Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

In domestic warfare, you only need soldiers and weapons, and logistics supplies can be provided by local governments nearby. But when sending troops overseas, a large number of draft horses and wagons are a hard requirement; besides, many military craftsmen are also needed.

Previously, Russia lost tens of thousands of horses in the expedition to India, as well as almost all of its accompanying vehicles, so at this moment, the army that can be dispatched to Europe numbers just around 60,000.

It's necessary to wait until the vehicles and supplies from Moscow, Novgorod, and other places are transferred to the West before increasing troop strength further.

Suvorov did not always travel with his main army but, after entering Little Poland, headed to Vienna alone with his guards.

First, he needed to thoroughly understand the operational arrangements of the Allied Forces from the Austrian General Staff before determining in which direction the Russian Army should join the battle to achieve the best results.

As one of the finest strategic and tactical masters in Europe, he knew well that the French were not easy to deal with—Massena, Moro, and other generals had previously demonstrated their excellent commanding abilities in wars, plus the French Army's superior weapons and equipment, an oversight by the Allied Forces could lead to a devastating blow.

However, when he arrived in Vienna and saw the Allied Forces' operational plans, he finally felt relieved.

"This plan can be described as flawless." He put away the map full of markings and said to the Austrian staff in fluent French, "Did you design it?"

"No, General, I don't have that capability. This plan was proposed by Archduke Karl."

Suvorov instinctively said, "The young prince who successfully led the Austrian Army to evade the French pursuit? Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up..."

He added in his heart: Austria finally has someone who understands military affairs. It seems that victory in this war is just a matter of time.

...

Small town at the western border of Switzerland, Lerocle.

Massena tugged at his collar and stomped his icy feet. Although it was only late September, the temperature at twilight here had dropped to five or six degrees.

Although this place is sparsely populated, it is still Swiss territory; to avoid attracting attention, he didn't let the soldiers start a campfire for warmth, and he himself was enduring the cold along with them.

"Why hasn't the enemy made a move?" The artillery commander Marmon mumbled with his neck shrunk, "Could the intelligence be wrong?"

Udino shook his head: "Last week's battle reports mentioned the presence of Austrian Army near Brenner Pass. Probably their marching speed is too slow."

Brenner Pass is a crucial gateway from Austrian Innsbruck to Zurich.

Marmon continued to complain: "In that case, we should immediately proceed to Zurich..."

Major Gassen nods immediately. In fact, many officers believe that ambushes should be set up near Zurich before the Allied Forces arrive.

Massena turned his head, looking at the sunset: "It seems today should be..."

He was about to turn back to the tent when he caught sight of the courier coming fast and stopped immediately: "There must be news."

Indeed, the courier arrived in front of him, reined his horse, and shouted: "General, the Prussian-Austrian Alliance Army occupied Zurich yesterday afternoon. Total forces should exceed 60,000."

Marmon immediately became excited: "Let's move out at once, General."

Massena, however, shook his head: "We still need to wait for the Swiss."

"What?" Several officers were stunned, "Wait for them for what?"

They didn't wait long; in about an hour, French diplomat Rocar, along with two Swiss officials, arrived at the camp by carriage.

Rocar gestured to the two men: "General, they are representatives from the Fribourg and Bern State Congresses. They formally request our country to send troops to maintain Switzerland's status as a Neutral Country."

Yes, Joseph had already instructed the French diplomat in Switzerland to engage in diplomatic communication with the Swiss Congress at the earliest moment after the Allied Forces invaded Switzerland.

However, this time the Swiss capital fell too quickly, so only the state congresses' authorization was obtained.

Fortunately, the independence of Swiss cantons is very strong, even allowing them to independently declare war. Thus, when the Federal Congress loses its ability, this basically represents Switzerland's national will.

With the request for troop deployment from Switzerland, the French Army can gain a home advantage here.

The two Swiss officials looked around the French camp with some surprise, and after quite a while, they came to their senses and stepped forward to salute Massena.

Massena smiled and returned the salute: "Mr. Rocar's aide notified me by horseback; we have just crossed the Du River as well."

The Swiss knew he was bluffing—with such a large force, just assembling it takes several days—but now was not the time to bicker over this; they simply bowed again: "Thank you for your assistance. We hope you can quickly defeat the invaders."

The diplomat's carriage continued heading towards Paris, Marmon checked his watch and said to the order officer: "There's still some time until dusk; order the entire army to move immediately to Zurich."

"Yes, General!"

Soon, the French Royal Third and Sixth Infantry Divisions, along with the Royal Second Artillery Battalion, totaling 23,000 soldiers, began a forced march along the southern slopes of Jura Mountain.

Their goal is not to defeat the Allied Forces entering Switzerland, but to use the dense network of waterways and mountains in central Switzerland to hold up the enemy here.

Early the next morning, Dawu led two infantry regiments and one artillery company, totaling more than 3,800 people, departing from within France, heading towards the Swiss interior to the east.

Massena urged the soldiers to maintain their speed all along the way.

Lerocle is 130 kilometers from Zurich; he's unsure when the Allied Forces will leave southward, so he needs to occupy advantageous terrain in advance as much as possible for a better intercept.

However, just the following noon, the outlying hussars returned with a report: "General, northeast 12 kilometers away, an Austrian Army was found. Estimated to be around 20,000 men."

The staff member immediately sprawls the map, and the hussars point to the north side of Lake Biel: "Right around here."

Udino frowned upon hearing this: "They should be headed to Lausanne, but there seem to be too few of them."

"It seems, the Prussians have other tasks at hand." Massena pondered and indicated to the staff member, "Monst, report this immediately to the General Staff."

Then he looked at the map again: "We must first block this Austrian force."

...

Southern Netherlands.

Nijmegen.

A unit of British Cavalry returned over the floating bridge on the Val River and said to Sir Moore: "General, no sign of the Flemish."

Moore smiled and nodded: "As expected. They are likely guarding Antwerp. The French might reinforce them, but that doesn't change anything."

He signaled to the order officer: "Let the soldiers cross the river. We'll rest at Horusbeck today."

Although the direction in Holland is not the main battlefield, a breakthrough here can still inflict a heavy blow on France.