The decisive battle to end Napoleon's European hegemony was not Waterloo, butLeipzig in October 1813. In this war, also known as the "nationalwar", France and the anti-French coalition invested more than 500,000troops, causing 100,000 casualties.

This was the largest battle in European history, and the result was comparableto its size. In less than six months, coalition forces occupied Paris,restored the Bourbon dynasty, and put the obese Louis XVIII on thethrone. On the other hand, Napoleon was exiled to Elba, a smallMediterranean island far from the mainland. His history seems to be over.

But Napoleon was unwilling to accept such an arrangement. He firmlybelieves that he is the one who controls fate. So he put all the bets onhimself and then rolled the dice. On February 26, 1815, Napoleon escapedfrom the island of Elba, and landed in the French mainland three days later,using a coalition raid. In the following month, he took his charm to Parisand to the south, during which the army loyal to the Bourbon family defectedone after another without causing him any trouble. Louis XVIII fled in ahurry less than a year after he had been on the throne. The omnipotentNapoleon seemed to be back.

The extraordinary expansion of France since the Revolutionary War of 1792 waslargely due to the fact that major powers had their own demons, but this timethey were determined not to make the mistakes of the past. Russia,Austria, Prussia and the United Kingdom have vowed each of their 150,000 troopsto fight France until Napoleon is completely overthrown. The coalition'smilitary strength was so strong and its determination so strong that Napoleon,who had failed to make peace, had to take the initiative. However, when heled a 123,000 northern army into Belgium in mid-June 1815, as many as 220,000British-Prussian troops were stationed here. The contrast between the strengthsof the two sides is too wide.

On June 15, 1815, France invaded the course of Belgium.

As Ellen Forrest points out in his new book: "Even if he wins in Waterloo,Napoleon will definitely lose the war. Victory will only give him a temporaryrespite. In a long war, only one Winner. "We will never know how long itwill take for the Russians and Austrians to force Napoleon to yield again,because as a result, the multinational coalition of Wellington and the Prussianarmy of Brucher are already an insurmountable divide.

Waterloo was not the climax of the French War of Independence and Napoleon, butit had a huge and lasting impact. In Britain, there is only one roadcalled Leipzig (located in Hampshire), but there are 350 paths, squares andavenues called Waterloo. For the always sensitive French tourists, Britishroad signs will constantly stimulate their nerves, although the Eurostarterminal has moved away from Waterloo. Every continent has towns namedafter this war, especially the United States. There is also a"Waterloo Peak" on the South Island of New Zealand.

How can we explain the difference between this importance and influence betweenthen and future generations? In a way, this is a tribute to Napoleon'soutstanding achievements. From 1796 to 1807, Napoleon led his invinciblearmy across Europe with unprecedented success. But by 1815, more than 20years of continuous war had caused huge damage to the European continent,killing about 5 million residents, a proportion comparable to that of World WarI. That's why survivors cheered when news came that Napoleon was exiled toSt. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic. For these people,Leipzig only dug out Napoleon's grave, and Waterloo eventually covered thecoffin.

Of the winning nations, Britain has the most reason tocelebrate. Throughout the war, they fought the longest and contributed themost. But before the Battle of Waterloo, although they thrived at sea andestablished an unshakable maritime advantage after the Battle of Trafalgar,they rarely confronted Napoleon on land. Even Wellington's achievements onthe Iberian Peninsula are more like a journey of suffering, while being drownedin the victory of the Central European Union. But Waterloo gave them thebiggest compensation. Under the watchful eye of Europe, although theinitial war was unfavorable, they still prevented the French army from drippingbefore concession, thus earning valuable time for the Pu army. Before theBritish public feared that Napoleon might invade again, they rejoiced andcelebrated his final defeat.

People with a global perspective consider Waterloo to be the last chapter ofthe "second century war" between Britain and France. Since theGlorious Revolution, Britain and France have successively fought in the GrandAlliance War (1688-97), the Spanish Succession War (1701-13), the AustrianSuccession War (1740-48), the Seven Years War (1756-63), and the AmericanIndependence War ( 1778-83), the French Revolutionary War and the NapoleonicWars (1793-1815) fought against European and global hegemony. Waterloo'svictory marked the beginning of a new era led by Britain, so that then Ministerof Foreign Affairs Lord Castleray commented on Wellington's victory in a speechto the House of Commons: "This achievement is so high and so It'simportant that no country can see the chronicles of history. " Thenews of

Glasgow's Wellington statue

winning Waterloo soon sparked celebrations across Britain, for the first timesince the Battle of Ginkgo. Among the leaders was Robert Lausset, thelaurel poet. As an Englishman, he considered the Battle of Waterloo"the greatest liberation that civilized society has experienced since thedefeat of the invading Islamic army by Charlie Matt, the hammer in 732AD." Napoleon is "the embodiment of the guiding principles ofFrench politicians since 1789", which is a "struggle of theprinciples of good and evil". As winners, they deserve to be drunk:

What British people do not feel a

sense of pride and arrogance flowing on that land?

What British cheeks won't glow to

hear our country is blessed and magnified?

Because Britain is suitable for all ages, it

is praised by every heart and every language.

However, the festivities were soon interrupted by the following tragiccasualties. On June 18, nearly 200,000 soldiers and 400 cannons gatheredon the Waterloo battlefield, only a few kilometers away. After nine hoursof fighting, the French army lost about 25,000 people and the winning coalitionsuffered the same casualties. "The entire battlefield is full ofcorpses. Somewhere to the right of Raison, French iron cavalry can be said tobe stacked. Many uninjured soldiers are crushed under the horse. Others, suchas the scared wounded, Occasionally wrestled with their horses. The sight wasdisgusting, and I had no way or ability to help them. Officers and soldiersallowed to leave the queue could be seen throughout the battlefield, crying fordead or dying brothers or comrades. "19 Major Harry Smith, who visited thebattlefield on Sunday, wrote. At that time, the

battlefield of Waterloo after World War II was

not as fierce as Waterloo. For example, Ello and Albuquerque are evenworse. However, unlike Elo in Eastern Europe and Albuquerque in theIberian Peninsula, Waterloo's battlefield is close to the heart ofEurope. In the weeks and even days after the fighting, hordes of touristsswarmed in and witnessed the massacre. "The whole road to thebattlefield is extremely disgusting. The smell of dead horses is extremelyscary. Hats, helmets, various chews and various fragments are scattered on theground, but there is nothing worth remembering. Excavated mounds of the deadMole Mound is as dense. "Two weeks after the battle, Mrs. Charlotte, whocame to visit, said in a letter to a friend.

No one can deny the identity of Britain's greatest victor. For many,however, the painful price of victory did not encourage them to celebrate,including British commander Wellington himself. After receiving the listof the dead, Wellington cried and said, "Oh, thank God, I do n