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Chapter 894: A Three-Pronged Advance

At that moment, Masséna and a staff officer strode into the tent.

Moreau rose lazily, lifting his hat in a polite salute. "It is a pleasure to see you in such freezing weather, General Masséna. It brings me warmth just to look at you. Shall we play a game of chess today, or continue our discussion on the opera?"

Their military camps were close to each other, and the two often visited one another.

Masséna signaled the staff officer to hand a formal document from the Chappe signal tower to Moreau, his expression solemn.

"These are orders straight from the General Staff, Lieutenant Colonel. Your troops must be ready to move within two days."

"Move?" Moreau unfolded the orders with a look of confusion that instantly transformed into wild joy. "Crossing the river? Thank the Crown Prince! He finally remembered me!"

However, his excitement quickly turned into uncertainty as he looked back at Masséna. "General, are you certain about giving me only fifteen thousand men?"

He paused, reconsidering the map. "To invade Bavaria, we will be heading deep into the heart of Germany. I am afraid this force might not be enough to guarantee success."

The orders from the General Staff instructed him to lead the four regiments of the Royal Third Infantry Division, along with several Royal Skirmisher battalions and an artillery battalion. He was to mobilize north to Strasbourg immediately, cross the Rhine River from there, pass through Baden, and strike directly at Bavaria.

"I assume they were waiting for changes on other battlefields," Moreau replied.

"Your mind is as sharp as ever," Masséna said. "Just yesterday, Alvinczy's main force arrived at Mantua with more than eighty-five thousand men."

He pointed at the map. "In other words, Austria can no longer spare a single unit to reinforce Bavaria. Furthermore, the General Staff has not set any specific operational objectives for you."

Moreau immediately snapped to attention, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "General, I guarantee we will begin our march north by noon tomorrow."

Bavaria currently had nearly thirty thousand troops, but because Masséna's legion had been watching them from the opposite bank of Basel, their main forces were deployed south of Munich.

Additionally, Latour's Austrian legion was stationed at Freiburg, just north of Basel, to guard against a potential offensive from Masséna.

If Moreau's legion suddenly crossed the river from Strasbourg to the north and attacked western Bavaria, the Austrian and Bavarian armies would have no time to rush back for a defense.

It was a classic case of a blind spot.

Opposite the French city of Strasbourg lay Baden. Both Austria and Bavaria subconsciously felt that with a state standing in front of them, they had nothing to worry about.

But while Baden was technically a state of the Holy Roman Empire, its soul had long since taken the shape of France.

Such a nation would not only fail to delay the French army on the opposite bank of Strasbourg, but it would even provide logistical supplies for Moreau's legion.

Once Moreau's troops entered Bavarian territory, it would essentially be like a tiger among a flock of sheep. They could simply sweep through the land with ease.

As for why he was only given fifteen thousand men, it was primarily because Baden's supply capacity could only support a force of that size.

Furthermore, it was necessary to maintain a sufficient military presence opposite Basel; otherwise, it might arouse Latour's suspicion and alert Bavaria to prepare its defenses.

Although Moreau often appeared nonchalant, his legion was always kept in a state of high combat readiness.

Upon receiving the orders, these units immediately transitioned into a marching posture. Two days later, they arrived at Strasbourg.

This was the comprehensive counter-attack plan formulated by Joseph.

With the deployment of Austria's main force, France would strike simultaneously from three directions—Italy, the southern Rhine, and Portugal—forcing the Anti-French Coalition to attend to one thing and lose another, thereby completely stripping them of their strategic initiative.

...

London.

10 Downing Street.

William Pitt Junior irritably handed the documents in his hand to General Wyndham of the Army Committee, then turned his gaze toward the Marquis Wellesley.

"It is quite clear that Austria is bogged down in a bitter struggle in Northern Italy."

The Prime Minister sighed. "Although their troop numbers there exceed those of the French, most of them are raw recruits mobilized only a few months ago. We have no choice but to deploy your new army to Mantua to stabilize the situation. Only then can we find a way to launch a counter-attack on the west bank of the Rhine."

After the Duke of York's forces had been crushed, the thirty thousand new troops trained by Wellesley were the only British legion that could be mobilized immediately.

However, this was also Britain's most formidable fighting force. The entire unit was equipped with the latest percussion cap muskets, and the artillery had adopted the French model, incorporating a large number of horse artillery batteries.

Wellesley had even equipped his soldiers with a type of bulletproof insert. However, because they had not mastered the manufacturing process of the French version, they had to rely on heavy cast iron. Consequently, while the ballistic protection was inferior to the French product, the weight was nearly double.

As for training, Wellesley had his own methods.

His new army far surpassed every other major European military—except for the French—in terms of formation, physical fitness, marksmanship, and discipline.

Under the immense pressure of the French New Army, Wellesley's force had made its debut seven or eight years earlier than it had in history.

The only problem was that he was not facing Napoleon's Old Guard from the history books.

Instead, he was facing a French New Army built by Joseph using modern military concepts.

This destined Wellesley's future to be nothing short of a tragedy.

Wellesley pondered for a long while before letting out a soft breath. He met Pitt's gaze and spoke.

"Prime Minister, if I may be blunt, continuing to pour massive investments into the Italian or Rhine fronts has lost all meaning."

Wellesley shook his head. "Even if we can help Austria hold Mantua, we will be fundamentally unable to achieve our original strategic goals."

Indeed, when Britain first initiated the Anti-French Coalition, the goal was to completely eliminate France's ability to compete for hegemony on the European continent, reducing it to a mere secondary power. At the same time, they sought to use the war to destroy French industry, ensuring that British goods would have no rivals in all of Europe.

But looking at the current situation, France's sphere of influence had expanded significantly compared to before the war. They occupied the Rhineland and dominated Northern Italy, while their armies swept through the nations of Europe. The image of a continental hegemon was already beginning to emerge.

In terms of industry, although France experienced a brief contraction in trade at the start of the war, they quickly regained control of the Mediterranean. Coupled with the newly opened markets in Italy and along the Rhine, their current trade volume had actually increased significantly compared to the pre-war period.

In contrast, Britain's financial situation continued to deteriorate due to massive war expenditures and the high subsidies spent on sugar. Last year, Britain's years of fiscal surpluses came to an end, resulting in a deficit as high as six million pounds sterling!

The most troubling aspect was that Britain's allies—Prussia, Austria, and the Netherlands—were all languishing. It was foreseeable that they would not be able to recover for at least seven or eight years.

If Britain wanted to continue challenging France on the European continent, they no longer had any leverage left to use.