Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 888 - 796: Defense? I demand offense!

Chapter 888 -796: Defense? I demand offense!

Of course, this was also because steamships inherently possessed outstanding speed.

If it had been an ordinary sailboat, completing this route would have taken at least ten days, and Demoblin would have been forced to surrender in frustration.

Speaking of which, Joseph’s initial intent in establishing the Eastern Mediterranean Trading Company was merely to promote Franco-Ottoman trade and win over the Ottoman Empire; he hadn’t anticipated the unexpected benefit of rapid logistical support.

At the port, excited French Army soldiers lifted Troch and the other captains into the air, shouting their names enthusiastically.

In that moment, the captains suddenly felt that even without high-interest returns, this risky venture had been worthwhile.

As large shipments of flour were hauled into the warehouses, Demoblin felt a surge of confidence and strength.

At this point, there were still 22 days remaining in the Crown Prince’s directive for him to hold Genoa for two months, and the supplies from these shipments were sufficient to sustain him until then.

By noon the next day, he even agreed to Ogero’s fiery request to launch a counterattack on the eastern front.

Sure enough, well-fed soldiers displayed heightened morale, pushing back Genoa’s siege line a full kilometer in just half a day.

Some rejoiced, while others lamented.

Austrian headquarters promptly received intelligence sent by spies from Genoa, and the entire command was plunged into despair.

Melas’s face was ashen, muttering incessantly: “Those naval fools, idiots…”

After a long silence, Argento glanced cautiously at the supreme commander and said carefully, “General, under the current circumstances, perhaps we should consider abandoning Genoa.”

“Abandon?” Melas raised his head and suddenly burst into laughter. “Yes, of course. But right now, abandoning Genoa isn’t as simple as it sounds.”

Argento frowned briefly before catching on quickly.

With Napoleon continuing to strengthen his grip on the Lombardy Region, their side would soon lose complete contact with Austria.

At that time, their large forces besieging Genoa would transform into being pincered from both the north and south by Napoleon and Demoblin!

Cold sweat formed on Argento’s forehead. He knew that France could continue amassing troops from Toulon into Italy, making the eventual defeat of the Aus Alliance Army inevitable.

Frantically, he turned to Melas. “General, we should immediately maneuver eastward, bypass Parma, and retreat to the Mantua Fortress…”

“Absolutely not!” Koli immediately rebuffed loudly. “Doing so would mean leaving Sardinia to fend for itself against the French Army. We would lose the trust of all our allies!”

Sardinia, located in Italy’s far west, would be isolated once the Austrian Army retreated eastward, allowing the French Army to capture Alexandria at any time and sever communication between Austria and Sardinia.

Melas let out a heavy sigh and nodded. “You’re right. We must protect Sardinia; otherwise, the entire Italian situation will collapse rapidly.”

What he didn’t say was that as a neutral country, Parma would likely not permit their army to pass through.

He could, of course, enforce passage; Parma’s forces were hardly capable of resistance. But this would undoubtedly push them toward France and negatively influence the stance of Italy’s other neutral states.

Rising to the map, Melas brooded for a long while before pointing his cane at Alexandria and speaking deeply: “Order the entire army to gather at Alexandria and set up defenses there. I will request reinforcements from His Majesty the Emperor to launch an attack on Milan from Mantua.”

Then, he tapped Pavia on the map. “And we must retake Pavia, cross the Po River, and coordinate in pincer-attacking Milan.”

Alexandria serves as Northern Italy’s transportation hub; from here, they could either head west to support Sardinia, advance northward to Milan, or intimidate Genoa.

Stationing troops here would provide the foundation to continue competing with France for control over Northern Italy.

…

Milan.

Napoleon similarly pointed at the map on the wall and addressed Victor and other officers: “The Austrians currently have two choices.

“First, retreat from Parma to Mantua, forming a standoff with our army there. If they do this, we would shift our offensive focus to Turin.

“Second, pull back to Alexandria, gathering forces to cross the river and counterattack Milan. They must reserve troops to guard against General Demoblin’s offensive from the south, meaning Vienna would need to send reinforcements.”

Marmon muttered, “Let’s just hope they won’t escape to Mantua. I’ve seen that fortress—it’s not easy to breach.”

Napoleon nodded. “I suspect Melas will likely choose Alexandria. After all, he has to make an appearance of not having been entirely driven out of Piedmont for his Emperor.”

He turned to an Order Officer beside him. “Send someone to contact General Demoblin, instructing him to monitor the area north of Genoa closely. If the Austrians show signs of retreating eastward, try to stall them. I’ll launch an offensive from Lodi.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Napoleon then addressed Victor: “Gather your troops immediately and prepare to cross the river from Pavia.”

“Ah?” Victor froze for a moment. “Cross the river?”

In his understanding, the current priority should be bolstering defenses along the Po River to prevent the Austrians from attacking Milan. After all, the Aus Alliance Army still had numerical superiority.

Napoleon smiled. “We must defeat Melas before reinforcements from Vienna arrive. Otherwise, we’d face enemies from both Mantua and Alexandria.”

“But our forces…”

Napoleon replied confidently: “Melas’s army failed to capture Genoa, so their morale is undoubtedly at rock bottom. Now is the perfect moment to strike.

“Moreover, while Alexandria is an excellent base for launching attacks, it’s poorly suited for defense.

“General Demoblin could even cross the Alps and launch an offensive from the west.

“So, troop strength isn’t a concern.”

…

Southern Netherlands.

North of Brussels.

Joseph examined the battle plan sent by Napoleon through the Sharp Signal Machine, which also doubled as a commendation report. A satisfied smile spread across his face. “Buonaparte the Captain has indeed exceeded my expectations, boxing the Aus Alliance Army into a dead-end with just these troops.”

Eman quietly interjected: “It’s ‘Bonaparte’ the Captain now, Crown Prince. Mr. Buonaparte has changed his surname.”

“Ah, Bonaparte.” Joseph nodded. “Napoleon Bonaparte—that name does indeed have a better ring to it.”

He signed Napoleon’s battle plan and handed it back to Eman to relay to Italy.

According to this trajectory, Napoleon would soon pacify Northern Italy, almost perfectly in line with historical events.

Yet, as he pondered this, his eyes slowly narrowed.

It seemed he had been rather “lazy” regarding the Italian campaign, leaving everything to Napoleon to handle.

In reality, the current situation there was far better than in history.

Most notably, Demoblin had held onto Genoa, giving France a solid foothold in Northern Italy’s southern coastal region.

If the entire burden were left to Napoleon to fight head-on, wouldn’t that squander their strategic advantage?

After a moment’s reflection, he instructed Eman: “Please notify Mr. Talleyrand to travel to Turin alongside the Count of Provence…”