From Corsica to the Fourth Rome.

Chapter 378 André Davout's Enlightenment
"What did you say?!"

A week later, inside the main base of the Sardinian army, Prince Vittorio stared at the royal envoy in front of him with wide eyes:

"The Corsican army has already laid siege to Turin?"

When the royal envoy arrived at the garrison in a dusty state, Prince Vittorio thought that it was just a trick played by the Corsicans to lure him back to defend the country, thus opening the gates of Liguria.

Only after a thorough investigation and interrogation of the envoy and confirmation that he was indeed from his father's court did Prince Vittorio accept the news with shock and doubt:
The main force of the Corsican army was not in Vadolidore at all, and the kingdom's capital, Turin, had been besieged by the Corsican army from Genoa.

"How is this possible!"

Prince Vittorio quickly read the order sent to him by the Army Department, but he was unwilling to accept this reality:

"How could the main force of the Corsican army be the Genoese army? I have personally investigated and found that there are no less than four regiments of troops stationed in Vadolidorene."

During this week, Prince Vittorio certainly did not just sit there in the base and confront the Corsicans in vain.

He continued to send people to collect information about the city of Genoa, and at the same time increased his reconnaissance efforts on Vadolidore to ensure that any actions of the Corsicans could be reported to him as soon as possible.

Three days ago, Prince Vittorio even personally led the Royal Cavalry Regiment to launch a tentative attack on Vadolidore.

As a result, the Corsicans reacted violently and directly sent out the forces of four regiments, as if they were ready for a decisive battle with the Sardinians. Their vanguard, a well-trained hunting battalion, even had a brief exchange of fire with the Royal Cavalry Regiment, causing dozens of casualties to the Sardinians.

Although Prince Vittorio was also looking forward to a decisive battle with the Corsican army, his father's order required him to defend Liguria to the death. In addition, he only led the highly mobile royal cavalry regiment to test the attack, so he had to retreat to the garrison in disgrace.

The Corsican army did not pursue further and soon returned to Vadolidore, and the two sides resumed their confrontation.

After this test, Prince Vittorio became more confident in his judgment of the main deployment of the Corsican army.

It was not only because he saw the four regiments of the Corsican army with his own eyes, but also because of the Corsican hunting battalion that had engaged in a firefight with the Royal Cavalry Regiment.

After all, any general knows that the equipment and training costs of chasseurs are extremely expensive compared to line infantry.

In Prince Vittorio's eyes, the fact that the poor island of Corsica could muster a chasseur battalion was beyond his expectations. Now the Corsicans have deployed this precious chasseur battalion in Vadoli Dore, which further proves that this is where the main force of the Corsican army is located.

Staring at the transfer order in his hand, Prince Vittorio's expression was uncertain and he couldn't make up his mind for a moment.

It was indeed his duty to accept the transfer order and immediately return to defend Turin. But if this was exactly what the Corsicans wanted, then Liguria would be wide open and the entire southern part of the Po River Plain would undoubtedly fall.

As Carlo Emanuele III grew older, Prince Vittorio's succession to the throne became a foregone conclusion. As the future king, Vittorio no longer obeyed his father's orders as he did in the past, and he had to have his own considerations.

"It seems there is only one way."

Prince Vittorio's eyes darkened, and he thought to himself:
"Immediately engage in a decisive battle with Vadolidorei's Corsican army, defeat them, and then return to defend Turin."

Although his father's order required him to hold this place, under the current situation, Prince Vittorio understood that only taking the initiative could break the deadlock. No matter what conspiracy the Corsicans had, everything would be in vain as long as he won on the front battlefield.

Just as Prince Vittorio made up his mind and was ready to carry out his plan.

An officer rushed into the tent and shouted in panic:
"Your Highness! Your Highness! The Corsicans of Vadolidore are taking action. They are marching in full force towards Nice!"

Prince Vittorio was stunned for a moment:
"Nice.? Are they going to?!"

As we all know, there were two major territorial disputes between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Sardinia at that time. One was the Duchy of Savoy outside the Alps, and the other was the Nice region on the border of Liguria.

Nice, located between Marseille and Genoa, is also a prosperous and wealthy trading city as famous as Marseille.

Because this port city is located at the junction of Liguria and Provence, its ownership has changed hands back and forth between France and the Kingdom of Sardinia. In the 18th century alone, Nice changed hands between the two countries three times.

It was not until twenty-three years ago, when the War of the Austrian Succession ended and the Treaty of Aachen was signed, that the Kingdom of Sardinia once again regained Nice from France.

As the most important seaport of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the importance of Nice to the kingdom is self-evident. Whether for the trade income or the naval base, the Kingdom of Sardinia is absolutely inseparable from this city.

At the same time that Prince Vittorio received the news, Andrea Davout's troops were already approaching this turbulent land.

During the march, a subordinate officer turned his head with a worried look at the sparse troops behind him, and then looked at Andre Davout:
"Sir, are we really going to launch an attack on Nice?"

André Davout was a man of few words. When faced with his subordinates' questions, he just nodded and spoke sparingly:
"Nice has almost no garrison and can be easily taken."

Now the main force of the Sardinia Kingdom's army is in the hands of Prince Vittorio. Andrea Davout also conducted reconnaissance in advance and determined that Nice was an empty city militarily at this time.

"We know that, but the problem is that we can't defend Nice from behind."

The officer looked at the team behind him again:
"You can't expect these peasants to really fight like regular troops."

Although these soldiers looked no different from ordinary Corsican soldiers, wearing full uniforms and accessories and carrying brand new smoothbore flintlock rifles on their shoulders, the officer knew very well that these people were not soldiers of the Corsica National Defense Force at all, but peasants and townspeople forcibly conscripted by André Davout in Vadodore.

Not long ago, when André Davout took over the command of the 4th Battalion of the 1st Chasseurs, the first thing he did was to blockade the entire town and the surrounding villages, and then conscripted all adult males into his army.

At the same time, relying on the authorization of Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte, André Davout also made a large number of supply requests to the French province of Provence.

Relying on the supply assistance from France, Andre Davout used the quantity and frequency of supplies to confuse the judgment of the Sardinian army, while also easily providing these conscripted soldiers with a full set of uniforms and weapons and paying them high salaries.

Thanks to this, these forcibly recruited recruits did not suffer from low morale or unstable military spirit. They actively cooperated with daily training and Davout's orders. Many poor people even hoped to stay in the Corsican army for a long time.

Prince Vittorio of the Sardinian army was also deceived by this group of conscripted soldiers and concluded that the main force of the Corsican army was here.

Now Vittorio would never have thought that the truly combat-capable troops under Andrea Davout were only the 500-man chasseur battalion given to him by Lawrence.

Of course, although the morale of these recruits was acceptable, no officer thought that they could really compete with the Sardinian soldiers on the battlefield.

Even though the training time and cultivation cost of line infantry were extremely low, these soldiers were still farmers carrying pitchforks and hoes less than a month ago, and it was impossible to expect them to exert any combat power.

Perhaps their greatest role is to provide bluffing cover for the only main chasseur battalion, just like when the Royal Cavalry Regiment of the Sardinian Army launched a tentative attack that day.

In the eyes of this officer, it would be better to call these people actors rather than soldiers, actors used to confuse the Sardinian army.

"Sir, after we capture Nice, the overall situation of the war will not change much."

The officer was still trying to persuade Andre Davout to abandon the operation. He really didn't think that attacking Nice was a good option at this time:

"It's better to defend Vadolidore. We already have ready-made fortifications there."

André Davout glanced at the officer and suddenly asked:

"If you were the commander of the Sardinian army and learned that our army had occupied Nice, what would you do?"

The officer was stunned for a moment, and was about to analyze it, but Andre Davout asked and answered himself:

"Nice is the most important port in the Kingdom of Sardinia and the only base for the kingdom's navy. Its importance is not as great as Turin, but it is far greater than any other town."

"Sir, you mean..."

"Turin's defenses are impregnable. The only way for the Corsican army to break through Turin is to wait until it runs out of ammunition and food, but this will take at least three months. In other words, Turin can hold out for at least three months." Only when talking about marching formations and military strategies did Andre Davout speak more:

"But the siege of Nice is imminent, and we can't even hold out for three days. If I were the commander of the Sardinian army, I would first recapture Nice and then lead the army back to defend Turin. There would be plenty of time."

At this point, André Davout's intentions were clear.

He had already calculated that Prince Vittorio had most likely received news of the Siege of Turin and would take action soon.

If he remained in Vadolidore at this time, the main force of the Sardinian army would undoubtedly return directly to defend Turin, and the main force of the Corsican army that was carrying out the siege would inevitably fall into danger.

In order to continue to tie down the main force of the enemy, Andre Davout also chose to take a risky move and led a group of newly recruited soldiers to capture Nice, forcing Prince Vittorio to recapture Nice first and then return to defend Turin, thus implementing a strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao.

Although he had never met Prince Vittorio before, Andre Davout was certain that the other party would act according to his design. After all, from the perspective of the Sardinian army, this was the most rational and most profitable decision.

According to Andre's estimation, the troops under his command could probably rely on the favorable terrain of Nice to resist the Sardinian army for a month.

This one month period was what Andre Davout promised Lawrence in his letter. He could still keep the main force of the Sardinian army in Liguria for about another month.

"But."

The officer couldn't help swallowing his saliva and said hesitantly:

"You just said that Turin can hold out for more than three months. Even if we hold back the enemy's main force in Nice for a month, it will be useless. By the time the enemy recaptures Nice, our army will be completely wiped out, and you, sir, will become a prisoner of the Sardinian army."

At this moment, even this officer could see that the decision to attack Nice was a risky move.

If the main force of the Sardinian army captured Nice first and the siege of Turin was far from over, then their troops would have no chance of survival.

In other words, Andre Davout had entrusted the fate of himself and his entire army to Lawrence Bonaparte, who was 600 miles away. Only if Prime Minister Bonaparte captured Turin before Nice fell, would their army of thousands of people have a chance of survival.

But Andre Davout shook the reins, his face remained firm and unmoved. He glanced at the distant north and shook his head slightly.

"The estimate that Torino can hold out for three months is based on the enemy's perspective. With President Berthier's talent, it may not last that long. However, this can still be considered a gamble."

So saying, André Davout whipped his whip forward, looked up at the sky and murmured:

"Within a month, if Turin wins first, we will be the main contributors. If Nice dies on the battlefield first, it will be a worthy death."

In order to repay the trust of Mr. Bonaparte and to implement the creed of the Wumen family, Andre Davout had only one thought in his mind at this time:
He kept the main force of the Sardinian army in Liguria until the last second before his death.

Six days later, on October 10, two weeks had passed since the Corsican army besieged Turin.

This majestic military town still stands at the foot of the Alps. During these two weeks, the Corsican army did not launch any attack on Turin, nor did it use all its forces to besiege the city. Instead, it invested a large number of manpower in building fortifications on the banks of the Po River.

"Vittorio decided to retake Nice first."

Inside the palace, Carlo Emmanuele III also received an urgent report from the south today. Thanks to the fact that the Corsican army did not have enough troops to launch a full siege, the current Turin Palace was still able to maintain contact with the troops led by Vittorio:
"Well, it's the right decision. The Corsicans won't be able to pose any threat to Turin in three months."

After learning that his son did not obey the order to return to Turin immediately, but instead launched a siege on Nice first, the old king did not feel angry or disappointed, but instead felt a little relieved.

Carlo Emanuele III did not expect that the Corsican feint force in Vadoli Dore would dare to take the initiative to attack Nice. After all, this was a completely unwarranted move. Vittorio's troops could easily take back Nice and then calmly support Turin.

In the old king's view, the actions of the Corsican troops were of no significance at all. They only delayed Vittorio's troops' return to Turin for a few weeks.

As for the few weeks they bought with their lives, they would not have any impact on the siege of Turin. The towering city walls, ten-foot-deep moats and indestructible bastions could not be conquered by the Corsican army in just a few more weeks.

After reading the report from Vittorio's ministry, the old king was in a very good mood and did not look like a monarch in a besieged city at all.

Everything was under control, and Carlo Emanuele III could even foresee the development of the subsequent war:

After weeks of fruitless siege, the Corsican army would fall into utter despair. They would either launch a suicidal assault and bury the entire army in Turin, or wisely lift the siege and return to Genoa in disgrace.

Either situation is beneficial to the Kingdom of Sardinia. After all, time is on their side.

"Lawrence Bonaparte, it seems, is just so-so."

Carlo Emanuele III chuckled and put the young man's name out of his mind.

The old king was somewhat wary of this military genius who suddenly emerged. Whether it was the Battle of Ajaccio and the Battle of Bonifacio in Corsica, or the defense of Valletta Harbor on the island of Malta, this young man had repeatedly defeated the enemy with fewer troops and the weak with the strong, which left a deep impression on Carlo Emmanuele III.

But when he saw that the Corsican army could only look at Turin from across the Po River, Carlo Emmanuel III could not help but laugh at himself for overestimating his opponent. Lawrence Bonaparte had gone to great lengths to bypass Vittorio's main force, but was still helpless in the face of the impregnable Turin.

"That kid doesn't think that Turin is as vulnerable as those earthen fortresses on Corsica, right? It's time to teach this arrogant and immature young man a lesson."

The old king smiled and put Vittorio's report aside, then turned to look at a trusted general beside him:
"How is the defense of the city? Are the Corsicans still not making any moves?"

At the age of seventy, Carlo Emanuele III no longer had the energy or physical condition to command the army personally. All he could do was give orders in the palace and leave all matters to his trusted subordinates.

The trusted general nodded. After witnessing the Corsicans' helplessness against the walls of Turin, the general's tone became increasingly confident:

"Everything is normal in Turin, Your Majesty. We have already collected the food in the city according to your order, stored it in a unified manner, and implemented a strict rationing system. In this way, the food supply in the city can probably last for about three months. The people have some complaints about the rationing system, but they are just rumors and are of no importance."

You know, as a large city with a population of nearly 200,000, Turin's daily food consumption is an extremely terrifying number, so the food supply situation is undoubtedly the most important point for the defenders.

The Corsican army's main force's raid on Turin was too sudden. The Royal Palace of Turin did not receive the news until the day before the enemy arrived at the city. Carlo Emanuele III had no time to stockpile enough supplies.

In response to this, Carlo Emmanuele III had no choice but to immediately order the confiscation of food reserves in the city, which were managed by the army, and to implement a strict rationing system for the 200,000 citizens in order to maximize the time of defending the city.

Although the people in the city, especially the middle-class citizens, complained about this policy, their complaints seemed insignificant during the period of martial law, and the general only casually mentioned the people's complaints in his report to the king.

Carlo Emmanuele III nodded slightly, very satisfied with the current situation. As long as there were no problems with the city's material reserves, the Corsicans would not even be able to see a single brick on the streets of Turin.

“On the dynamics of the Corsicans.”

The trusted general continued to report:

"They are indeed a little abnormal. It has been two weeks since they besieged Turin, but they have not yet completely surrounded Turin. Instead, they have deployed their troops along the Po River, seemingly building some fortifications. Not only that, they have also hired a large number of farmers from surrounding towns and villages to join the project."

"Fortifications? What are they building?" Carlo Emmanuele III asked with a frown. The king, with his disabled legs and weak body, could not go to the front-line fortress in person to observe the enemy's movements, so he could only ask the generals and officers.

The general was also unsure of the Corsican's intentions, but he didn't care. He just shook his head calmly:
"It's not clear yet, Your Majesty. We can only wait and see the enemy's movements from the city wall, but it is likely that they will rebuild the bridge to allow the army to pass."

Carlo Emmanuel III nodded hesitantly, accepting the explanation. He had indeed ordered the removal of all bridges over rivers outside the city two weeks ago in order to hinder the Corsican army's offensive.

Now that the Corsican army is about to attack Turin, it makes sense to rebuild the bridge.

However, Carlo Emmanuel III still had a little doubt in his mind. What kind of bridge would require the mobilization of all the soldiers in Corsica to build it, and even hiring a large number of farmers from the surrounding towns? !

Carlo Emmanuele III pondered for a while, but no reasonable answer came into his dizzy mind. He really couldn't think of what the weak Corsicans could do when facing the indestructible walls of Turin.

At the age of seventy, he is now just a frail old man who fights death every day. He is no longer as sharp and wise as he used to be. Time has given him unparalleled experience in his middle age, but it has also taken away too much wisdom from him in his later years.