The Generals

‘Good.’ Napoleon felt some of the tension drain from him, and he crossed over to the window and gazed out over the rooftops of Cairo. ‘The sooner these people are on our side the better. Especially given the wider situation. Speaking of which . . . Junot, are you ready to make your report?’

‘Yes, sir.’ Junot rose to his feet and cleared his throat before he began. ‘According to our spies, the enemy still fighting us in lower Egypt amounts to some fifteen thousand mounted Arabs, and perhaps as many as fifty thousand infantry. Fortunately for us they have not evolved any effective tactics for engaging our columns. They ca

There was a ripple of angry muttering from the officers and Junot waited until they were silent again before continuing. ‘A formal protest has been sent to the Turkish Sultan in Constantinople, demanding that he censure Ahmad Pasha. That might not count for much, but if Ahmad Pasha can be made to think that he is threatened from Turkey if he leads his army against us, then at least he might think twice about throwing his lot in with Murad Bey.’ When Junot sat down, Napoleon was gazing into his courtyard. Pauline and a few of the other officers’ wives and mistresses were sitting by a fountain chatting happily. He felt tired, and in need of a break from his official duties. More than anything he desired to be in the arms of Pauline. Then at least he would be spared the weighty concerns of commanding his isolated army.

‘That is all for today, gentlemen.You are dismissed.’

Chapter 41

‘The Sultan’s declared war on France?’ Napoleon stared at Berthier as his chief of staff lowered the dispatch he had been reading to his general. ‘How can that be? Talleyrand is supposed to be in Constantinople concluding a treaty.’

Berthier indicated the report. ‘He never left Paris, sir.’

Napoleon breathed in sharply through his nostrils and then hissed. ‘The bastard . . . So now we’re at war with the Sultan as well as Ahmad Pasha.’

‘It’s more than just a war, sir.The Sultan has issued a firman to all Muslims declaring a holy war against France.’

‘A holy war, eh?’ Napoleon clasped his hands behind his back and turned to the map on the wall. ‘He can have his war, then. No doubt he will try to attack us on two fronts. From Syria in the east, together with a landing near Alexandria, a pincer movement. I’m sure our friends in the Royal Navy will be lending the Turks their full support, so we must deny the English the use of the harbours at Jaffa and Acre. If we move swiftly, Berthier, we can advance to Acre, deal with Ahmad Pasha and destroy the Sultan’s army at Damascus, then fall back to Egypt to counter the other pincer. In the longer term, of course, we will need to occupy Syria to act as a buffer between Turkey and Egypt. And from there we could even march east to India.’ Napoleon’s mind recalled a report he had read in a bundle of newspapers taken from a merchant ship by one of the frigates that had survived the slaughter in Aboukir Bay. ‘The sooner we can turn our attention towards India the better. The British have appointed a new Governor General, the Earl of Mornington. The man has ambitions to extend British power right across the subcontinent, if newspaper reports are to believed. France ca

‘Yes, sir,’ Berthier replied evenly. ‘Provided we have the reinforcements we have requested from Paris.’

‘It’s always a question of reinforcements. If those fools in Paris could see any further than the ends of their noses, we would have received more men long ago. They seem to think we can achieve miracles, Berthier.’

‘You have before, sir.’

‘Yes, well, the magic will run out one day.’ Napoleon laughed. ‘But not for a while yet, eh?’

Ten thousand men were left behind in Egypt to keep order and guard against any attempt made by the Turks to land an army by sea. Napoleon gave orders for the four depleted divisions of Reynier, Bon, Kléber and the recently promoted La

‘Sir, it’s good to see you.’

‘And you, Berthier. What news have we had from Reynier? He must have reached Syria by now.’

‘No, sir. He hasn’t.’ Berthier looked agitated.

‘What’s happened?’

‘He’s been forced to stop at El Arish, about fifty miles from here. The enemy have built a strong fort, with a large garrison. Reynier is besieging it.’

Napoleon whacked his hat against his thigh and swore. ‘Very well, show me on the map.’

Inside the headquarters tent Berthier led him to the map table where a large, but sparsely detailed, chart was spread out. Berthier pointed the village out to his general. ‘As you can see, El Arish lies astride the route into Syria. We dare not advance and leave such a strong force to threaten our communications. We have to take the fort, sir. There’s no alternative.’

‘But Reynier’s had five days to do the job already.’ Napoleon fumed. ‘What’s holding him up?’

‘He hasn’t been able to get his guns forward, sir.’

‘Why not?’

‘It’s the sand, sir. It’s too soft.The artillery train is struggling to make more than five or six miles a day. And that’s just the field artillery. The siege guns are still here.’

Napoleon thumped his fist on the table. ‘I will not permit this delay! We have to strike at Acre as quickly as possible, before the enemy can react. Before they can land forces near Alexandria.’

‘The guns are being moved up as fast as possible,’ Berthier protested.

‘Well it’s not fast enough!’ Napoleon took a deep breath and calmed his anger before he continued in a more reasonable tone. ‘All right then, Berthier. It’s not Reynier’s fault, it’s the sand. In which case you must make arrangements for the siege guns to be moved up to Syria by sea. Find some ships and we’ll send for them the moment we reach Acre. Meanwhile, we must get the army moving. I’m riding forward to Reynier at once. I want you to give orders to break camp, and bring the rest of the army across the Sinai. Clear?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Then get to work. I’ll see you at El Arish.’

He hurried from the tent, barking an order to the commander of his escort to get the mounted guides back into their saddles. Without waiting for them, he swung himself back on to his horse and spurred it into a gallop. As he raced through the camp Napoleon barely had time to acknowledge the cheers and greetings of the men he passed, but he was glad to see them in high spirits again after the frustration and boredom of the previous months. With the prospect of a campaign before them, and more of the rich pickings from their fallen enemies, the men had recovered their fighting spirit and Napoleon hoped that he could get the offensive moving forward once again while there was time to make the most of their élan.