Chapter 160 - Holding the Line

Napoleon's army encountered some minor Austrian strongholds as they crossed the Alps. However, in the grand scheme of things, these strongholds didn't pose much of a threat.

Considering the rugged terrain, these strongholds could have held out if they were determined. The Archduke Charles even made an effort to transport some small cannons to these positions. However, "the city is not unattainable, the moat is not too deep, the soldiers are not exceptionally fierce, and there's plenty of provisions..."

Most of these strongholds simply fulfilled their most critical duty once they spotted the French army—sending a warning. To ensure a successful message delivery and avoid having their messengers intercepted by cunning French allies, everyone rushed to perform their most vital task: delivering the message safely.

And because they were in such a hurry to deliver the message, many of them hadn't even had the chance to destroy their supplies. After all, they weren't retreating; they were returning to send a message, and once that was done, they'd return to defend. Why would they burn their storerooms?

As a result, Napoleon unexpectedly acquired a bit of extra supplies.

Soon, Napoleon led his army out of the Alps. He knew that by this time, the Austrians had received word and were preparing for a serious showdown with him. Napoleon hoped for a grand battle with the Austrians, with the intention of dismantling their entire empire.

Therefore, Napoleon quickly dispatched a group of reconnaissance cavalry to survey the area and expand their understanding of the battlefield.

A few hours later, the scouts returned with ever-evolving information, now represented by new icons on the map.

"Is this really happening?" Napoleon was quite surprised as he studied the map.

On both sides of the road leading to Vienna, they discovered numerous strongholds. Due to the presence of Austrian cavalry and the fatigue from crossing the mountains, Napoleon's reconnaissance couldn't venture too far. As for the conditions further ahead, they remained uncertain.

Before the departure, Napoleon had inquired about the situation from the traders who traveled between Austria and Italy. Strangely, none of them mentioned such fortifications in Austria.

"How could they complete such extensive works in such a short time?" Napoleon decided to inspect the situation in person.

So, Napoleon personally led a group of cavalry to the nearest stronghold.

"What kind of shoddy construction is this!" Napoleon exclaimed as he saw the so-called stronghold in front of him. Its outer walls were not made of well-placed bricks and stones but simply stacked wicker baskets filled with stones. The interior of the walls was likely not well-packed earth but more of these wicker baskets filled with soil.

This kind of construction could even bypass the need for foundations. While it was undoubtedly a quicker process, it resulted in flimsy structures.

"Structures like these would crumble within a year, perhaps even a few months, after a few heavy rains or just regular wear and tear," Napoleon judged after a closer look through his spyglass. Nevertheless, for the time being, these "strongholds" served their purpose.

As Napoleon was studying the stronghold with his spyglass, a group of Austrian cavalry suddenly emerged and circled within firing range of the stronghold's cannons. They didn't charge, however.

Napoleon frowned. "Let's go back."

The Austrian cavalry near the stronghold watched as Napoleon's group retreated, but they didn't pursue.

On the way back, Napoleon had already figured out the Austrians' intentions. They no longer had the confidence to engage in a straightforward battle. Their aim was to force the French to siege each of these strongholds one by one.

In Italy, Napoleon wouldn't have been concerned about such tactics. Apart from the vast number of Italian cannons he had captured—why worry about these strongholds when he had plenty of Italian artillery? Furthermore, he had countless Italian conscripts at his disposal.

With land redistribution, Italian-speaking veterans stationed as village chiefs in newly "liberated" villages, and daily wage payments, Napoleon could easily muster a large Italian workforce. Constructing longer walls than the Austrians was child's play. Then, just like the great Caesar, he could demand money from the Austrian Emperor for building the walls.

However, this was Austria, and Napoleon had limited artillery due to the Alps crossing. Furthermore, even the largest of his cannons had relatively small calibers. The six-pounders were in the minority, and the majority of his cannons were three-pounders.

Though the Minié rifles had a range advantage, the Austrians remained mostly concealed behind the parapets, often showing only their heads or briefly during their volleys. The range advantage of the Minié rifles was thus negated. Engaging in the laborious task of taking these strongholds one by one would lead to significant losses for his army.

But bypassing the strongholds and marching directly to Vienna would risk his supply lines being severed by the troops garrisoned inside the strongholds, especially Austrian cavalry. This was a risk Napoleon couldn't afford.

Nonetheless, Napoleon's resolve remained firm, and he even felt a touch of amusement. Back at camp, he gathered his generals and began discussing their strategy.

"The Austrians have employed a clever strategy, but it requires a complementary tactic," Napoleon explained his understanding of the enemy's intentions. "That tactic is strict scorched earth policy. The Austrians probably don't know how we've handled our logistics since crossing the Alps into Italy."

The officers chuckled.

It was currently the harvest season in Austria. This put the Austrians in a bind since it was impossible to effectively employ scorched earth tactics. If they abandoned their fields of wheat and retreated into the cities, famine would strike later in the year. Transporting the unharvested grain to the cities required an enormous amount of time and storage space. Furthermore, the wheat had to be thoroughly dried to prevent spoilage or sprouting. The cities didn't have the necessary space to dry so much grain. Consequently, the harvest season was the biggest vulnerability in the Austrian strategy.

Napoleon swiftly assigned tasks. The following day, he personally led his troops to the area near the Austrian strongholds.

This move also alerted Archduke Charles. He personally visited the front lines and stood on his newly constructed but shoddy stronghold, nervously scanning the approaching French forces through a telescope.

Through his telescope, he noted that the French cannons were indeed scarce and mostly three-pounders. There weren't many six-pounders, which relieved some of the Archduke's anxiety. However, the confident expressions of the French soldiers revealed their high morale. Such high spirits hinted that this wouldn't be an easy fight.

Nonetheless, the French army didn't immediately launch an attack but halted near the strongholds. Archduke Charles observed this with growing apprehension. They seemed to be building temporary quarters not far from the strongholds.

"What are they up to?" Archduke Charles wondered.

His quick thinking led him to a possible answer. "They must be trying to loot our farms, to seize our wheat! They are keeping us under surveillance here to make it difficult for us to act, while they have certainly sent their cavalry to plunder."

He climbed a high watchtower and scrutinized the French force's composition. There appeared to be a relatively small proportion of cavalry.

"It seems they did indeed send their cavalry to raid. But at least, I've prepared for that," Archduke Charles thought.

By evening, General Oudinot, who had led the cavalry, returned to the newly established French camp with disheartening news. "General, these Austrians are truly ruthless! They set fire to villages within dozens of miles around us!"

"What about further away?" Napoleon inquired.

"We don't know yet, but I doubt they would set the entire country ablaze."

"Move farther tomorrow," Napoleon instructed.

The next day, General Oudinot led his cavalry brigade almost forty kilometers north and finally came across a relatively untouched estate. The estate's owners had long fled, leaving behind burned granaries. However, extensive unharvested fields of wheat still remained.

General Oudinot gathered the local peasants and had them inspect the burnt granaries. He then delivered a speech, explaining that the nobles' lackeys had set fire to the granaries to force the French into looting them. He organized the peasants to harvest the fields, agreeing to a distribution of 70% for the locals and 30% for the French.

"We might not be here for long," General Oudinot told them. "After we leave, hide the grain, and when the Austrians come, tell them that the French took all your crops. This way, you'll have enough to eat during the winter."

The peasants nodded in agreement.