There was once an ancient proverb.
For want of a nail, a horseshoe was lost; for want of a horseshoe, a horse was lost; for want of a horse, a general was lost; for want of a general, a war was lost; for want of a war, a kingdom was lost.
A tiny oversight could bring disastrous consequences. Before setting out, Georgiana came to Versailles to find Davout, commander of the Imperial Guard.
This time, he would not be accompanying them north. With Bessières, Rapp, and Lebrun, there were more than enough people. Apart from the trip to Lyon for the Italian founding ceremony, Napoleon never took many guards with him wherever he went. Who knew whether he was bold or truly believed bullets did not recognize him?
Versailles had once been filled with elegantly dressed nobles. Now, this resplendent palace was full of soldiers. They had turned the magnificent palace into a complete mess, painting slogans all over the walls and setting up barricades in places they considered strategically important. Gendarmes rode ostentatiously through the camp, while soldiers always marched in formation whenever they went anywhere. No one dared appear improperly dressed.
Besides being skilled at command, Napoleon was also strict in his military discipline. Georgiana had once heard that Louis XIV had cut off the noses of prostitutes who lingered around the Versailles military camp. Along the way, however, she had not seen a single woman wandering near the camp.
This was an inevitable problem whenever troops were stationed in prosperous, wealthy places. Many once-renowned units had lost their fighting strength this way.
As long as Napoleon lived, it would be almost impossible for France to fight another Great Patriotic War like the one in 1792. Archduke Charlie of Austria would not lead a great army to attack