Chapter 1231: Strategic Shift
Seeing that no one spoke, Marquis Wellesley continued loudly:
"General Blücher's forces were meant to enter Switzerland to breach Mantua Fortress as quickly as possible.
"Yet now, we're discussing how to conduct operations in Switzerland!
"With the French controlling the Gotthard Pass, even if we were to fully occupy Switzerland, it would be utterly useless to the overall war effort."
Austrian Chief of Staff Verrother and several other officers immediately nodded in agreement. "You are correct. Right now, we should focus our forces on breaking through Mantua Fortress!"
"We cannot get bogged down in the Swiss quagmire!"
"We should redeploy Korsakov's army to Verona..."
Wellesley sighed. "No, the core reason we chose Northern Italy as the main theater was the expectation of an army entering Lombardy to launch a southern attack on Mantua.
"And that factor no longer exists."
He again raised the stack of battle reports. "I trust you all know by now that the French are undergoing a general mobilization; they've even issued a decree of 'liberty and equality' for it!"
Someone murmured, adding, "It's the Declaration of the Rights of Man."
"Precisely, the Declaration of the Rights of Man." Wellesley nodded. "If we continue to drag on at Mantua, we will face an increasingly large enemy force.
"Forgive my frankness, but a breakthrough here might never be achieved!"
The Duke of York cleared his throat, signaling with his eyes for Wellesley to mind his words.
Archduke Charles, however, furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment before nodding. "I must admit, we were indeed caught in a strategic fallacy before.
"General Wellesley, then tell me, how should we break this deadlock now?"
"It's simple: abandon Switzerland, leave Mantua."
A ripple of low murmurs immediately spread through the conference room.
Archduke Charles, however, looked at the Englishman. "Please elaborate."
"We must leverage the Coalition's greatest advantage: our superior troop numbers. Therefore, the decisive battle must take place in an area suitable for large-scale deployment."
Wellesley pointed to the sand table again. "For instance, the Württemberg region.
"Here, we can deploy over 400,000 troops and launch attacks on the French forces in Baden from multiple directions. We can also strike at the eastern Rhineland at any time.
"Simultaneously, the Duke of Brunswick will conduct diversionary attacks downstream along the Rhine River.
"The French will be forced to rush between multiple fronts, exhausting themselves. In this process, they are bound to make mistakes.
"And that will be our opportunity."
Archduke Charles and the Prince of Schwarzenberg exchanged glances, their eyes filled with approval.
Wellesley continued, "We can leave 60,000 to 70,000 troops at Mantua to continue a feigned attack. The main army will maneuver through Austria and Saxony to achieve strategic surprise.
"If the French forces at Mantua launch a counterattack, we will abandon Venice and retreat to Klagenfurt Fortress."
Archduke Charles was about to nod and speak when a Prussian staff officer sitting in the corner preemptively rose and declared, "We cannot abandon General Blücher; the Coalition must remain united!"
Since most of the Prussian army was far from Northern Italy, he, a Major, was the highest-ranking Prussian officer at the Coalition headquarters.
"None of us will forget General Blücher's outstanding contributions," Wellesley stated. "In fact, the Coalition operating in Württemberg will offer him far better support than directly sending troops to Switzerland."
"The French forces are limited; if Baden is threatened, they will have no choice but to withdraw their troops from Switzerland to defend it."
Archduke Charles, seemingly feeling a loss of face, cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, I will send a force of 20,000 men to pin down the French in the Basel direction, to ease the pressure on General Blücher."
He recalled how he had once insisted on focusing the offensive in Northern Italy, a plan Blücher had vehemently opposed. Now, for Blücher to bear the greatest losses felt truly inexcusable.
Wellesley, however, immediately objected. "Your Highness, we should not disperse any forces, not even 20,000 men..."
Archduke Charles murmured somewhat awkwardly, "Losing an army of nearly 60,000 men would have an adverse effect on Coalition morale."
Wellesley declared loudly, "General Blücher annihilated over 70,000 French troops in Switzerland, only to be encircled by the French due to the sudden onset of severe cold. Even so, he is still resisting tenaciously."
Archduke Charles's eyes widened, but he immediately understood.
No one but those at the highest levels truly knew the extent of the Prussian army's achievements in Switzerland. So, with proper propaganda, it wouldn't impact morale.
The Prussian Major was about to argue further when Wellesley said, "Even if Blücher's army is captured, as long as the Coalition achieves ultimate victory, they will all be able to return to Berlin with honor."
The subsequent war council then began discussing the details according to the Englishman's suggestions, and it didn't conclude until dusk...
A week later.
The main Austrian forces began a quiet, phased withdrawal from Northern Italy, then circled through Bohemia, moving south from Thuringia towards Württemberg.
Simultaneously, a new round of conscription began within Austria.
...
January 11, 1799.
Eastern suburbs of Paris.
Gilles Gaizka, wearing a black tricorn hat and a crisp white military uniform, stood ramrod straight in the second row of the formation.
He had completed 70 days of rapid training and was now a soldier in the 23rd Infantry Division of France's Sixth Army.
The plump, brown-haired boy beside him was growing impatient, grumbling softly, "It's freezing. Shouldn't we be heading straight to Switzerland or Mantua or somewhere? What are we waiting for here?"
Recently, with the widespread propaganda about the great victory in Switzerland and the Mantua raid, he, a peasant who had rarely left his village, only knew these few foreign place names.
The Honor Representative, standing on the far left of the formation, turned his head to look at him and smiled. "Quiet, Naseli. You won't regret waiting this half hour."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the company commander's voice rang out: "Everyone, forward march."
The drumroll began, and Gaizka, as if by reflex, stepped out to the beat.
The formation of four to five hundred soldiers was still a bit crooked, but they largely maintained the same pace, and showed no signs of breaking formation even after marching for nearly two kilometers.
Gaizka had excellent eyesight; he spotted white smoke far ahead. 'Is that... a steam engine?'
His village had steam water pumps, so he was familiar with the sight.
"It's a train!" Naseli exclaimed excitedly. "I've read about them in the newspapers. They can carry hundreds of people and go as fast as flying!"
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