Where is Waterloo?

Waterloo

Speaking of Waterloo, in addition to thinking of failure, people who know a little about history will definitely think of a place and a person. This place is the town of Waterloo in Belgium, and this man is Napoleon Bonaparte, a European historical giant.

The town of Waterloo is about twenty kilometers south of Brussels, the capital of Belgium. Like many small towns in other European countries,

Waterloo is quaint and quiet, without much distinctiveness, but its name is resounding all over the world, even people who know nothing about it often refer to it. Put its name on your lips, and when you talk about someone being defeated in a certain lawsuit or a certain game, you will definitely say that so-and-so encountered Waterloo.

The Iron Lion Peak as a battlefield symbol

2.5 kilometers south of the town of Waterloo is the famous Waterloo Ancient Battlefield. Although it is now the most important tourist attraction in Belgium, It was not developed haphazardly. Except for a few small memorial halls, no civilian or public facilities have been built on the ancient battlefield now, which is almost the same as it was more than 180 years ago. The only difference is that there is a small pyramid-shaped earth mountain located south of the ancient battlefield. This hill is not only a symbol of the ancient battlefield, but also an observation platform. Standing on the platform on the top of the mountain, you can have an overview of the Waterloo battlefield.

The small mountain is called Iron Lion Peak. It is a man-made mountain and was built in 1826. There were no bulldozers at the time, so the 50-meter-high peak was said to have been built by local women using baskets on their backs to carry soil from two kilometers away.

Climbing up the 226 steps, people are greeted at the top by a majestic iron lion. Its front paws tightly grasp an iron ball that symbolizes the world, and its two eyes The "Lion" stared at France in the south, exuding a chilling air in its majesty. The lion weighs 18 tons and is said to have been cast from captured French army guns to commemorate the victory of the European Allied Forces. There is no inscription on the stele base under the iron lion, only the words "1815.6.18" are engraved. But this simple string of numbers reminds people of the war that affected the course of European history more than 180 years ago.

A second-rate general won a first-rate war

On June 18, 1815, the French army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte and the British army commanded by the Duke of Wellington The European coalition forces launched a thrilling decisive battle here. Both sides invested more than 140,000 troops. The battle situation went back and forth several times. The fighting was extremely fierce and the fields were bloody. This decisive battle lasted for about 12 hours. Early the next morning, a royal carrier pigeon flew into Buckingham Palace in London with a message of victory. At this moment, the monarchs of various European countries finally breathed a sigh of relief. They finally knew their armies. Defeated the arrogant French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

In the history of world wars, the Battle of Waterloo is famous for its short front, short time, great impact, and unexpected ending. As Victor Hugo said, Waterloo was a first-rate war won by a second-rate general. As for the reason, Victor Hugo also described it in the Waterloo volume of "Les Misérables": It rained suddenly the day before the battle, and the entire Waterloo field turned into a quagmire. Napoleon Bonaparte's battle The main artillery team struggled in the quagmire and was unable to enter the position, so the offensive artillery fire was late. Failure was thus a foregone conclusion. If there hadn't been that heavy rain, the offensive artillery had started early, and the battle had ended before the Prussians surrounded us, would history have been written differently?

This battle not only ended Napoleon Bonaparte's military career and political life, but also changed the historical process of Europe. It also made this large land filled with the bones of more than 60,000 soldiers. It will forever be recorded in history and become an ancient battlefield that generations of people pay homage to. The three words "Waterloo" have since become synonymous with "failure" and have been passed down, and are widely used around the world.

Victory did not bring fame and wealth to the victor

The Duke of Wellington's general staff was located in Waterloo. It was a two-story building. Clinton Memorial Hall. This memorial hall still preserves the "letter of conferment" on Wellington from the King of Belgium: Wellington was granted the title Prince of Waterloo I, and 1,083 hectares of forest and land around Waterloo were also conferred. This title and fiefdom are forever valid and hereditary.

Unfortunately, although Wellington made a lot of profits, it left little prestige. For tourists from all over the world who come to pay homage to the ancient battlefield, it is not difficult to find the General Wellington Memorial Hall. But the strange thing is that tourists don't seem to be interested in this victorious general. Very few people have been to his memorial hall, and many people don't even know who Wellington was. People who came to Waterloo only knew about Napoleon Bonaparte and did not know about Wellington. This is really an intriguing and strange thing.

In Waterloo today, except for the memorial hall where the Duke of Wellington lived as the headquarters of the Allied Forces, there is no memorial site, monument or other memorial to this victorious general. What a memorial. There are many small shops selling souvenirs in the town of Waterloo. These souvenirs, whether they are pictures or commemorative medals, almost all have the face and name of Napoleon Bonaparte, but it is difficult to see anything related to Wellington.

The only place where you can hear or see Wellington's name is at the Waterloo War Memorial Hall under the Iron Lion Peak. There are many pictures, objects and audio-visual products that reproduce the course of the war for visitors. Of course, it is mentioned The commander-in-chief of the armies of both warring parties. It was here that many visitors first learned that the opponent Napoleon Bonaparte met at Waterloo turned out to be an Englishman named Wellington.

Failure makes the loser sublime

In 1815, a few days after the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled again. This time he was exiled to an isolated island in the Atlantic Ocean. Five years later, in 1821, he died alone on the island.

However, "Failure actually makes the loser nobler. The fallen Napoleon Bonaparte seems to be taller than the standing Napoleon Bonaparte." Victor Hugo His words have been confirmed in Waterloo today. Next to the Napoleon Bonaparte Memorial Hall under the Iron Lion Peak and at the entrance to the town of Waterloo, the bronze statue of the dwarf general stands proudly on a tall cylindrical base. . The French emperor, who had always been arrogant and arrogant, was dressed in military uniform, with his body slightly tilted to the side, his arms crossed across his chest, and his eyes looking straight ahead. He looked cool and confident, as if he were a arrogant winner. If Wellington were alive, I wonder what he would think of the statue of Napoleon Bonaparte.

For the Belgians, it takes extraordinary magnanimity to erect a statue of a failed invader on their own land. In doing so, we not only respect history, but also respect Napoleon Bonaparte. In the hearts of all Europeans, including Belgium, Napoleon Bonaparte, despite his cruel, violent and even despicable side, was still a great statesman, a first-class general and a true hero. On the battlefield of Waterloo, although Napoleon Bonaparte was a complete loser, his name, his spirit and his influence far overwhelmed his opponents, thus remaining in this ancient land forever. .

======Symbolic meaning==============

Napoleon continued to win battles until his defeat at Waterloo, after which Napoleon was captivity. So Waterloo is used to describe the turning point from success to failure.