Chapter 15 Volume 1 Chapter 9-1

On April 6, 1814, when Napoleon announced his abdication, the Senate summoned Louis XVIII to return to the throne. On April 24, Louis XVIII arrived in Calais. On May 2, he issued a declaration in Santo Ang, promising to respect the democratic constitution. On June 4, the constitution was read in both chambers.The heir to the throne, who was so big and so fat that he had to rely on crutches on both sides to walk, staggered into the Tuileries Palace in a blue lapel robe with an old-fashioned gold medal hanging on his chest.The Bourbon dynasty was restored. After Louis XVIII came to power, the French royalists in exile also returned to the country one after another.These nobles who have always been pampered, all they hope is to restore the privileges before the revolution, so that they can enjoy happiness for nothing.In addition, it is to retaliate wildly against the revolutionaries.And their general representative, Louis XVIII, was not prepared to fulfill his promise. He dismissed more than 10,000 military officers in a short period of time, and arranged incompetent nobles to be high-ranking officials and receive generous salaries.He exempted church schools from all taxes, exempted churches from government jurisdiction, and continued to collect "comprehensive consumption tax" from the people.He also erected a monument to the royalists who were shot dead, and posthumously named Kadudar, who was executed for the murder of Napoleon, a nobleman.Louis XVIII and his cronies are trying their best to restore the old system and order and cancel all the achievements of the revolution.The French people who had been baptized by the revolution soon realized that Louis XVIII's return was not to liberate them, but to establish a new autocratic system.The despotism under Napoleon at least brought honor and vitality to France, while the despotism of Louis XVIII appeared corrupt and incompetent, and only knew how to oppress the people.The Bourbon dynasty began to be unpopular, especially the coldly received generals who missed their old master Napoleon even more.

In November 1814, Russia, Britain, Austria, and Prussia, the four major European powers that defeated Napoleon, discussed the aftermath of Europe in Vienna.Kings, nobles, and diplomats in gorgeous dresses, wearing various medals on their chests, toasted and drank to celebrate the peace, while arguing endlessly over the uneven distribution of spoils, even to the point of tension.Russia wanted to occupy all of Poland, and it demanded that the Grand Duchy of Warsaw during the Napoleonic period be merged with Russian Poland to establish a kingdom ruled by the Tsar.Prussia supported Russia's demands and demanded the annexation of all Saxon territories in compensation for the Polish territories it had ceded to Russia.Britain and Austria firmly opposed it.Britain did not want Russia to be too powerful and move westward to Europe.Austria does not want to give up Galicia, Krakow and the Vistula River to Russia, nor does it want Prussia to become stronger by merging with Saxony.In this way, the top four of the Vienna Conference formed two opposing camps, that is, Russia and Prussia on one side, and Britain and Austria on the other.The French representative Talleyrand weighed the pros and cons and decided to join the Anglo-Austrian side. On January 3, 1815, British Foreign Secretary Castlereagh personally drew up an alliance treaty against Russia and Prussia. Both Metternich and Talleyrand joined the alliance, and the countries agreed to send 150,000 troops.Talleyrand happily wrote to Louis XVIII: "Your Majesty, the Anti-French Alliance has been dissolved forever."

Changes in the domestic and foreign situations did not escape Napoleon's eyes, and his seemingly peaceful life caused waves again.On the one hand, he deliberately inquired about news from tourists visiting the island, and on the other hand, he secretly communicated with French government officials. One day in December 1814, Napoleon was walking near his palace.Suddenly, he stopped in front of a grenadier standing guard, "Hey, old whiner, don't you feel bored here?" "No, emperor, but I don't find it very interesting either." The grenadier seriously replied.Napoleon thrust a gold coin into his hand, and said in a low voice as he walked away: "It will not go on like this forever."

In February 1815, the French statesman Marey and others sent Fleury de Chablon to Elba Island in disguise as a sailor.Chabrolon reported to Napoleon in detail the general discontent in the country and the shameless acts of robbery and robbery by the nobles.He told Napoleon that the army was expecting him to return.Napoleon's ambition to return to Europe was aroused, and he decided to act immediately. Before the operation began, Napoleon had a conversation with his mother in the garden.In his mind, his mother was a smart, strong and brave woman.In his own family, only his mother understood his heart.He told his mother about his bold decision, saying: "I cannot die on this small island, nor end my career in peace. I do not deserve it. The army is expecting me. Everything have inspired me to hope that the army, as soon as it sees me, will run over to me. Of course, I will meet officers loyal to the Bourbons, who will stop the army, and I will be there in a few hours. I will die. This ending is much better than living on this small island. I hope to go out and try to be happy again. Mom, what do you think?" The mother was greatly shocked by this sudden question, and her heart was like In a mess, she said to Napoleon: "Let me be a mother for a while, and I will answer you later." After a long silence, the mother finally spoke: "Go, my son, follow your mission. Maybe you You will be defeated and lose your life immediately, but you cannot stay here, and I am very sad to see this situation. I hope that God who has blessed you in so many battles will bless you again." He hugged his son tightly.Napoleon told his three loyal aides Cambronne, Drouot, and Bertrand of this decision, and the generals were delighted but doubted the success of the operation.Napoleon told them confidently: he does not want to fight a war now, nor does he want to implement an autocratic rule, he wants the French people to become free people.Therefore, instead of conquering France with arms, he intended only to appear in France, to land on the coast, to declare his purpose, and to claim his throne.He believed very much in the appeal of his name, and he believed that the whole of France would fall at his feet without going to war or trying to resist.The absence of armed forces will not be an obstacle to this operation.

All preparations are being carried out in secret.At this time, Campbell, the British representative in charge of supervising Napoleon, happened to be on vacation in Tuscany. On February 26, everything was ready.That night, Napoleon led more than 1,000 fully armed soldiers, who were still in the dark, in seven small sailboats with several cannons on board, quietly left Elba Island, and began to conquer France again. A thrilling page. The sea around Elba Island is often patrolled by British and French royal warships, and their task is to monitor Elba Island just in case.That night, Napoleon's ship ran into a French warship. The officer on the ship asked the captain through a microphone: "How is the emperor's health?" The boat passed by.Napoleon felt lucky that the British warship did not show up at all.The fleet sailed on the vast sea for three days and nights, and finally approached the coast of France.Napoleon's blood was boiling. He knew that this operation was a gamble with his life, and he made a desperate bet. Once he lost, he would have no money left.However, if he does not make this last attempt, he will not be reconciled to death. At 3 o'clock in the morning on March 1, 1815, the small fleet landed in the port of Jouan.When the customs guard saw that it was Napoleon who had landed, he immediately took off his hat and saluted him.Napoleon, in his customary booming voice, made his famous speech to the local soldiers, saying:

"Soldiers! I heard your voices in exile. Now I have landed in France. "Your commander-in-chief, who was proclaimed sovereign by the voice of the people and thrust upon your shields, is now back; come join him, throw down the banner of the House of Bourbon, that The flag has been abandoned by our nation, and has served for twenty-five years to rally the enemies of France. Unfurl in its place the tricolor that you carried in the days of our great victories. Take again your flags at Ulm, Austerlitz, Jena, Eilau, Friedland, Moscow, the eagle flags... "We must forget that we were once the masters of the European continent, but we will not allow anyone to interfere our business. . . . You, and your posterity, have no greater foe than those Bourbon princes who are forced upon us by foreigners.

"Soldiers, unite around the banner of your commander, whose interests, his honor, are the same as yours, exactly the same. Victory will march. The eagle in our national colors will fly from one minaret to the other. spires, fly all the way to the towers of Notre-Dame de Paris. Then you may honorably show your scars, and once again boast of your achievements. You will be the saviors of your country. In your old age, you will be able to say with pride: I cleanse Paris of the stain of treason and the presence of the enemy. . . . Glory to the brave soldiers! To our fatherland, France!"

The soldiers cheered Napoleon enthusiastically, and they soon joined him. Napoleon dropped the four cannon he had brought from Elba on the coast, and led his army northward along the foothills of the Alps.He decided to win all of France without firing a single shot.At each town he passed, he addressed townspeople and soldiers alike, telling them that his sole mission was to restore order in France, and to give to my dear fellow countrymen a constitution suited to the sentiments of the people.He promised everyone that he would no longer use war to win glory, no longer use force to dominate European countries, and France would live in peace with European countries.The French people have long been dissatisfied with the incompetent Bourbon dynasty, especially the resentment that the exiled nobles returned and reoccupied the land they had allocated during the revolution. Moved them, Napoleon became their ideal leader again.The cities that Napoleon passed through all hoisted the tricolor flag, and the garrisons from all over the country rushed to his arms. His team was like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger.

The news of Napoleon's landing in France reached Paris on March 3. The Bourbon government was terrified and immediately sent troops to stop Napoleon. On the morning of March 7, Napoleon's team came to the village of Lamere near Grenoble, and saw from a distance that the royal army had lined up in battle ranks and blocked the road.Napoleon realized that his own team alone was not enough to deal with the huge army in front of him. He made a decisive decision and ordered the soldiers to follow him with their guns in their left hands and face down.The two sides are getting closer.When the procession was approaching the range of the rifles, Napoleon signaled his men to stop, and he continued on alone.The soldiers of the royal army stood still with their guns in hand, staring intently at the man in gray jacket and three-cornered hat who was walking towards them with firm steps. "Soldiers of the Fifth Regiment, don't you know me?" Napoleon's cry broke the dead silence. "It's the emperor, it's the emperor." The soldiers began to shout.Napoleon unbuttoned his shirt, exposed his chest, and said loudly: "Who among you wants to hit your own emperor? Then shoot!" The royal army suddenly lost its formation, and the soldiers rushed to Napoleon together, shouting "Long live the emperor!" They surrounded Napoleon, kissed his hands, kissed his knees, and some of them wept like children.All the troops sent to defend Grenoble joined Napoleon's ranks in whole regiments.Some commanders even did not wait for Napoleon's arrival, they gathered their teams, shouted "Long live the emperor", and went to the front line to meet Napoleon.Surrounded by soldiers and suburban crowds, Napoleon entered Grenoble in triumph.

Since then, Napoleon's team has expanded rapidly, reaching 7,000 people with 30 artillery pieces.At the same time, there were thousands of farmer friends who came here after hearing the news.After these peasants consciously escorted the team for a journey, they automatically handed over to another group of peasants at the first stop, and they provided supplies for the troops along the way.The situation is developing rapidly, and a comeback has really formed. Napoleon issued orders along the way, sent out emissaries, gathered intelligence, appointed commanders for his growing army, and appointed magistrates. On March 9, this team went straight to the city of Lyon.Although Lyon was defended by a large number of royal troops, Napoleon still believed that he could take Lyon without firing a single shot.In his opinion, there is no royal army in France at all, only Napoleon's army, the emperor's army, but this army unfortunately spent 11 months under someone else's white flag.

Emergency reports flew to Paris like snowflakes, and Louis XVIII was anxious like ants on a hot pan.Lyon is the second largest city in France after Paris, so you have to stick to it anyway.The King's brother, the Comte d'Artois, volunteered to go to Lyon, where he fancied that with allegiance to the House of Bourbon he might inspire the workers of Lyon to cut off Napoleon's advance.MacDonald went there too, and the Bourbons had great hopes in him. MacDonald began to review his own army and delivered a speech before the battle. He tried to make everyone understand that once Napoleon won, a new war with Europe would definitely break out.He also greeted the Count Artois sent by the king, but the army answered him with silence.At this moment, a general galloped up, and he persuaded the marshal to send the king's brother to a safer place as soon as possible.The Count d'Artois fled the parade in panic, and soon left Lyon.Macdonald himself remained to lead the defense of Lyons.The soldiers worked listlessly, and one soldier even came up to the Marshal and said directly, "It would be better if you took us to the Emperor Napoleon." The Marshal didn't answer anything. On March 10, Napoleon approached the city of Lyon, and Macdonald led his troops to fight.But when his team met Napoleon, the slogan "Long live the emperor" was endless.In an instant, all the troops under his command and Napoleon's army formed a torrent.Seeing that the situation was not good, MacDonald rode out of the city fearing to be a prisoner of his own soldiers. The next day Napoleon inspected the garrison at Lyon.All the bridges, embankments, and streets were thronged with men and women, people following Napoleon, eager to see him more closely, to hear him speak, to touch his clothes. The cry of "Long live the Emperor" resounded over Lyon. The Bourbon dynasty, which was at stake, was terrified and hurriedly dispatched Marshal Ney to lead an army to deal with Napoleon.Ney is a passionate warrior, irritable soldier, the flattery of the Bourbon court and Louis XVIII made his head hot, and he boasted to Louis XVIII: "I will make him a prisoner, put him Lock it in an iron cage and bring it back." So Louis XVIII and his court pinned their fate and hope on Ney. On March 12, Marshal Ney came to the vicinity of Chany, north of Lyon, and made an impassioned mobilization of the troops, but all he got was silence and blank stares.Ney looked at the lifeless army with uneasiness. On the night of March 13, Marshal Ney was awakened from his sleep to be told that part of his artillery and cavalry company guards had mutinied and had defected to Napoleon.At dawn, Ney received new news: Many cities had driven out the royalist regime and surrendered to Napoleon, and the emperor was advancing on Chany.The soldiers were frowning, and Ney was also wavering.At this moment, Ney received a note from the Grenadier, which said: "Ney, I will receive you as the day after the battle in the outskirts of Moscow. - Napoleon." Ney's When the wavering was over, he assembled his troops at once, drew his sword, and cried out: "Soldiers! The cause of the Bourbons is lost forever. The legitimate dynasty of France's own choice is ascending to the throne. In the future, the emperor, our monarch, should rule this beautiful country. The soldiers cheered: "Long live the emperor!"Long live Marshal Ney! "Ney led all his soldiers to Napoleon. Now, what is marching towards Paris is no longer the disorganized small team when it launched from the island of Elba, but a powerful torrent that no one can stop. On the night of March 19, Napoleon entered Fontainebleau with his vanguard.The king's family has long since fled, as have royal supporters.The Paris papers were changing attitudes dramatically: on the 2nd of March the Corsican monster had landed at the Port of Jouan, on the second the murderer was advancing on Grasse, on the third the usurper had entered Grenoble, on the third On the fourth day it was said that General Bonaparte had arrived in Lyon, on the fifth day it was said that General Napoleon had recovered Fontainebleau, and on the sixth day it was said that His Majesty the Emperor was about to triumph in Paris. At 9 o'clock in the evening on March 20, 1815, Napoleon entered Paris surrounded by his entourage and cavalry.The Tuileries Palace in Paris tore down the white flag and hoisted the tricolor; the Bourbon fleur-de-lis pattern on the palace carpet was replaced by the golden bee pattern of the Empire.Thousands of people gathered around the Tuileries Palace and waited. Still a long way from the Palais Royale came the cheers of the crowd surrounding Napoleon, which grew stronger every minute, until at last they broke into deafening waves of joy.When Napoleon's convoy approached the square in front of the palace, the huge crowd waiting by the palace rushed up like crazy.The convoy was surrounded by the flow of people from all directions, unable to walk.Guardsmen on horseback tried to open the way, but to no avail.People were weeping, shouting, rushing at the horses, at the carriages, not wanting to hear anything.In the end, the emperor's entourage was rushed away desperately, the carriage was opened, and Napoleon was carried into the palace amidst endless shouts and sent to the room on the second floor. Restoration of imperial power and army Napoleon's appearance in Paris shocked the whole of Europe.The Allies meeting in Vienna immediately abandoned their quarrel with each other and once again united. On March 13, the eight allied powers issued a joint declaration stating: "Bonaparte, in violation of the agreement establishing his settlement on the island of Elba, violated the only legal title reserved to him, . . . out of the protection of the law, and to show before the world that with him there can be neither peace nor a truce." The Allies said they would use all their resources to fight Napoleon.Five days later, Austria, Britain, Prussia, and Russia agreed to each send 150,000 troops to deal with the usurper who sneaked back from Elba Island. On March 25, the Seventh Anti-French Coalition was formally established, and they were determined to completely defeat this Corsican monster. After the restoration, Napoleon knew that the Allies would never stand idly by, and he seized every minute to rebuild the imperial regime and army.He began by organizing the government and manning the leaders of the major departments.Marey was in charge of foreign affairs, Carnot as minister of the interior, Decret in charge of the navy, Gaudin in charge of finances, and Morion in charge of the treasury.At the same time, Fouché was reappointed as Inspector of Police.Napoleon knew very well that Fouche had betrayed himself and was a double-faced conspirator. However, Fouche also had characteristics that no one else could replace.He has the situation of the royalists that others do not know, and he can also communicate the connection between Napoleon and the Jacobins.Napoleon needed him to deal with domestic opposition.Marshal Davout was appointed Minister of War, and he stayed in Paris to make specific arrangements for military affairs. At the same time, Napoleon also carried out extensive political and social reforms.He has repeatedly stated that the rebuilt empire is different from the past. Its main task is to ensure the peace and freedom of the French people. France will no longer seek any dominion over Europe, but firmly opposes any form of foreign interference in France. . On April 23, 1815, he promulgated a "Supplementary Clause to the Imperial Constitution". In the preface of this clause, he pointed out: During his 15 years of presiding over the government work according to the wishes of France, according to the needs and desires of the country and actual experience, in the Some amendments to the constitution were made at different times, but the establishment of domestic institutions, especially the protection of civil liberties, was delayed due to the huge system of European federation at that time.His sole object now was "to increase the prosperity of France by strengthening public liberties. . . Combined." Napoleon expanded both chambers' control of the government, granted a free press, expanded citizenship, and re-established the image of the empire. Although Napoleon hoped that his return to Paris would bring peace and freedom to the people, in reality he brought fire and sword, as the Allies rejected all peace proposals Napoleon made to them.The allied forces were strong, and he had to hasten the work of rebuilding the Imperial Army.At this time, Napoleon accidentally found a copy of the treaty of alliance against Russia and Prussia signed by Britain, Austria and France on January 3 in the office of Louis XVIII. He immediately sent an envoy to quickly send this official document to Alexander I who was in Vienna. , wanting to drive a wedge between the anti-French alliance.After Alexander received this secret treaty, his face turned pale with anger.When Metternich came to meet him, he handed over Metternich's masterpiece, and the experienced Metternich also seemed panicked.However, apart from the dramatic effect, this official document sent by Napoleon in a hurry did not achieve Napoleon's expected effect.Alexander still wants to join the Anglo-Austrian alliance to defeat Napoleon.In his view, the threat of France far exceeds the Anglo-Austrian secret alliance. If Napoleon, who held the torch of the Great Revolution, is not defeated as soon as possible, he will once again shake all the foundations of the feudal social order. The war is inevitable, and rebuilding a large army capable of resisting the invasion of the coalition forces in a short period of time has become a top priority.During the more than ten months of Louis XVIII's rule in France, for economic purposes and to win people's hearts, he reduced the army in large numbers and abolished the conscription system under Napoleon.After Napoleon regained power, for the same reason, he did not dare to reinstate conscription. He only ordered those who had received military training to be re-conscripted into the army. He estimated that forming an army of 200,000 would not be a problem.The main problem before him now is the lack of senior officers.At that time, a group of generals and marshals with rich combat experience had sworn allegiance to Louis XVIII, including Saint-Cyr, MacDonald, Udino, Victor, Marmont, and Augereau, but they did not return to Napoleon's command.Juno was insane, and Masséna and Moncey were too old and infirm to fight.Chief of Staff Berthier, who had followed Napoleon through life and death, had left France and retired to Prussia.Although Murat responded to Napoleon with his cavalry and disguised himself as a sailor to meet Napoleon in May, Napoleon refused to use him because of his betrayal in 1814.In this way, only Soult, Ney, Motier, Grouchy and others could follow Napoleon to the battlefield.Napoleon appointed Marshal Soult as chief of staff, but this was an unfortunate choice.Although Soult is a very good commander and made outstanding contributions in the Battle of Austerlitz, his personality is lazy and disorganized. As a chief of staff, he is far inferior to the cautious Berti eh. Not only was there a shortage of senior generals, but so were weapons, equipment, and horses.On the second day after Napoleon entered Paris, he ordered the arsenal to immediately produce 150,000 rifles, and at the same time purchased weapons from abroad. Napoleon, with his extraordinary energy and efficient organizational genius, finally organized an imperial army in a short period of time. By the end of May, 1815, his regular army had reached 284,000 men.According to the different missions of each army, he divided the regular troops into several legions, namely the Northern Army, the Rhine Army, the Alpine Army and the Pyrenees Army.The Army of the North was the main army, commanded by Napoleon himself, and used as a striking fist.The Legion has a total of more than 124,500 people, has 340 artillery pieces, and has 5 infantry divisions, 4 cavalry divisions and guards under its jurisdiction. At this time, the 700,000 troops of the Anti-French Alliance were divided into five groups, and they pressed on France with overwhelming force.The 93,000 Anglo-Dutch Army, commanded by the British general Duke Wellington, and the 117,000 Prussian Army, commanded by Blucher, were assembled on June 14 and deployed in Brussels and the east of Belgium; About 210,000 people, under the command of Schwarzenberg, concentrated in the upper reaches of the Rhine; 150,000 Russian troops, under the command of Barclay, concentrated in the middle reaches of the Rhine; 75,000 Austrian and Italian troops, under the command of Fremont, concentrated in northern Italy. concentration on the German-Italian border.The Allies negotiated to launch an attack across the French frontier between June 27 and July 1.At that time, the three legions of Wellington, Blücher and Schwarzenberg will directly attack Paris, and the Barclays, as the second echelon, will follow the above three legions, ready to replace any of them at any time if they fail to attack and lose Serious Legion, continue to develop an attack on Paris.Fremont's Austrian-Italian Army was responsible for attacking Lyon, an important town in south-central France.The coalition forces planned to carry out a siege on all sides with an absolutely superior force, crushing the newly formed French army in one fell swoop. Napoleon considered that the French army was short of troops and resisted 700,000 troops with 300,000 troops. He could not sit still and wait for the attack. Cher's two legions then turned around and headed eastward, facing the Russian and Austrian armies in turn, thus completely smashing the coalition's attempt to encircle and annihilate the French army.In order to conceal his intentions and achieve the purpose of confusing or paralyzing the enemy, Napoleon instructed the Minister of War Davout to build a fortress around Paris. illusion of war.At the same time, he secretly concentrated his forces on the Belgian border. On June 6, the Army of the North began to march towards the Belgian border. On the 14th, all the troops had entered the areas of Mauberge, Fulmi, and Xime, which were under the nose of the coalition forces.The speed of the march was unbelievable. In the early morning of June 12, Napoleon left Paris and arrived in Laon at noon.Here, he found that due to the negligence of Chief of Staff Soult, the four divisions of the Cavalry Army did not receive an action order and remained in the station peacefully.Napoleon immediately ordered the cavalry to rush to the concentrated area of ​​​​the French army at full speed. Wellington and Blücher knew nothing about the march of the French army. Napoleon decided to take advantage of the fact that the two armies were not prepared to fight, insert the main force between the two enemy corps, cut their connection, prevent them from supporting each other, and then divide them one by one. wipe out. On June 14, Napoleon moved his base camp forward to Beaumont near the French-Belgian border.He ordered the whole army to divide into two groups, cross the border before dawn the next day, attack Blücher's army, force Blücher's army to retreat, and then encircle and annihilate the isolated and prominent Wellington army. That night, Napoleon set out to inspect the armies.The French troops secretly concentrated on the front line were only separated from the opposite Prussian army by a dense forest. They were like arrows on the line, and they could jump across the border immediately after an order.Napoleon's sudden appearance in the army immediately aroused cheers of "Long live the Emperor".In order not to expose the target prematurely, Napoleon stopped this call many times, but to no avail. This day happened to be the anniversary of the two great victories of Marengo and Friedland. Napoleon delivered a very inspiring speech. He called on French soldiers to fight to restore the prestige of France. He said: The time has come, Either conquer or perish. Napoleon's offensive was about to start at the Battle of Lini, but the coalition forces knew nothing about it. Wellington thought that Napoleon was still strengthening his defense in Paris. On the night of June 13, the Prussian outpost noticed many campfires flickering ahead and immediately reported to Blucher.Blucher didn't care. In the early morning of June 15th, a division commander named Beauvemont in the French Fourth Army defected to the Prussian side with some of his staff, and brought out Napoleon's strength and plans. Only then did Blücher realize his inadequacy. The situation is extremely dangerous.However, he was not panicked. He believed that with the strength of the Prussian army and the support of the Wellington Army, it could completely deal with Napoleon's attack. At 3 o'clock in the morning on the 15th, Napoleon rode to the front line.Napoleon ordered Ney to command the 1st and 2nd armies and a cavalry division to form the left flank, quickly advance along the road leading to Brussels, attack and occupy Cartelbras, threaten the right flank of the Prussian army, and prevent the Wellington Army from attacking Blücher. Er's reinforcements.At the same time, the cavalry commander Grouchy was ordered to command the third and fourth armies and two cavalry divisions to form the right wing and attack the Prussian army from the front.Thus, a great battle began. Ney's left-wing French army made rapid progress and quickly occupied Gosiris, while Grouchy's right wing made slow progress and only pushed to the Giri line. The left-wing French army seemed a bit isolated and prominent.Ney was afraid that the lone army would be surrounded and wiped out by the superior enemy, so he hesitated and dared not go forward with all his strength, and continued to attack Cartel Brass with only one cavalry division.The division entered the area south of Catalbras, was blocked by the enemy, the attack was frustrated, and had to retreat to the vicinity of Frasnes to wait for Ney's next order.At this time, it was getting late, and Ney saw that his troops had rushed between the two enemy legions, and the soldiers were exhausted after a day of marching and fighting, so he made a decision: suspend the attack and camp on the spot. After the right wing of the French army captured Giri, they continued to advance, but Blücher's army hurriedly responded and kept retreating.At the end of the day, Blücher's army had been compressed to the front lines of St. Armand, Wagnery, Liny, and Sambrife.The situation is very favorable for the French army.If Blücher continued to retreat and fell into the strategy of isolating Wellington, Napoleon could proceed as planned and destroy Wellington's army first.If Blücher is ready to fight Napoleon, the French army will deal with him first. At around 9 o'clock in the evening, Napoleon dragged his extremely exhausted body back to his base camp in Charleroi.This day, from 3 o'clock in the morning, he has been spent on horseback.At midnight, Napoleon, who had just slept for a few hours, was awakened by Ney, who explained to him why he had not been able to capture Cartelbras as planned during the day.Napoleon repeatedly explained to him his general campaign concept and the importance of capturing Catalbras, and asked him to take it by the morning of the 16th.He said: It is impossible for the French army to deal with two enemies at the same time. Only by occupying Carter Brass can the connection between the two legions be completely severed, and the main force can be guaranteed to wipe out the Prussian army in front of them, or transfer troops to the left to annihilate Wellington's British and Dutch troops. Legion.The conversation did not end until 2 am on the 16th. When Blücher's army was forced back by the French army, Wellington was still completely intoxicated in a life of ease and comfort. He did not expect Napoleon to take offensive actions at all. On June 13, there was news that the army had occupied the Mauberge area on the border, but Wellington was playing with a lady at the time and ignored the news. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the 15th, a definite report confirmed that the French had begun to attack the Prussian outposts.Wellington concluded that the French army's attempt was to go straight to Brussels through Mons and encircle his army from the side. He immediately ordered all the armies under his command to gather troops and prepare for maneuver at any time.At dusk, Wellington received an urgent request from Blücher for reinforcements, but he did not approach Blücher immediately. He believed that the danger of Napoleon's attack on Brussels still existed, and he wanted to ensure the safety of the road from Mons to Brussels.At 10 o'clock in the evening, Wellington issued a second order to the troops, requesting to strengthen the defense in the direction of Brussels.After the order was issued, he left the headquarters again to attend a banquet given by a lady.He stayed there until 2 o'clock in the morning on the 16th. He didn't leave angrily until the Mons troops sent a report.The report said that all the French troops in front of Mons were transferred to the direction of Charleroi, and there were no troops around Mons.At this point, Wellington woke up like a dream, and he said regretfully: "Ah, God! Napoleon deceived me. He has taken up 24 hours of marching time." Wellington immediately ordered the troops to move in the direction of Cartel Brass, occupying the road intersection of the village and preventing the French army from attacking.If possible, fight the French there. At 4 o'clock in the morning on the 16th, Napoleon issued an order to the entire army: Ney commanded the original forces to continue to attack Cartelbras, and the guards and cavalry reserves followed up and were ready to support at any time.After occupying the place, the camera launched an attack on Brussels, trying to capture Brussels on the night of the 16th or the early morning of the 17th, and surrounded the Wellington Army from the side and rear.格鲁希指挥右翼原有部队，继续向当面的普军进攻，占领桑布里费，迫使敌人向耿布劳斯方向撤退，从而使敌人两个军团之间的距离更加拉大。 上午８时，格鲁希向拿破仑报告：普军正向桑布里费集结，看样子要在利尼附近展开会战。同时，内伊也送来报告，说英荷联军正向卡特尔布拉斯附近集中。拿破仑命令内伊集中现有兵力，坚决打垮英荷联军，一定要拿下卡特尔布拉斯。他自己则从大本营立即赶往右翼阵地。 上午１１时，右翼第三军已完成了攻击部署，可第四军迟迟未到。原来，由于苏尔特的疏忽，第四军昨晚宿营于桑布尔河两岸，因距离太远，一时跟不上来。为了确保进攻取胜，拿破仑决定等第四军到达后再发起进攻。下午１时左右，第四军才匆匆赶到。然而，普军这时已有３个军约８万人集中到了利尼村及其附近地区。拿破仑见布吕歇尔将主力集中在此地迎战，不禁大喜过望，当即决定：改变首先歼灭惠灵顿军团的计划，迅速集中现有的５万兵力收拾布吕歇尔军。拿破仑计划用两个骑兵师攻击普军左翼，牵制它的行动；以主力猛攻普军的右翼和中央，迫使布吕歇尔逐渐消耗完他的预备队；同时将内伊指挥的左翼兵力从卡特尔布拉斯调过来，攻击普军的右翼。最后，投入近卫军，从普军中央实施突破。 下午２时，总参谋长苏尔特向内伊发出通知：“敌人已在桑布里费与布莱之间集中兵力，格鲁希已于下午２时３０分用第三和第四两军发动攻击。陛下的意图是要你先击退前方的敌军，然而来支援右翼并协助包围敌人。"拿破仑坚信，只要内伊坚决执行他的指示，如其迂回到普军的右翼，那么，普军可能在３个小时之内全军覆没。 ６月１６日下午２时３０分，进攻准时开始。两个骑兵师展开倒八字队形，肩并肩地向敌人阵地发起攻击，很快就缠住了普军的左翼。旺达姆的第三军指向阿曼德，吉拉德的第四军指向利尼。The battle was fierce.第四军的三次冲击都被守军的排炮打退了，直到第四次冲锋才勉强占领利尼村，但很快又被迫军预备队的反冲击赶了出来。第三军也遇到了顽强的抵抗。这时，拿破仑急切地盼望内伊赶来支援，３时５０分，他指示苏尔特再次写信，命令内伊快些行动，迂回到敌军的右翼，打击普军的侧背。苏尔特在信中道：“假使你的行动有力，则敌军将会溃败。法兰西的命运掌握在你的手中。所以，在执行皇帝的命令时，希望你不要犹豫一分钟。立即进到布莱与阿曼德之间的高地上，参加这次决定性的战斗。” 拿破仑万万没有想到此时的内伊也处境困难。由于内伊在前一天的犹豫不决和行动迟缓，致使惠灵顿以一部分兵力抢先占领了卡特尔布拉斯。现在他的第二军已被惠灵顿军团的２万人死死缠住，困在卡特尔布拉斯以南地区不能脱身。第一军仍在行进途中，没有投入战斗。拿破仑见内伊军迟迟不到，非常焦急，他再一次给内伊下令，叫他留下第二军和一个骑兵师去对付英荷军团，抽出戴尔隆的第一军迅速攻击普军右翼。同时，他还命令作为总预备队的第六军立即从沙勒罗瓦赶到利尼前线。 战况在急剧发展，拿破仑不能坐等援军的到达，他亲自督促法军发起一次又一次冲锋，普军８万余人被拖得精疲力竭。下午５时左右，布吕歇尔的预备队已全部投入战斗。拿破仑估计从内伊那里抽调来的第一军最迟也能在６点之前到达，他决定出动近卫军进行最后的冲击，与即将到来的第一军共同歼灭利尼的普军。 正当近卫军一切准备完毕，即将发起攻击时，拿破仑突然接到旺达姆一个惊人的报告，说在后方约３公里的地方，发现一个敌军纵队，人数可能有二三万，此纵队正在向法军背后接近。这一情况立刻引起混乱，旺达姆军的许多士兵开始逃命，师长们不得不将炮口对准逃兵，迫使他们安定下来。鉴于情况的突变，拿破仑只好命令近卫军暂不发起攻击，以对付突然出现的威胁。同时，派出一个参谋前去弄清该路敌军的情况。 半个小时以后，参谋返回，报告说那不是敌军，而是奉命前来增援的第一军。一场虚惊过去了。不过，拿破仑仍感到奇怪，按照自己的命令，前来增援的第一军应该出现在利尼村的西北方，怎么会从南面己方的侧后出现？但不管怎样，总算有援军来了。就在拿破仑庆幸该军来得及时的时候，这个突然而至的援军，在距离前线不足３公里的地方，又莫名其妙地掉头朝内伊所在方向返回了。拿破仑大惑不解，想派一名参谋去追它回来，但时间已来不及了。这时已是下午７时３０分，离天黑不到一小时，拿破仑决定不再等待。于是，在重新收拢惊慌失措的部队以后，随即发起了进攻。 天气变得又闷又热，落日不时被巨大的乌云遮蔽。不一会，倾盆大雨从天而降，近卫军冒着如注的大雨发起冲击，犹同一道倾泻而下的钢铁洪流，很快占领了利尼村。风息了，雨停了，骤然响起的雷暴也消失了，落日的余辉透过零乱的乌云散射在战场上。布吕歇尔亲自率领３２个骑兵中队，向近卫军发起了反冲击，企图夺回利尼村。混战之中，布吕歇尔的坐其中弹倒毙，老元帅掉在地上，摔得满身青肿。这时，法军已从四面紧逼上来，布吕歇尔的副官急忙将元帅藏起来，然后在一些胸甲骑兵的掩护下，连拉带扯地把这位７２岁的老人救出包围圈。由于防线已被切断，元帅也已负伤，普军在夜幕的掩护下开始全线撤退。经过两天连续战斗的法军也无力进行追击。这时拿破仑因患了感冒，自己先返回大本营去了。 利尼一战以法国的胜利而告终，普军死伤２万余人。但是，拿破仑对这一仗非常不满意，他认为如果不是内伊军的行动迟缓，他一定会在利尼将普军全部消灭。现在的普军只是被击败，并没有被消灭。 就在利尼会战的同时，内伊和惠灵顿也展开了一场激战。内伊的第二军多次向卡特尔布拉斯发起进攻，由于兵力不占优势，均告失败。内伊不断催促随后跟进的戴尔隆第一军迅速前来增援。就在第一军快要接近战场时，苏尔特的传令官送来了拿破仑那个抽调第一军前去增援法军右翼的命令。传令官在半路上直接把这命令传达给第一军军长戴尔隆。由于该命令是拿破仑用铅笔草书的，字迹潦草难认，以致传令官在宣读时，把地名华格里尼错读成汪格尼斯。前者位于利尼西北５公里处，后者则是利尼以南５公里的一个小村子。由于地名的错传，致使第一军出现在右翼法军的后方，引起了旺达姆军的一场虚惊。 戴尔隆一面指挥军队掉头东向汪格尼斯，一面派参谋长向内伊报告备案。内伊对第一军早已望眼欲穿，忽然听到第一军前去增援右翼，不禁火从胸起，大为恼怒。正在这时，他又接到苏尔特下午３时左右发出的那封信，催促他速向法军的右翼转用兵力。信刚看完，当面的英军再次从卡特尔布拉斯发起反击了。三个情况加在一起，内伊极不冷静，他不顾拿破仑的命令，急召第一军折转回来。同时，不惜孤注一掷，亲自率领仅有的１万余人向敌军发起冲击。由于英荷守军兵力已经增至３万余人，其后续部队还在源源不断开来，再加上惠灵顿的亲自指挥，内伊的进攻又一次失败了。戴尔隆在接近利尼时收到了内伊要他返回的命令，他未加考虑，便机械地照章执行了。这就造成了拿破仑所看到的援军莫名片妙掉头回去的情况。夜幕低垂时，第一军赶回了卡特尔布拉斯附近，不过，这时战斗已经结束，双方各自损失了约５０００人。这样，一支约有２万人的军队，在左右两路法军同时吃紧的情况下，只是在两路军队之间来回运动，根本没有发挥任何作用。拿破仑对此十分恼火，他认为当时不管把它用到哪一方，都可能导致决定性的结果。 １６日作战结束后，拿破仑没有乘胜追击，只是命令格鲁希派出第一骑兵师同撤退的普军保持接触。１７日上午７时，拿破仑在弗劳拉斯的一所别墅里边早餐，第一骑兵师送来报告说，他们已追上敌人的后卫，缴获了８门大炮，敌人已向列日方向撤退。紧接着，派往内伊那边去的联络官也回来报告说，惠灵顿的部队仍留在卡特尔布拉斯的阵地上，似乎没有动静。拿破仑见布吕歇尔已逃跑，而惠灵顿没有撤走，当即决定调转兵力，收拾惠灵顿。 这位联络官还带来了内伊的一封信，内伊在信中对自己未能攻下卡特尔布拉斯进行了辩解，他说：“由于戴尔隆的误会，我丧失了获得光荣胜利的机会。"拿破仑当即指示苏尔特给内伊回信说：“你的师是零碎投入战斗的。假使戴尔隆和雷耶两个军集中在一起，则英军不会有一个漏网；假使戴尔隆曾经执行皇帝的命令，则普军将会被击毁，而我们可以俘虏３万人……"一通责备后，拿破仑命令道：“如果英军撤退，就要立即发起进攻，拖住它的后卫部队，把英荷联军抓住，不让他们向布鲁塞尔方向撤退。” １７日上午９时，拿破仑坐上马车，前往利尼村附近巡视昨日的战场，并慰问了急救站中的伤员，指示给予尽量好些的照顾，然后检阅了部队。上午１０时至１１时，搜索普军部队、侦察英军动向的骑兵先后回来报告：普军正在耿布劳斯集中，英军仍留在卡特尔布拉斯没有撤退。拿破仑立即命令格鲁希率领右翼兵力约３．３万人向耿布劳斯方向搜索，追击普军。他本人则率领近卫军和第六军向马尔拜斯前进，从左翼攻击英荷联军，配合内伊部队歼灭该敌。 然而，骑兵带回的情报并非事实。实际上，普军正向华费里退却，在耿布劳斯集中的只是普军的第三军，而且这一军也于当日下午撤往华费里，位于列日的第四军也奉命赶往华费里集中。而惠灵顿在当日凌晨２时得到布吕歇尔战败的消息之后，他看到自己的左翼已完全暴露，随时都有被法军迂回包围的危险，当即决定向布鲁塞尔南面２２公里的滑铁卢地域撤退。这时，普军传令官送来布吕歇尔的急件，布吕歇尔告诉惠灵顿普军已撤至华费里，如果惠灵顿与拿破仑决战，那他一收拢部队即来支援。于是，英荷联军开始撤退。他们利用树林作掩护，在骑兵的警戒下，一队一队地逐次撤走。这一行动竟然使法国人毫无察觉。 此时的拿破仑对撤退中的普军意图还不甚明了，普军是和英军分开，还是联合在一起？ 是掩护布鲁塞尔还是它的补给地列日？普军是否还想在另一次会战中试试他们的运气？于是，他命格鲁希在追击普军的过程中，随时向他报告普军的运动方向。 内伊接到拿破仑要他拖住英荷联军的命令后，因没有发现英荷联军有撤退迹象，故只派小股部队出击，以此缠住敌人。中午时分，他又收到苏尔特的书面命令，苏尔特告诉他皇帝正率军向马尔拜斯进发，这支军队可支援他作战，要他立即进攻防守卡特尔布拉斯的敌军。 可这命令仍没引起内伊的足够重视，他依然从容不平地命令他的部队按时吃午饭。 下午１时左右，拿破仑率领第六军和近卫军到达卡特尔布拉斯东南的马尔拜斯。他发现卡特尔布拉斯方向一片宁静，没有一点战场厮杀之声，感到非常诧异。他带领先头骑兵直奔卡特尔布拉斯，眼前的情况使他大为恼怒，原来内伊的部队还在弗拉斯尼斯，根本没有挪动，而惠灵顿的部队则已基本上撤出了阵地。拿破仑立即命令所有部队立即出发，追击惠灵顿军。直到下午２时左右，内伊的第一军才慢腾腾地从后面赶了上来。拿破仑怒气冲冲，狠狠地斥责了戴尔隆，说他毁了法国。然后，他离开乘坐的马车，骑上他的阿拉伯名驹，率领两个骑兵团，朝英荷联军的殿后部队追击。