After justifying the unjustified invasion of the territory of the Turkish Empire, the Directorate complained that the Mamluks, who controlled the Egyptian government, had close ties with the British and were increasingly dependent on them. As a result, the Mamluks were hostile to the French people and opposed them with terror and cruelty, causing trouble, looting and killing them every day. Therefore, the French Republic had no choice but to pursue the enemies of the Republic on all fronts. The order concluded,"The British have complete control of the Cape of Good Hope, and the French Republic has no choice but to open another passage to India." The third order was to instruct Napoleon to occupy the Maltese Republic because of Malta hatred of the French and its refusal to recognize the newly established French Republic five years ago, which had paralyzed French navigation in the Mediterranean. With the secret release of these three orders, in the eyes of the Governor, the entire military operation was completely legal and could be carried out freely.
The planning of the war was carried out in full swing. The next day, as if the expeditionary army's preparations for war were not busy enough, Napoleon once again showed his outstanding strategic foresight to the world. He presented a long situation analysis report entitled " Explanation of the War against Britain " to the Directorate-General. In this report, he warned the Governor: Although the plan to invade England had been shelved, it could not be canceled. In fact, he saw this plan as an important part of the global military strategy, and the invasion of Egypt was just another part of it. The purpose was to force the arrogant British to sit at the negotiating table and live in peace with France.
The astonishing report of the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Army suggested that the French would land in both places in November 1798: On the one hand, 40,000 troops set out from Bologna in 400 warships to attack England; On the other hand, 10,000 troops set out from the occupied Dutch island of Tessel to attack the Scottish coast. At the same time, the expeditionary army conquered Egypt. This was indeed an absurd and illogical daydream. In order to realize this plan, so that the French Navy could rival the British Navy, Napoleon proposed a costly shipbuilding plan, with a budget of 40 million to 50 million Francs.
It seemed like a crazy plan-for the relatively weak French navy, it was completely unrealistic to attack the British colonies in India, Egypt, and the British mainland at the same time-but it was a very exciting plan. Napoleon believed that only through such a global military operation could the British be defeated. However, Napoleon ignored the British naval strategy, and at the same time seriously ignored the French navy's training, the poor quality of officers and sailors. This was a major weakness in his entire military career. When he made a plan to wipe out a powerful enemy, it was often based on his personal wishes. He did not want to understand or consider the military strength of the opponent, his own disadvantages or strategic problems, and his own possible failure.
It was hard to say how reckless, irresponsible, or crazy Napoleon was to propose such a risky plan…After all, he was only 28 years old! Considering the unrest in Europe, the unstable peace brought about by the peace agreement with Austria, and the fact that Britain was still trying to form a new anti-French alliance on the European continent, it was impossible for France to withdraw its army and naval forces on its borders and coasts. At present, Napoleon was having difficulty gathering 38,000 men for the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. By April 15, he was still short of 9,000 men, not to mention the problem of recruiting naval recruits and the lack of troop-carrying ships, frigates, and assault ships.
The most basic military equipment, including guns, ammunition, shoes, and socks, had always been a problem for the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (Napoleon's official proposal only mentioned the plan to use 28,000 troops). Even the simple problem of flour supply was difficult. Due to the drought in Corsica, the water mill could not operate, and a large amount of wheat could not be ground into flour for shipment. Moreover, due to the lack of wood, ships and fuel used in impoverished Egypt would be a problem in the future.
The main problem, and the key to success or failure, was-as Bruise had pointed out-the lack of training in the French Navy. Fleeing, low pay, poor conditions, threats of death, and unqualified, undisciplined new sailors and officers made the French navy useless. Officers were not as reliable as sailors who were afraid of death. The demoralized navy was the black sheep of the entire army, which made the newly appointed Vice Admiral Bruyes feel troubled. He needed enough warships, sailors, and officers. Otherwise, how could he attack India, Egypt, and England at the same time as Napoleon suggested? Even if it was a nightmare to collect 10 million to 15 million Francs for the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (the maximum amount was not disclosed), according to Napoleon's battle plan, 50 million Francs was an astronomical figure that was simply unattainable. The peace agreement cut off the financial resources of the French treasury. Although the spoils of war from the occupied Netherlands, belgium, Switzerland, and Italy continued to be shipped to France, the French treasury was still on the verge of bankruptcy. Due to the signing of the peace agreement, France cut off the two sources of income, the spoils of war and the war contributions. In addition, Napoleon had neglected an important factor in his plan, which was time.
As early as March, Napoleon first proposed a plan to conquer Egypt, considering that it was impossible to attack Britain for several years because it would take time to build ships and build a new navy. A month later, however, he was talking about a larger war in November 1798. It would take several months to order the wood, hemp, canvas, and other materials needed for shipbuilding, and it might take several years to finish. Even if one considered the fastest situation and used the largest amount of funds, it would take two to two and a half years to implement Napoleon's plan. However, he suggested that the war should be launched within seven months, as if in a daydream.
Naturally, Napoleon's dream did not come true. Unfortunately, Monge had not been able to study his latest suggestion, and neither had the practical Bertier. Nevertheless, this grand fantasy proved to the Directorate that General Napoleon had a terrifying genius in his mind, capable of handling a complex global strategic problem. Though his plan was unfeasible, it was the plan of an extraordinary man who could do anything they wanted or feared in the future. He would soon be going to the distant countries on the other side of the Mediterranean, which was a great relief to the Directorates.
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