Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 868 - 776: Genius

Napoleon was speaking when an officer came in to report, "Commander, news just arrived from Wans. Sebotendov’s Army’s main force has left Wans and is bypassing Saint Jeanne."

Napoleon cast a gleeful glance at Ogero, as if to say, "See? It’s playing out exactly as I planned."

Ogero suddenly found his doubts about this young officer’s command abilities dissipating significantly.

He stood at attention and said, "Clearly, you are correct, Lieutenant Colonel Buonaparte. Now, I must go gather the troops."

According to Napoleon’s arrangements, once the Austrian Army in Wans starts moving, their forces here would attack southward.

Napoleon had stationed old-style troops in Wans and Cagnes, while his most battle-ready Murat’s Corps was waiting 20 kilometers away from Austria’s main force at Levain.

All of this was done to avoid having their movements spotted by the Austrian cavalry.

Joseph relied on his knowledge of historical trajectories, advanced military concepts, and superior weaponry to lead the French Army to victory. Napoleon, however, used his genius-like military command abilities to defeat his enemies.

Thus, Joseph allocated to him the lesser corps of the French Army—giving Napoleon powerful new troops would be wasteful; he’d defeat the opponent with even these older armies!

Napoleon glanced at his watch and rose to his feet, saying to his guard, "Load my luggage onto the carriage. We depart in one hour."

"Yes, sir."

...

Sebotendov dined leisurely in Saint Jeanne Town before continuing to march west.

He knew he’d face a fierce battle at Toulon Fortress, so he had to let his soldiers rest as much as possible along the way to recover their strength.

However, just two or three kilometers out of town, five cannons suddenly emerged from behind a slope to the northwest and began raining shells upon him.

The cannon positions were excellent, covering the majority of the Austrian Army’s location. Moreover, there was a dense forest ahead of the artillery; to attack there, one would have to take a long detour westward along a narrow path.

Indeed, this artillery position was personally chosen by Napoleon, a "prime location" for artillery by any standard.

The fierce bombardment sparked chaos in the Austrian ranks, prompting Sebotendov to hurriedly command his troops to regroup toward Saint Jeanne. Yet shortly thereafter, rhythmic drumbeats emanated from the north.

Rubeier Corps’ 3,000 soldiers, organized in three neat infantry lines, were closing in at just over 800 paces away.

They had been lying in wait here, and Sebotendov had stumbled upon them. freewebnøvel.com

If not for the Austrian cavalry discovering them, Rubeier had even planned to attack the Austrians from behind after their entire army had passed.

However, Rubeier understood his soldiers’ limitations, so he opted for a linear formation to advance—column formation required higher discipline, and if training was insufficient, chaos could ensue once they reached the enemy.

Yet even against the slow-advancing linear formation, Sebotendov didn’t have enough time to convert his marching formation into a dense defensive setup—especially with French artillery on high ground beside him thundering continuously.

Watching his soldiers scatter chaotically around him, Sebotendov had only one thought: Where did these French troops come from?

The battle lasted for about two hours, during which Rubeier successfully split Sebotendov’s Army in half.

Sebotendov withdrew with 3,000 battered troops back to Saint Jeanne Town, while the other 5,000 soldiers remained stuck on the western side under relentless French cannon fire, unable to create an effective defensive formation...

Meanwhile, the battle at Cagnes Town was nearing its end.

Fierce fighting had raged there since dawn; Careto’s Grenadier Battalion and the Scattered Soldier Camp supporting him had been swiftly routed by the French troops advancing from behind. Victor’s Corps then joined forces with the Cagnes garrison to launch a counterattack on Provilla from the town’s eastern flank.

Unprepared to face an enemy with superior forces, Provilla suffered a crushing blow—after losing his scattered troops, only 4,000 soldiers remained under his command. On Victor’s side, merging forces had bolstered their numbers to over 5,000.

The Austrian Army was still organizing a column attack on the French troops outside the town when Victor suddenly led two cavalry squadrons out from the northern side, striking at Provilla’s right wing.

The unsupported column formations quickly crumbled under the cavalry charge, and French infantry from Cagnes Town seized the opportunity to launch their assault.

...

Boliue received two reinforcements requests within the span of one hour and was dumbstruck.

While the shock of encountering 20,000 French troops out of nowhere was something he could accept, the precise timing and location of the French attacks left him deeply rattled.

His first order was to instruct his staff officers to investigate possible spies within the army, particularly officers—for how else could the French know his forces’ movements so well?

Boliue then convened a tactical meeting with his officers.

After the staff gave a brief summary of the front-line situation, Boliue turned to the slightly overweight officer before him: "Major General Dan Nanfield, take the Ratman Brigade and two scattered troops camps to reinforce Wans immediately."

In Boliue’s view, he already had a numerical advantage; Sebotendov’s troops simply hadn’t been prepared for the French Army’s sudden assault.

If Wans’ front line could stabilize and the battle shifted into a steady push-and-pull rhythm, the French forces would stand no chance against his numerically superior army.

Boliue then looked to Sardinian Army Commander Koli: "You are tasked with defending the line from Nice to Cadipona Pass. Increase reconnaissance efforts; I’m concerned the French may attempt more ambushes."

"Yes, Marshal!" Koli replied, standing upright.

He understood the strategic importance of Cadipona Pass—it was not only the army’s supply line but also a potential retreat route. To ensure its security, Marshal Boliue had allocated more than 10,000 soldiers to Koli’s defense.

"As for the situation at Cagnes," Boliue pondered, "order General Provilla to withdraw."

Cagnes was originally nothing more than a coastal supply route meant to facilitate logistical support from British transport ships for troops stationed at Port of Toulon.

Temporarily abandoning it was a manageable choice.

Activity quickly ramped up in the Austrian camp.

Pitouli von Dananfield led 10,000 troops to reinforce Wans, while Koli headed east to secure the supply line.

Meanwhile, Austrian forces near Wans shifted eastward in an attempt to merge with reinforcements.

At the same time, Napoleon personally led Murat’s Corps along with his elite Corsican Legion—totaling 9,000 troops—driving swiftly into the western side of Nice.

By early afternoon the next day, Napoleon was situated 8 kilometers northwest of Nice, listening to reports from the cavalry. He furrowed his brow.

"The Austrians’ pace is far too slow."

He turned to Ogero beside him: "This forces us to remain here until tomorrow morning."

According to his calculations, he should’ve encountered Austrian reinforcements heading to Wans or Sebotendov’s troops retreating from Wans this afternoon.

But the slow marching speed of the Austrian Army had placed him in an awkward position.

If they moved into position prematurely, they risked being spotted by the Austrian cavalry.