Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The British troops also withdrew voluntarily. When the British troops along Hilla's route approached Four Arms, Wellington also issued the order to retreat.

The British army still has considerable strength, and where they will retreat to is a topic of concern for the French.

Jerome spent his life indulging in food, drink, and pleasure. Before his family prospered, his mother and eldest brother supported him. When his second brother became emperor, he even got to show off his power and became king. Even when his family declined, he still lived a comfortable life thanks to the wealth he had amassed over the years, the help of his father-in-law, and the inheritance his mother left to each of his sons.

When they get old, they might even be able to rely on their nephew to show off their power.

After his wife died when he returned to Europe, he was able to remarry and never suffered too much hardship in his life.

He even expanded the Bonaparte family into a North American branch.

His life was so absurd that even his family members were helpless.

But starting from June 16th, he was surprisingly reliable for a few days in his life.

However, this reliability is likely to be time-limited.

On the first day, he led the 6th Division and, with the help of a group of adjutants and staff officers, performed reasonably well, although they were repelled twice by the British army and were even able to pose a threat to the British on the battlefield.

Now that he saw the British retreating, he sent messengers to Commander Reyer and Marshal Ney to explain the current situation.

Where the British were going did indeed become a topic of discussion.

Napoleon achieved a brilliant victory on June 16, inflicting heavy losses on the Prussians.

At times like these, he might exhibit the characteristic Italian smugness.

His bloodline was, after all, Italian. Demid looked at his imperial uncle and couldn't help but laugh and cry.

Jerome's report was also sent to the emperor.

"Jerome said the British had retreated and were heading north on the main road. He actually thought Wellington would find a hillside to ambush us, and that the Prussians were finished."

“Uncle, I think they’re not finished yet. They’ve just been crippled by us. We only killed 17,000 Prussians and captured nearly 10,000, but their main force has been weakened and is probably still around.”

"So what's your opinion?"

“I think Uncle Jerome has a point. Wellington does like to wait in one place and let us attack.”

"Surte, what do you think?"

Napoleon always asked his nephew first, and then went back to ask Soult.

Not to mention that Sull had run into Wellington quite a bit during the robberies in Spain, he was aware of the situation.

“I think he will resort to such tactics, Your Majesty. Wellington always avoids a serious defeat and pre-selects his positions. He left a rearguard in front of Four Arms, and then he should do something somewhere on the way to Brussels.”

"If that's the case, we'll chase after him; we're bound to have a run into him eventually."

However, because of the presence of the rearguard, even if they were to take a bite now, it wouldn't make any difference.

Napoleon was now more concerned with the Prussians who were already on their way to retreat.

If they really do collapse, I probably only need to send out cavalry to pursue them.

However, in the end, the army's official report could state that 30,000 enemy soldiers had been annihilated, but it was also necessary to consider that the Prussians were not like usual, with the entire regiment running away and an entire battalion deserting.

There is still a possibility that the Prussian army will gather somewhere.

Napoleon then ordered Grouchy to lead his troops in pursuit.

He arranged this task and also gave Grouchy the title of Marshal of the Empire.

Considering that Grouchy was previously removed from his position as General-level Inspector General of the Jaffee, this was also an honorary title given to him as a form of encouragement.

Grouchy's own task was not too difficult: to search for the Prussians and stop them from getting close.

The overconfident aspects of Napoleon's personality are now being exposed.

He even believed that the Prussian army had lost its organization and probably wouldn't quickly regroup with the British.

That's the kind of thinking I have; I'm always subjectively overconfident.

There was nothing he could do; he'd done this many times before.

A person with strong personal command skills will inevitably have absolute confidence in this area.

At this point, Wellington was indeed retreating north.

During the relatively peaceful period of 1814, Wellington visited Belgium, where he observed and carefully surveyed the terrain around Mont Sainte-Jean.

Although he didn't know where he would be fighting a major battle in the future, the terrain had already piqued his curiosity.

Unable to establish a foothold near Four Arms, the British troops were now retreating in this direction. If the main force of the Anglo-Dutch forces could reach Saint-Jean Hill, they could probably still fight a battle by establishing a defensive position there.

He was also planning how to wage war.

Napoleon's actions were only slightly slower; after his great victory at Ligny, he was about to send Grouchy to pursue Blücher's Prussian army.

At the same time, he wanted to join forces with Davout and Ney to deliver a final, decisive blow to Wellington with the troops at his disposal.

If Napoleon could defeat the Anglo-Prussian forces and gain an advantage in the Low Countries, he could then consider dealing with his next opponent.

He was confident that the Prussian army would retreat along the transportation lines, but he never expected that some Prussian troops would not join the battle.

Billo's Prussian 4th Corps lagged behind and did not join Linni's failed battle.

They even had the capability to provide support to the front lines from behind after the main Prussian army collapsed.

After taking in the scattered soldiers, Bülow also sent a messenger to Blücher.

However, he was also unsure, because Blücher had fallen into a mud pit yesterday and was still in a daze. In fact, the orders were mostly relayed by Gneisenau.

After realizing the dire situation, Gneisenau knew that if he retreated along the transportation lines, he could probably save the Prussian army.

However, when it came to fighting the French, Napoleon would have preferred the Prussian army to escape like this.

So he changed his marching route, and the 4th Corps headed toward Wafl. In addition, the main force that had been scattered and regrouped on the 17th was also preparing to advance in this direction and wait for an opportunity to join up with the British army.

When facing such an overpowered boss in a team battle, the Anglo-Prussian-Dutch allied forces always have to find ways to change the course of the battle.

"Give this letter to the Duke of Wellington and tell him we will try our best to get closer to them." Gneisenau handed the letter to another adjutant, who had been sent to the British army to inform them of the Prussian defeat, but had not yet returned.

He couldn't confirm the situation, but considering the bigger picture, it was indeed worth doing something.

Clausewitz, who had just come from Tillman to report on the current situation of the 3rd Army, was now also somewhat puzzled.

"Your Excellency, if we advance towards Wärtsilä now, and are on the same line as the British army, we cannot rule out the possibility that Napoleon might not divide his forces and instead attempt to deliver a decisive blow to the British. What should we do then?"

“Then it won’t be Bonaparte anymore; he will definitely pursue them. On the surface, he has always been very confident, but you must also know, Karl, France cannot afford to suffer a defeat now. If he fails, he cannot continue to sit on the throne in Paris.”

Gneisenau is now also considering the issue from a political perspective. In the past, when he lobbied the Tsar to cross the Rhine, he adopted the attitude that war should serve political purposes, and this attitude has always been effective.

Meanwhile, Napoleon was unaware of the situation.

However, he did take action, sending light cavalry to pursue them.

Some scattered Prussian Ulan lancers and some mounted artillerymen encountered the French army on the road.

These people have not yet joined the main force and appear to be scattered and disorganized. They are not even heading towards Wafur; instead, they seem to be retreating in the direction of Namur.

The French cavalry easily defeated them, even capturing all the cannons that had fallen behind.

The ensuing pursuit yielded a considerable harvest. Napoleon dispatched pursuing troops, but because the Prussian army was moving too fast, he did not use infantry to pursue them; only a few cavalry regiments chased them for a while.

After achieving their goal, they hurriedly returned.

Thus, Napoleon finally decided to send Grouchy to pursue them towards Namur.

Judging from the perspective at the time, the decision itself was not wrong.

However, one point was overlooked: the Prussian army's movements were not heading in this direction.

Even when French soldiers witnessed some Prussian movements, they failed to report them in a timely manner.

On the contrary, Major Falkenhausen of the Prussian army headquarters led a cavalry unit to conduct effective reconnaissance along the French army's route of operation, based on the French army's route of movement.

This meant that there were always some gaps in the French army's front lines.

The major problem for Prussia at this time was that, apart from Bülow who had not yet joined the battle, the rest of the Prussian army had consumed a large amount of ammunition.

For Prussian infantry, the lack of ammunition was a huge problem.

They already possessed a significant advantage due to their extremely high rate of fire.
Blücher was bedridden at the time, and when an elderly person falls, it can cause serious injuries.

The old man was just tough; this old cavalryman was incredibly resilient and could withstand many falls and setbacks, and he remained conscious.

After the 3rd and 4th Armies were assembled, the adjutant sent by Gneisenau returned on the afternoon of the 17th.

He brought news from Wellington. Blücher did not immediately respond, but Gneisenau's order was correct; it was now possible to move towards the British from Wahlgård.

He simply didn't know exactly when the Prussian army would be able to join forces with the British army, or whether they would later join the battle.

After all, the Prussian army had already suffered heavy losses in the battle of Lini.

However, Wellington is like that; he will also set up positions at St. Jean Hill.

He kept his own plans a secret, but he did not instruct his officers to keep the movements of the Prussian army a secret.

Therefore, even when two British officers were talking in a restaurant on the road, they made no attempt to conceal the Prussian army's actions at that time.

Even these words were overheard by the restaurant owner and waiters.

The British often come to the Netherlands, which is Belgium, where French is the majority of the language spoken. There are always people who learn some English in order to entertain the British.

The British hadn't noticed this yet; they even tipped.

But the British can sometimes be a bit stingy with tips.

Next, the British continued their retreat, deploying their troops on Mount Saint-Jean and beginning to utilize the reverse slope of the hillside to build positions and lay obstacles.

Napoleon was skilled in using artillery, so he made it difficult for his artillery advantage to be fully utilized at long range.

Of course, Wellington and Napoleon never clashed, and it's unknown that his subordinate Drouot used cannons better than Napoleon, who always had to consider the overall situation.

In addition, a few days ago a volcano erupted in the Dutch East Indies, spewing gases and dust into the atmosphere, which were carried to Europe and joined the cyclone here.

It was bound to rain eventually, and in such circumstances, the pampered officers along the way would inevitably need to find a place to shelter from the rain.

Jerome unfortunately stopped at the place where the British had eaten.

He was supposed to meet Napoleon, but the emperor actually had the mind to concern himself with France's internal affairs at a time like this.

He even exchanged views on this issue with Marshal Grouchy and General Gérard.

His attention was not entirely focused on military matters.

The French patrols were actually only one kilometer away from the Prussian troops, but they did not send out scouts or patrols.

The scattered Prussian retreats toward Wafur that the French soldiers had previously observed were overlooked because no reconnaissance was dispatched.

Jérôme was unaware that at this moment, while Napoleon was talking to Grouchy, Grouchy, who was always loyal to the emperor's orders, actually raised an objection.

Of course, he didn't know where the Prussian army had gone.

"Your Majesty, I think we should not divide our forces now, but concentrate our troops to deal with the British."

“How could you think that? Grouchy, Grouchy, the Prussians will go along their trade routes toward Namur and Liège.”

"But Prussia is moving too fast. If we split our forces, it will be difficult to catch up. That's clear."

But Napoleon insisted on his opinion and demanded that Grouchy send troops out.

At this time, the rain outside was getting heavier and heavier, and the situation was very bad.

Jerome was still in the mood for a meal at this point, but he was very generous, much more so than the British.

This is because he usually spends money lavishly and is always enjoying himself. Even in a small roadside restaurant like this, he would still give generous tips.

His luck wasn't bad either; he even managed to find out about a big news story. (End of Chapter)