Chapter 9 Volume 1 Chapter 6-1

Conquest of the Iberian Peninsula War The signing of the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807 elevated Napoleon to the status of dictator on the European continent.Now, at the peak of his power, Napoleon was more and more obviously interested in personal despotism and aristocracy. On August 19, 1807, he abolished the Tribunal on the charge that there was in it a democratic spirit which disturbed the restlessness of France.Napoleon had the right to appoint no more than 80 new senators, and the Senate was completely in his hands.The Legislative Yuan is almost completely out of session.He also dismissed Talleyrand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, ostensibly accusing Talleyrand of embezzlement and bribery, but in fact he could not forgive him for expressing dissent to himself.Talleyrand had presumptuously proposed clemency to Austria in October 1805; after Friedland he congratulated Napoleon on his victory by saying that he was convinced it would be the last.Napoleon could not tolerate such an independent subordinate, so the foreign minister was replaced by the submissive Company.Of course, Napoleon had to consult his former foreign minister on many important issues.

At the same time, Napoleon also stipulated the aristocracy of the empire.It is his civil and military officials at all levels who enjoy the rights of nobility.Napoleon generously bestowed palaces, large annuities, and rewards on his marshals and high officials, and primogeniture was restored. These new dignitaries gradually corrupted and degenerated, pursuing a luxurious and flashy court life without end. Indulging in great success, Napoleon ignored everything. He believed that he was invulnerable in strategy and strategy. He was the greatest soldier in Europe, and his army was invincible. Diplomats are not qualified to match his wits.He feels that the world is like a piano keyboard on which he can play rhapsody as he pleases.Although he has become the dictator of the European continent, this is far from satisfying his arrogant ambition, he wants to become the master of the whole of Europe.The only enemy left now is Great Britain.

Since the French fleet was wiped out in the Battle of Trafalgar, Napoleon's only hope of subduing Britain was to rely on the continental blockade to suffocate Britain economically.However, there is one place that worries him, and that is the Iberian Peninsula.The Iberian Peninsula has a long coastline, and the British fleet completely controlled the Bay of Biscay and the entire Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.Moreover, although Spain on the island is an ally of France, it seems to be at odds with each other, especially after the Trafalgar naval battle.Except for a few pro-French factions, most of the Portuguese on the island are on the side of Britain.Therefore, before occupying the Iberian Peninsula, it is simply impossible for the countries on the island to strictly implement this mainland blockade policy that has seriously damaged their own economies.Although they accepted Napoleon's "Continental Blockade" without any objection, they secretly adopted a tacit and tolerant attitude towards smuggling, and sometimes even blatantly disobeyed Napoleon's edict.Three weeks after the signing of the Treaty of Tilsit, Napoleon was determined to conquer the Iberian Peninsula in order to completely block Britain.As a first step in conquest, he ordered the Minister of Military and Political Affairs of Prussia to form an army of 20,000 men and 40 field guns at Bayonne on the Spanish border.

In the autumn of 1807, the Parisian court indulged in a life of luxury.The Tuileries Palace, Fontainebleau Palace, and Malmaison Castle are all decorated like fairyland in fairy tales.People spend money like water, and compete with each other every day at balls and banquets.Couples of men and women in gorgeous clothes and full of jewels are dancing freely and freely amidst the feasting and feasting.But in the quiet depths of the inner palace, where the sound of joy cannot reach, their sovereign often stood at the table, bending over the map of the Iberian Peninsula.Another conquest plan formed in his mind.

At this time, Napoleon knew very well that extending the war to the Iberian Peninsula violated the taboo of military strategists-fighting on two fronts, because there were signs that Austria was dreaming of revenge for its defeat two years ago.In order to avoid this danger, on August 12, 1807, Napoleon ordered the new foreign minister Compigny to write a carefully worded letter to the Austrian ambassador in Paris, Metternich, warning against Austrian preparations for war.He believed that he was powerful enough to hold down Austria.Napoleon's self-confidence made him make the first major political strategic mistake in his career.

Differences of opinion began to emerge at Napoleon's court.People who are enjoying peace and happiness are no longer willing to fight. The imperial prime minister, Cambacérez, mustered up his courage and opposed Napoleon's decision with the most respectful words.Many of Napoleon's comrades-in-arms were equally reluctant to abandon the luxurious aristocratic life. They not only opposed further wars, but also worried that Napoleon had such a huge territory, because no similar world kingdom was long-lived.They believed that the fighting should cease after the battle of Austerlitz, when France was as powerful as ever.However, Napoleon, who was at the pinnacle of honor, could no longer listen to these opinions, and still went his own way.Napoleon decided to settle Portugal before conquering Spain.In order to make the conquest plan go smoothly, Napoleon did not hesitate to resort to political fraud.Napoleon begins negotiations with Spanish Prime Minister Godoy.Godoy was not only the favorite of the king of Spain, but also the lover of the queen. He became the actual ruler of Spain from 1792 to 1802.As a result of the negotiations, the French army gained the right to pass through Spanish territory, on the condition that they carve up Portugal with Spain, part of which was used as a personal reward for Godoy. On September 8, Napoleon wrote to his ally, the King of Spain, saying: "We must remove Portugal from the British sphere of influence and force the country to seek peace." On the same day, he wrote to the Regent of Portugal, warning him to understand Consequences of alliance with Great Britain.

At this time, the British fleet bombarded Copenhagen because of news that Denmark would participate in the continental blockade.Napoleon was furious after hearing the news, and he decided to take immediate action. In October, he ordered General Juno to advance to Portugal with 27,000 men. On October 12, he wrote to the King of Spain, saying: "In the past 16 years, Portugal's behavior has been a shameless British vassal, and the port of Lisbon has become an inexhaustible treasure trove for them.  … ...the blockade of the two ports of Lisbon and Aporto is timely. I expect General Juno's army to reach Burgos on November 1st to join His Majesty's forces, and then we will be able to occupy Lisbon and the whole of Portugal by force .In the future, I will meet with His Majesty to discuss the country's disposal, but no matter what, the suzerainty must belong to you."

On October 22, Napoleon officially declared war on Portugal. On the 27th, he signed a peace treaty with the King of Spain to carve up Portugal's territory and colonies.In fact, this is just a lie. Spain has already been sentenced to death in Napoleon's mind. Juno's army passed through Spanish territory and approached Portugal. The regent of Portugal was dismayed and hastened to ask the protection of England.To Portugal Napoleon was terrible, but the British were even more terrible, and the British could easily destroy Lisbon from the sea, just as they destroyed Copenhagen.After more than six weeks of long-distance marching, the French army entered Lisbon on November 29, and the Portuguese royal family fled the capital two days ago on a British warship.

Napoleon easily captured Portugal, and it was Spain's next turn.Napoleon did not hesitate to tear up the peace treaty signed with the king of Spain. He wanted to incorporate Spain into his empire and make one of his own family king. At this time, the chaos in Spain just gave Napoleon an opportunity . King Charles IV of Spain is a weak-willed and foolish king, completely under the control of his queen and her favorite Godoy.Relying on the unlimited power given to him by the king and queen, Godoy did evil in the country and did all kinds of evil.For a while, the Spanish economy was in recession, the political situation was turbulent, and the people rose against Godoy one after another.With the support of the people, Ferdinand, the heir to the throne, openly became an enemy of Godoy.However, Ferdinand was too weak to overthrow Godoy's rule, so the counselors gave him an idea to ask him to propose marriage to one of Napoleon's relatives.They thought that by marrying the powerful French emperor, they could not only get huge support for reforms, overthrow Godoy's rule, but also maintain the independence of the country, and have no fear on all issues of foreign policy.Ferdinand formally proposed to Napoleon's niece, but Napoleon refused.At the same time, Charles IV also wrote to Napoleon for help. He believed that the prince's attempt to oppose Godoy was to depose himself.Both father and son wanted Napoleon to support themselves against each other.However, what Napoleon wanted at this time was to get rid of both father and son, and put his brother on the Spanish throne.

During the first week of November Napoleon ordered a new army of 30,000 men to be raised at Bayonne, under the command of General Dupont.This force entered Spain under the pretense of supporting Juno's forces.Then, Marshal Moncey's Second Army also entered Spain. In February 1808, a corps commanded by Diermes entered Spain and occupied Catalonia.Soon, Marshal Murat commanded all the French troops in Spain as the Emperor's lieutenant-marshal. On March 9, Napoleon ordered Foreign Minister Compigny to inform the Spanish government that 50,000 French troops would enter Madrid with the sole purpose of besieging Gibraltar under the guise of Cadiz. On March 24, Murat led the two armies of Moncey and Dupont into Madrid, and Napoleon personally directed the military operation in Bayonne.At this time, Napoleon's army in Spain had reached 110,000.

Charles IV, the queen, and Godoy had already been frightened by Napoleon's menacing troops, and they decided to flee the capital.But in Alan Ruiz, they were stopped by angry people, and Godoy was beaten and put in prison.In order to save his life, the king was forced to announce his abdication to Ferdinand. Six days later, Murat led his army into the Spanish capital. At this time, Charles IV regretted abdicating Ferdinand again, and he announced that his abdication was against his will.Therefore, Napoleon invited all the Spanish Bourbon families to Bayonna in the name of mediating the conflict between father and son. On April 30, 1808, Charles IV, the queen, Ferdinand, Godoy, and all the princes of the royal family arrived in Bayonne.As soon as the father and son met, they quarreled fiercely and even fought.Just as all members of the Bourbon family were preparing to wait for Napoleon's ruling, Napoleon suddenly announced that both Charles IV and Ferdinand must abdicate the throne.Before everyone could recover, he announced that for their personal happiness and peace, he had decided not to let them go back to Spain.As a result, the King and Queen of Spain were sent to Fontainebleau, and Ferdinand and other princes were sent to the castle of the Duke of Valenstallérand. On May 10, Napoleon appointed his brother Joseph as King of Spain, and Murat succeeded Joseph as King of Naples. Napoleon is very proud now.The Spanish Bourbons were so naive that they threw themselves into the trap, that he got the Iberian peninsula without firing a shot.Everything went so well.Just as Napoleon was complacent about his victory, a surging people's armed struggle against the French invaders was set off rapidly. On May 2, the people of Madrid staged an uprising.Although the uprising was suppressed, the fire of the uprising has spread all over the country.People were killing French soldiers everywhere, and anyone who was suspected of being an accomplice of Napoleon and Godoy was killed.In Cadiz, Seville, Catarina, and especially in Valencia, the streets were red with blood. Napoleon did not take popular uprisings seriously, because before him there were Asturian peasants armed with machetes; ; is a Catalonian handicraft worker with an iron rod and a long sword.Napoleon contemptuously called them "rogues".He is the master of Europe, he has defeated the armies of Russia, Austria and Prussia with artillery, cavalry, emperors and marshals, and with a word from him, the frontiers of all kingdoms can be shaken on the map , Is he still afraid of these "hooligans"?At this time, Napoleon never imagined that it was these "rogues" who were the first to dig the grave of his great empire. Napoleon still acted as if nothing had happened. He believed that the 100,000 troops stationed in Spain would quickly extinguish the flames of resistance everywhere.When calm was restored in Madrid, he ordered the Assembly of Castile summoned and ordered it to elect a new monarch.It goes without saying that the new monarch elected was none other than Joseph Bonaparte.Ninety-three Spanish dignitaries then met Napoleon in Bayonna and swore allegiance to him and a new constitution. Although the anti-French struggle of the Spanish people was brutally suppressed by the French army, as long as they survived, they would fight the French army to the end.The French army received crazy reprisals from the Spaniards almost every day.Once, the French army entered a village in search of food and found some food in a young woman's home. The hungry soldiers wanted to swallow the food immediately, but they were afraid that the food would be poisoned.So the French commander ordered the young woman to eat some first, and she ate without hesitation.The French army was still worried, and ordered her to feed the food to her children, which she did immediately.The soldiers began to gobble up the food.Before long, the young woman, the child, and the soldiers eating all died in agony. The strong patriotism of Spain was encouraged by the British generals on the coast, who openly supported the deeds of the Spanish masses without waiting for instructions from their own country. On July 4, the King of England addressed the Parliament on this matter and said: "The Spanish nation has fought so sublimely against the usurpation and tyranny of France that it can no longer be regarded as an enemy of Great Britain. I recognize it as a natural friend and ally." As a result, the Spanish prisoners of war were released, and they were given clothes and equipment to send them home.Britain also officially signed an offensive and defensive alliance treaty with the two kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, and weapons and money were continuously shipped to Spain and Portugal. Facing the Spanish resistance in full swing, the French army was in trouble.The Diemes army was besieged by the Catalonian mountain people and could not fight in Barcelona; the Montse army was beaten back by the residents of Valencia; A Spanish army led by General Nios attacked fiercely. After several fierce battles, the French army suffered heavy casualties, and Du Pont had to lead his army to surrender.The richest part of Spain was liberated from the French, and Castagnos's light troops advanced with overwhelming force.In less than 10 days, the new king Joseph couldn't sit still in Madrid. He packed up his bags and fled north to Victoria. The myth of the invincibility of the French army was broken, and Napoleon was furious. He wanted Du Pont to be tried by a court-martial.In his opinion, the most immoral of all immoral things is to do something that is not competent. If an incompetent general takes up the military command, then this immoral behavior has become a heinous crime.DuPont must be punished. On August 8, 1808, Sir Arthur Wellesley led a British force of 10,000 people to land successfully in Montego Bay.Then, march immediately to Lisbon. On the 17th, he encountered the French army near Lorissa.After a bayonet fight, the French were forced to retreat.Soon, Juno led 44,000 troops to attack the British army, and the two sides launched a bloody battle.As a result, Juno lost 13 guns and more than 2,000 men and was forced to retreat to Lisbon.Just as Arthur Wellesley was about to take advantage of the victory to pursue the French army, the British government suddenly sent Sir Hugh Dalrympus to replace him as commander.Hugh Dalrympus did not pursue the French.A few days later, Juno sent Clermain to ask for a truce, offering to bring his men and their sidearms to any French port between Rochefort and Lorient, and to allow them to take their personal belongings. The French army is willing to hand over ammunition, food fodder and warships.Although Sir John Moore led another 10,000 British troops to the coast for reinforcements, Hugh Dalrympus agreed to Juno's request. On August 30, the two sides signed an agreement that all French troops would withdraw from Portugal in the prescribed manner.In this way, Portugal was liberated from the rule of the French army, and the British army gained a permanent foothold in the Iberian Peninsula. At this time, Napoleon continued to receive reports about Austria's secret rearmament, coupled with the military defeat of the French army on the Iberian Peninsula, he began to realize the danger of his situation.In order not to put the French army in the dilemma of fighting on two fronts, Napoleon felt that it was necessary to make use of his new ally, the Russian Emperor Alexander.He invited the Russian emperor to come to Erfurt for a meeting. The meeting between the emperors of the two countries caused great repercussions in Germany, and the princes and princes went to Erfurt to participate in the grand meeting, and their cars were blocked. On September 27, Napoleon arrived at the meeting place, but Alexander had not yet arrived, and Napoleon immediately went to greet him in person.When the two met, they embraced warmly and kissed in public.In the following two weeks, this action was repeated continuously.The two go to military parades, attend banquets and dances, hunt, and ride horses together every day, expressing the most sincere "friendship" and the deepest "trust" to each other .The actors of the Paris Comédie staged plays of Corneille, Racine, and Voltaire for the emperors and princes of both countries.When Voltaire's "Oedipus" read a line: "It is a blessing from God to make friends with great people", Alexander held Napoleon's hand and said: "I feel this deeply every day here. A little." Napoleon courted Alexander in the same language.The emperors of the two countries are trying their best to show their intimacy, and their purpose is to show it to a third party.For Napoleon the audience was Austria, for Alexander the audience was Turkey, and their kisses and embraces would lose their pleasantness if Austria and Turkey did not see them. However, the monarchs of the two countries are very clear in their hearts: they need each other, but they cannot trust each other.In particular, Alexander has clearly seen that Napoleon only tempted him with the promise of giving him the "East" and that he wanted the "West". Napoleon would not let him occupy Constantinople at all, and even Napoleon would rather let Moldavia and Wallachia remained in the hands of Turkish servants.Therefore, when Napoleon proposed that Alexander actively oppose Austria before Austria began military operations, Alexander did not want to fulfill this obligation.At this time, the former French foreign minister Talleyrand betrayed Napoleon in Erfurt.He secretly colluded with Alexander and advised Alexander to resist Napoleon's hegemony. He reminded Alexander that Russia supported Napoleon against Austria and helped him expand his power, which was of no benefit.Russia should contain Napoleon, which is good for France and good for Europe.He said: "The monarch of Russia is civilized, but the people of Russia are uncivilized. The monarch of France is uncivilized, but the people of France are civilized. The monarch of Russia must form an alliance with the people of France." He repeatedly said to Alexander : "You should save France." Under Talleyrand's instigation and persuasion, Alexander finally did not sign the terms of the war against Austria requested by Napoleon. On October 14, the Erfurt meeting ended.Napoleon did not achieve the expected success and returned home unhappy. The alliance was still formally valid now, but it could no longer be counted on, and Napoleon believed that Austria and the other vassals had seen the fragility of this alliance behind their ardent embraces and kisses.He must solve the Spanish problem as soon as possible and send the imperial army to the Elbe front in the spring of the following year. Napoleon decided to cross the Pyrenees with an army capable of sweeping the entire Iberian Peninsula himself.Circumstances compelled him to break the haughty silence which had hitherto been forbidden by Napoleon to reveal in the French press what had happened in Spain.He announced that the Spanish peasants had rebelled against his kingdom, that one legion had been destroyed by mutiny, and that the other had been tricked out of Portugal by the British, and that he must call up two more recruits, each of 80,000 men.He wanted to send 200,000 battle-tested veterans from Germany and Italy to reinforce Spain, and to replenish the German and Italian barracks with new recruits. On October 26, Napoleon left Paris. Arrived in Bayonne on November 3. Arrived in Victoria on the 8th.Here he received a detailed report on the positions of the French and Spanish armies, and he at once drew up plans for the continuation of the campaign.Within hours, the entire war machine was running again. At this time, the condition of the Spanish troops provided a good opportunity for Napoleon's counterattack.Spain's various regular and irregular troops amounted to 115,000, but they were poorly equipped and poorly disciplined.Their force was divided into five or six separate units without any centralized command or staff.Local commanders are jealous of each other and have difficulty cooperating.Napoleon believed that with his well-trained army, he would be able to defeat the Spanish "rogue" troops.Napoleon's first step was to recapture Madrid and secure common lines of communication to France via Vitoria and St. Sebastian.He ordered the three armies of Victor, Soult, and Lefebvre to sweep westward and drive out all the Spaniards.Sure enough, the three armies lived up to Napoleon's high expectations, and swept across the way like autumn leaves, and the Spanish army retreated one after another. On December 4, the French finally captured Madrid. At the same time, Sir John Moore entered Spain with 30,000 British troops. On December 10, Sir Moore decided to attack the Soult army guarding Burgos northward to cut off the French line of communication.At that time, there were only 18,000 people in Sirte, which was at a disadvantage in numbers. On December 21, the flag soldiers of the two countries met, and the French flag soldiers were defeated.Just as Moore was about to take advantage of the victory, news came that Napoleon had gone north. Moore was afraid that the French army would cut off the line of communication between him and Portugal, so he immediately ordered the army to retreat westward.It turned out that after the French army became the master of Madrid again, Napoleon decided to take advantage of the victory and enter the Tagus Valley to drive the British out of Portugal.At this moment, the British army had entered Spain, and Napoleon immediately changed his plan and marched northwest, preparing to drive the British into the sea.He left King Joseph and the 1st and 4th armies stationed in the Tagus Valley, and on December 22, with Ney as the vanguard, he led an army of 42,000 men to support Soult.Ney's corps was ordered to march towards Salamanca and Astorga, cross the snowy Guadarrama Mountains, and flank the Mur.Under the attack of the French army, the British army accelerated its retreat. On January 3, 1809, Napoleon handed over the command at Astorga to Soults, and he hurried back to Paris, because there was definite news that the Austrian attack would be launched in the spring.Without Napoleon's personal command, the results would have been much inferior.In the process of chasing the British army, Soult seriously injured Moore, but failed to prevent the main force from boarding the ship and retreating.Moreover, British troops soon reappeared in Portugal. At this time, the Lana army was besieging the city of Zaragoza.The city has held out for months. On January 27, 1809, Lana occupied the outlying fortifications of the city and entered the city.But in the city, Lana was again met with unprecedented heroic resistance.Every house became a fortress, every hut, stable, cellar, attic had to be captured by fighting.This fierce battle lasted for three weeks in this city that had been occupied by the French army. French soldiers massacred everyone, including women and children, indiscriminately.However, as long as the French soldiers are a little negligent, women and children will kill them.The French army slaughtered 20,000 guards and more than 30,000 city residents.Marshal Lannes was a brave cavalryman who had participated in all the fierce battles commanded by Napoleon. He hardly had the word "fear" in his mind. However, he was shocked by the terrible scene before him. Countless men, The bodies of women and children lay side by side on the bloody streets, and the whole city was dead silent.Lana said with emotion to the people around him: "What a war! We are forced to kill such brave people. Even if they are crazy people, this victory can only make people feel sad." !" The Spanish war was far from over, and the anti-French flames were still raging in the spring of 1809.The brave and fearless Spanish people held back Napoleon's 300,000 elite troops, and Napoleon had to bear the heavy burden caused by his own ambition. After Austria's fourth war against Austria in 1805 after the defeat at Austerlitz, it never forgot to avenge its shame.The Vienna court appointed Archduke Charles as the Minister of War and carried out comprehensive military reforms.After a period of time, Austria has formed a standing army of 40,000, a reserve army of 240,000, and a new army of 340,000.Seeing that Napoleon was busy with the Spanish war, Austria, whose military power had gradually recovered, was ready to move.However, although the cowardly Emperor Francis was strongly encouraged by the war faction, he still did not dare to take the first step to start the war.Finally, at the public request of Britain and the hints of Russia, the Austrian emperor resolutely declared war.However, war was first declared not on France, but on its ally, the Rhineland League. On April 9, 1809, Archduke Charles, Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian Army, sent a note to the Commander-in-Chief of the Bavarian French Army as follows: "In accordance with the declaration issued by His Majesty the Emperor of Austria to Emperor Napoleon, I hereby inform the commander-in-chief of the French army: I have been ordered to lead the troops forward, and anyone who is hostile to me will be treated as an enemy." A courier rushed a copy of the note to Strasbourg, and from there to Paris by express message. On April 11, Napoleon received the news at Santa Cruz.Napoleon was surprised by this news, but not alarmed.Two hours later, he was on his way to Germany.The urgency of the war once again stimulated his mobility, and on the 15th he led his army across the Rhine. On the 17th he set up his headquarters at Donauwörth, and addressed the soldiers there in a short and forceful proclamation: "Soldiers! The territory of the Confederation of the Rhine has been violated, and the Austrian general wants us to flee at the sight of their troops and lose our allies to them, but I have arrived like lightning. "Soldiers! I was surrounded by you when the prince of Austria last came to his camp in Moravia, and you all heard him beg me for clemency and swear to me that Eternal friendship. As victors in three wars, we have shown clemency to Austria, but she has broken her oath three times! Our past achievements are a sure guarantee of the victory we now expect. "Therefore let us go forward with courage, and let the enemy recognize us as their victors as soon as they see us!" Napoleon had never experienced such a dangerous military situation: his 300,000 elite troops were pinned down on the Spanish battlefield, and he had to recruit recruits in France in advance, and at the same time he forced 100,000 soldiers from various German countries to supplement his army. The quality of the army fell as a result.Austria, on the other hand, gathered all its forces, and they were united in one mind and determined to defeat Napoleon.However, Napoleon was still full of confidence in the victory. He said this before he set off: "I will let Austria lay down its arms in two months. At that time, if necessary, I will complete my trip in Spain again." Napoleon also needs political storms and hostile factors to express his extraordinary talents. The first battle of France and Austria was carried out in Abensberg, Bavaria. The Austrian army was repelled and lost more than 13,000 people.The second battle took place at Eckmuir on April 22. The Archduke Charles suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat north to Regensburg. The French army failed to pursue it in time due to the restriction of the Great Rabier River.The next day, after completing the detour, Marshal Lannes began to storm Regensburg, and Napoleon came to the scene to command.The battle was extremely fierce. Napoleon's foot was wounded by enemy shells. He took off his boots, ordered the wound to be quickly bandaged, and then sat on the horse again, directing the battle as if nothing had happened.The generals around him persuaded him to leave the battle to rest, and he replied: "My friends, shouldn't I fight to the end?" He strictly forbids anyone to talk about his injury, so as not to disturb the morale of the army.Regensburg was finally captured, and the main Austrian army withdrew to the left bank of the Danube.When Napoleon entered Regensburg, he endured severe pain and smiled back at the soldiers who cheered him.At the same time, the French army also achieved victories at Tegen and Landshut.In five days, Napoleon won five bloody battles. After capturing Regensburg, the main force of the French army went straight to Vienna via the right bank of the Danube, leaving only the Davout army to monitor the retreat of the main force of the Austrian army. On May 8, the Lana Army first arrived in the outskirts of Vienna. The defenders in the suburbs surrendered without a fight, but the Austrian army led by Grand Duke Maximilian in the city was still stubbornly resisting. The French army suffered heavy casualties. In order to reduce casualties, Napoleon appointed Colonel Lagrage to urge the Grand Duke to surrender, not wanting to be beaten up by the soldiers and civilians in the city. Grand Duke Maximilian replied: He swore to defend Vienna until his last breath.Napoleon couldn't bear it, and immediately ordered the construction of two groups of forts.An hour later, shells rained down on the city of Vienna, and Vienna was instantly submerged in flames. On May 13, the gate of Vienna was finally opened to Napoleon, and the mayor presented the key of Vienna to the French emperor respectfully. Although the Austrian army was defeated in several bloody battles, it was not fatally hit.Under the command of Grand Duke Charles, they withdrew to the left bank of the Danube in an orderly manner, blew up all the bridges on the river, and prepared to deal with Napoleon for a long time.But Napoleon wanted to fight the Battle of Austerlitz again, so he decided to cross the river and seek a chance to fight the Austrian army. Napoleon chose Kaiser Eberdorf, southeast of Vienna, as the place to cross the river.The river bed here is wider, and there is a larger Luobao Island in the middle of the river. The island is full of trees, which can cover the troops from crossing the river.The French army used 68 large ships and 9 large rafts to build a solid pontoon bridge between the right bank of the Danube and Roburg Island, and a relatively light one between Roburg Island and Aspern and Essling on the left bank of the Danube. boat bridge.In order to confuse the Austrian army, Napoleon ordered Davout's army to enter Northdorf, north of Vienna, and pretend to build a bridge to cross the river. At 16:00 on May 20, the pontoon bridge was erected, and the French army immediately began to cross the river.The armies of Lannes and Massena were the first to cross the river and occupied the two nearby villages of Aspern and Essling.At night, the river gradually rose, and the pontoon bridge was not made of good materials, which made it difficult for the French army to cross the river. At dawn on the 21st, Napoleon, Berthier, Massena, Lannes and other officers went to Aspern to inspect the terrain and tried their best to organize the crossing.However, the Danube was still swollen, and the crossing operation had to be suspended.At this time, only 30,000 troops crossed the river. At this time, the Austrian army was stationed on the high ground behind the villages of Aspern and Essling, and the French army's crossing operation was carried out under the nose of the Austrian army.Grand Duke Charles was secretly happy when he saw that the French army had only built a light boat bridge between the island of Robeaux and the left bank. He thought that Napoleon had set a death trap for himself.In his view, the huge army crossed the swift river on the only one boat bridge, and the troops could only move slowly one by one. Once the army was forced to retreat, the bridge would not be able to respond in an emergency.If the bridge is destroyed, the retreat of the French army will be completely cut off.In addition, the light pontoon bridge is not strong at all, and even if the infantry crosses the bridge carefully, it is even more difficult for the cavalry and artillery to cross the river.In view of this analysis, Archduke Charles decided not to rush to launch an attack, wait for half of the French army to cross the river, and then quickly destroy the pontoon bridge and annihilate the French army that had already crossed the river.He ordered the upstream force to have their ships ready with loads and firelighters to damage the bridge in due course.At the same time, the main force was ordered to pay attention to concealment to avoid exposure, and only some cavalry pretended to resist, and gradually retreated to lure the French army. At 12:00 noon on the 21st, Archduke Charles felt that the time to attack had come. He personally led more than 90,000 people and marched towards Aspern and Essling in five routes in an attempt to encircle and annihilate the 30,000 French troops who had crossed the river.A fierce battle began.At this time, the French army was fighting with their backs, and it was impossible to retreat. Napoleon categorically ordered to be outnumbered.After several battles, the French flag soldiers were frustrated, and the Austrian army pressed further towards the river.与此同时，查理大公按其预定计划，利用不断上涨的河水，从上游放下装有重物和纵火物的船只，毁掉了法军与罗堡岛之间的唯一的舟桥，法军退路被完全切断。身处险境的法军毫不畏惧，依然顽强地战斗着。激战持续了一个下午，阿斯佩恩先后易手达七次之多。直到夜幕降临，双方仍未分胜负。 这天夜晚，法军利用夜色的掩护，迅速地修复了舟桥。滞留在罗堡岛上的法军很快地过了河。到天亮时，北岸的法军已增至７万人。拿破仑重新部署军队，准备对奥军发起猛攻。 可部署未完，激战又起，奥军再次猛攻阿斯佩恩和埃斯林。双方短兵相接，用刺刀冲杀，两地处于反复争夺之中。 ２２日７时，拿破仑亲临战场观察，发现中央的奥军并未发动攻击，这时又听说达武军已开始渡河，于是，他决定依靠强大的援军摆脱守势，实行中央攻击方案，对敌中央进行歼灭性的打击。他命令拉纳军团向布莱屯里方向进攻。拉纳率步兵２万人、大炮２００门及庞大的骑兵纵队，直扑奥军中央。拉纳军攻势凶猛，步兵随炮火速进，奥军第二、四军团的接合部被突破，形成了一个很大的缺口。法骑兵迅速突入，直驱奥军预备队的阵地。这时，查理大公沉着冷静，挺身危地，稳定士气，他调来预备队的掷弹兵急驱突破口。掷弹兵排成许多方队，以密集炮火射击，压住和杀伤了中央法军。奥军的骑兵也及时赶来，稳定了阵势。 拉纳部队被阻，双方互射。在奥军的炮击下，法军只得仓皇后退。奥军乘胜追击，并集中炮火猛击通往罗堡岛的桥头，成批成批的法军倒毙于桥头。 当奥军步步进逼、法军逐渐后撤时，一名副官心急火燎地前来报告：多瑙河洪水咆哮，奥军放下的树木和装有重物的船只冲毁了罗堡岛与多瑙河右岸的浮桥，后备军的车辆、一部分重骑兵和达武军被阻隔在河对岸无法投入战斗。元帅们听到这一消息后，大惊失色，唯有拿破仑一人不以为然，他毫不起馁，沉着镇定，用自己钢铁般的意志稳定了部队，继续指挥战斗。奥军攻势越来越猛。由于浮桥被毁，法军失去后援，拿破仑不得不下令全军退往罗堡岛。 奥军乘势而进，夺占了阿斯佩恩和埃斯林。奥炮兵利用已占的两个村庄，对罗堡岛与左岸的舟桥交叉射击，法军且战且退，伤亡惨重。拉纳元帅也在退却中受了伤，他的双腿被炮弹打飞，被人用担架抬出战场。担任后卫的马塞纳顽强地阻击着奥军的追击。这位英勇的元帅看见士兵和军官成批地倒在自己的身旁，毫不畏惧，一直率领部队战斗到夜慕四垂，他不时地大声喊道：“只要有一点亮光，我就不愿撤走。否则，这些奥地利无赖傲气大盛。"马塞纳经过坚韧抗击，终于成功地掩护了最后一批法军撤上罗堡岛。 法军被困在罗堡岛，十分危险。如果查理大公乘胜猛攻，定能将法军全部赶下河。但是，查理大公虽是奥地利最杰出的军事指挥官，可他擅长的不是进攻而是防御，他过分拘泥于传统战略，他的目标不是歼灭敌人，而是要攻城略地。更为严重的是他为人优柔寡断，缺乏指挥官所具有的那种钢铁般的意志。虽然他才３８岁，但健康状况不好，而且缺乏热情和主动精神。查理大公这一性格上的弱点，使他在具有火焰般性格的拿破仑面前相形见绌。在战争一开始时，他在巴伐利亚打了几次败仗就惊慌失措，赶紧给拿破仑写求和书。如今取得了第一次胜利之后，又表现出犹豫不决。他没有乘势扩大战果，他对法军仍心存畏惧，企图等待更为有利的时机再战。因此，他没有继续攻击困在岛上的法军，而是按兵不动，与法军隔河对峙。他甚至想象着拿破仑在此败局之下会与奥国谈判，他期待着谈判桌上取得更大胜利。可他万万没想到这正好给具有钢铁般意志的拿破仑以时间，拿破仑乘机整军再战，改变败局。