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Chapter 797: Defense? Attack!

Of course, this was also because steamships possessed excellent speed.

Had it been ordinary sailing ships, this journey would have taken at least ten days, and Dumouriez would have been forced to surrender in bitterness.

Joseph had initially established the Eastern Mediterranean Trading Company to promote trade between France and the Ottoman Empire and to win over the Ottomans, never expecting to unexpectedly reap the benefits of rapid logistical support.

At the port, excited French soldiers tossed Troque and the other captains into the air, cheering their names incessantly.

In that moment, the captains suddenly felt that even without the high interest, this adventure had been worth it.

As large quantities of flour were moved into the warehouses, Dumouriez felt his confidence surge.

At this point, twenty-two days remained until the Crown Prince's mission for him to hold Genoa for two months was complete, and these few shiploads of supplies were enough for him to hold out until then.

The following day at noon, he even agreed to the hot-tempered Augereau's request to launch a counterattack on the eastern front.

The soldiers, their bellies full, were indeed high-spirited, pushing Argenteau's encirclement back by a full kilometer in just half a day.

The Austrian army quickly received news from their spies in Genoa, and the entire command post was grief-stricken.

Melas's face was livid, and he muttered incessantly, "Those naval good-for-nothings, those idiots..."

After a long silence, Argenteau glanced at the commander-in-chief and cautiously began, "General, given the current situation, perhaps we should consider abandoning Genoa."

"Abandon?" Melas looked up, then suddenly smiled. "Yes, of course, but now it's not as simple as us just abandoning Genoa."

Argenteau frowned, but immediately understood.

As Napoleon continued to consolidate control over the Lombardy Region, their own forces would soon completely lose contact with Austria.

At that point, it would no longer be their army besieging Genoa; instead, they would be caught in a pincer attack from Napoleon and Dumouriez, north and south!

Cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead. He knew that France could continuously send reinforcements to Italy from the Toulon direction, and the defeat of the Austrian-Sardinian forces was only a matter of time.

He quickly looked at Melas and said, "General, we should immediately maneuver east, circle through Parma, and return to Mantua Fortress..."

"Absolutely not!" Colli immediately retorted loudly. "Doing so would leave Sardinia to face the French army alone. We will lose the trust of all our allies!"

Sardinia was in the westernmost part of Italy; after the Austrian army retreated east, the French army could occupy Alessandria at any time, severing communication between Austria and Sardinia.

Melas sighed heavily and nodded. "You're right, we must protect Sardinia, otherwise, the entire situation in Italy will rapidly collapse."

What he didn't say was that Parma, as a neutral country, would likely not allow his army to pass through its territory.

He could, of course, force his way through—Parma's army was powerless to stop them—but this would undoubtedly push it toward France and influence the stance of other neutral Italian states.

Melas stood up and went to the map. He pondered for a long time before pointing his cane at Alessandria and declaring gravely, "Order the entire army to gather at Alessandria and establish a defensive line there. I will request His Imperial Majesty to send reinforcements to launch an attack on Milan from Mantua."

Then he tapped Pavia. "And we will retake Pavia, cross the Po River, and coordinate a pincer attack on Milan."

Alessandria was Northern Italy's transportation hub. From there, they could both support Sardinia to the west and advance north to Milan, while also intimidating Genoa.

Stationing troops here would provide the foundation to continue contending with France for Northern Italy.

...

Milan.

Napoleon also pointed at the map on the wall, addressing Victor and other officers. "Currently, the Austrians have two options.

"First, retreat from Parma to Mantua and establish a standoff with our forces there. In that case, we would then have to focus our offensive on Turin.

"Second, pull back to Alessandria, prepare to gather strength, cross the river, and counterattack Milan. But they would need to reserve troops to guard against an attack from General Dumouriez from the south, so they would have to rely on Vienna to send reinforcements."

Marmont muttered, "I hope they don't retreat to Mantua. I've seen that fortress; it won't be easy to breach."

Napoleon nodded. "I expect Melas will most likely choose Alessandria. After all, he needs to present an image to his Emperor that they haven't been driven out of Piedmont."

He looked at an adjutant nearby. "Send someone to contact General Dumouriez. Tell him to constantly monitor the area north of Genoa. If there are any signs of the Austrian army retreating east, try to delay them as much as possible. I will launch an attack from Lodi."

"Yes, Commander."

Napoleon then told Victor, "Assemble your troops immediately and prepare to cross the river at Pavia."

"What?" The latter was stunned for a moment. "Cross the river?"

As he understood it, they should currently be fortifying defenses along the Po River to prevent the Austrian army from attacking Milan. After all, the Austrian-Sardinian forces still held a numerical advantage.

Napoleon smiled. "We must crush Melas before Vienna's reinforcements arrive, otherwise, we will face enemies from both Mantua and Alessandria."

"But our forces..."

Napoleon declared confidently, "Melas's army failed to capture Genoa; their morale must be very low right now. This is our optimal moment to attack.

"Furthermore, Alessandria is an excellent base for offense, but poorly suited for defense.

"General Dumouriez could even cross the Alps and attack from their western flank.

"Therefore, troop strength is not the issue."

...

Southern Netherlands.

North of Brussels.

Joseph read Napoleon's operational plan, transmitted via the Chappe Telegraph, which also served as a report of his achievements. A satisfied smile spread across his face. "Colonel Buonaparte certainly hasn't disappointed me. He's cornered the Austrian-Sardinian forces with such an army."

Eman whispered from beside him, "'Bonaparte,' Your Highness. Monsieur Buonaparte has changed his surname."

"Hmm, Bonaparte." Joseph nodded. "Napoleon Bonaparte. That name sounds much better."

He signed Napoleon's operational plan and handed it to Eman to send back to Italy.

According to this trend, Northern Italy would soon be pacified by Napoleon, almost perfectly aligning with the historical course of events.

At this thought, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

It seemed he had been a little 'too lazy' regarding the Italian campaign, leaving everything to Napoleon to handle.

In reality, the situation there was much better than historically.

At the very least, Dumouriez hadn't lost Genoa, and France had gained a solid foothold on the southern coast of Northern Italy.

If he still relied solely on Napoleon to fight it out, wouldn't that be a waste of the strategic advantage they held?

He pondered for a moment, then told Eman, "Please inform Monsieur Talleyrand to travel to Turin with the Count of Provence..."