Chapter 786: Emperor Napoleon's Courage
The staff officer cautiously double-checked: "You mean, including the reserves?"
Napoleon pointed with his riding crop towards the open ground directly opposite the wooden bridge. "Exactly. Including the reserves, even the engineer company—everyone gathers there."
"Yes, Commander."
Half an hour later, nearly ten thousand French soldiers formed neat triple ranks along the banks of the Po River.
On their left flank, the artillery company's fourteen cannons began to unleash a barrage across the river. However, due to the extreme distance, many shells fell into the river.
But the Austrian forces on the eastern bank of the river could only see flashes of fire beneath thick clouds of gunpowder smoke, hear the thunderous roar of cannons, and feel the absolute chilling intensity of the battlefield.
Before long, Victor and Captain Grouchy, acting commander of the cavalry battalion, arrived before Napoleon.
"Commander," Victor saluted crisply, then glanced at the formation along the riverbank. "The Grenadier Company and Cavalry Battalion are assembled. Are we launching a full assault?"
Grouchy added, a touch nervously, "But the boats for crossing the river aren't ready yet. A direct assault now would..."
"Major Victor, have the cavalry and grenadiers prepare for a forced march.
"Hmm, perhaps we should give General Melas proper consideration. You should also draw another one thousand seasoned veterans from the infantry regiment to accompany us."
"A forced march?" Victor was momentarily stunned, but immediately responded loudly, "Yes, I'll go at once!"
Napoleon watched the two depart, then turned to the staff officers beside him, quickly singling one out. "Lieutenant Marcelin, I recall you once worked as a lawyer?"
"Yes, Commander."
"Then your eloquence must be quite exceptional?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it exceptional, but I have indeed undergone professional public speaking training."
"Excellent. I now appoint you as our negotiation representative. Go to the other bank and urge the Austrians to surrender." Napoleon cast a glance at Marcelin's uniform. "Remember to change into an officer's uniform."
"Negotiations? Me?" Lieutenant Marcelin was somewhat flustered; he was just an ordinary clerk.
He composed himself, then took out paper and pen, ready to record. "Alright, alright. Please tell me, what terms should we offer?"
Napoleon took the reins from his attendant, and without looking back, said, "Say whatever you like, just keep the negotiations going."
"But..."
Suddenly entrusted with such a weighty task, a flustered Marcelin wanted to ask more questions, but he only saw Napoleon's receding figure.
Four o'clock in the afternoon.
Napoleon left Marmont to command the main force in confronting the Austrian army, while he himself led three thousand soldiers, swiftly heading south along the Po River.
The six to seven thousand dispirited Austrian troops on the opposite bank showed no intention of attacking. Marmont's main task was to create a grand display, announcing their presence.
Victor lightly shook his reins, urging his mount forward a few paces to stay parallel with Napoleon, then leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Commander, what are we going to do?"
The latter replied calmly, "Why, to capture Milan, of course."
"Milan?" Victor looked back at the main force, now too distant to clearly see, and exclaimed in surprise, "With only this many men..."
"It's enough," Napoleon said, a smile playing on his lips. "If I'm not mistaken, Melas has surely diverted the vast majority of his forces to Genoa, to besiege General Dumouriez. The troops remaining in Milan should be very few.
"Moreover, the officers responsible for Milan's defense clearly don't want to engage us directly, pushing their defensive line all the way to the Po River.
"This means that Milan's limited forces are currently all on the other side of the river, leaving the city itself very vulnerable.
"Three thousand men. No, according to my original plan, two thousand would have been enough to capture it."
Victor's eyes widened in astonishment. "Then where will we cross the river?"
"Lodi."
Victor immediately understood.
Lodi was located south of Milan, where the Ticino River flowed into the Po. From there, they would only need to cross the Po River, avoiding the trouble of traversing the Ticino as well.
But he immediately thought of another problem and turned to Napoleon. "Commander, it's nearly 70 kilometers from here to Lodi, and the route is swarming with Austrians. If they report our movements to Milan, this entire endeavor will be a waste of time."
"No need to worry," Napoleon said, pointing his riding crop towards the Po River. "Why would the Austrians position their defenses along the river? They want to exploit the flood season, when the Po's currents are exceptionally fierce, making it very difficult for our army to force a crossing.
"But what they've forgotten is that fierce river currents also hinder the transmission of messages.
"No one will risk being swept away by the current to report news they don't even know is useful on the other side.
"Therefore, as long as we move fast enough, Milan will never even realize we're coming."
Victor's eyes now held nothing but admiration.
He also thought of an advantage that Colonel Buonaparte hadn't mentioned: the stretch of the Po River from Valenza to Lodi followed an "L" shape. The river's flow would significantly slow down at the bend, becoming much calmer near Lodi.
This would greatly reduce the difficulty of crossing. A simple pontoon bridge would be enough to transport horses, men, and cannons across.
This would be absolutely impossible with the currents near Valenza.
Napoleon turned his head to glance at the troops beside him. Dissatisfied with their marching pace, he frowned in thought, then gave a few instructions to a staff officer nearby.
The officer immediately reined his horse around and shouted to the soldiers, "Everyone, pick up the pace! The Commander wants me to promise you that if we reach Lodi within four days, every soldier will receive a 20-franc bonus. Arrive within three days, and it's 35 francs per person. If we reach Lodi in no more than two and a half days, then each man gets 50 francs!"
The soldiers immediately erupted with excitement.
The marching column surged forward as if propelled by an invisible giant hand, their speed instantly increasing significantly.
Keep in mind that soldiers of the Montpellier Legion earned only 11 francs a month. 50 francs was equivalent to four and a half months of pure income.
Even the cavalry of the Moulins Legion, whose monthly salary was only 28 francs, found this bonus incredibly appealing. And typically, cavalry allowances were several tenths higher than those of the infantry.
Spurred on by the enormous bonus, Napoleon's raiding force reached the point where the Po River turned eastward by dusk the following day.
Only 35 kilometers remained to Lodi.
Who said the old armies couldn't march effectively?
It was simply that they weren't paid enough francs.
With the bonus secured, soldiers wished they could grow donkey hooves to move faster; covering 30 kilometers in a day was no problem at all!
Two and a half days after Napoleon left Valenza, his three thousand men successfully crossed the Po River, occupying Lodi without a fight, and set their sights on the nearby Milan.
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