Chapter 815: The Surprise Sent by the Crown Prince
Soon, Bessières, leading Napoleon's guard, joined the fierce battle.
He carried Napoleon's banner.
In the chaotic battlefield, soldiers couldn't find their commander, but they immediately saw the large flag fluttering in the wind.
Colonel Bonaparte is always beside us!
This thought sprang unbidden in the recruits' hearts, instantly boosting morale. The bayonet thrusts that followed became even fiercer than before.
Screams echoed continuously as more Austrian soldiers, driven by overwhelming terror, dropped their weapons and scattered.
Cervoni's lines collapsed like sand dams before a flood.
By the time Joubert arrived to join the combat, all that remained were the backs of Vanjer recruits and over a thousand Austrian soldiers kneeling in surrender.
Napoleon caught sight of Joubert's flag from afar, then looked at the fleeing enemy and told Lucien, "Order Major Joubert to attack south of Marengo immediately. Melas's command post should be there!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Several kilometers away in Castelceriolo, Junot's forces were crushed by the numerically superior Argenteau Corps and retreated to Sant'Illiano with just over 300 men.
Sérurier was still resisting the Colli Corps but was visibly exhausted, with soldiers beginning to flee.
At that moment, the Austrian commanders on both wings received the same order from Melas—to rush to Marengo and reinforce because Napoleon had broken through their center.
...
At Cabbianca, five kilometers south of Marengo,
Melas watched the final ray of sunlight disappear over the horizon, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
He hadn't expected the French to so quickly shatter Cervoni's troops with inferior numbers and had almost been captured by the French himself.
Luckily, he was fortunate—Ozeri's corps was exhausted and pursuing slowly.
Though the French recruits charged with great spirit, after fierce fighting they had lost formation. Napoleon shouted in vain to restrain them.
Melas's 300-strong personal guard alone defeated them.
He hurriedly withdrew toward Cabbianca.
Cervoni also retreated there, gradually gathering fewer than 4,000 fleeing soldiers.
In Cabbianca's church, upon seeing the messenger from the recently arrived Argenteau Corps, Melas asked, "Have you linked with the Colli Corps?"
"Yes, General."
"How are the losses?"
"Almost none, General. The French are clearly delaying and not engaging in full battle."
Melas's eyes brightened.
The combined strength of Argenteau and Colli Corps totaled over 25,000. Adding forces opposing the French north of Sant'Illiano, their total exceeded 30,000.
This was enough for a powerful counterattack.
Napoleon's troops were surely exhausted from today's brutal fighting while Argenteau's forces had barely engaged and would be in excellent condition.
With their numerical advantage, they might reverse the tide.
Thinking this, Melas immediately drafted an order, handing it to his messenger to deliver to Argenteau.
In the letter, he appointed Argenteau commander of all Austrian troops north of Marengo and ordered an attack on Napoleon by 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Meanwhile, inside Marengo village, Napoleon solemnly bent over the map, outlining plans to Joubert and others.
"We failed to capture Melas. A fierce new battle is imminent.
"But our forces urgently need rest.
"In today's brutal fighting, the French lost nearly 5,000 men. Many units have been broken and are unfit to fight."
Yet Napoleon appeared calm:
"However, we gained a significant advantage: cutting off communication between Melas and his troops.
"So I plan to feign an attack on Melas's command post to attract Austrian attention. This task falls to Captain Menil with two thousand new recruits.
"Our main force will move east to join Ozeri's corps and rest at Sant'Illiano.
"Then, depending on enemy movement, we can strike Marengo or…"
While Napoleon stayed awake all night directing the battle, an inconspicuous carriage quietly stopped at General Colli's Sardinian Corps camp.
A man dressed in black stepped out and, accompanied by two Sardinian captains, walked straight to the officers' tent area.
Soon, more than a dozen senior Sardinian officers gathered in the tent, but none reported to General Colli.
The next morning, Colli immediately ordered the entire corps to assemble, preparing to attack the French.
Yet, less than fifteen minutes after the messenger left, he returned:
"General, the corps is fully assembled and appears to be moving toward the Bormida River."
"The Bormida River? Damn… what are those fools doing?" Colli frowned, dropped the half-eaten ham he was chewing, and rode toward the troops' camp.
Soon, he saw his soldiers moving west.
Fuming, he summoned the highest-ranking Sardinian officers and scolded, "Are you crazy?! Who gave you permission to move the troops without orders?"
Sardinia's senior-most officer, Lieutenant General François Taon, bowed politely and said, "General Colli, we have orders from His Majesty the King. Turin faces severe threat from French forces, and we must return to bolster the capital's defenses."
"Turin? God! We are about to counterattack the French. You cannot leave without orders!" Colli was furious. "I order you to return immediately!"
The Sardinian officers exchanged glances. Lt. Gen. Taon produced a document and presented it to Colli.
"Sorry, General, you are no longer commander of the Sardinian Corps. This deployment order was issued by the War Minister. I now command the corps."
Colli realized the situation had gone awry and hurried to find Argenteau.
After lengthy discussion, they decided to intercept and disarm the Sardinian command and temporarily place the eighteen thousand troops under Austrian officers' control.
However, Argenteau's troops had been preparing to attack Marengo. Suddenly diverted westward, troop movements consumed nearly an hour.
By the time they arrived on the east bank of the Bormida, the Sardinians had largely crossed, establishing artillery aimed at the bridgehead and ready to fire on any Austrian pursuers.
Napoleon, dark-circled from sleepless nights, gathered his troops and according to their plan from the day before, prepared to abandon Marengo and move eastward.
Yet, just as the troops were about to move out, the cavalry on the front line rushed in to report:
"Commander, enemy forces are advancing westward."
"Mm, understood…" Napoleon waved his hand but suddenly froze. "What? You said, west?"
(END CHAPTER)
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