He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 239

(239) Napoleon’s Legion Assembles in Verona

From the legion’s encampment in Genoa, Masséna spoke with feigned solemnity.

“General-in-Chief, with all due respect, I can’t help but think you’ve lost your mind.”

Of course, Napoleon might be petty, but he was also a generous man.

He valued his authority and disliked subordinates overstepping, but he wouldn’t reprimand genuine advice.

Besides, Masséna’s reaction was exactly what Napoleon had hoped for.

If Masséna, whom Napoleon considered one of the best, reacted this way, it meant almost no one would have predicted their move to Italy.

Napoleon leisurely surveyed the Genoa garrison on horseback, saying,

“Not Augereau, but you, Masséna, using such harsh words. One would think a former smuggler would have more respect.”

“Venice is in a bad state, I admit. But I alone am capable of handling it.”

“Who said anything about alone? You have Sérurier in Milan, and I sent Laharpe to Switzerland.”

Napoleon suddenly smirked, telling Masséna,

“But if Austria or Russia were to bring a large army, even three of you might not be enough, wouldn’t you agree?”

Masséna raised an eyebrow, asking,

“Are you certain of that?”

“Now that I’m here, they’ll come whether they want to or not.”

“Then the Rhine might be breached. Will Moreau be enough? They were pushed back to Mainz in the last war.”

Of course, Moreau was no ordinary general.

However, Moreau’s win rate wasn’t very high against Archduke Karl.

Moreover, Desaix, who had supported Moreau’s skills in the last war, was now in the Orient.

Nevertheless, Napoleon asserted,

“In the last war, Austria was caught off guard in Italy and defeated. They will remember that this time. They’re surely coming with the intention of preempting us.”

Masséna was still unconvinced.

However, he would soon find out if Napoleon was right.

Moreover, as the Commander-in-Chief had given the order, Masséna had no choice but to obey.

“I’ll have to call Augereau as well.”

“Yes, is he in Tuscany now?”

“Yes, the atmosphere there was also unsettling, so he went to suppress it, but that’s no longer the issue.”

After inspecting about two divisions of the Genoa garrison, Napoleon asked,

“So, what forces are currently mobile?”

Chief of Staff Berthier answered before Masséna could.

“Including the Milan garrison, we have three infantry divisions, two cavalry brigades, and three artillery brigades.”

The current state of the French army was, without exaggeration, all in Berthier’s head.

Of course, Napoleon gave the orders, but he didn’t remember them all.

Napoleon frowned slightly and wrinkled his nose.

“Fewer than I thought, Goose. What about the forces led by General Augereau?”

“That’s because you sent some troops to Switzerland, General-in-Chief. General Augereau commands the Tuscany garrison and the Naples division.”

“That’s roughly 46,000 in total. We can’t spare the Naples division.”

Napoleon closed his eyes and pondered.

He had planned operations countless times in Paris.

But actual combat was always variable.

The rebellion situation was changing every moment, and the mobile forces were always fewer than expected.

The Austrian army would mobilize a total of 100,000 troops, an absolutely disadvantageous number.

Furthermore, the Austrian army would have accumulated information about the new weapons they had showcased during the last Italian campaign.

Moreover, the territory of the Venetian Republic, which would be the stage of the battle, had become a hotbed of rebellion.

Therefore, the advantages in weaponry, numbers, and the fact that this was French-occupied territory were practically gone.

“There’s no time to wait for Augereau. If there are three artillery brigades, how many cannons do we have?”

“About 50 cannons. However, the horse artillery has 24 cannons.”

“Good. So, for now, we have to face 100,000 with 30,000 troops?”

Napoleon suddenly turned his head and asked,

“Isn’t that right, Deputy Chief of Staff Jacob Elly?”

Jacob Elly, the de facto leader of the Secret Police, bowed his head.

“That’s correct, General-in-Chief. According to information obtained by the Secret Police, Austria has gathered a total of 200,000 troops for this war, sending 50,000 to the Rhine and 100,000 to Italy.”

“What about Russia?”

“They are currently moving to Switzerland. They have 80,000 troops there.”

Then the first opponent would be Austria.

If they couldn’t defeat Austria as quickly as possible, they might have to face 180,000 troops.

Such a battlefield was usually called hopeless.

But Napoleon smiled and asked,

“A battlefield without Augereau, Laharpe, or Eugene. Well, Masséna, do you lack confidence?”

Masséna opened his mouth wide and burst into laughter.

“Indeed, it seems not only the General-in-Chief is mad, but I am too. But we have Lannes. He went to Milan to help General Sérurier not long ago. Let’s go together, Your Excellency!”

A man who, in the original history, defeated Korsakov, a subordinate of Suvorov, but lost to Karl.

Masséna began to rush to Verona with Napoleon.

***

Italy was currently filled with French satellite republics.

However, there was one truly independent force.

The place where the man who came to meet Augereau from Florence, the capital of the Republic of Tuscany, belonged.

With a very dissatisfied face, Augereau looked at the man before him and asked again,

“Is that really accurate information, Cardinal?”

Cardinal Luigi Chiaramonti of Imola replied to Augereau with a stern expression.

“Yes, General Augereau. This is information sent by church priests in the former territory of the Venetian Republic. A rebellion has broken out, instigated by Austria, and Austria will soon cross the Alps.”

“Why are you telling me this information, Cardinal?”

“Please show some respect. I know you lack faith, but I am here as a representative of the Vatican.”

Augereau frowned.

Augereau had come to Florence for two reasons.

One was to preemptively suppress Tuscany, where there were ominous movements.

The second was to advance to Naples in case of a rebellion.

But a rebellion had actually broken out in Naples.

In this situation, Augereau’s division should naturally move to Naples to provide support.

However, the Papal envoy who came to Tuscany, Cardinal Imola, was providing strange information.

A rebellion had broken out in Venice, and a large Austrian army was coming.

This was an emergency.

Not only would French rule in Italy end, but the French border could also be endangered.

Naturally, this gave Augereau a reason to march north.

But there was a problem.

Could the information be trusted?

Then Cardinal Imola adjusted his scarlet hat and replied,

“We need to cooperate with the French army, which has recovered the [Holy Land].”

Augereau, a staunch Jacobin, opened his mouth wide.

“Ha, old-fashioned talk. The Holy Land, the Middle Ages? Now?”

“I know the 19th century is approaching. But just because the times have changed doesn’t mean God has disappeared, General Augereau.”

“Isn’t the truth that Freischütz [likely a reference to a financier or banker] is in charge of the Vatican Bank and is providing huge profits?”

Then Cardinal Imola retorted, as if displeased,

“It has only just become the Vatican Bank. How much profit could it have given in the meantime? However, we did receive a gift through the Knights Hospitaller. A Catholic stronghold has been established in Damietta.”

Augereau didn’t believe in faith.

It wasn’t an era when the Vatican could gain huge profits by recovering the Holy Land.

However, he had heard that the Knights Hospitaller had gained territory in Damietta as a result of the Egyptian expedition.

If that was the reason, the Vatican had a reason to act.

Nevertheless, doubts remained.

Why would they abandon the Austrian Empire, a long-time ally of the Vatican, and choose revolutionary France?

If this information was false, there might be no chance to deal with the Naples rebellion.

As if probing his true intentions, Augereau continued,

“Alright. So, the urgent matter now is Venice. Not Naples.”

“That’s right. No matter how much a rebellion breaks out in Naples, they won’t be able to defeat all the French garrisons and march north.”

“The Vatican will remain neutral in this situation, is that it?”

Cardinal Imola still nodded solemnly.

“That’s right, General Augereau.”

Augereau stared intently at the Cardinal and frowned.

“What’s the real reason? I’m curious.”

The information seemed to be true.

But he still didn’t know the reason.

Why would the Vatican forces choose a [neutral] stance that favored France?

How much time had passed?

Just as they were staring at each other for a long time, the Cardinal raised both hands.

“It’s because Eugene Freischütz Bonaparte, the conqueror of Constantinople, is coming. As long as that boy is there, it doesn’t seem like France will lose.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s clear that God is blessing him.”

Augereau was dumbfounded and kicked the chair as he stood up.

“One thing is certain, you people are really superstitious. Anyway, thanks to you, I can go north!”

In any case, Augereau also began to run due to the Vatican’s choice, whether it was superstition or profit.

To Verona.

***

However, there was also a hot-tempered man who had already rushed past Verona to Padua.

-Thump! Thump! Thump!

Amidst the fierce shelling, a simple-looking young man asked,

“Is it alright to move so arbitrarily, Division Commander?”

“Why, Brigadier General Soult? Are you scared?”

“It’s not that I’m scared, but it’s a military maneuver without orders.”

Division Commander Lannes scoffed.

“Why don’t you tell that to the fearless Murat over there?”

The young man, Soult, turned his gaze to see the cavalry running.

-Neigh!

The light cavalry, the pride of the French Italian Legion, was charging enthusiastically.

If the opponent had been line infantry, this wouldn’t have been possible.

However, the forces that had rebelled throughout the Venetian region were simple irregular infantry, equivalent to insurgents.

Infantry was no match for cavalry unless they maintained their formation.

Suddenly, Murat, who was shooting amidst the broken ranks, shouted excitedly.

“It’s a pity we don’t have a navy! We need to occupy the main island of Venice right away!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Brigadier General Murat! We just need to suppress the mainland rebels first!”

“Bessières, that’s why you’re called a coward!”

Just as Murat and Bessières were running ahead and behind each other.

-Clatter, clatter, clatter!

A squad rushed towards Lannes’ division, which was in the midst of battle.

The flag showed the tricolor.

It was the French army.

Lannes tilted his head, looking at the man in the general’s uniform at the head.

“Who is that?”

“Ah, it’s the bald man from the Rhine. I’ve fought with him before. A friend named [Davout].”

“Davout? Ah, is that the [Iron Head] from the Rhine?”

Then the general, shining his bald head in the sunlight, rushed in.

“For the revolution! Where is the Division Commander?”

Lannes rushed out of the headquarters to meet the bald general, Davout.

“A Jacobin? Hmph, our Italian Legion uses Viva Bonaparte as our motto instead.”

“Re, re, really?”

Davout, who wasn’t good with words, blinked and hurriedly reported to Lannes.

“It’s an order from Commander-in-Chief Bonaparte. Gather in Verona immediately! The reason is the approach of a large Austrian army!”

Lannes whistled.

The fact that Davout had found Lannes, who had rushed to Padua first, showed that Davout was no ordinary man.

But there was no time to praise him now.

Because the battlefield he had been hoping for was right in front of him.

“Finally, war. Where are they coming from, and how many?”

“From the Verona direction, 100,000 troops.”

“What? No, then what about our allies?”

Davout calmly explained with a very determined expression.

“There are a total of 50,000, but the forces that will gather immediately are 30,000, including Division Commander Lannes’ forces. However, Commander-in-Chief Bonaparte is coming in person.”

Lannes smirked and turned his horse.

“Ha, then we’ve won. Let’s go to Verona! Summon those idiots!”

Now, Lannes, Murat, and Davout also began to march north.

Facing the 100,000-strong Austrian army, Napoleon’s Legion had gathered.