Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 871 - 779: The New "Battle of Marengo

Historically, the establishment of general staff in European nations, which took full responsibility for logistics, terrain mapping, training, and operational planning, came only after the 1830s.

Even in France, where Joseph led reforms to the staff system, Napoleon was temporarily burdened by the inefficiency and bureaucratic habits of the old military.

Napoleon pulled the reins, ordering his staff officer to take out the map. Staring at it with a furrowed brow for a long time, he shook his head and sighed: "I recall that the cavalry camp of Murat’s Corps is still in Nice, correct?"

The staff officer nodded: "Yes, Commander. The cavalry suffered heavy consumption on the day of the Wans offensive, so they were arranged to pass through the pass last, allowing them a few extra days of rest."

"Very well, let them rest a while longer; there’s no need for them to come over just yet."

As Napoleon spoke, he gestured to his attendant to fetch paper and pen, then huddled over his saddle and awkwardly began drafting a report to the Crown Prince.

He deliberated over the wording and phrasing, occasionally blowing warm breaths into his icy right hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a sharp-eyed middle-aged man standing near a rock, holding a drawing board, occasionally glancing at him and then jotting down strokes.

Napoleon then waved to the man, calling out, "Mr. David, how is your work progressing?"

"Thanks to you, just now, I finally found inspiration," the middle-aged man responded, still focused on his canvas and not even glancing up. "So, at most, within a week, you’ll be able to see the grandeur of your figure on my painting."

The man was none other than the renowned Neo-Classical painter Jacques-Louis David, who painted "The Death of Marat."

However, since Marat was still alive and no significant revolution had occurred, David had far less acclaim than in history.

Earlier, David had planned to board a ship at Port of Marseille to try his luck in North Africa, but the Monaco Prince, out of gratitude to Napoleon for driving away the Austrians, commissioned him to create a painting showcasing "Buonaparte’s grandeur."

David subsequently followed Napoleon to the Alps.

Napoleon nodded at him with a smile but quickly returned to writing his report.

Half an hour later, he finally completed the draft and handed it over to his staff officer for grammar corrections. Then he dismounted from his mule, approached David’s side, and leaned over to glance at the artist’s drawing board.

At merely a glance, Napoleon’s brow furrowed.

On the canvas, he saw himself riding a weary mule, his clothes covered in dust, while the attendant beside him, cheeks reddened from frostbite, gripped the reins tightly, fearing the animal might slip on the snow.

This hardly looked like advancing victoriously into Italy; it seemed more like he’d just been routed by the Austrian Army and was fleeing home in disgrace.

He patted David’s shoulder and sighed helplessly: "Perhaps we should have a proper discussion about your masterpiece..."

...

Southern Netherlands.

South suburbs of Brussels.

Joseph handed Napoleon’s operational plan to Lefevre beside him: "Buonaparte’s ideas are always unconventional. This time, he has turned potential troubles into opportunities and capitalized on them."

Lefevre skimmed the report quickly, hesitated, and said, "Your Highness, Turin, as the capital of Sardinia, will likely be very difficult to capture quickly. If the Montpellier Legion operates alone in the northern Sardinia region, it could easily be surrounded by Austrian reinforcements."

"Oh, Austria’s army in northeastern Switzerland isn’t far from that location either."

Joseph smiled: "You misunderstood Buonaparte’s intentions.

"He is attacking from the Great St. Bernard Pass not simply to advance on Turin.

"The true significance of this army is to disrupt Austrian deployments.

"Afterward, he has options: to advance east into Milan or move south to form a pincer attack on the Austrian Army alongside General Demobin.

"Once the Montpellier Legion passes successfully through Bard Fortress, our army will gain considerable strategic initiative."

Lefevre pointed to Napoleon’s report puzzledly: "Your Highness, Buonaparte only mentioned the possibility of surprise-attacking Turin; he didn’t mention Milan or the pincer maneuver..."

Joseph nodded with a smile: "That’s possible; he might not yet have considered these scenarios. But trust me, once conditions are ripe, he will instinctively identify every feasible option and choose the best one to execute."

Joseph’s confidence stemmed entirely from the fact that Napoleon’s operational plan bore striking similarities to the historical Battle of Marengo.

Just as the French Army advanced from the southern Alps into southern Sardinia, and just as the Aus Alliance Army retreated to Northern Italy, Napoleon again opted to stage a surprise from the northern Great St. Bernard Pass.

It seemed that in similarly positioned battlefield scenarios, Napoleon opted for the same tactics.

Of course, there were differences between now and the historical Battle of Marengo. Here, the French Navy would challenge the British in the Mediterranean Sea, and supply lines for the French Army stationed in Genoa would be secured via sea routes, preventing a repeat of the previous ammunition depletion and surrender.

Despite this, Lefevre cautiously remarked: "Your Highness, Buonaparte’s plan still faces two major obstacles.

"First, his route of advance passes through Geneva in southern Switzerland, which could raise objections from the Swiss side.

"Second, Bard Fortress at the pass is extremely difficult to conquer. Its treacherous terrain enables a garrison of mere hundreds to hold off the Montpellier Legion for a month or more, enough time for Bolieu to send reinforcements."

"Your concerns are valid," Joseph first affirmed his words, but his tone remained relaxed. "However, these are not insurmountable problems.

"Geneva lacks significant Swiss garrison defenses, and the Swiss Congress is likely to turn a blind eye to our army’s passage.

"After all, they similarly allow Austrian forces to gather near Schwyz, which is fair."

For a small country like Switzerland, stuck between two colossal neighbors at odds, the best strategy was to play the ostrich. As long as the fighting didn’t occur within their borders, they had no intention of intervening and dared not intervene. freewebnσvel.cøm

Historically, Switzerland endured the occupation of its western provinces by France with silent indignance; the current situation—French forces merely passing through—would pose no issue.

"As for Bard Fortress," Joseph lowered his voice deliberately, "I happen to know there’s a small path near it that can be used to sneak past."

Lefevre’s eyes widened immediately: "You—how do you know that? You’ve never been there, have you?"

Joseph chuckled to himself, knowing he’d learned about it from a historical documentary on the Battle of Marengo. But he simply offered a mysterious smile: "Perhaps, it’s divine inspiration."

He left Lefevre, who was now reverently crossing himself repeatedly, and turned to pick up a pen, approving Napoleon’s highly daring operational plan.

Thanks to the several Sharp Signal Towers recently constructed in the southern Walloon Region, Napoleon’s report took only two days to reach here—from Toulon down the Alps in a day and a half, and from north of Mons to Joseph’s temporary command station in half a day.

The Sharp Signal Machine transmitted the message in mere one hour.