At the Peace of Tilsit, after the crushing defeat of the Prussian
armies at Prussian Eylau and Friedland, Bonaparte had Prussia and the
whole of Central Europe at his mercy. Contrary to the advice of his
generals, especially the succinct advice of his often unheeded mentor
Talleyrand, to completely disintegrate Prussia, Napoleon through his
fondness for pretty women let himself be tricked by Louise of Prussia.
The interesting historical story of this incident may be apropos here,
showing how the world's history can be changed through a kiss. At the
Peace Conference in Tilsit, Napoleon, on the verge of disintegrating
Prussia, met the beautiful Queen Louise of Prussia. Through her
pleadings and the imprint of Napoleon's kiss on her classic arm
Bonaparte granted Prussia the right to maintain a standing army of
12,000 men. That in itself did not mean much but it gave able and
shrewd Prussian patriots the opportunity to circumvent and hoodwink
Bonaparte's policy.
Prussia has always been fortunate in producing able men at the most
needed moments. A man arose with a gift for military organization.
He had every province, district, town, and village in Prussia
carefully scheduled and the able-bodied men thereof put on record. He
selected the 12,000 men permitted Prussia under the Napoleonic decree
and drilled them. No sooner were those men drilled than they were
dismissed and another 12,000 called in.
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