Chapter 77: 10. Defence master, offense genius - 6
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Around the time when the Spanish people got divided between those who chose their families’ livelihoods, individual interests or those who favored their loyalty to their homeland and the royal family, and their antipathy toward France.
Similar processes had begun to occur among the much higher class of the Spanish people.
They set their course of action in a slightly different way from the others. The province of Zaragoza was occupied by the French and under military rule.
There was a landlord called Miguel de Sebastian Lopez who owned the largest land there.
Lopez, who had gained a high title and extensive land thanks to his ancestors’ feats in the Habsburg Wars[1] in the past, was observing the current situation on the Iberian Peninsula with more sober eyes than ever before.
For those like him, patriotism and loyalty to the country and to the royal family were of little importance. He just thought about surviving this turbulent time while keeping his family’s wealth and honor.
“The torrent of fire has stopped…”
Lopez was lost in thought as he stroked his thick beard. There was now a lull in the war on the Iberian Peninsula.
Lopez was convinced that at the end of this war, where Britain and France were fighting for supremacy in Western Europe, and in which Spain and Portugal got involved, the fall of the Spanish Empire would take place, whoever won.
That was why Lopez was able to abandon all his loyalty to Spain and choose practical interests.
The French army had been fiercely pushed since the beginning of the war, and the Allied forces had been pushing up by taking advantage of the power void that happened while the French went to the east (during the Russian expedition). Now no one wanted to go out and fight first.
The Battle of the Arlanzón River and the Battle of La Buena-San Felix, where the corps of Wellesley and Napoleon faced each other, were the last battles in which more than 10,000 people were involved.
Now, the armies of both sides were glaring at each other and fixing their uniforms, and in the meantime, the situation in the Iberian Peninsula was gradually stabilizing. In lines that looked like they had been drawn with knives, the French and the coalition forces carried more shovels, hammers, and logs than guns and cannons.
“Today, a French messenger came here again. He said that he brought a letter from the head of the Standing Organization (Louis Emard Chartres), who proposes to the governor a ‘gracious and honorable joining’. Should I just leave the letter and send the man back like last week?”
Lopez, who had previously served as governor of the Balearic Islands, continued to be called governor even after he stepped down from his post.
At the end of his assistant’s words, Lopez narrowed his eyebrows. A provisional organization under the ridiculous name of the Iberian Standing Organization.
Nobles in the position of Lopez could not ignore what Napoleon, the French Emperor, was after with this organization.
The French Emperor was very eager to attract the local nobles from all over Spain, including him.
Lopez had a rough idea of the reason. Until last year, Lopez did not join either side but kept watching the war progress.
As an experienced politician, he knew well the importance of choosing the good side during a chaotic situation.
He was not the only one doing this. There were a lot of aristocrats and landowners in the territories occupied by the French who were observing the situation between France and the coalition.
‘The longer the drought, the higher the price of wheat. There is no need to choose a side now. No matter how belligerent the French Emperor is, he can’t claim interest in the Spanish territory by pushing us out.’
The ‘Circle’, composed of Spanish aristocrats and landlords, was more tightly united than expected to protect their interests.
This was the reason why the French army was tolerating such a group of people, who were like walking on a tightrope, even thought it could wipe them out ruthlessly.
Furthermore, Napoleon, the French Emperor, was acting like it was all right for local nobles to keep to themselves, including him.
Even though he was refusing the meeting in the end, they did not impose any military pressure or sanctions. He would probably continue like this for a while.
Lopez thought that this was due to the Emperor’s confidence. The confidence that the French could win the Peninsular War, the belief that they would be the only ones who would eventually be able to fight.
“…”
Lopez continued to ponder. That meant that he could decide which side to join after looking at the development of the war a little more.
And if he was worried about his own safety, he could wait even more. It meant that the Emperor was interested in Lopez and the other nobles. It would not be too late to decide whether to join him or not after his future victory became clearer.
But…
“I’ll have to meet him.”
“Y-Yes!?”
“Ugh, why are you so slow today? I’ll meet the man from the Iberian Standing Organization.”
“Y-Yes! All right, Governor.”
If he wanted a bigger profit, he needed to know how to take risks.
‘With Napoleon here, the French are unlikely to lose.’
This was the reason why Miguel de Sebastian Lopez made the decision to start moving now.
=
“I’m very happy to meet the Governor-General, whom I’ve been waiting for! I’m Paul Duguesseau, an advisor to the Iberian Standing Organization. I used to serve as an administrator of our Emperor’s Corps.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Miguel de Sebastian Lopez. And the title Governor-General is nothing more than a facade during the day, so just call me Vigilante Leader.”
Lopez was running a small vigilante group, rallying serfs and villagers, and hiring mercenaries separately to prevent his land from being swept away by the war.
That was why neither the Allies nor the French could plunder his lands. All the noble landowners with large farmland had been protecting their land during the war in this way.
The coalition and France were not trying to attract the members of the noble circle to their side for no reason.
“I’ll ask you straightforwardly. What can France give me if I join the Standing Organization and actively cooperate with French military operations?”
“Oh!… You must have finally made a decision! We’ve always waited for the moment when Vigilante Leader Lopez made up his mind!”
“That’s the only reason I’m here. Why else would I be?”
In the past, there used to be a unification of the Spanish people with aristocrats, priests, merchants, bourgeoisie, colonists, and even black slaves, to push back the French army. But now things had changed dramatically.
The entire Spanish population living in the territories occupied by France was now divided into two extremes, busy criticizing and accusing each other.
The resistance forces were being wiped out little by little, and divisions and conflicts broke out throughout each province and village, and factions split apart. These were the typical signs of a civil war on the brink of bursting.
Basque and Catalonia, which originally had strong anti-Castilian sentiment, openly supported France by helping to create the Iberian Standing Organization. The balance was gradually tilting in favor of France.
The situation across the Iberian Peninsula, which was beginning to solidify, was one of the main reasons behind Miguel de Sebastian Lopez’s decision.
As the Allies were at a disadvantage in the war, they went back to their strategy consisting of holding the Lines of Torres Vedras, like they always did before.
When they did this in the past, the French corps used to rush toward them, consuming their troops, which then gave a power advantage to the coalition who could advance again.
But this time the French did not do this. They stopped advancing and began to observe the situation, drawing the ‘Santiago-Almería Line’ that was cutting diagonally the Iberian Peninsula. This change occurred after Napoleon Bonaparte took the lead again in the Peninsular War.
Currently, the Allies and the French were both building and consolidating fortresses and trenches at the main points of the long front lines, like they were repeatedly saying to each other: ‘I have no intention of moving, so you come.’
What truly mattered now was the extent and location of the territory occupied by the armies on both sides. France occupied most of the peninsula, including the province of Zaragoza, where Lopez owned a large land. Lopez predicted that this system would not easily collapse.
“I am betting on the French victory in this war. So you’ll have to offer me a fair price, too.”
There was a satisfied smile on Duguesseau’s face.
“Then we’ll have a long conversation. One thing is for sure, you made the right decision, and our Standing Organization will do its best to listen to your wishes.”
It was a human instinct to side with the strongest, as always. Miguel de Sebastian Lopez joined the Iberian Standing Organization with his servants, vigilantes and farmers following him.
It was the moment when plaster began to be applied to the lines drawn by Napoleon, adding solidity.
===
The French forces across the peninsula, including Napoleon’s Corps, did not try further expansion. They simply supported the administration of the Iberian Standing Organization by defeating the resistance forces inside the occupied territories and supporting the pro-French locals.
They looked more like officials and guards who came to rule than soldiers who came for war.
France’s rule through the temporary Standing Organization was more stable and consistent than before 1812, when looting, massacres and tyranny were common.
It was from this time that the aristocrats and landlords of the circle, who owned a large land, began to move toward the French side little by little.
This was because the stabilization of the occupied area was faster than expected, and they saw the possibility of France’s victory in the Peninsular War. If France was ‘clear’, the Allies were ‘blurry’.
The advance to Burgos, which was supposed to wipe out the main French forces in the Iberian Peninsula, failed. As the operation was risky, the aftereffects of the failure were huge.
Wellesley’s Corps, which was the elite unit of the coalition forces, lost one-fourth of its power and exhausted its special strategic weapons, the Congreve rockets.
At this point, it could have ended with a report with explanations and a few reprimands from the countries’ leaders, but the problem was the numerous strongholds and cities on the Iberian Peninsula that had been recaptured.
The front on the peninsula retreated hundreds of miles back and the local strongholds lost to the French were so numerous that they could not dream of reckoning them hastily.
On the day that the Allied flag flying in Madrid was replaced by the tricolor flag of the French Empire, the Westminster Parliament and leading British newspapers united to criticize Wellesley’s unreasonable operation.
Daily Current: The trusted Marquis of Wellington also lost. Should we continue the war like this? The public opinion in London is skeptical… The kingdom should also be mindful of the war against the United States in the New World.
Weekly News: Lawrence Photogiver (a senior member of the Whig Party) said: “The Marquis of Wellington’s greed has overturned the situation in the Peninsular War. Prime Minister Jenkinson, who decided to delegate all powers to him, should reflect heavily on himself…
Oxford Gazette: Arthur Wellesley was also no match for Napoleon Bonaparte. The gap between the commander, who mostly stayed inside the kingdom, and the Emperor who conquered Europe was much bigger than expected. The kingdom’s army needs to wake up…
Gently Magazine: According to military experts, if they lose the next battle, the British troops would have difficulties defending Portugal’s territory! Some say we should negotiate right now…
London Post: 200,000 British men have already lost their lives abroad. More than 50,000 of them died in the army… How long should we continue this useless war?
News Letter: The war of words between First Lord of the Admiralty Robert Dundas and Chancellor of the Exchequer Nicholas Vansittart[2] at Whitehall! Should we go all-in with the Navy? Or empower the Army?
Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only
Commander-in-Chief Arthur Wellesley received a letter from Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson. Jenkinson wrote in detail the current situation of the ruling Tory party, pointing out the failure of Wellesley’s Corps in polite and courteous handwriting.
When Rowland Hill read the letter with Arthur Wellesley, he felt that it seemed to be saying the citizens’ support for our party is being shaken because of you. He could not help but feel his insides boiling.
[1] Ottoman–Habsburg wars
[2] Robert Dundas, Nicholas Vansittart
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Around the time when the Spanish people got divided between those who chose their families’ livelihoods, individual interests or those who favored their loyalty to their homeland and the royal family, and their antipathy toward France.
Similar processes had begun to occur among the much higher class of the Spanish people.
They set their course of action in a slightly different way from the others. The province of Zaragoza was occupied by the French and under military rule.
There was a landlord called Miguel de Sebastian Lopez who owned the largest land there.
Lopez, who had gained a high title and extensive land thanks to his ancestors’ feats in the Habsburg Wars[1] in the past, was observing the current situation on the Iberian Peninsula with more sober eyes than ever before.
For those like him, patriotism and loyalty to the country and to the royal family were of little importance. He just thought about surviving this turbulent time while keeping his family’s wealth and honor.
“The torrent of fire has stopped…”
Lopez was lost in thought as he stroked his thick beard. There was now a lull in the war on the Iberian Peninsula.
Lopez was convinced that at the end of this war, where Britain and France were fighting for supremacy in Western Europe, and in which Spain and Portugal got involved, the fall of the Spanish Empire would take place, whoever won.
That was why Lopez was able to abandon all his loyalty to Spain and choose practical interests.
The French army had been fiercely pushed since the beginning of the war, and the Allied forces had been pushing up by taking advantage of the power void that happened while the French went to the east (during the Russian expedition). Now no one wanted to go out and fight first.
The Battle of the Arlanzón River and the Battle of La Buena-San Felix, where the corps of Wellesley and Napoleon faced each other, were the last battles in which more than 10,000 people were involved.
Now, the armies of both sides were glaring at each other and fixing their uniforms, and in the meantime, the situation in the Iberian Peninsula was gradually stabilizing. In lines that looked like they had been drawn with knives, the French and the coalition forces carried more shovels, hammers, and logs than guns and cannons.
“Today, a French messenger came here again. He said that he brought a letter from the head of the Standing Organization (Louis Emard Chartres), who proposes to the governor a ‘gracious and honorable joining’. Should I just leave the letter and send the man back like last week?”
Lopez, who had previously served as governor of the Balearic Islands, continued to be called governor even after he stepped down from his post.
At the end of his assistant’s words, Lopez narrowed his eyebrows. A provisional organization under the ridiculous name of the Iberian Standing Organization.
Nobles in the position of Lopez could not ignore what Napoleon, the French Emperor, was after with this organization.
The French Emperor was very eager to attract the local nobles from all over Spain, including him.
Lopez had a rough idea of the reason. Until last year, Lopez did not join either side but kept watching the war progress.
As an experienced politician, he knew well the importance of choosing the good side during a chaotic situation.
He was not the only one doing this. There were a lot of aristocrats and landowners in the territories occupied by the French who were observing the situation between France and the coalition.
‘The longer the drought, the higher the price of wheat. There is no need to choose a side now. No matter how belligerent the French Emperor is, he can’t claim interest in the Spanish territory by pushing us out.’
The ‘Circle’, composed of Spanish aristocrats and landlords, was more tightly united than expected to protect their interests.
This was the reason why the French army was tolerating such a group of people, who were like walking on a tightrope, even thought it could wipe them out ruthlessly.
Furthermore, Napoleon, the French Emperor, was acting like it was all right for local nobles to keep to themselves, including him.
Even though he was refusing the meeting in the end, they did not impose any military pressure or sanctions. He would probably continue like this for a while.
Lopez thought that this was due to the Emperor’s confidence. The confidence that the French could win the Peninsular War, the belief that they would be the only ones who would eventually be able to fight.
“…”
Lopez continued to ponder. That meant that he could decide which side to join after looking at the development of the war a little more.
And if he was worried about his own safety, he could wait even more. It meant that the Emperor was interested in Lopez and the other nobles. It would not be too late to decide whether to join him or not after his future victory became clearer.
But…
“I’ll have to meet him.”
“Y-Yes!?”
“Ugh, why are you so slow today? I’ll meet the man from the Iberian Standing Organization.”
“Y-Yes! All right, Governor.”
If he wanted a bigger profit, he needed to know how to take risks.
‘With Napoleon here, the French are unlikely to lose.’
This was the reason why Miguel de Sebastian Lopez made the decision to start moving now.
=
“I’m very happy to meet the Governor-General, whom I’ve been waiting for! I’m Paul Duguesseau, an advisor to the Iberian Standing Organization. I used to serve as an administrator of our Emperor’s Corps.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Miguel de Sebastian Lopez. And the title Governor-General is nothing more than a facade during the day, so just call me Vigilante Leader.”
Lopez was running a small vigilante group, rallying serfs and villagers, and hiring mercenaries separately to prevent his land from being swept away by the war.
That was why neither the Allies nor the French could plunder his lands. All the noble landowners with large farmland had been protecting their land during the war in this way.
The coalition and France were not trying to attract the members of the noble circle to their side for no reason.
“I’ll ask you straightforwardly. What can France give me if I join the Standing Organization and actively cooperate with French military operations?”
“Oh!… You must have finally made a decision! We’ve always waited for the moment when Vigilante Leader Lopez made up his mind!”
“That’s the only reason I’m here. Why else would I be?”
In the past, there used to be a unification of the Spanish people with aristocrats, priests, merchants, bourgeoisie, colonists, and even black slaves, to push back the French army. But now things had changed dramatically.
The entire Spanish population living in the territories occupied by France was now divided into two extremes, busy criticizing and accusing each other.
The resistance forces were being wiped out little by little, and divisions and conflicts broke out throughout each province and village, and factions split apart. These were the typical signs of a civil war on the brink of bursting.
Basque and Catalonia, which originally had strong anti-Castilian sentiment, openly supported France by helping to create the Iberian Standing Organization. The balance was gradually tilting in favor of France.
The situation across the Iberian Peninsula, which was beginning to solidify, was one of the main reasons behind Miguel de Sebastian Lopez’s decision.
As the Allies were at a disadvantage in the war, they went back to their strategy consisting of holding the Lines of Torres Vedras, like they always did before.
When they did this in the past, the French corps used to rush toward them, consuming their troops, which then gave a power advantage to the coalition who could advance again.
But this time the French did not do this. They stopped advancing and began to observe the situation, drawing the ‘Santiago-Almería Line’ that was cutting diagonally the Iberian Peninsula. This change occurred after Napoleon Bonaparte took the lead again in the Peninsular War.
Currently, the Allies and the French were both building and consolidating fortresses and trenches at the main points of the long front lines, like they were repeatedly saying to each other: ‘I have no intention of moving, so you come.’
What truly mattered now was the extent and location of the territory occupied by the armies on both sides. France occupied most of the peninsula, including the province of Zaragoza, where Lopez owned a large land. Lopez predicted that this system would not easily collapse.
“I am betting on the French victory in this war. So you’ll have to offer me a fair price, too.”
There was a satisfied smile on Duguesseau’s face.
“Then we’ll have a long conversation. One thing is for sure, you made the right decision, and our Standing Organization will do its best to listen to your wishes.”
It was a human instinct to side with the strongest, as always. Miguel de Sebastian Lopez joined the Iberian Standing Organization with his servants, vigilantes and farmers following him.
It was the moment when plaster began to be applied to the lines drawn by Napoleon, adding solidity.
===
The French forces across the peninsula, including Napoleon’s Corps, did not try further expansion. They simply supported the administration of the Iberian Standing Organization by defeating the resistance forces inside the occupied territories and supporting the pro-French locals.
They looked more like officials and guards who came to rule than soldiers who came for war.
France’s rule through the temporary Standing Organization was more stable and consistent than before 1812, when looting, massacres and tyranny were common.
It was from this time that the aristocrats and landlords of the circle, who owned a large land, began to move toward the French side little by little.
This was because the stabilization of the occupied area was faster than expected, and they saw the possibility of France’s victory in the Peninsular War. If France was ‘clear’, the Allies were ‘blurry’.
The advance to Burgos, which was supposed to wipe out the main French forces in the Iberian Peninsula, failed. As the operation was risky, the aftereffects of the failure were huge.
Wellesley’s Corps, which was the elite unit of the coalition forces, lost one-fourth of its power and exhausted its special strategic weapons, the Congreve rockets.
At this point, it could have ended with a report with explanations and a few reprimands from the countries’ leaders, but the problem was the numerous strongholds and cities on the Iberian Peninsula that had been recaptured.
The front on the peninsula retreated hundreds of miles back and the local strongholds lost to the French were so numerous that they could not dream of reckoning them hastily.
On the day that the Allied flag flying in Madrid was replaced by the tricolor flag of the French Empire, the Westminster Parliament and leading British newspapers united to criticize Wellesley’s unreasonable operation.
Daily Current: The trusted Marquis of Wellington also lost. Should we continue the war like this? The public opinion in London is skeptical… The kingdom should also be mindful of the war against the United States in the New World.
Weekly News: Lawrence Photogiver (a senior member of the Whig Party) said: “The Marquis of Wellington’s greed has overturned the situation in the Peninsular War. Prime Minister Jenkinson, who decided to delegate all powers to him, should reflect heavily on himself…
Oxford Gazette: Arthur Wellesley was also no match for Napoleon Bonaparte. The gap between the commander, who mostly stayed inside the kingdom, and the Emperor who conquered Europe was much bigger than expected. The kingdom’s army needs to wake up…
Gently Magazine: According to military experts, if they lose the next battle, the British troops would have difficulties defending Portugal’s territory! Some say we should negotiate right now…
London Post: 200,000 British men have already lost their lives abroad. More than 50,000 of them died in the army… How long should we continue this useless war?
News Letter: The war of words between First Lord of the Admiralty Robert Dundas and Chancellor of the Exchequer Nicholas Vansittart[2] at Whitehall! Should we go all-in with the Navy? Or empower the Army?
Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only
Commander-in-Chief Arthur Wellesley received a letter from Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson. Jenkinson wrote in detail the current situation of the ruling Tory party, pointing out the failure of Wellesley’s Corps in polite and courteous handwriting.
When Rowland Hill read the letter with Arthur Wellesley, he felt that it seemed to be saying the citizens’ support for our party is being shaken because of you. He could not help but feel his insides boiling.
[1] Ottoman–Habsburg wars
[2] Robert Dundas, Nicholas Vansittart
Around the time whenthe Spanishpeople got divided betweenthosewho chose their families' livelihoods, individual interestsorthosewho favoredtheirloyalty to their homeland andthe royal family, and their antipathy towardFrance.Similar processeshad begun to occur among the much higher class of theSpanish people.They set their courseofaction in aslightlydifferent way from the others. The province of Zaragoza wasoccupiedbythe French andundermilitaryrule.There was a landlord called MigueldeSebastian Lopez who owned thelargest land there.Lopez, who hadgained ahigh title andextensive landthanks to his ancestors' feats in the Habsburg Wars1in the past, wasobserving the current situation on theIberian Peninsulawith more sober eyesthan ever before.For those like him, patriotism andloyalty to thecountry andtothe royal family were of little importance. He just thoughtaboutsurviving thisturbulent timewhilekeeping hisfamily'swealth and honor.Thetorrent of fire has stoppedLopezwas lostinthought as he stroked his thick beard. Therewas now a lullinthe war on theIberian Peninsula.Lopez wasconvinced thatatthe end of this war, whereBritain andFrance werefightingfor supremacy in Western Europe, and in which Spain and Portugal gotinvolved, the fall of the Spanish Empire would take place, whoever won.Thatwas why Lopez wasable to abandon all hisloyalty to Spain andchoose practical interests.TheFrench armyhad beenfiercelypushed since the beginningofthe war, and the Alliedforces had been pushingupbytaking advantage of thepowervoid that happened while the Frenchwent to theeast during the Russian expedition. Nownoone wanted to go outand fight first.The Battle of theArlanzn River and theBattle of La Buena-San Felix, wherethe corps of Wellesley andNapoleonfacedeach other, were thelast battles in which morethan 10,000 people wereinvolved.Now, the armiesofboth sides were glaringateach other andfixing their uniforms, andinthe meantime, thesituation in the Iberian Peninsula wasgradually stabilizing. In lines that looked like theyhad beendrawnwith knives, the Frenchand the coalitionforces carriedmore shovels, hammers, andlogs than gunsand cannons.Today, aFrench messenger came hereagain. He saidthat he brought aletter fromthe headofthe Standing Organization LouisEmardChartres, whoproposestothe governor agracious and honorablejoining'. Should I justleavethe letter andsend theman backlike last week?Lopez, who hadpreviously servedasgovernorofthe Balearic Islands, continued to be calledgovernoreven after he stepped downfrom hispost.At the endofhis assistant's words, Lopez narrowed hiseyebrows. A provisionalorganization under the ridiculous nameofthe IberianStandingOrganization.Nobles in the position of Lopez could notignore whatNapoleon, the FrenchEmperor, was after withthis organization.TheFrench Emperorwas veryeagertoattract thelocalnobles fromall overSpain, including him.Lopez hada rough idea of the reason. Until lastyear, Lopezdid not join either side but kept watching the warprogress.As an experienced politician, he knew wellthe importanceofchoosingthe goodside duringa chaotic situation.He was notthe onlyone doing this. There werea lotofaristocratsand landownersinthe territories occupied by the Frenchwho wereobserving the situationbetween Franceand the coalition.The longer thedrought, the higher thepriceofwheat. There is no needtochoose aside now. No matter howbelligerentthe French Emperor is, he can't claim interest in theSpanish territorybypushing us out.'The Circle', composed of Spanish aristocrats and landlords, was more tightlyunited thanexpectedtoprotect their interests.This was thereason why theFrench armywas toleratingsuch a group of people, who werelike walking on atightrope, even thoughtitcouldwipe them out ruthlessly.Furthermore, Napoleon, theFrench Emperor, was actinglike it wasall right for local noblestokeep to themselves, includinghim.Even thoughhewas refusing the meeting in the end, theydid not imposeany military pressure or sanctions. Hewouldprobablycontinuelike this for a while.Lopezthought that thiswas due to theEmperor's confidence. The confidence thatthe French could winthe PeninsularWar, thebelief thatthey would be theonly ones who would eventually be abletofight.Lopezcontinued to ponder. That meant that he could decide which side to joinafterlooking at thedevelopmentofthe war a little more.And if he was worried about his ownsafety, he could wait evenmore. Itmeantthat theEmperor wasinterested in Lopez andthe other nobles. Itwouldnot be too late to decide whether to joinhim or not after hisfuture victorybecame clearer.ButI'll havetomeet him.Y-Yes!?Ugh, why are yousoslow today? I'll meet the manfrom theIberian Standing Organization.Y-Yes! Allright, Governor.If he wanted a bigger profit, he needed to know how to take risks.WithNapoleonhere, the French areunlikelytolose.'This was thereason why MigueldeSebastian Lopez madethe decision to start moving now.=I'mvery happy to meet the Governor-General, whom I'vebeen waiting for! I'm PaulDuguesseau, anadvisor to theIberian Standing Organization. I used to serve as an administrator of our Emperor'sCorps.Nicetomeet you, I'm MigueldeSebastian Lopez. Andthe title Governor-Generalisnothing more thana facadeduring the day, so justcall me VigilanteLeader.Lopez was running asmallvigilante group, rallying serfs andvillagers, andhiring mercenaries separatelytoprevent hisland from being swept awaybythe war.Thatwas why neither the Alliesnor the Frenchcouldplunder hislands. All thenoblelandowners with large farmland had been protectingtheirland duringthe war in this way.The coalitionand France were not tryingtoattract themembers of thenoblecircle to their sidefor no reason.I'll ask youstraightforwardly. Whatcan France give me if I join theStandingOrganization and actively cooperatewith Frenchmilitaryoperations?Oh! You must havefinally made adecision! We've always waitedfor the momentwhen VigilanteLeader Lopez madeuphis mind!That's theonly reasonI'm here. Why else would I be?Inthe past, there usedtobea unification of theSpanish peoplewith aristocrats, priests, merchants, bourgeoisie, colonists, andeven black slaves, to pushback theFrench army. But nowthings had changed dramatically.The entireSpanish population living in theterritoriesoccupiedbyFrance was nowdivided into two extremes, busy criticizing andaccusingeach other.The resistance forces were being wiped out littlebylittle, anddivisions and conflictsbrokeout throughouteach province andvillage, and factions split apart. These were the typical signs of acivilwar on the brink of bursting.Basque andCatalonia, which originally had stronganti-Castiliansentiment, openlysupported France by helping to create theIberian Standing Organization. The balance was graduallytilting in favor of France.Thesituation across theIberian Peninsula, which was beginningtosolidify, was oneofthe mainreasons behindMiguel de Sebastian Lopez's decision.Asthe Allies were at adisadvantage in the war, theywent back to their strategy consistingofholding theLinesofTorres Vedras, like they always didbefore.When they did this in the past, theFrench corps usedtorush towardthem, consuming their troops, whichthen gave apoweradvantage to the coalitionwho could advanceagain.Butthis time the Frenchdid not do this. They stoppedadvancing and began to observe the situation, drawingthe Santiago-Almera Line' that was cutting diagonallythe IberianPeninsula. This change occurred after Napoleon Bonapartetook thelead again in thePeninsular War.Currently, the Alliesand the Frenchwere both building and consolidating fortressesand trenches at the main points of thelong front lines, like they wererepeatedly sayingtoeach other: I have no intentionofmoving, so youcome.'What truly mattered now wasthe extent andlocationofthe territory occupied by thearmies on bothsides. France occupied most of the peninsula, including theprovinceofZaragoza, where Lopez owned alargeland. Lopezpredicted thatthis systemwouldnot easily collapse.I am bettingonthe French victory in thiswar. So you'llhave to offer me a fairprice, too.There wasa satisfiedsmileonDuguesseau's face.Then we'll have along conversation. One thing is forsure, you madethe right decision, andour Standing Organization will do its best to listen to your wishes.It wasa human instinct to side withthe strongest, asalways. MigueldeSebastian Lopez joined theIberian Standing Organizationwith hisservants, vigilantesand farmersfollowing him.It was themoment whenplaster began to be applied to the lines drawn by Napoleon, adding solidity.===The Frenchforces across thepeninsula, includingNapoleon's Corps, did not tryfurther expansion. Theysimply supported theadministrationofthe IberianStandingOrganization by defeating theresistance forcesinside the occupied territories andsupporting thepro-French locals.They looked more likeofficials and guardswho cametorule than soldiers who came for war.France's rule throughthe temporary Standing Organizationwas morestable and consistent thanbefore 1812, whenlooting, massacres and tyranny werecommon.Itwas fromthis time thatthe aristocrats and landlordsofthe circle, who owned alargeland, begantomove towardthe French side little by little.This was because the stabilization of the occupied area was fasterthan expected, and theysaw the possibility of France's victory in the Peninsular War. IfFrance was clear', theAllies wereblurry'.Theadvance to Burgos, which was supposed to wipe out themain Frenchforces in the Iberian Peninsula, failed. As theoperation was risky, the aftereffects of thefailure were huge.Wellesley's Corps, whichwas the elite unit of the coalitionforces, lost one-fourthofits power and exhaustedits specialstrategic weapons, the Congreve rockets.Atthis point, itcouldhave ended with areport withexplanations and a few reprimands fromthe countries' leaders, but the problem was thenumerousstrongholdsand cities on theIberian Peninsulathat hadbeen recaptured.The front on the peninsularetreated hundreds of miles backand the local strongholds lost to the Frenchwere so numerous that theycouldnot dream of reckoning them hastily.On theday thatthe Allied flag flying in Madridwas replaced by the tricolor flag of the FrenchEmpire, theWestminsterParliament andleading British newspapersunited to criticize Wellesley's unreasonableoperation.DailyCurrent: The trustedMarquis of Wellington alsolost. Should we continue the warlike this? Thepublic opinioninLondon is skeptical Thekingdom shouldalso be mindful of the waragainst theUnited States in theNew World.Weekly News: Lawrence Photogiverasenior member of theWhig Party said: The Marquis of Wellington's greed hasoverturned thesituation in the Peninsular War. PrimeMinisterJenkinson, whodecided to delegate allpowers to him, should reflectheavily on himselfOxfordGazette: Arthur Wellesley wasalso no match forNapoleonBonaparte. Thegap betweenthe commander, who mostly stayedinside the kingdom, andthe Emperorwho conquered Europewas muchbigger thanexpected. The kingdom'sarmy needs to wake upGentlyMagazine: According to military experts, if they losethe nextbattle, theBritish troopswouldhave difficultiesdefending Portugal'sterritory! Some say we shouldnegotiate right nowLondon Post: 200,000 British menhave already losttheirlivesabroad. More than50,000 of themdied in thearmy Howlong shouldwecontinuethis useless war?NewsLetter: Thewar of words betweenFirstLord of theAdmiralty Robert Dundasand Chancellorofthe Exchequer Nicholas Vansittart2at Whitehall! Should we go all-in with the Navy? Or empower the Army?Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site OnlyCommander-in-Chief ArthurWellesley received aletter fromPrimeMinisterRobert Jenkinson. Jenkinson wrote in detail thecurrent situationofthe ruling Tory party, pointing outthe failureofWellesley'sCorpsinpolite and courteoushandwriting.When RowlandHill read the letterwith ArthurWellesley, he felt thatitseemed to be sayingthecitizens' supportfor our party is being shakenbecause of you. He could nothelp butfeel hisinsides boiling.1OttomanHabsburgwars2RobertDundas,NicholasVansittart