Napoleon stared at him and shook his head. ‘The Grand Army has had its fill of war for the present, Michel. We need peace. Time to rest the men and rebuild our strength.’ He turned away, adding under his breath, ‘Ready for the next time it is needed.’

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

While the preliminary articles of the peace negotiations were drawn up by the staff officers of the Emperor and the Tsar, Napoleon entertained his guests with a series of military pageants and reviews. A makeshift parade ground had been prepared by the engineers outside Tilsit complete with a grandstand where Napoleon, Alexander and the wretched Frederick William could sit in comfort as formation after formation of infantry, cavalry and artillery performed drills for their audience.

Napoleon intended these displays to serve two purposes. First to awe the Russians with the quality and quantity of troops at his disposal, and second to buy time until the diplomats gathered at Tilsit to begin the process of agreeing the precise terms of the treaty and drafting the final document for ratification and signatures.

A room had been set aside at the imperial headquarters to serve as the negotiating chamber, and the moment Talleyrand arrived from Berlin the talks began in earnest. The foreign minister arrived at night and was immediately ushered into Napoleon’s private quarters, where he was met by the Emperor in a loose dressing gown.The air was humid and heavy, as if a storm was about to be unleashed over the Prussian countryside.

‘Sire.’ Talleyrand bowed his head. ‘May I congratulate you on your victory over the Russians. I imagine that the news has reached Paris by now and all France is celebrating.’

‘I’m sure of it,’ Napoleon replied curtly. ‘Sit down. I have sent for refreshments. I trust you had a comfortable journey.’

‘It might have been comfortable had these barbarous Prussians ever bothered to maintain proper roads. As it was my internal organs feel as if they have spent the last few days in a butter churn.’

Napoleon chuckled. ‘You were never one for the hard life, Talleyrand.’

‘Indeed, sire. Some are bred for the harsh conditions of waging war, and some are naturally inclined to the comforts of the salon. Sadly, I fall into the latter category and would be of little use to my country on the battlefield.’

‘True, you are weak and soft,’ Napoleon mused, and then decided it would be of benefit to humour his foreign minister. ‘But your skills at the negotiating table are every bit as valuable to me as the martial talents of my generals.’

‘Thank you, sire.’ Talleyrand nodded, and then leaned back in his chair and pulled out a silk cloth to dab his heavy jowls. ‘Once I have had some rest I will be ready to talk to our new friends.’

‘You can sleep later,’ Napoleon responded.‘Once we have conferred.’