Descending On France 1780
Chapter 203 - 196 Rushing to the battlefield

Chapter 203: 196 Rushing to the battlefield

Lana was fighting tenaciously, while Anning’s main force was rushing towards the Rivoli Plateau.

In real history, Napoleon disrupted the Austrian commanders’ battle plans numerous times with his marching ability.

Especially in several battles between Napoleon and Grand Duke Carl, it was the swift movement of the French Army that caused Grand Duke Carl’s tactical maneuvers to be disrupted before they could be completed.

Knowing this, Anning also emphasized the marching ability of the troops, and often organized long-distance forced marches during training.

So now the movement speed of the French Army was very fast.

Davout’s vanguard had already reported back that they had reached Rivoli and began to set up defenses from the entrance of the Adige River Valley to Rivoli.

Anning’s headquarters followed Davout’s main force continuing towards Rivoli, and accompanying them was Napoleon’s Cavalry Guns unit.

As Anning marched, he worried about Lasalle, who had set out for reconnaissance a day ago and had not yet sent back any reports.

Napoleon noticed his worried expression and asked, "Are you worried about Lasalle?"

"Yes," replied Anning truthfully.

Napoleon: "Don’t worry. He probably just forgot to send someone back to report. Considering Lasalle’s character, it’s quite possible."

"Indeed." Anning had to admit that Napoleon was right. From their time together, he understood why Lasalle never made it to marshal; his unreliability was truly problematic.

A marshal should be able to stand on his own, but if you put Lasalle in command of an army corps, expect to worry.

Lasalle was only an excellent cavalry officer, and the right way to use him was to let him command a cavalry brigade.

Anning: "When Lasalle returns, I must give him a proper reprimand."

"It would be best if you did," Bertier said. "As your direct subordinate, even I wouldn’t dare to scold him."

Anning: "I’ve always said, there’s no such thing as direct subordinates in my army; I treat everyone equally. As the Chief of Staff, you are entitled to reprimand any junior officers who do not properly execute your plans."

Bertier was silent for a few seconds before replying, "Okay, I understand."

Anning, seeing Bertier’s expression, thought to himself that he probably hadn’t understood.

During the previous Diego campaign, Napoleon seemed to have also ignored Laharpe’s command; his artillery crossed Laharpe’s entire line on the battlefield, first shelling the Austrians on Laharpe’s right flank, then running over to bombard the enemy facing Laharpe’s left.

In practice, Anning’s army had indeed formed what might be called "direct subordinates." Ordinary generals dared not command these officers, and these officers didn’t listen to non-direct subordinates at all.

Anning was still troubled by this; it was not the situation he wanted to see.

But now they were at war, he couldn’t focus on that; after driving away Von Wumze, he definitely needed to find a way to reverse this situation within the troops.

Thinking about this, Anning rode past a troop carrying golden rifles.

It was a sniper company, using Rear-loading Rifled Guns, which Anning had specifically had encased in brass, making them look resplendent.

While Anning noticed the snipers’ rifles, the snipers also saw him, and they began shouting in unison: "Long live the General! Long live His Excellency!"

Anning gently waved his hand, signaling them to stop, but no one listened.

The snipers continued shouting: "Long live the General!"

Napoleon was excited: "Look, Andy, everyone welcomes you like they welcomed Caesar!"

Anning’s face showed helplessness.

The troops that had just walked by his side were new reinforcements, and these men did not have the habit of shouting "long live" upon seeing him.

However, those old units he had commanded for a while would definitely shout "long live" at the sight of him.

He guessed that these new reinforcements would probably soon be influenced by the old troops.

This scene, Anning had also seen in Napoleon’s movies, where during the Battle of Austerlitz, the French Army would shout "Long live the Emperor" as soon as they saw Napoleon.

Wherever Napoleon went, the cheers followed.

It’s only 1792 now, yet here I am already receiving the treatment Napoleon had during the era of the three-emperor battle; I can hardly imagine what it would be like after 1800.

Passing by the sharpshooters’ company, Anning arrived next to another troop, which also started shouting: "Long live the General!"

Anning could only helplessly wave in acknowledgment.

***

At this time, near Anning, there was a Redwood Army composed of Italians marching.

The young Baz, hearing the shouting from the French side, turned back puzzledly: "What are they shouting?"

The French Army was naturally shouting in French, which the young Italian couldn’t understand.

A man with a large beard beside him said: "Probably shouting ’Long live the General’. They always do that."

Baz, somewhat excited, said: "So, we’ll be seeing General Frost soon?"

"Should be."

Baz couldn’t help turning back: "What kind of person is he? I heard he is exceptionally tall, almost like a mountain monster of the Alpine Mountains."

The Italians around him laughed out loud.

"You might as well say he has a lion’s head."

Baz: "What is a lion?"

"You don’t know what a lion is? It’s a fierce beast, with fluff all around its face, just like having a beard."

As Baz was imagining what that animal looked like, General rode past the Redwood Army.

Someone shouted in Italian: "General, when can we beat the Austrians thoroughly?"

The General smiled, turned his head, and replied in standard Italian: "Very soon! Maybe tomorrow, or the day after!"

A short-statured officer beside the General continued: "We are heading to the battlefield right now; you’ll definitely be able to give the Austrians a good thrashing, I assure you."

This short officer’s Italian, however, had a slightly strange accent.

Baz heard the bearded man beside him say: "This officer’s Italian, why does it sound like he has a Corsican accent?"

Baz asked puzzledly: "Where is Corsica?"

"In the sea, a poor and broken little island that used to belong to Genoa, then the Genoese sold it to France."

The bearded man smirked, then returned to the previous topic: "The General’s Italian, on the other hand, is very much a standard Milan accent; he must have stayed in Milan, maybe he was even a guest of some Grand Duke."

"But didn’t he hang all the Grand Dukes?" Baz asked, puzzled.

"Yes, I’ve heard that in Paris, he’s nicknamed the Noble Killer."

Just then, someone else said: "I heard that before joining the army, the General was a leatherworker!"

"Nonsense!" the bearded man retorted angrily, "Where would you find such a learned leatherworker?"

"I actually heard that the General is a illegitimate son of the Duke of Orleans and was fostered by a leatherworker!"

"What? Doesn’t that mean he’s the brother of the current King of France?"

"Nonsense, the General is actually the King of France’s uncle by marriage!"

The members of the Redwood Army started arguing about this, but Baz wasn’t listening anymore; his gaze followed the gradually departing General, admiringly remarking, "How wonderful. I also wish to be such a hero, acclaimed by the masses!"