I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 810: Fierce Battle in Piedmont

Jubel had also studied the terrain around Alexandria on the way here, and upon hearing this he immediately said, "It looks like Melas is going to attack Pavia to the north."

Napoleon was a little hesitant.

He couldn't say what was wrong, but he just felt that everything was going too smoothly.

This made him very uncomfortable.

Then he said to the cavalry battalion commander Garda: "Send someone to carefully confirm the situation of the Bormida River and then report to me."

"Yes, Commander!"

Garda took the order and left, personally leading half a company of rangers to the east bank of the Bormida River.

Soon, he saw through the telescope that a large group of Austrian engineers were busy working and the bridge deck on the west side had disappeared, which was exactly the same as what his subordinates had reported before.

However, there were so many trees near the river bank that he could not see clearly, so he risked his life by continuing to run towards the river bank so as to get closer for reconnaissance.

However, when he was more than one kilometer away from the bridge on the north side, a series of artillery roars suddenly came from the Austrian position.

An oak tree next to him was hit by a cannonball and instantly broke into two pieces, with wood chips flying all over the rangers.

Garda glanced nervously at the hideous broken stump of the tree, then hurriedly looked at the bridge through the telescope, and saw that the piers on the west side seemed to have been demolished.

The sound of cannon fire rang out again in the distance. He did not dare to hesitate any longer and immediately turned his horse around and retreated.

In the French camp, Napoleon looked at Garda and said, "Are you sure that even the bridge piers have been removed?"

"I am sure, Commander," the latter said firmly, "at least four main pillars are missing. The bridge is definitely ruined."

Napoleon nodded and told Jubert, who had been waiting in his tent, “You and the Toulouse and Moulins Corps should go to Mede immediately and be prepared for the Austrian army to cross the river.

"I will personally lead the troops from Pavia and will arrive by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

Medei is a city located 6 kilometers on the north bank of the Tanaro River. If you want to snipe the Austrian troops crossing the river, the south side of Medei will be the best location.

"Yes, Commander!"

Just as Jubel was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something and turned back to ask, "You didn't seem to mention the Lyon Legion just now?"

"Yes." Napoleon nodded. "Let them stay in San Guiliano."

"But this..."

Napoleon left no room for doubt: "It is decided."

He couldn't explain why, but his intuition told him that he should still be on guard against the east side of Alexandria.

At most, the Lyon Legion could be deployed further north and logistical supplies could be prepared in advance. This way, it would only take one day to reach Mede and participate in the battle.

It was nearly dusk.

The Bormida River was busier than during the day.

Hundreds of Austrian engineers were moving large amounts of wood from the bushes not far away and nailing them back onto the bridge piers.

Yes, the piers of the two bridges were not demolished, but were painted gray-black. From a distance, it is difficult to distinguish them from the river embankment behind them.

This move also successfully caused Garda to misjudge.

By dawn the next day, the bridge over the Bormida River had been repaired, and two new pontoon bridges were built next to it.

The Melas Legion had already assembled, and without even a bugle call, they quietly crossed the river under the command of their respective officers.

Heavier equipment such as cannons and carriages traveled over the wooden bridge, while soldiers crossed the river on the pontoon bridge.

Just two hours later, the 5 Austrian-Serbian coalition forces, along with all their equipment, had arrived at the east bank of the Bormida River. It was only then that Garda's rangers discovered the Austrians' unusual movements during their routine patrols.

Garda was not sure of the enemy's strength, so he first sent a cavalry company to launch a tentative attack on the enemy, which was quickly repelled as expected.

Only then did France realize that Melas had played a dirty trick on them.

Augereau, who was closest to the east bank of the Bormida River, led more than 4 soldiers of the Lyon Legion to resist the enemy and sent people to ask for help from Napoleon in Pavia.

Marmont's Corps on his east also immediately came to reinforce him.

When they arrived at the village of Marengo on the Bormida River, they finally encountered the Austrian vanguard.

In the temporary command post of the Osa coalition, Melas's face darkened after listening to the staff officer's report on the battle situation ahead:
“Why are there still French troops here?”

He found tens of thousands of French troops gathering on the north bank of the Tanaro River. He thought he had deceived the French, but he did not expect to be hit head-on as soon as he crossed the river.

The sudden appearance of the French army was very fierce and quickly defeated the two regiments of their front army.

Chervonis on the side thought: "General, if there are only a few thousand French troops, this is probably just a troop that happened to pass by here."

Melas nodded solemnly: "This is our only chance. We must defeat the French before they can react!"

He looked at the herald beside him and said, "Order the Argenteuil Corps to take the lead in the attack. The Argenteuil Corps and the Colli Corps will outflank the enemy from the left and right wings respectively.

"Cannons, push all the cannons up.

"I demand complete control of the village of Marengo by noon!"

"Yes, General!"

In the church of Marengo, Augereau had a relaxed smile on his face as he discussed combat deployment with the officers around the map and chatted from time to time.

After this series of battles in Italy, the French army had established a huge psychological advantage over the Austrians.

In almost all battles they were able to win with fewer troops, and felt that the Austrian army was completely vulnerable.

"Perhaps by the time Colonel Bonaparte arrives, we will have defeated Melas."

As Augereau was speaking, he heard intensive artillery fire from the west.

He almost immediately recognized the sound of 12-pound cannons, and there were at least 15 of them, mixed with even more 8-pound and 4-pound cannons.

His heart immediately tightened.

With this scale, has Melas sent all his main forces here?
As if to confirm his guess, two rangers hurried to the outside of the church and shouted:

"Commander, there are more than 1 Austrian troops approaching from the west. Signs of the enemy have also been found on the north and south sides..."

Augereau had a bad temper. He did not back down at all. Instead, he looked at the officer beside him and said loudly:

"Major Bernard, your infantry regiment is responsible for blocking the enemy head-on.

"Captain Bonnet attacked the enemy's flank from the north of the village. The higher ground there would have provided cover for the troops.

"Also, send someone to contact Major Marmont and ask him to come for reinforcement as soon as possible."

"Yes, Captain!"

The Austrian Army of Argento had never expected that as soon as they arrived at the entrance of Marengo village, a French army of less than 3 people launched an attack on them.

The French were extremely fierce. Six assault columns rushed out of the village under the whistling artillery shells and appeared more than a hundred steps away from the Austrian army almost instantly.

(End of this chapter)