I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 744 It’s decided to be you! Take the Emperor!
All the officers looked at the map at the same time, looking thoughtful.

Berthier frowned doubtfully and said:

"Your Highness, what do you mean by the right swing?"

Before Joseph could answer, Napoleon, who was sitting in the back row, suddenly had his eyes light up. He took a few steps forward excitedly and said desperately:

"Italy! Yes, this will be the best breakthrough point. Just like a fierce right hook, hitting Austria hard on the jaw..."

Duke Broy glanced at the young officer with some dissatisfaction and said in a deep voice:
"Please be quiet, Lieutenant Colonel Buwanaba, you are being very rude."

Joseph smiled and looked at Napoleon without any offense:
"Please tell me why you think Italy is the best breakthrough point?"

He knew very well that Napoleon's famous battle was when he led a group of new soldiers and relied on his amazing military talent to quickly pass through Italy, giving the Directory, which was in a critical situation at the time, the most important breath of life.

Perhaps it was the inertia of history that now, facing the anti-French alliance, Emperor Napoleon once again showed his strong interest in Italy.

Napoleon glanced nervously at the Duke of Broglie, organized his words, and bowed to Joseph.

“Your Highness, it was your words just now that reminded me.

“Before, we have always focused our attention on the north. Although it is the main battlefield and has a very important strategic location, it also gathers a large number of enemy troops. The combined forces of Prussia, Austria, Hanover, and the Netherlands will exceed 20 people, so if you want to implement your proactive offensive plan, it will be very difficult.

“And the only strong enemy in the Italian direction is Austria. Oh, maybe they can get support from Sardinia and the British fleet, but their overall strength is much weaker than that of the northern front.

“And yet, Italy is connected to the belly of Austria!

“Once Milan is taken, we can go straight to Campo Formio via Venice, where the merchants offer almost no resistance.

"After this, there will only be the Sava River between our army and Vienna!"

Joseph cast a look of great approval at the Emperor:
"You have a very sharp military vision. The Austrians only thought of attacking our country from Sardinia in the south, but forgot that this is also their weakest point."

The officers in the conference room all looked surprised.

It turns out that when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said he would take the initiative to attack, he was not just talking.

But everyone soon realized that if the Austrian army in Italy could be defeated, then the war situation would immediately turn in a direction favorable to France, just as Napoleon said.

Berthier looked at Napoleon, then at Joseph, and said cautiously:
"Your Highness, isn't this too risky? I mean, if our progress in Italy doesn't go well, it will be difficult to withdraw the troops back home..."

His worries were not unnecessary.

Between France and Italy are the towering Alps. Although there are many low-altitude mountain passes that can be used for travel, the climate there is very harsh. Except for summer, it is basically covered with snow every year. In winter, the mountains are even closed by snow.

If an army wanted to retreat from the Alps, it would easily get stuck in front of the mountain pass and be defeated by the pursuing enemy forces.

Joseph's tone was very confident:
"I am confident that the French soldiers will achieve great success in Italy.

"Besides, we will launch a counterattack from the Swiss direction and provide mutual support to the Italian Front.

“Even if something unexpected happens on the Italian side, the situation can be stabilized quickly with the support of the Swiss Legion.

"You don't think the Austrians can win on both sides?"

Although Berthier was still a little worried, looking at the determined eyes of the Crown Prince, he took a deep breath and shook his head, saying, "No, Your Highness, we will defeat them in both directions!"

"very good."

Joseph nodded, then looked at General Pierre de Dimaubin who was sitting in the front row, and said solemnly: "General Dimaubin, you are now appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Italian Front.

"It includes the Joubert Legion, the Corsica Legion, the Moulins Legion, as well as the Lyon, Montpellier, and Toulouse Legions. You need to gather the army in Savoy as quickly as possible and then launch an attack on Milan."

Milan is the political and military center of Austria in Italy. As long as Milan can be conquered, Austria's influence on the Apennine Peninsula can be reduced by more than half.

However, when Joseph gave the order, the officers of the General Staff all looked puzzled and looked at each other quietly.

General Dimopin was nearly 60 years old and in poor health. Although he had a certain prestige in the army, it was still somewhat inappropriate for him to command such a dangerous and complicated mission as the attack on Italy.

Moreover, the Dauphin gave the old general's troops...

Although there are about 3 people in total, they are all "traditional legions", which is what the crown prince calls the "old army". Among them, the Mulan Legion, which is known as the "strongest traditional legion", has a relatively strong combat effectiveness, while the other legions are very ordinary.

General Dimobin was also quite surprised. He thought that at most he would help allocate logistical supplies in the General Staff, but he did not expect that he would become the commander-in-chief of the front.

But he immediately raised his head and stood up straight:
"Yes, Your Highness!"

Joseph nodded to him, then looked at Napoleon, acting commander of the Corsica Corps:

"Lieutenant Colonel Buwanaba, I appoint you as the second commander of the Italian Front, assisting General Dimobin in commanding the battle in Italy."

Napoleon's eyes widened in shock.

He had just heard that the Corsican Corps would be accompanying the army on the expedition to Italy, and thought that at most he would be the commander of a branch, but the Crown Prince directly made him the second in command of the front!

He was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly stood at attention and said loudly and excitedly:
"Yes, Your Highness! Thank you for your trust. I will never let you down!"

Joseph smiled:
"Just go for it. I believe you will achieve outstanding results."

This is his purpose.

It is true that Napoleon's current rank and qualifications are too low, and there will be many officers with much higher ranks than him who may not obey his command.

So Joseph gave him Dimobin to intimidate the army.

With Dimobin's physical strength, it was difficult for him to cross the Alps, and it was almost impossible for him to command the subsequent battles.

So, Napoleon would become the de facto commander-in-chief.

Once Nahuang has improved his prestige with real achievements in battle, there will be no need to use the tiger's skin as a banner.

As for the quality of the troops, it is not a problem for Na Huang.

Historically, Emperor Napoleon won the Italian campaign with a group of new recruits. Although the troops given to him now are all old troops, there is not a single new recruit.

And there are elite troops like the Mulan Legion inside.

Napoleon will definitely give the Austrians a big surprise.

After completing the Italian deployment, Joseph looked at another veteran sitting in the front row:

"General Dugomier, I appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the Rhine Front."

(End of this chapter)