Victor cautiously reminded, "Commander, there are currently 53,000 troops of the Aus Alliance Army in Alexandria.
"Even after we merge forces with General Demobin, we'll have less than 40,000 soldiers.
"Yes, I understand the enemy's morale might not be very high. If it's a field battle, we can definitely win. But if Melas decides to hold his ground in Alexandria, a forced assault will cause massive casualties for our army…"
Demobin suffered significant losses during the month and a half of defending Genoa. By the time Melas retreated, out of the original nearly 30,000 French Army soldiers, only 25,000 were still combat-effective.
Combined with Napoleon's forces, their total numbers were just under 39,000, leaving a considerable gap compared to the Aus Alliance Army.
It must be noted that Alexandria, as a military stronghold in Northern Italy, is bordered to the east by the Bormida River and to the north-west by the Tanaro River, making it very defensible.
