Chapter 779: The New "Battle of Marengo"
Historically, it wasn't until after the 1830s that European nations established General Staff Headquarters, fully responsible for logistics, topographical surveying, training, and operational planning.
Even in France, where Joseph had spearheaded reforms to the staff system, Napoleon was still, for the time being, deeply hampered by the old army's inefficient bureaucracy.
Napoleon reined in his horse, had a staff officer pull out a map, and stared at it, frowning in thought for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "I remember the Moulins Legion's cavalry battalion is still in Nice, isn't it?"
The staff officer nodded. "Yes, Commander. The cavalry took heavy losses attacking Vence, so they were scheduled to pass through the mountain pass last, to get a few extra days of rest."
"Alright, let them rest a bit longer. They won't be needed here for now."
Napoleon said, gesturing for an attendant to bring paper and a pen. He leaned over his saddle and began tremulously writing a report for the Crown Prince.
He carefully chose his words and tone, breathing warmth onto his cold right hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a keen-eyed middle-aged man standing by a rock nearby, holding a drawing board. The man would occasionally glance at him, then lower his head to sketch a few lines.
Napoleon waved to the man. "Mr. David, how is your work progressing?"
"Thanks to you, I finally found my inspiration just now," the middle-aged man replied, still focused on his canvas, without looking up. "So, in at most another week, you will see your heroic figure on my painting."
However, Marat was still alive, and no great revolutionary turmoil had occurred, which meant David was far less prominent than he was historically.
A while ago, David had planned to take a ship from the Port of Marseille to North Africa to try his luck. Coincidentally, the Duke of Monaco, grateful to Napoleon for driving out the Austrians, commissioned him to paint a work "showcasing Buonaparte's magnificent bearing."
So he followed them up into the Alps.
Napoleon smiled and nodded at him, then resumed burying himself in his report.
Half an hour later, he finally completed the first draft, handed it to a staff officer to proofread for grammatical errors, then swung himself off his mule. He walked over to David, leaning in to look at the drawing board in the painter's hands.
With just a glance, Napoleon's brow furrowed.
On the canvas, he was depicted riding a weary mule, his clothes covered in dust. Beside him, a guard with frost-reddened cheeks gripped the reins tightly, fearing the animal would slip on the snow.
This was hardly the image of a triumphant advance into Italy; it clearly showed someone who had just been routed by the Austrian army, scrambling back home in disgrace.
He patted David's shoulder and sighed with resignation. "Perhaps we should have a talk about your masterpiece..."
...
Southern Netherlands.
Southern suburbs of Brussels.
Joseph handed Napoleon's operational plan to Lefebvre, who stood nearby. "Colonel Buonaparte's thinking is always unexpected. He's managed to turn what were initially problems into opportunities to be exploited."
Lefebvre quickly skimmed the report, then said with some hesitation, "Your Highness, Turin, as the capital of Sardinia, will likely be difficult to breach quickly. The Montpellier Legion, operating alone north of Sardinia, could easily be encircled by reinforcements sent by Austria.
"Oh, and the Austrian army in northeastern Switzerland isn't far."
Joseph smiled. "You haven't grasped Colonel Buonaparte's intention.
"His flanking maneuver through the Great St. Bernard Pass isn't necessarily about attacking Turin.
"The greatest significance of this army is to disrupt the Austrian deployment.
"After that, he can choose to continue east and attack Milan, or head south to form a pincer movement against the Austrian forces with General Dumouriez.
"As long as the Montpellier Legion can successfully pass through Fort Bard, our army will then gain a significant strategic initiative."
Lefebvre said, pointing quizzically at Napoleon's report, "Your Highness, Colonel Buonaparte only mentioned a possible surprise attack on Turin. He didn't mention Milan or a pincer movement..."
Joseph nodded, smiling. "It's possible he hasn't considered these yet, but you must trust that, given the right conditions, he will keenly think of all viable options and choose the best one to execute."
Joseph dared to say this precisely because Napoleon's operational plan was remarkably similar to the historical Battle of Marengo.
Similarly, the French army would advance from the southern Alps towards southern Sardinia; similarly, the Austro-Sardinian Coalition would retreat and defend Northern Italy; similarly, Napoleon decided to launch a surprise attack from the northern Great St. Bernard Pass.
One could only say that, under similar battlefield conditions, Napoleon still chose the same tactics.
Of course, there were also differences from the historical Battle of Marengo. Now, the French navy would challenge the British in the Mediterranean, and the French forces in Genoa would be able to receive supplies by sea, preventing a repeat of the past when they ran out of ammunition and food and were forced to surrender.
Lefebvre cautiously stated, "Your Highness, Colonel Buonaparte's plan will likely still face two major difficulties.
"First, his line of march passes through Geneva in southern Switzerland, and the Swiss will raise objections.
"Second, Fort Bard, which controls the mountain pass, is extremely difficult to breach. Its terrain is treacherous, and just a few hundred soldiers garrisoned there could hold up the Montpellier Legion for over a month. That's enough time for Beaulieu to send reinforcements."
"Your concerns are very valid," Joseph acknowledged, though his tone remained light. "However, these are not insurmountable problems.
"Geneva has virtually no Swiss garrison defending it, and the Swiss Parliament will undoubtedly turn a blind eye to our army's passage.
"They've also allowed the Austrian army to gather around Schwyz, so it's only fair."
For a small nation like Switzerland, facing two massive neighbors fighting, the best strategy is to play ostrich. As long as the fighting isn't happening on their own soil, they simply don't want to get involved, nor do they dare to.
Historically, Switzerland swallowed its pride when its western provinces were occupied by France. Now that the French army merely needs passage, they should know what to do.
"As for Fort Bard," Joseph said, intentionally lowering his voice, "I know of a small path nearby that allows us to quietly bypass it."
Lefebvre's eyes widened instantly. "How—how did you know that? You've never been there, have you?"
Joseph thought, 'Of course, it was from watching a documentary on the Battle of Marengo,' but he merely offered a mysterious smile. "Perhaps, it was a divine revelation."
Leaving Lefebvre devoutly crossing himself, Joseph turned, picked up a pen, and signed off on Napoleon's seemingly audacious operational plan.
Thanks to the several Chappe signal towers that had been erected in southern Wallonia over the past month, Napoleon's report reached here from Toulon in just two days – the messenger took a day and a half to descend from the Alps, and half a day to travel from north of Mons to Joseph's temporary command post.
The Chappe Telegraph itself only took an hour to transmit the message.
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