Chapter 838: Chapter 746: Thinking on the Same Page

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Southern France.

Grenoble.

The Commander-in-Chief of the French-Italian Army, Demoblin, moved his gaze away from the front-line defense map and said to General Dutte:

“If I remember correctly, the Pulivin Army was merged only last year, and they don’t even have cavalry.”

Dutte nodded: “Yes, General. Previously, it consisted of three infantry regiments and a scattered soldier camp from the Montpellier Legion. Because a significant number of elite troops were transferred away, it was eventually merged into the Pulivin Army.”

The so-called “transfer” was essentially idealistic soldiers signing up for military school. After graduating, they naturally joined the units directly under the General Staff.

As a result, the Montpellier Legion gradually declined. In truth, this was a common phenomenon seen in France’s older military units in recent years; it was just more severe in Montpellier’s case.

Demoblin slumped tiredly in his chair and said, “Assigning them to defend Bres was a decision made too hastily.

“The Joubert Legion must have just left Lyon. Why not let them garrison Bres instead?”

Dutte sighed: “It was arranged by Lieutenant Colonel Buonaparte, General. His troop deployments have been frequent as of late, but it seems he’s overlooked the importance of strategic defensive points.”

Demoblin waved his hand: “While the Crown Prince is full of vigor and has made a series of unexpectedly bold strategic plans, it’s evident that he still lacks experience in personnel assignments.

“Lieutenant Colonel Buonaparte may have performed excellently in commanding artillery in Southern Netherlands, but entrusting an army of over 30,000 troops to him was too reckless.”

General Dutte said, “Do you think we should order Lieutenant Colonel Buonaparte to adjust the deployment immediately?”

“Alright,” Demoblin nodded, looking somewhat resigned.

Before leaving Paris, the Crown Prince had reminded him not to interfere too much with Buonaparte’s command, so now he could only watch as the young officer played around recklessly.

Perhaps, in the end, this old bag of bones would have to clean up the mess left behind.

East of Toulon, City of Nice.

Napoleon stood to attention after hearing General Dutte read Demoblin’s orders, saying, “The Commander has the right to question me, even to reprimand me, but I do not intend to change my plan.”

In his heart, he thought, these old fossils are so shortsighted–they only want to play tricks with the Austrians near the Alps.

Luckily, the Crown Prince didn’t actually let them command the Italian campaign.

Dutte frowned and said, “To be frank, the troops you’ve dispatched to Bres… Yes, they patrol diligently outside the pass every day. Yet their numbers are too few, and their fighting capability is concerning.”

“This is exactly why I selected them,” Napoleon said. “It took me quite some effort to sift through and find such dismal-quality forces.”

“But what if the Austrians launch an attack at this moment?”

Napoleon revealed a proud smile: “I will lead the main forces through the Cadipona Pass to invade Sardinia. This is why I’ve established the command center in Nice.”

Dutte suddenly widened his eyes: “But, but what about Bres? If you ignore the Austrians, it would only take them half a month to march into Lyon!”

“I’ve stationed the Lyon Corps in Lyon. They’ll slow down the enemy’s advance.

“Meanwhile, our troops will have traversed the Alps from the south, and I will quickly move northward to attack Turin.

“Believe me, before Bolieu advances toward Lyon, I will sever the supply line from Turin to Bres.

“Then we will have two options.

“If the Austrians continue their assault on Lyon, I will cross Alber City from the west of Turin again to strike at their rear.

“If the enemy opts to retreat to defend Turin, I will feign an offensive posture towards Genoa in the east. Neither the Austrians nor the British will sit idle if we try to establish a foothold in Genoa–they will surely come to confront us.

“By then, I can freely choose the most favorable battlefield in the southern Piedmont Plain and crush them.”

Dutte digested the plan in his mind for a long time and realized that the operational strategy was highly feasible, skillfully leveraging the French Army’s fast marching speeds to manipulate Bolieu’s movements.

Suddenly, he thought of a critical flaw and shook his head: “No, your plan has a fatal defect.

“The supply lines east of Nice are close to the Mediterranean Sea, easily susceptible to attacks by the British fleet. Even advancing to Genoa would be highly challenging.”

To be fair, this veteran general still possessed a certain level of battlefield experience.

Historically, when Napoleon departed from Nice for the Italian campaign, his supply chains indeed suffered heavy threats from the British fleet. Still, luck was on his side–his convoys managed to narrowly avoid British battleships every time until the French Army secured control over all of Sardinia, shifting supplies through Turin.

Napoleon, however, confidently replied, “The Crown Prince mentioned that we could obtain naval superiority in the Mediterranean. You attended the General Staff meetings; you should clearly know this.”

Dutte secretly thought that was likely a morale-boosting claim by the Crown Prince–Napoleon actually used it as a foundation to design combat strategies?

It was understandable for him to have such doubts. After all, Britain had long dominated the seas, and the French inherently felt less assured about challenging the British fleet.

Historically, the British Navy annihilated the French-Spanish-Dutch Combined Fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, consolidating dominion over the Mediterranean entirely.

But this time, the French possessed steam battleships.

Who would claim ownership over the Mediterranean now was still undetermined.

Nevertheless, Dutte simply hinted to Napoleon that the British Navy would undoubtedly pose a threat to his supply lines, urging him to prepare ahead. Then, defeated in argument, he left helplessly.

——–

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Before receiving his commission, Moro temporarily stayed in Italy to fight alongside Joubert. Unfortunately, Joubert, brave but imprudent, faced a crushing defeat at the Battle of Novi, where the French Army suffered under Suvorov’s assault, and Joubert was killed in action. Moro temporarily assumed command, leading the troops to retreat to Genoa. There, he handed over command to General Champaone and returned to France. After secretly arriving in Paris from Egypt, Napoleon approached Moro, seeking his support. Discontent with the Directory, Moro agreed to collaborate with Bonaparte. After the Coup of 18 Brumaire, Moro led troops to detain two governors in Luxembourg. As a reward, he resumed command of the Rhineland Army, engaging in Central European campaigns. On this occasion, the advance was remarkably smooth, with the Austrians pushed back to the eastern banks of the Isar River. Upon returning, through Josephine’s introduction, he married a Creole woman named Milly Ollow (Mlle Hullot). Moro did not anticipate that his new wife’s ambitious nature and strong desire for power would lead to future troubles. Shortly after their marriage, Moro returned to the front lines. On December 3, 1800, Moro achieved the pinnacle of his military career in the Battle of Hohenlinden, where he achieved a victory by sacrificing 2,500 men to annihilate 14,000 enemies, laying the foundation for dismantling the Second Coalition Against France efficiently.