I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 805: What you didn’t get on the battlefield, you can get at the negotiation table in advance

The officers carefully digested the strategy of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and nodded one after another.

It is conceivable that if Latour's army attacked Basel and the soldiers were still crossing the river, the news would reach Luxembourg, and Massena would immediately suspend the attack and dispatch some troops to reinforce Moreau. When Napoleon confirmed that the enemy had no reinforcements, he could launch a fierce attack on Mantua.

On the contrary, Latour sent his troops to Italy, and Napoleon went on the defensive after receiving the news. Massena and Moreau then launched an offensive.

Of course, there are still many variables on the battlefield, but as the Crown Prince said, with the help of the Chap signal machine, the French army will definitely be able to make corresponding deployments earlier than the enemy.

You know, whether it is from the north of the Rhine to the south of the Rhine, or from the south of the Rhine to Italy, the normal marching process takes at least half a month.

Then, the French army would have at least 10 more days to prepare.

The longer the battle lines between the two sides are and the more legions are involved, the more obvious this information advantage will be!

Davout suddenly noticed a problem and said to Joseph: "Your Highness, if Colonel Bonaparte fails to gain an advantage in Mantua, our entire front will be passive..."

Joseph smiled confidently: "I have confidence in him. I also have confidence in the brave French soldiers."

Are you kidding? Napoleon was able to defeat the Austro-Saar coalition with just a bunch of new recruits. Now, with the Royal 3rd Infantry Division handed over to him, plus the Royal Cavalry Artillery Company, he dares to go straight to Vienna, let alone Mantua!

After receiving reinforcements, Napoleon will have more than 6 troops, which is roughly the same number as the Austrian army in Italy.

This was a huge military advantage for Napoleon.

Perhaps the person who suffered the most on the entire front line was Moreau - he was always in a situation of insufficient troops.

Joseph continued: "Moreover, Mr. Talleyrand and the Count of Provence should have arrived in Turin by now."

"Ah? Turin?" The officers looked at each other in surprise. Sardinia was an enemy country!
……

Sardinia.

Turin.

The Count of Provence and Talleyrand, both wearing long robes and with their hats pulled down very low, avoided everyone along the way and followed the court steward into the study of Amedeo III.

Talleyrand glanced at the Count of Provence, whose fat face was sweating profusely due to nervousness, and whispered to comfort him: "You came here as a victor. It is the King who should be nervous."

Although the latter nodded, he was still extremely uneasy.

Sardinia and France are at war. If Sardinia detains me as a bargaining chip, it will be terrible...

However, he dared not disobey the request of his powerful nephew, the Crown Prince.

So, he came here.

The palace steward closed the door of the study, and King Amadeus III of Sardinia immediately came out from the inner room.

The Count of Provence took two steps forward and bowed, "It has been a long time since we last met, Your Majesty."

Talleyrand also bowed symbolically without saying anything.

Amedeo III glanced at Talleyrand, then turned to the Count of Provence, opened his arms, and said with a stiff smile: "Who says it's not true, my dear Stanislaw. I am really pleased to see you in this time of war."

The latter nodded: "Maria asked me to give you her warmest greetings. She will miss you and Her Majesty the Queen from time to time."

Maria Giuseppina was the wife of Amadeus III and the eldest daughter of the king.

This is also the reason why Joseph asked his uncle to come to Sardinia - the father-in-law and son-in-law are easy to talk to.

“We miss her too…”

Talleyrand suddenly coughed lightly and said, "Ahem, Your Majesty, although this is a bit impolite, we can continue chatting about family matters after we finish our business."

Amedeo III nodded: "Ah, yes, please take a seat." After the three of them sat down, Talleyrand looked directly at the King of Sardinia and said in a threatening tone: "Your Majesty, you may have heard that General Dimopin's army is about to surround Alexandria. The Melas Legion will soon be annihilated."

Amedeo III frowned: "I'm afraid you're speaking too early..."

Talleyrand immediately said: "Well, let me tell you something that you probably don't know. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has sent Lieutenant Colonel Desaix to lead 5 troops to cross the Catibona Pass in half a month.

“To be honest, even without these reinforcements, with General Dimobin’s command ability, Alexandria can be easily captured.

"Let me tell you a little more about the General Staff's operational plans.

"General Dimopin will continue westward after that and lay siege to Turin."

Amedeo III immediately said in a timid tone: "He will see the Sardinians' tenacious counterattack here!"

Talleyrand smiled and said, "You should know that General Dimopin only needs one infantry division to occupy this place."

"If you want to threaten me, you are making a mistake."

Although Amedeo III spoke toughly, he was extremely scared inside.

The French had previously been able to crush the Austrian army with ease on the Italian peninsula, and now they have even occupied Milan.

If Melas could not hold on to Alexandria, Turin would surely be doomed - even if the French did not attack the city, they only needed to surround Turin and he would have to surrender in three months at most.

Not to mention that there are 5 French reinforcements behind them. It is estimated that they can plow the entire Sardinia in three months.

Talleyrand quietly winked at the Count of Provence, who shook his fat face and laughed dryly: "You see, it was actually me who suggested coming to Turin this time.

"War is always a disgusting thing. I don't want you to get hurt by it."

Amedeo's expression softened a bit. "So, what do you suggest?"

The Count of Provence puffed out his chest and said, "It's very simple. You withdraw from the anti-French alliance. Oh, in fact, Sardinia has not even declared war on France. There is no contradiction between our two countries that cannot be resolved.

"I have spoken to my brother, and he has promised to ensure the safety of Sardinia.

“Including dealing with the threat from Austria.

"You don't even need to make it public. Just find an excuse to withdraw the Sardinian army back to Turin and, if necessary, provide some convenience for our army."

Amedeo III was obviously tempted.

Although Melas promised him that Vienna would send reinforcements, he estimated that the Austrians would at best be able to hold Mantua and might not even be able to recapture Milan.

And I will face the wrath of France alone.

He murmured: "And what about Bresse and Chambery?"

These two provinces were "conveniently" occupied by Napoleon after crossing the Great St. Bernard Pass - the Sardinian military strength in the Savoy region was too weak, and the victory was almost a matter of order.

Talleyrand immediately shouted: "Savoy belongs to His Majesty's sacred occupation, which was won by the blood and cannons of French soldiers."

The Savoy region is the territory of Sardinia on the west side of the Alps.

Amedeo III said angrily: "Is this the promise of His Majesty the King of France?"

The Count of Provence said hurriedly, "I don't quite agree with this, but you know that those guys in the army are very tough and insist on not evacuating Savoy. But I argued with His Majesty, and he agreed to compensate you with Cham."

Cham is the westernmost province of Lombardy and was previously part of Austria.

He moved closer to Amedeo III and lowered his voice, "In addition, His Majesty asked me to tell you that he will fully support Sardinia in recovering the land occupied by the Papal State."

(End of this chapter)