Chapter 816: The Great Victory at Marengo
"Yes, west," the cavalryman nodded. "Our company commander has been watching closely—at least twenty thousand enemy troops have reached within three kilometers of the Bormida River."
Napoleon looked toward the distance, puzzled, muttering, "What are the Austrians planning?"
His troops were severely depleted and exhausted—any commander with basic military sense wouldn't miss this perfect opportunity to strike.
Could it be a deceptive ploy to lull him into complacency?
Napoleon shook his head. In the current situation, if the Austrian forces from the north didn't restrain him, he could immediately move to attack Melas's forces at Cabbianca in the south.
Was their chief commander being used as bait?
No, there had to be some hidden plot here. He couldn't be fooled by appearances and needed to think carefully…
Just then, a captain arrived, directing soldiers to place a stretcher before him and saluted: "Commander, this man says he was sent by King Amadeo III with a message."
Napoleon glanced at the man lying on the stretcher—about thirty years old, dressed in Sardinian military uniform, with his left leg bandaged and soaked in blood—clearly wounded.
He frowned. "Who is he?"
"He says his name is Eugenio," the captain stammered, "last night he skulking near our camp, and soldiers shot since they saw a Sardinian."
Napoleon squatted beside Eugenio, asking, "The King of Sardinia sent you to me?"
Pale and weak, the man nodded, "Your Majesty, our troops have been withdrawn to Turin."
"Is that true?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Last week, the King signed a treaty with Your Highness, the Crown Prince. Sardinia is withdrawing from the war…"
Napoleon turned his gaze sharply to the captain. His look was like a blade. "Why didn't you send him in last night?"
"We… thought he was a lying spy."
The captain nervously explained for some time before Napoleon understood: Eugenio had been shot and unconscious last night—two companions were killed on the spot. Eugenio woke up in the middle of the night but the French soldiers ignored him, leaving him waiting until now.
Napoleon harshly rebuked the captain, immediately ordered the doctors to treat Eugenio, then told Lucien: "Order the entire army to hold position. Send scouts to carefully observe enemy movements."
Forty minutes later, cavalry returned with a report confirming nearly twenty thousand Sardinian troops had indeed returned to the west bank of the Bormida.
Napoleon was overjoyed and even crossed himself silently, murmuring: "Thanks to the Crown Prince—he is the strongest reinforcement!"
Though confident in his soldiers' abilities and his command to counter the Austro-Saxon coalition, it would have cost heavy losses and prevented the Italian army from mounting large-scale battles anytime soon.
Now, the Crown Prince had "eliminated" nearly twenty thousand enemy troops in one stroke.
The coming battles would be much easier.
He began imagining leading the Italian army, along with the Royal 3rd Infantry Division, to attack Mantua—the last Austrian stronghold in Italy.
To Napoleon, Melas's corps was no longer worth special attention.
He sighed deeply and told Lucien, "Keep the cavalry constantly watching the Austrians. The other corps will rest at Marengo for three days."
Joubert, nearby, expressed concern, "Commander, what if the northern Austrians launch an attack? Most of our soldiers haven't recovered…"
Even if Sardinians pulled back, over ten thousand soldiers remained with the Argenteau Corps north of Marengo. They barely fought yesterday and were in good condition. If they put full effort into attacking, the French might struggle to hold.
Napoleon smiled faintly. "Don't worry. The Austrians must be nervously discussing how to resist us.
"After a series of defeats, they've lost their courage.
"The sudden Sardinian retreat will further damage their morale.
"My real worry now is they might abandon Melas and retreat to Mantua Fortress."
As expected, Argenteau withdrew to Castelceriolo and began fortifying.
The next noon, Talleyrand's liaison arrived at Napoleon's headquarters to inform him of the signing of the Turin Agreement between France and Sardinia.
Afraid the Bormida line might be sealed by Austrians, the Sardinian messenger took a long detour around Lombardy from the north and so arrived one and a half days slower than a direct route.
Three days later.
Napoleon personally commanded his rested and reorganized corps to attack Melas hiding at Cabbianca.
French soldiers showed no sign of fatigue from the thousands of casualties in prior fights. Instead, they sang and joked, spirits high.
"Hah! Despite the Austrians numbering over fifty thousand, we smashed them in no time!"
"The other day I was right behind Colonel Bonaparte and stabbed a mounted officer…"
"The Austrians are utterly fragile."
"Hah, did you see the Sardinians running scared?"
"Genoa, Pavia, Milan—where to next?"
"Time for Mantua!"
In Cabbianca's church, Cervoni hurriedly opened the door and said to Melas sitting by the window, "General, our defenses are about to break. I'll cover your retreat to Cascina…"
Melas glanced at him but shook his head despondently. "It's useless. Even if we retreat to the coast, what then? There are no British fleets to support us…"
He suddenly roared, "The British scoundrels! They promised endless supplies by sea, but French ships entered Genoa! And where were they? Where?!"
He took a breath, voice growing louder: "And the Sardinians, cowards all! The French have not yet won, and they fled like rabbits frightened by a dog!"
Cervoni helplessly motioned for guards to carry their commander away.
Melas cursed and cursed again, then slumped back into his chair, waving his hand: "Send negotiators. Tell the French we seek a ceasefire…"
On September 6, 1793,
Austria's Italian army formally surrendered.
Napoleon triumphantly accepted over 10,000 prisoners, along with a large quantity of weapons, horses, and flags as spoils.
However, upon hearing the news, Argenteau's corps immediately fled to Mantua, somewhat diminishing Napoleon's gains.
Over 800 kilometers away, Joseph ordered via the Chappe semaphore station to accept Melas's surrender terms—releasing Melas after paying a meager 700,000 francs ransom, allowing him to return to Vienna.
(END CHAPTER)
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