Chapter 778: Advance into Italy
The next afternoon.
Beaulieu was discussing with his staff the most efficient way to attack Toulon Harbor after securing Vence, when an officer burst in without even knocking.
Ignoring the Marshal's furious glare, the man exclaimed, panic-stricken:
"Marshal, General Dannenfeld was ambushed on his way to Vence. His army was almost completely annihilated, and he himself is missing..."
Beaulieu shot to his feet. "What did you say?"
The officer swallowed, then continued:
"Also, General Provera was ambushed by French forces during his retreat. The soldiers who brought the message said he was preparing to withdraw to Vence and requested support."
Truth be told, Napoleon hadn't actually arranged for troops to ambush Provera; he wasn't even aware the Austrian army had abandoned Cagnes.
This was entirely Augereau's doing, 'too idle' and looking for something to occupy himself, which resulted in an unexpected encounter with Provera's forces.
Beaulieu felt his mind buzz.
The army reinforcing Vence was gone, yet Provera was still retreating towards Vence. The outcome was already sealed.
The current situation was that all battles west of Nice had failed, with Provera's Legion and Dannenfeld's Legion suffering losses of at least 15,000 men.
Simultaneously, communication between his position and Vence had been cut off by the French army.
This meant that Sebottendorf's Legion, nearly ten thousand soldiers strong, was likely not returning either...
He had brought 30,000 Austrian troops and 20,000 Sardinian troops to France; now more than half were lost.
Outwardly, he still commanded 25,000 troops, but in reality, the losses had predominantly been among the stronger Austrian forces. The remaining Sardinian Legion was incapable of fighting any proper battle.
After hesitating for only half a minute, he barked at the dispatch rider, "The entire army is to immediately retreat to Cadibona Pass. Order Marshal Argenteau to take command of the defenses near the pass with the Royal Seventh Infantry Brigade. The Sardinian Camuripi Legion will be responsible for the defense of Nice."
"Yes, Marshal!"
It was two days after completely surrounding Sebottendorf's Legion that Napoleon received news of Beaulieu's main force having withdrawn from Nice, filling him with immediate regret.
His plan had been to corner Beaulieu in Nice, but he hadn't expected the latter to retreat so decisively.
He couldn't be blamed for this; Colli had primarily established extensive defenses along the Nice-Cadibona Pass line, making it difficult for French cavalry to conduct close reconnaissance.
Looking back at the entire Toulon campaign, this was arguably Beaulieu's only moment of brilliance in command.
Napoleon immediately left Joubert's Legion to continue mopping up Sebottendorf's remaining forces, while he personally led the main army toward Cadibona Pass, attempting to intercept Beaulieu.
However, by this point, most of the Austrian forces had already retreated back to the Italian Peninsula, and with Argenteau desperately defending, Napoleon ultimately failed to hold Beaulieu's main army.
After Argenteau also moved into the Alps, the 1,300 men of the Camuripi Legion remaining in Nice immediately surrendered.
Two days later, Sebottendorf also ceased resistance and surrendered to the French army.
Inside Monaco Castle, Napoleon was joyfully writing his report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince: The Toulon campaign had achieved complete victory, with 8,000 Austrian soldiers killed or wounded and 15,000 taken prisoner. Among the captured enemy generals were Dannenfeld, Sebottendorf, and Provera. Major Filippo del Carretto, Beaulieu's son-in-law, and Lieutenant Colonel Camuripi, commander of the Sardinian Novara Legion, were also captured, along with other officers.
Indeed, Napoleon ultimately only killed or captured 23,000 enemy troops. Several thousand Austrian soldiers on the beaches southwest of Nice had been rescued by British transport ships.
Nevertheless, it was still a swift and decisive victory; at the very least, France would face no further threats from the southeast.
Of course, for Joseph, this merely met his most basic requirements.
According to his "right hook" plan, Napoleon was to cross the Alps, invade Sardinia, and strike directly into southwestern Austria from the Italian Peninsula.
Joseph didn't even need to prompt him; by the time his commendation orders reached Toulon, Napoleon had already secured Cadibona Pass, and Augereau's vanguard began moving through it.
July 29, 1793.
Wearing his brand-new Colonel's insignia, Napoleon, high-spirited and energetic, spurred his warhorse forward, taking his first step across the Alps.
Indeed, after the victory of the Toulon campaign, he had been promoted to Colonel.
All officers involved in the battle had also received promotions of varying degrees.
Most importantly, following the easy victories near Nice, the entire Italian Front no longer harbored any doubts about the young officer Napoleon's command abilities.
Everyone was filled with confidence and high morale as they advanced towards Italy.
A few days later.
Napoleon tugged at his collar, sniffed, and nudged the mule beneath him with his heel, then turned to the quartermaster staff officer beside him, frowning:
"Are you saying the Montpellier Legion's winter clothing hasn't arrived yet?"
"Yes, Commander." The officer, also shivering with his neck pulled in, replied, "The Military Police have arrested three of their logistics procurement officers, but as you know, recovering the embezzled funds and re-ordering the winter clothes will take some time..."
Due to Europe's abnormal climate in recent years, the peaks of the Alps still held unmelted snow, even in August.
Although the Mediterranean's warm winds meant the snow cover wasn't extensive, it still presented certain difficulties.
Even Napoleon's own mount was exhausted by the cold, forcing him to ride a mule over the mountains.
Napoleon was clearly vexed. The Montpellier Legion comprised over 6,000 men, and if they couldn't traverse the Alps in time, it would significantly impact his fighting strength.
"How much longer will it take?" he asked the staff officer.
"Montpellier promised to resolve it within half a month. But you know, their promises usually can't be taken too seriously."
The Montpellier Legion still operated under the old military system, where logistical supplies were personally procured by senior officers, who then sought reimbursement from Versailles.
The General Staff Headquarters had previously suggested providing them with supplies, but this had been rejected by Montpellier's military aristocrats. It was a lucrative business, allowing them to forge receipts and claim reimbursements more than double the actual expenditure; naturally, they wouldn't simply hand it over to the General Staff Headquarters.
Thus, the current situation had arisen.
In truth, such incidents were common in the old armies.
For instance, the Prussian and Austrian armies' preparations, which often took several months before a war, were mostly bogged down by similar petty issues.
However, Prussia was already in the process of establishing a General Staff Headquarters to eliminate these malpractices. Historically, Prussia was the first to create the General Staff model, which later spread throughout the European continent.
At present, however, European nations were all learning from the French model.
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