Descending On France 1780
Chapter 183 - 176 A History in Complete Disarray

Chapter 183: 176 A History in Complete Disarray

After the Battle of Diego, the Austrian troops withdrew their defenses from fortresses and passes such as Karcali.

Boliue ordered Vukcevic’s division, which was in front of Massena, to discard most of its baggage and hurriedly retreat to the important stronghold of Piacenza on the Po River.

By the time the French Army’s vanguard reached Piacenza, the Austrians had already taken all the boats to the other side of the river and set up camp along the riverbanks.

There were about ten thousand soldiers of the Austrian forces on the other side of the Po River, far fewer than the French Army.

Moreover, the French Army had just won a major victory and was high in morale, normally they should be able to charge over in one fell swoop.

But the Po River stopped the French Army.

The river, almost perfectly east-west in orientation, cuts the plains south of Milan in half.

Even at its narrowest, the river is seventy to eighty meters wide, with a depth beyond what can be forded, requiring pontoon bridges or ferries to cross.

Thus the French Army could only helplessly watch the Austrian forces on the opposite riverbank.

There are three river crossings on the Po; one is far downstream, requiring a very long detour, and another is upstream in Valenza within the territory of the Sardinian Kingdom.

Since the Sardinian Kingdom had not declared war on France, theoretically Anning could not cross the river at Valenza.

Hence, the Austrian army positioned all its forces across from Piacenza, lined up in formation.

On May 15th, Anning arrived on the southern bank of the Po River and could only frown at the Austrian forces arrayed opposite him.

In the Napoleon Chronicles, before the battle across the Po River, Napoleon first subdued the Sardinian Kingdom, thereby gaining the opportunity to cross at Valenza.

He arranged a feint, personally leading the main forces to present a crossing posture at Valenza, while simultaneously spreading rumors to the Sardinian Kingdom’s people to reinforce the impression of crossing there.

Then he sent out a large part of his army, taking a wide detour to cross at Piacenza.

If not for the Austrians’ commander Marshal Boliue sensing Napoleon’s movements and beating a swift retreat, Napoleon might have completely annihilated the main force of the Austrian corps on the plains of the Po River.

But now, Anning did not have the room to execute this operation, since the Sardinian Kingdom controlling Valenza had not entered the war.

The entire battlefield’s frontline was thus greatly compressed, and Anning could only attempt crossing the heavily defended Piacenza.

This was not good news; forcing a river crossing would be highly difficult, and the Austrians immediately began constructing fortifications after retreating to the Po River.

Now a line of battery emplacements stood in front of Piacenza.

Forcing a river crossing was certain to result in heavy losses.

Anning, on horseback on the southern bank of the Po River, looked at the shimmering water surface, troubled.

Seeing his trouble, Napoleon suggested, "We can go downstream to cross the river and detour back here."

Anning shook his head: "There are several major rivers running north-south across the plains, all flowing into the Po River eventually. Going downstream not only requires a long journey but also crossing many north-south rivers before we can detour back here."

Napoleon pursed his lips and suggested again, "Let’s think differently, upstream at Valenza, the Sardinian Kingdom only has a small force defending, we could launch a surprise attack there, just ’borrowing’ a way through.

"The Austrians would never expect us to disregard the feelings of the Sardinian Kingdom and forcibly pass through the territory of the Sardinian Kingdom!"

Anning: "What about logistics?"

Napoleon: "The detouring troops will rely on the rations and ammunition they carry, swiftly crush the enemy, and afterward receive supplies from Piacenza!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Bertier shook his head, "That’s too risky, and there’s also the diplomatic risk. The Sardinian Kingdom will have serious objections."

Napoleon: "Let them raise their objections with Paris, what does that have to do with us?"

Bertier wanted to object further, but Anning spoke: "Napoleon’s suggestion is good; it’ll enable us to quickly crush the enemy in front of us."

Bertier: "General! Aren’t you worried about diplomacy?"

Anning curled his lip.

The Sardinian Kingdom is not the Papal State, it has armed forces; tens of thousands capable of field combat, and it’s quite close to the French supply line along the Mediterranean coast.

If the Sardinian Kingdom suddenly entered the war, severing Anning’s supply line, then the situation would be terrible.

In Napoleon’s military history, he first subdued the Sardinian Kingdom before turning south of Milan to engage in a decisive battle with the Austrian army.

If my own front against Boliue isn’t sorted out yet and the Sardinian Kingdom enters the war, then we truly would be caught between two enemies.

Of course, there’s a solution for that situation, which is to quickly strike at Milan and gather supplies there—yes, just gather supplies, not to plunder.

Anning thought for a moment and then asked Bertier, "Is it possible to first communicate with the Sardinian Kingdom and secure military passage?"

Bertier: "Of course, it’s possible, but we have to send an envoy to the capital, Turin, of the Sardinian Kingdom and negotiate with them, which I estimate will require us to be stationed south of the Po River for more than a month. My advice is to take advantage of our current military strength and forcibly cross the river.

"The Austrian army has lost most of its heavy artillery and baggage, they surely don’t have much ammunition in reserve, just a few days of hard attack, and they will retreat due to exhaustion of supplies."

Anning clicked his tongue: "Bertier, oh Bertier, in your eyes are our soldiers just numbers on paper? No, we can’t waste the lives of our soldiers like that. I need to think more about what methods we can use to efficiently and economically break through the enemy’s Po River defense line."

**

A few days after Anning was stationed in Piacenza, news from the front line in Paris arrived.

Demure defeated the Holy Roman Empire’s coalition led by Marshal Von Wumze on the front line.

Anning was stunned when he received the news.

He had always applied the situation from the original history of 1796 to the current situation, so he thought the front lines would continue to struggle, and it depended on the brilliant victories he won in Italy to shift the situation.

Anning had thought ahead to the next act: after sweeping across Northern Italy, he would lay siege to Mantua Fortress, and Austria would repeatedly send forces to relieve the fortress, only to suffer a number of great defeats inflicted by him.

Finally, the fortress would be captured, and he would marshal his troops, ready to push from Northern Italy towards Vienna, forcing the Holy Roman Empire to cease hostilities and return King Louis XVI and Queen Mary, who were hiding in Vienna, to France.

But now with Demure defeating Von Wumze on the front line, the script was all wrong!

**

At this time, Holy Roman Emperor Franz II was also discussing countermeasures with his ministers.

Imperial Chancellor Duke Wilhelm said to Franz II, "Your Majesty, our forces have suffered disastrous defeats in both Northern Italy and along the Rhein. The current situation is very grim. If the French forces push on both fronts jointly, the Empire will be outmatched in terms of soldiers and we might have to deploy Prince Carl’s troops.

"Moreover, the continuous defeats have greatly affected the prestige of the Empire, which might affect our stance on the Polish issue!"

Franz II gritted his teeth: "Damn it, how could things in France turn out to be such a mess!"

Duke Wilhelm sighed: "That is France after all. Although the domestic revolution weakened its power, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse."

Actually, what Duke Wilhelm said was not correct. The revolution actually enhanced the strength of France, but as a noble, he couldn’t admit such a thing.

Franz II: "So what do we do now?"

"The most urgent task is to stop the war with France as soon as possible and then send back your aunt and her husband to France."

"Will there be no problems with that?" Franz II asked, "They won’t..."

"No, they won’t," Duke Wilhelm assured with confidence. "Your uncle has been away from France for so long, and the French have not abolished the monarchy. Instead, there is a tendency to declare the Duke of Orleans as the new Emperor of France. This indicates that your uncle still has considerable prestige in France."

Franz II paced back and forth in the room and finally clapped his hands: "Alright, let’s do that! I’ve had enough of my aunt’s little schemes in Vienna! I’ll write to the National Assembly of France right away, expressing our sincerity to return the King and cease hostilities!"

**

A few days later, at the National Assembly in Paris.

Brissot, from the Girondists, was giving an impassioned speech on stage: "Ladies and gentlemen! With our army’s continuous victories on the front, especially General Demure’s brilliant victory, the Emperor of Austria has knelt down and begged for peace!

"But should we welcome back that King and his Austrian woman? No, absolutely not! He has betrayed France, we will not welcome the traitor back!

"Just think about that Locksmith King and his Austrian woman; they never did a good thing for France! We should have a new King!"

"Oppose!" Marat stood up slamming the table, "The France of today belongs to its citizens! We should establish a Republic! Just like in North America!"

Brissot: "Nonsense! When the English had their Glorious Revolution, they also established a state of citizens, but in the end, they chose to welcome back a King! And now, the Royalist Party’s influence is still strong, especially in the rural areas, people still need a King!

"For the stability of France, I propose that we should choose a legitimate heir from the current royal family lineage! Just like what the English did after their Glorious Revolution!

"Luckily, we have such a suitable candidate right now, the son of the Duke of Orleans! I propose a vote to proclaim him Louis XVII!"