Chapter 746: On the Same Page
Southeastern France.
Grenoble.
General Dumouriez, commander-in-chief of the French Army of Italy, lifted his gaze from the frontline deployment map and addressed General Dute:
"If I recall correctly, the Plivin Legion was only merged last year, and it doesn't even have cavalry."
Dute nodded. "Yes, General. It was previously three infantry regiments and a skirmisher battalion from the Montpellier Legion. A large number of elite soldiers were transferred out, and it was ultimately merged into the Plivin Legion."
The so-called "transfers" were actually ambitious soldiers who enrolled in military academies. After graduation, they naturally joined the legions directly under the General Staff.
As a result, the Montpellier Legion gradually withered away. In fact, this was a common situation in France's older military units in recent years; it was just more severe in Montpellier's case.
Dumouriez leaned back wearily in his chair. "Assigning them to defend Bresse was too hasty a decision.
"The Joubert Legion should have just left Lyon. Why weren't they garrisoned in Bresse?"
Dumouriez waved a dismissive hand. "While the Crown Prince is full of drive and has made a series of unexpected strategic deployments, he clearly still lacks some experience in assigning personnel.
"Lieutenant Colonel Bonaparte certainly fought some impressive battles commanding artillery in the Southern Netherlands, but entrusting him with an army of over thirty thousand men is still far too rash."
General Dute asked, "Do you think we should order Lieutenant Colonel Bonaparte to adjust his deployments immediately?"
"Perhaps." Dumouriez nodded, looking somewhat helpless.
Before leaving Paris, the Crown Prince had instructed him not to interfere too much with Bonaparte's command, so now he could only watch the young officer's antics.
Perhaps, when the time came, his old bones would have to clean up the mess.
East of Toulon, Nice.
After General Dute finished reading Dumouriez's orders, Napoleon stood at attention and stated, "The commander-in-chief can question me, even reprimand me; he has every right to do so. However, I do not intend to change my plan."
He mused inwardly, 'These old fogeys are too short-sighted. They only want to skirmish with the Austrians near the Alps.'
'It's a good thing the Crown Prince didn't actually let them command the Italian campaign.'
General Dute frowned. "Forgive my frankness, but the troops you sent to Bresse... yes, they diligently patrol outside the pass every day, but their numbers are too few, and their combat effectiveness is worrying."
"That is precisely why I chose them," Napoleon replied. "It took me some effort to sift out a legion with such poor qualities."
"But what if the Austrians launch an attack now?"
Napoleon flashed a triumphant smile. "I will immediately lead the main force through the Cadibona Pass and attack Sardinia. That is why I established my headquarters in Nice."
Dute's eyes widened. "But... but what about Bresse? If we leave the Austrians unchecked, they could invade Lyon in just half a month!"
"I've left the Lyon Legion in Lyon; they will delay the enemy's advance.
"Meanwhile, our army will have already crossed the Alps from the south, and I will then rapidly push north to attack Turin.
"Trust me, before Beaulieu can move on Lyon, I will cut off the supply line from Turin to Bresse.
"Then, we will have two choices.
"If the Austrians continue their advance on Lyon, I will cross the Alps again from the west of Turin and attack their rear.
"If the enemy chooses to reinforce Turin, I will feign an attack eastward towards Genoa. Neither the Austrians nor the British will stand by and watch us establish a foothold in Genoa, so they will inevitably rush to engage us in a decisive battle.
"At that point, I can freely choose the most suitable battlefield in the southern Piedmont Plain and crush them."
Dute processed this in his mind for a long time, realizing that the operational plan was indeed highly feasible. It fully leveraged the French army's speed advantage, leading Beaulieu by the nose.
He suddenly thought of a problem and shook his head. "No, your plan has a fatal flaw.
"The supply lines eastward from Nice are all along the Mediterranean Sea, which makes them highly vulnerable to attacks from the British Navy. Even advancing on Genoa would be extremely difficult."
To his credit, the old general did possess a degree of battlefield experience.
Historically, when Napoleon launched his invasion of Italy from Nice, he was indeed severely threatened by the British Navy. However, his luck held out; his supply convoys always managed to evade the attacks of British warships until the French army gained control of all of Sardinia and began resupplying from Turin.
Napoleon, however, said with great confidence, "The Crown Prince stated that we would gain naval supremacy in the Mediterranean. You also attended the General Staff meeting; you should be well aware of this."
Dute thought to himself, 'That was likely just the Crown Prince's way of boosting morale. Do you actually dare to base an operational plan on it?'
It was natural for him to think this way; after all, Britain had dominated the seas for a long time, and the French subconsciously lacked confidence in challenging the British fleet.
Historically, the British Navy had indeed annihilated the combined Franco-Spanish-Dutch fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, thereby completely controlling the Mediterranean.
But this time, the French possessed Steam Warships.
The ultimate control of the Mediterranean remained to be seen.
Nevertheless, Dute merely hinted to Napoleon that the British Navy would certainly pose a threat to his supply lines, advising him to prepare in advance, before leaving with a sigh of resignation.
Fourteen days later, Napoleon appointed the Moulins Legion, commanded by André, as the vanguard, preparing to advance through the Cadibona Pass.
He personally led the Corsican Legion, the Jourdan Legion, and Marmont's Artillery Battalion as the central column. Once the Moulins Legion secured the other side of the pass, they would immediately push north to attack Cuneo, the southernmost part of Sardinia.
Augereau and Sérurier, meanwhile, served as the two flanks, covering the main force.
However, as soon as the Moulins Legion approached the Cadibona Pass, they immediately reported to Napoleon via Nice's Chappe Telegraph that a large number of Austrian skirmishers had been spotted near the pass.
"Scouts?"
Napoleon listened to Lucien's report, a slight frown creasing his brow:
"Could it be that the Austrians' main thrust is towards Toulon?"
The more he considered it, the more he believed it possible. He immediately leaned over the map to check the legions' positions.
The central column was still 20 kilometers from the Cadibona Pass, and the flank legions were also widely dispersed. Therefore, Beaulieu likely only detected the Moulins Legion.
He immediately made a decision and said to his brother:
"Order General André to immediately withdraw after engaging the Austrians.
"Order Augereau's and Sérurier's legions to also retract westward.
"Let the rabbit come out of its hole, then we'll unleash the hounds!"
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