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Chapter 1194: The United Coalition

Vienna.

In the long corridors of the Schönbrunn Palace, Blücher’s gaze swept over the exquisite ornaments and carvings adorning the walls. He couldn’t help but scowl. "We should have made the Austrians come to Berlin. Look at this place; it is fit for a ballroom, not a war council."

Beside him, the Prussian Chief of General Staff, Scharnhorst, did not take the bait. Instead, he remarked, "Have you heard? It is confirmed that Sweden will be joining the Anti-French Coalition."

"Lord Hawkesbury certainly knows how to lobby," Blücher remarked.

"Gustav IV is more concerned with his own safety," Scharnhorst replied. "The British promised to facilitate an alliance agreement between them and Russia."

Blücher curled his lip. "Does that mean the Swedes won't be sending many troops? By the way, I heard before leaving Berlin that His Majesty intends to accept the armistice terms from Warsaw?"

Scharnhorst nodded. "Yes. The Russian army has already reached the southern banks of the Piaty River. His Majesty does not wish for Poland to disappear entirely; it serves as a necessary buffer between us, Russia, and Austria. The Austrians feel the same way."

The Piaty River was located south of Pinsk. This meant Russia currently occupied vast territories along the Dnieper River, Volhynia, and Podolia—over a third of Poland’s landmass.

Scharnhorst continued, "Russia has seized almost all the Eastern Orthodox regions; they should be satisfied. Meanwhile, the Poles have essentially agreed to all armistice conditions, including limiting their army to under 30,000 men, granting trade concessions, and wartime transit rights. Both His Majesty and the General Staff believe it is time to turn our attention back to the left bank of the Rhine..."

As they spoke, a roar erupted from the grand hall ahead: "You cannot always think of your own interests! That is exactly what happened last time, allowing the French to seize the opportunity and crush the Coalition forces piecemeal!"

"Clearly, the flat terrain of the Low Countries is more suitable as the primary direction of attack," the voice continued. "Once Wallonia is occupied, we can directly threaten the French heartland, or launch an assault on the Verdun fortress from Luxembourg..."

Another voice, marked by a South German accent, interrupted him. "The French are not likely to overlook what you can so easily conceive. They have massed a heavy force along the line from Brussels to Cologne, just waiting to strike as we cross the Rhine. Furthermore, attacking from the western front would involve the neutral Netherlands..."

Blücher and Scharnhorst stepped quietly into the meeting hall. They saw the Prussian Commander-in-Chief, the Prince of Hohenlohe, leaning over the table, glaring at the Austrian officer opposite him. "The Dutch turned their backs on the alliance; they deserve to be punished. And you have likely forgotten Flanders, a territory of the Empire. We could reclaim it in passing before we even strike Wallonia! If the Coalition forces are committed to the North Italian theater, quite frankly, the French won't care..."

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria immediately raised his voice in retort. "That is precisely our advantage! France is certainly unwilling to commit too much energy to Italy. Occupying it provides a source of supplies closest to France. The Empire has ruled Northern Italy for years; many factions there still answer to His Majesty the Emperor. The Po Valley is also far easier for deploying large armies than the Low Countries, allowing us to leverage our numerical superiority!"

The Duke of Brunswick spoke calmly, "Your Highness, you have perhaps forgotten the Mantua Fortress. The French only need to station 50,000 or 60,000 troops along the Mincio River, and it will be difficult for us to break through in a short time."

Scharnhorst sat down in the back row, leaning toward Blücher to whisper, "Actually, western Venice is crisscrossed with waterways. It is not suitable for large-scale troop movements."

Mantua sat right between Lombardy and Venice.

"However," Blücher noted, "Venice has almost no defensive force. It could be occupied with ease. The Coalition could seize a massive amount of war funds there."

Currently, Venice had a total population of fewer than 200,000, and its military consisted of a mere two thousand men. The strongest force in the area was the 5,000 French troops stationed in Udine—utterly helpless against a Coalition numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Moreover, one could easily find tens of millions of ducats in the banks of Venice.

At that moment, Archduke Charles, who had remained silent, finally spoke. "The Mantua Fortress is not an insurmountable obstacle. Do you all remember the tactic Napoleon used a few years ago?"

The dozen or so men in the hall froze. Scharnhorst was the first to react, blurting out, "Crossing the Alps?"

Archduke Charles nodded to him. "Exactly. We can also cross the Alps, bypassing the Mantua Fortress. We could even return to Italy via the Great St. Bernard Pass."

The Great St. Bernard Pass was the very route Napoleon had used during his surprise assault on Lombardy.

The eyes of the British military representative, the Duke of York, lit up. "This is indeed an exceptionally bold plan, yet highly feasible. If the Coalition can reach Lombardy, we will find powerful support waiting for us there."

The Duke of Brunswick frowned. "But crossing the Alps from Venice will lead into Swiss territory."

The Austrian Chief of Staff, Franz von Weyrother, dismissed the concern. "What of it? We aren't looking to occupy the place. I doubt the Swiss Diet will have any objections."

In the games of great powers, a small nation like Switzerland had no seat at the table to voice its opinion.

Scharnhorst interjected, "If that is the case, I suggest we occupy Switzerland in advance. Otherwise, if the French realize the Coalition's intent, they could very well set an ambush on the northern side of the mountain passes."

Archduke Charles nodded again. "Your concern is quite necessary. This would require sending a separate army into Switzerland."

General Weyrother looked at the Prince of Hohenlohe. "Your Highness, if you station 60,000 to 70,000 troops along the Rhine for defense, your country should still be able to spare at least 60,000 soldiers to commit to Zurich."

Archduke Charles added, "If the campaign in Switzerland goes smoothly, they could even push south to Lausanne and launch an offensive toward the Eastern Burgundy region of France."

The Prince of Hohenlohe couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration. These Austrians were far too silver-tongued; they had actually talked him into believing the Italian proposal held the advantage.

He consulted briefly in whispers with the Duke of Brunswick before conceding. "I believe it should still depend on the French defensive posture. If they do not station heavy troops along the Alpine front, our forces can coordinate the attack on Switzerland."

Archduke Charles continued, "In that case, the Saxon and Thuringian corps currently assigned for a feint against Baden can be moved to the eastern Rhineland for diversionary operations. As your troops head toward Switzerland, a simple suppression of Baden will achieve the same effect."

According to the Coalition's established deployment, they were to feign a strong assault on Baden and enter France through Strasbourg to draw the French army's attention.

"Furthermore, I suggest the Western Front plan remain in effect, though with reduced troop numbers. This will pin down enemy forces over a much broader area."