Chapter 192: The Verdun Meat Grinder (1)

So, Joseph was forcibly given the title of "Commander," and with the Red Army and a batch of supplies donated by the "Military Union," he headed towards Verdun.

When Joseph arrived in Verdun, the garrison there was in a state of panic due to the loss of their commander. Fortunately, the surname "Bonaparte" came to Joseph's rescue, as it was true that, as Carnot had mentioned, Joseph might not have had much contact with combat units for a long time, but his name was legendary throughout the army. The name "Bonaparte" was associated with various weapons used by the military because of him.

Moreover, Joseph Bonaparte was the famous war god Napoleon Bonaparte's elder brother, and it was rumored that he had even been Napoleon's direct superior in the past. If Napoleon was so formidable, his older brother, the founder of the Red Army, the initiator and leader of military reforms, couldn't be any less skilled, right?

Furthermore, Joseph brought a large amount of new weaponry to support them. It was said that these weapons had been donated by the "Military Union" free of charge to defend the homeland, and these weapons were undoubtedly far better than the ones used by the Northern Army before.

"You see these authentic 'Bonaparte melons.' Look at the engraving, how beautiful it is, and it feels so comfortable to touch. And then, look at the Minié rifle, the rifling is so smooth and precise, it's so much better than what we had before…" A veteran counted the weapons they received while bragging to the nearby recruits.

"Is that all?" a Red Army soldier passing by happened to hear the old soldier's boasting and said, "What we've brought is even more powerful than these things... Rest assured, with these, we'll give those English and Prussians a tough time."

A general named "Bonaparte," along with a bunch of weapons bearing the same name, immediately lifted the morale of the Verdun garrison. In addition, everyone knew another uplifting piece of news: General Napoleon Bonaparte was on his way with over ten thousand elite troops from the Italian Legion. As long as they held onto the Verdun fortresses for a while, the Italian Legion would arrive, and then... France would be saved.

"Little General Bonaparte will kick the butts of those English and Prussians hard. He'll turn their butts into eight pieces. As long as we hold on for a few days, it'll be enough." For the first time, an optimistic voice rang out among the garrison.

After boosting the garrison's morale, Joseph immediately focused all his efforts on improving Verdun's defenses. Various new innovations such as barbed wire, trenches, shrapnel shells, mines, especially the "broad-sword landmines," and even a flamethrower (the land version of Lavasie's design) and a "melon launcher" (a large slingshot) were rapidly prepared.

Originally, in Joseph's plan, these things were all meant for Napoleon. "The swiftness of the troops" was an ancient military saying, and it was already the rainy season. If Napoleon's army had to march with heavy weapons, their speed would be significantly reduced. Thus, according to Napoleon's request, Joseph had already prepared a large military depot near Paris, allowing Napoleon's soldiers to drop some heavy weapons and supplies and reach Paris as quickly as possible.

However, now Joseph had diverted a significant portion of the arsenal from this depot. There was no other way; after all, life was precious, right? Even though Carnot believed Joseph was capable, even though the Red Army's veterans and the Northern Army's soldiers believed Joseph could certainly fight, and even though the entire population of Paris believed that someone with the surname "Bonaparte" would definitely be a capable military leader, Joseph himself didn't have any faith in his own abilities to fight.

"Does the father swim well, so should the son?," Joseph said to himself, and he made up his mind to make his own "tortoise shell" as tough as possible.

Even though Verdun's defenses had become increasingly formidable in recent days, many experienced officers believed that Verdun was already impregnable. They thought that no army could breach such defenses. Even if the English and Prussians were strong, they would only be able to look at Verdun's walls in despair. Nevertheless, Joseph still didn't feel secure enough.

"It's a pity that our technological level is still lacking," Joseph said to himself. "If we could manufacture armor similar to water droplets, maintained by strong intermolecular forces, then I would truly be at ease."

Of course, Joseph's single-minded attention to fortifying his "tortoise shell" was thanks to the British. Although the British and Prussians had already pursued Verdun, the British artillery was still crawling slowly on the way.

The British army had many powerful cannons, but originally, these cannons were meant for the navy. However, due to the rapid expansion of the army, they were unable to acquire sufficient cannons at the moment, so they requisitioned the reserve cannons of the navy. The problem with the naval cannons was that they were exceedingly heavy. Moreover, it had rained heavily a couple of days ago. The roads of this era were either dusty on sunny days or muddy on rainy days, and as a result, the British cannons' marching speed had plummeted to less than three hundred meters per day.

In previous battles, whether the British or the Prussians, they had become accustomed to having a multitude of powerful cannons on their side. Now, faced with a fortress even more impregnable than Ligny, lacking those powerful cannons, they couldn't charge directly. That's just not how things work.

So, with the joint efforts of the heavens and the British naval cannons, Joseph gained some time to continually strengthen his defenses. His meticulous and thoughtful approach to enhancing the safety of his soldiers earned him widespread admiration.

While Joseph was busy organizing defenses, he urgently sent someone back to request assistance from Napoleon. "Quickly find a few reliable generals and send them here in advance to help me organize the defense!"

Upon receiving this urgent request, Napoleon couldn't help but laugh heartily.

His Chief of Staff, Bertier, asked, "Why are you laughing, General?"

Napoleon chuckled and replied, "I'm laughing at the ineptitude of the Anglo-Prussian coalition and the timidity of my older brother Joseph. My big brother Joseph is now acting as the acting commander of the Northern Army and is responsible for the defense of Verdun. He thinks he lacks bold individuals in his ranks, so he wrote to me, asking me to urgently send him some advisors. You see, whom should we send?"

"How about sending Davout? He should be a good choice," Bertier suggested.

"No..." Napoleon shook his head. "Davout is very capable; we need to keep him with us... What about sending Marmont?"

"Marmont?" Bertier was quite puzzled. "Marmont is brave, but sending him..."

"Do you really think that Joseph, the coward, needs someone to teach him how to defend? This guy is just a big tortoise. He needs someone to bolster his courage. I'm telling you, if you went there right now, you'd definitely see that this guy has already turned Verdun into a steel fortress bristling with thorns. I bet he doesn't need our help at all; he can hold Verdun until doomsday by himself... By the way, let's change the marching plan..."

"How?" Bertier asked.

"Joseph, that coward, moved all the cannons and various other things we had prepared in Paris to Verdun. Are we going to Paris empty-handed? He misappropriated our cannons; of course, we need to bring our own cannons. Well, let the troops stop and regroup for a bit so that the cannons and other supplies can catch up... We can also take this opportunity to relax. How about a picnic this afternoon?" Napoleon replied.

As a result, Napoleon's marching speed suddenly dropped to barely surpassing that of the British. Only the "most courageous" Marmont was given a vital task, rushing north as quickly as possible to serve as an advisor to Joseph.

Joseph warmly received his "military advisor" sent by his younger brother. He toured the entire Verdun fortress with Marmont, explaining his various defense facilities and ideas. Afterward, they returned to the headquarters and sat down together.

"General Marmont, do you have any suggestions on how to strengthen Verdun's defense? You know, I haven't commanded such a large army before and haven't faced such a large-scale battle. I'm quite lacking in experience in many areas," Joseph asked first.

"Oh, General Bonaparte, you're too kind. The defenses of Verdun's fortresses are actually very good, but in my opinion, there are some issues," Marmont honestly replied.

"What issues?" Joseph asked promptly, thinking to himself, "I've always known that discussing tactics on paper isn't ideal. I thought I'd created an impregnable, virtually flawless defense system, but as soon as a more experienced commander saw it, he immediately spotted problems. Thankfully, I'm smart enough to ask Napoleon for an advisor."

"Well, General Bonaparte, I think too much effort has been invested in Verdun's defenses. The level of defense is excessive. It's possible to reduce some of the defensive forces and use them for counterattacks or even offensive operations. Additionally, some defensive structures, such as here, here, and here... you see, if we counterattack like this, I believe we can achieve greater success. So while these facilities significantly enhance the fortress's defensive capabilities, they also, to some extent, interfere with our counterattacks. I don't think it's necessary, and they should be dismantled, as Verdun's fortress's defense is already somewhat excessive," Marmont pointed to the map.

"But if we're dismantling like this, what if the enemy suddenly flanks us from here? What will we do?" Joseph asked.

"To execute such a flanking maneuver at the right time is very difficult. I think the likelihood of the enemy reacting that quickly or such a situation occurring is quite low. Besides, in war, who doesn't take a few risks?" Marmont replied nonchalantly.

Joseph listened and then smiled, saying, "Alright, General Marmont, I will consider your suggestions."

Meanwhile, he thought to himself, "Counterattack? Why would I counterattack? Just hold out until Napoleon arrives; doesn't that sound great? What is Napoleon thinking, sending over a guy who's all about fierce assaults?"