Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 869 - 777: The Easiest Battle

Beside the bushes, French soldiers leaned against the carriage, singing "Glory and Victory" accompanied by various instruments:

"... Loyalty never falters,

"Offer victory as a gift to His Majesty the King!

"Win supreme glory with blood and fire..."

Well, even though they weren’t part of the Royal Legion, who wouldn’t dream of joining a direct corps?

Napoleon waved away mosquitoes, writing a letter in elegant Roman script against the background of the singing:

My dearest Desiree:

... Although I am about to face tens of thousands of Austrian robbers on the battlefield, my heart is filled only with thoughts of you at this moment...

Jesus is my witness; whether marching or convening meetings, your gemstone-like eyes and smile as gentle as the sunset always appear in my mind...

My love for you is so deep and fervent, it is like a galloping wild horse carrying my soul to your side...

May our love burn like an everlasting flame, igniting our passion and longing...

Well, during this journey to Toulon, Napoleon met the sister of his brother’s fiancée, Miss Desiree Eugenie.

Shortly thereafter, the two swiftly fell into a passionate romance.

Desiree’s father was a wealthy merchant, with substantial assets that could greatly support Napoleon’s career.

However, history tells that when the two began discussing marriage, Napoleon encountered his lifelong fateful entanglement—Josephine—and decisively abandoned Miss Desiree.

In this light-hearted atmosphere, the Italian Front Army’s main troops waited for half a day beside the bushes. By the next morning, cavalry scouts reported the Austrian Dan Nanfield Corps appearing 9 kilometers to the south, prompting Napoleon to order a full-scale advance. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Only the mosquitoes near Nice enjoyed a jubilant night.

Murat’s Corps, trained at the Paris Police Academy and having fought under the Crown Prince, had always modeled themselves after the former Guard Corps.

Their formations were noticeably more orderly than other old-style troops, even surpassing Napoleon’s personally trained Corsican Legion. They were also the only old regiment equipped with caplock guns.

Within an hour, they appeared on the right wing of the Dan Nanfield Corps.

"Commander, the nearest enemy is 3 kilometers away from us, approximately 6,000 troops. Further to the west, there should be two or three more regiments."

Napoleon nodded to the reporting cavalry scout, recalling the terrain nearby—he had personally surveyed the entire southeastern landscape of Toulon and drawn detailed maps, making him intimately familiar with the area.

He promptly pointed to the southwest and instructed Marmon, "The hill 3 kilometers away is the optimal firing position. Head there immediately to establish an artillery position. The Corsican Infantry Regiment Second Battalion Seventh Company will provide cover for you."

"Yes, Commander."

Napoleon then turned to Ogero: "Lead the Third Infantry Regiment and two cavalry battalions to rapidly advance southward without engaging the enemy. Intercept potential reinforcements arriving from Cagne."

"Yes, Commander."

"Sérurier Corps and La Alp Corps will lead the frontal assault..."

"Captain Juno will command the scattered soldier battalion to attack the enemy’s right wing. If there are indications that they might retreat to Nice, you must hold them off for at least three hours..."

"Cavalry battalions three, four, and six will launch a flank attack once the enemy formations loosen..."

"Meiner’s Army will serve as the reserve unit..."

This was fundamentally a surprise attack, and Napoleon’s meticulous, precise arrangements ensured that failure seemed impossible. Any competent officer following the plan would secure the victory.

The officers assigned by Joseph were all historically renowned talents.

For Dan Nanfield, this battle was nothing short of a nightmare.

When his cavalry spotted Sérurier Corps approaching the Austrian Army, the distance between the two sides had already dwindled to just 1.5 kilometers.

Dan Nanfield was utterly stunned—where did these thousands of French troops come from?

If he knew Napoleon, unimpressed by his slow pace, had squeezed in time to write letters to both his mother and his girlfriend, he might have spat blood on the spot.

The Austrian Army hastily prepared their defenses but were promptly bombarded by French artillery.

Marmon’s artillery command was second only to Napoleon’s throughout France. Under his direction, the four 12-pound cannons and seven 6-pound cannons unleashed devastating firepower.

Combined with the artillery positions personally "certified" by Napoleon, the cannons covered over half of the Austrian Army’s left wing. Their oblique angles made Austrian soldiers constantly divert attention to incoming cannon fire from their left.

Before Sérurier had even initiated his offensive, Dan Nanfield’s defensive line was already being pushed back relentlessly under heavy fire.

This battle was simply unwinnable.

Soon afterward, more than ten columns of French infantry launched a charge against the Austrian forces.

Over 4,000 French soldiers deployed into horizontal formations directly in front of the Austrians, unleashing volleys of dense fire from their caplock guns, flashing with light.

Watching helplessly as the battlefield collapsed, Dan Nanfield stamped his feet anxiously, unable to devise an effective response.

Soon, French cavalry made their timely appearance on the Austrian Army’s left wing...

By midday, the battle was over.

Due to the swift movements of the French Army, Dan Nanfield could not even organize a retreat before his main force of nearly 5,000 soldiers was encircled.

Facing relentless cannon fire, the Austrian soldiers fell to their knees and surrendered.

Even Dan Nanfield himself, fleeing west, was captured by French cavalry less than 3 kilometers away.

Meanwhile, Ogero smoothly maneuvered through the gap between the Austrian Army’s center and left wing, advancing southward to block the enemy’s retreat. However, before he could initiate an encirclement, his cavalry had already seized the opportunity and blocked the path southward.

Ogero briefly analyzed the situation and opted to continue advancing southwest, hoping to uncover opportunities near Cagne Town.

As he reached a position 5 kilometers west of Nice, he unexpectedly encountered a force of over 3,000 Austrian soldiers.

Through his telescope, Ogero spotted the Austrian Army’s banners and quickly deduced that this was the Provilla Corps coming from Cagne.

He hesitated briefly; with only 1,800 soldiers and encountering the enemy unexpectedly, the risk of being overwhelmed loomed large.

But he soon noticed the Austrians’ disorderly formations, skewed banners, and overall disorganized state.

Without hesitation, Ogero drew his sword, pointed it at the enemy, and shouted to his troops, "Victor’s Corps is right behind the enemy. If we rush forward, we’ll join in a pincer attack!"

The French soldiers were instantly invigorated, roaring as they charged.

In truth, Victor was still busy cleaning up scattered enemy forces around Cagne Town and had not actually pursued the Austrians. But it hardly mattered because the Austrian Army was almost shattered by Ogero Corps’ fierce momentum.