Chapter 1208: Casting the Net
Chapter 1208: Casting the Net
Oudinot approached with a look of elation, greeting Masséna with a hearty grin. "General, just as you predicted! It took us only a single night to rout the enemy."
Masséna smiled and shook his head slightly. "That was merely one of the enemy's detachments. The real battle has yet to begin."
Despite having only three hours of sleep, Oudinot remained highly energized. "General, Hotze has likely fled toward Zurich. I am confident I can catch him within two days!"
Masséna reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "You have already performed brilliantly. There is no need for such haste now. The soldiers need their rest."
Oudinot pressed his point urgently. "But he might escape Switzerland entirely. If you would just let me—"
"Rest easy, he won't escape," Masséna said, his tone calm and composed. "There are others positioned to intercept him."
"Oh? Do you mean General Davout?"
"No, General Sérurier. He should have arrived in the vicinity of Basel by now."
Now that the Swiss campaign had officially commenced, Masséna saw no further need for secrecy. "Do you know why the Crown Prince deployed three full armies toward Karlsruhe?"
"I... I don't know. Why?"
Three armies represented over a hundred thousand soldiers, making it the most powerful front-line force currently assembled.
Suddenly, Oudinot thought of his own troops—hadn't they been detached from the First Army?
"So, we weren't the only ones split off from the Army of Baden?"
Masséna nodded. "Indeed. His Highness concentrated heavy forces in Baden to ensure the Coalition wouldn't dare launch a casual offensive there."
"But in reality, we quietly slipped away from that position a month and a half ago. Meanwhile, General Sérurier led thirty thousand men of the Fourth Army, retreating in batches to Belfort. From there, they made their way toward Basel."
Oudinot frowned. "To reach Basel from northern Switzerland, one must pass through the fortress of Freiburg. It would be difficult for thirty thousand troops to capture that position in a short time."
Masséna offered a thin smile. "You are forgetting Porrentruy. To its east lies a rift valley that cuts across the southern side of the Jura Mountains. As you know, starting from July, the water there dries up. The riverbed becomes hard enough to support the weight of artillery carriages."
Oudinot stared at him, stunned. He had heard of that route; before June, the valley was flooded and impassable. Even during the dry season, the riverbed was notoriously uneven and difficult to traverse.
Furthermore, the area was often plagued by bandits, so merchants preferred to take the detour through Freiburg. Over time, it had become a common assumption that Freiburg was the only gateway to Basel.
But the Porrentruy valley was not entirely impassable.
If one could endure the sixty or seventy kilometers of rugged terrain, they would reach Switzerland's major transportation hub: Basel. From there, the road to Zurich was flat and easy; a disciplined march could cover the distance in just three days.
Of course, the plan was incredibly risky.
If the Coalition had stationed heavy defenses at the eastern end of the valley, Sérurier would have been trapped and slaughtered in the narrow terrain.
In that scenario, Masséna would have had to rush north to help him break through the blockade, then quickly pivot back south to block the Coalition's path to Lausanne.
However, no enemy presence had been detected near Basel, proving that the Coalition forces never imagined France would make Switzerland one of its primary battlegrounds.
Oudinot's eyes began to gleam with excitement.
The Coalition had not left a significant garrison in Zurich. Once Sérurier's Fourth Army occupied the city, they would effectively cut off the retreat for both Blücher and Hotze's legions within Switzerland.
'That's an army of eighty thousand! No, wait, there are fewer than seventy thousand left now—the number of Coalition troops we captured, killed, or scattered last night must exceed ten thousand.'
Meanwhile, General Masséna would hold the road to Lausanne, trapping these Coalition forces within the Swiss borders.
"Wait!" Oudinot suddenly realized another possibility. "The enemy could still take the Gotthard Pass and enter Lombardy from there..."
Northern Italy.
In front of the Mantua Fortress, the Crown Prince's Guard Grenadier Battalion was drawn up in straight horizontal lines, the men sitting tall and proud on their horses. Every dozen meters, a banner bearing the Dauphin's fleur-de-lis insignia fluttered in the wind.
This magnificent display was visible from miles away.
Inside the command center on the second floor of the fortress, Berthier held the latest battle reports as he briefed the Crown Prince.
"On the night of the third, General Masséna launched a surprise raid on Hotze's camp, capturing over 3,500 enemy soldiers and killing at least 4,000. Many bodies were swept away by the river, making an exact count difficult."
"We estimate that Hotze's remaining strength is likely less than 8,000 men."
"Following that, General Masséna established a defensive line at Biel."
"On the morning of the fifth, General Sérurier arrived at Zurich. With the assistance of the Swiss insurgents, he occupied the city with ease."
"However, there was no sign of Hotze. We suspect he has likely moved to rendezvous with Blücher."
"Based on the Prussian marching speed, they should be near Altdorf by now."
Altdorf was the largest town on the northern side of the Gotthard Pass. From there, it would take only a day to enter the pass itself.
Joseph nodded. "Is General Ney's side fully deployed?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Berthier confirmed. "He arrived at Como a week ago with the Royal Ninth Infantry Division and the Fourth Artillery Battalion."
Ney's force numbered only thirteen thousand men, but that was more than enough to defend the Gotthard Pass.
These ten thousand plus soldiers were deployed in a semi-circle around the exit of the pass, their cannons pre-sighted on the valley to create a deadly field of interlocking fire. It didn't matter if it was seventy thousand Coalition troops or a hundred and seventy thousand; no one was getting through that bottleneck.
"Very good," Joseph said with a satisfied smile. "Keep a close eye on Sardinia as well."
"As you command, Your Highness."
Joseph continued his analysis. "Given the Coalition's current pace, they should reach Lombardy within two weeks. I suspect Archduke Charles will likely launch a massive assault on Mantua at that time to divert our attention."
Standing nearby, Moreau immediately chimed in. "In that case, we should move the troops out of the fortress in advance."
Berthier looked at him with surprise.
The Army of Italy consisted of only one legion and an infantry division, totaling forty-five thousand men. With thirteen thousand already diverted to guard the Gotthard Pass, they were left with only thirty-two thousand soldiers.
Even with the fourteen thousand troops from the various Italian states, they would be in extreme danger facing a full-scale offensive from the main Austrian force of a hundred and eighty thousand.
And yet, Moreau wanted to move the defenders out of the fortress!
Joseph, however, gave a slight nod and gestured toward Moreau.
"Please, tell us your plan."
"Yes, Your Highness." Moreau walked to the map and pointed to Brescia, west of Venice. "Archduke Charles's objective is likely to coordinate with Blücher's legion arriving from Switzerland to catch Mantua in a pincer movement. Therefore, his primary axis of attack will undoubtedly be from the west of the city."
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