Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 866 - 774: The Cruel War
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The two Austrian generals believed they had been sufficiently cautious.
Behind them were nearly 60,000 Austrian and allied troops, more than enough to sweep through southern France, yet they still meticulously followed Marshal Boliue’s orders for reconnaissance, formation, and other preparations.
Next, it was time to launch the attack.
The French forces, scrapping together whatever defensive troops they could, would be crushed in one or two days at most.
...
On the highlands 4 kilometers northwest of Cagne Town, Marquis Peche listened to the faint sounds of cannon fire coming from the distance and turned worriedly to Victor, "Major Victor, the enemy’s attack seems exceedingly fierce. Should we go assist them?"
Victor, though visibly tense, shook his head firmly, "No, Commander has ordered us to remain here. We absolutely cannot act on our own initiative."
He was currently commanding the main force of the Lyon Corps, with more than 4,000 soldiers under him, yet he could only watch helplessly as the 3,000 soldiers defending Cagne Town faced over 5,000 troops of the Austrian Provilla Corps.
After more than ten minutes, Marquis Peche, as head of the Lyon Corps, could not hold back and spoke again: "Major Victor, at this rate, Cagne Town might be breached."
Victor remained silent, gazing toward the direction of the cannon fire.
Napoleon had guaranteed him that Lamadiere could hold Cagne.
Three kilometers northwest of Vans City.
Joubert also gazed at the fierce battle unfolding in Vans City and remarked to Juno beside him, "Buonaparte’s deployment is indeed peculiar."
However, Juno seemed rather relaxed: "You don’t need to worry. He is the second most talented officer I have ever met. He always has an instinct for enemy maneuvers and chooses the most effective countermeasures."
There was no need to ask; the first military genius was, of course, the creator of France’s new army—the Crown Prince.
Joubert exhaled deeply and said, "The Austrian Cyber Tendof Army has over ten thousand soldiers, while the Corsican Legion and Baron Defier’s Toulouse Army defending Vans number only 6,500 altogether.
"I hope they can truly hold on."
This was the order Joubert’s legion had received: wait here on standby, and no matter what occurred in Vans City, they were not to move without command.
Outside Vans City, Baron Defier listened gravely as his subordinates reported on the battlefield situation, "The Marchand Battalion has lost more than half of a company... Captain Gilles’s cavalry battalion thwarted a flank assault but suffered 21 casualties...
"Captain Kela’s infantry company sustained significant losses and requests reinforcement from the reserves... "
Defier merely adjusted the defense formation without dispatching a single additional soldier to the front lines.
Buonaparte had instructed him to hold the position for four days, and he had to allocate manpower judiciously.
The two thousand soldiers currently positioned at the defense line would likely last until after 3 PM. At that point, the morale would determine whether to rotate them out.
Fortunately, Buonaparte had left behind an artillery battalion equipped with six cannons.
The artillerymen, trained by the Colonel in Corsica, possessed exceptional firing skills, consistently directing shells to the areas where enemy troops were most concentrated.
Thanks to their excellent performance, the situation in Vans City was barely stabilized.
However, the number of attacking Austrian troops was simply too overwhelming. By noon, his legion had already incurred nearly 200 casualties.
This was undoubtedly the toughest battle of his military career.
Finally, under the incessant prayers of Baron Defier, the sun slowly sank below the horizon.
In the camp of the Toulouse Army, the moans of the wounded occasionally pierced the air.
Nonetheless, they successfully held Vans City, albeit at the cost of 350 casualties.
In reality, the Austrian forces opposing them suffered even heavier losses.
The Toulouse Army might have been regarded as a scorned "traditional army" in France, but its combat effectiveness still outmatched that of the Austrian Army.
Furthermore, as defenders, they had occupied advantageous positions in advance and had erected several layers of chest walls, achieving a favorable exchange rate.
The next morning, the brutal battle resumed.
After a full day of assaults, the Cyber Tendof Army only managed to push the front line forward by a little over a hundred meters...
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Another disaster struck on the second day: the Austrians led by Kre defeated Sherelle near Verona, forcing the French troops back to the Ming River line. On April 5th, Sherelle was defeated again at Maniyanuo, and the French forces were compelled to retreat beyond the Ad River. Ten days later, the Austrians received reinforcements from Marshal Suvorov, who commanded 24,000 Russian troops and was now the leader of the Allied Forces. The French continued their retreat, with Sherelle handing over command to Moro—though it was too late. On April 27th, Suvorov entered Milan, while Moro retreated to Turin.
Thankfully, the Austrians did not further capitalize on their victory at Stockach, granting Massena a reprieve to reorganize his forces. The Directory merged the remnants of Jourdan and Bernadotte’s troops with the Swiss Legion under Massena’s command. This new corps, named the Danube Army, now had 113,000 personnel, of which 60,000 could be deployed for mobile field operations.
At this critical juncture, a second contingent of Russian reinforcements for the Austrians arrived, prompting Archduke Karl to depart for Central Rhine. It was now 63,000 Russian and Austrian Allied Forces against Massena. Korsakov’s troops (30,000) were responsible for the northern segment of the defense line, stretching from the confluence of the Aile River and Rhine River near Walzhuut to the easternmost edge of Lake Zurich at Utsnach, a span of 50 miles, including 23 miles across Lake Zurich. The Russian forces connected with the Austrian Hokze Division (23,000) at Utsnach. The southern section of the defense line ascended the Linte River Valley, meandering toward Oberland’s watershed, which was handed over to Generals Jelacic and Von Lincoln, each commanding roughly 5,000 troops.
Marshal Suvorov utilized the additional 30,000 troops under his command to flank his southern wing. Massena’s situation was precarious, yet geographically, his position was remarkably strong. His northern flank was shielded by the impassable Rhine River, while the left side of his frontline was protected by the Aile River and its tributary, the Limmat River, which measured 55 yards wide and was fed by Lake Zurich. The lake itself averaged 2 miles in width, providing a natural barrier for Massena’s central defensive line. The southern boundary of his defenses traversed Europe’s towering mountain peaks, terminating at the Apennine watershed.
This entire defensive line was guarded by five divisions, each consisting of 10,400 troops and 24 artillery pieces. From right to left, these were the Legube Division, Surt Division, Modier Division, Lochi Division, and Menar Division. Additionally, Massena maintained a meticulously selected grenadier brigade of 3,400 soldiers under General Humbert at his headquarters near Brenjarden. Positioned to the rear of his left flank was the understrength Klein Cavalry Division. General Udino, having recovered from his injuries, replaced Kalin as Massena’s Chief of Staff.
