EPISODE 7: THE SUN OF AUSTERLITZ ## CHAPTER 1: THE TRAP The Austerlitz battlefield, December 1, 1805. Napoleon sets the perfect trap. For days, he has been projecting weakness. His army occupies a defensive position that appears vulnerable—the right flank hanging in the air, seemingly inviting attack. He has sent emissaries to the Allied camp, requesting negotiations, suggesting that he fears the coming battle. It's all performance. "They think I am afraid," Napoleon tells his marshals. "They think I have overextended. They will attack our right, trying to cut us off from Vienna, and when they do..." He smiles. "We will crush them." The plan is breathtakingly audacious. Napoleon will deliberately weaken his right flank, drawing the Allied main force into attacking it. While the Allies are committed to that assault, the French center will storm the Pratzen Heights—the dominant terrain feature that the Allies will have abandoned to attack the French right. Once the heights are taken, Napoleon's army will split the Allied force in two. The troops attacking the right will be cut off, trapped against frozen ponds with no escape. The reserve will be destroyed in detail. "But if they don't take the bait..." one marshal worries. "They will take it. I have given them every reason to believe they can win. Men believe what they...