Chapter 797: Defense? No, Attack!
Of course, the steamships' outstanding speed played a crucial role in this success.
If it had been regular sailing ships, the journey would have taken at least ten days, and Dimoulin would have had no choice but to surrender in despair.
To think that Joseph originally established the Eastern Mediterranean Trading Company only to boost French-Ottoman trade and win over the Ottomans—he never expected to gain the additional benefit of high-speed logistical support.
At the port, the excited French soldiers cheered loudly, tossing Trock and the other captains into the air while chanting their names.
At that moment, the captains suddenly felt that, even without the high-interest payments, this risky journey had been well worth it.
As large quantities of flour were unloaded into the warehouses, Dimoulin felt his confidence surge.
There were still 22 days left in his mission to hold Genoa for two months, as commanded by the Crown Prince. With these supplies, he could now last until then.
By noon the next day, he even approved Augereau's request to launch a counterattack on the eastern front—despite the general's notoriously hot temper.
Sure enough, with their bellies full, the soldiers fought with high morale, pushing Argento's siege lines back by a full kilometer in just half a day.
Meanwhile, in the Austrian Camp
Bad news traveled fast.
It didn't take long for the Austrian command to receive intelligence from their spies in Genoa, and the entire headquarters fell into a state of gloom.
Melas' face turned pale with rage, and he muttered under his breath:
—Those useless navy fools… idiots…
After a long silence, Argento glanced cautiously at the commander and spoke carefully:
—General, given the current situation, perhaps we should consider abandoning Genoa.
—Abandon? —Melas lifted his head and suddenly let out a dry laugh—. Yes, of course. But this isn't just about abandoning Genoa anymore.
Argento frowned but quickly understood.
As Napoleon continued solidifying control over Lombardy, their connection with Austria would soon be completely severed.
At that point, they would no longer be the ones besieging Genoa—instead, they would be caught in a pincer attack between Napoleon in the north and Dimoulin in the south.
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. After all, France could continuously reinforce Italy via Toulon. The Austro-Sardinian defeat was only a matter of time.
He quickly turned to Melas.
—General, we should immediately move east, bypass Parma, and retreat to the fortress of Mantua…
—Absolutely not! —Colli immediately objected loudly—. If we do that, we will leave Sardinia to face the French alone. We will lose the trust of all our allies!
Sardinia was in the westernmost part of Italy. If the Austrians withdrew eastward, the French could seize Alessandria at any moment, cutting off the link between Austria and Sardinia.
Melas let out a deep sigh and nodded.
—You're right. We must hold Sardinia; otherwise, the entire Italian front will collapse rapidly.
What he didn't say was that Parma, being a neutral state, would likely refuse to allow his army to pass through.
Of course, he could force his way through—Parma's military was too weak to stop him—but that would only push them toward France and risk alienating other neutral Italian states.
Melas walked to the map, studied it for a long time, then tapped Alessandria with his cane.
—Order the entire army to regroup in Alessandria and establish a defensive line there. I will request reinforcements from the Emperor and launch an offensive on Milan from Mantua.
Then, he tapped Pavia.
—Meanwhile, we will retake Pavia, cross the Po River, and coordinate an attack on Milan.
Alessandria was a critical transport hub in northern Italy. From there, they could move west to support Sardinia, north to attack Milan, or threaten Genoa.
By holding this position, they could maintain their struggle for control over northern Italy.
Milan
Napoleon, too, was studying a map with his officers.
—The Austrians now have two choices, —he said to Victor and the others—.
—One, they could retreat east through Parma and regroup in Mantua, leading to a prolonged standoff. In that case, our best move would be to focus our offensive on Turin.
—Two, they could pull back to Alessandria, gather their forces, and prepare to cross the river for a counterattack on Milan. However, they would have to reserve troops to prevent General Dimoulin from attacking from the south, meaning they would need reinforcements from Vienna.
Marmont muttered:
—I hope they don't retreat to Mantua. I've seen that fortress—it won't be easy to take.
Napoleon nodded.
—I expect Melas will choose Alessandria. He needs to show his Emperor that he hasn't been completely expelled from Piedmont.
He turned to his messenger.
—Send word to General Dimoulin. Have him closely monitor the area north of Genoa. If the Austrians show any signs of retreating eastward, delay them as much as possible. I will attack from Lodi.
—Yes, Commander.
Napoleon then looked at Victor.
—You will immediately gather your troops and prepare to cross the Po River from Pavia.
—Huh? —Victor was momentarily stunned—. Cross the river?
In his mind, they should be focusing on defense along the Po River to prevent an Austrian attack on Milan, especially since the Austro-Sardinian forces still had the advantage in numbers.
Napoleon smirked.
—We must defeat Melas before Vienna's reinforcements arrive. Otherwise, we'll be facing enemies from both Mantua and Alessandria.
—But our numbers…
Napoleon was brimming with confidence.
—Melas' army failed to capture Genoa. Their morale is undoubtedly low—this is the perfect time to attack.
—Besides, Alessandria is a great base for launching an attack, but it is not ideal for defense.
—General Dimoulin can even cross the Alps and attack from the west.
—So, manpower is not an issue.
Southern Netherlands
North of Brussels
Joseph examined Napoleon's battle plan, which had been transmitted via semaphore. It was also a request for commendation.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
—Colonel Buonaparte has not disappointed me. He has driven the Austro-Sardinian army into a dead end with such a force.
Eymon, standing nearby, whispered:
—It's "Bonaparte," Your Highness. Mr. Buonaparte has changed his surname.
—Hmm, Bonaparte. —Joseph nodded—. Napoleon Bonaparte… That does have a better ring to it.
He signed the battle plan and handed it back to Eymon for transmission to Italy.
At this rate, northern Italy would soon be under Napoleon's control—almost exactly as history had unfolded.
But then, Joseph narrowed his eyes.
It seemed that he had been a bit too "lazy" when it came to the Italian front, leaving everything for Napoleon to handle.
In reality, their current situation was much better than it had been historically.
At the very least, Dimoulin had not lost Genoa, giving France a solid foothold along the southern coast of northern Italy.
If he continued to rely solely on Napoleon's brute force, wouldn't that be wasting their strategic advantage?
After a brief moment of thought, he turned to Eymon.
—Inform Mr. Talleyrand to travel to Turin with Count Provence…
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