Chapter 964: The French Security Bureau
Joseph soon grasped the underlying cause.
The British government wasn't as wealthy now as it had been historically, so it could only choose to sacrifice Portugal's interests to stabilize the Porto defensive line.
This was, in fact, a huge victory for France.
Historically, France had deployed a massive army of 65,000 soldiers along with renowned generals like Masséna, Ney, and Junot, spending nearly two years before forcing Wellesley to implement the Scorched Earth Policy.
Now, Junot, with only 5,000 French troops, had achieved the same result in Portugal.
However, facing a scorched-earth scenario, the Spanish army's logistics would quickly become unsustainable.
Therefore, the original plan would be completely unfeasible.
Once the Spanish forces, with their exhausted supplies, were met with a counterattack from Wellesley, they would certainly be unable to conduct an orderly retreat and their formations would be completely shattered.
Even if Junot executed an ambush at Lagoaça, unless the British-Portuguese Allied Forces were completely annihilated—Junot's 5,000 troops could at most rout tens of thousands of enemy soldiers—France would then be solely responsible for the war in Portugal.
Therefore, the immediate priority was to secure Talavera's 30,000 troops.
He immediately instructed Berthier: "Have the Marquis of Talavera retreat to Almeida Fortress as quickly as possible.
"At the same time, order Junot's corps to abandon the ambush plan and proceed to Porto to rendezvous with the Spanish."
Berthier exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, this means abandoning all the gains we've made so far."
Almeida Fortress was on the Spanish-Portuguese border, essentially a full retreat back home.
The Duke of Broglie hastily added, "Your Highness, Madrid is fully mobilizing to prepare logistical supplies; they assure us they can sustain at least 50,000 troops."
Joseph shook his head. "That is precisely what the British want.
"With most of the route being uninhabited territory, our logistical consumption will be several times higher than the enemy's.
"In six months at most, Spain's finances will become unsustainable."
The Duke of Broglie cautiously reminded him, "Your Highness, Spain has invested heavily. If there are no tangible gains, they will certainly complain bitterly."
Joseph waved a hand. "The war is not over, but we need to revise our operational plans."
Berthier suggested, "Your Highness, we could wait until next year for the Portuguese near Porto to return to their homes and then launch a new offensive."
Joseph frowned, falling into deep thought.
The reason this campaign had gone so smoothly was largely due to Portugal's lack of preparedness.
By next year, they would undoubtedly construct fortresses everywhere with British assistance, and the difficulty of attack would double.
Furthermore, even if they fought their way back to Porto, Wellesley could simply employ the scorched-earth tactic again.
'Would they then retreat again?'
'Their tens of thousands of troops would be moved back and forth, only to be worn down by the British...'
He tapped the table lightly and stated gravely, "We must avoid being forced to withdraw from Portugal due to excessive logistical consumption."
Beside him, Bailly, the Minister of Trade and a military layman, muttered, "Actually, the Portuguese are suffering far greater losses than us. Over a third of their villages and towns in the northwest have been destroyed..."
Joseph was about to say, "The British couldn't care less about Portugal's losses," when a thought suddenly struck him.
'Wait a minute, the British might not care, but the Portuguese certainly do!'
Implementing a scorched-earth tactic once resulted in incredibly devastating losses. The Porto region wouldn't recover for another decade or more.
If a similar "scorched earth" strategy were to be employed again, what would the Portuguese think?
'Are you British here to help me, or to destroy me? The Spanish at most commandeer some grain, but you rip everything out by the roots!'
If public opinion were guided at this point, who would still cooperate with Britain in a scorched-earth campaign?
It was like someone who might dare to stab themselves unknowingly, but after experiencing agonizing pain, they would certainly not dare to stab themselves a second time.
Joseph gestured for Eman to retrieve a map, and quickly pinpointed the central-western Portuguese city of Coimbra.
This was Portugal's fourth-largest city, and it guarded Lisbon's northern gateway. If it were captured, it could serve as a base for a sustained offensive on Lisbon.
Most importantly, from Porto, south across the Douro River, there was almost no resistance all the way to Coimbra.
His brow smoothed instantly, and he pointed at the map. "Very well, then let the Marquis of Talavera proceed to Coimbra.
"Junot's corps will still need to provide cover, while also detaching some forces to feign a retreat to Almeida Fortress..."
After he finished outlining the general deployment, Berthier nodded repeatedly. "This is truly a brilliant plan, Your Highness. By changing the direction of the offensive, we can also render the defensive lines the British have built around Porto useless."
"Oh, right, we'll need to establish a supply line from Rodrigo to Coimbra in advance."
Joseph nodded. "Please have the General Staff Headquarters draw up a detailed operational plan and submit it to me as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
At half past ten in the morning, the cabinet meeting concluded.
There were still many matters left unresolved, but at noon today, the Army of Italy was returning to Paris, and Joseph was to join the King and Queen to welcome the triumphant army.
As Joseph reached the main gate of Versailles, he saw Comte de Robert, director of the nascent French Security Bureau, hurrying towards him from the left corridor.
"Your Highness, I have an urgent matter to report to you immediately," Robert said, bowing slightly.
Joseph gestured towards the carriage outside. "Let's discuss it in the carriage."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Shortly after, the luxurious convoy slowly departed from the Marble Courtyard.
Inside one of the jewel-shaped carriages, Robert placed a stack of documents before the Crown Prince, and said, "Your Highness, during the establishment of the Security Bureau's overseas network, we discovered some unusual circumstances."
The French Security Bureau was the department Joseph intended to oversee foreign intelligence, operating parallel to the domestic Intelligence Bureau.
As it involved reorganizing the Secret Police simultaneously and recruiting spies and informants, its preparation period was extended. It had not yet officially begun operations.
Unexpectedly, crucial intelligence had already been uncovered.
In fact, the entire Security Bureau was currently demonstrating immense 'initiative,' as no deputy director had yet been appointed, and three individuals were vying for the position.
The three consequently engaged in fierce competition, which meant desperately gathering intelligence.
And they had indeed yielded significant results.
Robert pointed to the topmost document and said, "Your Highness, first, Mr. Randale's people discovered that the Intelligence Bureau recently transferred a large number of personnel, at least 70 individuals, to Klagenfurt.
"He initially didn't pay much attention to it, but he soon learned from an informant within the Intelligence Bureau that the Intelligence Bureau also allocated a budget of up to 150,000 francs to its spies in Klagenfurt."
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