Chapter 875: 783: Besieging Genoa

Chapter 875: Chapter 783: Besieging Genoa

At first, Genoa thought the French were merely feinting an attack. After all, based on the current situation, retreating westward to hold the Cadipona Pass seemed to be the most reasonable tactical choice.

It wasn’t until Volterra was breached that he finally realized.

Demobin was serious.

Hurriedly, he began recalling the troops he had sent out for diversionary attacks, but it was evidently already too late.

Demobin’s Murat’s Corps had followed closely behind Genoa’s troops all the way to Turkino Pass, launching a fierce offensive thereafter.

The Turkino Pass lies west of Genoa Port, part of the extreme ends of the Alps.

Although several kilometers wide, this was the last defensible terrain on the outskirts of Genoa.

Genoa looked up at the northern highlands where the French cannons roared incessantly and shouted loudly at the adjutant beside him, “How much longer until our reinforcements arrive?”

“General, according to the news delivered yesterday at noon, the Tavinea Legion has already set out from Milan.”

Genoa’s frown deepened instantly. From Milan to Genoa, even a forced march would take at least a week.

He hadn’t anticipated the French to be so desperate, essentially committing all of their forces.

With just 7,000 soldiers under his command, it would be exceedingly difficult to hold out against the over 20,000 French troops barraging his position.

As he was desperately pondering how to delay until reinforcements arrived, a captain rushed over in a disheveled state to report, “G-General, two hours ago, a mob of Genoese set fire to our warehouse on Kan Niwei Avenue…”

These so-called “mobsters” were actually several dozen young Genoese nobles.

Under secret orders from Governor Abiasso, they engaged in sabotage behind the Austrian lines. The warehouse requisitioned by the Austrian Army happened to belong to a family surnamed Agliadi among them.

Agliadi led his companions skillfully through a concealed side gate into the warehouse, gathering the servants there—recruited by the Austrian Army as porters—and effortlessly set fires in over a dozen places within the structure.

The British transport ships had delivered two loads of supplies just the day before, which were reduced to ashes in an instant.

“Kan Niwei Avenue?” Genoa froze for a moment before his expression darkened suddenly. Stored there were the legion’s provisions as well as part of the artillery shells.

Genoa itself is entirely non-arable, but thanks to the enormous profits yielded by maritime trade, food could always be purchased from North Africa or Sicily.

However, with the city housing merely sixty to seventy thousand inhabitants, the sudden addition of over 7,000 troops instantly plunged it into food shortages.

Originally, the supplies brought by the British were expected to sustain Genoa for over half a month. But now that the warehouse was burned, it was cut off from provisions, while the next shipment of transport ships wouldn’t arrive for another two weeks.

On the battlefield, Murat’s Corps’ roughly ten infantry columns abruptly surged forward, spreading along the Austrian Army’s left flank. Meanwhile, the explosion of percussion caps unleashed dense flashes of gunfire. The Austrian defensive line wavered under this blistering assault.

Genoa hastily ordered a reserve battalion to shore it up, barely stabilizing the situation. However, he then saw the French infantry lines appearing at the northern edge of the pass, accompanied by over a dozen cannons advancing.

Watching the torrential offensive from the French, Genoa couldn’t help but inwardly curse.

If this continued, his defensive line would last no more than three or four days at best—providing the rations didn’t run out beforehand.

Rations?

A sudden thought occurred to him.

The French were entirely ignoring the passage to their west, concentrating their forces solely on attacking Genoa. In no time, Chervoni’s army could occupy Cadipona Pass, cutting off the French army’s supply line.

That meant engaging the French head-on here was utterly pointless.

He should let the French enter Genoa to buy time for Milan’s reinforcements to join him.

Once the French ran out of supplies in Milan, they would surrender without a single cannon wasted.

In essence, Genoa’s plan was sound.

In the historical Battle of Marengo, Massena, who had been stationed in Genoa as bait by Napoleon, persevered for over 50 days with a severe lack of food before ultimately surrendering with his starving troops.

Currently, Massena was dispatched by Joseph to the Rhine battlefield, leaving veteran Demobin to draw fire here instead.

However, Demobin was relatively fortunate; he would receive supplies from the French Navy stationed in the Mediterranean.

History would not repeat itself with him.

By dawn the next day, when Demobin ordered his soldiers to launch a new round of attacks, he unexpectedly discovered that the area near Cadipona Pass was eerily quiet. Genoa’s troops had withdrawn eastward the previous night.

Two days later, Joubert led two infantry regiments into Genoa City to welcoming arches formed by the Genoese, where no enemy troops guarded the gates.

Demobin wasted no time. After a brief respite, he ordered Joubert and Ogero to erect defensive lines on Genoa’s outskirts.

He himself entered the Genoa Governor’s Mansion, publicly reading the Crown Prince’s pledge to “forever uphold Genoa’s neutral status, never interfering in its internal affairs,” and urging the Habsburg family to promptly repay the large sums they owed Genoa’s banks for decades.

Indeed, Genoa had gradually declined since the 18th century due to the debts incurred by the Habsburg family, who refused repayment.

Of course, much of this debt had been incurred by the former Spanish Habsburg monarchy, but who could accurately settle century-old accounts?

As for the debts owed by France to Genoa, the Crown Prince assured that the French people value integrity above all else and would repay both principal and interest.

Yes, once the war in Italy ends, these debts would all be transferred to Austria as war indemnities—France would never default!

A week later, Koli arrived at Novi Ligure with his Sardinian Legion.

Soon after, Chervoni’s army advanced from the west towards Turkino Pass.

Thus, nearly 50,000 Allied forces completed the encirclement of Demobin’s corps and launched a ferocious assault on Genoa after a brief pause to regroup.

…

Northwest Italy.

Novara.

Inside the officer’s tent at the French camp, Napoleon swiftly drew three arrows across the map with a pencil, then fixed his burning gaze on a few officers before him: “We now have three choices.

“Advance south to Turin. This will force Sardinia to exit the Anti-French Alliance.

“Head southeast, the furthest route, to Genoa, striking Melas’s army from the rear. If General Demobin coordinates well, this could create a pincer attack against the enemy.

“He then pointed at the far-right arrow: Advance east to Milan and seize the Austrians’ base in Italy.”

Victor deliberated briefly before saying, “Commander, I believe we should prioritize General Demobin’s safety.

“According to the intelligence received yesterday, he’s facing nearly double his troop count in enemy forces.”