I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 746: Confrontation in the Alps

Napoleon immediately saw the words in bold at the bottom of the notebook:
After the army enters Italy, soldiers are strictly prohibited from looting. All matters related to searching for supplies and commending soldiers must be signed by Major Odoric, the military supervisor, before they can be implemented.

"This will definitely affect the soldiers' enthusiasm." Napoleon frowned helplessly, but since this was something His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had repeatedly requested, he could only strictly follow through. "I hope Major Odoric is a person who is easier to talk to."

However, he had just inquired and found out that Odoric was the cousin of the captain of the Crown Prince's personal guard, so he might not be so easy to bribe.

Joseph clearly remembered how Emperor Napoleon had conquered Italy in history, which directly led to the Italian region's hatred of the French army.

Afterwards, when Austria took advantage of the civil strife in the French Directory to send troops to Italy, it was welcomed and easily pushed the French army to the Turin-Genoa line.

If Massena had not fought hard for more than three months, the French army might have been driven out of Italy.

Of course, Joseph doesn't want to be a pushover.

After all, if the finances could not be supplemented from the Italian-occupied areas, wouldn't we still lose money even if we won the war?

However, obtaining the benefits of war also requires methods and art. Robbery like a bandit, as Emperor Napoleon did in the past, will only make enemies for France.

Therefore, Joseph sent Odoric to be responsible for "recovering" in the occupied areas.

Lucien saw his brother coming out and hurried to greet him: "Have you been in a meeting all day?"

"Yes."

"So, you haven't had lunch yet?"

"At noon, the General Staff distributed some broth and bread. Oh, by the way, I was just appointed the second commander of the Italian Front."

"Really? God, that's great!" Lucien was ecstatic and rubbed his hands excitedly, "You are now the most accomplished person in the Buonnaba family!"

He asked his brother questions for a while, then looked up at the darkening sky and said, "You must be hungry too. Let's go have a good dinner to celebrate."

Napoleon glanced at him and said sternly: "Do you think that I am already a high-ranking official with a high salary and can enjoy my life in peace?
“No, this is just a humble beginning.

"I'm going to the archives of the General Staff now. Go and get me some food. Here, take my pass."

"The archives?" Lucien asked in surprise. "What are you doing there so late at night?"

"Look up the topographical survey data of the Alps and Savoy. I don't have enough time to prepare." Napoleon said, "Also, go apply for permission to use the signal tower. I heard that it can send messages to anywhere in France within an hour.

"General Dimopin will not ask too much of the legions heading to Savoy, but I must keep pushing them."

"Okay, yes, brother."

……

A month and a half later.

In eastern Sardinia, Aquile, only 70 kilometers away from Milan, is the headquarters of the Austro-Sardinian Corps.

At this time, the Austrian commander-in-chief, Beaulieu, was frowning at the report that had just been delivered, and angrily shouted at the staff officer beside him:
"It's only 20 miles from Milan to Niza. Nearly two months have passed, but there are still two legions dawdling on the road!"

He was talking about Ori. 20 li is about 140 kilometers.

The staff officer lowered his head and said, "General, General Pitoli only received supplies from Sardinia at the beginning of the month. Before that, his legion didn't even have enough artillery shells, so..." "The guys in Sardinia are all trash!" Beaulieu cursed and asked the staff officer, "Is there any movement from the French?"

"General, according to the intelligence sent back last week, several French corps are moving towards Savoy. There are also about 5 troops deployed in the Bresse area and in front of the mountain pass near Toulon."

Bresse is the northern border of Sardinia with France, while Toulon borders the southernmost part of Sardinia.

The two places have one thing in common, which is that they are located in areas with relatively low Alpine passes.

Beaulieu's expression finally softened a little.

His 3-strong army had already assembled on the east side of the Alps, while the French army on the opposite side was obviously much slower.

This greatly facilitated his crossing of the Alps.

At least, the troops would not be forced to camp on the mountainside because of the enemy's blockade. Even in June, the Alps were still very cold, and staying there for a few months would have a very bad effect on morale.

He then summoned the main officers of the legion and held a meeting around the map for the whole afternoon.

As dusk approached, Beaulieu began to give orders to his men: "The Provera Corps will begin to pass through the Catibona Pass in two days. If there is resistance from the French, the front line must be pushed forward as much as possible to leave room for the corps behind to assemble."

"Yes, General."

"The Argentau and Vucacevi Corps will then deploy from both sides of the mountain pass. Do not get too entangled with the French and capture Toulon as soon as possible. After that, the British fleet will bring us supplies and assist us in defending the port.

"The Pitoli Legion was responsible for the defense of Turin's west side.

"The Sebottendorf Regiment serves as a reserve."

Yes, Beaulieu ultimately chose to attack from the more easily traversable south side of the Alps.

Although this is far from Turin, the capital of Sardinia, which brings certain difficulties to supply, as long as they can capture the port of Toulon, the British will solve their logistical problems from the sea.

Moreover, Beaulieu was extremely prudent and deployed defensive forces in the west of Turin to deal with possible sneak attacks by the French.

It is foolproof.

Most importantly, the French would now certainly focus their attention on the Bresse line, but he chose to cross the Alps from the southern coastal area hundreds of miles away.

Apart from a small number of Toulon garrisons, there should not be many troops defending there.

By the time Provera's Corps entered Toulon, the Allied forces had almost begun their attack on the Luxembourg-Verdun line in northern France.

It would be difficult for the French to withdraw troops to reinforce Toulon as they were attacked from both sides.

At that time, he could directly lead his troops north to attack the Grenoble fortress, or west to Montpellier, which would inflict heavy damage on France.

After the officers left the headquarters, Beaulieu instructed his staff:
"Let General Colli tell His Majesty Amedeo III that I will not wait for him too long. It is time to make a decision."

He was talking about Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchhi, the commander-in-chief of the Sardinian army. Yes, Sardinia's 3-man field army was commanded by an Austrian general.

In Beaulieu's view, he was giving Sardinia the opportunity to become a victorious country - if the King of Sardinia agreed to let Currie's army enter France.

(End of this chapter)