Chapter 776: "Workaholic" Napoleon
Joubert's eyes lit up with excitement—he hadn't expected the enemy to actually bypass Vence from the north, taking a long detour straight into his trap.
For days, he had been skeptical of Napoleon's orders, but now he could only admire his foresight.
Northwest of Cagnes-sur-Mer
Victor had just woken up and hadn't even washed his face when he heard gunfire from the town.
The sound was much clearer than before, meaning the battle had moved very close to his position.
His heart pounded—just as Lieutenant Colonel Buonaparte had predicted, the Austrians had flanked Cagnes from the west.
He didn't wait for a scout's report. Tossing his toothbrush aside, he shouted toward the messenger's tent:
—"Martino, sound the horn! Assemble the troops! Quickly, our moment has arrived!"
His soldiers had remained on high alert, sleeping with their rifles in hand. As soon as the call to arms was sounded, they were fully assembled in just over 20 minutes.
Victor galloped out in front of them, raising his hand.
—"The Austrians have turned their backs to us. This is our chance for glory—move out!"
Inside Cagnes-sur-Mer
The sudden appearance of an Austrian grenadier battalion on the rear flank threw the French defenders into chaos.
The officer in charge of the defense cursed and personally led his reserves westward to meet the attack.
But the defenses here were far too thin. In less than an hour, the hastily built outer barricades were completely overrun.
Carreto, watching the few hundred French troops trembling near the main road outside the town, ordered his grenadiers to form columns and launch a full assault with skirmishers supporting them.
As the Austrian war drums pounded, Carreto and his staff began discussing how to coordinate with General Provera after taking the town to crush the remaining French troops in the east.
But something about the drumbeats felt… off.
Frowning, he turned his head.
There were drumbeats coming from the north as well.
A sudden realization struck him, and he roared at his staff:
—"AMBUSH!"
A Perfect Trap
To be fair, neither Seibotendorf's nor Carreto's scouts had been negligent—Napoleon's planning had simply been airtight.
He had stationed Victor's forces more than ten kilometers away from the battle zones, only moving them in once the Austrians had fully committed to their attack.
This precise timing was crucial—had they been positioned too close, they would have been detected early, spoiling the ambush. But Napoleon had an uncanny ability to predict exactly where the decisive battles would take place.
The Austrian cavalry had diligently scouted over six miles ahead, but their reports to Beaulieu remained the same:
"No signs of French troops in the area."
Confident in this intelligence, Beaulieu formulated what he believed to be a foolproof strategy.
If someone had an aerial view of the battlefield at this moment, they would see two long French infantry lines forming behind the unsuspecting Austrian forces west of Cagnes, completely sealing off their retreat routes.
Meanwhile, Seibotendorf's corps, which had attempted to bypass Vence, was marching straight into Joubert's waiting troops.
20 km North of Nice, Near Levens
Napoleon was hunched over his desk, calculating something, occasionally turning to his adjutant.
—"The Lyon Corps' ammunition supplies are running dangerously low…
"The Montpellier troops' winter coats are far too thin—do they seriously call that winter gear? Someone should investigate their supply officers…
"Oh, and the Murat Corps needs a separate ammunition resupply—what a headache. Perhaps you should take a trip to Paris and negotiate with the General Staff to transfer some copper percussion caps from the central reserves…"
The adjutant nodded continuously, scribbling notes at lightning speed.
He was already used to this workaholic commander. Napoleon personally oversaw everything—even down to checking if soldiers' buttons were properly fastened.
This obsessive attention to detail ensured that the army was always fully prepared, but it also created a new problem: Napoleon was trying to personally handle everything, which severely slowed down decision-making.
No matter how brilliant he was, he was still just one man. Even on just five hours of sleep per night, it was impossible to manage every issue efficiently.
After more than half an hour of signing documents, Napoleon finally set his pen down, rubbing his wrist.
—"Bring me my coffee. The battle report from Vence should be arriving soon—I need a short break."
Shortly, a finely crafted porcelain cup with an Eastern-style design was placed before him, filling the tent with the rich aroma of coffee.
His aide used tongs to drop sugar cubes into the cup. Napoleon watched with satisfaction, nodding.
—"More… More… Yes, even more."
By the time the sugar filled a third of the cup, he was finally pleased.
He then grabbed a bottle of brandy, pouring the amber liquid into the coffee. With a glance at his aide, he gave a subtle signal.
The aide lit a thin wooden strip and touched it to the sugar-soaked brandy. Instantly, blue and red flames flickered, sending a fragrant aroma into the air. The coffee cup now looked like a piece of glowing artwork.
Napoleon waited for the flames to die down before gently blowing on the surface and taking a sip. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment.
This was his personal invention—a special way of drinking coffee. It was his second favorite battlefield indulgence, second only to a hot bath.
It was clear that Napoleon was not a particularly devout Catholic. If anything, his true faith lay in artillery.
Just as he was about to finish his coffee, Major Augereau entered the tent and placed a letter on his desk.
—"Lieutenant Colonel Buonaparte, Baron Delfaire has requested reinforcements twice now. Perhaps, to be safe, we should send additional troops to Vence."
Napoleon took the final sip of his coffee, enjoying the aftertaste, before finally turning his attention to Augereau.
—"You must trust me—Vence's defenses are solid."
—"But you know that the enemy's main left-wing force is concentrated there…"
—"I've fought the Austrians many times. I know their capabilities well.
"Oh, and their best troops—the Royal German Corps—are not even here. Seibotendorf's Hungarian regiments are far less formidable.
"They have no real will to fight. As soon as they take some casualties, they start thinking about retreating.
"I've already instructed Colonel Delfaire—so long as he manages his troop expenditure wisely, he can hold for ten days without issue."
Augereau took a deep breath.
—"And after ten days?"
—"Beaulieu believes he has a massive numerical advantage—and he does. That's why he won't be content with a slow advance.
"If he fails to take Vence within a week, he will bypass it and attack Toulon instead.
"Of course, he's also worried that we might send reinforcements to defend the Toulon fortress."
In reality, Napoleon had stationed a 700-man reserve force west of Vence. If Delfaire made a mistake, these reinforcements would fill the gap.
Additionally, in the event of an emergency, several hundred Monaco Royal Guards could rush in to assist, as Napoleon had relocated the Prince of Monaco to the nearby town of Biot.
His plan wasn't reckless—it was simply calculated with precision.
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