I Am the Crown Prince in France - Chapter 789

Chapter 785 The troops arrive in Milan

Victor immediately shook his head and said: “No, this will waste the opportunity we created by crossing the Great St. Bernard Pass.

“Our greatest advantage at present is that the enemy does not realize that their soft belly is exposed to our gun muzzles.

“We should attack Milan immediately, that is the core of the entire battlefield.

“I believe that Milan should not have many enemy defenses at this time.

“As for General Dimobin, we should believe in his command ability. He will definitely be able to defend Genoa!”

Marmont raised his voice and said: “The Italian Front will soon run out of supplies. No matter how brave they are, they will never be able to repel the enemy on an empty stomach!”

The two began to argue, but no one mentioned Turin. In the hearts of French officers, Sardinia is basically a gift. Who would go to great lengths just for freebies?

For a moment, the two looked at Napoleon together.

Colonel Buwanaba’s strategic planning ability is obvious to all, and he has to make the final decision.

Napoleon’s eyes wandered between Genoa and Milan. After a moment, he straightened up and hugged the shoulders of his two men, smiling: “Why do we have to make a choice? I will not give up on either Milan or Genoa.”

“This, how is this possible?”

“Commander, I’m afraid I don’t have enough time…”

Napoleon picked up the small wooden stick and pointed at Milan: “Do you think that if our army captures Milan, how will Melas respond?”

Victor thought: “They should send troops back for reinforcements.”

“That’s right.” Napoleon nodded, “This will greatly reduce the pressure on Genoa. And we can choose multiple locations to intercept Melas’ reinforcements, thus gaining the initiative on the battlefield in one fell swoop!”

Marmont said carefully: “But it is difficult for General Demobin to obtain supplies…”

Napoleon shook the wooden stick in his hand: “The quartermaster will get the supplies the general needs from the citizens of Genoa. I think he will have no problem holding on for two months.”

In fact, the thought buried deep in his heart that he could not express was that if Demobin died in battle or was captured, he would legitimately become the commander-in-chief of the Italian Front.

After the war is won, the credit for the Italian campaign will also go to him. By then he will at least be promoted to major general, and it is not impossible to even be directly promoted to lieutenant general.

Seeing that Marmont was still hesitant to speak, Napoleon continued: “The number of enemy troops besieging Genoa seems to be large, but there are 20,000 Sardinian troops inside. You have also seen their fighting power in Toulon. It is simply No need to care.

“When Melas transfers some of the Austrian troops back to Milan, General Dimobin may even have a chance to launch a breakout. All problems will be solved.”

As he spoke, he waved the small wooden stick in his hand vigorously, as if it were a sharp sword: “Okay, let the soldiers rest for an afternoon, and we will set off for beautiful Milan tomorrow morning. Countless wealth and girls are here Wait for us there!”

…

In the city of Milan.

Beaulieu shook his head and spent several minutes trying to remember if he had ever prayed less religiously because he felt he was cursed…

Otherwise, why would the French always appear suddenly in front of him, as if they came out of the ground?

This is definitely a terrible curse!

Yes, half an hour ago, the hussars reported to him that more than 10,000 French troops were rapidly approaching Milan, with only 20 miles left.

Since he was repeatedly defeated by the French army that appeared out of nowhere in Toulon, the emphasis on reconnaissance has increased several times, and there is always a cavalry squadron scouting around.

But this French army still appeared strangely!

This is Milan, the rear area.

Surrounded by the Alps, there is the Allied Forces of Austria and France. Where did these French people come from?

He crossed himself on his chest, interrupted his random thoughts, turned to look at the map on the wall, and then looked at the officers beside him.

Several officers lowered their heads. There was silence in the room.

There are more than 8,000 soldiers in Milan, but they all know that these soldiers have just experienced the tragic defeat of Toulon and their morale is very low. Even less than half of them have not completed their reorganization.

Such an army cannot guarantee its combat effectiveness when facing the numerically superior French army, perhaps the same people who defeated them not long ago.

According to the marching speed of the French, they will launch an attack on Milan, the core city of the empire in Italy, in at most three days.

At this moment, a tall colonel stood up and said loudly: “Marshal, it is the flood season of the Po River right now. As long as we hold on to Valenta Ferry, we can effectively block the French army.

“Even if Valenta falls, we can still retreat to the Ticino River. Although there is no dangerous terrain here, if we destroy the ships along the coast in advance, we can still slow down the French advance.

“I think it is entirely possible for us to hold on for 20 days until reinforcements are sent by General Melas.”

Please…you…collect 6…books…!

Beaulieu did not expect that all the generals under his command were dejected at this time. The cavalry colonel named Reptay was the only one full of fighting spirit.

He carefully considered Reptay’s plan, and now it seemed that the only way was to send troops forward and defend the river.

You can’t just abandon Milan and retreat. Then His Majesty the Emperor will definitely throw himself into prison without hesitation, even without a military court trial.

He took a deep breath and said to Leptai: “Then, you will be fully responsible for the defense of the Valencia ferry. The infantry regiment and the skirmisher regiment will also be under your command.”

“Yes, Marshal!” Leptai stood at attention, “Thank you for your trust, I will definitely hold on until the reinforcements arrive!”

The west bank of the Po River.

Napoleon looked at the turbulent river rushing in front of him, bent down to pick up a small branch and threw it into the river.

As soon as the branch touched the river surface, it was hit by the strong current and bounced back and forth, and disappeared after a few seconds.

He couldn’t help but frown slightly.

The reconnaissance troops who had just forced the river across reported that the Austrian army had set up artillery positions on the opposite bank and were ready to blow up the bridge at any time.

He was confident that if he cooperated with the appropriate artillery bombardment, as long as he launched a strong attack, he could seize the ferry on the other side of the river in three to five days.

But that would definitely bring serious casualties.

He was not sympathetic to the soldiers, but if the loss of troops was too great, when Melas came to support, he might not have enough troops to fight him.

Napoleon carefully observed the Austrian army on the other side of the river with a telescope, and suddenly turned to the staff and said: “Let the soldiers line up in front of the river bank, and keep the drums beating. Oh, be careful to stay out of the range of the enemy’s artillery.”

The latter asked: “Which regiment do you mean?”

“All soldiers.” Napoleon said, “Except the cavalry battalion and the grenadiers. Try to look more majestic.”