I Am the Crown Prince in France - Chapter 788

Chapter 784: Encirclement of Genoa

Argentau initially thought that the French were just feinting. After all, judging from the current situation, it was the most reasonable tactical choice for them to retreat to the west and defend the Catibona Pass.

It was not until Voltri was breached that he finally reacted.

Dimobin was serious.

So he hurriedly recalled the troops sent out for diversionary attacks, but it was obviously too late.

Dimobin’s vanguard Mulan Corps almost followed the Argentau Corps to the Turchino Pass, and then launched a fierce attack.

The Turchino Pass is on the west side of the Port of Genoa, at the end of the Alps.

Although it is several kilometers wide, it is the only terrain outside Genoa that can be used for defense.

Argentau looked at the French cannons roaring on the northern high ground and asked the staff officer beside him loudly: “So how long will it take for our reinforcements to arrive?”

“General, according to the news sent yesterday at noon, the Tavinia Corps has set out from Milan.”

Argentau frowned immediately. From Milan to Genoa, even if it is a forced march, it will take a week to get there.

He didn’t expect the French to be so desperate and put almost all their troops on it.

He only had 7,000 soldiers, and it was difficult for him to hold out for so long under the attack of more than 20,000 French troops.

Argentau was thinking about how to delay the arrival of reinforcements, and a captain hurried over and reported very embarrassedly: “General, two hours ago, a group of Genoese thugs set fire to our warehouse on Canneway Avenue…”

The so-called “thugs” are actually dozens of young nobles from Genoa.

They received a secret order from Governor Ebiaso to sabotage the rear of the Austrian army. And the warehouse requisitioned by Austria was the family property of one of them named Agradi.

Agradi led his companions into the warehouse through a hidden small door, and then summoned the servants here – they were conscripted by the Austrian army as porters – and effortlessly set fire to more than a dozen places in the warehouse at the same time.

The two ships of supplies that the British transport ship had just delivered the day before yesterday were instantly reduced to ashes.

“Canniway Avenue?” Argentau was stunned for a moment, and his face suddenly changed drastically. There were rations for the legion and some artillery shells stored there.

Genoa is a place that does not produce any food at all, but thanks to the huge profits brought by maritime trade, they can spend money to buy food from North Africa or Sicily at any time.

But there are only 60,000 to 70,000 people in Genoa City, and the sudden increase of more than 7,000 troops immediately caused a food shortage.

Originally, the food and grass transported by the British were enough for Argentau to consume for more than half a month, but at this time the warehouse was burned, and he had to be out of food immediately. And the next batch of transport ships will not arrive until half a month later.

On the battlefield, a dozen infantry columns of the Moulin Corps suddenly rushed up quickly and spread out on the left wing of the Austrian army, and then the percussion guns burst into dense flames. Under the fierce shooting, the Austrian defense line suddenly showed signs of shaking.

Argentau hurriedly ordered a reserve battalion to go up, and barely stabilized the situation, but then he saw the French infantry line appear on the north side of the mountain pass, and more than a dozen cannons began to move forward.

Argentau looked at the overwhelming offensive of the French army and couldn’t help but secretly groan.

According to this trend, his defense line can only last for three or four days at most-if the food is not exhausted before that.

Food?

He suddenly thought of something.

The French completely ignored their western passage and used all their forces to attack Genoa, so soon the Cervoni Corps would be able to control the Catibona Pass, which was the French army’s logistics supply channel.

So it was completely meaningless for him to confront the French head-on here.

The French army should be allowed to enter Genoa in exchange for time for the reinforcements from Milan to join them.

When the French ran out of rations in Milan, they had to surrender without wasting a single shell.

It should be said that Argentau’s plan was correct.

In the historical Battle of Marengo, Massena, who was placed in Genoa as bait by Napoleon, struggled for more than 50 days under severe food shortages, and finally had to surrender with hungry soldiers out of the city.

Massena was now transferred to the Rhine battlefield by Joseph, and the veteran Dimopin was going to attract firepower here for him.

However, Dimopin was relatively lucky because he would receive supplies from the French Navy in the Mediterranean.

History would not repeat itself on him.

The next morning, when Dimopin ordered the soldiers to launch a new round of attacks, he unexpectedly found that the area near the Catibona Pass was quiet, and the Argentau Corps had retreated eastward last night.

Two days later, Jubert led two infantry regiments and entered the city of Genoa, which was not defended by the enemy, under the welcome of the Genoese.

Dimopin did not waste any time. After a short rest, he ordered Jubert and Augereau to build a defense line outside Genoa.

He himself came to the Governor’s Palace of Genoa and read out the promise of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to “always support Genoa’s neutrality and never interfere in Genoa’s internal affairs”, and urged the Habsburg family to repay the debt owed to the Genoa Bank for decades as soon as possible.

Please…collect 6…books…!

Yes, Genoa began to decline gradually in the 18th century, which had a lot to do with the Habsburg family borrowing a large amount of loans from them but refusing to repay them.

Of course, most of this was borrowed by the former Spanish Habsburg royal family, but who can calculate these old debts so clearly?

As for the loan owed by France to Genoa, the crown prince said that the French valued credibility the most and guaranteed to pay back the principal and interest.

Well, when the war in Italy is over, these debts will be transferred to Austria in the form of war reparations. The French will never default on their debts!

A week later, the Sardinian Corps led by Colli arrived in Novi Ligure.

Then, the Cervoni Corps approached the Turchino Pass from the west.

So far, nearly 50,000 Austrian and Sardinian coalition forces have completed the encirclement of the Dimobin Corps, and after a few days of rest, they launched a fierce attack on Genoa.

…

Northwest Italy.

Novara.

In the officers’ tent of the French camp, Napoleon quickly drew three arrows on the map with a pencil, and then looked at the officers in front of him with a burning gaze: “Now we have three options.

“Attack Turin to the south. This could force Sardinia to withdraw from the anti-French alliance.

“Southeast, this is the longest way, to Genoa, attack the back of Melas’ army. If General Dimopin cooperates well, it can form a pincer attack on the enemy.”

He pointed to the arrow on the far right: “East, attack Milan and occupy the Austrian base in Italy.”

Marmont said without much hesitation: “Commander, we should still give priority to the safety of General Dimopin.

“According to the intelligence sent yesterday, he is surrounded by an enemy force that is almost twice his size. “