" the soldier asked.

"My brother and I got separated. Our ship encountered a storm at sea, drifted for days, and ended up here on the shore, and then..." Pauline quickly explained, "Have you seen my brother?"

"Ah, you're quite unlucky to end up on the battlefield like this. I haven't seen your confused brother. How could he leave his little brother in a place like this? But I can have our men help you look for him," the old soldier said.

At this moment, Pauline was just a thirteen-year-old girl dressed in boy's clothes, her hat hiding her long hair. (If we were talking about a young Napoleon's clothing, it would fit her just fine.) Consequently, the old soldier mistook her for an unvoiced boy.

"Come with me, I'll ask around for you," the old soldier said, leading Pauline to the side of the fort and shouting to a soldier on the fort's wall with a tricolor flag, "Eugene, have you seen another civilian, a boy about this one's age, running onto the battlefield?"

"What are you saying?" Eugene asked. "I can't hear..."

Perhaps due to a lack of concentration, the tricolor flag in his hand slipped and fell from the fort. Everyone's faces changed because not being able to rehang the flag was an extremely bad omen. In general, the more dependent on luck a profession is, the more superstitions are associated with it. The military, in particular, was a place with a high concentration of superstitions. For instance, when the navy ate fish, they'd never flip the fish to eat the other side first because they dreaded the action of "flipping." As for the army, there were a host of superstitions about flags. Everyone believed that if a flag fell to the ground, it foretold setbacks for the army.

The tricolor flag slowly floated down in the morning breeze, and everyone ran to catch it in mid-air, trying to prevent it from touching the ground. Even the old soldier abandoned Pauline and joined the race.

"Catch it, catch it!" everyone shouted.

But for some reason, a sudden gust of wind shifted the falling tricolor flag in Pauline's direction, and she reached out and caught it.

"That kid, that kid caught the flag! Fantastic!" someone shouted.

"Truly fantastic!"

Similarly, based on superstition, if a flag fell due to the wind and someone caught it midway, that person had to personally hoist the flag back up, and the ill omen would pass, ushering in good fortune.

So the old soldier walked up to Pauline, bent halfway, and said, "Thank you, young lad, for catching the battle flag. Would you be willing to help us hoist this flag again?"

...

With Pauline gone, Lucien was terrified. He knew that if Napoleon found out about this, he'd get a severe beating, and maybe even his backside would be beaten into pieces. When he returned to Paris, Joseph wouldn't spare him either, to be precise, he wouldn't spare him or Napoleon. Joseph had long thought Lucien was unreliable, and it was only Napoleon's support that had saved him...

So Lucien was running around the battlefield like a headless fly. The soldiers were all cheering, and Lucien kept asking them, "Have you seen my sister? Have you seen my sister?" But no one paid him any attention.

At that moment, the soldiers suddenly began to cheer towards the fort. Lucien looked over, and he was stunned.

"What the devil! What am I seeing? That's... that's..."

It was Pauline, standing boldly at the highest point of the fort, hoisting a tricolor flag. The soldiers cheered loudly for her, and Pauline was caught up in the excitement. She had completely forgotten about finding her brother. She even imitated the soldiers below who were waving their hats, took off her hat, and waved it at them. Her long hair floated in the morning breeze alongside the tricolor flag.

A few years later, when the Bonaparte family had climbed to the heights of power, this story of Pauline was spread by various interested parties. The narrative evolved from Pauline getting lost, accidentally catching the flag, and leading French warriors to victory, defeating the English (the English argued that they were actually Spanish) and recapturing Toulon. Some even gave Pauline the title of "Joan of Toulon." Of course, Pauline responded, "What? People actually think I have any 'Joan' qualities?"

(Originally, in the historical timeline, Pauline had a very bold lifestyle, known as the "good-time girl" of her generation. It was said that when the sculptor Canova was sculpting her statue, he once considered portraying her as a hunting goddess. But Pauline said, "Let's go with the Venus look instead because the hunting goddess is also a chaste goddess. Does anyone in all of Europe really believe that I have any chastity?")

However, at this moment, while the soldiers were cheering for her, they did not consider her any kind of "saint." At most, they saw her as a symbol of good luck. Meanwhile, Lucien desperately made his way towards the fort.

Near the fort, a few soldiers stopped him. "Who are you, and why are you running here? Are you an English spy?" one of them asked.

"I am General Napoleon Bonaparte's brother. My sister is inside the fort, and I need to see her!" Lucien hurriedly shouted. He knew that on the battlefield, mere suspicion could lead to death. But with this shout, whether they believed him or not, at least they wouldn't shoot him until they were sure.

"You're General Bonaparte's brother?" The soldiers clearly didn't believe him, but as Lucien had hoped, they wanted to verify first.

"If you're lying to us, you'll have a miserable death," one of the soldiers said.

At that moment, a cavalry unit approached. A soldier ran over and spoke to an officer on a horse, and the officer rode over.

"Lucien? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Ah, Napoleon! Our ship was blown here by the wind... Pauline is inside the fort right now..."

...

Following this, the soldiers witnessed a comedic scene. Their general, brandishing his riding crop, was chasing his brother, and Lucien was running around Pauline.

"Lucien, be a man, don't hide behind a woman!" Napoleon said.

"A real man needs to have his own mind, how can you decide everything?" Lucien replied, catching his breath.

"Pauline, step aside and let me thrash this unreliable fool!"

"Napoleon, don't beat Lucien, this situation..."

Just then, Augereau arrived. "General, the English cavalry is coming!"

Napoleon stopped, glared at Lucien, and said, "We'll deal with you later!"

Then he threw down his riding crop and went with Augereau.

The English had sent only a small reconnaissance unit. This was quite normal because Front National had just withdrawn, and they wouldn't have been able to mobilize their forces immediately for a counterattack. But the presence of the English cavalry meant that a new battle was about to begin.

"The English must know the significance of this fort. If they lose it, they can't hold Toulon. They'll launch a counterattack immediately. Augereau, find a few people to take Pauline and that foolish boy to a safe place. Battle is imminent here," Napoleon said.

As Napoleon had predicted, the English quickly realized the situation. They quickly launched a massive attack on Fort Malgrève, even though their preparations were not entirely sufficient. The French defenses were also ill-prepared, without firing tables and not fully understanding the fort's details.

The English deployed nearly all their cards, sending about five to six thousand troops in a single massive assault. However, the fort's defensive bonuses were still formidable. Even without firing tables, which affected the effectiveness of their cannon fire, French artillery still inflicted significant damage on the approaching English. But the lobsterback soldiers pressed forward under the cannon fire.

"English! The fort of Malgrève is well fortified, but we're getting closer!" the English officers shouted.

The fort of Malgrève was a modern fort, and its walls, less than two meters high with a steep slope, were designed to withstand cannon fire. However, when enemy infantry reached the walls, they could charge up directly after a running start.

Napoleon's army had just captured Fort Malgrève, so they were not entirely familiar with the details of the fort, and they had no available firing tables. Hence, the English assault was somewhat unprepared, and so was the French defense.

The English threw everything into this attack, rushing nearly five or six thousand troops towards the fort. The French defense was unprepared, and it was a chaotic scene. Nevertheless, the fortified walls of the fort remained a significant advantage for the French.

At first, the French artillery's impact was significant, even without accurate firing tables. The English cavalry had suffered casualties while approaching the fort. The French forces on the walls had managed to hold their ground and inflict losses on the English. The battle was in full swing, and Fort Malgrève was under heavy pressure.

But with English reinforcements coming in, the battle was about to reach its climax, and the outcome remained uncertain.