Chapter 2 Volume 1 Chapter 2-1

In order to completely defeat the first anti-French coalition in Europe and completely eliminate foreign military threats, the French Directory decided to launch an active military operation in 1796, with the main target of the attack aimed at the powerful Austrian army.For this reason, the French High Command proposed a pincer assault plan, planning to send two armies, led by General Jourdan and General Moreau respectively, to spread out along the Rhine River and advance eastward at the same time, aiming at Austria. Capital Vienna. While the French revolutionary army was actively preparing to fight on the northern front, Napoleon, as the commander of the Paris garrison, proposed a southern battle plan, that is, to first annihilate the allied troops of Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia, seize the rich Piedmont and Lombardy regions, and then Drive the Austrian army out of Italy and push the battlefield to Tyrol and the Austrian mainland.In this way, the threat to southeastern France can be relieved, and the main army of Austria can be avoided, and the Austrian capital Vienna can be detoured from the south.In view of Napoleon's military prestige and the practical value of his suggestions, the Directory agreed to Napoleon's combat plan and appointed him to replace General Scherer, the former commander-in-chief of the Italian Army.Napoleon was eager to make contributions and soon took office.From then on, Napoleon led his troops to fight alone, galloped across the battlefield, and personally directed more than 50 battles, large and small, in 20 consecutive years, creating miracles one after another in the history of human warfare.The first thing Napoleon did after taking office was to organize a smart and capable headquarters think tank.He chose Berthier as his chief of staff.Berthier was 42 years old. He was a draftsman in his early years and participated in the American Revolutionary War as a staff officer.He had been General Kellermann's chief of staff the previous year and knew everything about the Maritime Alps.Berthier is very diligent and careful, and he can accompany the general to do any search and observation without delaying the handling of daily official duties.He lacked decisiveness and was unfit for command, but he had all the qualities of a good chief of staff.He is good at reading maps, knows all search methods, can issue orders without error, and is extremely expert in the most complicated troop movements.For Napoleon who can make his own decisions, he is undoubtedly the most ideal chief of staff.Napoleon's command ability and Berthier's diligence and careful cooperation made them the best pair of partners on the battlefield.In addition to Berthier, Napoleon chose two more adjutants. They were the young artillery officers Captain Marmont and Captain Junod selected in the Battle of Toulon.In addition, he will also bring Lieutenant Colonel Murat, the cavalry captain who helped him put down the rebellion on July 13, and his young brother Louis.

On March 27, Napoleon and his party arrived at Nice, where the Italian Legion was stationed, and established the headquarters here.Three days later, Napoleon inspected his troops, and he soon understood why the most powerful general in the French Republic did not ask for the post.It was a half-starved and ragged army, woefully inadequate in artillery and cavalry.The soldiers were like a band of bandits, and the meager supplies Paris supplied to the army were quickly stolen by the soldiers with impunity. The 43,000 people had no military pay, no rations, no feed, no shoes and socks, no clothes, no tents, no camp furniture, no means of transportation, and their material life was extremely poor.On the night before Napoleon's arrival, a battalion refused to carry out an order to move to another area because it had no boots to wear.The hungry army was looting and stealing everywhere, rebellion and desertion occurred from time to time, and morale was very low.

Napoleon immediately set about rectifying military discipline.However, it was not easy for Napoleon, who was only 27 years old, to control this army.The subordinate officers here only obey the older or more meritorious officers, and they don't pay much attention to this young commander who is short, shaggy, and speaks with an ugly Corsican accent, who is not very famous.They often quarreled with Napoleon.In a fierce quarrel, Napoleon once looked up at the tall General Augereau and said: "General, you are just a head taller than me, but if you are rude to me, I will immediately eliminate this." Difference." Napoleon could not tolerate any thoughts against him in his army. Whoever dared to oppose him, regardless of his position, had to move his head. This is the principle he has always followed.

Of course, Napoleon also clearly realized that in order to truly enforce military discipline and stop theft, it would not help to shoot some people alone, and he must provide his army with clothes and shoes.And to get these things, soldiers must be encouraged to demand them from the enemy by force, rather than waiting for the government to supply them.So he quickly announced a bold plan to break through the Italian passage and turn the enemy's most fertile area into a battlefield.Before leaving for the expedition, he delivered a very provocative mobilization speech.He said: "Soldiers, you are short of food and clothing. The Republic owes you a lot, but the country does not have the strength to repay the debt. I have come to lead you into the most affluent plain in the world. Fertile provinces, rich towns, all It's up to you. Soldiers, facing such a prospect, can you not muster up the courage to persevere?" This was the first time he spoke to his subordinates.After listening to the speech of this young and fearless leader, the soldiers, whose morale was getting lower and lower, were full of hope and confidence.

On April 5, 1796, Napoleon began his conquest of Piedmont.In order to reach the destination more quickly, he unconventionally led the troops to cross the Alps from the famous "natural danger" in the coastal mountains of the Alps.Despite the constant bombardment of them by the British fleet patrolling the coast, Napoleon was unafraid, showing amazing bravery and composure. On April 9, the troops safely crossed the natural danger. The enemy Napoleon faced was formidable.At that time, there were two armies stationed in Piedmont, one was the Austrian army led by Beaulieu, and the other was the Sardinian army led by Corley, with a total of 80,000 people, equipped with powerful cavalry and overwhelming artillery. .However, Napoleon's army was only more than 40,000 people, and the artillery and cavalry were insufficient.Faced with the huge gap between the enemy and our forces, Napoleon was not frustrated.He believed with great confidence that a lack of numbers could be compensated for by quick mobilization of troops; a lack of artillery could be compensated for by flexibility;Based on his familiarity with the terrain of this area, Napoleon quickly made a judgment: a wedge-shaped mountainous area near Montenotte is the weak point of the Aussa Allied Forces' position.Therefore, Napoleon decided to concentrate his forces to attack the enemy from here first, cutting off the Austrian army and the Sacred army, so that he could gain the initiative from the beginning.He divided his forces into three parts: the avant-garde 19,000 men, commanded by Massena, defended Montenotte and Daigo to hold off the Austrians.The main force of 12,000 people, commanded by Augereau, launched an attack on Cheva from the west.The left guard, 10,000 men, under the command of Cérulière, attacked Cheva from the south.The purpose of this deployment is to defeat Cheva and the nearby Sardinian army first, and then deal with the Austrians.

Just as the war was about to begin, an unexpected incident disrupted Napoleon's deployment.It turned out that due to the shortage of financial resources, the French government sent people to Genoa to borrow money in March, but they were rejected by the Genoese.The Directory decided to put pressure on the Genoese to agree to a loan.As a result, the Directorate ordered the troops defending Savona to advance to Voltri, which is only 10 kilometers away from Genoa.This action shocked the Austrian army. They mistakenly believed that the French were going to enter Genoa, so they hurriedly urged Marshal Beaulieu to go south quickly to reinforce Genoa.Napoleon began to be very annoyed by this accident, because it not only disrupted all his plans, but also destroyed Genoa's neutral status and deprived the French expeditionary force of an important supply port.However, Napoleon soon discovered that the threat of Genoa could attract a large number of Austrian troops, thus distracting the enemy's strength and attention, which would be beneficial to the implementation of his battle plan.Napoleon saw this opportunity, and on April 6 he ordered the rest of the Savona army to continue to reinforce Walteri in order to confuse Beaulieu, commander-in-chief of the Osa coalition forces.

Beaulieu really fell into Napoleon's trap.Beaulieu mistakenly believed that the main direction of the French attack was Genoa.He moved the base camp to Novi and divided the army into three parts: the right wing was composed of the Sardinian army, commanded by Corley, and the headquarters was located in Cheva. The flanks of the French army are safe; the center is commanded by Argeto, and the headquarters is located in Sassello. The rear; Beaulieu personally led the left army to attack Walteri to cover Genoa. On April 10, the left army led by Beaulieu arrived in Waltery and launched a fierce attack on the French army stationed there.This action of the Austrian army made the left wing of the Austrian army far away from the central troops.At this time, the Sardinian army led by Corley was still far to the west, and the Austrian army in the center fell into an isolated situation without support.Napoleon soon discovered that this was a rare and favorable opportunity. He decisively decided to abandon the plan to defeat the Sardinians first, concentrate his forces, and first defeat the isolated Austrian army in the middle.

At this time, the central Austrian army under the command of Argeto occupied Montenotte. On April 11, Napoleon personally rushed to Santorio, south of Mount Nigino, to teach the three division commanders Massena, Lahap and Augereau face-to-face.That night, the three division commanders led various French troops quietly marched towards Montenotte. In the early morning of the 12th, before the dawn mist was dispelled by the sun, nearly ten thousand French troops suddenly appeared behind and on the flanks of the Austrian army. Disintegrated under bombardment.In desperation, Argeto ordered the troops to fight a bloody path and retreat.In just a few hours of fighting, the Austrian army lost more than 3,000 people, of which 2,000 became prisoners of the French army.The Sardinian Legion far to the west learned that Argeto was besieged and was eager to help him, but the distance between the two armies was far away, and the rugged mountain roads made reinforcements inconvenient, so they had to allow the Allies to be wiped out.Beaulieu knew nothing of the battle.Two days later, when news of Argéteau's rout reached Voltri, Beaulieu found himself in Napoleon's trap, but it was too late.Napoleon won the first battle after his expedition with his keen insight, quick decision and quick action.

After the defeat of Montenotte, the Austrians began to retreat to Mirichimo and Dego, trying to hold their positions there, waiting for the troops of Marshal Beaulieu and General Corley to approach the center from the two wings, and prevent the French army from advancing towards Turin and Milan. Direction development attack.After gaining insight into the enemy's intentions, Napoleon immediately decided: without giving the enemy time to breathe, when the enemies on the two flanks had no time to reinforce the center, he divided his troops into two groups and captured Mirichimo and Daigo as quickly as possible.He ordered Augereau to lead a division to attack Mirichimo, Masséna and Lahap each led a division to capture Daigo, and he himself marched with Augereau's division. At dawn on April 13, Augereau led 9,000 people to attack Mirichimo.The battle went very smoothly, and it didn't take long for the enemy to be driven out of the Millicimo Canyon.

Then, in the vicinity of the Kosalia Heights, nearly 2,000 people from the Austrian Banner Rovira Brigade were surrounded.Provira led his troops to break through the encirclement several times in desperation, but were all repelled.In the end, he was forced to hide in an old castle in Kosaria, waiting for the right-wing General Koli to rescue him. On the 14th, Napoleon went to the battlefield in person and commanded the French army to fight with Collier's troops who came to reinforce him.Corley's troops fled in defeat.The last hope of Provira, who was in a desperate situation, was shattered. At this time, the food and drinking water in the castle were also exhausted.Under the heavy bombardment of French artillery fire, Provira was forced to leave the fort and surrender.

Daigo is located northeast of Mirichimo.Once the French army captures Daigo, it means cutting off the final link between the main forces of Austria and Syria. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon on the 14th, Masséna's and Lahap's divisions, a total of 20,000 men, launched an attack from the enemy's front and rear simultaneously.Under the powerful offensive of the French army, the Austrian army couldn't support it, and was forced to abandon its position and fled in embarrassment.The French army took advantage of the victory to pursue and captured Daige village in one fell swoop. After occupying Daigo, Napoleon decided to send Cheva to attack the Sa army, leaving only a small number of French troops in Daigo. At 3 o'clock in the morning on the 15th, an Austrian army division suddenly appeared to the east of Daigo. They took advantage of the unpreparedness of the French army and launched a fierce attack.In the dark, the French army thought they had encountered the main force of the Austrian army, panicked and confused, and were driven out of Daige village not long after.It turned out that the Austrian army had come from Waltery to reinforce the Dego defenders. Because of the night march, they lost their way in the mountains and missed the battle on the afternoon of the 14th.When they found that there were very few French troops guarding Daigo, they boldly launched an attack.The news of Daigo's fall reached Napoleon, and Napoleon immediately led the army to Cheva to rush back to Daigo overnight.Under the command of Napoleon, the French army launched a fierce attack on the isolated and unstable Austrian army.The Austrian army desperately resisted with the strong fortifications on the Daigo Heights.At this time, Napoleon's assistant Lanius was extremely brave. He personally led two battalions of light infantry and climbed up the slope on the left side of the Daigo Heights.Reluctantly, the enemy's artillery fire was fierce, and his two actions were unsuccessful.Lanius was enraged, and in the third attack, holding his hat on the point of his sword, he rushed to the forefront under the gunfire.Inspired by his fearless heroism, the soldiers marched bravely and finally recovered the Daigo Heights.After the battle, Lanius was promoted to brigade commander by Napoleon. The connection between the Austrian army and the Sardinian army was completely cut off, and Napoleon's combat focus turned to Cheva's Sardinian army.Located on the upper reaches of the Tanaro River, Cheva is an important gateway from the southern mountains to the plains of Piedmont.Cheva has a total of 15,000 soldiers. On April 16, Napoleon ordered an attack on Cheva's army. Augereau attacked from the front, and Serrulière and Masséna detoured around in order to surround the army.General Corley, aware of the French army's attempt, abandoned Cheva on the evening of the 17th in order to avoid being surrounded.Under the cover of night, the Sa army retreated to the banks of the Corsalia River and occupied a strong position. After occupying Cheva, the French army immediately followed the Sa army and marched westward, launching a strong attack on the Sa army holding a strong position.Due to the unfamiliar terrain, the hasty preparations for the attack, and the flooding of the Tanaro River, neither Augereau nor Masséna could appear on the enemy's side on time.For several days, the French army suffered heavy casualties, leaving a large number of corpses in front of the enemy's positions.At this time, Napoleon received information that the Austrian troops stationed at Acqui and north of them were moving in the direction of Cheva.Napoleon suddenly felt that something was wrong, and hurriedly held a military meeting.At the meeting, it was agreed that no matter how tired the soldiers were, the French army must attack the Sa army again without hesitation.Otherwise, the French army will face the danger of fighting on two fronts. On April 22, the French army was ready and was about to launch an attack on the Sa army when an unexpected situation occurred: the Sa army lined up, automatically withdrew from their positions, and hurriedly retreated to Mandovi.It turned out that Corley planned to avoid the sharp edge of the French attack and transfer the Sa army to a more favorable position east of Mandovi.But he never expected that this action not only allowed Napoleon to easily occupy a strong position that had cost the French army a huge price for several days, but also caused the Sa army to be surrounded by superior French forces during their retreat.Under the powerful attack of the French army, the Sa army had no time to consolidate their positions, so they had to withdraw from Mandovi and retreat towards Turin in a hurry.Corley regretted his foolish action afterwards. Napoleon ordered his cavalry to pursue the retreating Sardinian army.The Sardinian army lost all its cannons, supplies, and the most elite troops. The dying Sardinian army could no longer resist the French army's attack. Napoleon negotiates a separate peace. On April 28, negotiations officially began.As the winner, Napoleon put forward very harsh conditions to the Kingdom of Sardinia: Sardinia must withdraw from the anti-French alliance and send plenipotentiaries to Paris to conclude a peace treaty; a fortress; temporarily hand over Alexandria until Tortona is handed over to the French; the French will take control of all the places now occupied; the French will have free passage in Piedmont and have the right to cross at Valencia Cross the Po River; the local police must be relieved; the regular army must be stationed in various places as a garrison, and the French army must not be disturbed in any way.These conditions were sternly rejected by the Sardinian representative, the atmosphere at the venue was very tense, and the negotiation was once deadlocked.In the end, Napoleon gave full play to his diplomatic skills and used the victory of the French army to continuously threaten and pressure the Sardinian representatives, finally forcing them to accept all the conditions.At noon that day, the two sides formally signed the armistice agreement.In this way, Piedmont, the gate to northern Italy, was opened by Napoleon in less than a month.The King of Sardinia, who was the father-in-law of the two brothers of King Louis XVI of France, felt that his son-in-law's career and his own dignity were equally swept away, and died of depression a few days after signing the armistice of Cherasco. On April 26, Napoleon delivered another inspiring speech to the soldiers at Cherasco.He said: "Soldiers, you have won six victories in 15 days, captured 21 banners and 55 cannons, captured many strong positions, occupied the most fertile areas of Piedmont, and captured 15,000 enemy troops." , killing and wounding more than 10,000 enemies....You lack everything, but you supplement everything. You have won battles without cannons, crossed rivers without bridges, marched hastily without shoes, camped without wine and often without bread... ...Soldiers, your motherland expects you to achieve great things. You will not disappoint your motherland, will you? You have many battles to win, many positions to seize, many rivers to cross. Do you have any courage Depressed? No! We all want to establish a glorious peace..., all of us hope that when we return to our villages, we can say: I once served in the invincible Italian army battle." The dignity and honor of the soldiers were aroused.What had been a ragged, half-starved, demoralized and ill-disciplined army had become, under Napoleon, an invincible army of excellence. Now no one in the army doubted Napoleon's authority and commanding ability, and the generals' initial jealousy and distrust of Napoleon were swept away, and Napoleon gained the sincere belief and cooperation of his subordinates. The victory of the French army in Piedmont at the Battle of Lodi brought about a fundamental change in the strategic situation in the northern Italian battlefield, and the Austrians fell into isolation in Italy.Napoleon decided to make full use of all the favorable conditions provided by the agreement to push the war to Lombardy, Austria's territory in northern Italy. At the end of April, Beaulieu personally led a team of cavalry to raid the three fortresses of Alexandria, Tortona and Valencia, but failed.Beaulieu hurriedly led the main force to retreat to the north bank of the Po River, trying to use the Po River to block the French army from heading straight for the Lombard capital. Napoleon resorted to a series of ingenious deceptions in order to cross the Po.During the Celasco armistice negotiations, Napoleon "seriously" proposed that Sardinia must unconditionally open the Valencia ferry to the French army, and deliberately disclosed this request to Marshal Beaulieu.Immediately afterwards, Masséna, Augereau, and Laha were ordered to lead their troops to Tortona, Alexandria, and Vohera. On May 3, Napoleon moved the French base camp from Kerasco to Tortona, commanded it personally, and launched diversionary attacks near Valenza many times, posing as if he wanted to cross the Po River here. Offensive stance.Beaulieu was convinced of this, and sent heavy troops to defend here. On May 7, the cunning Napoleon personally led the troops to march to Piacenza, 50 miles downstream of the Po River, at an incredible speed, and the ships carried soldiers across the big river.The sudden appearance of Napoleon panicked the two Austrian cavalry companies who happened to be scouting here, and the French army drove the Austrian cavalry out of their positions without any effort.Beaulieu was astonished when he learned of this situation. He never expected that Napoleon would not hesitate to violate the sovereignty of the neutral Principality of Parma where Piacenza was located, and bypass the main force of the Austrian army in order to obtain strategic benefits.Beaulieu, realizing that he had been duped, hurried to Piacenza in an attempt to hold the French with their backs against the Po.Napoleon, however, had no intention of confronting the Austrians in this perilous place, and he led his troops to advance rapidly towards Formio. On May 8, the leading troops of the two armies encountered in the village of Formio. The Austrian army could not withstand the onslaught of the French army and was forced to retreat towards Lodi and Milan.At night, Beaulieu withdrew all his main force to the left bank of the Adda River, and strengthened guard posts at various shallows and bridgeheads. Lodi is a small town on the lower right bank of the Adda River.Beaulieu estimated that the French army might have to forcibly cross the Adda River from the direction of Lodi, so he set up an artillery position of 30 guns nearby and tried to blow up the bridge.This time Beaulieu was right, and the French army was going to pass over this bridge. On May 10, Napoleon dispatched artillery to bombard the Austrian army on the other side.Due to the blockade of French artillery fire, the enemy could not approach the bridgehead, so they had to give up their plan to blow up the bridge.In the evening, an exciting battle started on the Lodi Bridge.At about 6 o'clock, just after the Austrian artillery fire weakened, thousands of commandos concealed behind the city walls suddenly opened the city gate of Lodi. While shouting "Long live the Republic", they rushed along the road to the bridge.But it was quickly repelled by the enemy's intensive artillery fire. Although Napoleon believed that a commander should not risk his life during the war, because death itself will bring chaos, resulting in the failure of a battle or even the entire war.However, if the objective situation requires that individuals must set an example, then a commander should not hesitate to go through fire and water.This time, Napoleon felt compelled to risk his life.Napoleon led Berthier, Massena, Lannes and other senior generals to rush to the front of the battle, braving artillery fire and rushing to the bridge.The morale of the soldiers was inspired, and although some people fell under the artillery fire from time to time, the whole team rushed to the bridge desperately.When they rushed to the middle of the bridge, some soldiers found that the river was very shallow, so they jumped off the bridge one after another, wading forward, and shooting at the bank.Soldiers on and under the bridge swarmed up like a tide, rushed straight to the Austrian positions, and captured the Lodi Bridge in one fell swoop.After crossing the bridge, the French army quickly formed a team and charged immediately, approaching the Austrian flank.The Austrian front was in disarray, disintegrated, and suffered many casualties.Beaulieu saw that the defeat was decided, so he led the remnants of the defeated army to quickly cross the Mincio River, another tributary of the Po River, and fled. Napoleon's Spartan bravery in this battle was enthusiastically praised by the soldiers.With the traditional comradely attitude of the Republicans during the Great Revolution, they affectionately called Napoleon "Little Corporal".Overnight, Napoleon became a legendary hero in people's minds. On May 14, the divisions of Masséna and Augereau of the French army arrived at the city of Milan, the capital of Lombardy, and 2,000 defenders announced their unconditional surrender. On May 15th, amidst the cheers of the people, the French army marched into the majestic and prosperous city of Milan.From then on, the long Austrian rule in Lombardy ceased to exist.In order to commemorate this historic victory, and to further stimulate the courage and enthusiasm of the French soldiers to continue to fight for the complete defeat of the Austrians, on May 20, Napoleon issued a clarion call to the French soldiers immersed in victory in Milan. An inspiring mobilization order.He said: "Soldiers! You rushed down the Apennine plateau like a torrent. You defeated and destroyed all enemies who stood in your way. "Milan is yours, and over all Lombardy flies the flag of the Republic. "The enemy, which claims to be able to threaten you, can find no more obstacles to rely on to resist your courage. The Po and Adda no longer hinder your progress. These so-called great fortresses in Italy seem All without a hitch, you conquered them as quickly as you conquered the Apennines. "Yes, soldiers! You have done a lot... But does that mean you have nothing more to do?... Will people say of us that we are good at winning but not good at winning?" How can we make good use of our victories? Will future generations blame us, saying that we met Capua in Lombardy?... In short, let us go forward! We still need to march quickly, we must defeat the remnants of the enemy, we must give ourselves Put on the laurels, and we must avenge the insults the enemy has given us! ---------------------①This is a code word.In the Second Punic War, the Carthaginian army led by Hannibal did not take advantage of the victory to wipe out the enemy after defeating the Roman army, and stayed in Capua, an ancient Roman city known for its prosperity and wealth, for a long time, so that it did nothing.Later generations used this metaphor to miss the chance of victory. "But reassure the common people. We are friends of all common people, . Create a new era in the world. Immortal honor will be yours for changing the face of this most beautiful part of Europe." However, Napoleon's promises were not fully fulfilled.Soon, this originally just war cast a shadow. On May 19, Napoleon publicly announced in a public announcement that he would impose a special tax of 20 million francs on Lombardy, and under very absurd excuses, wantonly plundered some rare treasures in the treasure house of Italian culture and art, such as the ancient Roman poet Vivian Gill's manuscripts as well as the masterpieces of famous Italian Renaissance painters Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, etc.Not only that, Napoleon also took the opportunity to send troops to occupy some neutral countries on the south bank of the lower Po River, such as the Principality of Modena and Tuscany, and extorted tens of millions of francs and a large number of cultural and artistic treasures from there.The Italian people, fed up with the ravages of the Austrian occupiers and now plundered by the French occupiers, revolted after welcoming the French troops.In Lucca, local residents killed five French flag soldiers. For this reason, the whole city was severely retaliated. Hundreds of people were killed, and the valuables in the city were looted by French soldiers.Residents of Pavia were also brutally suppressed for resisting the French occupiers. All men with weapons in the city were killed, and the French army raped and looted the city.Napoleon's promises to the Italian people intertwined with his brutal massacres of the Italian population formed a very incongruous picture. It was after the Battle of Lodi that Napoleon developed a strong desire to start a great cause. He no longer saw himself as a general with a good command, but as a man destined to decide the fate of a people. He will play a prominent role in the political arena of Europe.He once said bluntly: "It was that night near Lodi that I believed that I was a special person, and I was full of ambitions to do something great." Battle of Mantua In late May 1796, the main force of the French army on the Italian battlefield, after a short rest, marched eastward under the leadership of Napoleon to pursue the remnants of the Austrian army.A few days later, French troops captured Briscia, the largest city on the territory of the Republic of Venice.Immediately afterwards, the French army continued to advance from Lake Garda to Mantua. At the end of May, the French army finally reached the Mincio River, the last natural obstacle that the Austrians relied on to resist in northern Italy, and approached Mantua, the most famous military fortress in Europe. Just then, a small episode happened.As a result of Napoleon's succession of victories in Italy, his fame reached somewhat astonishing heights.The Directory was deeply disturbed by the young officer's growing power, and they feared that Napoleon might slip out of their control.So, they decided to curb the development of Napoleon's ambition.They ordered the Italian army to be divided into two parts, one under the command of Napoleon, whose task was to control the right bank of the Po, capture Rome and Naples, cover the right flank of the French army, and block Mantua from the south; the other under the command of General Kleman, Its task is to operate on the left bank of the Po River, prevent Austria from reoccupying Lombardy, surround and capture Mantua.Napoleon was furious at the order to dismember the Italian Army and disperse command, knowing full well that it was a deliberate political ploy to trim off the eagle's wings.He replied to the Directory with a firm and decisive attitude: either withdraw the order or approve his resignation.In a letter to the Directory he wrote: "If you put obstacles in my way, if you subject all my actions to the decisions of government commissioners... then you can expect nothing good from me. . . . You must have respect for your commanders. Absolute trust. If I don't get that trust, I don't complain, but I will try my best to get you to appoint me to other positions. When it comes to war, everyone fights in his own way. General Kellerman has more than I have. Experience, of course, can do better than I do, but the two of us work together, it must be a bad thing. I can only serve the country if you have your complete and absolute confidence in me. I know that I am writing this letter. It takes courage, because it is easy to suspect that I am too ambitious and too proud! However, it is my duty to state my thoughts to you... I cannot work with a man who considers himself the best commander in Europe. Besides, a bad general is better than two good generals. War is as smart as governing a country." Forced by Napoleon's resolute attitude, the Directory finally did not dare to insist on replacing the general whose name had been regarded as a symbol of victory. Napoleon remained as sole commander. The Mantua Fortress is located at the confluence of the Po River and the Mincio River. The terrain is difficult and the fortifications are strong. It can hold tens of thousands of people and is known as the "Key of Italy".Mantua was the only important base point of the Austrian army in Italy, and it was imperative to defend it to hold back the French army.The French army is also determined to win in order to control northern Italy and open up the road to Germany and Austria. On May 30, the defense line on the Mincio River of the Austrian army was broken, and Beaulieu led an army of 15,000 people to retreat to the city of Mantua, waiting for the reinforcements of the Austrian emperor.Napoleon did not wait for the arrival of the Austrian emperor's reinforcements, so he rushed to set up troops under the city. In order to preserve his hold on Italy, the Emperor of Austria was determined to save Mantua at any cost.In view of Beaulieu's repeated failures, the Austrian emperor sent Marshal Wilmser, who was well-known on the Rhine front, to replace him.Wilmser is a 72-year-old veteran general. He mobilized 30,000 elite troops on the Rhine front, and recruited some recruits from the Tyrolean residents on the way to take office, bringing the number of Austrian troops on the Italian front to 60,000. People, the French army was once again at a numerical disadvantage.The Austrian side was very proud and once boasted that the Austrian army would regain Milan before the end of August, and Italy would be the grave of the French army. Wilmze's troops went to Mantua in three groups in an attempt to quickly encircle and annihilate the French army that surrounded Mantua.Wilmze sent his deputy, Kosdanovich, with a force to occupy the west bank of Lake Garda, and attack the French from the flank; The troops attacked Legnago to contain the French.However, Wilmser made a big mistake. His three columns were not connected to each other and could not help each other, especially since Kosdanovich's detachment and the other two columns lay across the wide Lake Garda.All this did not escape Napoleon's eagle eye.Napoleon immediately decided to temporarily abandon the siege of the Mantua fortress, and concentrate his forces on the Kosdanovich detachment that could not be supported by the other two columns. On July 31, the French army buried the cannons in the trenches and hurriedly withdrew from Mantua.Wilmser was ignorant of Napoleon's change in plans and thought it was the French retreating hastily out of fear of him.Wilmsey entered Mantua without breaking a sweat. He reported to the Austrian Emperor that he had seized 180 French cannons on the position.Just when he was fantasizing about a complete victory, the unfortunate news came that Napoleon's army defeated Kosdanovich's troops, and Kosdanovich led the remnant troops to retreat to their hometown Tyrol.维尔姆泽大吃一惊，知道中了拿破仑的圈套，便立即率军离开曼图亚，企图与科斯达诺维奇取得联系。但为时太晚，拿破仑的主力部队已像猛虎一样朝他扑来。 ８月５日，两军相遇在卡斯蒂里恩。马塞纳师首先向奥军的右翼发起进攻，刚刚交手，法军便力不能支，匆匆向西北方向败退。维尔姆泽大喜，当即命令奥军对不战自溃的马塞纳师发起追击，他决心抓住这一有利时机，一鼓作品，迅速打通与科斯达诺维奇的联系。然而，正当维尔姆泽将自己的预备队投入到右翼的时候，一场大规模的进攻却在奥军的左翼开始了。法军１２门重炮一启发射，打得奥军惊慌失措，抱头鼠窜。维尔姆泽这才明白法军匆匆撤退只不过是一个圈套。维尔姆泽率领奥军拚命抵抗，混战中险些被俘。法军向奥军左翼进攻得手后，马塞纳师和奥热罗分别向奥军的右翼和中部进攻。在法军的强大攻势下，奥军终于支持不住，被迫向明乔河一线撤退。在法军穷追不舍的打击下，维尔姆泽历尽千辛万苦回到了司令部所在地特兰托，心情极为沮丧。不久前他的大军就是从这里满怀战无不胜的信心出发的，如今却已损伤４００００人。 拿破仑和他的军队在这战斗进行的７天中，从没有脱过靴，也没有睡过觉，无休止地急行军，一仗接着一仗。如今虽已给维尔姆泽以重创，但拿破仑没有就此让他的军队稍事休息，这支坚强如钢的军队马不停蹄，以迅雷不及掩耳之势再次包围了曼图亚。 陷入困境的老将军并不甘心失败，他征集了５００００兵力，打算再次奋力解除曼图亚之围，把法军赶出伦巴第。这一次，老将军又重犯了分兵作战的错误。他亲率３００００人从特兰托经由布兰塔的狭道向曼图亚进发，命达维多维奇率２００００人留在罗韦雷托以掩护提罗尔。拿破仑得知这一情况，故意不露声色，任凭维尔姆泽军队长驱直入。当维尔姆泽到达巴萨诺，完全脱离达维多维奇和他的后方时，拿破仑立即解除曼图亚之围，调动强大兵力疾趋罗韦雷托，行军速度之快令人难以置信。 ９月４日，法军抵达罗韦雷托。由于连打胜仗，法军情绪十分高涨，他们在杜布阿的率领下，向固守在罗韦雷托镇的奥军发起一次又一次冲锋。杜布阿在冲锋中不幸受伤倒下，他挥动马刀，用最后一口气喊道：“我为共和国战死，只盼在生命离开我之前听到胜利属于我军的消息。"法军在杜布阿的激励下勇敢地追逐着奥军，奥军被打得落花流水，达维多维奇不得不逃出罗韦雷托镇。 维尔姆泽听说达维多维奇全军覆没，惊得目瞪口呆。他以为拿破仑会因此长驱直入奥境，与莱茵战线上的法军会合，共同进攻维也纳。老将军决定把他的残部留守伦巴第，期待着有一天法军在奥地利遭到惨败时，切断法军经过意大利的退路。可他万万没有想到，此时拿破仑的目标正是自己。拿破仑的军队以两天时间行军６０多英里的惊人速度自罗韦雷托回师维尔姆泽前锋所在地普里莫拉诺。法军势如破竹，所向披靡，维尔姆泽的前锋在瞬息间被歼。当晚，拿破仑的军队在契斯莫涅过夜，拿破仑为能分到半份士兵口粮作晚餐而高兴不已。第二天，这支军队进抵巴萨诺。 ９月８日的巴萨诺之战又是以前多次战役的重复，老将军在会战中遭到惨败，缴械达６０００人。维尔姆泽带着１６０００名残兵败将退入曼图亚城。９月１３日，法军大肆进攻，再度包围了曼图亚城。维尔姆泽几乎陷入了绝望的境地：他同奥地利的联络全部被截断，他的大炮和辎重荡然无存，全军精华损失殆尽。然而，这位屡次上当而从不气馁的老将军还在坚守城池，以待希望渺茫的维也纳部分援军。 这时莱茵战线上的法军战绩却很不佳，儒尔当将军被奥地利查理大公的军队击退，莫罗将军在奥军的压力下作"战略性"的退却。奥军在莱茵战线上的胜利使得奥地利王宫的御前会议作出这样的决定：从莱茵战线上调集两个军团约６００００人，由享有盛名的、年过６０的老将阿尔文齐元帅率领，前去解救曼图亚和维尔姆泽。 阿尔文齐的军队在数量上再次置拿破仑的军队于劣势。然而，维尔姆泽所犯的分兵作战的错误又一次在阿尔文齐身上重犯了。阿尔文齐为了迷惑对方，造成法军判断上的错误，他决定从不同方向同时发起进攻。阿尔文齐自己率３５０００人朝着正面方向挺进布兰塔河，另一支部队约２５０００人由达维多维奇率领，沿阿迪杰河谷直下提罗尔。两军计划在维罗纳会师。 拿破仑得知奥军各路纵队已开始行动，便派伏布阿和马塞纳驻守特兰托和巴萨诺，以遏制阿尔文齐元帅的推进。不料，这支部队是奥地利的精锐部队，他们人数众多，来势汹汹，伏布阿和马塞纳顶不住阿尔文齐的进攻，沿阿迪杰河谷败退。拿破仑不得不留下８３００人包围曼图亚，自己率２８０００人立即前去接应马塞纳，阻止阿尔文齐从维琴察向西同达维多维奇会师。两军在维琴察发生了激烈的遭遇战。尽管双方都声称获胜，但实际上是法军在退却。拿破仑退到维罗纳，并把司令部设在此地。 拿破仑对自己不得不分兵作战非常恼怒。他到维罗纳的第一件事就是巡视伏布阿的败军。他对这支败军说：“你们让我大为生气。你们居然让人从一夫当关万夫莫敌的阵地上赶了出来。你们不配当法国兵士！你们不属于意大利方面军！”几句话说得这些法军热泪纵横，他们呼喊着：“只要再让我们打一次冲锋，您就能看出我们像不像意大利方面军了。"看着这一张张风尘仆仆的、充满信心的脸庞，拿破仑愤怒的语调缓和下来了。果然，在此后的战斗中，这支部队表现得特别勇敢。