Chapter 76 Four "A"

Those who wish to have a clear picture of the Battle of Waterloo need only write in their imagination a capital "A" on the ground. The line on the left of the "A" is the Nivelles Road, and the line on the right is the Genappe Road. The horizontal line in the middle of the "A" is a concave road from Oan to Branlal. The top of the "A" is Mount St. John, where Wellington is; the lower left end is Hougoumont, where Reille and Jerome Bonaparte are; the lower right end is Jiameng, where Napoleon is.A little lower than the point where the right leg meets the horizontal line is Saint-Laye, the center point of which is where the last word was uttered after the battle.It is at this point that the lion that inadvertently displays the supreme heroism of the Habayashi Army stands.

From the spire of the "A" to the horizontal line and the triangle between the left and right strokes is the St. John's Hill plateau.The fight for that high ground was the whole of that war. The flanks of the two armies spread out to the right and left on the Rue Genappe and the Rue Nivelles; Derlon faced Picton, Reyer faced Hill. Behind the spire of the "A" and the plateau of Mount St. John is the Sauwanen Forest. As for the plain itself, we may conceive it as a vast, undulating open space; the waves, rising higher and higher, swung in unison towards Mount St. John, until they reached the forest.

On the battlefield, the two armies are fighting, just like two wrestling, hugging each other.Each will make the other fall.We are unwilling to let go of anything; a clump of trees can serve as a stronghold, a corner of a wall can become a pillar, and the lack of support behind can make the whole team unable to stand; a depression on the plain, a change in terrain, a suitable shortcut, A forest or a ravine can support the heels of an army so that it does not retreat.Whoever withdraws from the battlefield loses.Therefore, the responsible coach must carefully and deeply inspect every clump of trees and every slight undulation of terrain.

Generals of both armies had carefully studied the plain of Mount St. John—today known as the Plain of Waterloo.A year ago, Wellington had the foresight to inspect this place and made preparations for a major war.In that decisive battle, on the eighteenth of June, Wellington had the upper hand in that field, and Napoleon was at a disadvantage.The British army is at the top, and the French army is at the bottom. It would be almost eventful to describe here Napoleon on horseback, telescope in hand, on the Rosen Heights at dawn on June 18, 1815.Before writing it, everyone has seen it all.The calm profile under the cap of the Brienne military school, the green uniform, the white lapels covering the medals, the gray coat covering the epaulets, the corner of the red ribbon under the waistcoat, lederhosen, riding a white horse, horse The back is covered with purple velvet, and there are several crowned "N"s and eagles on the corners of the purple velvet. Silk stockings, long riding boots, silver spurs, and Marengo sword are all in everyone's imagination. Some people rejoiced when they saw the face of the last Caesar, and some looked sideways.

That honor has been in the light for a long time, and even heroes are mostly distorted by legends, causing the truth to be obscured for a long time or temporarily, but to this day, both history and the truth have been revealed. That truth—history—is relentless.History has such a characteristic and magic effect that, though it is light, and because it is light, it always casts a shadow wherever the light goes; repel.The darkness of the tyrant and the glory of the commander fight.So the people came to a more correct conclusion.Babylon was ravaged, and Alexander's reputation was tarnished; Rome was enslaved, and Caesar was tarnished; Jerusalem was slaughtered, and Titus was tarnished.Tyranny follows the tyrant.It is a misfortune for a man to have shadows like himself trailing behind him.