Napoleon strode away through the main hall of the hotel that had been commandeered for the temporary headquarters of the Grand Army. The place buzzed with the excitement of victory as the officers toasted each other with wine taken from the hotel’s cellar. Napoleon ignored them all as he climbed the stairs to the hotel’s best suite of rooms, which was serving as his personal quarters. An officer rose from a bench outside the door leading into the private dining room as Napoleon approached. He was spattered with mud and a bandage had been crudely tied about his head. Nevertheless, there was no hiding the triumphant gleam in his eye as he greeted his Emperor.

‘Sire, I have come from Marshal Davout.’

‘I know that.’ Napoleon waved a hand dismissively. ‘Make your report. Wait, who are you?’

‘Captain Tobriant, of Marshal Davout’s staff, sire.’

‘Very well, Tobriant. What news from Davout? Did he manage to contain the enemy’s flank guard?’

‘Flank guard?’ Captain Tobriant looked surprised. ‘Sire, I don’t think you understand. Marshal Davout begs to inform you that he met with the main body of the Prussian army on the Auerstadt road and defeated it today.’

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Napoleon stared at him for a moment and then shook his head. ‘What nonsense is this? The main Prussian army fought us here at Jena.’

Captain Tobriant’s exultant expression faded. ‘Sire, Marshal Davout estimates that his corps faced more than sixty thousand Prussians today.’

‘Sixty thousand?’ Napoleon laughed. ‘Impossible! How could Davout have defeated so many? Why, that would mean he was outnumbered by more than two to one.’

‘Yes, sire. That’s right.’ Tobriant nodded, then reached into his jacket and pulled out a slim despatch. ‘His report, sire.’

Napoleon took the document and hurriedly broke the seal, unfolded it and read through the briefly recounted details. Then he lowered the report and glanced up at Tobriant. ‘This can’t be true.Your commander is seeing double. He could not possibly have overcome such odds. The real battle was here. The victory is mine. Mine. Davout’s fight was merely a flank action. Does he think he can usurp my glory?’

Captain Tobriant opened his mouth to protest, then thought better of it as he made his reply. ‘Sire, you have Marshal Davout’s report. I can only say that I witnessed the battle from his headquarters, close enough to the fighting to be wounded by a spent musket ball. I know what I saw, sire, and Marshal Davout speaks the truth.’

‘Then he must be a fool,’ Napoleon snapped. ‘You return to him at once and tell him to present himself here first thing in the morning when he can make a more sober, and accurate, account of his . . . skirmish.’

‘Skirmish?’ Tobriant looked astonished for a moment before he recovered his composure. ‘I will go and report to him, sire.’