Chapter 745: Confrontation in the Alps
Chapter 746 Confrontation in the Alps
Napoleon immediately saw the specially highlighted lines at the bottom of the notebook:
After the army enters Italy, soldiers are strictly prohibited from looting. All matters related to the search for supplies and soldiers' awards must be signed by the military supervisor, Major Odolik, before they can be implemented.
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"This will definitely affect the enthusiasm of the soldiers." Napoleon frowned helplessly, but this was a repeated request by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and he could only strictly implement it. "I hope Major Odolik is a person who is easier to talk to."
However, he had just inquired that Odolic was the cousin of the captain of the Crown Prince's personal guard, and he might not be easily bribed.
Joseph clearly remembers how the emperor scraped the ground in Italy in history, which directly caused the Italian region to hate the French army.
Later, when Austria took advantage of the civil strife in the French Directory to send troops to Italy, they were welcomed by all sides and pushed the French army to the Turin-Genoa line without any effort.
If Massena hadn't fought hard for more than three months, the French army might have been driven out of Italy.
Of course, Joseph didn't mean to be a good guy.
After all, if the finances cannot be replenished from the Italian occupied areas, will the battle still be lost even if it is won?
But obtaining the dividends of war also requires methods and art. Robbery like a bandit like the emperor did in the past will only create enemies for France.
Therefore, Joseph sent Odolik to be responsible for "recovering blood" in the occupied areas.
When Lucien saw his brother coming out, he hurriedly greeted him: "Are you having a meeting all day?"
"Yes."
"So, you haven't had lunch yet?"
"The General Staff distributed some broth and bread at noon. Oh, by the way, I was just appointed as the second commander of the Italian Front."
"Really? God, that's great!" Lucien was immediately ecstatic and rubbed his hands excitedly, "You are now the most accomplished person in the Buwanaba family!"
He asked around his brother for a while, then looked up at the darkening sky and said, "You must be hungry too, let's go have a good dinner to celebrate."
Napoleon glanced at him and said seriously: "Do you think I am already a high-ranking official and well-paid, and can enjoy life in peace?
"No, this is just an insignificant beginning.
"I'm going to the archives of the General Staff Headquarters now. Go get some food and bring it to me. Here, take my pass."
"Archives room?" Lucien said in surprise, "It's so late, what are you doing there?"
"Check the terrain surveying data of the Alps and Savoy. I don't have enough time to prepare." Napoleon said, "Also, you can apply for permission to use the signal tower. I heard that it can be used within an hour. Send messages to anywhere in France.
"General Dumopin will not ask much of the legions rushing to Savoy, but I must keep urging them."
"Okay, yes, brother."
…
A month and a half later.
Acqui, in eastern Sardinia, only 70 kilometers away from Milan, is where the general headquarters of the Austrian-Sardinian Army is located.
At this time, the Austrian commander-in-chief Beaulieu was frowning at the report that had just been sent, and angrily yelled at the staff officer beside him:
"It's only more than 20 miles from Milan to Nizza. It's been nearly two months, but there are still two legions on the road!"
He was talking about Ori. 20 miles is equivalent to about 140 kilometers.
The staff officer lowered his head and said: "General, General Pitoli only received supplies from Sardinia at the beginning of the month. Before that, his legion didn't even have enough artillery shells, so..."
"The guys in Sardinia are all trash!" Beaulieu cursed and asked the staff officer, "Is there any movement from the French?"
"General, according to the intelligence sent back last week, several French legions are moving towards Savoy. There are also about 5,000 troops stationed in the Bresse area and in front of the mountain passes near Toulon."
Bresse is the border area between northern Sardinia and France, while Toulon borders the southernmost tip of Sardinia.
The two places have a common feature, that is, they both have low Alpine passes.
Beaulieu's expression finally softened a little.
His 30,000 troops have already gathered on the east side of the Alps, but the French army on the opposite side is obviously much slower.
This brought great convenience to him crossing the Alps.
At least, the troops would not have to camp on the mountainside because of enemy interception. Even in June, it is still very cold in the Alps. Staying there for several months will have a very bad impact on morale.
He then summoned the main officers of the legion and held an afternoon meeting around the map.
As dusk approached, Beaulieu began to issue orders to his men: "The Provira Army will begin to pass through the Catipona Pass in two days. If it encounters resistance from the French army, try to push the front forward as much as possible to leave space for the army behind to assemble." ”
"Yes, General."
"The Argentau Army and the Vukasev Army will then launch from both sides of the mountain pass. Don't get too entangled with the French and occupy Toulon as soon as possible. After that, the British fleet will bring us supplies and assist us in defending the port.
"The Pitori Legion was responsible for the defense of the west side of Turin.
"The Sebotendorf Legion as Reserve."
Yes, Beaulieu ultimately chose to attack from the easier south side of the Alps.
Although it is far from the Sardinian capital Turin, which brings certain difficulties for supply, as long as they can capture the port of Toulon, the British will solve their logistical problems from the sea.
Moreover, Beaulieu has also deployed defensive forces in the west of Turin in a very mature and prudent manner to deal with possible sneak attacks by the French.
It can be said to be foolproof.
The most important thing is that the French will definitely focus on the Bresse line now, but he chose to cross the Alps from the southern coastal area hundreds of miles away.
There should not be many troops defending there except for a small number of Toulon garrisons.
When the Provera Corps entered Toulon, the coalition forces almost began to attack the Luxembourg-Verdun line in northern France.
The French will probably find it difficult to withdraw troops to reinforce Toulon when they are attacked from both sides.
At that time, he can directly march north to attack the Grenoble Fortress, or west to Montpellier, which can cause heavy damage to France.
After the officers left the headquarters, Beaulieu instructed his staff:
"Let General Curry tell His Majesty Amedeo III that I will not wait for him too long. It is time to make a decision."
Curry is the commander-in-chief of the Sardinian army. Yes, Sardinia's 30,000 field troops are commanded by an Austrian general.
In Beaulieu's view, he is giving Sardinia a chance to become a victorious country - if the King of Sardinia agrees to let Curry's army enter France.
