Napoleon stared at his chief of staff. ‘Believe me, if we could win over their hearts then I would spare no effort to do so. But we do not have the time for that. I must have order in Spain as soon as possible. The only way to achieve that is by exercising ruthlessness. Spain must be whipped into submission, like a dog. Once these people accept our rule, then we can exercise a degree of leniency. But first we must break their will to resist.’
Berthier did not look convinced, but he responded, ‘As you order, sire.’
Napoleon nodded sourly, and bit off another chunk of bread. ‘Yes, as I order. Now then, what of these Spanish soldiers? Do we know how their forces are disposed? Are they still as they were when you reported to me last week?’
‘Yes, sire.’ Berthier approached the map and indicated the salient features as he spoke. ‘The enemy appears to be trying to encircle our forces, from the west of the River Ebro, and here to the east at Tarazona. There is a third army to the south of the Ebro, blocking the route to Burgos.’
Napoleon wiped his hands on the napkin that had accompanied the plate, then joined Berthier in front of the map and examined it closely for a moment before he spoke. ‘Since our enemies are insistent on dividing their forces and adding to their blunder by advancing to meet us, we shall make the most of their mistake.’ He studied the map and then pointed at the Ebro, where it cut across the north of Spain, above Burgos. ‘The army will cross here, and then Lefebvre and Victor will wheel to the right to cut behind the western thrust of the enemy. Once we are certain we have them trapped then Ney and Lannes can turn to the east and destroy the enemy’s right flank.The rest of the army, under Marshal Bessières, will make for Burgos. As soon as our flanks are secured I will march on Madrid.’
‘Yes, sire.’ Berthier nodded, noting the Emperor’s directions.
Napoleon’s gaze switched towards the lands of Portugal and he tapped his fingers lightly on his lips as he thought. ‘There is one thing that still concerns me.’
‘Sire?’
‘The British. If General Moore crosses the border into Spain he may cause us some difficulty if he can isolate any of our corps. Notify all our columns. I want any news of the British army’s movements sent directly to me.’
‘Yes, sire.’
‘Very well then,’ Napoleon concluded.‘If all goes well, the army will take Madrid before the year is out and Joseph will have his throne once and for all.’
The Army of Spain crossed the Ebro, but despite the simplicity of the Emperor’s plan for the campaign, it was soon beset by problems. Bessières led his army forward at a snail’s pace and Napoleon was forced to replace him with Soult before the vanguard was even in sight of Burgos. The Spanish garrison of the city, some ten thousand proud but foolish men, sallied out of the city to face the French host on a low ridge a short distance from the gates. There they put up a brief fight before being routed and cut to pieces. The following day Napoleon established his headquarters in Burgos and his troops set about sacking the town. Their Emperor hurriedly issued a general order forbidding pillaging and threatening summary justice for any men who defied the order.
As soon as Burgos was secured, the French columns moved west and east to clear the flanks of the Army of Spain. Then news of a battle fought at Tudela reached headquarters. Marshal Lannes had broken a Spanish army, though much of the enemy force escaped intact due to Ney’s failure to cut off their retreat.
Napoleon was furious, and immediately sent an order for Ney to report to him at headquarters. Two days later Ney arrived, soaked through, spattered with mud and exhausted after a hard ride from Tudela. He was ushered into the imperial presence immediately and stood to attention under the glowering eyes of the Emperor as rain beat against the windows of the office.
‘You have let me down, Ney,’ Napoleon began.‘What is wrong with my commanders that they should fail me so? First Victor underestimates his enemy and leaves his corps strung out and vulnerable to counter-attack. I ask you, how could a man of his experience underestimate the worst army in Europe? Then Lefebvre sends his men in piecemeal attacks against entrenched troops. And now you do not arrive in time at Tudela and the enemy escapes. Tell me, Ney, what is your excuse this time?’
‘This time?’ Ney replied with evident ill-temper. ‘And when have I let your majesty down in the past?’
‘The past does not matter.’ Napoleon dismissed the comment with a curt wave. ‘You failed to move your army quickly enough. Because of you most of the enemy escaped.’
‘Sire, you asked the impossible. When your orders reached me I was required to lead my corps one hundred and twenty miles in three days. Over mountains. It was impossible. No soldiers in the entire army could have done that.’
‘It might have been possible had you not rested your men for two days at Soria.’
‘It was barely a day, sire. Half the men were straggling. I had to let them catch up or I would not have reached Lannes with enough men to serve any purpose.’
‘Rubbish! Davout managed an equally hard march before the Battle of Rivoli.’
‘Sire, that was half the distance, over better roads,’ Ney protested.
‘You dissemble, Marshal Ney, and you know it.’ Napoleon thrust a finger at him. ‘Admit it, you failed to do your duty.’
‘No, sire. I did my duty.’ Ney’s expression hardened.‘What I failed to do was the impossible. If you had considered the matter more closely before you sent me my orders you would surely have seen that.’
Napoleon breathed in sharply. ‘How dare you speak to me in such a manner!’
But Ney was not cowed and nodded towards the wall. ‘Look at the map if you don’t believe me. Measure out the distance with those dividers you are so fond of. Then you’ll see I speak the truth.’ Ney paused a moment to control his rising temper. ‘Sire, I serve you loyally. I am a soldier and I obey orders to the utmost of my ability. But if the orders are at fault then I will not take the blame for the consequences. Now, if you feel I have betrayed your confidence, or, indeed, you feel no confidence in my abilities, then dismiss me. I will not be held to account for the failings of another.’ Ney stiffened to attention. ‘Sire.’
There was silence as the two men glared at each other. The only noise was the rain at the window and occasional dull whirr as a gust of wind swept round the building. Napoleon gritted his teeth. He was enraged by Ney’s defiance and for a while he was almost consumed by the desire to dismiss the marshal on the spot and send him back to France in disgrace. But he was forced to admit that Ney was a fine leader, and a capable subordinate. He had served his country bravely and loyally and been promoted to his present rank by Napoleon himself. Ney was a popular man, both within the army and with the French public. If Napoleon dismissed him now, his own judgement might well be called into question. That would not do. The latest reports from Fouché indicated that the people were becoming increasingly disillusioned with the almost perpetual state of war. Open dissent between the Emperor and his marshals would only increase unrest.