Perfect rules doesn't exi-

Not him. I'm a huge ouiaboo, but invading Russia was a terrible mistake. Napoleon could have planned the invasion far better. A joint attack with Sweden and Turkey would have been possible, instead he thought some skirmishes close the border, would be enough. A 20 day war, was what he expected.

But Napoleon had won every battle with the Russians, so it's not inconceivable that he would think the Russians would surrender and not fucking burn down half of their own country

That was the problem, he grew overconfident out of his own success. During the battle of Borodino he shows exactly what I mean, he became less meticulous compared to his previous fights

Can you blame him? When he wins every engagement he fights, it would be hard not to get overconfident. hell, he still won Borodino against the Russians

>MUH LEGIONS

Napoleon desperately needed to invade Russia as soon as he could. The British were constantly arming Napoleon's enemies, undermining his economy and denying any large fleet at sea which should have landed in England in 1803=1805 but never did. The invasion was extremely well carried out but Napoleon underrestimated the Russian strategy and hoped he could have his battle near the border but Kutuzov knew Napoleon too well. The "the invasion of Russia was a mistake" meme has some little truth to it but the reality is that if he wouldn't have attempted to finish the continental system France would have starved away slowly.

I don't think anyone is denying that it had to be done, as Russia still needed to be dealt with and brought fully into "the fold", but the Russian Winter meme still holds great truth to it.

While Napoleon didn't get his perfect battle, the Russians knew they couldn't beat Napoleon in straight combat, so they burned half their own country down and let the winter and cassocks deal with the rest.

The russian winter meme was also a meme because Napoleon lost the vast of his majority in the scorching summer (walking bast an entirely burnt country didn't help). The French were ready to hold Moscow for reinforcements during the winter but they realised the Russians were reinforcing faster, eating better, and all comfortable just down in Tula so they left. The winter was horrible but by no means the worst they've seen in Russia

This

Muh Russian winter is just a meme

The Mongols conquered Russia just fine in the winter.

But 3 is objectively correct

>mongols=french soldiers