Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The name "Hoogomont Farm" was actually known to the British themselves; it was a slip of the tongue by Wellington, who was not familiar with French names, and that's how the name came about.

Actually, it should be Chteau-Goumont, and the name "Goumont" was first used in 1777.

This place, named after the nearby Legomont Forest, is part of Brabant and was purchased by the Knights of Malta in 1474 for 100 gold coins. It remained the property of the Knights until 1536, and changed hands several times afterward. Its current owners are the widow of the nobleman de Honnault and her husband, the retired Austrian Major de Lowell.

This major, despite owning the property, was unable to carry out any repairs.

If it were reinforced a little more, it would be an even stronger fortress for the British.

While the villagers of Wangdai were still on their way, they had already heard the sound of artillery fire.

However, they were probably later glad that they hadn't gotten involved in such a battle.

"Your Majesty, the left wing has already begun exchanging fire."

“Our orders have only just been issued, and Jerome’s actions seem rather hasty.”

Surte was somewhat confused when he heard this.

However, it's understandable. Although Jerome was incompetent in the past, he has shown some growth in this campaign.

Although his performance in Four-Armed Village was only average, he was still brave enough.

This time was no different, but the emperor's decision to send his own brother there was somewhat of a misjudgment in personnel selection.

Surte even thought it might be better to send Demid, who only knew how to do staff work, since the boy had a very thorough understanding of orders.

On such a battlefield, it would be ideal to appoint a valiant general.
Of course, there are some inconsistencies; at least General Baudouin, one of Jérôme's subordinates, is a veteran who has experienced the wars of the past few years.

The 6th Division, in neat formation, ignored the British's precise fire and launched an attack on the farm's main gate despite heavy casualties.

The British built their positions in front of these farms to prevent the French from easily launching an attack on their main lines, ensuring that any attack on any one location would not overlook the other forward positions.

In addition, Wellington also stationed the Cold Creek Guards and Scots behind him.

He would use these men to launch a counterattack should the French make any progress.

Under these circumstances, Wellington also issued an order for the artillery to bombard the attacking French forces.

The artillery fire did indeed hinder the French advance, but it did not stop the French soldiers from attacking the farm gates.

Regardless of how the battle unfolded afterward, the French performed admirably here, opening the gates at the very beginning of the fighting.

The French troops followed suit and attacked, but General Baudouin, the brigade commander next to Jérôme, was soon shot and fell.

While he was observing the battle situation at the Ugumon Farm, he was spotted by a British sniper.

Jerome was with him at the time and saw the general get his head blown off and fall headfirst off his horse.

"Poor Pierre."

However, Jérôme himself did not back down; in fact, he even managed to show some courage.

Among the Bonaparte family, he is probably the one who truly carries the protagonist's aura.

In short, a general on horseback was completely ignored by the British sniper.

The fact that the emperor's rather useless younger brother was so fierce today has boosted the morale of the soldiers.

French troops quickly regrouped on the flat ground ahead and launched an attack on the gates of Ugomont.

If we take a different approach, we should probably just blow up the main entrance of this stone wall.

For infantry, any terrain can be traversed, as long as it's not a cliff or steep slope.

The place, Ugumont, looked like it was on the verge of collapse, and the French assault on the gates forced Wellington to call in his reserves.

The entire battlefield was now shrouded in smoke due to the exchange of fire between the two sides.

At this time, a portion of the British reserve forces had already taken action.

The battlefield situation that Drouot saw at that moment made him consciously move the artillery forward a distance.

"Shall the artillery begin their attack now?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Look over there!"

Napoleon still trusted Drouot's judgment, but he did not expect that with the start of the battle at Ugomont and the mobilization of British reserves, the French artillery bombardment had already begun.

Only a few Dutch and British skirmishers were visible up ahead; the majority of the British troops were positioned on the reverse slope.

However, this probably won't have much of an impact on Drouot.

He has always had excellent control over artillery, and if he could use the firepower from a few artillery positions, he could deal a huge blow to the British.

Some shells even crossed the ridge and bounced over the ridge, causing considerable losses to the British forces.

The British cavalry behind Saint-Jean Hill also had to find a way to change their positions in order to avoid greater casualties.

But that wasn't all. Napoleon's artillery, much like the Congreve rockets launched by the British, also prepared many surprises for the British.

However, the rockets were mainly aimed at the front, targeting La Hire and the British behind the ridge.

This was a deep strike, not because the French had learned to extend their artillery fire, but because their orders remained chaotic.

Soult's plan was to strike the British forces from the rear first, because he knew what the British would do at this point, and Wellington would definitely be lying in wait.

The emperor's nephew had previously been stationed in Reims, and he was even more wicked than Wellington, as he actually deployed his troops along the river, leaving the French with only one landing zone.

The result was not good; those tenacious Russian infantrymen ultimately inflicted considerable losses on the French army.

The Battle of Reims also brought an end to the French army's winning streak, ending in a draw.

Napoleon mentioned this, saying that the most capable soldiers in the Allied forces were Wellington (said to the British) and Archduke Charles (Wellington also acknowledged this), but the most promising was his nephew, a point he also acknowledged.

In order to break through similar tortoise shells, Napoleon was willing to have this thing developed in the arsenal after his return, so that it could strike the enemy deep inside.

And so, the rocket attack began.

However, many rockets landed in La Hire, causing great suffering to the British light infantry in front.

This also made Ney aware of the British deployment at that time.

Who can blame them? This red outfit is so eye-catching no matter where you put it.
The British light infantry at the front suffered heavy casualties; some entire companies were hit by various artillery fire and rockets without even engaging in combat. They were bombarded with almost every type of artillery shell they had ever seen, except for the short-range grapeshot. Some British infantrymen, ignoring their officers' reprimands and the whips in their hands, were now desperately trying to find cover.

Wellington's position was in the rear, and he could feel the pressure from the French artillery at the front, and even saw some shells coming at him.

He now also needs Blücher's reinforcements. It is estimated that Bülow's vanguard will be able to approach the battlefield by 1 p.m.

Everything will be alright as long as the Prussians can get to the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Napoleon received news that greatly surprised him.

That is, Grouchy is moving his cavalry closer to the battlefield. Apart from leaving a cavalry regiment and Gérard to protect the flank, Vandham's army has begun to move and they are also going to enter the flank of the French army.

Both sides were waiting for reinforcements, but they overlooked something.

Those are the troublemakers of Wangdai.

Although they greatly admired General Lamarck, at this time they saw that some of the villages of the British left wing were vacant, and they took it upon themselves to move in that direction.

Lamarck was uncontrollable; these old men were known for their unquestionable obedience when given orders during an attack.

But now we need to find a place to rest. There are some stone buildings, stone walls and ditches along the road in the village outside the British garrison.

That's right, the locals in Vendôme are used to playing guerrilla warfare, and they still like this kind of place to some extent.

Moreover, the local farmers in that area likely still have some supplies left in their cellars.

Soult was both amused and exasperated after receiving Lamarck's report.

The Vendée were indeed extraordinary; they disobeyed orders and were complete novices on the battlefield. However, the artillery fire between the two sides mainly revolved around several core positions on the main battlefield.

As for these troublemakers, they only received a few scattered shells, which was no big deal for them.

Moreover, there were a few places where they could take cover, and they were even able to extend the French army's front line.

So much so that Napoleon, who was focused on Operation Ugomun, did not notice how important a place on the battlefield these former adversaries now occupied before the First Army had even begun its operations.

Whether it's Grouchy's troops or Biló's Prussian army, they all have to pass through the area inhabited by the Vendée rabble to enter the battlefield.

For the French army, they had actually stumbled upon an important node on the front line.

Wellington didn't notice this either; he only learned from his adjutant that Bello and Zieten were each leading their troops toward the front of Saint-Jean.

But he couldn't relax at this time, as the French army was still reinforcing its troops at Ougoumont.

Jerome was fighting his first tough battle and was already a bit carried away. The death of Baudouin beside him really got to him.

After Sawyer's brigade entered the battlefield, he quickly committed these troops to the fight and also asked Reyer for reinforcements.

The number of troops that should be deployed in Wugumeng is actually not that many.

Reye was aware of this, but there was a problem: Jerome was the emperor's younger brother, although he was always an incompetent playboy.

But for those three days, I don't know if it was because I was possessed by a deity or what, but it was surprisingly reliable.

On the first day in Four Arms, although the fighting was fairly standard, there were some bright spots, including a counterattack that repelled the British attack.

The next day, he managed to find out military intelligence at the restaurant where the British had eaten.

Although the emperor initially did not believe it, due to the insistence of Marshal Soult and Prince Leclerc, the emperor's nephew, he eventually changed some orders and ordered Grouchy's army to be mobilized.

This will later prove to be valid intelligence, and the other French generals have no idea what they were doing that day; their intelligence gathering was a complete failure.

Although today was Jerome's worst day in the past three days, he fought very bravely, so much so that when the reserves were called in for a further offensive, the British had to send reinforcements.

If that's the case, there might be a chance to mobilize the British reserves according to the Emperor's plan.

Reye then ordered reinforcements to be sent to Jerome's forces.

Thus, Ugumon became a meat grinder, with the repeated struggles between the two sides revolving around that damned gate.

The chaos on both sides was evident. A layman in ordinary times was now causing both sides' soldiers to fill the pits because of his identity and his heated argument on the farm.

Meanwhile, the artillery fire from the central route became increasingly intense.

British second-line infantry can now also enjoy the benefits of those rockets whistling down.

Some British veterans did recall the events.

"Damn it, that Bonaparte nephew, he must have taught the French this damn thing, otherwise how could they have shot this rocket at our heads?"

However, this is considered an injustice to someone.

Solovyov has always valued technical control and will not voluntarily reveal anything except for breech-loading rifles.

The British didn't like this thing, and even though they got their hands on it, they didn't copy it.

On the French side, perhaps coincidentally, after the emperor had suffered for several years, he finally managed to incorporate all of the Russians' inventions into the French army.

So the British troops are now experiencing the same treatment the Prussians had two days earlier. After discovering the fierce resistance of the British troops, the French have begun using Molotov cocktails.

Of course, some people also like to call this thing "Greek fire," which is a small gadget used for fire prevention.

Then, after the bottles were broken, the Ugumon Farm also caught fire.

After seeing that it was effective, Jerome ordered his soldiers to continue setting fire to the farm.

No matter how tenacious the British were, they couldn't withstand this style of play.

The farm was ablaze, and the buildings inside were almost deserted.

The British preferred to stay on the periphery, and now the two sides are locked in a chaotic battle.

This is what Napoleon hoped to see, but he never expected it to go so far.

Around the Ugomont farm, all the buildings controlled by the British were ablaze, and the French were continuing to set fires.

Perhaps this can be considered a talent, since the French have done this quite often since.

Moreover, a piece of news has now made Napoleon nervous.

The Prussians have appeared in the northeastern part of the battlefield. (End of Chapter)