After crushing Nelson's British fleet and successfully landing the French troops in Ireland, I decided to return to the Mediterranean before the winter storms worsened. The winter storms in the North Atlantic are severe, but they should have been particularly bad this year. That's why the landing in Ireland wouldn't have been successful if it weren't for that.
"My mission is to land troops and support Ireland, not to occupy it. We're heading back."
"Yes, sir!"
The virtual destruction of the British Mediterranean Fleet led by Nelson should be an immeasurable loss for Britain.
Britain has excellent industrial production capacity, so they will likely improve and deploy the cannons and such we used on the battlefield in a few years. However, Britain has several weaknesses: A small population, low food production capacity, and limited forest resources. Because of these factors, Britain has a low production capacity for wooden ships. Originally, the shift from charcoal to coke-based iron production was also a makeshift measure due to a shortage of wood.
Replacing sunk or captured ships would be quite difficult for Britain, which lost the colony of Ireland. Furthermore, the loss of control over the Mediterranean means the loss of routes and communication lines via Egypt towards India. The time difference between carriage transport through Egypt's Suez Isthmus and the route via the Cape of Good Hope is quite significant, so this would also be painful for Britain. And with Nelson's Mediterranean Fleet being annihilated, Britain has lost about a fifth of its main naval force, the ships of the line.
Of course, the Home Fleet, the North Sea Fleet, the Atlantic Fleet, and the Indian Ocean Fleet are intact. With a small population, replenishing sailors would be difficult, and losing such a capable commander as Nelson is irreparable.
"While it's far from neutralizing the Royal Navy, there's no doubt this dealt a heavy blow."
Of course, there's the possibility that the enemy's morale will rise for revenge, so we can't afford to be complacent. It feels like Samuel Hood or Alexander Hood might return as commanders of the Mediterranean Fleet, so we shouldn't let our guard down.
The fleet that returned to Toulon was docked for repairs and resupply, the soldiers were allowed to land for rest, those with families went to see them, and those without families or lovers headed to brothels. Of course, I was welcomed as a national hero, then headed to my beloved wife waiting in the official residence.
"Hey, Désirée, I'm back."
I hugged her tightly.
"Yes, I'm glad you're safe. And congratulations on the promotion?"
I nodded at Désirée's words.
"Yeah, this time I'll become an Admiral."
Désirée seemed pleased.
"That means the salary and pension will increase. Father will be in a good mood too."
Well, even for a wealthy merchant, being able to boast a spouse's rank as high as an admiral would bring some pride.
"Yeah, I have to work hard for you too."
Désirée giggled, "Hehe, it feels like a dream to have the French hero all to myself."
And in the evening, I tasted her homemade cooking after a long time.
"Yeah, your homemade meals are still the best. The food on the ship is nothing but preserved food and tasteless," I praised, and she smiled happily.
"Oh my, I'm so glad."
And that night, we spent intimate time together. It would be nice if we had children.
Along with the promotion at the end of the year came the orders to occupy the islands of the Mediterranean and ultimately force the Kingdom of Naples to surrender.
The year changed, and it was now 1797, a new year had begun.
The main islands we targeted this time were Corsica, Malta, Sardinia, Sicily, and others. This was crucial for securing control over the Mediterranean.
"Well then, let's go reclaim Corsica for France. I'll be back."
Désirée saw me off with a hint of reluctance.
"Yes, take care."
So, I set out and first swiftly occupied Corsica, my birthplace, which had been under indirect British rule after Pasquale Paoli's departure. I easily seized the remaining cannons and muskets left by the British garrison, loaded some onto ships, and deployed the rest to the island's defense forces.
Then I reformed Corsica's politics.
I declared a declaration of human rights equal to that of mainland France, abolished all privileges such as feudal lordships and slavery, established civil and family laws, created local governments to delineate administrative divisions, established fiscal policies, and ensured fair taxation.
"Of course, military orders based on rank are absolute."
"Well, otherwise, it wouldn't work."
I also appointed judges to conduct fair trials. Furthermore, I established new schools such as elementary schools and secondary schools to provide education for all islanders and established public education.
"What citizens demand are fair tax systems, fair trials, fair educational systems, and food security through sufficient employment. They don't seek freedom."
In six days, I implemented these systems and headed to Malta with about 5.000 defense forces remaining. At this time, Malta was held by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, also known as the Knights of Malta. The Order owned donated lands throughout Europe, generating enormous revenue, but they lost donated lands within France due to the French Revolution. Therefore, considering themselves guardians of Christianity, the Knights of Malta maintained a hostile stance towards the French Revolutionary Government.
The revolutionary government instructed me to ensure the conquest of Malta because the Order had absorbed emigrant nobles from France and had provided military support to royalist armies, the Spanish army, and the British army.
"Then let us capture Malta."
The fortresses of Malta were strong, but the defending forces were not necessarily strong. They had about four ships and a dwindling number of knights, divided into eight linguistic groups, with little coordination. Although they had around 900 knights, 2,000 retainers, and 10.000 militiamen, the approximately 200 knights from France were rumored to offer only nominal resistance due to pre-emptive diplomacy by the revolutionary government, and the militiamen were a motley crew with different languages.
We started the landing operation on Malta, bombarding with rifle cannons, and when we landed, the defending forces scattered and fled. During this time, there were incidents of French-speaking knights being massacred by sailors, but all the knights surrendered within a day. Here again, we acquired cannons, muskets, a large amount of gunpowder and cannonballs, and treasures hoarded by the Order, such as seven million francs and five hundred francs worth of gold bars.
We left some as military funds and sent the rest to the revolutionary government, while the surrendered Knights of Malta were exiled to Rhodes. Then, I stayed in Malta for six days and carried out political reforms similar to those in Corsica.
"Now, shall we go to Sardinia next?"
"Yes, sir."
After doing what needed to be done in Corsica and Malta, we decided to head to Sardinia.
YOU ARE READING
Glory to the French Navy: Admiral Napoleon, Conqueror of the World
Historical Fiction「If Napoleon were an admiral, would France have dominated the world?」 A man who was originally a French naval engineer has been reincarnated as the Corsican-born French hero Napoleon. This is the story of France, who took a different historical path...
